How does one write a post about themselves without it sounding like bragging? I am aiming for motivational, and simply using myself as the subject. Fair enough? We finally got around to updating our measurements and baseline test at CrossFit for the Zoleo Challenge.
Bust (aka boobies) -2"
Under Bust -1 1/2"
Naval -3 1/2"
Widest point (aka hips...for me, at least) -2 1/2"
Thigh -3/4"
Calf -1/2"
Bicep -1/4"
That's 11 inches off!!!!!!!! Yipee! Plus, about 15 pounds...Plus, I shaved about 2 minutes off my baseline test!
Who wants on this train???
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Birthday Bash!
This past Saturday, we celebrated Joe, Bella, Jay and Uncle Doug's birthdays in a Mitlo family kinda way. The first step of the family soiree is picking the menu...usually the host will pick the main course and all the others will bring the appetizers, sides, dessert, pop, etc. I always, always, always leave the menu picking and assignment distribution up to Jay simply because I don't care. Spaghetti pie? Great! Burgers and dogs? Great! Ham and potatoes? Great! See? I'm no help at all.
Well, Jay decided he wanted to do "Pizza Olympics". What? You've never heard of "Pizza Olympics"? Allow me to explain....several people call different pizza places and order the same thing from each place at the same time. As the pizzas arrive, prizes are given to first, second and third place. Everyone at the party guesses which place they think will get there first and cheers for the confused delivery person upon arrival.
We called Papa John's, Vocelli's, Carol of Casey's, Fox's and Vincent's. And yes, we are well aware that Vincent's doesn't deliver...we sent our brother-in-law, who invited Jay's dad along for the ride, to go get the pizza. They were gone for about an hour and smelled a bit like hops when they returned. They did not win.
Casey's came in third! This guy was just confused...though, I imagine it has to be a bit nerve wracking to pull up to a house with a bunch of people screaming, music blaring and taking your picture! This white pizza, by the way, was my personal fav!
Fox's came in fourth and got nothing! I felt bad about that and wanted to at least make a goodie bag for the guy. What does a fourth place Olympian receive, Jay asked me???? Ummmm nothing? That's right, nothing! He's still got his tip, so I guess I didn't lose any sleep over it.
As I said before, Bob and Poppi took their sweet time returning from Vincent's to come in fifth. Now, a Vinny pie experience is taken VERY seriously by the Mitlo clan. We may have even had a moment of silence for Vincent who recently went to the pizza place in the sky. Even after jokes were made that there were a few extra ashes on the grease soaked pizza board, no one was deterred from finishing the whole thing...even the scraps on the board. I, myself, do not partake in a Vinny pie Or really any food that I have to pour grease off of first.
Moving on to our craft portion of the evening....
Everyone had a good time decorating an eggshell, then planting mung beans inside. When the beans sprout it will look like the egghead has hair...and it can be eaten, too!
Baby Trey had had enough shenanigans and was sick of people telling him to stop falling off chairs, so off to bed he went. While he talked to himself in his crib, everyone opened their gifts in a flurry of bows, tissue paper and screams of excitement. Then, onto cake and ice cream. This shouldn't be a big deal, right? Well, clearly you've never sang "Happy Birthday" with this rowdy crowd. Everyone must be sung to individually in the slower traditional version...then we sing the Chi-Chi's style version as loud as possible about 12 times. Seriously.
Baby Trey loves this part of any party...so we had to get him out of bed to sing with us. I think I've read that in a bunch of parenting books...ya know, how it's a good idea to get your kid outta bed, get him all riled up, then put him back in his crib?
Anywho, the party was great (minus an unfortunate silly string incident that ruined my hair and almost burned down Poppi)....though, strangely no one stayed to help clean up....
Well, Jay decided he wanted to do "Pizza Olympics". What? You've never heard of "Pizza Olympics"? Allow me to explain....several people call different pizza places and order the same thing from each place at the same time. As the pizzas arrive, prizes are given to first, second and third place. Everyone at the party guesses which place they think will get there first and cheers for the confused delivery person upon arrival.
We called Papa John's, Vocelli's, Carol of Casey's, Fox's and Vincent's. And yes, we are well aware that Vincent's doesn't deliver...we sent our brother-in-law, who invited Jay's dad along for the ride, to go get the pizza. They were gone for about an hour and smelled a bit like hops when they returned. They did not win.
Papa John's came in first place! We were blaring the Olympic music so loudly it sent children running. Joe tried to present Dude with an actual (fake) gold medal and baggie of goodies. Dude did not care. At all. I think he may have had a baggie of his own goodies on the brain.
Vocelli's came in second and this guy was such a good sport! Though as he drove away, he quickly stopped and backed down our street to confirm that we played fairly! What did we order from Papa John's? Did we order at the same time? We assured him it was all on the up and up and he was free to carry on.
Fox's came in fourth and got nothing! I felt bad about that and wanted to at least make a goodie bag for the guy. What does a fourth place Olympian receive, Jay asked me???? Ummmm nothing? That's right, nothing! He's still got his tip, so I guess I didn't lose any sleep over it.
As I said before, Bob and Poppi took their sweet time returning from Vincent's to come in fifth. Now, a Vinny pie experience is taken VERY seriously by the Mitlo clan. We may have even had a moment of silence for Vincent who recently went to the pizza place in the sky. Even after jokes were made that there were a few extra ashes on the grease soaked pizza board, no one was deterred from finishing the whole thing...even the scraps on the board. I, myself, do not partake in a Vinny pie Or really any food that I have to pour grease off of first.
This was my brother's first time eating a Vinny pizza. He likey!
It was also Baby Trey's first Vinny pie...we eventually had to stop giving it to him. I thought I heard his tiny arteries hardening.
Moving on to our craft portion of the evening....
Baby Trey had had enough shenanigans and was sick of people telling him to stop falling off chairs, so off to bed he went. While he talked to himself in his crib, everyone opened their gifts in a flurry of bows, tissue paper and screams of excitement. Then, onto cake and ice cream. This shouldn't be a big deal, right? Well, clearly you've never sang "Happy Birthday" with this rowdy crowd. Everyone must be sung to individually in the slower traditional version...then we sing the Chi-Chi's style version as loud as possible about 12 times. Seriously.
Anywho, the party was great (minus an unfortunate silly string incident that ruined my hair and almost burned down Poppi)....though, strangely no one stayed to help clean up....
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Ramblings of a Busy Mind
I apologize for being out of the blogging loop recently...busy, busy, busy! What I consider to be March Madness may just possibly be different than your basketball saturated March Madness. We finished up Odyssey of the Mind, which nearly devoured my sanity, so I do not have the energy to make a whole post about it. It ended well...let's move on. This past week we celebrated Joe's 7th, Jay's 39th, and Bella's 5th birthday! The BIG family party is tomorrow, so I have a post in the hopper about that. Ideas for posts have been popping into my head and I actually wrote them down. However, the dust accumulating on non living surfaces is calling my name, therefore I don't have time to give just one topic my undivided attention. Here's a run down of my list, though...
*I'm excited to do this egghead craft at our Spring/Birthday Party tomorrow. While I was getting the eggshells ready (2 dozen), almost half of them had 2 yolks! What's that even mean? Is is good thing like spotting a rainbow or dreaming about unicorns? Or a horrifying side effect of forcing chickens to shoot out eggs machine gun style next to their 2000 closest friends?
*When singing along to the radio, (which I do unabashedly)am I obligated to use the same pronunciation as the artist? I was jammin' to Black Eyed Peas (don't judge) and the guy say "somethin', somethin', last forever...somethin', somethin' be togever". It just feels wrong.
*As much as I love reading, which is a lot, I do not want an electronic book reader...especially one called Kindle. Every time I hear it, I feel like burning something. I need to feel a real live book in my hand, smell the ink, judge the artwork on the cover. I want to feel the spine crease and (gasp!) fold the page to save my place.
*Jeff Probst needs to create a "Survivor Uniform". My neck hurts from constantly diverting my eyes to avoid flying boobs, bum cracks, happy trails, and blurred circles! Family T.V.? My blurred circle it is!
*Marie Claire is a dirty, dirty magazine. Worst use of frequent flier miles. Ever.
*I recently read 2 wildly popular books, Redeeming Love and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I thoroughly enjoyed both, would recommend them to others and may even read them again. BUT! I found a HUGE flaw in both books! It's probably just me...but still, it bothered me. Wait for the post...wait for it...
*The main theme throughout Proverbs is that it's not good to be a fool. I pray I am not and fear that I am.
*I'm excited to do this egghead craft at our Spring/Birthday Party tomorrow. While I was getting the eggshells ready (2 dozen), almost half of them had 2 yolks! What's that even mean? Is is good thing like spotting a rainbow or dreaming about unicorns? Or a horrifying side effect of forcing chickens to shoot out eggs machine gun style next to their 2000 closest friends?
*When singing along to the radio, (which I do unabashedly)am I obligated to use the same pronunciation as the artist? I was jammin' to Black Eyed Peas (don't judge) and the guy say "somethin', somethin', last forever...somethin', somethin' be togever". It just feels wrong.
*As much as I love reading, which is a lot, I do not want an electronic book reader...especially one called Kindle. Every time I hear it, I feel like burning something. I need to feel a real live book in my hand, smell the ink, judge the artwork on the cover. I want to feel the spine crease and (gasp!) fold the page to save my place.
*Jeff Probst needs to create a "Survivor Uniform". My neck hurts from constantly diverting my eyes to avoid flying boobs, bum cracks, happy trails, and blurred circles! Family T.V.? My blurred circle it is!
*Marie Claire is a dirty, dirty magazine. Worst use of frequent flier miles. Ever.
*I recently read 2 wildly popular books, Redeeming Love and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I thoroughly enjoyed both, would recommend them to others and may even read them again. BUT! I found a HUGE flaw in both books! It's probably just me...but still, it bothered me. Wait for the post...wait for it...
*The main theme throughout Proverbs is that it's not good to be a fool. I pray I am not and fear that I am.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
How to Turn Plastic into Cotton
Before
After
Yipee for new jeans!!! I haven't bought new jeans in a couple of kids, so this was a real treat! So, armed with a Christmas gift Old Navy gift card...I ventured out. Mission accomplished! Plus, maybe I found a few other things too.
And because I'm easily distracted by shiny things, especially near the register...I totally forgot to give the cashier my prized gift card! As I was walking out the door, I exclaimed "Oh nuts!!!" and caught the attention of several people. I told the cashier the problem and got back in line to wait my second turn. She then had to return all my stuff and ring it in again...BUT! This time SHE messed up the transaction and got flustered, as well. I told her that she and I should definitely NOT perform surgery together any time soon.
All's well that ends well...
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wordless Wednesday...
Somehow, I don't think the kid clothes that Jay's mom has kept for 30 years are gonna make it into our closet rotation...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Organize the Already Organized
I absolutely should be cleaning right now...my aunt, cousin, cousin-in-law and 3 second cousins (or is it cousin once removed???) are visiting this weekend and our house looks like, well, like 3 kids and 2 busy parents live here. Unacceptable, I tell you. But, instead of cleaning, I decided to post this TIP.
Years ago, I organized our linen closet to within an inch of its life. I'm talking bins with labels, stickers, designated shelves, the works. And that system has had its ups and downs but has basically held true to form. For example, on the floor of the closet is a big drawer bin that holds cleaning supplies. (Before you panic, the bin has a Mr. Yuck sticker on it AND the closet is locked). That bin hasn't moved once since I put it there. There is a bin labeled "Kids Medicine" and a bin labeled "Adult Medicine". One shelf for towels, one shelf for bed linens and nary the two shall meet...See? It's really quite lovely.
However! The problem is this...I haven't cleaned out this closet in forever!!!! So, while I love to have cleaning supplies at the ready, I really only use 2 or 3 products which renders that 13 year old bottle of ammonia useless. Not to mention all the things that leaked inside the bin creating quite the Petri dish of combustibles. I found a few other things in the closet that struck me as odd....like 6 die (dice, dices, deeces??), a yo-yo, a bubble maker, pack of matches and a partially used bar of soap.
I like to keep things. This may explain why I've held onto a bottle of perfume that someone once told me they liked because it reminded them of their Grandma. Or why I held onto a set of breast shells from my nursing woes of Joe (he'll be 7 next month). Or the travel sized make up bags with broken zippers. Or the expired medicines...
Breath easy people! I've thrown out a ton of stuff and rearranged the placement of bins so that the cleaning supplies are off the floor and out of little hands' reach and all is right with the world.
So, my tip is this....Even if a spot in your home seems to be organized, if its been awhile since you went through it, maybe it would be a good idea to organize your already organized space.
You're welcome. Carry on.
Years ago, I organized our linen closet to within an inch of its life. I'm talking bins with labels, stickers, designated shelves, the works. And that system has had its ups and downs but has basically held true to form. For example, on the floor of the closet is a big drawer bin that holds cleaning supplies. (Before you panic, the bin has a Mr. Yuck sticker on it AND the closet is locked). That bin hasn't moved once since I put it there. There is a bin labeled "Kids Medicine" and a bin labeled "Adult Medicine". One shelf for towels, one shelf for bed linens and nary the two shall meet...See? It's really quite lovely.
However! The problem is this...I haven't cleaned out this closet in forever!!!! So, while I love to have cleaning supplies at the ready, I really only use 2 or 3 products which renders that 13 year old bottle of ammonia useless. Not to mention all the things that leaked inside the bin creating quite the Petri dish of combustibles. I found a few other things in the closet that struck me as odd....like 6 die (dice, dices, deeces??), a yo-yo, a bubble maker, pack of matches and a partially used bar of soap.
I like to keep things. This may explain why I've held onto a bottle of perfume that someone once told me they liked because it reminded them of their Grandma. Or why I held onto a set of breast shells from my nursing woes of Joe (he'll be 7 next month). Or the travel sized make up bags with broken zippers. Or the expired medicines...
Breath easy people! I've thrown out a ton of stuff and rearranged the placement of bins so that the cleaning supplies are off the floor and out of little hands' reach and all is right with the world.
So, my tip is this....Even if a spot in your home seems to be organized, if its been awhile since you went through it, maybe it would be a good idea to organize your already organized space.
You're welcome. Carry on.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Crazy Uncle Cupid
Yes, yes, yes today is Valentine's Day. While I do not discount romance or reject obvious reasons to receive senseless gifts...I have a confession. Preparing for holidays is not my forte'. Every year I promise myself that I'll get an Advent calendar for Christmas, then I don't. I make a mental note to get an Easter Story egg carton thing, then I don't. Wouldn't an American flag made out of jello, blueberries and whipped cream be scrumptious on the 4th of July? Yeah, I wouldn't know because I've never actually made it.
So, while I'm an admitted slacker towards other holidays, even Valentine's Day has a different feeling for me...especially this year. I liken Valentine's Day to having a crazy uncle that no one talks about but feels obligated to invite to dinner once a year. Seriously. All year, the kids chatter about next Christmas, or the parades during the summer, or where their Easter basket might be hidden. Crazy Uncle Cupid barely gets mentioned until Phil looks for his shadow. Every year it sneaks up on me. I'm left scrambling for red paper, scissors, glue, and heart felt sentiments to show Crazy Uncle Cupid that we care about him and promises not to stare at his diaper and quiver of arrows.
Knowing that I'm in charge of Joe's classroom parties, I absolutely had Crazy Uncle Cupid on the brain. P.S. It's a little shocking how many inappropriate items show up on a search for a classroom Valentine's game. Since this is Bella's first year of preschool, I was well aware that she would need the required Disney Princess cards with the teeny, tiny blank space for her name. I was well aware!
Then, snow-a-palooza hit and I lost sight of Crazy Uncle Cupid's impending visit. For a few days, we just literally could not get anywhere and if we could get there, chances are it was closed. By the time I was able to venture out, the shelves were picked over and Valentine's Day stuff was being pushed out of the way by drunken leprechauns carrying giant four leaf clovers. I foolishly thought that the kids might be able to go to school for their parties, so that was my main shopping focus. Joe cards, check. Bella cards, check. Treats for teachers, check. Game supplies, check. It never occurred to me to get stuff for the actual Valentine's day. Maybe I thought I had more time, I don't know.
When the mailman could safely deliver the mail, I saw the tell tale penmanship of Grandma. Not even the worst snow storm in recent history could stop her from getting cards to the grandkids in the mail. As I held the velvety red envelopes in my hand, a trickle of panic ran down my spine. Kinda like if you woke up on Thanksgiving morning only to realize that you forgot to defrost the turkey. I had done NOTHING for Crazy Uncle Cupid's visit. On Saturday, I hastily got out the craft box to have the kids make cards for Grandma. I quickly realized that the decorations I thought we had must not have survived Crazy Uncle Cupid's last visit. Maybe no one would notice...of course they did. Saturday night, the kids whispered to Jay from their cozy beds that they were soooo excited for Valentine's Day....then Joe whispered "What do we do for Valentine's Day, Daddy?" Huh.
Sunday morning, THE morning, Crazy Uncle Cupid's morning, Jay hustled out to Giant Eagle to get last minute decorations and candy. So, with the kids none the wiser, we celebrated Crazy Uncle Cupid's visit with heart shaped foods, pink and red teddy bears, more card making and paper heart cutting, and dinner by candle light. During Bella's prayer tonight she said "Jesus, thank you for the best Valentine's Day ever." Whew! Crisis averted. Plus, the kids still have their school parties to look forward to.
So, I'll take comfort in the knowledge that the point is not the preparation for the day, but how we make the day special in whatever way we can. The kids didn't care that the house hadn't been decorated for days or that we didn't get them elaborate gifts. They were excited to help tape hearts to the wall and put stickers on the windows. The best parts of the day were when they got to blow out the candles on the table and call Grandma to thank her for the cards. It was a good day.
See ya next year Crazy Uncle Cupid! Maybe, by then, I'll be ready for you.
So, while I'm an admitted slacker towards other holidays, even Valentine's Day has a different feeling for me...especially this year. I liken Valentine's Day to having a crazy uncle that no one talks about but feels obligated to invite to dinner once a year. Seriously. All year, the kids chatter about next Christmas, or the parades during the summer, or where their Easter basket might be hidden. Crazy Uncle Cupid barely gets mentioned until Phil looks for his shadow. Every year it sneaks up on me. I'm left scrambling for red paper, scissors, glue, and heart felt sentiments to show Crazy Uncle Cupid that we care about him and promises not to stare at his diaper and quiver of arrows.
Knowing that I'm in charge of Joe's classroom parties, I absolutely had Crazy Uncle Cupid on the brain. P.S. It's a little shocking how many inappropriate items show up on a search for a classroom Valentine's game. Since this is Bella's first year of preschool, I was well aware that she would need the required Disney Princess cards with the teeny, tiny blank space for her name. I was well aware!
Then, snow-a-palooza hit and I lost sight of Crazy Uncle Cupid's impending visit. For a few days, we just literally could not get anywhere and if we could get there, chances are it was closed. By the time I was able to venture out, the shelves were picked over and Valentine's Day stuff was being pushed out of the way by drunken leprechauns carrying giant four leaf clovers. I foolishly thought that the kids might be able to go to school for their parties, so that was my main shopping focus. Joe cards, check. Bella cards, check. Treats for teachers, check. Game supplies, check. It never occurred to me to get stuff for the actual Valentine's day. Maybe I thought I had more time, I don't know.
When the mailman could safely deliver the mail, I saw the tell tale penmanship of Grandma. Not even the worst snow storm in recent history could stop her from getting cards to the grandkids in the mail. As I held the velvety red envelopes in my hand, a trickle of panic ran down my spine. Kinda like if you woke up on Thanksgiving morning only to realize that you forgot to defrost the turkey. I had done NOTHING for Crazy Uncle Cupid's visit. On Saturday, I hastily got out the craft box to have the kids make cards for Grandma. I quickly realized that the decorations I thought we had must not have survived Crazy Uncle Cupid's last visit. Maybe no one would notice...of course they did. Saturday night, the kids whispered to Jay from their cozy beds that they were soooo excited for Valentine's Day....then Joe whispered "What do we do for Valentine's Day, Daddy?" Huh.
Sunday morning, THE morning, Crazy Uncle Cupid's morning, Jay hustled out to Giant Eagle to get last minute decorations and candy. So, with the kids none the wiser, we celebrated Crazy Uncle Cupid's visit with heart shaped foods, pink and red teddy bears, more card making and paper heart cutting, and dinner by candle light. During Bella's prayer tonight she said "Jesus, thank you for the best Valentine's Day ever." Whew! Crisis averted. Plus, the kids still have their school parties to look forward to.
So, I'll take comfort in the knowledge that the point is not the preparation for the day, but how we make the day special in whatever way we can. The kids didn't care that the house hadn't been decorated for days or that we didn't get them elaborate gifts. They were excited to help tape hearts to the wall and put stickers on the windows. The best parts of the day were when they got to blow out the candles on the table and call Grandma to thank her for the cards. It was a good day.
See ya next year Crazy Uncle Cupid! Maybe, by then, I'll be ready for you.
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