Whoo Hoo, Kris Allen!

Congratulations to Kris Allen...2009 American Idol Winner



What a shocker on last night's American Idol. I fully expected Adam Lambert to win - he was the judges fave from day one. I was absolutely not a fan - I found his voice annoying and screechy, his performances were theatrical and always over the top...and when they announced that Kris Allen had won over him...I was shocked...as was Kris Allen, himself. He even said that Adam deserved to win.

I am a huge American Idol fan, and love right from the beginning to the end (unlike DH who only really loves the audition episodes, or so he says...I think he is a closet A.I. Lover hee hee). But, I admit I get kind of annoyed by the usually dragged out 2hr finale. But last night's was great! The performances, the duets...I thought it was awesome. Some of my fave moments were:



* Norman Gentle - he always makes me laugh
* Tatiana - that girl is insane
* Kris Allen and Keith Urban's duet
* Bikini Girl...when Ryan said "I was going to ask you what's new, but I think I already know" DH and I died...hilarious.
* Kara showing up Bikini Girl's singing (she was even worse than her audtion, I think) and then ripping open her dress. OMG! We had to watch it a few times. I am not a big fan of Kara but in that moment she was flippin' awesome!

So, now I wait until next January for American Idol 2010. And hope that Kris releases an amazing album and has huge success. I am pretty sure that the top 4, Alison, Danny (my #1), Adam and Kris (my #2) will all do quite well.

Off to make lunch for my kiddies,
Til next post...adios
~ Hollie

Weight Loss Wednesday #7

Well, I'm happy to say that even after a weekend of birthday parties with yummy cupcakes, neighbourhood breakfast with eggs and bacon and a BBQ with Burgers and Dairy Queen, I did pretty well this week. I lost 1.4lbs totaling 21.4 Whoo Hoo (a little celebrating on my part). Am hoping to keep on this losing path - summer is coming...which in turn means the dreaded "bathing suit". So, I have 9 weeks until our week away at the cottage. Bring on the 0pt soup and treadmill!!!!!

*****
So, American Idol finale tonight - we're taping it right now so we can zip through it in a bit. I am really hoping that screachy Adam Lambert doesn't win. I like Kris Allen, and as a friend mentioned earlier, I am hoping that all the fans who were voting for Danny Gokey will now vote for Kris and let him be the next American Idol. I went to adamlambert.org today and it had a large banner reading "2009 American Idol winner". Already celebrating his victory....which I really hope he does not get! GO KRIS ALLEN!!!!

*****
On another note:
While putting my kids to bed tonight, I hugged them that tiny bit tighter. Today, my heart is aching for a family in Woodstock, ON. For those who haven't heard about this heartbreaking story:
Victoria Stafford,8, went missing when she was walking home from school at the beginning of April. She was seen on a surveillance camera at a local high school walking with an unidentified woman. Originally, the police were not treating it as an abduction, hence the reason why an Amber Alert wasn't issued. A week into her disappearance, Oxford County Police decided that it was an abduction, but still did not issue an Amber Alert.

It was made known by the media this morning that they have made 2 arrests, a man and a woman, who are known to the Stafford family. The male has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of abduction, the female has been charged with abduction and accessory after the fact to murder. It is said that the female is known to Victoria's mother (there had been rumours that she was somehow involved).
A search has been formed in a rural farm area in Guelph - with information that sweet little Victoria has passed.
This whole story just breaks my heart - I cherish my children so much. My heart goes out to her family.

HUG YOUR KIDS A LITTLE TIGHTER TODAY

A Sad Moment at...IKEA? Huh?

This past Saturday, we went shopping at IKEA as we wanted to buy a new shelf for our landing.

It is super cute and now we just have to find some nice things to put in it. But that's not what this blog is about...

When we first went in, HoneyPie saw the play place and for the first time there were spaces available. So, we filled out the form and she put on her little numbered pinnie and off she went. Hardly a goodbye to DH, Budderoo and I. I watched her as we waited for the elevator...she sat down at the colouring table and began colouring a butterfly. We headed upstairs and started to shop, I got teary and said "I feel so sad dropping her off there".

She is growing up too fast! She will be starting JK this September and I know I'm going to be a mess her first day of school. I recently bought her The Imagination Movers Juice Box Heroes CD and there is a super sweet song called "First Day of School" There is a line that totally made me cry - it talks about how the boy had been there from 9 - 3, almost all day and it says something like, "You're waiting for me at the car, I really don't want to leave, but I really want to see your smile...you know I love to see your smile" (UGH! Just typing it is making me teary).

HoneyPie is so excited to start school, as I am for her. It will be really good for her. As I've been home with her since she was born, with only her recently attending a music class on Friday mornings, she hasn't really had any preschool/daycare experience, other than the daycare I run at home.

I know that she will be fine and will have a wonderful time in kindergarten. Mommy just needs to breath a little and enjoy this very special moment. My baby girl is growing up...

Will be back tomorrow for Weight Loss Wednesday...and probably a little American Idol talk. Who will win? Adam, I'm sure UGH!
Night,
Hollie

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Mom, I loved you yesterday, I love you tomorrow and everyday.
You were there for me my first day of school, to hold my hand and give me courage to go.
You listened to me when I needed to talk, you talked to me when I needed to listen.
You let me grow and learn from my own mistakes.
You never left my side when I was feeling down, I knew you would be there to pick me up.
I wish there was a way I could repay all the things you have done for me,
but there's nothing great enough to repay the greatest mother of all.

I wish I could tell you, Mom just how much you mean to me.
But there are no words to say
how much I admire you...
how much I appreciate you...
how much I thank you
for everything you've done.
I LOVE YOU, MOM! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

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Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.!
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

MOMMY LOVES YOU, HONEYPIE & BUDDEROO! You are my everything and I couldn't imagine my life without you both. You are the reason the sun shines! xoxoxo

Weight Loss Wednesday #6.....and a little A.I.

Well, after quite a bit of indulging this weekend while away on my Mommy Day Away, I was a little nervous about tonight's weigh in. But...I was pleasantly surprised and quite happy with a 0.2 gain.

Not much else to blog about tonight! Although, I must say I was very surprised by tonight's elimination on American Idol. DH and I were totally not expecting Allison to go home. She has a great voice and is quite a little performer. For being only 17, she is really quite good!
I have to say Danny Gokey is my #1. I love his voice - he's done some great performances!

But, I tend to think that crappy Adam Lambert is going to win this season. DH and I cringe every time he performs, and are so annoyed by the judges kissing his ass every week. We do not like him at all! Oh well, I'm sure Danny will do well - being #1 doesn't always mean that they become superstars..some of the runner-ups have done better than the winners (i.e. Chris Daughtry - - HOT!)

Well, off to bed for me.
Nite Nite
~ Hollie

Mommy's Day Away

This Saturday, I had the opportunity to spend the day/night away with my friend, Kelly. We had been planning this for quite a while and we were so excited when Saturday morning finally got here.

She picked me up around 11am, and we headed down to Niagara Falls. Our first stop was over the border at the Miliary Outlet Mall. We had lunch at Applebee's (I had the Orange Chicken Bowl...it was fantastic).

{{Sidenote: When I was looking for this picture on the Applebee's website, it took me to the location in Niagara Falls which listed it as $19.49. I paid $10.49 in the states. Insane how much they mark things up in the Falls}}

We did quite a bit of shopping...all for the kids. I got HoneyPie and Budderoo some cute jammies and outfits for the summer from Carter's, and a couple short sets for Budderoo from Osh Kosh. I got these jammies for HoneyPie, she is wearing them right now and looks adorable!


From there, we checked into our hotel - Sheraton on the Falls- a nice room right on the corner of Clifton Hill, so we had a nice view of the park and the Falls. The beds were so comfy, we barely wanted to go and get dinner as we had became too relaxed while watching TV. We had dinner at the Fallsview Buffet at the hotel. It was good, but definitely not worth $34.95. After dinner, we walked up Clifton Hill a bit and got some munchies for our planned chick flick.

We rented Marley & Me and got in our jammies and each hopped into our super comfy bed (with the comfiest pillows ever). The movie was great...so sad. We both had dogs that were a big part of our family and some of the scenes hit really close to home.

We went to bed early (11:30pm) as we were just so excited to sleep in a bed, without being woken up by the kids through the night or early in the morning. Only to be woken up at 1:15am by the fire alarm. This went on for 45 minutes with intermittent PA announcements telling us to remain calm and in our rooms while they investigate. It turned out to be a false alarm, but getting back to sleep after was tough. We were SO awake for 45mins. We slept til 9, which for us is very unusual. Our kids are early risers. We laid around for a while before checking out at 10:30

Grabbed some breakfast and then did some more shopping at the Lundy's Lane outlets. We both bought a bunch of stuff for US at the Roots outlet. Our last stop was at the Coach store, where I found a super cute purple clutch. It was a great price.


Kelly dropped me off at about 130 and was told by Tim that Lauren was waiting for me to give her a kiss before nap. The look on her face when she saw me come into her room was just priceless. Almost made being away for the day all the more worth while. She gave me the biggest hug and told me how much she missed me.

Thanks, Kelly for suggesting we do this. It was a great way to spend some Mommy Time. Looking forward to next time already =)

Weight Loss Wednesday #5

Had a great week and it showed tonight on the scales.
I lost 2.0lbs putting me at a total of 20.8lbs lost!


I was thrilled. I'm pretty sure this is the most that I've lost on my 3 journeys with Weight Watchers. I am determined to stick with it this time and get to my goal...and hopefully become a lifetime member.

Some things that may have attributed to my successes this week are:
*I started to exercise. We have a fantastic treadmill in our basement that has been sitting pretty well unused for quite some time, so I decided to start using it. I walked/ran 3 times this past week - and plan to continue this routine.
*I stuck with the Garden Vegetable Soup (see recipe below Weight Loss Wednesday # 2 - April 8th) I made a double batch and it lasted me almost all week
*Enjoyed the sunshine and played outdoors with the kids

This week, an old friend joined...Christine has decided to attend the meetings on Wednesdays, that way we can go together. As I mentioned below, it's been hard for me to get to meetings knowing I have to sit alone (I'm a suck that way LOL). I am happy that we can travel on this tough road together...and am looking forward to seeing her more often.
Good luck this week, Christine!

Off to bed with me now...just spent 2 hours getting all the daycare tax stuff in order to send off to our accountant tomorrow.
Nite Nite
~ Hollie

Baby Jumping Festival...WHAT?????

Those spaniards sure have some interesting festivals...like the Running of the Bulls, The Christmas Pooping Log and perhaps, the most interesting.....the Baby Jumping Festival.

Men dress up as Lucifer and leap over a couple of rows of babies laying on the street. The belief is that as the “devil” jumps over the infants, he takes the “evil” out of them and the kids are therefore cleansed. This curious tradition has been in full effect since around 1620 and takes place in tribute to Corpus Christi. The Baby Jumping Festival happens this year from June 11-15 in Castrillo de Murcia.

Have already bought my ticket for Budderoo - sometimes I wonder if he could use an old fashioned exorcism. Hee Hee

~ Back later,
Hollie

A Fun Friday

Today was a great day!
I guess it started off last night, when Budderoo got up at 1:30am screaming...I was having trouble getting him back to sleep, so as DH was just coming to bed he offered to bring him in to sleep with him, while I catch up on sleep in the spare room. I can't tell you how great it was to sleep in a bed all by myself. I always end up in the spare room with Budderoo, and sometimes HoneyPie...so it was great to sleep in til 7:45, getting up with my alarm...not when the kids wanted me to.

HoneyPie had her Music & Movement class this morning at our area's rec centre. This is just her 2nd class but she really seems to enjoy it. I wanted to sign her up for something where I had to drop her off. With me being home with her, she has never attended preschool or daycare...I was worried that she may have a hard time adjusting to starting kindergarten in September...but she runs in there and seems to have a great time. When I went to pick her up a couple hours later, the kids were in the gym doing an action game and playing with the parachute. They planted sunflower seeds in a cup and she decorated it with pretty stickers. I LOVE sunflowers. I hope that it grows well, perhaps be as gorgeous as this:

Later that afternoon, I took her to my salon to get her hair cut. HoneyPie was bald at birth and her hair has taken forever to grow. She's only had her hair cut 3 times in her almost 4 years, and most times it was only for a bang trim. We've always gone to the kid places, like Melonheads or Sharkey's Cuts for Kids...but haven't been thrilled with their jobs lately. So, we decided to take her to my salon where my stylist fixed her bangs (they had cut way too much bang, so now we need to grow a bunch out) and put some nice layers in her unruly curly hair. She loved sitting in the big chair and got to hold a Nemo Webkinz toy during her cut.

Pizza for dinner. I know, I know...not the healthiest choice - but I couldn't think of anything for dinner...and really didn't feel like making anything - so we used our free Topper's pizza coupon (collected enough stickers to get a free medium)...and it was GOOD! Budderoo LOVED it, HoneyPie is not a big fan of pizza, so getting her to finish one piece took a LONG time. After dinner, we joined our neighbours across the street for some drinks (me, Diet pop, DH, beer) while the kids played.

We moved to our new street, a court, last August and it has been wonderful. We have the friendliest neighbours anyone can ask for and they welcomed us to their group the night we moved in. Once the weather is nice, everyone gathers across the street and the dads boys play big games of street hockey, while the girls chalk up a storm or jump on M&S's trampoline....once the kids are in bed, the parents reconvene out on the street where there is usually a poker game set up under the street lights. We were out tonight until after 9 and had a great time catching up with everyone after the long, cold winter. They are a really great group.

I just finished 31 minutes on the treadmill after getting the kids to bed. Am now feeling a bit tired...it's after 11:30 so I should get to bed. HoneyPie has dance in the morning. Only 5 more classes before her first recital. HoneyPie loves her dance class...and she is so cute doing her little routine. Can't wait til the big show.


Night Night,
~ Hollie

Weight Loss Wednesday #4

Well after a weekend in Montreal, and a little bit of indulging, I was happy with my results tonight. I only lost 0.2, but at least I wasn't up. I wasn't able to stay at the meeting last week, so I did my celebrating and received my 10%keychain.

My leader asked me how losing 10% has changed me. What the difference is between now and when I walked through the door at the end of August. I have more energy to play with the kids, I am starting to feel better about myself physically - I am quite pleased with losing 18.8 lbs.

It's been hard for me the last little while - I think because when I first started it was with 3 of my friends. Since then, they have quit the program, and I am now attending on my own. Keeping on track is always a challenge - I like to snack LOL but it is hard going to the meetings alone. I switched to a location closer to my house once my last friend quit. This location is a lot busier making me nervous to talk in front of them...but today I finally had to celebrate. I am proud of myself for sticking with it, getting to the meetings. I am hoping next week to get my 20lb ribbon....then on to goal.

I am not big on exercising...but have vowed to incorporate it into my daily routine. We have a treadmill that sits unused far too often. But DH and I have agreed to do 1/2hr every night once the kids go to bed. We will watch a show and take turns doing our 30mins. Tonight I made it to 27 before Budderoo woke up screaming (not sure what's going on tonight, he's been up a few times already)...but I kept at a decent pace (2.5/3) with about 5-6mins of running (at 4) here and there - I am SO NOT a runner...and was disappointed that the first set of running I couldn't even do 2 mins...but the next time I got to 3mins...so, who knows, maybe someday I will be a runner. hee hee (doubt it, but I can dream, can't I?)
Would love to look like someone who runs =)

You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance.