*golden* recently had a contest where the winner would win a year of adorable shirts – one a month!!!!  I never suspected that I could win since she has around 2,500 fans on her facebook page.  But, I did!!!! I was so excited!  So far, I’ve received Kate’s super cute Hello Kitty birthday tee, V-day tee and beyond awesome St. Patty’s day tee!  I’m getting them for Kate so I can hopefully use most of them for Clare eventually.  I’m thinking in addition to being a great designer my friend at *golden* is also a savvy business women since I end up purchasing a coordinating tee for Clare as well. :/  I just can’t stand the cuteness!!!

Kate's awesome leprechaun shirt

*golden* V-day shirt and matching skirt

Kate's 4th Birthday Tee

Clare's matching tee

(I also get more entries if you sign up) 

Clare always has to watch the girls from out side the studio.  But, when she gets a chance to go in an empty room she goes nuts.  Here are some videos showing some moves she has picked up.

If you go back through my archives you can find when I blogged on my amazing trip to India.  Now, those are posts that I am proud of.  I truly enjoyed putting those words and pictures up.  Maybe it was easier then.  I wish I could say that the day to day goings on with my kids inspired me enough to blog daily but we all know that is not the case.   The blog became a chore to keep family/friends updated on my family.  Is that its purpose? Or is it a creative outlet for me?  I could say that my goal is to update more often, as I have said before, or that I will just post pictures or that I will now make an effort to express myself.  I really don’t think that is going to happen.  In the meantime, here are some interesting things.

I saw a baby be born.  Let me tell you, it is a completely different experience birthing the child yourself compared to watching someone do it!  It was overwhelming emotionally.  I really can not express enough the gratitude I feel that my friend and her husband allowed me to witness this life-changing event that is so personal and intimate to their own family.  It is something I will never forget and always be grateful for.  I hated seeing my friend in pain but I was so impressed with how hard she worked and how strong she was.  And the result was a beautiful, precious new baby girl, a new person in our lives to love forever.

Meet Morgan Jean

I’ve lost some weight.  At least 30 lbs.  Probably more towards 37.  I still want to lose a lot more.  I’m still about 20 more lbs than when I got married eight years ago.  Yeah, do the math.  Two kids and blissful ignorance of what makes you fat can do some damage over eight years.  I’ve lost weight before and gained it back.  This time, I will not let that happen.  The difference is that I have never said that before.  I always thought that once I was at a manageable weight I could start eating again.  So not true.  I know this will send nutritionists a-spin but if you want to lose weight and not gain weight – DON’T EAT.  If you are trying to lose weight and having problems then I can tell you that what you think is eating less is not.  Granted I am not a specialist or educated professionally on this matter but this is my own personal opinion.  Exercise doesn’t really do much.  It definitely helps a lot and is good for your heart, bones and organs and most certainly should be done however, if you want to lose weight, eat very little. In all honesty I am doing the exact opposite at this current point in time.  My goal is to not gain over 5 lbs during the holidays and jump back on the wagon in full force starting in January.  I’ve given myself a year to lose this weight instead of my normal crash diets where I lose fast and gain back even faster.  I was going to post a before and after photo.  But, I am really not ready for that yet and I am not at my true “after”.  Plus, I am horribly afraid that you will look at the two photos and not see a difference!!