Grosgrain: Vivi Reborn GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Vivi Reborn GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Musette Bracelet GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Musette Bracelet GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I'm back...

I have not had a second for anything except school the last couple of months, but somehow I was able to squeeze in a photoshoot of the kids this weekend. I thought I would post a couple of the pictures. I didn't realize how old my kids looked until I got these pictures taken, they seem so grown up!

I have a week left in this semester and then it is right on to my summer semester. I will be taking my LPN boards in August and then just 2 semesters later I will be taking my RN boards. It is flying by! I will try to update again soon....

Ahhh...free time!

So I am finally done with this semester. I had my last exam yesterday and believe it or not I got 100%. I am so relieved to be done and now I feel strange not studying for something. I am going to take full advantage of my free time though. Awhile ago Gary bought me a sewing machine..it was suppose to be my Christmas present ( I always get mine early!). I have been so busy with school, that I haven't been able to use it much and it has been driving me crazy. So today I played with it and ended up making Kennedy a cute scarf. I pieced together a few different fabrics for the front and put a really soft fleece on the back, and even added a little tag. Even though I am a rookie, I think it turned out cute (just don't look too close).

I'll leave you with a picture of Kennedy giving her approval!

Just wanted to post some pictures of the kids from the last week or so. We had so much fun trick-or-treating with the Schultz gang! My best friend Holly was nice enough to let us use her neighborhood, thanks Holly and Tom for hanging out with us!

some days are just better than others!

Last week I started my labor and delivery rotation at Hackley and I loved it! I watched a birth and helped take care of Mom and baby afterwards. I walked out of the hospital realizing I made the right choice in deciding to become a nurse. Yesterday, however was a different story. I had a great patient and loved taking care of her all day, but we also have an RN that is in charge of the patient and we have to communicate with her and report out at the end of the shift. Many of the RN's seem very bothered by having students to work with, mine was one of them. I have a problem where I take every thing to heart and I really let the RN's attitude get to me. I need to work on this!



So on my way home from my cruddy day at the hospital, Gary called me and said Reid had an accident at his mom's today, but he was okay. Apparently he climbed on an office chair and grabbed an ink pen off of the desk..and then fell and the pen hit his eye. (makes my eyes water, just thinking about it!) So I get to my mother-in-laws house and realize that it must have gotten worse during his nap, because it looks bad! And I think if it looked this bad when it happened she would have taken him into the ER right then. So I instantly decide he needs to go to the hospital, and we end up taking him to the medi center. When we get there, they wont even touch him..they say he may need to have an eye specialist called in and the ER needs to make that call. So we head to the ER and as soon as I walk in the door they take one look at him and make us the first priority. When we get into the exam room the doctor looks all around his eye and does some tests on Reid to be sure his eyes are moving together. He doesn't think there is a fracture and it looks like he came a hairs width away from hitting his tear duct. Lucky boy. So as we are leaving and I am reading the paperwork, under diagnosis it states...Black Eye. Yes, my 2 year old baby boy got his first black eye. It's a good thing I am going to be a nurse, because I think my family is going to need one on a regular basis!

This isn't a very good picture of it, but he wouldn't sit still long enough to get a good one. I thank God it wasn't worse.

Just another day in the life...

At 5am the alarm clock goes off. I have to reach around Kennedy to shut it off, who at some point crawled into our bed in the middle of the night.

5:15am...Get on the scale...no change, I'm mad enough to eat a donut on my way to school.

6:45am...drop the kids off at my mother-in-laws house.

7:20...Get to the college...learn how to administer meds and injections. I think I am going to need my own injection just to do this to someone else.

11am...get a break from school, stop at Walmart to get badly needed cat food. Spend a ridiculous amount of time there and get into my car and realize I forgot the cat food.
Stop and see Jenn..dropping off some goodies for a friend of hers that is having a baby.

1pm...head home, wishing I could take a nap...but have to get the kids.

3pm ...start some homework and get dinner ready.

3:30pm...Gary is home from work. He brings me a gigantic fountain diet pop from Wesco. Love him for it, yum! I turn around from cutting up onion to find that Reid has preceded to draw a masterpiece in blue marker all over my bottom cupboards. I am so mad because the day before he took the same marker and colored my windows. I thought I threw it away!

4pm..get out Kennedy's shirt she is wearing for school pictures tomorrow. It's a very cute short, puffy sleeved turtleneck that I got at Children's Place. I love the shirt and bought it specifically for this day. I figure she better try it on though just in case its too big. Well I never saw this coming..she through a massive fit about it being a turtleneck. She said that it was choking her and refused to wear it. I was so mad, this was my plan and I had no plan B. After a lot of arguing, Gary told her that I had some lotion that we could put on her neck that would keep the shirt from choking her. He is good..it totally worked and everything ended up fine. I owe him.

4:30pm...everyone is watching Drake and Josh. They are trying to fit their entire fists into their mouths and Kennedy and Reid decide it would be a great idea too. Kennedy tries so hard, but can't do it...Reid tries and almost has it, when he suddenly pukes all over the couch! He couldn't fit his hand in his mouth, but he found his gag reflex.

4:35pm...Shampoo couch.

4:45pm...dinner is done, Chili...mm,mmm,mmm....I think about how badly I want to eat a gigantic bowl of it as I scarf down a smoothie and head out the door to the college for my Anthropology class.

4:46pm...Drive to the corner and pass a sheriff car in the middle of the road. There is a kid in the road laying on his stomach, the sheriff is on top of him...looks like a gun/tazer(sp?) at his back. Wow...it's almost like COPS is filming here...we might be famous! I am so excited to see this I instantly call Gary..he will love it. (I also remind him to lock the door)

9pm..Get out of class...soo tired I am a little light headed and almost lose it right there in the hallway. I was so embarrassed. I probably should have eaten the chili and maybe even the donut earlier!

9:30pm..get home just in time for the end of Biggest Loser.

10pm...I start getting everyone's clothes ready for the next day. Kennedy has school pictures and I am making a barrette for her hair.

11pm...finish everything up and go to bed..

(weight update...I forgot to post last week and somehow I have logged it wrong. I also keep track of this on Nutrisystems website so I must have copied it wrong on here. I am down 17 lbs all together.)

Why can't everything be this fun?

So last Friday I went to Scrapbook 101 for a crop with my sister and Mya. I have been putting my looovve for scrapbooking on hold while dealing with school. But, Jenn talked me into taking a brake and I am so glad she did. I remember why I love it so much and I just wish everything in life was as just as easy and fun (not to mention stress-relieving)! I am full of inspiration and would love to do it every Friday!


Week 7 of the ol' diet...down 1.6 pounds...total 13.6 pounds!

Here are some random pictures of the kids over the last couple of weeks.

Bummer...

It's week 6 and no change in the weight department...bummer! I think it might be time to bring out the big guns! I guess I better plug in the elliptical. I watched Biggest Loser tonight, very motivating! So maybe next week the scale will budge.
I have a busy week ahead of me. Next Monday I have my first Pharmacology Exam and an Exam in NUR 123. I have 2 pages worth of meds to memorize, I think I am going to need a miracle to get through it. I talked to Holly tonight ( she is an RN at Hackley) She was able to keep me from pulling my hair out. Thanks Hol, it probably wont be the last time!
I am trying to download some pictures, but blogland wont let me for some reason...I'll try again later. Have a good week!

week 5 ALREADY!

Just a quick update tonight because I have a nursing test out tomorrow morning and I need to practice a little. First things first...weighed in this morning and I am down 1.4 pounds, Total lost is 12 pounds! I got my second order of Nutrisystem and I am so much happier because it was filled with all the foods I like ( basically, pizza and chocolate:)


This weekend we decided to put Reid into a big boy bed. It was not planned at all. I had to do it because he woke up twice on Saturday screaming because his arm was wedged in the rail on his crib. He has really big muscles! So Gary and I decided we better just move him. Scared to death to take the crib down just in case it didn't work out, but I do not have enough room to keep it up, so down it went. I was a little sad while watching Gary take it apart, knowing it will never be put back together at my house:( But, we have had a lot of fun with Reid in his new bed. Saturday night I was completely prepared to spend the evening trying to get him to stay in his bed. To out surprise, he only got out once on Saturday night and after I put him back he fell asleep right away and we haven't had a problem since. I think he likes being a big boy! I'll try to post pictures of his cool new bed later this week.

It's week 4 and the first day of preschool!

Today was Kennedy's 2nd day of preschool. Gary took Monday off to take her because I had class all day. Today I didn't have class until 6pm so it was my first day bringing her. She is in the morning group so I got her an Reid ready and we were on our way at 8:15AM. I was doing okay because Gary told me she was great the day before, she actually told him he had to leave so she could go play. So I was thinking it would be no big deal...Until she hugged me and whispered in my ear, "mom can you just come into my class with me for a little bit?" Ugh! I felt my hear break a little bit. I have been used to dropping her off at day care for the last 4 years, but it is so much easier when you know the person you are leaving your daughter with. Here, I am trusting a woman I don't even know, to watch after her, take her to the bathroom and make sure she is okay. I know it will get easier. She is already very excited for tomorrow, and told me that "preschool is so easy mom!"

Reid also likes preschool. They have this rocker in the hallway that I have to pick him off of kicking and screaming. Then I get to hear him ask where Kennedy is for the next 3 hours. He misses her so much!

Here is Reid doing his tricks on the 4 wheeler. I have a bad feeling we will have some broken bones in the future!

This is a picture of the soldered necklace I made recently. I got this really fun solder kit at a scrapbook convention earlier this year and have been trying to squeeze in time to play with it. I cut up tiny pieces of scrapbook paper to make the flower and pressed it between 2 small pieces of glass. Then soldered around it. I have also been having fun with some new beading, so I made the charm hanging from it too. Lots of fun, wish I had more time for it though.

Weigh In...So I am going to switch my weigh in day to Tuesday next week because I have class all day every Monday so Tuesdays will be much easier. I weighed in yesterday and I lost 1.8 pounds...so that's a total of 10.6 pounds! Very happy about this, and hoping I can lose another 10 next month!

Week 3

I know it's Tuesday, I'm late! I did weigh in yesterday, I just didn't get a chance to log it. We had a busy last week of summer. Kennedy starts preschool next Monday, but my classes began today. It always seemed like when I was in high school the first few days were always spent getting everyone used to the class and easing you into it. This is the biggest change I have noticed in college. No one has time to ease into anything. On the first day of class you are already behind! In all of my nursing classes the professors emailed our assignments to us a week before and they were to be finished on the first day. I have been in class all day today. It's 9:30pm and I just got out of my last class. I am exhausted, but I have to prepare for my lab on hand hygeine and vitals for class tomorrow morning.
So, last week I did good on my diet. I am down another 1.2 pounds. So my grand total is 8.6 pounds gone. This is good, it's kind of slow, but from what I understand the slower it comes off the more likely it will stay off for good. I think my hardest part is going to be finding time to get all the food in that I am suppose to eat on the days I am in class. Today was so crazy, all I got to eat was a bowl of Nutriflakes (aka: branflakes, the "nutri" thing cracks me up!) this morning, a grilled chicken salad at lunch, and I just had a "Nutri" crunch bar. I know it's not good to eat too little, your body will start a starvation mode and hold onto all the fat. I definitely don't want this to happen, so I will figure out how to eat everything.
I have lots of new pictures of the kids I will post at some point this week, it's been awhile and I know it's way more fun to read someone's blog when you have their cute kids to look at! Have a great week!

Week 2 weigh in..

We met with Kennedy's preschool teacher this evening at our house. She is great and Kennedy is more excited than nervous now. We have an open house to go to next week to see her class and meet some of the other kids. Should be lots of fun.
So I have stuck to Nutrisystem 100% this week. It is much easier this week than it was last week. I didn't eat anything too gross. I had the beef patty tonight for dinner. I made a cheese burger with fat free cheese and lots of tomatoes. The beef patty was so good, but very strange to prepare. It was dried, so when I opened the package it was hard, crumbly, and dry. It looked like turtle food. All I had to do was pour water on it and like magic it turned into a real hamburger. Very strange...but great. I think next month the only things I will order for dinners are the pizzas and beef patty's. Yum! Soo I lost another 2 pounds this week, for a total of 7.6 pounds in 2 weeks. It's amazing what 7 pounds feels like. I was able to breathe in a pair of jeans yesterday that had been cutting my circulation off for the last couple months!

I made it...

Gary got home last night and we were all so glad to see him. Reid finally stopped asking where dad was and had someone to wrestle with for a while before bed. Gary had a great time up north and was not looking forward to work this morning. That's the worst thing about a vacation, you spend most of it dreading the return to work.
The yard sale Saturday went really well, we made quite a bit of money that we are using for the kids fall/winter clothes and shoes. Kennedy starts preschool in September and she definitely needs some special things!
Okay, so this morning was weigh-in day. I made it though my first week on Nutrisystem and I am down 5.6 pounds. Whoohoo! On a normal week I probably would have gained a pound so this is great for me! I am very happy with the program so far. Not all of the food is good though, in fact some of it is kind of strange. For example, the meat inside of the chicken breast looks more like hot dog meat than actual chicken and I am dreading the split pea soup that I accidentally ordered this month. I am actually pretty proud of myself that I made it the entire week without cheating. Last night was the hardest. When Gary got home, I wanted so badly to go for a drive with him and the kids and get ice cream. That would be typical for us. Hopefully every week will get easier and easier.

Weighing In

Okay, I know I haven't been on here in a while. It's been a busy and fast summer and I can't believe it's almost time to go back to school.
So what's new this week? Well Gary is up north staying at a cabin with a bunch of guys until Sunday night and I am holding down the fort. I can't believe how much I miss him. I guess we are just not apart very often and I can say I definitely take that for granted. He does so much more than I ever realized around here. My car is in the shop, (the windows are acting funny and it's draining the battery) So sometime today I get to drive to Grand Haven and switch it with the loaner car they gave us, not a big deal, but it's something that normally I never have to think about because Gary takes care of it. I also have to remember to take the garbage out to the street tonight, and the lawn really could use a mow, again all no big deal, but usually Gary's "jobs". I am also trying to get all of the boxes I need to go through in the garage, in preparation for my mother-in-laws yard sale on Saturday. It's a pain in the butt going through this stuff when the kiddos want to "help". If Gary were here he would be doing all the box-movin. He deserves this mini-vacation though. He has been working so hard since I have gone full-time at school. I just miss him a ton!
It's no secret that I am less than happy with my weight lately. I am just at that point that I have to do something and what I have been doing just isn't cutting it. I have been contemplating putting this in my blog..but I think it will help me in the long run. Sooo, I started Nutrisystem this week. I spent some time researching it and read a lot of inspiring stories of people that have had success. Donna Downey is one of them. She is an awesome artist and scrapbooker and has been on Nutrisystem for about 7 months. She lost an incredible amount of weight and looks amazing. Here is the link to her blog with her before and after pics, in case you are curious. http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/page/2/. So anyway I decided to blog about this weight loss journey I am taking. Hopefully it will keep me a little accountable and help me to stay inspired and motivated. My first weigh in will be on Monday, lets hope I survive till then!

Coming Up For Air...

Thought I would try to get a blog in this week since it has been over a month since my last one! The pictures below show what I have been up to .
The clock says 2AM, this has been typical since I started this semester. I thank the makers of Monster energy drink, I don't know how I would survive nursing school without you! It's actually kind of nice staying up this late to do work. It is so quiet in the house, no interruptions. And this way I don't miss time with Gary and the kids when they are up. Even though this is the hardest thing I have ever done, it is also one of the best. I am really enjoying this semester. I survived both of my presentations, yea! And I just finished my first nursing class and passed my final exam with only 3 wrong answers! Whoohoo!



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We have been trying to spend a lot of time outside while it's nice out. The kids get so bored and start to drive me crazy when we have so many days in a row with rain.

busy, busy...

Wow, my first week of classes have proven to be even busier than I thought. I really need to learn time management! My first class was nursing 1oo. It is really exciting to finally be learning something directly related to nursing and to meet the people I will be with for the next 18 months. I have a big presentation due in that class at midterm. I think I could already throw up! I'm not a real fan of presentations, so you can imaging how excited I was to learn that I will have another presentation in my English class at midterm! I took English as an online class so I thought I would be free and clear of any public speaking assignments. Well that's what I get for thinking.


Jenn and I spent some time last week and over the weekend with the kids in Mason, with my mom's side of the family. We stayed with my Aunt Julie and had a really good time. Thanks Julie for putting up with us and our wild kids that basically used your house as their own personal playground! We also managed to squeeze in some shopping at the Great Lakes Mega Meet Scrapbook Convention. Lots of inspiration and motivation to get back into scrapbooking...it's just too bad I will be too busy the next 2 months stressing about my presentations!

I think I can get used to this...

Yesterday was my first day home. Not having to get Kennedy and Reid ready and out the door at 6:30 in the morning was nice. The kids seem like they are in better moods too. I went to the college and got all my books for the summer semester. $400 later I am all set! I am getting some reading done so hopefully I can get ahead a little bit. I think we are going to go outside today and enjoy the sun! Here are some new pictures of the kids and my beautiful bouquet of flowers from my friends at JTI.

Reid's new hiding place

Reid and Kennedy

Reid and Fisher

Reid wanted to eat his cereal with a shovel!

Cry Baby...

Today was my last day of work. You would think I would be super happy right now. I'm not. I was emotional as soon as I walked in the door at 6:56 this morning. I have worked at JTI for almost 10 years and I have seen these people more than I see my husband and kids. I have made some life long friendships and I am so sad to go. At 9AM they all threw me a going away party and made me cry...again! I had actually been crying since I walked in the door though and saw Felix, one of our supervisors (he has this knack for it, it wasn't the first time I have cried on Felix's shoulder in the last 9 years ) My plant manager said some really nice things and they got me a beautiful cake and pitched in on a gift certificate at the Glamazon(my favorite hair salon!) and a gift certificate to buy enough scrubs to last me a very long time! You guys are the best! And some of my favorite people got me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers that are making my house smell wonderful right now. After work I went out with Lesley for lunch & some drinks. Angi, Ed and Arend surprised me by showing up too. I had so much fun, all though I think I may have drank a little too much. I'm not a big drinker so the drinks added up fast and it seemed like every time I went to the bathroom, someone would buy me a drink while I was gone. So at some point tomorrow I have to go get my car!

So tonight I am feeling kind of homesick. I feel a little lost without my routine and the people I have been close to for so long. I think things will be better in a week when I start my new routine.I just hope they know how much I appreciate them...