Fun on the Deck while Dad's at work

No matter how much weight you might have lost through diet and exercise, that doesn't mean you can dance on a glass table, wearing your birthday suit, in the dead of winter.

Weight Watchers Treat

I haven't mentioned it in the blog, but my Weight Watchers experience has been extremely positive. I've lost 20 pounds, and I have 5 more to go. It's getting harder now. I don't know if it's the holidays and the constant temptations that come with the season or if I've just run out of stamina. Needless to say, I'm not sticking to the program as diligently in November and December, and I need some motivation if I'm going to reach my goal anytime soon.

New inspiration came this week from a fellow WW member. At Wednesday's meeting, she shared a recipe for these chocolate haystacks that are only one point each! They are made from Fiber One cereal and chocolate chips. I thought they were delicious, but Mark disagreed. He thought they looked horrible and tasted worse.

Tis the Season

715am Thursday morning . . . on the way to the bus stop . . . 24 degrees outside . . .

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year, but topping the list has to be the birth of our first nephew/cousin, Jackson. Dave and Emily generously offered to fly here to join us for Jack's first Thanksgiving, and it has been an awesome visit. Jackson is adorable (of course) and mild-mannered, and the kids can't get enough of him. My mom hosted our Thanksgiving meal this year giving me something else for which I am thankful!

Jamestown with the 5th Grade

On Friday, Bailey's class had a field trip to Jamestown, and I was a chaperone. It turned out to be a fun trip. The weather was cold and windy, but at least it wasn't raining. I had never been to Jamestown before, so I learned a lot. Did you know as recently as 40 years ago, it was thought that the site of the original settlement had eroded into the James River? Dr. Bill Kelso convinced folks that an archaeological dig would contradict that notion, and since then, over a million artifacts have been discovered.

We also made it to the Virginia Historical Society for a tour. What a great place! We had a terrific docent who really kept the kids engaged. Apparently you can visit the place for free on Sundays - I'd like to make a field trip for us one day.

61 Pancakes

In many ways, having lots of kids is just easier. Everyone always has a playmate. If they get tired of the one they are playing with, they just move on to someone else. If you need a favor or a chore accomplished, someone in a good mood is probably available.

It's the meals that will get you. Feeding a family of 10 has very little down time. You finish one meal, you really need to be starting (or at least planning) the next one. This morning, I fixed 61 pancakes (thank you, Uncle Chris, for my awesome electric griddle - not a burned pancake in the bunch!). It was 11:15 before the mess was cleaned up. And it was 12:00 when I started making lunch.

Blogger houseguests

When your favorite bloggers leave their children with you for the weekend, you feel the pressure to uphold that blogger tradition. We didn't go anywhere without the camera. Soccer games, lunch at Martin's, pyramid-building in the frigid, fall weather, and lots of playing back at home.

Somehow building pyramids in the sand is so much easier than trying to do it when you're cold and all bundled up. But we eventually succeeded.

Cal, Will and the Little People® spent several quality hours playing together. Meanwhile, the girls modeled all the clothes in the house in their elaborate game of make-believe. (Cal reported that he was recruited to play Luke, the security guard, but he refused.)