You've Come a Long Way, Baby

We went to the museum yesterday. A good time was had by all. Becca was a little afraid of the dinosaur bones and the animals on the second floor. And they really do have some clean glass, because as Becca was taking a closer look at the stuffed gorilla, she bonked her nose right on the glass. She's fine, and it was actually quite funny.

I think that Tony had a good time, also. He can't remember ever visiting the museum. The more I thought about it, I couldn't really remember ever taking him with me. We've gone with my brother's family, and on a preschool field trip, but Tony never seemed to make it with us. The two of us really grew up SO differently. I grew up in the city, and my parents grew up in the city. Places like the museum, the zoo, Phipps Conservatory were all regular yearly stops for us. It was normal. Now, it's not like Tony grew up in the sticks. He grew up in Carnegie. (For all you non-Pittsburgh readers, a suburb RIGHT next to the city limits). Me? Small family, one brother. Dad was a cop, Mom worked at a bank. Him? Huge family. Six sisters, one brother. His father drove a shuttle bus at the airport, and his mother worked as a telephone operator for a while. Although every family goes through their different issues, Tony's family really went through a lot. They didn't really have much money growing up, and just weren't exposed to the 'learning adventures' that I got to experience. I mean, Tony is only 36 and he remembers having a coal furnace. I've heard stories about plastic shoes and his brother sewing a Levi's tag on the back of his jeans so they would look like Levis.

Tony has been a great father, and I think he enjoys going on these little adventures more than the kids. He's been a great provider, and he's not been afraid to follow his dreams. I love being his supporter and his motivator. And I love being along for the ride. I'm so proud of everything he's accomplished.

OK, I'm done being all mushy-gushy. Consider this my early Valentine's Day post about my love.

Have a great day!

Are you there, Spring? It's me - Heather.

The snow in my yard has melted. I no longer have a 5 inch thick slab of ice to drive over to get into my driveway. The furnace is not on for 59 minutes out of every hour. But I don't want to get too excited. This IS Pittsburgh and the date is only showing February 8. But I'm definitely enjoying the warm-ish temps. I looked at the 14 day temperature trend, and it sort of looks like going down the hill on the Jackrabbit at Kennywood. So I will enjoy it while it lasts. And possibly even wash all of the salt off the car. Possibly.

We headed to my sister-in-law's house yesterday (I have 8 SIL's!) for a small party for our 16 yr old nephew. It's nice to have a big family - and the girls really enjoyed seeing their aunts and cousins. Life is definitely getting easier with these two girls. They play together nicely and are very independend. I actually got some nice adult conversation in last night - which is a rare thing for me! Even though I'm feeling the beginnings of a cold (sore throat and a general blech feeling), I still met with Fitty last night. At 11:15 p.m. no less. It was either clean up the tornado of toys or deal with Fitty. It was a pretty easy choice. Wii Fit age yesterday? 31 - I'll take that. I DO have some sore calves, thighs and upper arms. But sore in a good way. I only wince when I try to walk up the stairs.

Tony and I are taking the girls to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History today. Chloe learned about dinosaurs in preschool last week, and Becca has been asking quite a lot of questions about mummies. And this is the first Sunday in a while without any football (except for that week between playoffs and the Super Bowl - and we went to Ikea and dinner that day). I was surprised how expensive it is, though! $15 for an adult and $11 for a child (although I think they are running a promo right now for half off kids through February 27th). I'll fill you in on how everything goes. Speaking of the girls, I handed them a huge Oriental Trading catalog yesterday. They have spent at least an hour just looking at everything. Thanks for the catalog!

Well, NOW I must go deal with the toy tornado. And laundry. I'm determined to come home later today to a clean(-ish) house. Have a great day!!!

No need to repeat myself

Hey...I just posted about the Pittsburgh Twestival over at Downey's House Blog. I'm not going to repeat myself here, so why don't you go and read it, mkay?

Free Shipping at CafePress this Weekend

Hey...if you need a gift and you're on the computer this weekend, I just got a free shipping code. It's only good for this weekend. Here are the details: Free shipping on $50 or more, use code FEMVAL1 . Ends February 8th at 11:59 PST (That's 2:59 AM on Monday the 9th for us East Coasters). Here are some of my Valentine's Day designs you might be interested in:

Bring it on, Fitty

Yes, Fitty. That's what I call my Wii Fit. I think I picked up that name from PittGirl. Anyway, I've logged 14 days (well, really it's 13. I did the body test one day and was too full of PMS to actually work out). I've lost five(-ish) pounds. My goal is twenty. I can't believe that I am 20 pounds heavier than I want to be. How did that happen? OK, 2 kids had something to do with it. But there has to be more. Before Fitty, I never exercised. Ever. Yeah, I'd take the kids for a walk, but have you tried walking with a 3 year old and a 5 year old. You don't exactly go fast enough to get your heart pumping. Before I got pregnant, I was a bartender. And I ran. A lot. I lifted kegs, I was on my feet for ten hour stretches. I think that job kept me on the thinner side.

Seeing that I don't want to go back to bartending, I guess Fitty is it. I actually love the Wii Fit. But it mocks me. It gets some arbitrary age that is my 'Wii Fit' age. It started at 41 (Well, actually it was 51, but that's because I'm stupid). It has varied from a low of 26 to a high of 40 over the past 2 weeks. Really, that number shouldn't even bother me at all. What I should be worried about is the weight. But dammit, I want that age to be low. Yesterday I ran (with Fitty). Not just the short fun run, but a longer one. I really need to quit smoking.

So, here I am. It's Thursday morning. Both the kids are at school, and I have two wonderful hours to myself. And I'm going to hand over an hour to Fitty. Fitty, I see you more than I see my husband.

One last note...I am also trying to convince myself that Splenda tastes just like sugar (it doesn't) and that Lowfat Half and Half is really good (it's not). Damn you, metabolism!!!!

Are you Busy on Valentine's Day?

Well, I'm going to have a typical Valentine's Day - with the kids. After all these years, I've gotten used to not being with Tony on Valentine's Day. One of us was always working. That's OK. For years and years we had Mondays off together. We could go anywhere, and we would never have to wait. And aside from going to Downey's House on Valentine's Day (we have The F.O.G. playing at 9:30), here's a great thing to do. I went to grade school and high school with Joe, and Timmy's story hit me like a ton of bricks when I read about him a few months back. Go to the website below, and if you can, go and support Timmy's Fund on Valentine's Day.

Wow, an Entire Week!

Really? Has it been an entire week since I posted? Amazing. Time flies when this is the true math equation in your life:

time it takes to do stuff is less than or equal to the time you have

Anyway, we had a great time before the Super Bowl. The kids went sled riding at our neighbor's house. I ate entirely too much, and even had an adult beverage. The game itself was difficult to watch at times. The kids actually fell asleep sometime during the second half, even though Tony was yelling obscenities at the tv. Oh well, the outcome was good, and that made me happy. Here are some pics from that day:



Quickie post for now, but I have more to come. Maybe even today!!!