big brother - wii style

a few weeks ago we got wii fit. basically how it works is that each person sets up their own mii (me) and each time you "play" you log on as yourself. it's so sensitive that if garrett is logged on and i stand on the balance board it won't work b/c it is already programmed with garrett's weight. so it knows exactly who does it each day. (although, ryan can play as garrett b/c they basically weigh the same. ha ha)

so last week i didn't do it much b/c i was running during the week, then i ran the 1/2 marathon on sunday, then monday i went to cardio kick class. so tuesday i logged on. right away the game says "do you realize it's been 6 days since you last logged on? working out each day is the key to achieving your fitness goals." ha ha. thanks, wii.

not only does wii hold each person accountable, it also uses peer pressure. last night when olivia logged on the game says "do you know daddy? it's been a long time since he's logged on. how would you rate his overall fitness today?" then it gave 4 choices: better, worse, about the same or don't know. i just about died laughing.

this morning garrett logged on and it started out asking him about daddy too. this time it wondered about his posture. since i was the one with the remote, i picked "don't know." it then proceeded to say something about how dogs do better when their masters pay attention and how important eye contact is. ha ha!!! wii cracks me up.

so basically don't slack off because big brother, i mean wii, is watching!!

the great chicago flood of 2008*

ALL weekend it rained...

race day was no exception

thankfully the freezing horizontal rain didn't start until
we had made a turn so it could be at our backs!
one lady on the sidelines called it "tailwind ike" - indeed

the last few miles my running skirt was so wet that i could feel it sagging lower & lower
now that's wet!!!

crowds were pretty sparse due to the lovely weather, but we had a great cheering section!
thanks sarah & bekah




13.1 wet miles later we finished!!!

*not to be confused with the chicago milk scare of '89 (that's for you joy!)

one of these things is not like the other

january 2003

september 2008

mmm... can you tell we got at least 1 new camera in 5 years :)
zoom in and guess what josie had for dinner.
i'll give you a hint...
whatever it was cost 2/$4
obviously, she won't be eating too many meals of this!
oh and it was olivia's favorite food, too.

got a question???

not too long ago, i wrote about my little question guy garrett. his questions are still fast & furious. the most recent being "how do the stars say up in the sky?" no clue.

the other day i stumbled upon a little bit of help.

garrett absolutely LOVES the show.
so if you have a little question monster in your house, check this show out.
it's on pbs*kids :)

wordless wednesday

from a 3 yr old...

mom, can you NOT bother us. we're making a fort.

oops. my bad. i didn't realize walking into a room constituted bothering anyone.
is 3 the new 13?

in my head, here's what i said to him...

ok, garrett i won't bother you...as long as you don't bother me when --
i'm on the phone
paying for groceries
having a conversation with another adult
watching a show that doesn't involve a kid with a rescue pack
using the bathroom
taking a shower
sleeping at night

well i don't think garrett could uphold his end of that deal. so i'll keep bothering my 3 yr old :)

excited

september 14th

the race will be fun
hanging out with friends will be great

BUT
2 nights in chicago with NO kids...
i'm so EXCITED to sleep ALLLLLL night :)

the verdict is in... (part 2)

i guess i forgot to share how i feel about my kiddos going to school. well...having 2 non-napping kids gone in the afternoon is sweet. this summer was pretty rough in terms of keeping olivia & garrett quiet while ryan & josie slept. garrett has 1 volume and it's NOT quiet. garrett tends to bug olivia. olivia is prone to drama... so being quiet was very hard.

olivia goes to school ALL day, EVERY day. that's the strange part. it's so crazy not having her here at all during the day. she was my eyes & ears. if i needed to go clean the kitchen and josie was playing on the floor in the living room, she'd be sure to yell if ryan was thinking about sitting on josie. garrett is not so helpful.

but she loves school, so that's what counts. and i have quiet afternoons 4 days a week :)


so a funny story from the 1st day of school...

i was walking down the hall to pick up olivia. i had josie in the bjorn, was holding ryan's hand (much to his dismay - have i mentioned that i do NOT like this stage? well, i don't!) and garrett was walking next to me. i passed another guy in the hallway (about 18-20 yrs old). he takes one look at us and says "wow, i'd hate to be you. you have 3 kids and must be picking up another. man that sucks!"

what kind of moron says that?

my response? i looked right at him and said "THANKS" in a snotty voice. childish, i know. but i was in the kindergarten wing - it's hard to be grown up there :)

the verdict is in...

how was school??

"25 thumbs up"

"i'm not telling"

and it's still hard to get a 1st day of school group shot!

09.02.08

09.05.07




for more 1st day of school pictures, check out "our pictures" on the side.

words that make me smile

kids, it's time for bed.
you have school tomorrow :)