Nearly 3, 4, 5 and 6

Things are going great!!  This week is the third week of my LAST semester and things are going fantastically!  I’ve earned one 100% so far (that’s the only thing that’s been graded).   I’m nearly 1/4 of the semester through.  It’s going by very quickly.  I will walk on May 2nd!  I can’t wait for the children to see their mama on stage, hear my name called, and get that diploma!  They’ve been through this entire journey with me (I went back to school when Ronin was 10mo, Ella was 22mo, and Haley was 40mo old.)  

 I’ve been doing WONDERFUL with the gym.  I go 5 days a week MINIMUM, usually M-F, but if I’m feeling stressed on a Saturday or Sunday and we’re just sitting at home bored, then I go up to the gym and burn off some stress.  Jim has been so supportive!  I have lost nearly all of my muffin top!  The upper part of belly is FLAT!  Now, if I could just figure out how to get rid of the spare tire!!   I work out a minimum of 90 minutes per day.  I’m really striving for 2 hours, but often my butt goes numb on the bike, and if I’ve already done my 60 minute aerobic class, then I feel okay with only 30 minutes on the bike.  I’m also keeping track of EVERYTHING that goes in my mouth.  Since I joined the gym, I’ve lost 18 pounds, but 10 of those pounds have come in the last 2 weeks when I’ve really been monitoring what I’ve been eating.  In the beginning I just wanted to get used to the routine of the gym, and once I got that under control, then I figured I’d work on the diet.   The hardest part for me has been adding breakfast.  I have to take my thyroid medicine on an empty stomach and then wait at least an hour before eating.  Usually by the time that hour is up, we’re on our way out the door for the gym.  So what I’ve done is bought some fat-free yogurt.  Now I eat a yogurt on the way to the gym.  It fills up my belly with protein and gives me some extra energy and I’m not starving by the time I leave the gym!

Jim is on week 3 of his new job at Moffitt Cancer Center.  He LOVES it and frankly, so do I.  He’s been much happier, much less stress and wow what AWESOME benefits.  So far my favorite benefit (and one I hope we never have to use, but I like that it’s there) is back-up care when the primary caregiver for the children is sick.  That’s ME.  So, lets say that I get sick on a day that Jim has to work.  We call this special number and they send out a NURSE/Childcare provider to take care of me and to take care of the children, so that Jim can go to work!  How cool is that??  We can use the service 20 times per calendar year.  It can only be used on times when Jim would normally have to work, so not like we could use it on a Saturday night to go out on a date. 

My 2 aunts are in Florida visiting this week.  On Monday we met at the beach for a picnic and my mom also brought along my 2 nieces.  Afterwards we went to the viewing center at TECO in Apollo Beach to see the manatees.  It was a really nice day!  My trio got WET playing in the cold bay water, and being the good mama that I am, I had a spare change of clothing for them in my truck.  Ya, it was summer clothing, so they were a bit cold, but it was better than being cold AND wet!  Ronin LOVED this baby  manatee sculpture.  He kept kissing it.  Adorable.

Here are some pics!

Wait Haley!!

MANATEES

Ronin kissing