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A Renaissance Woman

3/31/10

Breaking News From My Inbox

A budding Buddah: I'm taking 40 winks on the path to 
enlightenment
Awesome Mom
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Meet my silent partner, we

 like to get our heads together
Before I was a Mom,
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I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Crib sheet -

 and this hatbox beats my cradle any day
Before I was a Mom,
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I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Frown in the mouth: My afternoon nap is a serious business
Before I was a Mom,
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I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Out on the floor: It's no struggle

 to snuggle up to a warm rug
Before I was a Mom,
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I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.


Getting back to nature: Who says caterpillars can't hibernate?
Before I was a Mom,
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I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

It's a wrap: Lulled to sleep with a swaddling

 song
Before I was a Mom,
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I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom

Prize guys: They came first in the bonnet baby contest




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Wordless Wednesday - An Ordinary Day





For more WW participants head to:

Mom Blogs


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3/29/10

Invoice #032910 - Bill to Dr. X

Dear Dr. X,
Below you will find an invoice for today's services. My son had an appointment today at 10:30am. We arrived at 10:00am and although I realize this is early it was my hope that since the visit was a follow up we could get in and out rather quickly. However, when your 10am patient was not called until 10:45am. that clearly says that you are running 45 minutes (minimum) behind. Regardless of whether I showed up at exactly 10:30am and if my calculations are correct that would mean that I could have possibly not gone into another waiting room to wait for you even longer for another 15 minutes. I at least gave you until 11am before I decided to leave. I thought this was rather kind of me. First, I allowed the rest of your waiting room patients not to have to endure my very hungry, tired, bouncing off the walls, and at times screaming children. I saved you money by not entertaining them with your hand sanitizer. Please understand that because of your tardiness regardless of the reason I have lost time, gas, preschool time that I already paid for and mileage on my vehicle. My baby also experienced pain and suffering by not being allowed to get her regularly scheduled lunch and nap time. The fees incurred are based on current numbers of mileage reimbursement and calculations of stay at home mothers if they were paid a wage. My current salary would be $181,273.

Dr. X - Invoice #03292010
    $331.69 USD
Invoice


Qty Item ID Description Unit Price       Amount
17.2 mileage       Fuel to Dr. X's office     0.55            9.46
19.6 mileage       Fuel from Dr. X to school     0.55          10.78
1 SPNS       Pain & Suffering for toddler    50.00          50.00
3 Time       Hours spent driving & waiting    87.15        261.45



Currency is in U.S. Dollars (USD) Total: $331.69 USD



Please make your check or money order payable to: A Renaissance Woman aka Mommy Kramer. You have net 15 days before your account is handed over to a third party collection agency.

Thank you for your business!

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#Mamavation Monday


Watch Lives Change

Weekly Mamavation Goals - 

1.  #fruitnveggie challenge. Get 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 
2. Water challenge. Strive to drink more water. Some moms are striving to drink half their body weight in water. For instance if you weigh 180, strive to drink 90 ounces of water per day.

My Goals -
  • The long term goal 50lbs. by the end of the year.
  • The short term goal 4 lbs. per month. 
    • January - 4 pounds lost = goal met.
    • February - 5 pounds lost = goal met.
    • March - +1 gain = goal NOT met.
Burning Question -
How do I know how many calories I'm burning? I wouldn't mind trying to burn more calories using those shoes from Earth footwear! I could put those shoes to the test.

    My Work Outs -

    My work out schedule suffered due to my son's removal of adenoids and insert of ear tubes surgery.
    Monday - 1 hour boot camp, 1/2 hour of spin
    Tuesday -1 hour circuit training. 30 minute walk on the track.
    Wednesday - 1 hour boot camp, 1 hour power yoga
    The unthinkable happened. Quick story that will make you laugh so hard. Ready? I'm all tight after boot camp and I wanted to try stretching out instead of Zumba. We are in a small room and it's 3 of us and our instructor. She has us twisting our legs around and bending over them and she says, "now lay on your back and stretch your arms and extend your legs." All of a sudden it came! Without any warning, without any control it came, a poot. It wasn't a trombone kind of poot just one that was loud enough for everyone to hear! The instructor says, "that's perfectly normal" and she continued the class. Me, I wanted to run and hide but really there was no where to go! I had to leave because I was out of time. Will I go back and face that class again? I have no idea but it's a funny story, don't you think?
    Thursday - No work outs
    Friday - No work outs
    Saturday - No work outs
    Sunday - No work outs


    Measurements -
    Chest +1"
    Waist = no change
    Hips -.5"
    Legs -1"
    Arms -.5"

    I'm actually impress with the losses because even though I only got 3 days of working out, I spent a lot of time doing house work.

    Scale Reading -
    No loss, no gain. I didn't meet my goal for the month. If I were to try to catch up this month I would have to lose 9 pounds. That might be too much pressure for me so I might just let that one go. Our baby girl will have her turn for surgery next week. Along with my eating times, I put my ounces of water in too and started counting calories and putting those in my Google calendar. If you don't have a Google email you should get one! It's free and easy and you can set up all your work out plans and food journals.


    Stress Level -
    Another week of high intensity. I'm not a fan of hospitals and to have to go through surgery this week with our 3 year old wasn't fun at all. I was on edge to say the least.

    The UP side -
    On our date night I was so proud of myself because I totally practiced portion control. I listened to my body and put the rest of my meal in a to go box. My changes are spreading through the whole family. We are now eating wheat bread, I'm cooking with olive oil and I'm leaving fruit and veggies out and they just snack on them. I'm starting to make sure that my kids are getting all those servings of fruits and veggies and really pushing the water.

    I'm looking forward to reading how the rest of my "sistas" did this week.
    This guy is working hard!




    >

    I'm always hunting workout music which you will find in my DJ Booth at Blip.fm. You can search the #mamavation hashtag or #workouttunes to see my lists. If you have any music suggestions leave them in the comment section!

    From RealAge.com

    Secure Your Success
    Charting your progress gets you there faster. Try these tools:




    Track my weight loss.
    Track my weight loss.


    Watch my waist get smaller.
    Watch my waist get smaller.


    Track my walking.
    Track my walking.
     
     


    Need for fitness support? Join the "Sistahood".

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    3/28/10

    Mister Linky vs MckLinky

    This is my second post about this Linky subject. If you would like to read the first set of pros and cons click here to read more!

    Recently I decided to host a page that features all the "contest giveaway linkys." There are so many bloggers that host their own contest linky during different days of the week I wanted to compile them. I went through all of them and directly connected the url on many of these so that you can click through the list depending on what day of the week it is and it's a really fast process.

    Like many of you I want to get the word out about my contest but I want to do it quickly. This is where Mister Linky is a better option!!!! I type in the name of my blog, prize, end date and tab to the next line to paste my direct contest url. What is so cool is that Mister Linky saves it and all I have to do is click enter on every single blog that uses Mister Linky because all the information is saved, talk about a time saver! For example:

    Mister Linky's Magical Widgets
    If you are participating in Sunday Sweeps!, enter your name and URL in the form below and press Enter.
    Your name:  
    Your URL:  
    Please leave a comment after linking... Thank you!


    When I run into a blog that hosts MckLinky I usually skip over it until I have more time to type. MckLinky will save the url but I have to either paste the name in over and over or retype it. It doesn't have that same feature which is a shame. Call me lazy or call me efficient, lol. I like things to run like a well oiled machine.

    There is also a fairly new linky called SimplyLinked and some bloggers use this method as a host. I don't mind this one either because like Mister Linky it will save what I have previously typed and all I have to do is hit enter. Check it out for yourself. If you have a contest to list try my page of links and see what you think! 





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    5 Fingers of Thanks

    Photobucket

    1.) Thankful our baby sitter is back! Whoo Hoo
    2.) Thankful for that gift certificate to Olive Garden that we got to use for our date night.
    3.) Thankful that our son scored a goal and won his soccer game too! He needed a day like today.
    4.) Thankful to be going back to the gym tomorrow after a 4 day hiatus.
    5.) Thankful to be working Dave Ramsey's plan.

    If you would like to share in my Sundays of thanks there is a Mr. Linky.



    Below is the code for those five little fingers above or feel free to create your own.







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    3/26/10

    Freebie Friday - Link Up #contests and prizes every Friday

    Are you hosting a #contest? Great! Post it here on Freebie Friday. What better time to search and enter contests than on the weekend? Sign in so that others can find your giveaway. I will be hosting Freebie Friday each week from now on so be sure to drop back by. Now go grab your tasty beverage, sit back and relax and contest hop with me!
    post signature




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    Aloha Friday #107 - Who Hides The...

    Kailani at An Island Life has created this really fun idea. If you are interested in joining in, please visit her site for more details.

    Today's question is:
    Who hides the Easter eggs at your house?
    My husband and I divide the eggs up and hide them together!

    If you could use some grocery $ enter for a chance to win!



    Be part of Friday Follow!
    Friday Follow


    Click on the image to find out how YOU can join the celebration


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    3/25/10

    Next Batter Up!

    We have really been through it when it comes to our kids and their hearing! A while back I wrote a post about the warning signs of hearing loss. Last year our eldest son had his second set of ear tubes inserted. It was during this procedure that I had my chance meeting with our other son's surgeon Dr. Bloss. He fixed our baby boy. Feel free to click over if you want to see the before and after photos.

    Today our little guy is having his second surgical procedure in just three years of his life. He was experiencing hearing loss due to the fluid in his ears. Here he is in the waiting room in his "big boy pajamas."
     And here he is at home recovering
     Meanwhile his baby sister takes this opportunity to put on his soccer shoes.
    He is her playmate and she keeps trying to feed him crackers.
    She's not sure what's wrong.
    She just wants him to wake up and play.
    In the meantime I will have to do.
    Apparently my legs make a great riding horse!



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    3/24/10

    I Love My H-E-B $20 Gift Card Giveaway!

    Photobucket
    H-E-B is offering one of my readers the chance to win a $20 gift card to spend in their store just in time for the Easter holiday. This post expresses my own personal opinion and I have not been compensated by any representative of H-E-B. I simply LOVE the store! I have many options when I shop for food. Lately we have been ordering from Angel Food Ministries but when I need more groceries to feed my family of five we head to H-E-B. They offer (in my own comparison of local grocery stores) the freshest produce and the best cuts of meat! We also love the meal deal in store coupons that help us plan our meals for the week and we get more items for free. For example:


    Easter Meal Deal: Good Thru 3/24-4/6/2010

    Buy H-E-B Spiral Sliced Ham, H-E-B Fully Cooked® Brisket, or H-E-B Fully Cooked® Prime Rib Roast, get 8 items free with in-store coupon:
    ·         H-E-B Tea, assorted varieties
    ·         Ball Park 2 lb meat franks, 32 oz
    ·         Fresh Express Premium Garden Salad, 9 - 12 oz., assorted varieties
    ·         Kraft salad dressing, 8 oz, assorted varieties
    ·         H-E-B Entertainer or Bite Size Deli Crackers, 4.4 - 9 oz., assorted varieties
    ·         H-E-B Creamy Creations(R) Churn Style, 56 oz, assorted varieties
    ·         Kraft Natural Chunk Cheese, 7 - 8 oz regular, or 2% assorted varieties
    ·         Handi-foil oval or rectangular roaster

    Check out their weekly ad and compare for yourself!



    Photobucket
    Oh sure you can dye eggs with the kids but if your looking for some baking fun too, check out these Easter fun with kids ideas from H-E-B. Need more ideas? No problem, H-E-B has you covered! Here are some breakfast and dinner recipes for your Easter holiday.

    How can you be the lucky winner? 
    Leave me a comment and tell me what you like about  H-E-B. (mandatory) You have until 3/29/10 @ 11:59pm cst to enter.

    Extra entries -
    Follow H-E-B on Twitter
    Become an H-E-B Facebook Fan.

    More Extra entries -
    Connect with me through any of these sites.
    Follow my blog through Google
    Become a subscriber

    Please leave a comment for each entry!

    The winner will be chosen using random.org on March 30th. I would like to make sure you have time to receive your gift card before the Easter holiday! This contest is open to US Residents only. Good Luck.


    And the winner is...

    Random Integer Generator

    Here are your random numbers:
    19 
    Timestamp: 2010-03-30 23:45:46 UTC

    Congratulations!!!! - ms-texas on March 27, 2010 5:55 PM said...

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    Wordless Wednesday - The Tickle Monster

    His little boy feet didn't stand a chance!







    For more WW participants head to:



    Mom Blogs






    To view other Wordful Wednesday blogs head over to:





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    3/22/10

    #Mamavation Monday






    Watch Lives Change

    Weekly Mamavation Goals - 

    1.  #fruitnveggie challenge. Get 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 
    2. Water challenge. Strive to drink more water. Some moms are striving to drink half their body weight in water. For instance if you weigh 180, strive to drink 90 ounces of water per day.

    My Goals -
    • The long term goal 50lbs. by the end of the year.
    • The short term goal 4 lbs. per month. 
      • January - 4 pounds lost = goal met.
      • February - 5 pounds lost = goal met.
      • March - the month isn't over yet.
    My Work Outs -

    My work out schedule this week includes our vacation.
    Monday - Climbed Enchanted Rock
    Tuesday -Walked for a few hours around the Nimitz Museum
    Wednesday - 1 hour boot camp, 1 hour Zumba
    Thursday - 1 hour circuit training. 30 minute run/walk on the track.
    Friday - 1 hour boot camp
    Saturday - No work outs
    Sunday - No work outs

    The YMCA has changed boot camp instructors and that may change again. They have also removed an instructors spin class and the circuit training class will change instructors too. This has NOT been helpful for my work outs.

    Measurements -

    No measurements today. I do it in the morning and I didn't have time because I was getting all the kids where they needed to be.

    Scale Reading -
    I gained a pound this week. I'm not surprised. I worked out hard but the eating was not up to par. Solution? I put my eating times in my Google calendar and set notifications to tell me what I'm supposed to eat. In order to keep up with a food journal I have decided to log what I'm going to eat in that calendar. It looks like this -
    I was supposed to eat lunch at 11:30am 

    1 protein serving - peanut butter
    1/2 whole grain - circle bread
    1 vegetable serving - carrots (not enough) broccoli
    rice and cheese
    *****LATE**** 1:00pm

    Injuries/Soreness -
    Putting insoles in all my shoes has helped a great deal! My shoulders still crunch but I haven't been icing them either. *Sigh* Too much to do!

    Stress Level -
    The vacation was great but when we came home it just sky rocketed! My ex husband has been suicidal for several months but this past week he put things unsuccessfully into action. I don't want to go into details because it isn't my place to tell his story. What does that have to do with me? I get the phone calls and the phone messages. The decision making process of what to do with the information has been a burden and a huge responsibility. My husband has been wonderful through all of it. This week our son is going to have ear tubes put in and our baby girl will follow soon after. There are a few more things going on but I'm going to stop here.


    The UP side -
    We went to the park as a family this week and played soccer with our sons. Geez they are fast. I made a great effort at trying to keep up. Also, I can run on the track now as long as I have my mp3 player! I can do it! I can run again. I'm going to leave you with a video of one of my favorite songs to run too.

    I'm looking forward to reading how the rest of my "sistas" did this week.





    I'm always hunting workout music which you will find in my DJ Booth at Blip.fm. You can search the #mamavation hashtag or #workouttunes to see my lists. If you have any music suggestions leave them in the comment section!

    From RealAge.com

    Secure Your Success
    Charting your progress gets you there faster. Try these tools:





    Track my weight loss.
    Track my weight loss.


    Watch my waist get smaller.
    Watch my waist get smaller.


    Track my walking.
    Track my walking.
     
     


    Need for fitness support? Join the "Sistahood".

    Before you go, don't forget to link up! I'm sure we are in some of the same circles. Have a look around the side bars and don't forget to check the "Add Me" tab.

    Labels: ,

    5 Fingers of Thanks

    Photobucket

    1.) Thankful my son appears to be ok after getting hit hard in the head with a soccer ball during a game.
    2.) Thankful my x factor didn't complete his mission.
    3.) Thankful to be married for twelve years. I'm looking forward to 12 more. It can only get better.
    4.) Thankful our 3 year old is going to get surgery on Thursday to fix his hearing.
    5.) Thankful for my mother and grandmother who took that special 3 year old for a sleep over Friday.

    If you would like to share in my Sundays of thanks there is a Mr. Linky.



    Below is the code for those five little fingers above or feel free to create your own.






    Before you go, don't forget to link up! I'm sure we are in some of the same circles. Have a look around the side bars and don't forget to check the "Add Me" tab.

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    3/19/10

    They're Your Parents Too! by Francine Russo

    Meryl Moss Media Relations mailed me a copy of They're Your Parents, Too! by Francine Russo to get my thoughts from a Sociological perspective. I was blown away by this book and the gathering of research that went into telling the stories of these siblings relating to each other as they deal with their aging parents. Many of us might have had those uncomfortable conversations with our parents regarding their "last wishes." In my family, my mother and I have had these conversations. She has tried to prepare me as much as possible in the event of her death and what do to with her belongings and property, etc.

    We discuss these types of topics because my mother has her own mother living with her since my grandfather passed away nearly thirteen years ago. As my mother faces the aging process of her own mother, I stay in denial. My grandmother functions well, she works out but my mother sees things that I don't because they live together. In our family we all fight over spending time with her of course it's all in a joking manner. She really is that awesome. My mother has a younger brother and they do communicate well in regards to their mother. After reading some of the sibling battles in this book I'm very happy that there have not been any rifts in their relationship.

    What I wasn't prepared for or had even thought of until I read this book is what about my mothers wishes while living? I also wonder if my mother has thought about that as my grandmother continues to age. People don't want to face the possibility of not being able to make their own decisions.

    In my case I question if it is possible that I would have issues with my two older brothers regarding the care of my mother? I wondered if we had any old rivalries that would flare up as we all age. Is there anything that hasn't been resolved? Are there any open wounds or events from the past that we might harbor? I would find myself reading a few pages and putting it down and thinking long and hard about these questions. This is one of the reasons it has taken me so long to write this post. It never occurred to me to think about favoritism, is it possible that my mother would like one of us more than the other? Each of us had our own experience with our mother and we all know and relate to her in different ways. Then I began to shift and think of how I treat my own children! 

    Am I doing anything as a parent that would cause my children to be jealous of each other? Is it possible that I could be blindly showing favoritism? My husband and I have already begun threatening our kids with our presence as we age. We have decided to sell everything and get a small loft downtown and then stay with each of our children for a few months at a time. The response in case your curious, (this from our oldest son) "I'm not going to let you in!" That might be a problem. From our younger son, "You can come visit me mommy, I will let you in!" Insert warm and fuzzy feelings ---->here<----. Maybe it's comments such as those that begin to foster favoritism.


    The topics in this book have also led my husband and I to have discussions about what we would like to have happen to us as we age. I won't blog my husbands response completely, let's just say it starts with heading out to the woods. On that note, think for a moment how assisted living will work in the year 2045. Can you imagine? We will need laptops in all of our rooms with internet access, satellites and don't forget our cell phones and blackberrys, oh and there has to be a gym!


    Thank you Francine Russo for tackling this topic of siblings and aging parents. It is a must read for all families, simply because of all the questions that need to be answered while they still can. As a society we are going to be dealing with the aging process more and more as health care, health insurance and social security remain questionable. How will you take care of your parents? How healthy is your relationship with your siblings? It's food for thought. 

    Before you go, don't forget to link up! I'm sure we are in some of the same circles. Have a look around the side bars and don't forget to check the "Add Me" tab.

    Labels:

    Freebie Friday - Link Up #contests and prizes every Friday

    Are you hosting a #contest? Great! Post it here on Freebie Friday. What better time to search and enter contests than on the weekend? Sign in so that others can find your giveaway. I will be hosting Freebie Friday each week from now on so be sure to drop back by. Now go grab your tasty beverage, sit back and relax and contest hop with me!
    post signature




    Before you go, don't forget to link up! I'm sure we are in some of the same circles. Have a look around the side bars and don't forget to check the "Add Me" tab.

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    Aloha Friday #106 - We Are Celebrating...

    Kailani at An Island Life has created this really fun idea. If you are interested in joining in, please visit her site for more details.

    Today's question is:
    My hubs and I are celebrating 12 years of marital bliss on Sunday. What should we do to celebrate?




    Be part of Friday Follow!


    Friday Follow


    Click on the image to find out how YOU can join the celebration


    Before you go, don't forget to link up! I'm sure we are in some of the same circles. Have a look around the side bars and don't forget to check the "Add Me" tab.

    Labels: ,