First Half of 2012....Gone

4th of July with the Loring's

We spent 4th of July with family in Louisiana and had a great time! Brooklyn even had a very nice lunch with her Grampa before anyone else got to the table :-)

We're Finally Pottying....Hip Hip Hooray!!!

     

So all those books and tactics and worrying only for her to just one day decide to do it! Amazing! My advice for new moms... Just like my hubby told me---like walking, crawling, and talking they will do it when THEY are ready. Just chill out...lol! Then I had to search for a portable potty to take out and about with us because she is terrified of public toilets...lol! Ahhh the joys....   I ended up going with the Potette Plus.  It's a good concept and I will definitely use it but it definitely needs legs that are a bit sturdier so mommies don't have to squat down and literally secure the thing by hand while the child sits on it.  For any other mommies wanting to give it a try see a pic of it below.  Fair warning though, it's considerably smaller than your other potties.  I passed completely by it in Toys R Us because I thought it was just some package of refills or something hanging from the rack on the wall...lol!

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The End of the Wiley Birthday Month 2012

 Well the birthday month for The Wiley Family (and the Loring lady) has come and gone and I must say it was a good one. I had a blast celebrating each if my family's birthday in some shape, form, or fashion. I had an even better time celebrating my birthday with family and friends! Our friends are so fantastic that some of them even sent gifts after my birthday if they couldn't make it out to celebrate....so my birthday never ended :-) We celebrated Aunt Brandi's (aka Ann Branny)birthday on the 30th with a simple visit bearing gifts that I know she'll get some good use out of. As promised, here are some pics from my birthday gathering:

 

 

  Being the Benihana fanatic that I am, I long ago registered with Chef's Table there so I can enjoy my free dinner during the month of June every year.  This year, Mama Pat and Brook came along since it was our GNO night and it didn't disappoint!  I love Benihana!  As you can see, we had a good time :-)





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Mommy's getting her fine body back!

 So, I'm not going to lie-- I was a pretty cute little thing back when Kelvin met me...lol! That was nearly 7 years, 1 child, 1 graduation, 4 jobs, 1 house, and several countless delicious meals and desserts ago...and 0 exercise I might add. A few weeks ago, I stepped on the scale and thought about the fact that I have gained about 25 lbs since we met! If my face and stomach were the same size and I didn't have any back rolls, I might feel ok with that. But, I'm not ok with it! So, I've adopted a lifestyle change in my eating habits. No more only eating once or twice a day then eating like I'm eating for 2. Also, hardly no sodas and definitely more water. However, the biggest AHA...exercise! So, how am I staying motivated post an 18 year hiatus since my last round of physical activity in 9th grade P.E.? A good friend of mine suggested a God-send running group (Black Girls Run) and I'm loving it! It's a nationwide group with a local "chapter" here in central AR. IT's further divided into groups that meet across the area to run/walk/jog together a few times a week. I'm in the group that runs at 5:15am on Mondays and Thursdays. The big group runs every Saturday at different locations at 6am. So that's 3 early morning workouts every week! I NEVER would have imagined actually being excited about getting up way before my family and doing something physical, but these ladies are very motivating in that we all have similar goals. There's so much comradery and encouragement that it's downright addictive :-)  I even got in on a little photo shoot with them today and I meant to get someone to snap a pic of me when I was out there but forgot.  So, I took a little pic of myself when I got back home as you can see above :-)  Stay tuned for more talk on my now physically fit self :-). Maybe I'll even be able to hit the neighborhood and run with Kelvin some day! For now, I'm up with the roosters and usually come home to find my family like this:

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Beauty update-Eyebrow threading

 For years, I've only been getting my eyebrows waxed at a nail salon way in Little Rock and looking scruffy when I can't find the time to get out there. Well, I finally decided to give threading a try at a threading salon much closer to the house and wow! Same price but lasts longer and a lot more defined :-). This picture doesn't do it justice. It makes them look lopsided to me, but they really weren't. While I'm on this pic, check out the new half wig I added to the collection :-) a girl just needs a break from the demands of the natural sometimes :-)

 Suzie (and Samny) Homemaker

 Last weekend I had a hankering for party food that wouldn't totally ruin my fitness push, so we celebrated! I just LOVE what I call "reception food". As far as Sammy Homemaker that will be my name for Kelvin :-) I lucked out in that I have a hubby who's willing to pitch in with the cooking. Last week he made an absolutely delicious meal for us that consisted of grilled tilapia and chicken, grilled zucchini and squash, and dirty rice. It was awesome! (sorry I forgot to take pics-I was too excited about eating it).  Yesterday, I tried out a new recipe that one of my co-workers had mentioned to me- tomato pie.  In the summer, I always have a pretty good taste for dishes prepared with fresh fruits and veggies so this one sounded right up my alley.  It's a hot side dish that I paired with rotisserie chicken and some more grilled squash and zucchini.  Eatin' right y'all!  See a (blurry) pic of the pie below:



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Quality Time with Papa

  This past weekend, Brooklyn and I enjoyed a little outing for ice cream (a.k.a frozen yogurt) with her Papa.  I can definitely say they both really enjoyed themselves!  I did too- I just love spending time with family!