Pregnant Art

There are many pregnant people in my life right now. One of my pregnant friends asked me and another friend to make a cast of her pregnant body; she is going to paint it and hang it in the nursery.

It was quite messy but, as you can see, the results are beautiful. I wish I had one of these for each of my pregnancies. If you are pregnant I think you should ask some close friends (it is a rather intimate process) to make a cast of you. There are instructions here. And here is a gallery of painted casts.

Knitting Pool Side

Last night we went swimming at the fabulous Naplover's mom's pool. It was perfect; Shelly, Jill, Lara, and all the kids were there.

I wish I would have taken more pictures of the kids splashing, diving and swimming and the ladies knitting pool side.

I felt like I was in a scene from a tv show where kids play happily and mom's hang out relaxing.

FlyLady

In addition to Weight Watchers, my summer improvement plan includes FlyLady. I have dabbled in the Flylady philosophy in the past but I am following it strictly this time. I have a morning and bedtime routine and I am working slowly (15 minutes at a time) on the clutter which has overtaken my basement.

Some friends and I are planning a garage sale in June and the basement holds many treasure to be sold. It nice to wake up in the morning to a clean home and still have a clean home when I go to bed that night.

Weight Watchers.com

Yesterday, I signed up for Weight Watchers.com. At different times in my life I have used Weight Watchers to lose extra pounds. Right now, I am 7 pound over my goal weight so it's time to get serious about getting back on track.

Last week I hit rock bottom when I ate Buffalo Wild Wings at 10pm even though I had had an ice cream sundae at 8pm and dinner at 6pm. I'm using the online tools and the on-the-go Palm tracker to help remind me what I have eaten and how many points it was.

Sexy swimsuit, here I come.

Last Day of School

School is out! Yesterday, we rode the bus (all 250 students) to the park, had a picnic lunch, and spent the afternoon playing games, hiking, and sweating. The picture shows the 2nd grade class having a tug of war against their parents, the parents won. I'm looking forward to a summer filled with swimming, painting, crafts, and a couple of mini vacations.

Summer Racing

I had to do a little editing on my race schedule. I think I'm going to swap the Kansas City marathon for the Redman Half-Ironman. I have done 2 half-marathons and I really want to do a full 26.2, so this is my year.

Mudwater falls on a weekend I'll be out of town and Tinman is only 25 days away and my training this last month has been less than spectacular. I'm still open to it but not committed.

New Ink

Check out my new ink. It's the little IronGirl logo. Originally, I planned on getting this tattoo while I was in Vegas but the tattoo shop in our hotel wanted $250 for this little thing (when I said "no" the guy said "well, how about $150")
This little gal isn't just about my wonderful trip to Vegas and the tri, it's about all the triathlons I have competed in the last year and a half. I never thought I would be able to call myself a triathlete but with the help of my friends and family I really feel like I'm being the person I always wanted to be. The last 2 years of my life have been some of my happiest. I feel so comfortable in my own skin.

Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day. One of my favorite ways to spend time with the kids is swimming. So Sunday afternoon we went to the pool and D even came. (D hates swimming.)

The kids and D designed an apron for me. At left you see the picture, T drew the bird, S drew the butterfly, and the father and son is by D. With PhotoShop, D put the pictures together from my collection of pictures the kids have drawn for me over time. Of course you can make it bigger by clicking it.

Froot Loop

I did get a little knitting done last week, I was working at the bookfair every afternoon and there was a lot of down time there.
This little beauty is Froot Loop, the Knitty surprise. I love the stretchiness of the pattern and the easy to remember 4 row repeat. The pattern is clearly written with a chart and words. I give it 5 stars and recommend it to all my sock-crazed friends.

As a side note, the 8 page paper I was struggling through a couple of weeks ago received high marks from my teacher. I feel very proud.

A random post

I have been trying to post at least every other day but this week has been crazy with a capital C. Luckily for me next week will be much calmer. I have 3 finals to complete and then I am free for the summer.

Girl Scouting

On Saturday, we had our bridging ceremony for my Girl Scout troop they are moving from Brownies to Junior Scouts. We have been together for 4 years now. I have really enjoyed seeing the girls grow and mature and I think Girl Scouting has a positive impact on them.
You can't see me in the picture but I'm somewhere in the middle of that gaggle of girls - they are giving me a group hug.

Woodchuck

I'm really not much of a beer drinker, I prefer mixed drinks (gin and tonic, anyone?) But I'm hooked on Woodchuck Draft Cider Amber. It's like apple juice beer. Shelly introduced it to me and I owe her a big thank you.