I told the nurse, who was drawing my blood, at the doctors office about my dream about running for mayor. We laughed about it started planning the campaign just in case the test came back unfavorable. I sat in the examining room anxiously waiting for the doctor to come in and give me the verdict. Was I going to need to start planning the campaign???? Well, the verdict is still out there. Although my counts are not as low as my last appointment in El Paso, they are not as good as the "false positive" of two weeks ago...and I have to say that I am disappointed in my platelet count. It was the one component of the blood that always held out for me in the normal range and has been normal ever since the start. It is just the WBC and RBC that are low. Well, today the champion took a step down from always being first. Though the counts were not worrisome low, at all, they did fall below what is normal. So with all this said and done, I will remind you, my family and in-laws who will start calling and worrying, that there is nothing to worry about! This could be a "false negative"!!!! I am going back in one month and if the counts are the same or lower, and if the platelets are still beneath normal they will do another bone marrow biopsy, but until then, my campaign is on hold. But just in case, if anyone is interested in being my campaign manager, in the event I do run, please let me know!!!!!!(Hopefully I will never need to run. I think I would do a poor job as mayor!)

I had the most bizarre dream last night. I woke up chuckling because it was so odd. I dreamt that I went to the doctor's office to get my blood checked. I was waiting and waiting for the doctor to show me the results. I saw my chart and looked at the results and saw that all my blood counts had crashed and were shockingly low. I searched for the doctor to see what was going to happen and what it all meant and after great length I found her. She looked at the chart and said "As you can see your blood counts are dangerously low. You need to become mayor, and serve the people, which will make you happy and that will bring your blood counts back up."

okay......hmmmm...I do have a doctors appointment tomorrow to check my blood counts...and I had no idea that I was going to need to run for mayor to get my blood counts up! I feel really good and would be shocked if they were lower than last time. It was such a bizarre dream that it gave me a good chuckle though! If there are any dream interpreters out there, I wouldn't mind an interpretation!!!

Paige was snuggling with me in me bed last night and she said "Mom smell right here on my blankie." I carefully smelled it, not knowing what I was in for. The blanket is so threadbare and worn and falling apart... "It smells like cake, doesn't it?" she asked. I chuckled and realized that she was right. Her beloved blankie smelled like cake!

I am not sure that there is a spot on my body that does not hurt. However, it is a good kind of pain and I did ask for it...I had no idea that training to be a trainer would be so painful!!! hahahaha it will worth it in the end...right???????

Okay, so I am doing some training with the trainers at the gym so that I can see each of their styles of training, and what their strengths are and see what it feels like to be trained... I have never experienced the limp noodle arms before...until now... We did arms today and I seriously could not even hold a pen after!! Now the trainer told me since I was in shape that he was going to go tough on me and that normally he wouldn't do this with some one new...even now, typing is hurting my arms, Pathetic!!! But I do have to say it is a good kind of hurt!

I also tried a new recipe for supper tonight. It is super easy, low calorie and very tasty! It is Cheese Tortellini Soup. All my kids but one ate it and liked it. So here it is:

Cheese Tortellini Soup

3 c. Beef Stock
1 c. frozen cheese tortellini
1 c. frozen peas(or peas and carrots)
2 TBS. chopped tomatos(or salsa)
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
parmesan to garnish

Combine all ingredients. cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat. simmer 5-6 minutes or until tortellini are tender. Makes 2 servings: 107 cal per serving, 1.6 g. of fat, 1.7 g fiber

Some friends of ours from El Paso lost their 1 year old little son this past week. I have never heard of anything so sad. He drowned in their pool, which was gated. Somehow he managed to get through. They were all outside, and there were 4 adults out there. One was a doctor, and when discovering him in the pool, worked to save him but with not the hoped for result. The little guy is somewhere safe now and the only comfort that I can find is the fact that we believe that families are eternal, that we do not part at death, and that we will be reunited together in the next life.

In situations like this, you can't help but stop and think. To realize how short life can be for some, and usually without knowledge of when it will end. I sat in my car, in the parking lot of a store and wept tears for their sadness and loss. My own childrens faces flashed before my eyes and reminded me how precious each of them are. No matter how much they whine, complain, fight or try me, they are special and they are mine and I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world.

Everyone but Matthew got the stomach bug this weekend...lets hope he doesn't get it. He has exams this week for report cards.

Well Ethan hit the double digits yesterday!! He was quite funny. He had the whole day planned out! We started off eating his favorite breakfast which is Dutch Babies(german pancakes) then he opened his gifts. One of the things he got was a tank for some kind of critter so then we took off to the pet store to look at lizards, turtles, frogs and crabs. He couldn't decide which one he wanted so we went over to the toy store so that he could buy something with his birthday money. Then we went home and I made Paris Puffins for lunch(that is what he wanted for lunch) then he played all afternoon with his toys. For dinner he wanted Totino Pepperoni Pizzas(how lucky could I get? cheap and VERY easy!) Then we played Heroscape with all the kids and then we went downstairs for him to blow out his candles on his birthday "cake" which was actually a pie. He wanted pumpkin pie for his birthday cake. It doesn't surprise me since he doesn't really like cake, or chocolate...

Ethan is an absolute joy in our family. He is super creative with a very active imagination. He is witty and funny and just has such a huge personality for his tiny little body. He is a rule follower. He is our little police man in the family. He knows what he should and shouldn't be doing. He loves to ride his bike and loves gymnastics, which has been taking since August. He catches on quick and is moving along rapidly. It is hard to believe that just 10 years ago we were rushing to the downtown Detroit hospital, 5 weeks premature, to have him, after 2 1/2 months of strict bed rest due to preterm labor that would not go away. He is excited to get out and do new things now as he was then. I arrived at the hospital fully dilated to a 10 and him ready to drop out. He was born 15 minutes after we got to the hospital. He does everything with fully energy and gusto from the minute he was born. He has a love of life that inspires all of us to be happier, live more and to be excited about what we have. We love you Ethan!!!! Happy Birthday!!!

As most of you know, I have been actively going to the gym for almost a year. I love to go strictly because I love how I feel after. I have more energy, I feel happy(all those lovely endorphins) and I like to see results and most importantly, feel healthy. After a few weeks of thinking, and as my mom would say, scheming, I have decided to do some training and become nationally certified to become a personal trainer. I know, it is probably a shock, but I have looked into it and done some research and am quite excited. I can set my own hours, which will probably not exceed 5 hours a week, and I feel that I will quite enjoy doing this. The test is quite hard, I understand and I know I will feel like I am back in college with the study thing, but I will be glad to stimulate my brain. The workshop is in Arizona, so I will be flying out for that and there is an 8 week class here that I am going to do. I look forward to helping others achieve personal goals to become healthier because I love how good I feel being healthier. I am hoping to be ready by mid December/beginning of January.

By the way, CPT stands for certified personal trainer...

I have discovered that since the kids have gone back to school, all I do is clean, cook and do laundry(and go to the gym). I have become lazy, a procrastinator and very unmotivated. It is just too hard to be cheerful every day about laundry and dishes. This will be just a little extra. I don't want to work a lot, literally under 5 hours a week, but think that this will help break up the monotany and help put me on more of a schedule and motivated to get my other stuff done. Let's hope it all works out!

Friday night, Paul picked up Carrabba's(my favorite restaraunt) for the family and we got a movie and had family movie night. Then Saturday morning, Paul had to work and I took the kids shopping so they could look for something to get Ethan for his birthday that is coming up. Paul came home around noon and then he and I went out looking for ideas for Ethan. I think we are out of getting him toys that have a lot of movies parts. He has tons of legos, k'nex, imaginext, lincoln logs, army men...etc. We looked at getting him a lizard for a pet(plus aquarium and stuff to put in it), he wants a model airplane, we also looked at gas powered remote control cars but they are close to $300 so I think we will pass on that. He really wants a dirtbike/motorcyle but they are a couple a hundred and we would rather get that for all the kids rather than just one. We saw some rockets that you can build and launch and thought he might like that. We don't have a lot of ideas and the things he wants are more than we are going to spend on him at the age of just turning 10. If you have any ideas let us know!!!!! It is hard to be original and not get him what we get Matthew...

Then after we got home, Paul played outside with the kids while I put a second coat of paint in the bathroom downstairs. I threw a little tantrum over it(it was being stupid and difficult) and then we watched a movie last night. Paul doesn't want me to tell you that he watched The Devil wears Prada with me...but since this is my blog....hahahaha, I love that movie(and so does he!!) Today, we just went to church and I am making sweet bread that I put a little wheat flour in. I hope it turns out good!! If it does, I will post the recipe.

I am also looking for new yummy recipes to try and noticed that no one has posted anything new on www.heymikeylikey.com any time recently so if you have tried something(especially if it is low fat/low calorie) I would greatly appreciate it!

And that was our weekend....

I was tagged by my friend Jessica, my friend with amazing talent in photography, who did the pictures in my living room and so here are the answers:

4 jobs I've held
1. Sales associate at the Gap
2. Sewing water bottle and camel backpacks for extreme sporters at Ultimate Directions, way back in college. One thing I can do and do well...sew...
3. Receptionist at a Dr.'s Office
4. Medical Transcriber(I did this from home after Matthew was born)

Movies I can watch over and over:
1. Pride and Prejudice(the one with Colin Firth...sigh!)
2. Legally blonde
3. 13 going on 30
4. The Italian Job
I love to re-watch movie, I could hardly decide what to put!! There are so many I love!

4 places I've lived:
1. Sardenia, Italy
2. Oahu and Ford Island, Hawaii
3. San Diego, California
4. Atlanta, Georgia


4 TV shows I enjoy:
This is what I am currently watching,
1. The Office(we love this show, and last night was hysterical!)
2. America's next top model
3. Gossip Girl(It is new this season and a bit over the top but it comes on right after ANTM and so therefore I watch it)
4. Dancing with the Stars

4 places I've been on vacation:
1. Riviera Maya, Mexico
2. Delhi and Bangalore, India
3. London, England
4. Disney World(countless times, we are going on their cruise in December with the kids)


4 of my favorite dishes:
I love food but since I have been trying to improve my eating habits it just isn't as enjoyable but here are some of my favorites(some of them I haven't eaten in a while but I am happy to report that I have lost about 3-4% total body fat in the past two months by working out and decreasing the amount of fat I take in!)

1. ANYTHING chocolate: icecream, peanut M&M's, Ghiradelli chocolate and carmel bars, snickers bars, the snickerdoodle with swiss chocolate from Marble slab creamery in waffle bowl, the list could go on....
2. I love Italian food especially Taglarini Picchi Pacchu(I have no idea how to spell that) from Carraba's Italian Eatery
3. Homemade salsa and anything Mexican
4. filet mignon

4 Websites I visit often:
1. my favorite blog sites of my friends
2. harry potter sites for news and updates
3. entertainment news on the yahoo home page
4. that is about it...

4 places I would rather be:
1. Soaking up warm sunny rays on a beach
2. night club dancing and having fun with Paul and friends (and forgetting I am a mom for a few hours:)
3. a get-a-way trip with Paul to anywhere in the world
4. Disney with the kids and Paul

4 buddies I am tagging:
1. Jenny(JL that would be you...)
2. Shana(my college room-mate who is a super mom of 6)
3. Chris R.(she is the one who did my layout for my blogsite)
4. Rebecca(this will give you a reason to post something on your blog!)

Hope you enjoyed!

Once again, my fabulous sister pulls through for me!!! I just love her. She surprised me by coming up to visit today and what was going to be another ho-hum day turned into a lot of fun. We went to Kirklands to see if they had anything exciting for home decor and talked and went to Applebee's(I just love their tomato-basil soup). It was absolutely wonderful!

The kids have a 1/2 day today but I have primed the bathroom downstairs and the boys are busy playing outside and Paige...well...she is here with me. I coerced her into a nap, she was just whining and crying about having no one to play with so I told her to come snuggle with me on the bed and I rubbed her back and tickled her face and she was out! I think she will wake up happier and maybe we will make some cookies!

Definitely a good day!!

Paul had his first day off on Saturday. He worked for, I think it was 21 days, without a day off and averaged 15 hour days. Looks like he might be getting back to his normal schedule finally!

Matthew has taken up tennis lessons and is really enjoying it.

Ethan is staying busy with his dirt fort.

Connor is also progressing with his tennis and really enjoying it.

Paige went on her first field trip yesterday to the the fire station. She informed me that you need to stop, drop and roll when you see smoke.

I have learned a new skill: procrastination. It actually isn't a new skill but an old one that has come out in great force since all the kids are in school now. I put off not only till tomorrow but usually till next week. I don't know why but I do. Yesterday as I thought about the painting I should be doing, I didn't. I have to admit that I have been restless for the past few weeks and a little unsettled and realized last night that if I actually did what I want to do and should do I wouldn't feel this way. So today, I am priming the bathroom walls and will hopefully get the kitchen primed(even at though at this very moment I really don't' feel like getting all the mess out but I will because I don't think I can stand another day where I don't accomplish something and putter around doing nothing). I did take a week, however, to try out sample patches on the kitchen wall to figure out how I was going to do it. I am going to do on old world fresco style on the wall. It is pretty involved, you put the base coat on then that dries then you do a lime wash and then a glaze over that and then another glaze. Phew! But it should look good.

Paul finished the benches for the kitchen table. They look great! I will post a picture on the next post.

And that is all the news of late.(I know that it was super exciting and so action packed...that you can hardly stand it and can't wait for my next post!!)

Ok, these pictures do not even come close to doing justice to the dirt that covers them. If you could see them up close, they are literally covered from head to toe. The are building a fort out of this mound of dirt on one of the lots in the neighborhood. Every day after school this week, they have come home and gone out to dig, scoop, and generally get completely dirty. They are having a blast and though I hate the clean up, I don't care, because this is what boys do!

Poor Paige doesn't have any friends to play with so today she wanted to play 'Duck, Duck, Goose' and so she gathered up stuffed animals from the bedrooms and put them in a circle and we played. This is her "cooking in the pot" after I tagged her.

I was talking to my mom yesterday and tried to tell her that I was making a scrapbook that had paper in it that was 9x13. For some reason, I couldn't remember standard paper sizes for scrapbooks but was convinced it was the size of a baking dish....how pathetic when you know your brain is starting to turn to jello...

What do you write when there is nothing to say??? Nothing interesting has happened. I haven't cooked anything new. It is just the same old laundry to do, clothes to iron, food to cook, bathrooms to clean, beds to make, floors to vacuum and mop, homework to help with, messes to clean up, clutter to put away, mail to go through, check books to balance, garbage to take out, kids to take to school and to lessons, groceries to shop for, kids to get ready for school, tantrums to deal with, whining to endure, and at times, sweet smiles to cheer and warm hugs from kids to brighten. You know what would be nice? If dinner showed up at the door and it came with cash for a shopping spree!!!! HAHAHAHA I still have time to daydream!