Are you CRAZY?

Are you CRAZY?, originally uploaded by Michelle.Dan.

There is NO WAY this child is going to attend FRESHMAN orientation tomorrow. Isn't she in like the 5th grade? When did this happen? How?

It's a half day with a parent breakfast and everything. She will get her schedule and meet all her teachers.

I will be snacking on bacon and pancakes.

It's weird. She's going to HIGH SCHOOL.

She's so excited. Lots of new people. New school.

I hope it lives up to her expectations.
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Day 24 of the 30 Day Shred.
I'm working on form, I have a hard time with V-Fly's. I HAVE NO MUSCLES. I look at the muscle and will it to move, but it doesn't. I started counting only the good ones and starting over if I relax my form, it's helping me concentrate.

Old Home Day

Old Home Day 2008, originally uploaded by Michelle.Dan.

Last year we made it to the Old Home Day Parade purely by accident. At the last minute we found out there was a parade and made it just as it started. But it was HOT. We ROASTED last year. But the kids LOVED it. They got tons of candy and there were fire trucks and it was LOUD.

This year was an exact freaking replay.

We were almost late to the parade. ( I KNOW!) When we left it was cloudy and humid, which isn't that bad. The moisture in the air get's a little chill to it, so it's not oppressive. BUT, as soon as we sat down, the sun came out full force and heated all that humidity, and pretty soon we were boiling like little pieces of spaghetti.

WE LIVED THRU IT!

Aiden wanted what the boy in front of us had.
I told him it was a SLUSH.
He asked the lady behind the counter for a blue FLUSH.
I said No it's a SLUSH.
He said I KNOW a FLUSH.
Whatever..
So, let it be known:
2009 Old Home Day Aiden got his first blue FLUSH.

Emily looked like a baby in last years picture.

Emily looks like she's going off to collage in the 2009 version.

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We had a lovely birthday party for Nicole's friend Sabrina.
She's 15 and has spent most of the summer here.

Because of the upcoming CAKE and PIZZA, I had to shred early, like 3:00. It was OK, but I like the later at night workouts. I can't believe I've made it this far!

This is GONNA HURT.

This is GONNA HURT., originally uploaded by Michelle.Dan.

The football season is here and Christopher is on this field wearing # 61 and looking to take down someone wearing GREEN. That is his job. Defense and or Offense Line.

THANK GOD he decided to like football, no pressure or anything. Papa, Dan and Randy are all RABID fans of the game.

Football in August is nothing like Football in Oct.
Aug football is SWEATY. Not just for the Players, but for the SPECTATORS.

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Day 22 of the Shred is going WAY BETTER than I hoped. I thought I'd wimp out and head back to level 1 after a few days, but am noticing that I'm getting better each day, so why go back!

Day 21: What Not To Do..

Today I am the poster child for How NOT to do things .

I will share my list in bullet points, believe me it will be less painful for all of us this way.

• Do not allow your child to run wild in the outdoors with out sunscreen, even if it's a little cloudy,  She WILL BURN and you will feel REALLY BAD.
• Do not allow your boy child to hide behind you during a scary part in a movie, YOU WILL GET HURT. 
• Do not consume mass amounts of Apple dumplings just because your sisters asked "what time is dessert?"
• Do not consume mass amounts of white wine just because your sisters brought it over and what the hell it's already open.
  
• Do not attempt to do a 20 minute workout that will include JUMPING and SIT UPS while also trying to digest 2 apple dumplings and "a few" glasses of wine. IT WILL MAKE YOUR BELLY HURT.
  

Today we had a good time at what I like to call "employee appreciation day", where our friends/Dan's co-workers all got together with our kids and a REALLY good day.  We all go WAY back to before we were all old married people and had kids. It's nice to be around people who you share 10+ years of history with.

Next time tho, I'm going to recommend sunscreen.

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Day 21 and I seriously thought I was going to blow some chunks. As refrenced above I may have over indulged in both sugar and wine before my work out.  I puttered thru Level 2, but opted for High Kicks and not the Twits. I managed all of the ab circuts, but did box it out as a cardio option.

Richard, Julia and My little Mermaid

Richard, Julia and My little Mermaid, originally uploaded by Michelle.Dan.

Kelly has been part of our family since her and Casey met in the 8th grade and started to cause ALL SORTS of TROUBLE.

Her parents Deb and Richard have a camp on a lake where you can fish, canoe and swim.

Aiden loves all three of those things with a passion.

He wants to make Richard his BFF.

Richard is a laid back sort of guy, he's kinda quiet and makes suggestions rather than demands. He fought in Vietnam and was recently awarded the purple heart. He answers Aiden's questions and took him on a canoe ride.

And Aiden will talk his ever loving EAR off if given the chance. He tells Richard about worms, and fishing and GOD knows what else he said on that canoe ride when he had Richard ALL to himself.

I love my son to the moon and back. He is the most handsome and funny dorky baby big kid boy in the world. And I find him endlessly amusing. But I'm his mom. I'm smart enough to know that the "outside" world my not find him so captivating.

So, Thank you Richard.
You have the patience of a saint.
And you made him very happy.

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Day Freaking 20 of the 30 Day Shred is freaking CRAZY.
I'm working on my form, I upped my weights, then went back down to 3 pounds, because my ams felt like noodles.

A light at the end of the HUMID tunnel..

Tomorrow promises to be 83 degrees and hopefully a Thundershower. That would greatly reduce the humidity in the air, which is currently holding strong at 100%.

We New Englander's are not cut out for the heat, so what we do is JACK every AC unit in reach, to about -20 degrees. So in the course of a day you will alternately freeze/melt, every time you change locations. It's GREAT!

I broke down and bought a pool. It was on clearance and it's freaking hot. The only problem is that our water is fed directly from a well, and it's coming in slightly warmer than melted ice cubes. It's a catch 22, it's too cold to get into the pool, and it's too hot not to.

Dan is almost done a three week nonstop overtime bonanza. THANK GOD. I love my children deeply, but I'm going to sit in the car in front of the school till it opens if he signs up for one more extra shift. He took a day last week and it was just like the old days, when he LIVED HERE and was not WORKING.

I KNOW we are lucky, overtime is hard to come by and seeing how my ARSE is parked on my NEW DRIVEWAY, I'll shut my big fat mouth. Blah, Blah, Blah.. Sometimes it just gets old.

Happier Note!

Emily is about to lose a tooth, in the front next to her new big kid teeth and when it goes she is going to look absolutely freakishly adorable. It's been hanging by a string for a week now and is very gross.

Today is Wednesday, tomorrow I must bake a few pans of apple dumplings for Nicole's Potluck, this is the recipe and I just love them.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/apple_dumplings/

Oh Pioneer Women..

I already know I will lose my willpower and eat at least 2 of these.

Good thing I got the double wide driveway to park my ARSE.

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Speaking of which..

Day 19 and I'll be honest, I NEVER thought I'd make it this far. I always managed to quit before day 10. Either I would go off my diet and not see the point of doing the Shred, or I'd get busy and promise myself to do it in the morning. I have not missed a day in 19 days. I'm just as shocked as you are.

Greeting here from the Face of the SUN.

The humidity is sucking the life from me..

There seems to be a direct connection between my level of HAPPY and the Weather.

Right now the mood is SLUGGISH..

I took some pictures last night at soccer and threw them into a collage for all to see.

We got up early to bring Nicole to school. This is not the normal SUMMER activity.

Emily quickly ran for her MODEL dress with all the thrills. Aiden pretended I said, "please, don't move, I will feed you oatmeal from a spoon".  Nicole grumbled her way to the car Ipod and Cell phone firmly planted to deter any and all conversation.

Just one more week of Practice School and then a week off before the next 108 Days of FUN begin.

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Day 18 of the 30 day Shred. I'm really getting into a groove. Nicole had joined me for the last 2 days and it's more fun when someone next to you tells you your doing it wrong. Whatever.. My form needs work. I"M WORKING ON IT.

Just another Manic/Humid Monday

Welcome 100% Humidity and 90 Degree heat.

Nice to meet you.

Thank you for SO MUCH for hanging around.

We went to Salisbury Beach to cool off. We bring the sun tent because us IRISH girls need to seek shade every once and a ahwile.

Aiden : Swims into each wave, getting water shot right thru is nostri, each time. I hope he gets the hang of it, because he doesn't give up.

Emily : She dances and twirls into each wave. She is our Aiden Oppposite.

I wish that it could be summer for at least another 4 months.

Dan is working tonight so it became my duty to bring Emily to her SOCCER Practice. She did really well and was able to play goalie for a little while. It was there that she took a ball to the face. OUCH. She said that she wanted to cry, but didn't want to look silly. A little while later she came to me with her shin guards off, when I asked her the problem she showed me a bug bite.

Her coach thought it was funny, ball to the face and she's ok. Bug Bite.. need to take a few minutes.

She did so good. It's about a billion degrees here. Look at that face, she looks ready to burst.

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Day 17 Nicole and I did the shred. We both are a little sunburn on our back, but it was really easy to work up a sweat and feel like you got a work out.

A New Brand of Chesley's

A New Brand of Chesley's, originally uploaded by Michelle.Dan.

Garron recently graduated from a phase of school and now is on his way to Power School. He has six more months then he's being shipped on a sub for 3 months.

He brought his new wife Camila. She is also in the Navy, but is on light duty due to her condition. Her condition includes projectile vomiting as well as constant nausea.

They are expecting their first child in January.

It's difficult. They are young. He will be underwater for most of the year. Hopefully she will be able to move in with her mother for some help with the baby.

Garron has come so far in the last year and is going to grow up REAL fast this year.

He will be far from his family, we just hope he remembers his roots.

Nicole Kathleen..

gooey, originally uploaded by Michelle.Dan.

Her name is Nicole.

We call her Coley.

Her younger siblings call her Gooey.

Sometimes WE all call her Gooey..

Today Gooey had a bad day.

Someone got all grouchy and up in her grill for reasons that had nothing to do with her. It's hard when your a kid and an adult acts like a child.

So we did all normal parents do..
We took her for the biggest banana split we could find and let her drown her sorrows in some hot fudge.

Let me dazzle you with my parenting brilliance.

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Day 15 of the 30 Day Shred.

My left ovary has decided to burrow it's way thru my body in search of better digs.So I'm taking today off. The plan is to make it up in the morning so I don't lose a day. Maybe Level 1 in the morning and Level 2 before bed.

****UPDATED********

Guilt got the best of me. I did it. It was freaking rough and I opted for kicks in lieu of jumping jacks, but I made it! OVARIES BE DAMNED!