The Lucas Zoo

52 Weeks of Me - Thanksgiving (48/52)

>> Wednesday, November 30, 2011

This wasn't actually taken on Thanksgiving but it was sort of what I wanted to go for but didn't get around to. We were in Ohio for Thanksgiving again this year. It is always so nice to go there and catch up with family and see how the babies are growing up. Anyway, I am in the bokeh. I didn't want to be so much of a blur but that is what I got. It is sort of similar to last weeks now that I look at it but this was done with a timer and last week I tried a timer but couldn't get my baby to settle down in time lol :)

Please add your selfie to our flickr pool so we can all check them out in 1 place. Next week is Moody.

Monday Mingle 11.21.11

>> Monday, November 21, 2011

Good Morning! Let's get right to the questions :)

1. If you were stranded on a deserted island, but you could choose one famous person to be there with you, who would it be?
2. What is your favorite snack food?
3. Fill in the blank: “___________ is my least favorite household chore”.

Link up with Eighty MPH Mom and her Monday Mingles!

52 Weeks of Me - Comfort (47/52)

>> Sunday, November 20, 2011

She comes to me for comfort but she also brings it to me. My baby.

Please add your selfie to our flickr pool so we can all check them out in 1 place. Next week is Thanksgiving. I hope that everyone enjoys theirs.

Hotpants Review

>> Friday, November 18, 2011

I would like to lose a few pounds but have been unable to get going on doing it. I agreed to try Hot Pants because I was hoping it would boost my initial weight loss to get me motivated to continue eating more healthy and exercising more vigorously.

Hotpants increase your perspiration by up to 80% and you can feel it working as you are working out. Made with a comfortable material with bio-ceramic technology which emit far-infrared rays (heat waves) and reflect back the heat naturally generated by the body to promote deeper warming of tissue and breakdown of fat cells. They look nice on but if you are not comfortable in bike shorts you can wear some sweats over the top. That is what I did when I walked in them.

I have only had my Hotpants now for a week but I look forward to next week when I can finish my 2 week challenge! You can wear them any time of the day but of course working out gives you the best results.

It isn't just me saying how great Hotpants are. Check out Hotpants on Facebook and see what everyone else is saying. Hotpants are stylish and so far they are really working for me!

First Frost

Could it be that I was so hot earlier this week I had to hold myself back from turning on the air again? That I wore shorts and a tank top? Today I dug out Piper's winter coat for her to wear to school. 28 degrees. What? Was it just not 75 on Monday and Tuesday? Then hot and humid because of the warm rain on Wednesday?

They are saying 72 and sunny again next Monday. Crazy! How is the weather where you are?

Wordful Wednesday - Getaway

>> Wednesday, November 16, 2011

You would think that my overall impression of the trip would have been bad but quite the contrary. I am amazed at the amount of stuff that could have sent us into a bad vacation spiral but nothing bothered us. I am thankful that we were able to go with the flow because truth be told sometimes we do not.

Ruby cried the entire way down. Especially when I got on the phone. Shame on mama for trying to have adult interaction to stay awake.

Yay for early check-ins! Big thank you to the Double Tree for letting us check in at 10am on Friday when normal check in was 4pm. Also, cool that you had those yummy warm cookies for the girls. And me.

Boo to the Double Tree for giving me a room that the microwave, tv, and refrigerator all had issues. Seriously!

OMG Double Tree. In the same breath I want to thank you big time for a heated pool but think your heating bill would go down if the pool was actually in the sun! BRRRRRR!!!!

Mother Nature, I normally adore you but it was pretty darned windy for my dear friend Sarah's wedding. Could have done without that. Still a beautiful wedding with the sun shining bright.

LOL at the pizza cutter from Bizzaros Pizza. You had me when you told me you were going to charge me an additional $1 to cut the pizza slices smaller and you had this tourist almost digging in her wallet but then you let me off the hook and I laughed. Hard.

Oh garbage. The sheer amount of garbage on the beach made me wonder about the town and then a local told me about a storm they had. I made the girls pick some up but I could have done without the complaining.

Seriously next door neighbors? Up partying all night while my 3 girls and I had to listen. I was sort of afraid to call the front desk when it was just me and the girls. At one point Violet said it sounded like our tv was up really loud in our room. Our tv. Really? You mean the broken one?

If there are 4 bodies in a hotel room there should be 4 towels. Enough said!

Thank you to Double Tree for allowing us a late check out. By 45 minutes. I thought this meant that my card would still work in the hotel. Something work in the hotel I should have known better. I had to walk around the whole hotel with my 3 littles because my room key didn't work. Ugh!

Recap. Last stay at Double Tree. Girls were fabulous. Awesome time away. Even staying at the Double Tree.

Here we are

>> Tuesday, November 15, 2011

My little family. I am happy most days but then anniversaries like yesterday creep up on me and throw me for a loop.

I can't say that the pain is easier today than it was a year ago but I have more days of not crying than crying. That is good.

My girls don't realize how they make their mama so happy and make her heart sing but they do. They are my reason for getting up, putting on a smile, and they make me live.

The pain in my heart is still so sharp. Just thinking about that horrible day last year immediately brings tears to my eyes and an aching to my heart. Still 1 year later. I thought it would be different today but it isn't. I am so thankful to have my family with me while I still grieve. A year later. I probably always will.

Let's go to the beach shall we?

>> Monday, November 14, 2011

The girls and I headed to Melbourne Florida for a beach wedding over the long weekend. To say that it was a challenge getting there might be an understatement. We were all tired because we didn't even start the 10 hour trip until 2pm. I am normally not such a rookie when it comes to trips with kiddos but this time that was how the cards played out for us. So here is our trip in Instagram pics.

Some new tunes for the ride. I ♥ Coldplay

If this doesn't put Ice Ice Baby in your head I don't know what does :)

I love waking up to the sound of the waves and the sun on my face.

The Zoo Girls

My Sweet Ruby (at least when this photo was taken)

Her feather. Our Violet loves finding feathers. Bird flu?

Needed to stop so why not at Saks?

Play time

Before the fighting began. Happy sisters.

Look what washed up on shore

Moon over Melbourne

Hot! Had to make a late night stop after seeing that beautiful red sign.

Wordful Wednesday - Perk

>> Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The flowers I received last week really perked up my week. They made me smile. My house smelled like roses for days. All from one little bouquet.

Haiku

>> Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Shining through the fog
Like a peaceful reminder
Brighter days will come

Insta-Friday 11.4.11

>> Friday, November 4, 2011

Hello, hello, hello! This was a busy week. Halloween. Kiddos are starting to come down with *something* not sure what though but should be fun next week :) Here is my week in cellphone pics.

Saturday night we went bowling as a family. We had a Groupon. I haven't bowled in years. And then I drank. We all had fun but I bowled like crap lol :) Notice blurry pic. Everything about Saturday night cracks me up :)

I will title the next shot "Perseverance pays off" Why you ask? Well I basically found 3 NEW bathrobes all by the same (Target) brand and similar design and all in sizes that fit our littles. It only took 2 months. Taking my bow now.

This little piggy went to market...

Mama's gone. Daddy made fruit punch. Daddy's do things different. Daddy's do everything different. Girls skip lunch to drink only fruit punch. Cheese!

Make your own spooky cookies. Left on our doorstep by someone. But who?

She'll go to bed when I ask her someday. Today I hug, kiss, tickle, and giggle with my sweet little late night buddy. ♥

Farmer Day

>> Thursday, November 3, 2011

The preschool that Violet attends has Farmer Day each year. The kids love it! A tractor takes them on rides, they wear themselves out in the bounce house, and they bring home the most delicious caramel apples. In prior years the girls thought that caramel apples weren't really that good so that allowed me to eat them by myself. I am not sure where they got that idea from ~~me?~~ but this year they know the combination of caramel and apple is a little piece of heaven. Oh well I guess that I really don't need to eat an apple covered in yummy caramel, m&m's, and chocolate chips. Darn it!

Her entire outfit is from Goodwill. I found the shirt this summer at Goodwill and scooped it up, the boots were Piper's from GW years back, the skirt - same thing. The hairbow from my friend Kistin. I told someone the other day that I hate telling people that I get the girls clothes from GW and she said "Jessie, you should not be ashamed of shopping there" and I said "Oh, I am not ashamed. I just don't want everyone else to take all the good stuff".

Wordful Wednesday - Thankful

>> Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Yesterday I saw a whole bunch of friends start posting 30 days of being thankful. Not to be left behind I did too. On Twitter. I will probably do a whole post at the end of the month but to start off I said

Waking up each day and getting to see their smiling faces and receiving their good morning hugs and kisses is the best. It makes my heart sing! But the days of our Ruby waking up and giving me hugs and kisses (Yay!) and then immediately wanting a sucker or gum or any number of things she knows I am going to say "No" to resulting in a temper tantrum and me frazzled before 8am are tough. Hubs said I am going to miss it all. I know he's right.

Right now I am thankful for Dora so that Violet has something to do while I am writing this post lol :) What are you thankful for? Care to join along? You don't have to post it on the internet though just take a minute each day and look around. I have a feeling I am going to be finding a lot of little things I am thankful for that are overlooked.