Crazy days ahead

The Mother's Day Out days have been a lifesaver! Shelby loves going there for the kid-interaction and for all of the art projects! Annabelle doesn't love being left, but they say she's happy enough while I'm gone. The best part is that they usually take a pretty long nap afterward. When I picked them up yesterday, Shelby was decked out in a dress-up costume straight out of "Little House on the Prairie." I think I'm going to have to stock-pile dress-up clothes!

James and I both started a new nutrition plan called "Eating Clean". It's a diet by a lady named Tosca Reno. I'm having a great time finding out better ways to cook the same meals I love eating. I really miss being able to munch on the kids' snacks with them, but I really don't miss the 5 lbs I've already lost! The night before last we made a chicken marsala dish with grilled carrots, snow peas and a sweet potato (shared between the two of us). It tasted decadent! I'm really excited to see how far we can take this. I finally nailed down an easy breakfast that goes along with the diet. I HATE eggs, and egg whites seem to be the favorite of this lady. But, I found one loop-hole that leaves out the egss. So, I have a bowl of all-bran cereal with soy milk, fresh fruit, wheat germ and ground flax seed on top, and a slice of whole wheat toast with almond butter. I can barely finish it all and it keeps me satisfied until my next snack. I really hope this works out for us.

I've also started working out at 24 hour fitness. I had my free evaluation yesterday with one of the trainers. Needless to say, my body fat percentage was a little high, but not too bad. The trainer gave me some really awesome tips for lifting weights without lifting dumbells and for keeping my heart rate going while I train. I'm more sore today than I have been in a long time! He told me he could get me close to my weight-loss goals in 5 weeks. I'm trying to decide if I deserve to spend that kind of money on myself!

Anyway, I just thought I would let everyone know what's going on with me. I'll post again soon and let you know how things are going.

Kid update

Tomorrow marks what is hopefully a new chapter in the Erminger household. This chapter will be entitled "Mother's Day Out-how Mommy got her groove back." I am so excited I'm not sure I'll sleep well tonight! The kids will go to a very respectable church for 4 1/2 wonderful hours while I do whatever I want. Tomorrow, I'll be attending the Mothers of Preschoolers Open House and then either coming home to do chores or going to the Outlets. Even chores sound exciting when I know I can do them alone!

I hope that the kids will have as much fun as I do!

My Comments from N&P's Memorial

The 16th of July marks the end of an era for our family, a time when angels walked the Earth. Now, our two angels are both back in heaven. The loss we feel is tremendous, yet we feel blessed that these supreme beings were ours to love for a while.

Nana and Papa both held such a huge place in our hearts. They were such a healing presence for us all. They kissed our boo-boos, applauded our achievements and they loved us unconditionally. I think the most amazing part was their pride in each one of us. Now, we are left with emptiness where their love used to be. How will we fill that void?

The answer I found a long time ago is this. YOU. The gap left after losing Nana and Papa is filled by YOU. Every single member of this family holds traits shared by Nana and Papa. Collectively, we make up what was so good and wonderful and magical about these two extraordinary people. We have baby-hogs, we have amazing cooks, we have handy people, we have creative people, we have cry-babies and we have people to make fun of the cry-babies.

It is true that we will never be able to replace Nana and Papa. But if we cling to each other and share our inner angel we can help fill the void.

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