The Thanksgiving Three Thousand...

I was watching Regis & Kelly today and Kelly spilled out a nice article about the calories we consume in an average Thanksgiving meal. If you are one of those ignorance-is-bliss types, you may want to stop reading now. (However, I must admit, my post title has pretty much given it away. Oops.)

Here you have it ladies and gents, the average calorie-consumption in your run-of-the-mill Thanksgiving feast:

3493

Holy moly!!! That's just about how many calories you need to burn to lose 1 pound! (And good Lord, we know how tough that can be.)

And just for kicks - here's a list of some individual Thanksgiving staples and their calorie counts:

1/8 of an Apple Pie: 400 cal
1/8 of a Pumpkin Pie: 350 cal
2 glasses of red wine: 250 cal (who has just TWO glasses?)
1 cup stuffing: 358 cal
1/2 cup gravy: 80
2 slices canned cranberry sauce: 110 cal
1 cup sweet potato dish: 315 cal
1 dinner roll: 150 cal

Thanksgiving is my husband's FAVORITE holiday. (If you know my husband, I'm sure that's no surprise.) It is my least favorite holiday. I absolutely dread Thanksgiving. It's like the kickoff to all the holiday eating and bad choices. And this year I'm still working on dropping my pregnancy pounds, so I can't exactly call it a cheat day. That meal would be the equivalent of a cheat week. I don't want to end up with an extra 5 lbs to RE-lose. And I'm also working to avoid all the Christmastime goodies as well. So I've been coaching myself (well, brainwashing myself) into thinking of all the casseroles and desserts as disgusting...telling myself I don't even want them. I guess we'll see how I do. At least I'm running the Turkey Day 5K in downtown Charleston that morning...so I can feel a little less guilty about what I do eat. It may even lead me to make better food decisions (exercise has a way of doing that.)

Well, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Try not to think about the calories too much and just enjoy your loved ones and some football.

Three Years Ago Today...

I married the love of my life. We have been through a lot, but we always see it through to the other side. I know now that there is nothing that we can't get through together. He is my companion, my love and my best friend.

Happy Anniversary, Jake. ♥

Here are some pics from our small, private ceremony that took place at Breach Inlet on Sullivan's Island, SC:

The Difference Between Boys and Girls

So I was outside today cleaning up my dog's "business" as Tanner was playing in the yard. He starts casually saying, "Momma, Momma..." to get my attention. I don't look up from what I'm doing, but still say, "What?"

"I found a rat."

I look up at him, and he is holding a dead baby rat IN HIS HAND! (Likely killed by Dakotah.)

So I do what any mother would do...

I scream.

And then I yell for him to drop it immediately! Poor kid must have thought he was in trouble by the way I was reacting. I then tell him not to touch ANYTHING with his hands as I rush him inside to wash his hands and face with Lysol soap. Then of course feeling yucky myself just from having seen it, I wash mine too.

Of course I calmed down quickly to let him know that he wasn't bad, but that I only freaked out because rats carry diseases and can make us sick which is why I rushed him to wash his hands. I also let him know that he is not to ever pick up a dead animal again - he is only to tell Mommy or Daddy about it so we can get rid of it.

So as I went back out to finish picking up after the dog, I was thinking to myself...only would a mother of boys have to deal with this. Sure, a 5-year old girl might TELL you there is a rat and point it out, but she would have never actually picked it up and brought it to you.

Oh, and as for the dead rat that he dropped in our backyard, yeah, I had to scoop it up with the pooper-scooper and drop it in the bag with the rest of the dog's "business".

Thankful

So Tanner was watching his favorite show yesterday, The Super Readers. (FYI: We only get cartoons on PBS since we cut off cable and are now just using an antenna for channels.) Anyway, if you've ever seen an episode, they usually hop into some story book to help solve one of their personal problems and along the way they find super letters to put together at the end of the day to give them their answer. Yesterday the word was THANKFUL. No doubt in celebration of Thanksgiving I'm sure. Well I thought that with Thanksgiving coming up, it would be nice to create a post about the things I'm thankful for because I'm sure I don't say it or show it enough.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my beautiful sons...that they are healthy and happy and for all the joy they have brought to my life and continue to bring with each day.


My husband. Lord knows he puts up with a lot from me some days, yet he still tells me he loves me every day, usually more than once. He works hard for our family, he is a wonderful daddy and a good person. I am so lucky to get to share the rest of my life with him. (Sexy, isn't he?) ☺


My family and friends. They are there for me through thick and thin, no matter how busy or how far away they may be. (To those not pictured here and know they should be, it's only because I didn't have the pics on my computer! But you know I love you!)










My health. Thankful to have a strong body and mind, no disease or serious illness, the ability to walk, talk, hear and see.

That I live in America. I have freedom (without which I would not be able to speak my mind in this blog), I have food and water. I have many things that most people in the world will never have and I don't ever want to take that for granted.


Wine, definitely wine. No need to elaborate here.


Which brings me to my next one - Margaritas. Again, no explanation needed.


Diet Rockstars and Lo-Carb Monsters.



Having been able to live by the beach for the past 9 years.



What are some things that you are thankful for?

Curse You, Allergies!

It is 2am and I'm blogging. Something is seriously wrong with this picture. Breckin was doing so well sleeping through the night the past week, but for some reason woke up just before 1am for a feeding. Ever since I put him back down in bed, I've been running back and forth to the bathroom to blow my nose...more like blow my brains out. And my eyes are so watery they are literally flooding tears down my face as if I had just watched The Notebook. I am miserable with my allergies acting up. And I've got a major sinus headache. (Kill me.) I couldn't bear to stay in bed because all the getting up is keeping Jake awake and the poor guy has to go to work at 7:30. (Aren't I a sweet wife to be so considerate?) I'm sitting here now killing time until my allergy meds kick in so I can hopefully get at least another couple hours of sleep before the kiddos are up for the day. I never had allergies until I moved to South Carolina. Curse you, South Carolina!

AAAACHOOOOOOO!!!!

Top 10 Tuesdays: Reasons Why It's Good to Be The Princess

Well, it's no secret that when I became pregnant with Breckin, I had hoped for a little girl (I seem to remember being quite open about that). Although I think I still might want a little girl someday (though for now my shop is closed until further notice), I do have to admit that it really is so wonderful being a mommy of boys. Here are the top 10 reasons I love to be a mom of all boys and the life of a princess mommy is not too shabby:

10. Two words: Momma's Boys - boys love their mommies soooo much and it's so nice to feel so loved.
9. A lot less drama in the teen years. Less dramatic in general. I provide enough drama for one family and I don't need anyone stealing my thunder.
8. I do not have to compete for my hubby's love - I am the only girl in his life.
7. The mother/son dance at their weddings.
6. Not having to pay for their weddings.
5. When they get to a certain age, daddy can take them to do "man" stuff and mommy gets a lot more girl time (translate: "me" time)
4. Boys are naturally more tough and less likely to cry when taking a fall. A lot less fragile in both mind and body.
3. Not having to worry so much when they start dating. I will naturally worry a little, but for much different reasons.
2. Statistics show mothers and daughters argue way more than mothers and sons.
1. Their wardrobes will cost exponentially less to maintain throughout the teen years. Since I don't have to pay to upkeep a girls' wardrobe and beauty, I will have more to spend on mine! :)

"There's a special place in Heaven for mothers of all boys." -Unknown

5 Years Ago Today...

I became a mother!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful boy, Tanner!

Tanner around 6 months:









Tanner and me just a few hours before I went into labor with Breckin:

'Tis the Season for Giving...

It is November and the holiday season is upon us yet again. A time of loving, laughing, togetherness and of course, giving and receiving. Our children know how to receive things, but do they know how to give?

Tanner is turning 5 this Saturday and I thought this would be a great year to really teach him about giving to those much less fortunate than him. We have always tried to keep Tanner aware of how blessed he is to have so much and that there are so many young children in the world without anything at all. We don't want him to become spoiled or take for granted all he has. But this year I want to do something different with him - I want to really show him what I'm talking about. I'm thinking I may even take him to help serve at a soup kitchen this year. But here is my plan for teaching him how to give to other children less fortunate this season:

Starting this week, and each week until the end of the year, I am going to ask Tanner to pick out something specific of his that he has loved (gently), that he would like to give to another child to enjoy. The week of Christmas, we are going to take all of the items to a local children's charity.

Week 1 (Nov 1-7): A toy
Week 2 (Nov 8-14): A book
Week 3 (Nov 15-21): A blanket
Week 4 (Nov 22-28): A stuffed animal
Week 5 (Nov 29-Dec 5): Another toy
Week 6 (Dec 6-Dec 12): Another book
Week 7 (Dec 13-Dec 19): Another blanket
Week 8 (Dec 20-Dec 26): Another stuffed animal

Of course, if he is willing to offer more than just the one item each week, I will let him. But I figured this list was doable and he will get to handpick each item himself.

I encourage you to have your children do the same this year. It is important that we raise our children to be thoughtful and generous towards others. Show them how happy they can make one child just with one small gesture...and also make them realize how truly blessed they really are.

Happy Holidays ♥

October Photo Share!

Here are some pics of some great moments in October with my family:


























I swear Breckin has been smiling since just a couple weeks out of the womb - but he is seriously the most smiley baby...here are some cute little smiles I was able to capture on camera:

















Our visit to the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch:



























Halloween Costumes:

















My Dad made his first visit to Charleston since I moved here - we were so glad to see him as it's been almost 3 years since I've seen him!

























Brotherly Love (technically, this one is from November):