Marco Polo

Daddy is out of town for the weekend, I'm out of ideas and counting down to bedtime.

The kids are getting bored and running around with "nothing to do", so what do I hear throughout the house?


"Marco."

"Polo."

"We're getting closer to him, Marco!"

"Polo! Mom, they don't know where I am."

They didn't know where he was but boy the shouts I heard when they did find him!!!

Caleb was hiding under the buffet behind the train boxes

I love their imagination...especially when mom's runs out! Now I think it's time to pull out a board game!

Our Trip to Japan - Long and Pic Heavy

One year ago our family (all six of us) made a crazy trip over the big blue (Pacific Ocean that is) to Japan. My oldest is 6 now but when each of our children turned 10 months they were enrolled in swimming lessons at SWIMBABES. It started out as a way for me as a new stay at home mom to get out of the house and have time with other adults.

Since then it's become something so much greater! All four of my children now know how to swim and (for Zechariah) turn and float on their back in the event they were to ever fall in the water, even fully clothed. They've all had to go through what we call their 5 minute float which is fall in the water fully clothed and dry and floating for 5 minutes. As they say at SWIMBABES, the children are never drown proof, but it buys a little extra time to get to them. That has been the biggest motivator in continuing our lessons.

It has also been amazing watching my children's ability in the water grow as they did. What was once just a turn and float is in the older three now racing down the length of the pool doing the backstroke, breaststroke, or freestyle. Even Zechariah is working on kicking his chubby legs and waving his arms in an attempt to move three feet!

So Japan...SWIMBABES was invited to present what they've been working on at an international convention and our WHOLE family went along. We had such as great time practicing with the Japanese mother's and babies and demonstrating what our children could do too! Check out this video, it gives a glimpse of what we did through pictures, but I couldn't download the video of the demonstration.

SWIMBABES - Nagoya, Japan

Listening to traditional Japanese music

at the welcome party

Abigail, Caleb, & Benjamin

getting ready for their demonstration

Taking a walk around the city of Nagoya

Making new friends - Caleb, Benjamin, & ...William!

(I had to ask about his name,

his mommy is Japanese & daddy is Australian)

Tim found a Seattle's Best - yay Tim!

We got to know the subway system VERY well

After our 5 days in Nagoya, our family headed south on the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) to Fukuoka where some missionaries we'd met earlier that year ran a ministry called Agape House.

This one is called the Nozomi - the fastest bullet train

They showed us around, included us in some Bible studies and fellowship, along with letting us sleep on the floor for a few nights!

Our beds in the Agape House - it really was pretty cool

Visiting Fukuoka was the best part of the entire trip to Japan. We made new friends, got a better feel for the Japanese people, and got to go orange picking!!! The orange picking day was the best. Pastor Yano and his wife "rent" an orange tree for a year and when they are ripe they get every orange on it and have a picking parting. After the oranges we had a picnic in a beautiful park near thousand year old houses.

Visiting a traditional Japanese garden

Orange picking!!! We got to eat all we wanted first!

At the park for our picnic with

Pastor Yano & his wife and Rowena

who started the Agape House ministry

This house is REALLY old. We got to walk in,

but didn't walk far - too afraid something would collapse.

A real toilet at the park - trust me, it's real!

We travelled up north to Tokyo for one last night before having to head back to the states. What a trip!!! It's something I'll never forget and through pictures and a few memories, my children will remember also!

Our hotel in Tokyo dressed up for Christmas

View from our room

Weight Loss Wednesday

My goal is to lose 25 pounds and I am merrily on my way. I don't have a set time to meet this goal but I do hope to lose about 2 pounds a week. OK, I guess that would put my time to about 12 weeks out...hmm where does that put us?

{Calendar coming out & calculating}

OK, seriously? I never thought this out, but 12 weeks from today is my birthday. I can either look at this as a great birthday present to myself or a horrible one. {Rolling my eyes} Good grief, what a way to set myself up!

On to more pleasant items...since last Wednesday when I started this I have lot about 2 pounds so I'm right on schedule. I've really had to watch what I eat because I'm a foodaholic. I've said on a number of occasions that (while not pleasant) I would make a good bulimic. Now don't get me wrong, I know bulimia is a huge, devastating and very real issue; I'm not making light of it. What I am saying is that I like to eat to feel full and often I feel so full I think I would feel much better if I could just get rid of it. However, I don't go that route so I just consume a TON of calories for what my body actually burns - therefore putting on the pounds or at least not losing them.

Aside from watching how much I eat, I have to watch what I eat. I'm not a sweets person by nature. I could pass up a bowl full of candy, pie, cake, or even brownies (though maybe not ice cream) if instead I could eat another helping of mashed potatoes, chips and salsa, crackers and cheese, or BREAD and butter!!! Anybody else getting hungry? I guess I better hurry this up.

Having four kids and a house to take care of I'm busy but still not getting the exercise I need. I wouldn't say I loathe exercise, because I really don't, but I can come up with excuse after excuse as to why "right now" just isn't a good time to jog or watch one of my many videos. So I came up with a simple plan that I've bounced around before but never put into action. I now take an hour a day to walk on the treadmill while watching a favorite show. Usually it's the Today Show in the morning since I don't watch much of anything else in the afternoon or evening. Walking for that hour at the speed I go - not too fast or too slow - I'm able to accomplish 3 miles. NEVER did I think I'd say I do 3 miles a day.

Since I'm at the beginning I'm pretty excited but I know it's not always going to feel like this. So to all you that are praying women, would you stop and say a little prayer for me right now as you read this? That I would "stay the course" and keep on keepin on. God is my strength and I know HE can see me through this!

I'll be posting my weight loss journey every week on my Weight Loss Wednesday, so please come back and see how things are going. Maybe as I go, I'll start adding in a picture. At this point about all I'll post is a head shot!

The Wild Boy and The Crazy Dogs

Zechariah keeps taking off his pj's and he insists on wearing his sister's pink goggles. After fitting them just right so he can see through the lenses he yanks 'em off and wants you to do it again. We're the only two home since Daddy took the other three to a movie at the school tonight, so I don't mind putting them on him again a few times. After the sixth time, well let's just say I'm done!

The dogs are running around inside tonight. Usually when they're in the house the other kids are home to keep them busy or they're in their kennel. Without them here, the dogs are tearing apart their potty training pad, a wooden magnet and anything else they can get a hold of! Do I get no break from insanity? Perhaps if I were to get off the computer and pay attention, ya think?

Instead while Z locates another piece of candy and the dogs tear apart a box, I'm going to sit on here and blog hop. Hey, why not? Sometimes it's just easier to pretend everything is normal.

Visit Ann's Virtual Girls Night Out and let us know what you're doing tonight.

23 Months

I just realized that today my baby turned 23 months. Funny how after so many children and "monthly" birthdays you just kind of push it to the back of your mind. If you don't do that, my hat is off to you!

One more month and Zechariah's going to be 2 years old. It blows my mind!

Some (cruddy camera phone) pictures:

Happy almost Birthday, Little Man ~ Love Mama

Time Out For Mocha & Me

I used to think time just for me meant getting out of the house without any kids to do whatever I wanted. Sounds nice, but being a stay at home mom of four with an incredibly busy husband (he practically has three jobs), living pretty far from family, and not always being able to hire a babysitter, I would get so frustrated to never be able to have ME time! Really made me a crabby person.

However over the last few months I've realized I can be a fully functioning, loving and whole mommy without being out of the house without kids. That was a hard one for me. I just have to plan into my day some time to do what I want.

Back in July Tim and I started talking about his addiction - Starbucks. Anybody relate? Well we decided to buy an espresso machine and it has been the best purchase we made in '09! Tim no longer feels any desire to stop for a mocha unless we are out of town without the machine. (We took it camping 3 times, hooked it up in the trailer - told you it was an addiction.)

So when I wanted my alone time the other day, after the kids were in bed I made myself a nice hot pumpkin pie mocha (usually pumpkin goes with a latte, but oh, you've gotta try the mocha!) and read a book which I had not done in a very long time! It's these simple moments that help me keep my sanity.

That's how I spent my hour, what about you?

Weight Loss Journey

I've not lost a single pound since my fourth (and LAST) child was born. I've always heard that after the third child and the closer to thirty you are, the harder it is. Let me just say, OBVIOUSLY! So I'm starting on my journey to loose 25lbs. For any of you that have struggled with weight and LOVE food, you know how difficult this can be. Let's hope I keep up with it and take it seriously.

Chrissy at I'm Gonna Lose It! and Life as a CEO has started her weight loss journey for anyone to join in. I am and if you want to, I hope to see you there!