Moms Night Out

See that smile? There is a reason for my big smile and the reason is I was going out with my mom friends from playgroup after another challenging children day. We went out for Hibachi. Our cook was good and friendly. He tossed veggies into our mouths with his spatula. We were rewarded for our skill with a quick squirt of Sake. Dinner was delicious and relaxing with no little people to tend to. We went to Starbucks for dessert and coffee/tea but mainly because we didn't want to go home yet. It was a very relaxing evening filled with tales from the trenches.

Join the year long challenge of getting yourself in the photo at Forever in Blue Jeans. You won't regret it. This is 14/52 for me.

I'm also using this post for Simply Modern Mom's Time Out for Mom Challenge. She is encouraging her mom readers to do something for themselves between now and Mother's Day that pampers themselves and nurtures the soul. I think qualifies. Relaxing with friends and eating without children feels like pampering to me.

No More Denying!

Maximus, did you steal that sock?

I love how he pretends how he can't hear me when I ask.

He can deny stealing the sock but he can't deny stealing the cereal.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Momspective, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Little Flowers

Some people look at these little flowers that grow in your lawn as weeds. I think they are pretty and a sign spring is really here. They make me happy.

Be sure to go Leigh vs Laundry to see more photos that are bound to make you happy.

Boston and the Daffodil Photos

Here are some more photos from our Boston trip:






And the best shots from the daffodil photo session:

Be sure to go to I am Lotus to check out more weekly winners.

Finally Motivated

It is no secret that I haven't felt motivated when it comes to my diet. I feel like a hit a breaking point this weekend. I think I finally have eaten enough chocolate, candy, chips, and other junk to get the urge out of my system. I feel motivated. It has been a long time since I have felt that way. I've kept track of my calories all week. Hopefully I'm finally getting my act together so I can make some progress. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Castle in the Sky

Go to Skywatch Friday to see skies from all around the world.

Where They All Know Your Name

Some shots from our trip to Boston

Gotta pose with Kelsey at Cheers.


Join the year long challenge of getting yourself in the photo at Forever in Blue Jeans. You won't regret it. This is 13/52 for me.

The Outtakes

I took the kids to take their annual photos among the daffodils. I did manage to get some good shots that I'll share on Sunday. These are not those shots. Here are some of the outtakes.



Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Momspective, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Boston Makes Me Happy!

Visiting the Public Gardens in Boston makes me happy.
Be sure to go Leigh vs Laundry to see more photos that are bound to make you happy.

Dave and I had the best date this week. We went to Boston overnight without the kids. There was a cold rain almost the whole time we were there but we didn't let it stop our fun. We got to the hotel around noon. We checked in, grabbed a quick lunch, and then headed to the Boston Commons and Gardens to walk around. We went on a Photowalk tour. Basically the tour guide gave us interesting historical facts about the Freedom Trail and tips for good composition while shooting along the trail. It was sometimes hard to keep the lens dry but most of my shots came out fairly good. I love taking photos and I love Dave for indulging me by taking the photo tour with me in the rain. Dave loved the history portion and did take his own photos too. I enjoyed the tour but was hoping for some more technical tips. The composition tips were helpful though. It was also good because I know if I hadn't booked the tour, I would not have spent 2 hours taking photos in the rain.

After the tour, we went back to the hotel to change out of our wet clothes. We also showered to warm up. We went to the North End to walk around. We stopped in a bar and enjoyed a beer. Dave ordered a Peroni and I ordered a Corona. Dave thought it was funny to order a Mexican beer in an Italian bar but what can I say I know what I like. We went to another bar and had another drink. We also had the most delicious stuffed mushroom appetizer. Then it was time for our reservation at Cantina Italiana. It was a great authentic Italian restaurant. Most of the waiters spoke with an Italian accent. The service was good. The waiters were informative and attentive. The atmosphere was bright and fun. The food was outstanding. I didn't do a taste test but I think their Tiramisu was the best I've had. After all the wonderful food and drinks, we went back to the hotel early. My mother said we are showing our age. I'm ok with that.
The next day we got up by 8:20 to do our cannoli taste testing. We had lunch at Faneuil Hall. We listened to some acts auditioning for the street performing they do in the summer. I didn't want the weekend to end. It was so nice to not worry about the kids and their needs for a short time. We still ended up talking about them plenty. It is also nice to come home and be greeted with hugs and kisses.

I feel refreshed after time away from the kids. I feel it is important to still have adventures with my husband. I think it makes me a better mom too.

This is date 11 out of 52 for us. Go to Simply Modern Mom to join in on the fun.

The Best Cannoli Is...

Dave and I went to Boston this weekend sans kids. We took a photo walk tour. (I'll write more about that another time.) Our guide took us to the North End. She told us about the best pastry shops there. We decided to do our own taste test.

Our first stop was Maria's Pastry Shop. It was a quint little shop. There were locals chatting in the shop and others sitting outside enjoying their pastries. The cannoli was rich and creamy. They was not very sweet.

I thought we were just going to the one pastry shop. After tasting the first cannoli, Dave decided we needed to do the taste test. Mike's Pastry is very well known by tourists. There is a line out the door most of the day. The locals seem to think it is overrated. The main complaint is that the pastry is Americanized and not as authentically Italian as others in the North End. We got chocolate chip cannoli because the counter girl said they were the most popular type. They were delicious, creamy, and sweet. There was plenty of seating too.
Our last stop was Modern Pastry Shop. Dave doesn't embarrass very easily but he did make me stand outside with the two other pastry bags. We got the chocolate chip cannoli. They were creamy, rich, and not quite as sweet as Mike's. There was a couple of tables for patrons too.

Dave and I both agreed that Mike's Pastry was the tastiest, then Modern Pastry, and last but certainly not least was Maria's Pastry. It is all about personal preferences. I like sweet pastry so Mike's tasted the best to me. If I enjoyed the creamier more traditional taste, then Maria's would probably taste better. All were good. We have eaten in the North End many times, I have not found a restaurant that isn't good yet.

Dave, the official taste tester. Our next taste test will be pizza in Chicago this summer. If you know pizza restaurants we should try in Chicago, please leave it in the comments.

Stealing Chocolate Bunnies

Its official. I steal candy from babies. There are not technically babies anymore but you get the idea. My diet just sucks. If I could get that in check, I think things would fall into place. There is simply too much Easter candy in my house. I made my husband take all the extra candy to work the day after Easter but you can't give the kids baskets away. It does not stop my from stealing from it. I am a woman with very little will power when it comes to Cadbury mini eggs and Peeps.

Workouts were good and intense this week. I jogged once, elliptical machined twice, and Jillian Micheals' interval weight workout once. This is good considering the extra cleaning and stress I had this week. I'm going to try to jog twice, interval weight routine twice, and use the elliptical once next week.

My stress will subside by Saturday. Here is one of the causes of the stress, Dave brought a new tv. He also wanted to get rid of the huge entertainment center. That required me to find places for all the stuff it stored. Another is I also have to have the house spic and span for Saturday because my in laws are babysitting the kids. I need to clean everything because if I hid stuff somewhere like the basement they will find a reason to go down there. It never fails. The last stress was a weird work situation, it has been resolved. I feel better about that now too. So the house will either be clean or it won't but I'll be away so I won't care anymore. I expect to feel uber relaxed after an overnight trip with Dave and no kids. Woo hoo!

Sorry if this is rambling today. These fitness posts tend to ramble. I promise to be more coherent next week. I also will catch up on commenting and reading blogs. I feel so behind this week.

Much Better

After last week's photo, I made sure Dave snapped a couple of shots when I was dressed up to go to a baby shower. Much better than last week for sure.

Join the year long challenge of getting yourself in the photo at Forever in Blue Jeans. You won't regret it. This is 12/52 for me.

The Boys Rocking Out

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Momspective, and Wordless Wednesday for more wordless photos.

Happiness and a Date Night

If you are here for the Ultimate blog party, click here for my UBP post or scroll down.

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Before: "Hippy hair" to quote my husband.
Now: A fresh buzz cut for spring. The best part we discovered he does not have a lumpy head as we feared. We figured we should do the buzz cut now when his friends are too young to make fun of him if he was lumpy.

Be sure to go Leigh vs Laundry to see more photos that are bound to make you happy.

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We watched the movie Couples Retreat for our date this week. The premise is one couple is having difficulties with their marriage and want to go Eden Resort West to work on their marriage. They can not afford it so they ask three couples to join them so they can get the group rate. The other couples finally agree although they think they will be exempt from the marriage counseling portion of the trip. They soon learn they will not be exempt. We, the viewers, soon learn that all the couples could use the counseling. The movie is a comedy. There are lots of laughs and problems are solved fairly easily. It is a shame real life problems are not as easily solved.

We have been looking forward to watching this for a while. We love Vince Vaughn. We both liked the movie. But we have decided that watching movies are not good date nights though. We don't talk much during the movie and we are usually too tired to do much after the movie. It is an improvement that we both stayed awake for the whole movie. So we will probably skip movie watching as our date nights from now on.

This is date 10 out of 52 for us. Go to Simply Modern Mom to join in on the fun.

Its Banned!

If you are here for the Ultimate blog party, click here for my UBP post.
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I thought I got rid of it all.

I was wrong.

Very, very wrong. And this is why this grass is on my banned list.

He is darn cute but I still made him pick it up.

Weekly Winners

If you are here for the Ultimate blog party, click here for my UBP post.
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This week we celebrated my husband's birthday. Caitlin insisted I put all the candles in the cupcake to create this porcupine look.

We started mud season here.

Be sure to go to I am Lotus to check out more weekly winners.

Welcome to the Party!

Hello. Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party. Come on in. I've made some of the best cookies everah.

There will be lots of dancing.

Maybe a mermaid will join us too.

There will be music (thanks to the fridge DJ) and when the kids go to bed there will lots of adult beverages.

Perhaps a blueberry beer or ...

...a scorpion bowl to share.

Let me introduce you to my family. My husband Dave and I were college sweet hearts. I feel very lucky that I found him so early. He is a great dad and husband. However he has his quirks, like this and that. Still the teenage girls flirt with him. I do too.

That is Dave on the left.

My daughter Caitlin is almost 5. She can be such a sweet girl and such a terror the next. She challenges my sanity each day. I love her more than I thought possible. She loves a party and being silly.

My son Davey is almost 3 years old. He is full of energy and spirit. He challenges my child proofing skills each day. He gets in trouble that Caitlin never even attempted. I love watching him explore the world.

Maximus is our wonderful yellow Labrador retriever. He will be 9 years old in June. He has been through a lot this past year. He was attacked by a pitbull. He thankfully recovered from that. Recently he was diagnosed with a degenerative invertebrate disk disorder. He is doing well with the help of medication. He has been a challenge at times but I can't imagine his warm 95lbs. body not sleeping at my feet.

Maximus has been known to help himself to a beer.

He is super gentle with the kids and loves a party. Just look at him rocking the hulu skirt.

And there is me. I'm Vicky, a stay at home mom, part time gymnastics coach, former middle school teacher, wife, amateur photographer, exercise enthusiast, and blogger. I hope that you enjoy the party and come back to visit soon.

I write about lots of subjects. Here are some examples you may want to check out:

• On Fridays, I write about my fitness and dieting challenges. This post I discuss Jillian Micheal's Making the Cut.
• Sometimes I write about how children can "help" your self esteem.
• My husband and I are taking Simple Mom's 52 week date challenge. You can read about our spa date here.
• On Tuesdays I share what is ticking me off. Please come and share your own peeves. In this post I share what toys were annoying me after Christmas.
  

Be sure to join the party. It is going to be fun and there are tons of great prizes too. I'd be happy to win any of the prizes These are my top choices:

• A $100 gift eCertificate to Restaurant.com from Amy LeForge of Earnest Parenting

• A custom-made tutu for my little girl from Sweet Patootie’s via Peachy Keen

• 3 day 2 night stay from Holiday Inn Main Gate East in Kissimmee, FL from Holiday Inn Main Gate

• $55 E-Gift Card for Amazon.com Gift code from Kelly’s Lucky You

• $50 gift certificate to eSpecially Simple Graphic Design & Consulting towards a blog makeover