MAMA'S 100TH POST!!!!

And get THIS, I won a bloggy award today!

So how amazing is this? I won a bloggy award thanks to my friend M from The M Half who hearts me apparently. I am grinning ear to ear! She sure knows how to pick a girl up when she's hatin on herself for totally, AND I MEAN TOTALLY, wrecking her diet last week. Two words, Thanksgiving Desserts. Oy vey. I was eating Cake Balls every time I saw one sitting all lonely on a counter, in a baggy, looking sad and pathetic. I kept thinking, "Get in my mouth little Cake Ball, it will be ok soon. You can party it up in my belly with the other cake balls." This logic? Didn't work out too well... or so I thought. I got on the scale last night and I still managed to lose a pound. Say WHAT!??! I know, right! Regardless of my twisted logic and ridiculously strange weight loss, I am NOT jinxing it and will be working out like I'm supposed to and eating like I'm supposed to from this point on... Specifically not when I am FIVE POUNDS from my second goal!!!!!!!!! More about that later. In the meantime, let's talk about awards!

So the Liebster Blog award, it's very much a "pay it forward" award and Mama digs that. Once you are awarded, you award 5 other Bloggers you heart. Sound easy enough? Not when the Blogs you read and lurv outnumber those who read and lurv you. Without further ado my chosen ones:

1. This lovely lady from "Not Just Another Mother Blogger." She's a Mom. She's Sassy. She LOVES to read. What's NOT to love!?!?? Let's just say that when I'm barely visible underneath my ridiculous mess of a desk, I will stop organizing when I see she's posted. She's starving for knowledge and seeing as I know what that's like, go tell her something interesting (tell her I sent you while you're at it!)
2. Whit from "three B's by the sea."  I am living vicariously through this girl. When her Man decided to go to Medical school in Sint Maartan, she packed up and went with him. SHE LIVES ON AN ISLAND YOU GUYS. Plus? She's young and pretty and ALSO loves to read. ((Do you see a pattern here yet?))
3. Goosie Goose over from "The (not always) Lazy W." She is uplifting, motivational, and whenever I'm feeling pouty I can be sure she's going to comment with something to instantly cheer me up. I'm insanely envious of her sewing skills seeing as I can't sew to save myself. She's also BFF's with the lovely M who awarded me with the Liebster award, so she's insta-Awesome right there!
4. This Mama from "Namaste by Day." She gets it. I mean, she really REALLY gets it. Being a Mom to a child with allergies (food, environmental, etc.) she knows it's a different kind of hard. She's got a good, kind, compassionate heart and it shows through all she writes, especially when life gets frustrating. How can you not love a Sista-blogger who ends her posts with "Namaste."
5. M. M awarded me with my very first (and only) award thus far and I was blindsided by it. M writes at "The M half of the M -n- J Show." I am probably breaking the rules of this Liebster Award by awarding the person who awarded me, but dude. Her tagline revolves around keeping her city weird and therapy. THERAPY. She's not afraid to be forward about any bloggy faux pas I commit (which reminds me, I need to go edit a few recent posts of mine) and she breathes yoga much like yours truly. She even let me guest post during her 31 days of Practicing Yoga challenge. I can always trust on her to comment on posts that NO one else will touch and to tweet me back when it's 2 in the morning here in Atlanta. (Thanks! I still love you! Perhaps I should change my iPhone settings though!)

In an almost entirely different note, I bought poster board tonight. Are you guys falling over in your chair? Did you forget to breathe out of sheer excitement of my poster board purchase? NO? You need some 'splainin? Ok, fine here you go! So Lo spent the last (almost) 2 weeks IN the house. 75% of that time he was coughing, feverish, cursed with the pink eye, etc. Of COURSE the weather has been gorgeous and OF COURSE we all came down with a serious case of cabin fever. What can I say, this is our luck. If the weather in Georgia is going to be comfortable, one or all of us will be sick. So today, might I mention that TOMORROW they go back to school, I have a light bulb moment.The kids need a structured day to survive and not go crazy. I wonder who they could have possibly inherited that from, says the woman who will stand in the middle of a messy room and cry because I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO FIRST! Today as I'm admiring my collection of holiday decorations I think to myself that while our advent calender has a great story and meaning behind it* it's kind of well... not something that has you screaming first thing each chilly December morning, "I MUST MOVE THE MOUSE! WE'RE ONE DAY CLOSER TO CHRISTMAS!"

My light bulb moment? A December schedule and the days are "advented." Is that even a word? It is now, write it down, minions! There will be designated chores for the day as well as miscellaneous arts/crafts/activities for each day. The (very tentative plan according to what brand Christmas paper I have) is to draw the "Calender" in the shape of a Christmas gift and use various scraps of Christmas wrap to cover up the day's schedule (y'all keep your fingers crossed that it's Hallmark brand, they have the seriously convenient grid on the back to help you cut in straight lines.) So what do you think? And yes, I just might have given away my very first craft for the Creating Christmas event I'm co-hosting with The Girl Creative.

I've literally been writing this post since... um... 10 a.m. It is a serious labor of love today banging out sections between cleaning bathrooms and mopping floors. Can you feel my enthusiasm for cleanliness? I'm oozing it today. After 100 posts, I can honestly say that I am oh so very very grateful for the followers I've accumulated. Y'all make me feel a lot less lonely when by the end of the day I'm wondering what friends from my past life (i.e. those who are still unmarried and/or without children) do with their time. Y'all? Y'all are amazing.

Also... After weighing in this morning, I managed to LOSE a pound over Thanksgiving break. Time to go check out Yoga Today to see what the freebie class is for the week. I'm only 5 pounds away from my second goal and I was TOTALLY 5 pounds heavier less than a month ago. I can do this!!! 189 is what I weighed when I got pregnant with Lo. 189 is goal weight number two. 179 and/or losing an "X" in front of or behind my clothing size is goal number three. That I can foresee being achieved no later than New Years. I'm already at the point where it is BEYOND embarrassing to go out into public with one of my larger sized shirts on. I'm beginning to feel as if I'm wearing a tent or ill fitting tunic by the time I return home. And yet, as much as I hate it? It only motivates me more. Here's hoping I can get by with looking ridiculous until tax time! Mommy's gonna need herself a new wardrobe by then!!! And now I'm officially spent, time for bed amigos!!!

*My Grandmother, Tillie was a twin to her sister Lillie. Lillie traveled to Germany as a Military Spouse and story has it, the Advent Calenders my Sister and I grew up with (and still have to this day) were brought home from Germany for us. Since she didn't have Grandchildren of her own for so long, my Sister and I often received little tokens from her as she was our "Grannie #2." I still have many ornaments given to me from her. Lillie passed away shortly before I got married and my own daughter was named in her honor. Once my Lillie was born, I sent pictures and cards to my Uncle (Aunt Lillie's Husband) in regards to my Lillie's progress. He passed away earlier last year and his Son told me after that my Uncle was always tickled to receive news of his little Lillie.