Clean Toilets

Forget flowers.
Forget candy.
I told FH that all I wanted for him to do for me on Vday was to clean the toilets at our house.
So I don't have to.
And then, I thought I might be limiting him.
Like maybe he loves me more than a couple of clean toilets can express.
So I think I'm going to extend it and ask him to clean the floors too.
Just so he is able to express his undying love.
And if he needs more options, I can definitely find them for him.

she isn't evil, all the time. despite the red eyes

This is the first year that K&A bought valentines for their crushes.

Don't worry, millions of dollars were not spent on them.

Although, I did have to go on a wild goose chase to find one kid some laffy taffy. Seriously kid, why don't you like chocolate like everyone else? Alex bought him a huge Reese's heart and then found out he didn't like those. FAIL. And so guess who had to eat the dang thing?!

This reminded me of my 5th grade self, who bought a huge chocolate I LOVE YOU for my then boyfriend.

And I gave it to him.

Nervous as all get out.

And he gave me some CK One perfume.

And then I found out he couldn't eat chocolate because of his braces so he gave it to his dad. FAIL.

Needless to say, I could relate so I had to find some dang laffy taffy.

And since there was nothing but a big bag, I made her put a big note on it so he would know it was from her. And not get lost in the shuffle since we already knew of another girl giving him a special treat.

Play on, playa.

Hope you all have a great day of love. I'll be celebrating with my main man on Saturday night.....but you know, we are newlyweds so we celebrate every day that we can. :)

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So (Freaking) What?!

Today I'm linking up here for So What Wednesday.

  And this linkup goes along perfectly with this Wednesday that feels like it should be a Friday but is pretending to be a Monday. Sorry if that didn't make any sense.   So What...... .....if I'm suppose to do Weigh In Wednesday today but I'm just not going to. The scale is not my friend.   .....if I told my friend KellyAnne to bring it this week because I was going to be her competition...and then I totally forgot to bring it. And she totally as usual brought it!   .....if all I have wanted to do this week is sit and eat chocolate and read my book. This is why I haven't read a good book in months because I know that my desire to work out sprials downward.   .......if I DESPISE Valentine's day. But for real. I hate this whole week. FH works a million overtime hours since so many people are shipping stuff. I just want all the chocolate to go away and my husband to be at home!   ....if this feels like the longest week ever   .....if I wasn't planning on blogging today at all, and then realized that the SO WHAT concept would be perfect for my mood. And I also knew I didn't want to miss a day of emails/comments from my blog friends.   ....if I am a freaking workout/healthy eating machine from Wednesday through Friday and then Saturday through Tuesday I'm a total slacker.   .....if I called to make a dentist appointment yesterday, waited way longer than I should have while the lady looked up my name, got mad that she couldn't find it because I swear I have been there a million times, and then I realized that I CALLED THE WRONG DENTIST. Oops.   So What if I'm already watching the clock and counting down the hours until the work day is over...this Momma needs a vacation! :)   Happy Hump Day Y'all!   Pin It Now!

To Blog or Not to Blog

I love blogging.
And I love the world of IG.
I've met TONS of people through this outlet.
It keeps me entertained. It keeps me motivated.
It has helped me make new friends and helped me reconnect with old friends.
But this question is still always at the back of my mind:

Who is reading my blog that I don't know about?

We all have the silent facebook stalkers.
We know they are there because most of us are guilty of doing it ourselves...and it's usually okay because more than likely, you know those fb stalkers at least somehow. Assuming your fb is private. Which mine is. Well, my personal one is anyway.
Because I don't want people creeping on my stuff when I don't know who they are.

So, why do I have such an open IG?
And why do I blog about everything?

I've seen a lot of people make TONS of money off their blogs.
I would be lying if I said that didn't seem appealing.
Of course we all want to get paid to do something we love.
But that's definitely not my goal.
I blogged WAY before I got into the blogging world.
I blogged so I could remember the crazy things my kids say.
And to have a place to keep all of our pictures since we all know I'm not printing them all out and putting them in frames.
And then somewhere, along the way, I got into the blogosphere.
And now I love it.

But it is dangerous putting everything out there.
Where anybody could read it.
I don't like going to school functions and wondering what parents have discovered my blog.
It's not that I post anything bad....but it's reading what is inside my head. And it puts me at a disadvantage if you know what is inside my head but I have no idea what is inside yours.

I could never stop blogging. It has become a part of my life.
I love the comments I get, the email chains that go back and forth because of it, and the love I get from all my new virtual friends.
I want my kids to be able to go back and read this blog when they are older and be able to relate to their mom.
It's hard to imagine your mom as anything more than their role as a mom, so I think this is a good way for them to go back and get to know me and know more about life when they were younger.
And the hell that they put me through during their teenage years.

But it does make me nervous.
I've recently seen other bloggers questioning this public outlet.
And it makes me wonder.
Do you make everything private?
And only let people that comment all the time read your stuff?
But then wouldn't I miss out on meeting more new people?
Can you avoid people leaving hateful comments?
Probably not. Haters are everywhere. No one understands why anyone would read a blog of someone that they don't like...but I know it happens.

I know I'll continue to blog...I just wish blogger would allow us to block certain people. The world would be a better place.

So, I want to know, how do you feel about this? Does it make you nervous to blog? Or do you even think about it? Do you care that any random Joe could know everything about you?

I should warn you that this post may or may not have stemmed from me going to watch the movie Identity Thief last night. haha which is a GREAT movie, by the way.

Happy Tuesday everybody! Now get to commenting so I can hear your thoughts. :)

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I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up

FH married a Grandma.
He didn't realize it.
But then, this happened.
And now I can barely walk.
My legs keep giving out on me and it is not fun.
Even worse is that I'm going to an abs and strength class tonight which I refuse to miss.....but it's really hard to work out when you can barely get up from a sitting position.
Surely my legs can't be that tired.
I mean, I only made you run 6 miles, there are people out there that run lots more than that!

That time just has to be documented because you should know that my goal was 1 hour and 15 minutes. And I beat that by 10 minutes.
But all I could think about was how when I do my half in April, I will only be halfway done with the race at this time.
I'll be on bed rest for months after that.

Also, I forgot to tell y'all something hilarious that happened while I was running. So, you know, we were running in the streets.
Well, there I was minding my business when I heard squealing tires and horrible brakes and I just knew I was going to die.
I ran up on the sidewalk and looked around to see how many casualties there were.
I didn't see anything.
And then I realize that the sqealing car and screeching brakes came from the song that I was listening to.
Crisis averted.
I can only imagine what the people running behind me thought of this.

Before the race we looked like this:

And then after the race we looked like this:

And next time, our blate will consist of more dancing and eating and less running. Or actually maybe not, this was pretty dang fun.

Now I can't wait until my next run.
I guess I will at least have to wait until I can walk again.
Details, details.

Oh and I was really mad when I crossed the finish line and didn't win any money. Apparently my daughter made this part up when she drew her picture of me crossing the finish line.

You can imagine my thoughts on no money.
There were bagels though, which I thought were doughnuts.
I'm pretty sure I might be the only fat kid there that was hoping for doughnuts. I felt like we all deserved them.

Hope everybody had a great weekend. I'm pretty sure I blew my diet on Saturday and Sunday just because I was still celebrating my run. I should learn not to do that.

But before you go, could you do me a favor?
Head over to my friend Erin's blog and show her some love.
She got some bad news recently and I know she could use some extra encouraging words. :)

Hope everybody has a Happy Monday!!!

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10K Thoughts- Inside my Head

The 5K is starting, maybe I should have signed up for it instead.
I'm freezing.
Why are some people in shorts...it's 38-ish degrees.
Should I wear gloves?
Should I carry a water bottle.
Race starts.

Don't fall, don't trip.
Start your watch.
Start music.
Put gloves on.
Don't go too fast, you will kill yourself before the end.
Wait, what is this?
A hill? On the first mile?
Where's Laura? Where's Meredith?
I knew they were fast but I don't even see them anymore.
Oh, there's my cousin. She's a super duper great runner so as long as I can see her, I'm doing well.
Cars are ZOOMING by.
I can only imagine how mad they are that they are being stopped on a green light.

Mile 2.
Okay, still a great pace.
I can see my cousin still.
Average pace is around 9:30.
Who am I?
I never run this fast.
I can't feel my feet it's so cold.
No, but really my feet are numb.
Don't stop, get it get it.
Think about the blog post I'm gonna write when I get done with this.
Think about crossing the finish line.
Quitting is not an option.
Quitting is not an option.
Why is there a little girl running?
She must be like K&A's age.
And why is she passing me?
There's another kid.
A boy around 12....of course he's fast too.
Shocker.
Water. Don't slow down, just drink it while running.
Water up my nose, I'm going to drown.

Mile 3.
If this were a 5K, I'd be almost done.
Instead I'm almost halfway.
Pregnant lady passes me.
Really?
Keep running, keep running.
I'm getting hot now.
Still can't feel my legs. But I'm getting use to them being numb.
Why are so many people passing me?
I'm maintaining my same pace, why do they have so much energy?
I should have started in the back so that I could at least pass a few people.
A cute little blonde who has a hair bow in passes me.
A girl with the sickest figure ever passes me, and she is barely breathing heavy.
A guy in man-leggings passes me.

Mile 4.
Only 2 miles left.
My back hurts.
Maybe I'm pregnant.
I'm alone.
Seriously, am I last??
**Turns back to look**
No, there are tons of people back there.
I guess I'm just slower than the fast people but faster than the slow people.
At least I'm not last.

Mile 5.
An old lady passes me.
She must be at least 100.
And she looks like she has been running for at least 95 years.
A girl in a tutu passes me.
But she has on a running shirt, so that means she runs a lot, right?
That makes it okay.
A couple passes me. The girl is wearing a fleece vest, seriously?
I'm dying.
And sweating.
I'm holding my gloves in my hands, my headband is around my neck.
And I swear if it didn't slow me down, I would take my shirt off.
The guy that passes has on a shirt that says Marathon on it.
He ran a marathon?
That must mean I'm hanging with some big dogs, right?
I got this.

Mile 6.
Oh crap, I thought I was only running 6.
Duh Lora, a 5K is 3.12 miles so of course a 10K isn't only 6.
Maybe you should have googled how many miles it was before signing up.
Almost there.
Another hill? Holy crap there are a lot of heels.
Run hard.
Think about posting your time on IG.
You do NOT want it to be over 1 hour, 15 minutes.
That is my goal, nothing over.
I can see the finish line.
I did it, I'm doing it.

Stop watch.
Stop running.
I can't feel my legs.
My back hurts.
My feet hurt.
But I did it.

1 hour, 5 minutes.
10:30 average pace.
Better than expected.

And now, I'm going to find a sticker for a 10K.
Cause what good is running a race and not getting a sticker?
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Burnt Toast

It's Friday!

This week is toast if we can get through the next 8 hours.

Burnt cinnamon toast to be exact. Which is what Kate made for her breakfast this morning.

{See what I did there?}

Let's link up here and do some Friday letters, shall we?

Dear work, I'm tired of doing you. (twss) Work is seriously getting in the way of my social life and it needs to stop. Dear MFP challengers, I JUST realized this morning that today was suppose to be my MFP 5 week challenge link up....but since I just remembered, it AIN'T happening. You should know that I weighed this morning though and I am down 2 lbs in 2 days! Now, if only I can keep it off during the weekend. Dear FH, I'm super excited that you surprised me this morning by leaving some Dove chocolate in the car for me, but it was slightly laughable when you said "Don't eat the whole thing at once!" Do people actually eat half of a candy bar? I've never heard of such a ludicrous thought.

cookies and cream get in my belly!

Dear Laura and Meredith, I'm super excited {and nervous} about our blate tomorrow. But most first blates involve beer, chips, and salsa and ours involves a 10K...I'm thinking we might should have planned this out better. Dear self, if you could please stop dressing like a college student for work, that would be great. I know it's comfty and all, but it makes it a LITTLE bit awkward when you get called into a surprise meeting with the Director of the Finance Center. Although, I'm sure they are proud that you support the Tigers on a daily basis.

Bathroom selfie. Diet Dr K included. {Why the crap do I always look surprised? I'm the one taking the dang picture so you know I was expecting it. Washing hair not required.

Dear paycheck this week, I love you. Thanks for being bigger than normal thanks to finally getting my raise this month. I'll make sure I show you some love by spending you like you're burning a hole in my pocket. Dear Cupid, can I treat you like Santa Claus? If so, all I want for valentines day is this or this and maybe some more Dove chocolate as seen above. Don't worry, I already told FH too just in case you drop the bomb and forget to do your job.

Dear school, please don't ask children if they want to go home for the day just because they kinda think their stomach might hurt. It creates a problem when I leave work early to come pick them up, they watch a movie...and then decide that they want to go outside to play because they feel all better. I'm talking to you Kate.

Dear new followers, I'm so glad you came to my little neck of the woods internet. Make sure you leave me a comment to say hello. Hope that you stay awhile.

Dear friends, Happy Freaking Friday!!!!!!

Please say a tiny prayer that I survive tomorrow. My poor extra large legs don't always cooperate. And feel free to yell for me on IG, you know I'll be on there at least eleventy billion times. (@MrsLoYoung)

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Laura Ingalls Wilder and Tiger Football

Somehow, I managed to get up at 4:30 this morning, work out for an hour, shower and get everything ready and get to work by 6:35.

Not sure how, but I did.

And I feel great!

I love working out in the mornings.

It really gets my days going the right way and it makes me on point the entire day.

I am forcing myself to get back in this habit.

Somewhere along the way of reading blogs yesterday, I got in superwoman mode. I read several blogs where the girls were doing awesome losing weight, I read one where the girl WAS at the weight I am now so that hit close to home, and I read one where the girl talked about not just doing "just enough".

So yeah, I'm super charged and ready to get after it.

Today at school, the girls have to dress like a character.

They had to read a biography, write a summary that was so not fun to help with, and dress up as the person today to tell the class about what they read.

Alex is Laura Ingalls Wilder.

This is fun because I was actually named after her.

Except I'm Lora not Laura.

And it absolutely positively drives me NUTS when people call me Laura. Note to self if we ever blate.

Alex's Nana spent forever making her a bonnet and an apron.

Which is great because I can do a lot of things,

but sewing sure isn't one of them.

She had the outfit right down to the ugly shoes and knee socks.

I'm pretty proud of her outfit.

{Even though I'm pretty sure Laura never wore a dress from Lands End.}

Kate chose Annie Oakley.

Which was good for her because Annie was a tomboy.

Yes, I freaking read BOTH books so I could make sure their summaries were good. Good thing I'm a super fast reader.

And Kate is a MAJOR tomboy.

I can't imagine where she gets that from.

Her costume was a little simpler.

She had a bandana, but wouldn't wear it.

She needed to carry her BB gun to complete the outfit, but I was pretty sure that the school might frown upon that.

The funny part about Kate is that she hates when I take her picture.

It's always a painful look that I get.

And I can't wait to show these to future boyfriends.

But, amazingly, when she takes a pic of herself and puts it on her Instagram she LOVES smiling/duck facing it up.

{Yes, my kids have IG. Yes, I follow them closely and they are private and they aren't allowed to be friends with anyone that they don't know. And no, I told them they COULD NOT follow me on there. :) }

This pic is the painful one she took for me.

Just look at that pitiful face!

And this was the best out of like 5.

And this is her pic that she posted on Instagram.

Too cool for school.

Anyone notice a difference??

In other random news, FH brought me home a prize this morning.

Well, he also brought me home a Red Bull, the man knows me well.

So, as a kid, I slept with a stuffed football.

I'm not even playing.

No dolls, no teddy bears, this girl slept with a football. ALWAYS.

I still have it actually.

Well, FH saw this football and thought of me.

I'm pretty sure he spent an absurd amount of money winning it for me from one of the claw machines.

He said that he has been trying to win it for weeks.

And finally got it today.

I LOVE the Tigers!

Who needs flowers when you get gifts like this?!

Who knew you could blog about Laura Ingalls Wilder, Annie Oakley, and Tiger football all in one post?

Also, I'm 4 followers away from 400!! I'm really excited about this...so if you have 4 people that you could send my way, that would be GREAT! :)

That's all I got for today.

Happy Thursday everybody!

So excited that we are on the downward slope towards the weekend. :)

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