Our Little Valentine is 5

Connor turned five years old today. I truly cannot believe our little Valentine is that old. He is still the sweetest boy I know (yes, I have two other boys, but Connor is just plain sweet and the other two can be known for something else ;0) ). These days he is into reading more than anything else. He reads everything and if he can't, he starts asking me what it says but I am only allowed to read the "really big words" and he'll get the rest. His favorite foods are a surprise to almost everyone. He loves broccoli, spinach, salad, and just about all the veggies mommy makes. Of course, cheese still tops the list though. Don't get me wrong, he loves a cupcake or piece of candy, but only one a day for him. The dentist told him once to limit sugary things to one a day and our little rule-follower gets very concerned on days like today (which happen to be Valentine's Day AND his birthday) where multiple sweets were offered to him. That's our Connor James.

I told him I wanted to take some photos are our new 5 year old today and I thought I'd share a few.

Mommy Exercise Plan

I've been wanting to shed a few pounds and get into better shape for awhile now, but just have not stuck with anything really. We've been eating healthier (I know "healthy" is a highly subjective word these days, but we are trying to eat more whole foods, traditional foods, and not processed or refined foods), but my weight has pretty much remained the same. Some friends told me about the site, My Fitness Pal. This is a great, FREE resource for helping keep track of calories, exercises, weight, etc. Also, you can add friends on there which is an awesome accountability tool.

So, I know my biggest problem is twofold- sweets and lack of exercise. Keeping track of everything I eat really helps cut down on the sugar, but I still needed to exercise. Well moms, apparently all you have to do is let your children know you want to exercise everyday and they will get your hiney in gear.

Here's what my "Mommy Exercise Plan" has consisted of this week,

• Seeing who can do the most jumping jacks in a minute
• Letting the boys trade off who sits on my feet while I do sit-ups and "bonk" them on the head
• Chasing the boys around the park, house, or pretty much anywhere
• Taking the boys and dog (having a 70lb dog pull you along is whole 'nother kind of workout) for a walk
• Them laughing at me and urging me to do one more "game" on Wii Fit
• Seeing which boy I can lift higher with arms and then with legs (the obviously answer is Caleb since he's almost 20 lbs lighter than the other two)
• Letting Cole lead me in stretching (I wish I had videotaped this)

I don't need a gym membership. I've got three little "trainers" running around me daily.