The Twinkie Diet

Now, here's a diet I can take. The Twinkie Diet.

For 10 weeks, this guy ate mostly junk food, Twinkies, Oreos, etc. The article says he ate 2/3 junk food and augmented with some vegetables. He lost 27 pounds and his cholesterol went down.

Saint of the Day

St. Monica--ever faithful mother, prayer and Woman of God, well known for being the mother of St. Augustine

Dear Saint Monica, patroness of all parents, please take our children, especially those who have turned from the ways of Christ and His Church, under your protection. Let them always remain faithful to their Baptismal vows. Give them the strength to walk always in the ways of the Lord, despite the temptations and false values they find in the world today. Pray for them that they may share with you the joys of eternal life. Amen.

Hurricane watch

Why do we have this fascination with hurricanes and other natural disasters? We watch it just waiting to see the train wreck, waiting for the worst? Maybe we should hope and pray for the best and not wait with anticipation for the worst.

What's up in our lives

School is already in its second full week and the kids are used to the routine. Getting up early is not their favorite thing, but they rise to the occasion each morning. (no pun intended)

Gabriel is now on varsity rowing, only having to do one year as novice. He had told me previously that he might not pursue it all through high school and definitely not in college, but now he's not so sure. He really loves it.

Anna is very happy in her 2nd year at high school and can't wait for the preschoolers to come. They teach the Wildcat Preschool in her early childhood class and the kids will come next week.

Marian loves 3rd grade and loves that she finally has homework!

We found evidence of mice in the house again, and so must make the phone call to our pest control people today.

I'm freaking out...

My exact words as Anna drove on the highway for the first time!! OMG!! How am I ever going to survive her driving? I told her when she stopped the car, "I think I need a drink" and she said "I think you do too."

In other news, I've found my new favorite ice cream flavor. Ben & Jerry's Carrot Cake.

And we were given permission to do Religious Ed at home! The kids are psyched.

No school tomorrow

The air conditioning at the Middle School is broken, so Gabriel does not have school tomorrow. This is akin to the heat not working in January in NH....

First Day of School

Everyone was excited, so excited that they were actually on time today! I'm not hoping for any further miracles this week.

1/2 day of school for the first three days, which equals to making sure they know their way around, getting their lockers assigned and making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. So, I'm assuming no homework for a few days.

Quote of the day: A woman is like a tea bag. She only knows her strength when put in hot water. (attributed to Nancy Reagan)

School Days

School starts tomorrow and everyone is excited around here! Gabriel got most all the classes he wanted. First on his list was taking 2 math classes, so now he is taking both Geometry and Algebra II/Trig. He has to take the latter one at the high school and guess who has to carpool him there?

Anna also got all her classes she wanted and is excited that gym class is next semester. Marian was very happy to have a "girl teacher" this year. Also, 2 of her best friends are in her class.

Bogdan leaves for a business trip for 2 weeks today, then he is home briefly then off for 2 more in September.

We made our annual trek to the Unclaimed Baggage Store. Our finds this week were a brand new Coleman tent (mostly for Gabriel and his friends), a KitchenAid attachment for Karen, clothes for all the kids, some DVD's and an iPod for a friend.

We are planning a camping trip over Labor Day weekend, right after Bogdan gets back, hopefully getting into to one of the first-come, first-served campgrounds at Smoky Mountain National Park. (all the other reserve-ahead-of-time are all booked at this late date)

Summer Superlatives

1. Shopped at the world's longest yard sale, some good deals--fishing stuff for Gabriel, a doll bed for Marian, a few things for Anna and some Tupperware and a baking pan for the family. Also, an odd purchase, and 18 piece set of drinking glasses with Loony Tunes characters on them.

2. Most almost sleepovers. Both Marian and her friend Scarlett love sleepovers, but they haven't made it a complete night sleeping over this summer yet.

3. Hottest days. It's been hot here and even with the A/C on in the house, it's still hot! Cooling off in the neighborhood pool has been good.

4. Most meals. We made a ton of make-ahead meals and just in time for the busy school schedule to start. Some of the meals in my freezer are: slow-cooker lasagna, lemon-pepper chicken kabobs, cajun orange pork chops, raspberry sauced chicken, and many more.

5. World's tallest tree house--we are going to try to visit the world's tallest tree house, only 45 minutes from here in Crossville. Someone we know recommended it to us.