Saturday, 28 February

Friday, 27 February

I'm going old school today - Jamming to Reo Speedwagon, Take it on the Run. I just love that song, I heard it on XM radio and of course I became obsessed with it - haven't heard it in years now it's on replay. Kind of reminds me of when I became obsessed with Fleetwood Mac, love that group too. Wish I would have gotten tickets for the reunion tour. Tickets are way too expensive - good seats are $150 each. Way to rich for my blood.

Thursday, 26 February

Another good day. Got up and did my cardio - felt great, got to watch Lost from the night before - fantastic show, it's just getting better and better. SO much better than Heroes. Got Olivia off to day care and then off to work for me. Work is good, really busy - not enough time in the day to get everything done though. I was just as busy after work - picked up Olivia, took her with me to go grocery shopping - ended up going to two different grocery stores then picked up take out for dinner. Got Olivia home, unloaded all the groceries, fed Olivia dinner, then started cleaning up her room. Gave her a bath - got her in pajamas. Oh - she is doing something that I'm not happy about. She has started playing on the stairs and twice yesterday she rolled down the stairs - didn't hurt herself but scared the crap out of me. Luckily I was right there but she could have rolled right off the stairs (there is no wall on the one side and she could have fallen right onto the tile floor in the bar). SO she got a time out and had to sit on the step. By the time I was able to sit down and eat - it was 8:30 and I didn't feel like eating that late so instead I just had a couple of graham crackers. I really need to get a haircut - it's horribly long. Tomorrow after work for sure. I'm listening to Survivor by Destiny's Child - fun.

Wednesday, 25 February

The new gym did not disappoint me - it's super nice, clean and so much workout equipment. I think joining the new gym just got me back in the health kick mode. I've just been so down lately - not just about that but about just being in a rut. So the gym was good, I pushed myself and will probably be sore tomorrow but a good sore. After work came home and got Olivia cleaned up and then the three of us (Kurt, Olivia and I) went to dinner. I felt like treating - so took us to a Burger Joint in Berkley. Delicious, Olivia was stubborn about not eating - until I gave her a fork and put food on the fork then she was all into eating. Stopped on the way home for some Andes Mint Ice Cream - needed the sweet fix. We got home, got Olivia bathed and in pajamas. For the next hour or so we played patty cake, read a couple books and then practiced animal sounds. She is getting really good at that - we have a dancing mat that plays music and animal sounds - she loves it. She has been mimicking all of the sounds almost perfectly. Before bed we gave her a snack of yogurt (she can't have ice cream) and then put her to bed. After that - we watched some tv and played Sinko. It's a fun game. I was going to do some more cardio but decided just to relax instead. So decided to give up Cookies, Cheetos and Doritos for lent. Man, those are like my favorite things in the whole world - but I can do it. I have to go clean out the cupboards... It's too tempting having the stuff in the house. Luckily I ate all the Girl Scout Cookies we had already. I'm not proud of that but now they are gone and there is no looking back.

Tuesday, 24 February

I'm in a fantastic mood today - I have energy, I'm feeling good, no aches or pains. I joined a new gym today, pretty excited about that. I joined LA Fitness. It's brand new - just opened. Beautiful facilitiy and it's right by my office. Best part - they are building another one right by our house. Within a quick jog in distance. I'm so happy about that. They have a great daycare there, pool, raquetball courts, basketball courts, huge pilates/aerobics rooms, spinning classes, tons and tons of equipment, hot tub, sauna, steam room - just everything you want in a gym. My old gym was just so run down and dirty - plus I'm paying almost the same amount. I locked in on a 3 year
deal and it's really inexpensive. My first workout is tomorrow - looking forward to it. Still doing the cradio in the morning before work and then again after Olivia goes to bed. So after work - got Miss Olivia and then headed home. Made her a snack (pancakes from the night before) and I made a vegetarian goulash. It's really good - made with chopped carrots, celery, onions, brocolli, zuccinni, kidney beans, tomatoes and some seasoning. It's so good. Been making quite a few vegetarian dishes lately and they are so good. After making that, I gave Olivia a bath and then we played with her dancing mat and practices animal sounds and colors. She will do the animal sounds of Dog, Cat, Cow, Duck, Donkey and Monkey. She knows Red, Blue and Yellow too. She is such the genius. After putting her to bed, I did some cardio while watching the biggest loser. Yes, this week I worked out instead of pigging out on sweets while watching the show.

Monday, 23 February

Back to work. It was a nice weekend - thoroughly enjoyed the time off. I do like the schedule of the week though, structure - set times, I know exactly what I have to do or need to do pretty much from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. I guess that makes me an A Type person. I've always been the kind of person like likes lists and timelines. I guess it just keeps me focused - if I know what needs to be done, I just get it done. Maybe I'm a little uptight but for me it works. I have a friend that is the complete opposite an to me - it's just so counterproductive. I try to stay organized too but I do have the storage closet from hell. Everything that doesn't have a place goes in there. It drives me crazy but I can always just shut the door. Unfortunately - with having a child more spaces are becoming like that. Our laundry room is a catch all, now the downstairs bedroom is a playroom that anything that doesn't fit in Olivia's room is moved down there. That reminds me, I need to get rid of the bunk bed - definitely going to try and sell it. So Monday night after work was really nice, we met up with the family for dinner by the Tanger Outlet mall in Howell. We ate at the Coney, I was starving so I chowed down on a big Greek Salad. Olivia is still kind of sick and didn't eat much but she did have fun with Avy and Tahya. It was great seeing everyone Mom and Dad Stanley, Cindy and the girls. We stopped for a little shopping afterwards, I got a new jacket for Olivia and then a few things for the girls. After that, we drove home and that was pretty much it for the night. Olivia was out cold.

Sunday, 22 February

This is my creation - I made a family of snowmen, can you see the likeness? I got up and did my cardio - felt really good since I ate like a pig yesterday. I do love doritos though and they were the sweet and spicy kind. I'm drooling now just thinking about them. Everything I enjoy to eat is so bad for you - why can't Cheetos be healthier. I pretty much would eat just that if they were more like vegetables. Olivia is still sick, congested, wheezing, snotty, poor thing - I feel so bad for her. I just hope I don't get sick. So after working out, got Olivia up and changed. Fed her some breakfast and then it was time to actually do something. So we went to Macy's - picked up a new shirt for work and tie (both on killer deals). Had some lunch while there at the food court. Mike and Dan came over in the evening - we had take out Chinese and watched the Academy Awards. Fun night, good show. Now back to work.

Ten Thousand Pictures of You from Robin King on Vimeo.

Saturday, 21 February

The snow has put a little damper on today's festivities. Olivia and I were suppose to go to Avy's Princess Birthday but unfortunately - the weather has caused us to cancel our plans. We got about 6 inches of snow and it was just too much to try and drive up to Lansing for the party. I feel bad for Olivia - it would have been nice for her to spend time with her cousins and she is unable to show off her Princess Dress. (We even had a tiara for her to wear). Olivia has been under the weather for a couple of days now - it's a cold, heavy coughing, a runny nose that is more of a fountain of "snot" and just very congested all together. She slept for 13 hours last night. So Kurt and I spent most of the day in hibernation mode - he picked up some Doritos, Cheese and Soda, we watched a movie and pigged out on junk food. I felt like a slug afterwards but we have to do stuff like that every so often. I did make it out to shovel - I also made 3 snowmen in the yard. The snow was perfect for that. Not much for the rest of the day - I was too cold and too lazy to do anything else. Evening was pretty quiet - Olivia went to bed early and I watched some TV.

Olivia is Brilliant

Friday, 20 February

I'm in such a fantastic mood today - finally got video of Olivia saying the different body parts (I had to pretty much hide the camera from her). Plus it's Friday - really looking forward to a nice weekend. We have a Princess Birthday Party to go to for Avy on Saturday so that should be fun. Got a gift for our niece for tomorrow - it's all princess stuff. I also got Olivia a new outfit, it's a Princess Dress and some furry slippers that match. It's pretty darn cute. She is all set for tomorrow.
Something that I didn't expect - in the last couple of days, I connected with 6 people from camp that I haven't talked with for years. Camp was so much fun, I had a great time and met some wonderful people - it just makes me wish I had kept in better touch with those people. I know that you can't change the past so I'm going to put more of an effort of staying in touch with people. Writing emails, making calls even texting....There are so many people that I was once such good friends with that now I never talk to or hear from.

Thursday, 19 February

I got a very interesting email today - one I wished I never received. I don't want to go in to details but it's an email that revealed too much information about something I didn't want to know about. Now I have all this stuff rolling around in my head and there is no way to ignore it. It just got me thinking about some things I've said or written/done that I wish I could have taken back. My foot has been a fixture in my mouth many a times - I know I'm an emotionally charged person, I can say things that maybe should have been kept under wraps or talk a little too much about things when drinking. Many times the lines between what's appropriate and whats not can get blurred and I really need to work on that.

Wednesday, 18 February

So last night, while watching "The Biggest Loser" and eating a chocolate dipped rice crispy treat - a beacon of light, an epiphany or maybe it was gas - hit me. All these shows about self improvement - "The Biggest Loser", "Inner Beauty", "Diet Tribe", etc - just makes me feel guilty about myself. I work out pretty faithfully, eat well and for the most part lead a pretty healthy lifestyle but when ever one of these shows come on - I feel bad about the few unhealthy choices I do make. I'm not eating a box of girl scout cookies everyday (I do feel like it though, Thin Mints are the best) but if I do indulge every once in a while...it's okay. I have to remind myself of that and not hate myself for it. On the opposite side of that, I guess I should not get so upset when I watch one of those medical shows about a 800 lb man. (I've actually yelled at the TV - "How could you let yourself get to that point").

So the pictures of Olivia - aren't they cute? I know they are, she is so darn cute. Her vocabulary is getting better and better everyday. She knows and where and how to say "Belly, nose, mouth, eyes, ears, cheeks, teeth and head". My goal is to get it on video - I tried recording her doing that but soon as she sees the camera, she stops. I have to trick here... Keep on a lookout for the video.

Tuesday, 17 February

Very Rude Awakenings. I abhor having my picture taken. Occasionally, I take a good photo. You'll notice my profile photo, always visible in the upper left corner, is typically a lovely photo taken from a flattering angle and often, photoshopped to bits. But basically, I look like crap in pictures. Which is to say, basically, that I look like crap in reality. The problem is, I don't like how I look and seeing it in a photo makes it harder for me to live in a comfortable denial of that.
I was very dodgey all weekend, trying to make sure I stayed away from being in any photos at all. (I'm usually the one taken the photos so it is usually not an issue). But unfortunately - there was a photo taken, for me and anyone linked to me on Facebook to see. How humiliating. How undeniable. Wrinkles, bags and pastier than a ghost. Omigod.
Want a good, proverbial kick in the ASS to get cosmetic surgery? Have someone photograph you - with bad lighting, an uncomplimentary outfit, on a windy day and post it to the internet.
So what is the moral of this tale? Botox, more sleep, get some sun and stay out of the camera's way. (What - you were expecting something more profound?) When I was younger, I always thought it was silly when people put up their hand when a camera came out or someone would duck into another room avoiding physical proof of their existence - now as I approach middleage (ugh, even the word is ugly) I find myself avoiding the camera as well. It's sad, being a parent and thinking like that - I want Olivia to be completely happy with who she is and accepting everything that god has given her but for me right now, it's hard looking into the mirror without cringing.

Monday, 16 February

Back to work, it was a really nice weekend so it was tough getting back to work. Got up and did my cardio workout, got Olivia up - some good news, she wore new pajamas that were 100% polyester and no break outs, no hives, not rashes, her skin is normal. I'm so happy, we bought ordered several pair of new pajamas and didn't realize they were polyester - so washed them and had her try them on - luckily no issues. I'm thinking that when we thought she was allergic to polyester, it may have just been the sizing they put in new clothing. So got her to daycare and got to work, long day - but was able to leave a little early for Presidents Day. Thanks Obama. After work, picked up Olivia and brought her home. Kurt had been preparing dinner so it was a nice treat to come home to that. It was really good, he made a chicken dish, sweet carrots and a spinach pasta dish. (Plus garlic biscuits) Everything was very tasty. I had enough left over for lunch on Tuesday. After dinner, I gave Olivia a bath and got her in pajamas. We then played until 8 pm and by then she was tired so put her to bed. We watched a little tv (Favorite show is the Closer). Then went to bed.

Sunday, 15 February

Got up around 7 to two cats using my head as a spring board. They get a little crazy in the morning when it's time to eat. So fed them and the dogs. After that, made some coffee and had some oat meal. Did my cardio and then got Kurt up. I got cleaned up and then headed out to pick up Olivia. She was so happy - dancing and playing with Grandma and Grandpa. I chatted with my parents for a while then headed out to Novi to 12 Oaks Mall. Just wanted to pay on a bill, did that then headed home. Got home and hung out with Kurt for a bit, we then met up with Mary and Billy for lunch. It was so great seeing them, their daughter Kate is so adorable. We had a great lunch at Anita's Kitchen (very yummy) after lunch, came home. I did some more cardio (I ate a lot) then we had a nice evening - watched some TV, played with Olivia. Just a really terrific weekend.

Saturday, 14 February

Happy Valentine's Day. We celebrated our 8th Valentine's today... wow, how the time has gone by. We hit Year 9 in July. I got a great picture from my brother in California - It's Mark, Nikki and my beautiful niece Jocelyn. Such a nice portrait. We really need to get one done. I'm going to schedule a sitting. Today was a really nice day - busy but very nice. Got up and did my cardio, then got Olivia up. Gave her a bath and got her dressed. She looks so cute. Then got showered and had some cereal. Around noon, Bonnie and Michelle came over. They look so great - wow, they have lost so much weight. So impressed with them. We had a terrific lunch. It was wonderful spending time with them, they seem so happy. I'm happy for them. They are getting married in August so excited about that. After lunch, took Olivia to my parent's house. Olivia wanted nothing to do with me after she saw Grandma. So hung out there for a bit then headed home. Stopped at Best Buy and got a new Printer - it's awesome. Prints great pictures. After that, came home and watched a movie. Kurt then got ready for work and I did some more cardio. After that, got showered and then met up with Mark, John, Joel, Kerrin, Erica and Becca at Pronto. Didn't stay out very late, I was home by 11:00 pm. So came home and watched some SNL before falling asleep.....

Friday, 13 February

Olivia just loves Riley. This is her trying to give Riley a kiss. She says his name very clearly and will hug up on him whenever she see's him. It took her a while but she eventually gave him a kiss. Riley is so sweet, he just lies there and lets her crawl all over him. After she gave him the kiss, he just moved out of the way. What a good dog. Mocha on the other hand, see's Olivia getting too close and just busts out of the room. Friday evening was really nice, came home and fed Olivia then got her cleaned up in pajamas early. I had a babysitter watch her for a few hours while I went to a birthday dinner for Justin. We met up at PF Changs. Fuzzy, Lupe, Wayne, Sheila, Rachel, Joel, Justin, myself plus a few other people I didn't know. After dinner, came home and pretty much called it a night.

Thursday, 12 February

What a nice day - well, weather wise it was chilly again and very windy. But besides that it was a really good day. Got up and did my cardio, lots of energy. I hate my left over sandwich from Subway for breakfast. It was delicious. Problem with me eating in the morning is that I'm hungry all day. So ate, had some coffee, then got ready for work. Got Miss Olivia up - she was a tired little girl. Fed her and got her ready. She wanted to wear her new pink tennis shoes, they are a little big but she still wore them. Got her off to daycare, she had a great day there. Work, little slow but new projects are coming. At lunch, I got Olivia a booster seat for the car - she has grown big enough to not be in the car seat anymore. Aww. I got her a spring dress for our portrait and got a gift for my friend Mary's baby. After work, came home and immediately ate - because I am a pig and always hungry. Then got Olivia cleaned up and changed - we then headed out to meet Dawn for Dinner. We stopped at the store before hand, then met up with Dawn at Panera. I got some soup and I brought dinner for Olivia (I didn't eat the soup since I was a pig and ate before going to dinner). We had a really nice time catching up. Dawn is the best. Missed her. So we chatted and caught up, good times then headed home. Got Olivia ready for bed and then pretty much she was out after that so put her down for the night. I did some more cardio (guilt for being such a pig). I watched Lost while doing my cardio then went to bed. Really nice day.

Wednesday, 11 February

What a beautiful day out... Well, except for the rain. It was in the 50's... that was nice to wake up to. Got a good cardio in this morning then got ready for work - got Olivia up (she has the sniffles and cough). Got her to Daycare and then on to work. Wow, I just realized how boring this is - it's the same everyday. Too monotonous. Kurt was off today because of his leg. He got home around 7:30 from the doctors. Poor Kurt. At lunch, picked up a couple of dress shirts for work and a new tie... fun. After work, got Olivia and then stopped at Subway for our dinner. Picked up some subs and then headed home. Kurt was in bed with his leg propped up. So cleaned up a bit, did some laundry, ironed some shirts, got Olivia a snack and then we ate the subs. Yum. After that, got Olivia cleaned up early - we then got into some of her toys and we also read for a while Trying to practice with note cards - but she has more fun ripping the cards up. Her new word is "Circle" and she outlines the circles in the rug on her floor. After putting her to bed, we played some cards and watched a little TV. I did some abs before bed.

Tuesday, 10 February

Got a really good cardio workout in this morning - really glad to have my energy level back. Work was good, no complaints. Finishing up a project. After work, came home and basically didn't stop until I put Olivia to bed. So much to do every night. I made salads for Kurt and I, they were really good - Grilled Turkey, grilled peppers and onions on a bed of lettuce with a really good sweet fat free dressing. After dinner cleaned up, I had fed Olivia turkey hot dog and macaroni and cheese. She was very happy about that. After feeding her, gave her a bath and then we read, colored, played with her legos, played baby dolls and then I gave her a snack. After that, she was getting a little cranky - just tired. So put her to bed and then I did another 40 minutes of cardio. After that got to bed. Kurt - well, poor Kurt, he came home from work and went right to emergency. His leg got worse so he spent the next 4 hours at Beaumont. He is doing a lot better now though, he really needed to go.

Monday, 9 February

Feeling terrific today -no stomach ache and lots of energy. Got up and did my cardio, watched Desperate Housewives while I did that. Then got ready for work, got Olivia up and dressed and headed out the door. Dropped her off at Daycare and got to work. Busy - all day. Flew by. At lunch, I worked straight through - caught up on a lot of issues. After work, headed home - made great timing. Kurt was there with Olivia. We had a fun evening. We played and ran around the living room, played hide and seek. Kurt headed in to work and I ran to the grocery store. Got stuff to make burritos. I made grilled turkey burritos. Fat free tortilla, red/ green/ orange/ yellow peppers, onions, turkey meat, fat free cheese and fat free sour cream. I added quite a bit of spices to the turkey. After cooking, I gave Olivia her bath and got her ready in her pajamas. We then played downstairs until she fell asleep. After that, watched a little tv and went to bed. It was a good evening. Olivia was extremely sweet all evening.

Sunday, 8 February

It was such a really nice day. I got up - still feeling a little ill. But it seemed to get better as the day went on. SO got up, fed the animals, then changed the kitty liter (it was gross), did some laundry, then got Olivia up. She was in a chipper mood. Got her up and changed, then fed her breakfast. I gave her a shower and got her dressed - I woke up Kurt around 9:00 am. We both got ready and then headed out. We drove out to Novi, did a little shopping - then grabbed some lunch at Red Lobster. I love the biscuits. Lunch was good, Olivia colored for the most part of lunch. Was more interested in that than eating. After lunch, we drove by my old house to see if there was any changes to it - none, looks the same. We then came back home - it was around 4 so fed the animals dinner and Olivia went down for a nap. Kurt worked on some design stuff and I finished the laundry. I got a lot done around the house. Kurt made us some dinner (Chicken and Brocolli - it was really good). We ate dinner then got Olivia bathed and in pajamas. She was dancing around and lots of talking - she wore herself out. She fell asleep in my arms. So I put her to bed then got everything ready for Monday. Oh - I did go out and get us some ice cream. It's been forever since we had ice cream. The rest of my evening was watching a little tv and then falling asleep.

Saturday, 7 February

What a horrible night, I was sick all evening - every 15 minutes or so, running to the bathroom. I was actually happy when it was morning time. I felt a little better after getting up. I think just the moving around made my stomach better. So got up really early and watched some TV, I must have watched 3 movies before Olivia or Kurt got up. Olivia slept almost 12 hours. Got her up and fed. She was starving - she had rice cereal, yogurt, and two small pancakes. After breakfast, got her bathed and dressed. We then headed out and ran a few errands. After that, came back home and got Kurt up. We then went and got some lunch. Pizza Hut - I was so starving. So went out to lunch but my stomach was still sore, didn't eat much. After lunch, we headed out to the mall. Visited with Mike and Dan at Macy's. Kurt got a couple of shirts, real good deals. Headed home. We were suppose to both go out to celebrate Johnny's 40th birthday. Unfortunately, all of the babysitter options we have fell through. So Kurt went out and I stayed in with Oliva. So sad. Happy Birthday Johnny.

Friday, 6 February

Still sick but was able to get some sleep and made it in to work. It was a tough morning but I was so busy at work that I didn't really think about it. Work went by very fast - new project that is very time consuming. So after work, picked up Olivia and headed home. She is beyond cute, we have a very indepth deep conversation that consisted of her "meowing" and "barking". It's so funny how she will meow - it sounds like "Meeeeoooooooo" Anyway - so after our talk, she was then showing me the new dance moves she learned at daycare. She likes the show "Yo Gabba Gabba" - I guess they dance in the video and she really likes to dance. As soon as we got home, Kurt went into work. The evening consisted of us eating some dinner and lots of drawing. Her chalk board is a hit. Around 8:00, gave her a bath and then got her in pajamas. She then ate her dinner and promptly fell asleep in her high chair. So put her to bed and then basically read for a little bit before falling asleep.

Thursday, 5 February

I felt horrible - got up at least 15 times during the night - miserable all day. Called in to work and spent the most part of the day trying to rest. Kurt took Olivia in to daycare, picked her up from daycare, fed the animals, and I pretty much did nothing. Once Olivia was home, I felt better - enough to take care of her. I fed her dinner and gave her a bath, tried to play with her but it was tough. Once I got her to bed - I went right to bed. I was asleep by a little after 8:00 pm. I ended up sleeping about 9 hours.

Wednesday, 4 February

It was a rough night, I came very close to calling in - but once I got up, I started to feel a little better. Got ready for work and then got Olivia up and ready. I had finished up her closet doors (turning them into magnetic chalk boards) and she loves them. She started drawing as soon as I got her up. Got her off to daycare and she had a really good day (Jamie said so). She had a little party - it was for Scarlett. At work, just really busy - the day flew by. I think my stomach is upset from the creamer I had in my coffee. It was a peppermint flavor and I think it was a little too strong. It stayed with me all day. By the time I got home, my stomach was really bothering me. Almost as if it was getting bigger and bigger, the pressure kept building up. By the time I went to bed, I was nauseous and ended up getting sick several times. It was a very long night.