sometimes, trying a new exercise ISN'T such a good idea!

I actually typed this up and posted it on my weight loss blog over at Spark People. (www.sparkpeople.com if you happen to be interested in a free online weight loss program). But it's a funny story, so I thought I might as well post it here too! And since it's already written, I can just copy and paste! :)

I have been faithfully doing my workouts these last few weeks, and I am proud of the consistency I am building. This week, I have been visiting my mother, keeping her company while my dad is gone on business. I didn't want to miss any workout, but neither did I want to travel with exercise equipment. No problem; my dad has a treadmill and a set of dumbbells, and he assured me I was welcome to use both while I was here. I am not a treadmill user normally, but I figured a new and different exercise couldn't hurt, right?

Famous last words...

Monday's treadmill stint went beautifully. I did some intervals and watched a favorite TV show on DVD. Tuesday I did a few exercises with the dumbbells in addition to squats and such. Today I headed to the treadmill again, turned on the DVD player, and went to work. For about 8 minutes, all was well. I was chuckling over a humorous line on the TV. My daughter was playing with some toys behind me. I was starting to sweat. Sounds perfect, right?

I am honestly not sure what happened next. Maybe my feet simply got out of sync with the conveyor belt. Who knows? All I know is I went DOWN. Smack down on that moving conveyor belt. Fortunately, the safety stop kicked in and stopped the machine's movement, but I was already kicked off on the floor by that point. Now I am sporting bruises, scrapes, and what can only be described as "treadmill burn." And all I have to say is "Owwwwww..."

But nothing's broken or even seriously injured, so that's good, and would you believe that I DID get back on that silly thing and finish my workout. My legs look a bit like someone has beaten me, so wearing shorts might be distressing for the general populace over the next few days. :-p Too bad, though, because it is HOT here!

Say, is this what they mean by "no pain, no gain"? ;)

Sarah's new 'do

For much of this week, Sarah and I were in Greeneville, staying with my mother while my dad was away on a business trip. When my mother washed her hair on Wednesday, she rolled it into curlers while it dried. I've never used rollers before, so Sarah was intrigued. She asked for her hair to be put in the curlers as well. Here are the results.






No, we don't have an "after" picture. It didn't really make Sarah's hair curl--it just made it a bit fluffier in the back. But she loved having the rollers in her hair! :)

visit to the museum

Last Friday, my parents took Sarah to the Hands-On Museum in Johnson City. As the name would suggest, this isn't a museum where you simply walk through viewing exhibits. Rather, it is chock-full of things to DO. There is a construction zone, a grocery store, a TV studio, an indoor playground, a theater stage, a music room, a bank, and an animal exhibit, just to name a few items. To get a better idea of all the museum has to offer, click here: http://www.handsonmuseum.org/groups/exhibits.html Doesn't it look like fun?

Of course, Sarah had a great time. She studied the fish, "bought" items in the grocery store, wondered through Noah's Ark, and played on the playground. But her favorite part was the dress-up stage!! (Yes, they did have a few princess outfits, but we didn't get pictures of those).

All in all, a very fun day! :)

wow, am I behind!

It's been awhile since I've updated this thing, hasn't it? OOPS! :) But don't worry, I have several posts' worth saved up, so you will be brought up to date on all of Sarah's crazy shenanigans! :) Stay tuned to hear about a museum visit, a new hair do, and KARAOKE! :) And maybe I'll even share my own little amusing anecdote of a recent workout mishap! I will post everything as quickly as I can, and hopefully having so many new items to add will make up for being gone so long! Does it work that way? I sure hope so! ;)

potty on the brain

Sarah is continuing to wear underwear, continuing to use the potty, continuing to do a great job. :) I think we might be a little too potty-obsessed, however. Yesterday, Sarah and I were looking at pictures on Nick and Tara's website (the Butterworth Family Times link to your right). The first picture had Tara's parents, and Nick. Sarah studied it thoughtfully, identifying "Aunt Tara's mommy and daddy, and Uncle Nick." She paused for a moment, then wondered aloud, "Where's Aunt Tara? Is she in the bathroom or something?" (Tara, I hope you don't mind my sharing this! I thought it was funny, though!). :)

Moving on to a different subject, yesterday Sarah got a get well card in the mail from my grandmother (Sarah calls her Mee-maw). Always excited to receive mail, Sarah opened the card and studied the picture on the front carefully. I told her it was a get well card. Sarah agreed that the cat on the front of the card indeed didn't look too well, and she started sticking smiley face stickers on the card, "so he would feel better." I had to explain that the card was wishing her to get well! (Which she is, by the way. As sick as she was Sunday, you'd never even know it now. Kids bounce back so quickly!). But it was nice that she wanted to comfort the poor cat! :)

P.S. Spell check not only doesn't know how to spell Greeneville, but it's also griping about Butterworth! :-p

recovering from illness and three-year-old logic

Many readers already know that Sarah had a stomach bug of some sort yesterday. She got sick at church and continued to vomit the rest of the day and into the evening. We couldn't even get liquids to stay down.

We kept a bucket next to her all day, and when she went to bed last night we placed the bucket on the floor next to her. We also placed a towel on the bed (in case she couldn't reach the bucket). About 2 a.m., she woke up and wanted some water. Thankfully, this time it stayed down. She stayed snuggled in our bed for awhile, then returned to her own room. After I got her tucked back into her bed, I placed the towel next to her again. Sarah panicked. "No, I don't need that anymore!" she shrieked frantically. I guess in her mind, if the towel wasn't there it somehow would guarantee that she wouldn't have to use it!

Anyway, today she is doing better. She has toast and part of an egg, and she has drunk water and ginger ale and a bit of chamomile tea. All are staying down just fine, so the worst seems to be over. I guess taking the towel away really was the key to her getting better! ;)

"Mommy, wow! I'm a big kid now!"

Yeah, cue the music from the commercial for the above title! ;) But it seemed appropriate, given some of the "big girl" moments we've had here lately. :)

The first "big girl" moment had to do with her bed. Even though she's now over three years old, we've left Sarah in the crib. She's small for her age, so she still fits in there perfectly, and she seems to find it comfortable, cozy, and safe. Or at least she did until a few days ago. Suddenly she decided she wanted a "big girl bed." Since the crib is a convertible model, Nelson make the necessary changes to turn it into a toddler bed. Sarah was thrilled...especially when she discovered an advantage she hadn't thought of! Now instead of having her pre-bedtime story on Mommy's and Daddy's bed, she could be read to on her OWN bed! How exciting is that?

Here is Sarah (along with her daddy), enjoying the before-bed book.




Sarah is also good about helping around the house. She helps me dust and wipe the table and sweep the floor. Here she is sweeping. No, this picture isn't staged, even though it looks it. She just happened to look up right when the flash went off!




And the last bit of "big girl" news? Sarah has been wearing "big girl" panties for the past two days! She even asked to use the potty and Meadowview gymnastics yesterday! She did have two accidents yesterday, but both were later in the evening when she was getting tired. Today, she even managed to do "number 2" in the potty! We're so proud of our big girl!

Now, excuse me while I go grab a tissue! ;)