A little of this, a bit of that...

SOOOO much going on lately!

Monday night Rachael and I took Elizabeth out for a belated birthday dinner. We went to Sushi so I was a happy girl! :) Here's a picture! We had a fabulous time!














Aiden and I went to our usual My Gym class on Tuesday. I captured the cutest picture of him on the swing!














Wednesday we met up with my sister and kids at a place called Silly Monkey. It's sort of like Chuck e cheese. A place to run and climb. The kids had a good time..

Anna, Aiden and Kayla - ready to play!














Awww.. a big hug



















Hanging out



















Train ride, and a big kiss!














Messing around in the mall!














So, some big news for us...

Rachael's brother Robert has a black labrador mix named Sagan, who is about 5 years old. Robert is moving to L.A. and isn't able to keep the dog at first while he gets settled. So... we have offered to take Sagan in as a foster doggy while Robert settles in. Robert has every intention and desire to send for Sagan once he is settled in 6 months or so... we'll see what happens.

We, for a long time now have been pondering the idea of a second dog so Lucy could have a friend. Lucy has serious anxiety when we leave the house. When we bring her down to Will's parent's house, where there are 2 other dogs, Lucy does fine. So we were always wondering if Lucy would do better with a friend. Well, this is our chance to find out. We told Anna that Sagan is coming, and she seems very excited actually. We did have to explain to her that eventually Sagan will go back to Robert, and she seemed to understand that. So.... Robert is bringing Sagan over tomorrow to meet everyone. If all goes well, then Sagan will join our household on Monday! If I didn't know any better, Will is excited to have a big dog around again. We miss my yellow lab Jessie (may she rest in peace). :( Pictures of doggies to come soon!

Today, our local news station Channel 13 came out to my Sign and Sing class to do a story on the class. I was very nervous since that class is so information intensive.... but I think I did pretty good. Once it airs, we will post it on our website and I'll give the link here on my blog! :)

Also, here is the link to pictures from that big Kindermusik Bash we held a couple weeks ago! Enjoy!! Click here!

Today I weighed in at weight watchers and lost another pound.. Sooooo... I made it to my goal! I still plan to lose 7 more pounds, and will continue to go weigh in each week until I get there! However, it's really nice to know I'm in the healthy weight range for my height and age. YEY!!!!!

So... tomorrow we meet Sagan, Saturday morning I teach Kindermusik, Saturday night we are going to a Luau (adult party), and Sunday we are going to my mom's for Jerry's 60th birthday party! Busy busy busy!

Love to all!
Hol

Swimming Swimming...

Hello there! So, this past week was pretty good. We started our first week of Kindermusik classes for summer and it went great. Classes were fun and FULL, and the families were really nice. We finished out the Kindermusik week with our Saturday family class and then free play. Afterwards we did a bit of practicing for the coming week, and apparantly Will took some pictures. I thought this one was cute...

The kids had their final swim lessions on Friday. I'm pretty happy with how far Anna has gotten, and Aiden is more comfortable in the water. Should be a fun summer in the water. :)

Will and I decided to get a sitter on Saturday night and go to a movie. We saw "Knocked Up". It was HILARIOUS! I loved it!! Before we left, Will took a picture of me, and then Anna took a picture of us.

Today we went over to my mom's place to swim. It was fun. Here are some pics of that!

My mom and the A-man!

Dori and my adorable nephew Brandon

Aiden floating with Will

Me just chillin

Anna and Kayla

Me singing to Brandon

I'm really excited. Tonight I bought place tickets to Chicago for the Kindermusik convention. Last year's was just an unbelievable experience. I can't WAIT for this year, especially because I get to go with Rachael and Elizabeth. We are going to have a blast!

This week should be pretty good. The kids and are actually free tomorrow to do something fun. I'm not quite sure what that is yet, but we'll figure it out. :)

Have a great week everyone. I'll be back with this week's weigh in results as usual!

Party on!

Love, Holly

I can't believe it!!!

I just got back from my weigh in, which was less than a week since my last one. I really thought since it had only been 5 days since I found out I lost a pound, that this one would just be a small loss, or nothing at all. Well... I lost another 2.2 lbs!!! I can't believe it! I entered into the 120's on the scale. A place I haven't been in about 6 years! I'm (okay don't laugh) 6 tenths of a pound away from my WW goal weight. However, since I'm a previous lifetime member of weight watchers, and within 2 lbs of my goal... I don't have to pay anymore! YEAH!!

I did decide (with my weight watcher leader's guidance) that I want to lose about 8 more pounds to get down to my personal goal. That would be a weight I haven't been since college (umm...over 10 years ago). It's a weight that is right in the middle of the recommended weights for my height and age.. So, even though I'm no longer required to pay WW to weigh in.. I plan to go to meetings on a weekly basis, and weigh in until I reach that personal goal. 8 lbs... well, that could take a couple more months.. we'll see! Time to step up the cardio!!!!!! I hope to be there (or at least close) by the time we leave for our vacation on July 27th. So moving forward to that new goal! Whew hoo!!!

All I can say is that now that I'm 20 lbs lighter I feel SOOOOOO good!!!!!

Love, Holly

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

It's been a nice Sunday around here. We went for lunch to celebrate Father's Day. Dori isn't feeling well, so we missed seeing Dori and Brandon since they stayed home. We got home and Aiden has been napping ever since. The rest of us have just been relaxing. I think we are all recuperating from the excitement of yesterday.

The Kindermusik event went off without a hitch. It was just amazing to see all the organizing and prep work turn into such GREAT party! We had a bounce house, face painter and balloon animals, a Kirigami artist (paper cutting), Mr Richard - a local children folk singer, instrument exploration, and cake! We had approximately 50 families or so attend, which is amazing. Will took video, and my friend Kristin took pictures, so I will soon post those so anyone reading this can see what it was all about. The whole purpose of the party was to thank all the past, present and future Kindermusik families that have been a part of our growth and success of the past 2 years. Rachael and I created Grow and Sing Studios 2 years ago, and in that short time, we have gone from 2 classes to 13 classes, in 2 locations with 3 teachers. It's truly exciting and overwhelming at the same time. All I know is if it continues to be as much fun as I'm having right now, I'm going to just embrace the growth! I am LOVING what I'm doing. So anyway, like I said, pictures and video of that party are forthcoming.. but for now, here are some pictures that were taken today! :)

This week we are kicking off our Summer Kindermusik camps, so busy but fun times ahead!!

Hope everyone has a GREAT evening and Monday.. and I'll be back on Tuesday or Wed after my weekly weigh in!!

Love, Holly

SUCCESS!!!

I weighed in this morning, and .... I lost another pound!!! I honestly couldn't believe it!! Even with my 2 1/2 days of splurging, I was able to lose weight! I attribute it to the fact that even though I went "off program" for 2 days... I was ON PROGRAM the other 5 days of the week, and it paid off! I'm about 2 lbs away from my weight watchers goal, where I will be back on lifetime status (meaning I don't have to pay anymore!!!!). I still want to lose anothter 5 lbs or so past that... I can't believe how close I am now. It feels SOOOO good!!!!

Mom's weekend, Sopranos, and my upcoming excitement!

I can't believe it's been a whole week without blogging. What a week it has been!

This past weekend I went on my annual Mom's Weekend away. This year we went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a fun time of hanging with friends and it was so nice to just relax and get away for a bit with no responsibilities. As we were checking in, we found out that the entire cast of the Sopranos was going to be at our hotel for their Red Carpet Finale Party on Sunday night. I was heartbroken that we were leaving right BEFORE the red carpet party started, but I did have fun looking around for any cast members. I only spotted one of them while swimming at the pool. Not any of the main actors... but if you watch Sopranos, then it might be exciting to you. Here are some pictures of my weekend. There are many I can't post here since I wouldn't want to offend any of my loyal blog readers... but these should entertain!!

This was taken as soon as we arrived. That is the casino behind us.
Left to right: Nikki, Kristin, Carol, Me, Beth and Kathy














Posing on the rocks at the hot tub.














All dressed up for dinner...



















Dinner the first night. We went for Sushi - my favorite, yum!!!














Out dancing














That's me at dinner on the second night.














These beads were hung by the elevator. Everyone posed with them. This is my sexy girl pose as I was dressed up ready for dancin.



















That was the Red Carpet intended for the Sopranos finale party.



















This was our last picture as we were leaving the Hard Rock. Until next year....















As soon as I returned home on Sunday night, it was time to watch the Sopranos finale. So many people are pissed off at the ending of the Sopranos finale.. but I'm not one of them. I thought the finale was entertaining. I thought it was also insightful into the reality of life. Especially that of a Mob boss. So many people, when it comes to TV shows or movies, always want a definite answer to everything. They want to know EXACTLY what happens... but is life really like that? As I see it, the sopranos ended exactly as it should have. They killed the enemy Phil, the rest of Phil's guys flipped. Tony visited with Silvio and Paulie. They gave A.J. a job. Meadow is going to be a lawyer, and inevitably defend her father one day. Carmella will continue to do her property stuff. Tony will most likely be indited. So what? It's not like it's the first time for him. What I LOVED about the final scene in the restaurant was that even though we didn't really have any reason to worry... I was TOTALLY on edge because the whole point to it all, is that to live the life of a mobster, means to ALWAYS be looking over your shoulder. It might come with $$ and power, but he'll never be at peace.

So that is my take on that!

Monday I had to dive right into work! I had a day long meeting with Rachael and Elizabeth. We had to plan for the summer Kindermusik session which starts this coming Monday. We also planned for our demo that we held today, and our HUGE Grow and Sing Studios Birthday Bash, which is THIS Saturday! The demo today was a HUGE success. We actually took 3 more registrations right there on the spot, so our summer session is just about full. Our bash on Saturday is going to be amazing. We are expecting nearly 200 people which includes parents and children. All who have been a part of our growth and success over the last 2 years. I will MOST DEFINITELY post pictures of that!!

I didn't weigh in yesterday just to give myself a bit more time after Mom's weekend. I was actually going to go, and then Will asked me if I minded weighing in on Thurs. instead so he could go to a meeting. Who was I to say no? So.... I plan to go tomorrow. Yes, I'm a bit nervous since I did splurge.. but who knows maybe it won't be as bad as I think it is... either way, I'm going to face the music tomorrow!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I'll be back tomorrow with weigh in results!

Love, Holly

Week 14 weigh in...

Well, I'm down another 1/2 lb. A small step, but the scale is going on the right direction, so I'm happy! I went out with my sis tonight (I took her out for a belated birthday present). I had Will take a picture of me before I left.. and then also a picture at dinner. Tomorrow is packing day! It's almost time to leave for my weekend vacation! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

Happy Thursday everyone!
Love, Hol

Catching up for real!

So, catching up for real. Last week so SO busy... as I reported I weighed in and lost another pound. Very exciting. I go back today, my LAST weigh in before mom's weekend. Mom's weekend was my time line for losing most of my weight since I will be outside at a pool for most of it. I am very happy with where I am at at this point... but now I must not lose focus and get to that goal AFTER mom's weekend! So I will come up with a new time line for the rest of the weight. I know! I want to be at my ultimate goal by the time I leave for our family vacation. So by July 28th...I'll be there. Cool, thanks for listening! :)

So what else? hmm... last Wednesday we met up with Rachael (and kids), and Dori (and kids) at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate Amy's belated birthday, then it was off to Panera for lunch..yummm! Then Anna, Aiden and I had to swiftly leave for Anna's Kindergarten assessment. Apparently the teachers like to assess each new Kindergartner for their skills, etc. The teacher that talked with Anna said she did "wonderful", and Anna came out with a huge smile. According to her, they tested her on letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. She was asked to continue some sort of pattern, use a peg board, and stand on one foot! She was also asked about her family, etc. I did fill out a form to be a volunteer for her class, so we'll see if they utilize me and my musical abilities next year! :)















Thursday was fun. Both kids were in camp, so I found myself with a bit of "free time" to go shopping. My friend Kristin, who is my fashion guru met up with me and gave me lots of advice on some really cute dresses. The ones I purchased, I would NEVER have even tried on if I was by myself. I will be sure to post pictures of them when I wear them this weekend!!

Friday we went over to the school where we are negotiating more Kindermusik classes, and Saturday I did a Kindermusik birthday party, which was a lot of fun. Then Saturday night we went out with friends. Here are some pics from that!

Will and I at dinner Saturday night














At dinner, Beth, Kathy, Carol, Kristin and me!














My friend Nikki (on the right) joined us for the 2nd part of the night














Sunday we relaxed at my mom's pool, and yesterday I took the kids out and about. Which pretty much brings us to today! Okay, this is shameless, but I just couldn't resist! Look at this new picture of John Mayer (taken from perezhilton.com, so they wrote "zexy" on it). Apparently the new picture is for his promotion of the new Blackberry Curve. I guess blackberry is sponsoring his new Summer tour. Which reminds me WE ARE GOING!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!! Will and I decided to spring for really good seats in honor of our 9th wedding anniversary, and we are front and center. I can't WAIT! The concert is August 7th, which is the night after we get back from our vacation. Talk about a post vacation pick me up! It's in Tampa, so we'll have to travel a bit.. but I'm SOOOO excited! Okay, now enjoy this beautiful picture. yumm!!! ;) Hmm... do I have a little crush. Hell yeah!!!! haha!














I'll be back soon with weigh in results!

Love, Hol

It's been too long!

How did I let a whole week go by?? I just woke up, so have to get the day rolling with the kids, but just wanted to do a check in here. I plan to upload pictures tonight of the past week or so. A quick update: I've been BUSY BUSY BUSY! Lots of Kindermusik work at night, and then aside from Thursdays, the kids have been home, so it's been a bit more chaotic than usual. Last week's weigh in at Weight Watchers I lost another pound, making my loss so far 15 lbs! I weigh in again tomorrow. My next big goal is to get into the 120's. I'm not far at all now. YEY!!! I'm gearing up to go on my annual Mom's Weekend with my girlfriends this weekend, so I've been shopping for that, etc. I promise to post tonight WITH pics!

Love, Holly