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

Long weekend, ahhh!

It's been a crazy four days!! The kids are out of school, and camp hasn't started yet, so we are all enjoying spending time together. Thursday I took Aiden AND Anna to My Gym, and we all had a blast. I also got a call that same day that our negotiations to add a 3rd Kindermusik location came through. Starting in the Fall, my business is going to offer 20 classes in 3 locations. Holy Moly! I never in my wildest dreams thought that we would grow so fast. But Rachael and I are very open to new and exciting opportunities, and these wonderful ones keep coming. Much more info to come... but now now that is what is going on. I had a LOT of paperwork to do to prepare for the transition of the current Kindermusik program to ours (the current teacher is moving away). But that work is done now, and it's back to my normal work load. Processing Summer camp registrations.

Thursday night my friend Kristin cooked a yummy dinner for a bunch of us and I was out until 1:30am or so....no time to blog that night. That is the same bunch of ladies I'm going on my Mom's Weekend with in 2 weeks! Yey!! I can't wait!

Friday was a big work day. Elizabeth and Rachael came over and we worked on all sorts of Grow and Sing Studios related things. The kids had a great time playing...

Yesterday we took the kids to a birthday party. It was for a now 1 year old who comes to our Kindermusik classes. The kids had so much fun! There were water games outside... here are some pics!

Today, Will braved the stores with me while I did some shopping. I've lost enough weight that I'm finally needing some new clothes. I also decided that I would try on some bathing suits. This was VERY scary for me because even at my thinnest years ago, I HATED wearing a bathing suit. But... with the fact that I don't own one suit that fits, plus that I'm going away with my friends (who will all be wearing 2 pc suits), I decided to at least try. I actually found one that I liked a lot, so I bought it. I had Will take a picture because I honestly don't see myself the way I look now, I see myself that way I looked 20 lbs heavier. It's very hard to see your thinner self when I've been overweight for so long. I am posting it here, mainly because if I can post it here, I can wear it, right? Well, we'll see....

Tomorrow we are going to Kristin's house for a Memorial Day gathering. Dori and the crew are coming too, so it should be fun.

Hope everyone is having a good long weekend! I'll be back on Tuesday with this week's weigh in results!

Love, Holly

Big questions from a little girl...and other stuff

Wow. The other night I was reading to Anna at bedtime, and after we were done, she asks, "Mommy, how did the first person in the world get born if there was nobody there to have them?" I was shocked! Not by the question, but more the fact that it was asked by a 5 year old!

Well how does anyone answer this to a 5 year old, when we really can't officially answer it ourselves?.. well all I can say is, we did our best, and I plan to find a kid version of the Old Testament to share with her, but we let her know that we really don't know for sure. We let her know that many people in the world have different theories (and then we got into the definition of theory), but there is no way to answer the question for sure. I asked her if this was something she has been thinking about for a long time, and she said that she thinks about things like this all the time. wow. Okay so...

Now for my update. The last time I posted was Saturday night, after Anna's dance recital. So, Sunday... Molly and Alan spent the morning with us, so we went to a park for a while. My mom met up with us there as well. Then we went to lunch, and after that Molly and Alan got on the road back to Plantation. We decided to take the kids to see Shrek 3. It was cute!

Monday, swim lessons, kindermusik work, but NO dance class to rush off to. At least not for the Summer.

Tuesday Anna's VPK class had their last "hurrah" at a park. Here's a picture as we were walking to the park. I didn't ask them to hold hands...they did that on their own. I simply slowed down to get this pic.

Then I had my weekly Weight Watchers weigh in! It went VERY well. I lost another 1.8 lbs, for a total of 14 lbs! When you join or return to weight watchers, they ask you to focus on losing 10% of your body weight first because research shows that if you lose that much, you receive many health benefits. Well, I did it!!! I reach my 10% this week!! It was VERY exciting to be there again, and only 5 lbs away from my goal.

Today after the kids had swim lessons, I took them over to the mall to stroll around. I'm in desperate need of clothes, so I wandered into Express. For the last 5 years, Express was NOT a store I would easily go into. Everything always runs small to me. But I did it. AND... for the first time in 5 years I bought shorts. Not cargo, or bermuda's. No, SHORTS, that show my LEGS. It was a pretty hard leap for me, because I have been "hiding" my legs for so long... I also fit into a size I haven't been in since before I was pregnant with Anna. So that is exciting too. Since my friends aren't going to believe me that I actually bought these, here's some proof! :)

Anna was very proud of a drawing she did on her chalkboard. It's a picture of her and Miss Simone during Swim Lessons.

I'm definitely enjoying the relaxed week. Tomorrow I'm taking Aiden to a makeup My Gym class since we missed on Tuesday due to the VPK park day. Then I have a Mom's Night Out. Yey!!!

Nighty night!!!

Love, Holly

GO Anna GO!

We just put Anna to sleep, after such a big weekend, and after reading her a chapter from a Junie B. Jones book, and peacefully tucking her into bed...something happened. Something that TOTALLY reminded me of ME. Anna started to cry, and we just thought she was tired from the craziness of the weekend. But then she said, "I don't want my special day to end...it was the best day ever!". AWWW!!! I used to do that at the end of vacations as a child. So much build up to the excitement, then it happens and then POOF, it's over. But I explained to Anna that if things didn't end, other wonderful things couldn't begin! Poor thing, she's so tired, and just letting all her emotions out now.

So with that as my introduction, here is an account of the past two days!

Friday was a normal day in the morning, she had school. Then she came home, and relaxed while Molly and Alan arrived. We got ready to go to her Pre-K graduation. While we waited in the crowd for Anna to enter, the school projected a slide show with pictures of the VPK class that were taken throughout the year. SO cute! Anna's fan club and cheering section included Me, Will, Aiden, my mom, Jerry, Molly, Alan, Dori, Kayla and Brandon.

They dressed the kids in caps and gowns, and they came marching in to Pomp & Circumstance. So cute!!! We were all asked to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I had NO idea that Anna even knew the pledge. They sang a bunch of songs, including "I believe I can fly". They they each were called to receive their diplomas, and the head of the school moved their tassels over. The biggest cheerer of all in the crowd was Aiden...who couldn't resist clapping for everyone and yelling "yeah yeah!" at any chance he had! Then the kids passed a microphone to each other. It was evident that they had been practicing for this moment. They were supposed to say their name, and what they want to be when they grow up. Anna said, "My name is Anna Lesnick, and when I grow up I want to be a VET." Anna said this with confidence and poise, and we were SOOOOOO proud of her!!!!!! The kids were given parting gifts a plenty, sang a goodbye song... and that was it! I still can't believe she is headed to Kindergarten in just a few short months. Wow, just where does the time go???

After the graduation, we had to rush Anna over to her dance recital rehearsal. Since she missed the actual rehearsal because she was at the graduation, they just got her up on stage to show her where her color was, so she would know where to stand, and that was it! Then were were off to Applebees for dinner. She just impressed us so much at the graduation. She was so funny, kept on waving at all of us and smiling that beaming smile of hers!! Okay, now for the pictures from Friday:

There's our little graduate!


Getting her diploma

Giving hugs to cousin Kayla


Family picture


Anna with Miss Nancy


Today was Saturday, recital day!
Anna was SO excited when she woke up this morning. We encouraged her to relax and conserve her energy for the big show. We got her dressed, did a quick run through of the dance and off we went! Promptly at 1:30pm, Will and I brought her to the stage door. She posed for a few pictures with her friends, gave us both hugs and then said, "I'm ready to dance.", she turned around and off she went! Will and I just looked at each other like "what happened to our shy reserved child?". We were so proud of her and we were so happy she was excited! Thankfully we didn't have to wait long for her number as she was the 3rd group to dance. All I can say is, it doesn't get cuter than that!!! She did an amazing job and definitely knew her stuff. At intermission she was given an award for participation, and we all gave her gifts.

We asked Anna a few days ago where she wanted to go to eat after her recital to commemorate both occasions, and she picked Too-Jays. She likes their chicken fingers and black & white cookies. So after she got changed, off we went! Anna was SO excited, and kept calling today her special day. Anna and Kayla couldn't stop gabbing and laughing, as Aiden took a snooze through most of the meal (which was nice for Will and I!). After that we strolled a bit and went home.

Which of course brings me to where I began....with Anna crying that her "best day" was over. However, we are going to remedy that by taking the kids to see Shrek 3 tomorrow after Molly and Alan leave. I think she will like that.

So.... if you've made it this far, then you deserve to see some pictures!!!!

Doing some last minute primping...

Anna and some of her dance friends


Opening gifts at intermission






Grandpa wearing Anna's bumblebee hat.




At Toojays

Everyone have a GREAT Sunday!

Love, Holly