September 25, 2013 at 09:26AM
A Tweet: Gabriel: I don’t want to have a job when I’m older. Robyn: Why not? Gabriel: because I want to stay home with my kids when I’m married
Reply
Author Archives: Don
Heading off to Vacation!
Looking forward to a few days of vacation with my family!
Still Going!
My weight loss since changing my diet to slow/low-carb/Paleo style of eating
Ahh, summer!
Two beauties at the cookout
It’s been a busy week for us. Last weekend, we traveled to Massachusetts for Crystal and Paul’s annual cookout. We left on Saturday morning and arrived at our hotel in Auburn around 1 PM. After dropping off our stuff, we headed over to their house. The kids wanted to go right into the pool so they were definitely busy. We all ate plenty and enjoyed the company of my cousins. As the day passed Chloe started to feel ill. This was probably due to the all the water she swallowed while swimming. So, she sat and played on my phone for a bit while Gabriel and I played badminton and chatted with family. After the majority of family left we sat in the screened-in tent and listened to music with the Clarksons and the Crossmans. I had a few beers and we had a great time just being silly while the kids played inside (the mosquitoes were crazy-bad!). We returned to our hotel (Robyn drove!) around 11:30 and all promptly fell asleep.
The next day, we planned to visit Vinny and John in Malden but we actually had some time to kill after eating breakfast and packing our stuff up so we stopped by Deb and Bruce’s place for a bit. It was a quick visit but it’s always nice to catch up and see everyone.
Then it was off to Vinny and John’s. Chloe was so wiped out that she slept for most of the 75 minute ride. Once we got there, the kids were enthralled by their three dachshunds and John’s vast array of electronic gadgets while we caught up and chatted. After some snacks and a late lunch/early dinner and dessert, it was time to hop back in the car for the long ride home. Since we had an extra hour of travel back from the Boston area, we didn’t pull into the driveway until about 11 PM. Robyn and I got the kids to bed and unpacked our stuff. I had work the next day and the kids had their swim lessons in the morning so we hit the sack ourselves.
Monday turned out to be a beautiful dry and seasonably cool day so I figured it would be a good night to set up the tent and camp out in our back yard. After work, I pulled out the sleeping bags, extra pillows, comforter and blankets and my new sleeping pad and put the tent together with help from Chloe and Gabriel. They were super excited since we had so much fun last year. Robyn wasn’t going to be staying in the tent and she had some errands to run so the three of us went out to the tent right after dinner and stayed there as the sun set and the night grew darker. We must have played 20 rounds of 20 Questions. Robyn eventually came back with some snacks and dropped them off to us. As I had expected, it was a beautiful cool night with bright stars visible through the ceiling flap. Chloe and Gabriel crawled into their sleeping backs and I covered up in mine. Listening to the chorus of cicadas made us tired and we were all asleep by 10:30 and didn’t wake up until almost 8 o’clock the next morning.
Ready for some outdoor sleeping!
After a day of work, Wednesday looked like it was going to be a light workload and a good day to head to the beach for some fun. I worked until noon and we got ourselves ready to go after lunch. After getting to Point Pleasant around 3, it was obvious that the cool weather wasn’t keeping anyone away because all the parking lots were full. We managed to find one a little out of the way and then had to fight with the municipal parking machine to make it work. The kids love most of the rides but it was sad to see Chloe not want to go on any of the “baby rides” anymore. Gabriel could not have cared less and enjoyed the ones he’s always loved in the past while Chloe went with me on The Moby Dick and the “big” roller coaster twice! We always have fun at Jenkinson’s boardwalk and the weather was perfect – slightly overcast with a nice breeze from the ocean.
After dinner we played some more games and walked down to the water for a bit.
After knocking the sand out of our shoes we took a long walk down to the northern end of the Point Pleasant boardwalk. Sometimes we focus so much on the games and rides that we forget where we are. That stroll reminded me of all the things I like about the beach. Now that we had burned off some calories, it was time for the end of the night ice cream. The kids wanted to get into their pajamas for the ride home so they changed in the back of the CR-V and we were off!
What a beautiful few days it’s been!
That Went Quick!
It’s really hard to believe that it’s already been a full school year for the kids. They’ve really grown in so many ways since September. They’ve learned a lot although the big changes have mostly been social, I think. Chloe has developed close friendships with some of her classmates and grown closer to her friends in the neighborhood. Her new obsession is talking on the phone and via messaging with them. She loves to communicate!
Chloe’s last day of kindergarten
Gabriel’s last day of kindergarten
Gabriel has definitely found his own “voice” independent from his sister and made his own friends even though they’ve been in the same classroom.
When talking to them before bed last evening, both kids asked if they have to be in the same class in first grade. They’re definitely craving their separation and hopefully the school can accommodate this next year.
When we asked Chloe how her last day of school was, she said her eyes got teary when she said goodbye to her teacher because she’s going to miss her so much. I hope Ms. Barrett enjoyed our kids as much as they liked having her this year because she’s retiring after this academic year.
Now it’s time for summer!
A New Low
I’m down a total of about 17 pounds since April. Although I see changes on the scale, I think I see more changes in my measurements and overall size. I’ve been hearing a lot of compliments and when I look at myself in photos I can definitely see a difference.
I’ve been dealing with some uncomfortable nausea and bloating over the last week or so that’s had me a little worried. The most annoying part is that I feel good all day and then start to feel ill after dinner. Some Google searches lead me to think about gallbladder issues…. Apparently, it’s not uncommon to start seeing problems due to the move from a low-fat to a much higher fat diet. I cut out some of the heavy fats like almonds and peanut butter last night and that seemed to help. So, I’ll continue that for a few days to see if things stay good. Then, per the article, maybe I’ll pick up some digestive enzymes.
Father’s Day Weekend
This past weekend was Father’s Day and what a nice weekend it was. Alise has been secretly working for months with Marc and Jodi to plan a surprise 70th birthday party for Harvey. The party was Saturday and was held at The Grand Chalet (where Robyn and I had our wedding and reception). Being that we didn’t tell our kids anything about it until late on Friday, it was a complete success.
Yup, he was surprised!
It wasn’t a huge turnout but it’s always nice to get together with family and meet others as well. All the kids had a great time playing together and the food was delicious. We got home late in the afternoon and went for a walk since the weather was beautiful. We made the rounds of the neighbors’ houses to say hello and then stopped at the Thompsons’ house to chat for a bit while Chloe and Gabriel played with Leanna. There is something magical about that “golden hour” just before the sun sets.
On Sunday, after Robyn and the kids let me sleep in until 10:30, I opened my Father’s Day cards and presents and the kids made me a cup of coffee. So nice! Around noon we went to Alise and Harvery’s apartment to have brunch with Jay, Patty, Douglas, Hanna, Marc, Jodi, Wendy and Ilyssa. As usual, there was way too much food but I haven’t had a bagel in well over a month so I splurged and enjoyed the tuna and egg salad along with cookies and cake and all that good stuff. Harvey’s son and daughter-in-law are very nice and we all get along well so it was a good time.
On our way home, we stopped at Garrett Mountain for a quick look at the scenery.
Although it looks very cloudy in the photo above, the weather cleared up and the four of us went for another walk when we got home. This time, we made a big loop around the neighborhood and ended up at the Sandages’ for a while. It’s so nice to have friends in the immediate vicinity! Then it was off to Applebee’s for dinner.
All in all, it was an awesome weekend!
Down 13!
I’ve lost about 13 pounds since April 2, 2013. That’s pretty good and definitely the most weight loss progress I’ve made in quite some time. Of course, I’m working hard to stay on my diet. I’ve been busy with a project at work and it’s been unusually cold for April so I haven’t been able to get to the gym or out for a run as often as I would like. I guess it’s true that exercise alone will not help you lose weight.
Slow Carbs
This has been my breakfast for the last week or so.
After hearing about it a few weeks ago on Jay Mohr’s podcast, I’ve been doing research on the “4 Hour Body Diet” or “slow carb” diet” which is a low glycemic index diet that is related to other low carb/paleo style diets. The point that really made the whole plan sound do-able was the single day off where you are allowed to eat anything. The hardest part, for me, of any of the low-carb diets is the idea that I can’t ever have high carbohydrate foods. I can’t imagine never eating another bagel or pancakes for breakfast and I think, for most people this is totally unrealistic. Giving ourselves a single, schedule day off just makes sense to me.
So, I started eating this way on Monday, April 8th. The overall plan has been easy to stick to and I’m seeing some results on the scale that will hopefully continue over the next few weeks.
Flying down the slide!
I love this shot of Chloe going down the slide at Modick Park in Hopatcong. It’s quite a steep slide and her hair is flying out behind her while her face shows how surprised she was. It had been a while since we were at the park so I guess she forgot about how fast it was.