Cars, Trains, and Santa . . . OH MY!

After what seemed like months of waiting, Christmas finally arrived! (No, seriously--the Christmas build-up seems to start earlier each year, making the arrival of the big day seem to take FOREVER!  Am I the only one who feels this way?)  Anyways, we were excited to welcome my parents to town to celebrate this year, and MJ was stoked. . .

"Okay, Papaw, when you get here, first we're going to play with tractors, then we're going to build with Legos, then we'll read a few books, then we'll take a walk to the park, then we'll . . . "

My mom always brings the most amazing goodies with her when she visits, and she did not disappoint this year.  Not only were there lots of sweets, but also her homemade rolls, which MJ was all too happy to sample.

Mamaw and Papaw also brought non-Christmas gifts, including this rocking horse I bought for my nephew Gabe when he was two.  He's obviously out-grown it and sent it with Mamaw and Papaw for MJ to have.  As you can see, he was pretty happy about it.

Unfortunately, Jonathan had to work late on Christmas Eve and, therefore, slept in a bit on Christmas morning, but he didn't want to miss MJ's opening his presents from Santa.  Santa, luckily, stopped at our house last (around 9:00AM) and dropped off MJ's gifts while he was distracted in the kitchen.  Tricky old St. Nick. :)

This car was the BEST. PRESENT. EVER.

Little man climbed in and knew just what to do.  He was turning the steering wheel, honking the horn, turning on his blinkers, and changing the radio station simultaneously.  I swear I don't know where he learned it.  I certainly don't drive that way. :)

He got out of the car just long enough to grab his new box of tools and bring them back in with him.

The only thing that would possibly get him out of the car?  Thomas the Tank Engine toys!

And a John Deere tractor, of course. :)

After the excitement of presents, we went outside to take the car for a spin.  So lucky we live in Las Vegas and that it was in the 50s on Christmas Day. :)

The next day, we took my parents out to see some of the sights around Vegas.  But, if you know my parents at all, you know they are NOT big city people, so we decided it was best to head out of the city . . . so we went to the Hoover Dam instead.  We had taken MJ down here when he was about a month old, and he was not impressed by seeing it again. 

We let my parents go on a tour of the dam while we waited outside.  Not only are children under the age of 8 not allowed on the tours (unless they are a month old like MJ was), the tour had made me super claustrophobic and I was NOT in any hurry to do it again.  Instead, we let MJ try and climb up the rocks in Boulder Canyon. :)

Daddy had to help.

"Dad, let go.  I got this."

After the excitement was all over and the grandparents had left, it was hard to get MJ back into his normal routine.  However, new comfy new PJ's and a few new Thomas books, and he was ready to sleep for the first time in days.

Merry Christmas, everyone!  Hope your holiday was blessed!

52-Week Challenge: Week Fifty-Two

This is it.  The final challenge of my year-long adventure.  And boy, is it a doozy.  I'll try to keep my personal opinions to a minimum on this one . . .

The challenge this week is to cultivate your own personal form of spirituality.

It's hard for me to post on something as generic (in my opinion) as the rise of this concept of "spirituality."  So, instead, I'll just let science do the talking.  "Spirituality" has been shown to have tremendous health benefits.  It strengthens the immune system and reduces stress, resulting in slowed heart rate, as well as lowered blood pressure and stress hormone levels.

In order to keep off my tangent, I'm simply going to encourage you, if you don't have one already, to explore different religions and see which one fits you.  As a Christian, I obviously have a very strong preference, but I'd much rather see you exploring any and all religions than simply saying you are "spiritual" without having any real understanding about ANY religion.  To me, saying you are "spiritual" is a cop-out for really saying that, while you believe in God, you choose not to go any deeper and, therefore, are not bound by any moral code except your own.

Okay.  Tangent off.  Good luck!

Christmas Lights and NASCAR Racing . . . And Not At A Trailer Park

My family has been in much need of some holiday cheer.  We've all been battling illnesses since before Thanksgiving.  And, just when we think we're in the clear, something new hits.  This past week has been especially icky, with Matty's fever hitting 102 and Jonathan even losing his voice from coughing so much.  I'd managed to dodge the worst of it this time . . . until yesterday, when I woke up coughing and rasping.  

Bluh.

But, watching everyone mope around the house, snotting on everything and coughing everywhere, I decided that the best thing we could do was get out of the house.  Preferably to somewhere where we wouldn't spread our germs all around.  Enter the Glittering Lights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway:  a 2.5 mile drive through over 1 million twinkling lights and more than 400 glittering displays.  The perfect way to experience a little Christmas cheer without every even leaving the car (and, in our case, getting out of our sweatpants).  What's even better?  It was a Monday evening, which meant no crowds and $5 off admission. :)

So we loaded up everyone in the car and headed across town (and I do mean everyone--we even took Oskar). :)

Here's a look at just a few of the displays.

Driving through the bottom of the grandstands around the track, the exact same place where I ran Color Me Rad just a few weeks ago. :)

Each display was sponsored by a local business in the community.  This one was one of my absolute favorites, sponsored by the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.  It had shark fins that slowly lit up as if a shark was coming towards you and then--BAM!--this display lit up right in front of you.  LOVE IT!

Matthew's favorite display?  A train, of course.

North Pole Fire Department. :)

Entrance to another grandstand tunnel . . .

They even had a nativity scene.  I was very (pleasantly) surprised.

And what's a Las Vegas Christmas lights display without a tribute to the King?  Viva Las Vegas, Mr. Elvis . . . Viva Las Vegas.

All Jonathan wanted to do was veer off-course and drive around the track.  This is a as close as he got to some NASCAR action.

My favorite part.  Beautiful!

The Butterfly Garden.

See ya soon, Santa!

They gave out candy and lots of little goodies along the way, including this shark fin "crown" from the Shark Reef.  MJ thought it was funny. :)

Not only is the entire display beautiful and a great way to get in the spirit, $2 from every ticket goes directly to the Speedway Children's Charity, which provides funding for hundreds of Southern Nevada children's charities.  These charities help provide educational support, food, and even things like coats and shoes.  Merry Christmas, indeed. :)

Now if only we could kick these germs to the curb . . .

52-Week Challenge: Week Fifty-One

Diets don't work.  Period.

Depriving yourself of things that you really enjoy (which, for me, is eating) isn't sustainable long-term.  Life is meant to be enjoyed and, while eating healthy is important, there are times when it's appropriate to indulge.  When you don't let yourself enjoy the things you love, you end up craving them more (and this is where most binge eating occurs).  This is where moderation comes into play.

The challenge this week is to allow yourself to indulge in the foods you love one day per week.

The best way to approach this challenge is to see it as an attempt to eat healthy for six days a week and then splurge on the 7th.  In other words, all those little things you deny yourself during the week?  Go ahead and have a bit on the 7th day.

"A bit" are the key words.  That doesn't mean eating an entire pizza, ordering McDonald's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or polishing off a bag of cookies.  It means having a few slices of pizza, or McDonald's for lunch, or eating a few cookies, i.e things you wouldn't normally do during your week of healthy eating.

View your 7th day as a day off.  Relax a little.  Indulge a little.  Hopefully, by this point in your year, you've made enough positive changes (such as healthy eating and regular exercising) that one day a week of slacking won't make much difference. :)

52-Week Challenge: Week Fifty

Everyone wants it:  that sun-kissed "glow."  Pale is ugly, but bronzed is beautiful.  But no matter what color your skin turns after being in the sun---red, pink, bronze, or tan--it all means the same thing:  your skin is damaged.  I'm still not quite sure why damaged skin is sexy.

Now, I'll admit:  I fell victim to the tanning craze in my wild, crazy youth.  I visited the tanning bed at least three times a week after school and spent my weekends laying out, wanting nothing more than that "sun-kissed" look.  I don't know why it never occurred me.  I used to judge people for smoking, complaining that I didn't understand why people would do something that has been proven to cause cancer.

Boy, wasn't I the pot calling the kettle black?

But, honestly, it took moving to the desert for me to become a sun-screen addict.  In Las Vegas, you can literally feel your skin baking when you walk out the door.  I don't leave home with slathering myself and my child with sun-screen (I'm still working on my husband).

And that's this week's challenge:  wear sunscreen.

Seems easy enough, right?  So why do so few people do it?  You got me.  But if you still think damaged skin is sexy, consider this:

Over the past 31 years, more people have had skin cancer than ALL OTHER CANCERS COMBINED.  In fact, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime.

So . . . . just wear the sunscreen, okay?

Santa Sucks

It's the time of year again:  time to visit Santa.  I knew it would be iffy this year, as Matty is old enough to now be afraid of strangers.  BUT, I decided it couldn't be any worse than last year when he spit up on poor St. Nick.  So, with Daddy in tow, we headed down to Bass Pro Shop again to visit Santa's Winter Wonderland.

Santa's workshop was set up right next to the boats, dirtbikes, and four-wheelers.  My "all-boy" little boy was in HEAVEN as we explored the "trucks" while Daddy held our place in line.

WHEELS!

He knew just what sound to make here too (Insert cute little boy truck noises for full sound effect).

Not only were there all kinds of things that went "brrrrrr," there were FISH!  Huge, fascinating, fish in a ginormous tank with a real-live waterfall.  

So you can only imagine what happened when we ripped him away from all the cool stuff and forced him to sit on some bearded stranger's lap?  Yep.  Total meltdown.  The picture was taken after the first meltdown, when we tried to distract him with a candy cane, but before the second meltdown.  *Sigh*  At least Santa is smiling this year.

Once we got him away from Santa and back to the fun stuff, he was completely fine.  Although being completely sticky and on a sugar high (seen below) wasn't too much fun for Mommy and Daddy.

Ah, well.  Santa's a pretty forgiving guy, right?  I'm sure he's used to meltdowns and sticky fingers. :)

52-Week Challenge: Week Forty-Nine

The challenge this week is to be a smarter shopper.  And no, I don't mean becoming an extreme couponer.  I mean actively paying attention to what you put into your cart because, ultimately, it ends up in your mouth.  By now, you've all hopefully made some positive changes in your eating habits.  Changing how you shop will help you maintain these habits.  Here are a few tips:

1.  Plan your weekly menu.
2.  Make a list from this menu. (This will help you avoid roaming the store and impulse buying, saving you money AND calories).
3.  Leave your appetite at home.  DON'T shop hungry!

That's it.  As long as you are planning healthy meals and snacks at home, all it takes is STICKING TO YOUR LIST to make a trip to the grocery store as easy as pie.  Don't give into temptation!