Zumba

Bubbie will be 11 months in just a few short days. Twelve days to be exact. Wow how time flies. Not only does that mean he is growing waaaay too fast. It also means I have put off losing this "baby body" way too long. I hear it all the time..."You look so good." "You've lost all of the weight." Yeah, not so much! I might be at a good weight, but it definitely stuck in the wrong places. Now don't get me wrong, I would be happy with any extra amount of weight because I have the most beautiful excuse (AKA Konner), but it's got to go. What made my decision to do something about it is the warm weather approaching VERY quickly. I attempted to purchase a swim suit last week. Yeah...not such a great idea. It just made me cringe. And trying on shorts today didn't help much either. I know it could be so much worse, but when you've never had to worry about what you ate or how much you exercise, it's a little disturbing to see your body this way now. So my answer to this cry for help???

ZUMBA! I've heard about it briefly but it wasn't until recently that I looked into it. Here's a bit about Zumba...

Zumba® fuses hypnotic latin rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that will blow you away. Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exhilarating hour of caloric-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life!

The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms, and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you've got Zumba®!

So there you have it! June's Dancers offers classes 3 times a week. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Each class is an hour long. There is no set schedule or time frame as far as learning routines. You just arrive 10 minutes before your first session, sign up and VOILA! They use a punch card system which allows you to attend classes at your availability. Very convenient!

I can't wait to start!!!

It's Festival Time!

Yesterday was the official kickoff of Festival International de Louisiane. For those of you attending, we will be out there Friday night and Saturday. Hope to see you there. The weather will be perfect.

(Click to view schedule of events)

In Pictures

Chloe and Konner on Easter Sunday

Konner in Poppy's bed

Engagement Party decor

On my way home from Eunice

(It stormed the night before)

Bubbie's sick...again!

This is what my little man looked like when he woke up this morning. Swollen, red, oozing eye. Wasn't too pretty. Mitchell is with him at the doctor waiting for his allergy test. But in the mean time, he is diagnosed with two (yes two) ear infections and conjunctival eye disease in both eyes. He is to take an oral medication to clear up his ears and we have to give him drops for his eyes. As if he hasn't been through enough already. Goodness!

Lovely

After a crappy day at work, this is what I get to go home to. Two beauties.

My first hibiscus bloom of the season:



And Konner eating bananas:

Yes, he's silly. And yes, he proceeded to wave with a mouthful of nanners. lol I ♥ that kid!

What's your room style?

This seems pretty accurate. My room style is:

40% Modern Elegance
40% Contmporary
20% Hollywood Couture

Modern Elegance
Variety is the spice of life! And nowhere is this truer than in the design of your home. You may love contemporary, but wish it wasn't quite so cold and austere, or perhaps you're drawn to traditional rooms but you'd like to create a less cluttered and busy space. Transitional Style is here to marry those apparent contradicting designs.
And guess what? It's the contradictions that make the mix of contemporary and traditional so successful. The result is an elegant room that appeals to young and old alike. A sofa with modern lines blends seamlessly with a pair of traditional chairs. New fabrics work so well on antique pieces. It turns out that modern art looks even more exciting above a collection of traditional pieces. The room feels simple and sophisticated, elegant and hip.

Contemporary
So fresh and clean! Antiques? No thanks! Vintage collections and clutter of any type? Not for you! You like your space new and sleek. Each piece is chosen carefully as though it were a piece of art, and your love of minimalism is expressed throughout each room. Furniture has clean lines and geometric shapes are preferred.
You're not afraid of color — in fact, bold color options only highlight the minimal items you choose for your home. But the key is clean. To master the minimalist interior you not only have to be selective in the few furniture items you bring into the space, you must also find a way to hide all of the real-life items as well.

Hollywood Couture
"Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream?" That's right, it's time to roll out the red carpet and get ready for the sparkle of crystal and all things flashy that make up Hollywood Couture.
Glam style originated in high-end lifestyles that made up the years between the roaring 20's and the swinging 40's, where it was important to bring a feeling of glamour to the home when the world outside may have lacked it. Nowadays it's scratching a similar itch in the sense that it's bringing a sense of opulence to a world that seems to have forgotten how much fun it can be!
The great thing about the updated version of the style is how versatile it is. You can take it in any direction and add almost any style into the mix — perhaps a contemporary leather sofa paired with lacquered Louis XIV chairs that have been upholstered in lush velvet. The key is that each item feels as rich and over-the-top as possible and yet everything still seems livable. It's not a space that screams: "do not touch" - rather it almost dares you to experience its luxury.

Find out your room style at Sproost .

Mmmm Mmmm Good!

Before I get to the tasty part, I have to explain myself. One reason being that I feel I need to justify why I don't cook meals like Alice on the Brady Bunch. Another being that I like to talk. So listen...ok?

My perfect world would consist of waking up at 8:00, getting Konner dressed, playing on his blanket together, eating lunch, being crafty while he naps, cooking a delicious meal for dinner, sitting down at the table as a family to enjoy our meal, blah blah blah. Well, I don't live in a perfect world. So I have to work. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. Very stress free (If you don't take into account the bitchy woman that I work with) and laid back. Wanna know what I hate most about working? The drive to and from Broussard everyday. I could be in a great mood at 5:00 but it takes that one person going 20 miles an hour that just pisses me off. What is my point in this ranting? My point is that I don't have enough time in my day. I don't have enough time to go home, cook a meal, enjoy Konner's beautiful smile and do housework. One of my solutions...cooking the easiest meals possible. I came across this recipe for Macaroni and Cheese (one of my favorites since childhood) and it is awesome! And super easy!

Home Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Prep Time: 20 min.
Total Time: 40 min.
Makes: 5 servings, 1 cup each

Scoop up:
1 pkg. Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 cup Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided into 1/2 cup portions
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
6 Ritz Crackers, Crushed (About 1/4 cup)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Make it:

HEAT oven to 375 degrees. Prepare dinner as directed on package. Stir in 1/2 cup Cheddar, sour cream and pepper.

SPOON into greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheddar and combined cracker crumbs and butter.

BAKE 20 min. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

If you've known me for a while, you know that I love Macaroni. You will never find my cabinet without at least one box in it. I simply used the original Kraft blue box. And I love recipes that use Ritz crackers as a topping so I took it upon myself to add a couple. (I think I used 8 instead of 6) And I didn't have shredded cheddar (which I was not aware of until I got home) so I just used sliced cheese that I tore into small pieces. It was still wonderful! This is definitely a keeper!!!

Monday! Monday! Monday!

Not only is it Monday, it's also the day after Easter. Back to work after a looong weekend. We had a great time visiting with the family. We went to my grandmother's (my Mom's Mom) on Saturday. Ate lots of food and played Botchi (spelling?) ball.


Sunday was Konner's first Easter so the first thing we did was give him his basket. Of course he was more interested in the eggs and grass then the actual presents. And yes, I was smart and didn't go overboard because I knew that's exactly what would happen. After his morning nap we headed to the 'Ponderosa' first a huge feast and then made our rounds to the great-grandparents and Nana's house.


Did I mention that it's next to impossible to get a decent picture of a 10 month old that is learning to crawl??? And his new ability to clap and say 'yay' doesn't help the situation. But Oh I could just eat him up. Can't you just hear him in that last picture?!?! "Yay!"

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

What's in a name?

After a lot of contemplating, I've decided to change the title of my blog. Partially due to the fact that I am constantly coming across various blogs with the most adorable and unique names, the other reason is well, because I wanted to.

I couldn't use a name specific to a particular hobby or likeness because this is basically just a blog about me and my life. And my life is far from normal. After all, who really has a normal life? So...here it is, my new blog title:

I love my crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic, awful, beautiful life!

Just in case you are wondering, the url (link that takes you here) has not changed.

It is still http://www.monkeymansmommy.blogspot.com/.

Good Friday

It's the Friday before Easter, also know as good Friday, AKA the busiest crawfish day of the year. On my long route to work this morning I passed by Crawfish Time on Verot (as I do every morning) and could not believe how many people were waiting in line. It was 7:45 in the morning. Crazy! Hope everyone has a great Easter. Here are a few pictures from Konner opening his Easter basket from Poppy and Maw Maw:

We have a long Easter weekend ahead of us. So in my mind that translates to lots of pictures. Yay! I'll update this post with more later.

Happy Easter!

REAL SIMPLE

I'm all about using what I have. Especially in this lovely (did you catch the sarcasm?) economy that we have. REAL SIMPLE has great tips and tricks for using everyday household items for various cleaning and organizing projects around the house.

Check it out here .

I 'heart' you

My Wendy's nugget was heart shaped

Weekend update

I know it's Tuesday but for my entertainment, let's pretend it's Monday. This past weekend was awesome! After our spurt of nasty weather, we had a gorgeous weekend. Hot, but gorgeous. Our Saturday was spent at the UL Baseball game. Konner's first game.

Bubbie in his new hat

My boys

Me and Monkey ManHe was a bit tired towards the end.

We definately got a bit of sun. And I have to add that Mitchell had to be a man and refused to use sunscreen. I have visual evidence of the consequences, but I'll spare him (and you). Let's just say his description was right on. "I look like half crawfish, half loose leaf paper."

More of my weekend entertainment consisted of fabric. And lots of it! After my grandma's passing a little over a year ago, my grandpa was left with loads and loads of her sewing supplies. And he is letting us go through it. How awesome! It's like Christmas for me. There's a ton of vintage fabrics and old buttons. Drawers of sewing and embroidery thread.

And have I mentioned that I LOVE Spring!?!?!?! Sunday I started a mini herb garden and planted a few petunias.

Now let's just hope this cold weather we are having doesn't kill them. Really though...only in Louisiana will it be 80 degrees one day and 36 the next. Crazy!

2 things...

One...


...is that I decided I NEED, not want, NEED to redecorate my house. Now, I'm not talking full blown re-do. After all...we are renting. Just a few things here and there. For quite some time now (at least 5 years) my decor has consisted of black, white, red and tan with a touch of Paris. Maybe it's Spring fever, I'm not sure, but I'm in the mood to add some color. Our bathroom has to be the most unwelcoming (maybe that's a bad word to use since no bathroom is really welcoming) place in the house. It has the absolute worst layout and is just beyond outdated. Since it's just common sense not to invest money in a house you are renting, I'm trying to find "portable" ways to spruce it up. Things that can come with us when we move. One of my ideas for our bathroom is a nice floor covering rug. Something that will stretch the length of the open floor (3' x 5') and cover the hard, cold tile. Problem is, I'm indecisive. Can not make a decision for the life of me. So here are a few of my choices via Urban Outfitters:

I love love love the first one, but I'm wondering if it's a bit too girly considering that I'm a lone female in a house with two boys. The second one is equally as bright, but my issue with that one is the way it will look against our tan tile. I absolutely love the third one but it's going right back to my black and white obsession. But I'm picturing it with a bright shower curtain and colorful decorations. The third one is not really all that great, I just like the brightness and uniqueness of it. Now do you see why I have such a hard time making decision???

Second...

...I always enjoy receiving a beautiful arrangement of flowers at work. It brightens my day and makes me feel special. Who wouldn't? A while back, I was just having a tough time and I received a gorgeous "spring" bouquet from my Dad.

The clay pot was absolutely adorable and I knew I just HAD to do something with it. On a recent trip the the Dollar Tree, which actually has really cute things sometimes, I picked up a few bundles of artificial spring flowers. I recycled the floral foam that came with my bouquet, and this is what I created:

Isn't it adorable?!?! And so "springy." And it looks real. Mitchell asked when I got it. He didn't know it was aritificial. I'm so proud of my "discount" bouquet. Now my next venture is deciding what to do with the kitchen. I've got to incorporate black (my dishes) into a bright, cheerful color. I've already got a few turquoisey/blue decorations and I'm thinking about throwing yellow into the mix. Ahhh! So many decisions. :)