On the way to getting fit

Well we have officially joined the Community Center/gym and we are all excited about it. One part that I am most looking forward to is getting William to socialize. They offer free babysitting (up to 2 hours) for exercising parents (you must stay on the campus) and we are hoping he will learn to be nicer to people. He is used to being around mom all day so he is very shy towards strangers. Actually he gets a little bonkers when people approach him. We plan to introduce him to the big room and slowly get to the point that we leave him in there. We are hopeful this might inadvertently spark his speech. He shows he really wants to speak but can't quite get the words out. I sure hope this works!! Wish us luck! Now I have to run out and get some workout attire... can't wait to ditch the extra fluff :)

This bread is so Yummy!

I was walking up my front steps last week to find a package sitting at my front door. It was from my cousin Sabina, from Miami. I was not expecting anything so it was a surprise. I opened the box and found some random items including a homemade fruitcake (You haven't had real fruitcake until you have experienced Guyanese style). Another item was this loaf of bread.

I am sure you are thinking "did she say a loaf of bread?" This is not just any loaf of bread, it is Yummy Hardough bread! I have not eaten it since I moved from Miami over 14 years ago. Every West Indian home has it as a staple in their kitchen. We used to call it "hardo bread" as kids. This bread has a special texture that is very smooth, dense and light all at the same time. It has a subtle sweetness that is irresistible. I was happy to get to introduce it to the girls and they loved it just like I thought they would. Out of all the things I have received recently this was the highlight and most appreciated of all! Hey, I'm simple :)

What ever happened to bar soap?

My father-in-law sent me shopping the other day for bar soap. His one request is he did not want common, everyday Irish Spring or Lever 2000 (aka Man Soap as Dwayne calls it). The FIL prefers his soap to come from Bath & Bodyworks or a boutique type shoppe. He used to buy his soap through Avon and they discontinued it about 2 years ago. I went to Bath & Bodyworks and they only had the "high dollar" variety and they too discontinued the glycerin soaps bars. I searched a few more stores and it was the same story. No bar soap. I finally found some at World Market. I did not realize that specialty soap would be that hard to find! I think we will stick with the normal, affordable and easy-to-find stuff in our home! Personally I think bodywash is way better.

Back to business already?

I have really been down for the past couple days thinking about the fact that the girls will return to school and Dwayne goes back to the office on Monday. All of the days of getting some extra sleep, laughing at foolishness and making loads of trips to our favorite stores will be dwindling down. Back to reality, back to business. I enjoyed having the kids home even though they make me over-eat. I have to get back on the ball and get the Mom taxi ready for carpool and other places the kids need to go. I am also eager to get back into my Shelly stuff and I need to get in the practice of writing 2010. I hope everyone is enjoying the last little bit of the break before it's back to business as usual!

So it's 2010

A whole new year, wow. I guess the older you get time really does fly. My daughters still say that they think time goes by so "long". I tell them just wait when they get married, have kids and bills. Time will go super fast then! There are so many things to look forward to and accomplish in the new year. Our family has decided that 2010 will be a year of conserving on many levels. We just don't know when rainy days and storms will hit so we are taking measures to be well prepared as much as we can. We have some goals and house projects we will work on and plan to get them done this year. One thing we did decide as a family is that we will be joining our local Jewish Community Center (you don't actually have to be Jewish to join). It's a beautiful facility with state-of-the-art gym equipment, track, indoor heated pool, free babysitting and a variety of amenities that are perfect for families. The sweet part of it is that it is only a 2 minute drive from our house! We are looking forward to getting in some much needed fitness time and plan to do so as a family. Here's to good health and happiness for all!!

Momfiles year in review 2009

I decided to write this post in list form and there is no order, just random:

• We have made so many amazing friends along with getting to know the existing ones better that we met through the blog world. I love my blog pals :)
• We completed a full year of Vent Day Wednesday and we are still debating if we will continue in 2010. We may consider doing a segment once or twice a month.
• We have gained new followers and new loyal readers.
• We have another year documented through the blog of the kids' accomplishments and other fun stuff.
• We are so happy that more of the people we know personally have been enjoying their daily dose of Momfiles.
• I have made so many new friends through Facebook that came from the blog.
  
• We have been pretty happy with all of our sponsors and PR peeps that have been so generous.
  
• Our family has grown and learned whole lot this year.
• 2009 has been the best year ever for us and we are excited about what's to come in 2010.
  
  HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! We wish you all good health and happiness :)