sibling l♥ve

as a photography nut & someone who has always documented her life via photographs it has been a major adjustment for me when my son's entered their teenage years & suddenly became defiant about photos. i might get them -- but it is never without protest & sometimes a squabble ending with me yelling something to the effect of...
*all i want is one freakin' family photo -- now stand there & look happy for shit's sake!*
(seriously that was the dialogue from thanksgiving)

photos = pure torture to teenage guys.
who knew?

so imagine my surprise when my oldest son hunter, age 17, willing posed & smiled for the following pics?!?!
only one person on this planet can make his stubborn 17 year old know-it-all ass smile like this -- his little sister skylar!

seriously; she has us all wrapped & is more times than not she is the bond that keeps us all from going mental on one another.
i am so glad she has brothers who truly adore her...




who could ever resist this face -- even if she is my *crazy daisy* more times than not?!?!?!

♥cyn♥

thanksgiving 2011

happiest thanksgiving!
our day was perfect!

started the day off by walking the thankful healthy blogger 5k with my son peyton.
it was a fun & a great event created & hosted by anissa @ a journey to thin.
so a special super-duper thanks to her!
the rest of the day was spent in the company of my most favorite peeps on the planet -- my wonderous (yet crazy) family!














i hope your day rocked & was filled with love, blessings, family, & some wine!

♥cyn♥

autumn sky...

fall is upon us...
barely a leaf in the surrounding trees & definitely sweatshirt weather.

soft kitty

because so many of you & your families -- especially katherine & her adorable babies over at irish italian blessings -- are under the weather with the nasty flu going around -- a little something from my 2 year old daughter, skylar.
sorry for the poor lighting -- it was bedtime!



xxoo
cyn & skylar

ShOwInG oFF...

yes -- i totally realize that i have pretty much left my mama blog (that would be this one) in the dust in lieu of writing in my misadventures of a chunky goddess blog.
and i do feel bad about that because this blog is about my family whereas the other is solely about me...
but i need to be a wee bit selfish nowadays & am really focusing on getting fit.
BUT...
i will be posting tidbits here -- mostly photos & family updates.
if ya want the real dirt on life & all it encompasses -- gotta read the other blog.

but enough of that...
let's get to the showing off!
about to head out for a walk -- was a bit brisk that morning!
just miss sky being her adorable little self!
some new bedding -- she still l♥ves yo gabba gabba! has it made her sleep in her bed any better -- ummm no!
we hung out this past sunday @ my bestie's house & this is skylar & her daughter who is just 6 months older. i look @ them & instantly see angela & myself -- so odd; yet amazingly cool!
guitar hero playoff & hangin' out!
♥♥♥

happy hump day luvies!
♥cyn♥

HoLLa: Update on Life vol. 7

just sharing some photos from the week…
we have had the strangest weather here in new england…
snow one week, 70 degree weather the next, and always a rain shower in between…








i also finished jillian michaels 30 day shred on tuesday. i did it for 30 days consequetively with no days off & upped my level every 10 days. it was indeed a challenge but has really changed my entire outlook on my weight loss journey.
i only lost about 4.4 lbs in the 30 days but i lost 13.5 inches all over so i am highly impressed with that!
i started ripped in 30 on wednesday & am fully committed to daily movement/exercise.

i saw the new therapist – liked her a lot & she encouraged me to give the other gal a shot.
okay okay…
she thinks i am on the right meds & that i am not bi-polar (coulda told ya that) & that i probably had post-partum after skylar that escalated into a full blow depression for two+ long torturous years.
obviously i have had bouts of depression – or funks as i always called them – but nothing like this past one. i just couldn’t dig myself out; hence why i sought help.
so i am staying on the same meds & i will flip-flop between the two therapists every other week. i am willing to see how it works out & am still keeping an open mind.

i feel better both mentally & physically than i have since my early 30s & that makes me a wee bit sad to admit – but it’s true.
if i have learned one thing from this it is this – do not doubt yourself; if you don’t feel *right* get help. once you dig yourself out & things become so clear you will realize that you were right all along & wasted too much time trying to tell yourself that you will feel better tomorrow.
depression sucks but it can be helped!

and there ya have it dear bloggy peeps!
♥cyn♥

wanna know more about my weight loss journey, weight watchers, 30 day shred, and/or my quest to complete jillian michaels ripped in 30?
check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

HoLLa: Update on Life vol.9

happy saturday all!

can i tell you how freakin’ glad i am that this past week is over?
seriously – i am so obviously not ready for the hustle & bustle of the *holiday season* because one week of two b-day parties, a dinner party, halloween, & pms nearly took me out.
sigh

but it’s a new week & i woke up with the ability to breathe outta both nostrils (praise be!) – so life is def lookin’ up!

so what’s new?
well i think i covered the major happenings with my bajillion of photos i posted throughout the week. although i did spare ya’ll on dumb supper photos – which was great!
(me on the way – testing out camera settings on myself – heh)
and to fill ya in – dumb supper is a dinner eaten in silence where you reverse the courses (dessert first, main course, then salad) in honor of your ancestors & those who have passed. it is held in the evening of the day of the dead (or all saints day – depending on your beliefs) when the veil between the living & the dead is at its thinnest.
(a fun spooky photo of us @ dinner – see the plates full of food – those are our offerings of food for our ancestors & those who have passed – you take a little bit from your plate for each course for the ancestor plate.)
we also had a séance after dinner which is always fun – if you’re into that sort of thing – which i so am!
we had some interesting voices come through via the ghost box & i got some amazing orb photos.

moving along…
i am still kickin’ it on the jillian michaels 30 day shred – can ya believe that today is day 27 & this coming tuesday i will be done (with this part at least) ??? it blows my mind how fast this all went – and fyi – this workout kicks ass & truly works!
(yup – me showing off my mini-muscle! may not look like much but it is more muscle than this chick has ever had & i am pretty stinkin’ proud of the definition!)

i didn’t lose this week on w8 watchers – but i didn’t gain either – so i consider that super success after the food-a-palooza that happened last week. seriously, i think i ate non-stop from saturday – wednesday!
tsk! tsk!

i have my prescrition evaluation on tuesday – yay (insert extreme sarcasm). i am tryin not to be a debbie downer about it all but it still pisses me right the fuck off. but maybe this experience will be different than the last? who knows? hence why i am tryin to be positive…

well folks… that’s all I got!
happy saturday & lotsa bloggy love! so happy to see some of my faves back to bloggin!!!

♥cyn♥

wanna know more about my weight loss journey, weight watchers, and/or my quest to complete jillian michaels 30 day shred?
check out my diet blog -- misadventures of a chunky goddess.

hunter's 17th birfday...

yesterday my oldest kiddo, hunter, turned 17.
seriously, i cannot wrap my head around the fact that he is 17 already!
wowzers!
seems like yesterday that he was skylar's age... and that is NO exaggeration!
but like all mama's -- no matter how old he gets; he will always be my baby!

*sighhhhhhh*

happiest birthday to my son hunter -- you may drive me completely insane with your insistant belief that you know it all -- but you are a wonderful human being with a heart of gold who has so much to offer this world! you make me proud every single day & i l♥ve you!