tv, tv, tv {the return of top 10 Tuesday}

Oh boy.  I think I've come to a realization.  And its a bit scary.  {well, at least for me}

I think I have to give up watching t.v.

What?  What was that you just said Jenny?

I need to give up watching t.v.

It wastes my time.  I could be writing, reading, exercising.  All things that will "add" to my life {so to speak}, instead of just wasting time.

So, what better thing to do as I consider this change than to talk about my top 10 favorite television shows of all time.  Maybe that will help me decide?

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10. Awards shows. {or maybe its just the red carpet} But they seem to have been boring lately...and I haven't been able to watch them for the last two years either.  This being the reason this is #10.

9.  Gilmore Girls. Never watched this when it was on the air, but got caught up later.  Love Lauren Graham.  Probably part of the reason for #1 on the list too.

8. Rules of Engagement, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother.  Best comedies right now...they are all still on the air, right? I KNOW HIMYM is since we haven't met the mother, and pretty sure about Big Bang Theory too...but Rules of Engagement?  Oh, and The New Girl should probably be added to this list.

7. Guiliana & Bill.  Has become the only reality t.v. show I seek out. They seem down to earth (please don't shatter that image if you've met them and they aren't), and they have an uplifting, inspiring story. 

6.  The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice.  Just good stuff.  Drama, at its best.

5.  Ed.   Before Julie Bowen made us laugh me on Modern Family, she was on Ed (and in Happy Gilmore...but this post is about t.v.).  And Tom Cavanaugh.  Cutie.

4.  Las Vegas.  I own just about every season {if not every season}.  And I'm still bitter about the ending. 

3.  Ugly Betty.  I rarely watched this when it ran on the air the first time, but I've fallen in love via reruns.  Talk about a strong female role model for young girls. 

2.  Friends.  Can always make me laugh.  Seriously, the show is like an old friend. 

1.  Parenthood.  For real.  May be the one reason I can't 100% give up t.v.  Have you watched it?  If you haven't...you must.  That's it.  And have tissues nearby.  Because your bound to cry.  I just found this on t.v. here; reruns at about noon.  I'm crossing my fingers that they continue through to this season. And, of course I am watching the previous seasons again.  Gotta get my Braverman fix.

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So...hmmm.  All three of these photos were in my instagram feed (jenlives) from the last three weeks or so.  Perhaps that's a sign that t.v. has just a little too much presence in my time.  Oh, and the fact that its on my 34 in 34 list to give up t.v. for a month.

Maybe November will be the month???

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I'm linking up with Lena B, Actually  for Tuesday Ten and Many Little Blessings for Top Ten Tuesday.  Because, obviously {look at the name of my blog}, I like lists.

Top 10: Help me pick!! Which hair cut to go with??

Alright friends, we are smack dab in the middle of our move.  As we speak, there are six men loading all of our stuff into a truck to be drivin to Scotland.  Yahoo!!

But, as I sit in a hotel, willing my little sweets to take her morning nap in a totally different place, without silence (hello, two year old brother) I don't have many deep thoughts.

So, I am going to present 10 options for hair cuts.  See, I already have scheduled my appointment for when we get back to Minnesota this fall, but I have to figure out what I want to do.  I know that I am going to get it colored back to my natural color (dark blonde, almost brown) so that I don't have to worry about keeping up with highlights, but I need to figure out a cut.

For an idea of how it looks right now:

Its a sad state of affairs. Roots, eyebrow madness, 

unhealthy hair in general, and a very interrupted night sleep. 

 (thanks to the 2 yr old in bed with us). 

So here are the options!  Let me know in the comment section which one you think would be the best.  Who knows, I think I might even go with the majority.  Beats making my own decision. {wink}

1. 

Source: sunshineblossomsblog.com via Jenny on Pinterest

2. 

Source: andreabaker.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

3. 

Source: None via Jenny on Pinterest

4. 

Source: None via Jenny on Pinterest

5. 

Source: None via Jenny on Pinterest

6.  

Source: None via Heather on Pinterest

7. 

Source: twitter.com via Jenny on Pinterest

And, um, when did Jessica Simpson chop off all her hair??? Looks awesome. 

8. 

Source: womenhairstylesdesign.info via Jenny on Pinterest

9. 

Source: short-hair-styles-magazine.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

10. 

Source: prohaircut.com via Denise on Pinterest

So...what do you think?  I realize they don't vary widely...but help a sister out, would ya?  Lemme know down below which # you think would be the best. 

Have a great Tuesday! 

Linking up, as usual with these lovely ladies: 

Nicole @ Miss Mommy

Amanda @ Oh Amanda

Top 10 things about moving

Since we are about a week out from our move {finally!!}, I need to work on getting myself psyched up for another move.

11th move.  10 years.  I should be an expert, right?

So, here, for your reading pleasure, are the top 10 things about moving:

1.  It's change.  
If you like that sort of thing.  And I think I do.  Although, eventually I wouldn't mind living somewhere longer than a couple of years.

2.  It's a great opportunity to purge. 
Broken toys?  Gone.  Random screws for who knows what?  Gone.  That movie we got from J#1's work for Christmas that is in Dutch?  Gone. {FYI, for those who head to the mums & tots group here, it will be in the free basket tomorrow.  Would be a great birthday present for someone.  That speaks Dutch.}

it might actually be in English.  but still, won't work with our DVD player.
plus, i don't remember being a big fan of this movie when i watched it as youngster.

3.  Right along those same lines...It's a great opportunity to organize.  
We are very, VERY lucky that we have movers that will pack everything for us.  So what am I doing to prepare?  Grouping everything together, so I am finally organized {well, at least for a day} when we get to Scotland.

all of our decorations in one place

4.  It's an opportunity to make new friends.  

Well, I guess that could be a negative part too. Since you HAVE to make new friends.  And leave the ones that you just made.  Huh.  Well, moving on...

5.  It's a great way to get more items checked off the bucket list {or added, and then checked off}.

Please feel free to leave suggestions for me to add to the bucket list.  Things in Scotland, England, and the like.

6.  Specifically in this case?  It's an opportunity to move someplace where English is the first language.  

Totally thought this was talking about me about a year ago.  Until I got to the part about the 1/3 height.  {Although in the Netherlands, it is almost true.  wink}  Oh, and the fact that the email came from babycenter.com.

7.  The boxes sitting around {yes, I have packed SOME stuff} are great toys for the little ones.

8.  It's an opportunity to buy some new stuff.  {hip, hip, hooray!}.  Cause we need it.

Source: ikea.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Hello toy organization.  It's so nice to meet you.

9.  Have I mentioned we will have a yard {a.k.a. garden}?

10. And will live about 20 minutes from a Costco?  


Alright...so I was obviously a little hard up for ideas once I hit #9, but I did get 10 things!

Linking up again this week with these two lovely ladies:

Nicole @ Miss Mommy

Amanda @ Oh Amanda! 

Top 10 Tuesdays #4: Reasons to get back on track

Note to start:  If there are any friends and family {that visit from Facebook posts} and are bored with my mom & personal stuff {like this post} please drop me a note on Facebook or Email.  Because if you are wanting to see more pics of J#3 and J#4 I have created a family blog.  Where you will find more of them.  And, really, who wouldn't want that? ;-) 

So I wrote a numbers post on Sunday, and I talked about how the # on the scale has been creeping up.  After having J#4 and nursing her for almost five months, I lost quite a bit of weight.  Nothing like automatically burning 500 calories a day just by feeding your daughter, right?

Well, I'm not nursing anymore, and I am not that slender anymore.  I was struck last week during the Top 10 Tuesday's by this lovely lady's post about why she keeps going back to Weight Watchers.  I actually commented, saying I was thinking about doing a post similar and that so many of my reasons were the same as hers.

I think they are probably the same for all of us, most of the time, right?

I have purposely NOT gone back to read her post again, and it was a week ago {peeps, my memory isn't THAT good}, so it may be interesting to see how many of our reasons DO end up being the same.  But here goes...

Top 10 reasons to "get back on track" {a.k.a. lose that darn weight that crept back on}
1.  This girl.  I hope I can get this under control so that I am at a healthy weight and living a healthy lifestyle before she realizes I wasn't at one point.  Perhaps that will prevent her from having some of the same struggles?

2.  All three of 'em. I want to be around a REALLY long time to see where our lives take us.  I need to be healthy.  I have briefly mentioned some heart issues I was born with (since repaired) in the past...it is likely going to have to be repaired again...  Come on.  I shouldn't be "play with fire".

3.  I want to shop in ANY store.  Not just the ones with plus size sections.  {On a total aside, just discovered the "plus" size store in Eindhoven, Holland, where we are living now.  Too bad we are moving in 2 weeks...or maybe NOT so bad.}

4.  I want to be in photos with my children.  And not be afraid to post them, print them out or just plain share them with anyone.

5.  I have started running.  I like it.  I want to continue it.  Its gotta be easier when you lose more weight, right?

6.  Can I tell you how great it is too not be just about at the max size for some airplane seats?  Because I was just about there awhile ago.  I haven't gained ALL of my weight back, so I am not there again.  And people, I NEVER want to be again.

7.  I know I mentioned the stores.  But clothes.  Such cute ensembles shared on pinterest.  I want to be able to not feel like an impostor pinning them.  'Cause most of them?  Not exactly for the bigger girls.

Source: tarahlowry.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

8.  Energy & motivation.  I just absolutely know that both of those would increase if I took the bull by the horns and made the changes that I need to in order to succeed at losing weight.

9.  $s.  Yeah, you read right.  Money.  I am sure we would save some money if I didn't eat as much, right?  And if I could get to that goal weight, I wouldn't have to keep buying clothes for the in-between stages.

10.  Self-confidence.  Sort of a combination of all of the above.  But with lower weight {at least for me} comes more self-confidence.  So there.

Source: None via Ashley on Pinterest

Eek, this is one of the more personal posts I think I have written.  But I need to be held accountable, and when I write things here, I seem to hold myself more accountable...so here we go!

Linking up, once again, with these lovely ladies:

Nicole of Miss Mommy

Amanda of Oh Amanda!

Top 10--The "things I like" list

Sorry about the delay...yesterday was filled with fun travel (to Brugges, Belgium) and visiting a dear friend from high school (thanks Facebook!) that lives in Belgium.  So, home late means this didn't get posted yesterday.

A top ten list of my favorite things about living in Eindhoven and the Netherlands. Tomorrow (or later today)...watch for a top ten list of things I miss from the U.S. 

10.   Child health care in the Netherlands.  Until the age of four, children are routinely seen by a doctor and nurse at the ZuidZorg, at no cost to the parents.  For the first visit, they come to your home, and after that you head to the office.  This is where they get their vaccinations and have what in the States we would consider "well baby" visits. 

9.     Our favorite bakery.  

J#1 ordering our "regular"

num

8.     The mystery.  There are new trees, plants, landscapes to learn and appreciate.  Who knew there would be a tree just outside our living room window that would have beautiful pink blossoms? 

7.     Not having a car.  Which  means the kids and I, during the week, walk everywhere.  To the grocery store, the park or anywhere else we want to go.  Great to know that it is better for the environment, better for my health, and better for our pocket book.  (even though there are these great aspects, this for sure will be on top ten things I miss too)

our new ride, the double stroller saving my back. notice grocery bag
on the back, and more groceries in the basket at the bottom.

6.     New and different foods.  While I can't say that I am a big fan of Dutch cuisine (except for Appleflaps-num!), I appreciate not having access to some of the conveniences of grocery stores in the U.S.  It is helping me become more self-sufficient in the kitchen.  (guess what?  this will be on the top ten things I miss as well)

5.     Making new friends.  The people I have met here (mostly expats like us) have been so extremely kind and generous.  From giving us rides to having playdates, I don't think we could have met a nicer group of people.  

4.     Being in Europe and having the opportunity to travel to and see so many different places.  Who would have ever though I would be taking long weekends to Paris or day trips to Germany and Belgium?   Blessed, so blessed. 

J#4 and me at Keukenhoff outside of Amsterdam,
one of my favorite trips so far

3.    TUC cheese crackers.  My new addiction.

2.    Growing closer as a family.  Having new adventures as a family.  Spending more quality time as a family.

1.    Adding to our family.  J#4 will always be a beautiful reminder of our time here in the Netherlands.