What in the World Wednesday

Just posted a little mystery game on the 4th Frog Facebook fan page. Jump over to join the fun!

Biggest Loser: Career Planning

Every week I watch the Biggest Loser for entertainment and for inspiration. This week, the show gave me something more. It gave me some career direction.

After a few minutes of reaction to last week's vote in which Sione and Filipe tried to toss Ron overboard, the show pretty quickly moved to a food tempation which turned into a feeding frenzy. There were 100 covered trays. On each tray was either a high calorie snack, Extra sugar-free gum (sorry for the commercial!) coupled with cash, and under one tray was a golden ticket. This ticket gave the finder the one and only vote at this week's elimination.

My career a-ha came as I was watching the contestants eating cupcakes, big pretzels, donuts and potato chips. Suddenly, I knew -- this is my calling! I could be the pinch eater for contestants on the Biggest Loser. Kind of like a body double, but only a digestive double. Think anyone will go for it?

Anyway, back to the show. Laura gets the one vote of the week. She wants Tara to gain weight to throw the weigh in. Tara is not so sure.

Filipe and Tara both looked crappy after they ate all that junk. Tara alone ate 4,600 calories!. For all the times they've shown Tara puking, I'm surprised we didn't see it tonight.

Jillian and Bob are major PO'd when they walk into the gym and see the carnage from the temptation. Jillian said, "Eating in this gym where you lost all that weight -- it's like desecrating the place!"

Is it bad that I was amused at how Bob and Jillian talked about how they were going to "bust these contestants up!" as punishment for all the food they ate?

Fast-forwarded through the Subway commercial and on to the Rose Bowl challenge. Boys vs. Girls, running up and down the stairs at the Rose Bowl Stadium. 2,156 stairs in all -- and I thought Stone Mountain was rough.

Tara and Sione finished first. Their prize? They got to do it AGAIN! Why would you even want to win that? Two weeks at some fitness spa? Not sure that'd be worth it for me to do 2,000+ stairs again. Not surprisingly, Tara won. I bet Sione is sick of losing to Tara, who is actually growing on me again.

This week was oozing with gameplay. Helen tried to get inside Laura's head and plant the seed about sending Tara home. Mike was so crazy about getting Sione and Filipe back for voting against Ron last week that he kind of scared me.

Tara only lost 3 pounds, which secured Ron's spot in the house for next week. She insisted that she didn't do it on purpose, but lots of people, including Jillian, weren't so sure.

At the end of the weigh-in, Helen and Sione were below the yellow line and it was up to Laura to send one of them home. But before the vote, they showed Filipe and Sione doing a Tongan warrior dance. It's probably not politically correct to laugh, but I sure was.

I wasn't laughing, though, when Laura voted Sione off. It was the vote that was in Tara's best interest, but perhaps not Laura's. Only time will tell.

Don't miss next week -- it's makeover night!

The 12 blogs of Christmas: #7 - O Perfect Nite!

There hasn't been a night in several weeks that has been as perfect as tonight...

...no one has to go to a practice (except Christmas choir, which we are skipping b/c of the weather)

...there is no homework to be done (except Annie's extra credit report, but she's a 6th grader, she can handle that)

...the teacher gifts are wrapped (no exceptions there), as are most of the other Christmas gifts

This is THE perfect night for playing "Mommy's legs are broken and she can't get off the couch."

Yes, there is laundry to be folded (about 3 loads). There are dishes to be done. There are Christmas cards to be addressed. But not tonight. The only effort I intend to exert tonight is scrolling, clicking and typing. Oh, and breathing. This is my Christmas season gift to myself.

And so here I am. Favorite red-checked fleece blanket tucked around my legs, pillow behind me, laptop resting on my, well duh...lap. We're watching a Muppet Christmas movie and I am NOT going to move.

I just sent the boys upstairs to get their jammies on -- by themselves. Without me. And if they come back downstairs wearing dinosaur bottoms and penguin tops, so be it. Because I am not getting off the couch.

In fact, since school's only in session until about 11am tomorrow, I'm going to let Robbie watch the movie until he falls asleep in the chair. And when Mike returns home, I'll have him carry the boy up to bed. Because I am not getting of the couch.

Maybe I'll even sleep here tonight, cuddled up in my cocoon safe away from snoring husbands (ok, he might argue that I'm the real auditory offender) and wandering children.

O Perfect Nite for being a snuggled in, warmed up, logged on Mommy who is not getting off the couch.

Games people play...or...Mommy's legs are broken

In our house, a lot of time is spent playing games. Mostly of the sports and video game variety. Last weekend our schedule looked like this: football, soccer and soccer on Saturday, followed by another football game on Sunday.

But I have a favorite game that I like to play, too. It's called "Mommy's Legs Are Broken and She Can't Get Off the Couch."

There are a few basic rules to this game:

1. It can only be played when there is no where anyone has to be, because Mommy's legs are pretty much required for driving to soccer practice.

2. It can only be done when Daddy is not home. Otherwise Daddy will try to play too and it's just not the same.

The great thing about this game is that other than the two above, there are no rules. No uniforms to be washed (though jammies are recommended), no equipment necessary (though the phone and the TV remote are allowed).

The game generally starts when one or more children ask for something that said child/ren is/are perfectly capable of getting for themselves.

Kid: "Mommy, can you get me a glass of milk?"

Me: "Nope. Sorry."

Kid: "Why not?"

Me: "Because Mommy's legs are broken and she can't get off the couch."

Kid: "Arrgghh! Not again! I hate this game."

Which is how you know this is a real game, because there are members of the "opposing" team saying not so nice things to your team.

From there, the game is totally up to the Mommy.

"Can you please bring me a Diet Coke?" -- Pleases and thank yous and other common courtesies are still expected. Mommy's legs may be broken, but her sense of social etiquette is not.

"Can you pick up all the shoes and take them to the right rooms upstairs?"

Generally, this game is a good way to get things accomplished, like having the family room picked up, without Mommy having to be the one to do all the work. Once the children get the hang of the game, they will try to play too. This is never allowed. Kids legs are never broken. Only Mommy's.

The game can end in a variety of ways:

1. Mommy's had enough rest that she feels ready to take on the family again (which has yet to happen in my house).

2. The doorbell rings and a stranger is at the door, so Mommy must get off the couch because children are not allowed to open the door for strangers.

3. The house catches fire and Mommy must evacuate.

There you have it. The basics of my favorite game, "Mommy's Legs Are Broken and She Can't Get Off the Couch." Coming in a boxed set with bonus margarita mix to a store near you this holiday season.