NY and DC for Spring Break!!!

Seeing Christina and Charles and Marie Whitaker was a highlight during our Spring Break tour of New York and Washington DC. although we experienced "the worst Snow Storm of the Eastern states in 14 years" (14 inches of snow in PA), it did not slow us down. We saw New York in a day, including the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Toys R Us-HUGE. Marie watched Jessie which made it possible to get around New York quicker.

We met Christina at the Capitol building in DC and had a great tour. Lunch at Uno's pizza in Union Station was great because Jessie was asleep. The Natural History museum was interesting and the kids even got to hold real bugs!!!

We can't wait for the reunion to see other family!!!

Aren't they cute?

About a week ago I realized the "Photo Club" I joined at Picture People was about to expire so I called up my sister-in-law Sherida and asked her to toss her daughter Claire in a nice outfit and figured we'd get a few cute shots. Oh boy! It is HARD to get 3 little kids to all stay still AND smile at the same time! It did not help that the photographer was not exactly superb. Riley was the easiest to direct but was getting bored, Kael was easy to get to smile but not to keep seated or looking at the camera, and Claire was hard to get to smile looking at the camera or stay put. The photographer would say, "Where's Claire?" she'd look and then Kael would turn to Claire and point at her saying, "Here she is!" This is one of the best we managed, not a brilliant showcase of how cute they all are, but a memory in print none the less. No wonder there aren't more official family photos with all of us! :)

All right Mom and Dad!

Sweet. You did it. At first, I too was unable to figure out how to post my own message instead of just a comment. I was determined not to ask computer-master Jon because of course he'd know! Well after a bit I noticed at the top of the main page is a solid blue bar and at the right end "New Post." So I tried it and it worked. I didn't give a long description before because I didn't want to look technologically challenged. Ah well, I'll never appear truly masterful because we'd just assume Jon was telling me all the tricks. (Which is generally true :) )
Mom you should have a menu bar at the top of your screen, not necessarily the top of the page, which has an option for "Bookmarks" try that. Or ask Jon.
I'm really not trying to bag on Jon, I just want to be cool too. ;)

Testing...Testing...1, 2, 3...

I was just trying out the "adding pictures" option. Heather was trying to do the same and was having problems, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. If anyone else has problems with posting pictures, would you please let me know? I want to try and figure it out so that we can all share pics when we want to!

By the way, this is a picture from my day-long trip to NY in January. It was bitter cold and exhausting, but absolutely all kinds of fun! I loved it! In the picture taken at Times Square are, from left to right: Josh Richey, Me, Jen Keng, Bethany Durham and Justin Scott. All are from my ward and lots of fun! Random connection - Bethany went to the same high school as Will Whitaker and even went on a date or two with him. Small world!

Okedie doke I'll try it

So it only took me 20 minutes to get the keyboard to myself so I could type real words. As soon as I opened the window to write a comment Kael took over the keyboard. He was particularly amused by the sound he was able to elicit from the computer each time he pushed one of the volume keys...
(OK so a quick tip to posting your own message its in the upper right of your screen)
*A favorite low cal snack are the caramel mini rice cakes, better than other flavors, it just like caramel popcorn.
Stephanie I don't think I'll try your Dad's diet but I was thinking of volunteering at the hospital in a communicable ward and vomiting out a few pounds.
Hey we have blossoms on the trees and lots of daffodils blooming around here. How 'bout you guys?

Just Figuring "Blogging" out

I suppose this is a new post that others will respond to so I should say something worth commenting on! I ate tootsie rolls and diet coke for lunch today!!

Weight Loss Tips O' the Day!

Weight-Loss 1,2,3's

Crunching your numbers keeps the pounds melting off.

After watching the show, you may have noticed the Biggest Loser basics. Keep your calories down. Consume food and drinks low in fat and sugar. Eat smaller portioned meals, natural carbohydrates, lots of fruits and vegetables, and foods high in fiber. The more you repeat these ideas to yourself, the more likely they are to become beliefs. That is, if you don't become bored in the process. So here's a fresh way to remind yourself of your new lifestyle--that's by the numbers.

1) Eat. Eat 5 to 6 meals a day, spaced about 3 hours apart, in order to curb cravings and keep your metabolism humming along.

2) Drink. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of ice-cold water a day. Water flushes out your system and can help suppress your appetite by filling up your stomach.

3) Exercise. Exercise 3 to 6 times a week, for at least 1 hour each time. Burn off the fat with cardio, and use weight training to create shape and develop lean muscle.

Each night, add up your day. Did you drink, eat, and exercise enough? Answer yes and you've got yourself a surefire formula for successful weight loss and maintenance.

I got these from The Biggest Loser Club emails that I get nearly every day. You can sign up for that if you want, by following the link below. Happy dieting!

Want more fitness tips? Join us at The Biggest Loser Club, you'll find more useful articles and strategies to succeed in your weight-loss goals. See what it's like to be a member of the club. Start a 10-day Risk-Free Trial today! Take a tour now and peek at special features from all 3 seasons of The Biggest Loser, get free recipes, see sample meal and fitness plans, read exclusive interviews with cast members, and shop for Biggest Loser products. More Tips for Keep You Motivated Today...
From Women's Health: Priceless Strength and Winter Workouts: In From the Cold.
From Prevention: 7 Steps to a Safe Workout and The Best and Worst Drugs for Women.

Bloggity Blog Gorp

Welcome Bishop Family Bloggers!!! It's official! We have entered the great blogosphere! So...what does this mean, you ask? What on earth is a blog? Try clicking here to learn more. There, did that help? There are so many cool things we can use this blog for...keeping each other in the loop on things we're doing, thinking, etc. I know, I know, we have email for that as well. True. BUT, I am hoping, at least for those of us who are prone to procrastination (i.e. all original Bishops), that the novelty of the blog might inspire us to be a little more communicative! Let's see how long this lasts, eh?

Another major benefit I see is that we can get the nieces and nephews on this thing and hear what they are doing and what they think about this or that. We're scattering more and more now and this can help us feel not so far away from each other!

Hey, another thing we can use this blog for is tracking or encouraging each other in the family weight loss challenge! Don't you think it would be great to post links to inspiring websites or recipes or other such information on here? Fun AND informative!

Well, whatever you choose to use this blog for, I hope you do use it. This is an experiment, but I think it can be a really fun and interesting one! So, bloggers, on your marks...get set...GO!!!