Pretty much every day, I say I am going to jump on and blog and pretty much every day, I decide to just sit and chill when we finally get the kids to bed. Nice on one hand, not-so-nice on the other...mostly when I put my blog into a book for us as a keepsake and I have nothing to speak of our lives for weeks at a time! :)
We're alive--getting through the madness of work the days before a holiday and we are excited to relax (hopefully) and enjoy some downtime Wednesday through the weekend.
Our house is decorated for Christmas really early this year though we are still "respecting the turkey." But, when you find an ounce of spare time with two toddlers, you RUN WITH IT. :)
More to come (with some pics) soon on our trip to Christmas Candylane on Saturday with the kids. As a summary: FREEZING.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Thankfulness
They're everywhere, those "30 Days of Thankfulness." I like to read them and often agree that I, too, am thankful for many of the things people are writing.
But if I'm being frank, lately I'm stressed and low on patience. Therefore, I sometimes find it hard to "be thankful in all circumstances." I'm not the first mom to have two toddlers but parenting has been especially tough lately for some reason. Mostly on those days where they gang up on us, fight non-stop, and get up at o' dark thirty (in Ran terms, that translates to roughly 4:53 a.m. I wish I was kidding). I find myself short with Seth, yelling more than I should, getting annoyed at the hundredth "mommy?" in a 10-minute timespan...you get my drift.
We've been convicted lately to work on our patience with the kids. Some days, I literally have to grit my teeth to maintain composure, and we're not perfect. I still lose my ever-loving mind sometimes (though who doesn't with small kids, a full-time job, a marriage, and a house....at the holidays?!?). :)
I read something a few days ago about making your home a place of safety--where you, your spouse, and kids can always go to feel safe. No "attacking." No rudeness. No opinions that aren't building someone up. If your home isn't "safe," there isn't a reason to seek refuge there, and that's downright scary when you're married and raising children.
I want to take time this holiday season to--first and foremost--slow down. I find that most of our stress comes from booking our weekends solid, always doing something or going somewhere, and generally just not being together. I literally cannot imagine my life without my husband and kids (on days when they're annoying to me or not), so it's time to kick up the thankfulness factor a bit and create a safe place for our family.
But if I'm being frank, lately I'm stressed and low on patience. Therefore, I sometimes find it hard to "be thankful in all circumstances." I'm not the first mom to have two toddlers but parenting has been especially tough lately for some reason. Mostly on those days where they gang up on us, fight non-stop, and get up at o' dark thirty (in Ran terms, that translates to roughly 4:53 a.m. I wish I was kidding). I find myself short with Seth, yelling more than I should, getting annoyed at the hundredth "mommy?" in a 10-minute timespan...you get my drift.
We've been convicted lately to work on our patience with the kids. Some days, I literally have to grit my teeth to maintain composure, and we're not perfect. I still lose my ever-loving mind sometimes (though who doesn't with small kids, a full-time job, a marriage, and a house....at the holidays?!?). :)
I read something a few days ago about making your home a place of safety--where you, your spouse, and kids can always go to feel safe. No "attacking." No rudeness. No opinions that aren't building someone up. If your home isn't "safe," there isn't a reason to seek refuge there, and that's downright scary when you're married and raising children.
I want to take time this holiday season to--first and foremost--slow down. I find that most of our stress comes from booking our weekends solid, always doing something or going somewhere, and generally just not being together. I literally cannot imagine my life without my husband and kids (on days when they're annoying to me or not), so it's time to kick up the thankfulness factor a bit and create a safe place for our family.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Halloween Festivities
Phew! That was quite the busy Halloween season. This year, we had a little cowboy and a little ice cream cone....and then a cowboy who changed his mind and became Lightning McQueen's pit crew. ;)
We kicked off the "Halloween season" by trick-or-treating to Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jason's, Gramma and Pa's, and Maw-Maw and Papa Ray's two weeks ago. As you can see, Addison had a death-grip on that baby doll throughout the experience. Ha!
Knock knock! Trick-or-treat!
Then, their daycare had two parades! My mom and grandma went to the one on Wednesday and I attended the one on Friday. Here is Addison, strapped in the baby buggy. I couldn't stop laughing because she had such a bulky costume on already and then a huge winter coat. Looked like a little marshmallow. :)
Chaos in the lobby of the assisted living facility!
Last night was our town's trick-or-treat. Carter chose to be the pit crew again. They were dying to go and were gearing up WELL before the 6:00 p.m. start time.
They had SO MUCH fun and Carter would have gone door-to-door for HOURS if we let him. Every time someone opened the door, he proudly said "trick or treat" and was very polite too. Addison didn't say much but was at the candy basket at each house just like him!
Their pumpkins were overflowing by the end of the night, and next week will promptly begin the get-rid-of-this-so-it's-not-a-temptation plan. All in all, a lot of fun with two cute kids who love to dress up! Now, onto Thanksgiving...love this time of year! :)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Eight.
Well, if I'm being honest, I wish that number was more like twenty. Eight is the number of pounds I've lost since I began my quest to go to the gym regularly and track what I eat. I actually thought I would lose faster, but I have been meeting with a registered dietician/nutritionist through my health insurance and she says that this is just perfect. Slow and steady wins the race!
I am on a calorie-intake plan that should allow me to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week, and so far, it's been just about spot on. I began my healthier lifestyle approximately seven weeks ago. This is not a post to pat myself on the back, but I'm going to be frank with you. I generally HATE working out. I get wickedly jealous of the people who love it. BUT--for the first time in a long time--I can say that I am enjoying it. Joining the gym at my job has been the ticket. One, I do not go out for lunch or shop on my lunch break like I used to (and our credit card bill shows it, too!). I blocked my work calendar every day from noon-1:30 p.m. so that people cannot put meetings on my schedule. Two, and probably most importantly, I do not feel guilty when I sit down and watch TV after the kids go to bed because I've already worked out.
I literally feel an obsessive desire to go to the gym right now--just makes me feel so much better. Plus, I go with a friend so that helps. AND, I almost exclusively take classes. See, here's the thing. When left to my own devices, I don't push myself. I just don't. If my legs are tired, I stop. But the classes are intense, there are mirrored walls so everyone is watching you, and there's someone giving you encouragement/telling you what to do--and that's exactly what I need!
SO--there are nine weeks to the day until Christmas and, by then, I really hope to be reporting a 17 pound weight loss (at least).
Let's do this.
I am on a calorie-intake plan that should allow me to lose 1-1.5 pounds per week, and so far, it's been just about spot on. I began my healthier lifestyle approximately seven weeks ago. This is not a post to pat myself on the back, but I'm going to be frank with you. I generally HATE working out. I get wickedly jealous of the people who love it. BUT--for the first time in a long time--I can say that I am enjoying it. Joining the gym at my job has been the ticket. One, I do not go out for lunch or shop on my lunch break like I used to (and our credit card bill shows it, too!). I blocked my work calendar every day from noon-1:30 p.m. so that people cannot put meetings on my schedule. Two, and probably most importantly, I do not feel guilty when I sit down and watch TV after the kids go to bed because I've already worked out.
I literally feel an obsessive desire to go to the gym right now--just makes me feel so much better. Plus, I go with a friend so that helps. AND, I almost exclusively take classes. See, here's the thing. When left to my own devices, I don't push myself. I just don't. If my legs are tired, I stop. But the classes are intense, there are mirrored walls so everyone is watching you, and there's someone giving you encouragement/telling you what to do--and that's exactly what I need!
SO--there are nine weeks to the day until Christmas and, by then, I really hope to be reporting a 17 pound weight loss (at least).
Let's do this.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Growin' girl!
Addison is growing like a weed. It's sort of unreal to think that, at this time last year, she was just four months old. It's been awhile since I've done a "monthly" post on baby girl, so I thought I'd do so now. She just turned 16 months old a few days ago.
- She weighs about 27 pounds and is 32 or 33" tall (Bad momma--I forget!).
- She wears size 4 diapers and size 18 month, 24 month, or 2T hand-me-downs. She wears a size 5 shoe.
- Says a few words - mama, dada, baby, uh-oh, dah-doo (exactly the opposite of what Carter said at this age -- doo-dah) for doggy, hi, doctor, bye bye, tayne too (thank you), peas (please), and a few more I'm probably forgetting.
- She has 10 teeth and is getting more molars.
- She goes to bed around 8 p.m. and sleeps until 7:30 a.m. or so on the weekends; on almost every week day, I wake her up at 6:30 to go to school. She naps for 2-2.5 hours every day (once a day). She is a rockstar sleeper, thank God.
- She adores Carter and sweetly says "ay-ay" to him all the time while she hugs him. Brother is slightly rougher on her, but she'll be tough! :)
- She LOOOOVES to swing and play outside. She gets dirty all. the. time. (see photo below for proof)
- She has the most gorgeous blonde, ringlet curls and her hair is getting LONG!
- Addison is a DADDY'S GIRL through and through. She loves him oh so much.
- She weighs about 27 pounds and is 32 or 33" tall (Bad momma--I forget!).
- She wears size 4 diapers and size 18 month, 24 month, or 2T hand-me-downs. She wears a size 5 shoe.
- Says a few words - mama, dada, baby, uh-oh, dah-doo (exactly the opposite of what Carter said at this age -- doo-dah) for doggy, hi, doctor, bye bye, tayne too (thank you), peas (please), and a few more I'm probably forgetting.
- She has 10 teeth and is getting more molars.
- She goes to bed around 8 p.m. and sleeps until 7:30 a.m. or so on the weekends; on almost every week day, I wake her up at 6:30 to go to school. She naps for 2-2.5 hours every day (once a day). She is a rockstar sleeper, thank God.
- She adores Carter and sweetly says "ay-ay" to him all the time while she hugs him. Brother is slightly rougher on her, but she'll be tough! :)
- She LOOOOVES to swing and play outside. She gets dirty all. the. time. (see photo below for proof)
- She has the most gorgeous blonde, ringlet curls and her hair is getting LONG!
- Addison is a DADDY'S GIRL through and through. She loves him oh so much.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Halloween parade
Last night, we took the kids to the Halloween parade. I didn't want to take my good camera down into the madness, so I snapped a few pictures of them before we left. My goodness, I love those babes!
They had a great time. Carter was the candy policeman. He waved and waved to the people in the parade to get them to throw it and when they did, he was ALL business. It was adorable. We left about 50 minutes into the parade because Addison was getting antsy, and Carter cried and cried because he wanted more candy. Granted, the child had a pumpkin HALF FULL of candy only 50 minutes in. Can't imagine the damage that would have been done if we stayed the rest of the time. (Funny sidenote: he ate only 2 pieces after the parade and hasn't mentioned it since. Guess it was just the act of collecting!) :)
They both had HORRIBLE nights of sleep. Carter seemed scared, which I wouldn't doubt because there were ugly, obnoxious things in the parade that would scare any 3-year-old. Aside from cute kids in innocent costumes and all things pumpkin, I'm definitely not a fan of Halloween. We had to distract him to look at something else like 10 times during the parade to keep his eyes off the gore! Gross.
But, all in all, it was so cute to see them so happy!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Apple Picking 2013
I seriously love fall. If I could bottle up this 70 degree weather and sun with cool nights, I would for sure. Every year, we go apple picking--usually the first weekend of fall. And we almost always go with Oma and Opa, Aunt Polly and Uncle Dirk, and sometimes the Stones as well. We attempted to go with Oma and Opa and AP and UD on September 21, but of course as we prepared to walk out the door, it began raining....HARD. So, those plans were thwarted and we instead went out for (a really yummy!) dinner, which was fun too.
Turns out, the next day, my sister, Jason and the kids and my parents were going (to the same orchard we were going to be going to on Saturday), so we ended up meeting up with them. It was a beautiful day!
Running like banshees through the aisles.
Silly boys.
This little miss was adorable. When she had an apple in her hands. Heaven help you if you took it out of her hand for ANY REASON. Add in molar teething and let's just say we didn't anger the beast too much. So, apple at all times it was! :)
I do this picture every year--Mr. "Golden Delicious." I know I'm the mom, but seriously. He's so cute I could eat him up.
TWO golden delicious loves! :)
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
"So what" Wednesday
I always think these things are sort of funny, so I'm linking up to Life After I 'Dew' for So What Wednesday...a confessional of sorts.
SO WHAT if...
- We got our credit card number stolen on Thursday and then Seth lost the new card not even three days later.
- I haven't deep-cleaned my house in a month. At least.
- I sat in front of my children's tubs of outgrown clothes and got all weepy as I sorted through them for a yard sale, even though I want no more kids. So many memories! I can literally remember where they were and what they were doing when they wore pretty much every outfit.
- I sometimes tell my child that it's "the middle of the night" when he wakes up at 5:15. That's early, people!
- There are ZERO shows on TV right now that I even care about. We are thinking of canceling our cable and going with Netflix for shows. (Thoughts on that anyone?)
- I need a date night once a month (even though we don't do this). I firmly believe you can't be the best parents unless you focus on your marriage. Though hard to comprehend, it's to be the first priority.
- I want to rip my hair out between the hours of 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. right now. Teething SUCKS. It's sad to get the grumpiest hours of the day, but thankfully, teething is just a phase!
Happy Wednesday!
SO WHAT if...
- We got our credit card number stolen on Thursday and then Seth lost the new card not even three days later.
- I haven't deep-cleaned my house in a month. At least.
- I sat in front of my children's tubs of outgrown clothes and got all weepy as I sorted through them for a yard sale, even though I want no more kids. So many memories! I can literally remember where they were and what they were doing when they wore pretty much every outfit.
- I sometimes tell my child that it's "the middle of the night" when he wakes up at 5:15. That's early, people!
- There are ZERO shows on TV right now that I even care about. We are thinking of canceling our cable and going with Netflix for shows. (Thoughts on that anyone?)
- I need a date night once a month (even though we don't do this). I firmly believe you can't be the best parents unless you focus on your marriage. Though hard to comprehend, it's to be the first priority.
- I want to rip my hair out between the hours of 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. right now. Teething SUCKS. It's sad to get the grumpiest hours of the day, but thankfully, teething is just a phase!
Happy Wednesday!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Out of mouths of babes.
So let's talk about Carter and the things he says for a teeny tiny minute, shall we?
Last night while I wrestled him, my shirt came up a little. I saw it right away. He noticed my stretch marks. And let me tell ya--they ain't too pretty.
He looked concerned and said "what is THAT?" I asked him to clarify, knowing full-well what he meant. "Those wrinkly things."
"Oh, those are stretch marks, buddy. YOU caused them!" as I tickled him to the floor.
He chuckled and hit me hard with the truth (apparently): "No, I think you ate too much dinner."
Touche, my little boy. Touche.
Can't make this stuff up, folks. Kids really do know how to make their moms feel fab, huh? ;)
SIDENOTE: However, with my 3-4 times/week gym plan, and my eating plan from the nutritionist, I have lost 5 pounds. CARTER. NICHOLAS.
Last night while I wrestled him, my shirt came up a little. I saw it right away. He noticed my stretch marks. And let me tell ya--they ain't too pretty.
He looked concerned and said "what is THAT?" I asked him to clarify, knowing full-well what he meant. "Those wrinkly things."
"Oh, those are stretch marks, buddy. YOU caused them!" as I tickled him to the floor.
He chuckled and hit me hard with the truth (apparently): "No, I think you ate too much dinner."
Touche, my little boy. Touche.
Can't make this stuff up, folks. Kids really do know how to make their moms feel fab, huh? ;)
SIDENOTE: However, with my 3-4 times/week gym plan, and my eating plan from the nutritionist, I have lost 5 pounds. CARTER. NICHOLAS.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Accountability
Gotta stay accountable. Here's how the five goals from last week stacked up!
Goal one: Work out or go to the gym five days. I joined the gym at work and have gone every work day so far. I know that I won't continue to go every single day because I like to still hang with my friends sometimes, but moreso than not, I need to be at the gym. Jean season is upon us. On the days I'm not at work (Friday-Sunday), I will find something else to do to be active. A walk. Yard work. Something--anything--five out of seven days. Already did the gym at lunch today and yesterday, we walked to the grocery store, did our shopping, and walked home with all our groceries, so that's two! Seth jogs at night, so his goal is probably similar. :) Results: PASS. I walked to the grocery store to shop (and home with the groceries) on Sunday, went to the gym Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (and therefore could hardly move all week. HA!), and took walks, went to the zoo, and raked the leaves in the yard on the other days.
Goal two: Be more intentional about effectively disciplining Carter (not all negative! Many positive "disciplining" and reinforcement as well). We attended a toddler discipline class on Sunday and we got some great advice and tips. We've implemented many in the past 24 hours and we want to keep this going. Result: on-going, but things are going slightly better.
Goal three: Have a dinner plan before we even leave for work. This helps us avoid last-minute dinners out or picking up a pizza (hence making goal #1 worthwhile). :) Results: Passed, everyday!
Goal four: Do not go shopping. Results: BOOM. Passed. Didn't shop once--for me or the kids. (I mean, technically we grocery shopped but that's not the shopping I meant.)
Goal five: Do something fun with the kids. We may take them to the zoo nearby this weekend, and the weather is to be gorgeous! Results: Passed. Took 'em to the zoo. Addison even got bit by a donkey.
Goal one: Work out or go to the gym five days. I joined the gym at work and have gone every work day so far. I know that I won't continue to go every single day because I like to still hang with my friends sometimes, but moreso than not, I need to be at the gym. Jean season is upon us. On the days I'm not at work (Friday-Sunday), I will find something else to do to be active. A walk. Yard work. Something--anything--five out of seven days. Already did the gym at lunch today and yesterday, we walked to the grocery store, did our shopping, and walked home with all our groceries, so that's two! Seth jogs at night, so his goal is probably similar. :) Results: PASS. I walked to the grocery store to shop (and home with the groceries) on Sunday, went to the gym Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (and therefore could hardly move all week. HA!), and took walks, went to the zoo, and raked the leaves in the yard on the other days.
Goal two: Be more intentional about effectively disciplining Carter (not all negative! Many positive "disciplining" and reinforcement as well). We attended a toddler discipline class on Sunday and we got some great advice and tips. We've implemented many in the past 24 hours and we want to keep this going. Result: on-going, but things are going slightly better.
Goal three: Have a dinner plan before we even leave for work. This helps us avoid last-minute dinners out or picking up a pizza (hence making goal #1 worthwhile). :) Results: Passed, everyday!
Goal four: Do not go shopping. Results: BOOM. Passed. Didn't shop once--for me or the kids. (I mean, technically we grocery shopped but that's not the shopping I meant.)
Goal five: Do something fun with the kids. We may take them to the zoo nearby this weekend, and the weather is to be gorgeous! Results: Passed. Took 'em to the zoo. Addison even got bit by a donkey.
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