facebook's annoying, i'm baking, Cincinnati, and vacation

Where've I been, you ask? Well, this past week Strep throat knocked me off my feet (literally) for about 3 days.  Wow - I have never had it before and I guess I just thought it was one of those things that people got or they didn't get.  Well, I got it.  It was worse than I ever realized.  So not only did it knock me out of work for 2 days (I was able to work from home the 3rd day), it knocked me off track with Couch to 5K.  I'm planning on getting back on track (treadmill) tomorrow but I'm a little nervous.  My throat still hurts and otherwise I feel okay, but I don't know if I'm really back up to full strength yet.

We went to Cincinnati to celebrate my nephew's 8th birthday party yesterday and watch him shine at his Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby. It turned out to be a nice day.  I was glad we made the last minute decision to make it a day trip instead of a weekend trip. The boys needed the rest and so did I. It was nice having that unplanned day today to just relax and catch up things I was too sick to do last week.  As of this moment, I'm waiting for some cookie dough to chill in the fridge.  I'm making this:

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Candice on Pinterest

Okay so that image is a little on the large side but you get the idea. S'mores cookies? Yes, please. If you're thinking I'm strange for talking about diet & exercise in one paragraph and then S'mores cookies in the next, I guess you're right. But I'm not giving up everything that I love. One word. Moderation. I wouldn't last on any diet where I felt deprived. Moderation.

In other unrelated randomness, I am getting really super annoyed with Facebook. Too many links and quotes and pictures of the ocean that people didn't take and drama and self-righteous people and on and on and on. Maybe people are annoyed with me for pretty much only posting links to my blog posts and pictures of my kids. I don't care. They can delete me. I feel bad sometimes posting links to my blog but I don't quite have a readership that warrants a fan page. I did recently surpass 50,000 page views however. That only took 2.5 years. :)

What else can we chat about? I am excited about plans and no plans. Lots of plans for May and but not much else planned this summer. Before we know it, it will be Disney time (October!). We did go ahead and purchase plane tickets. I toyed with the idea of driving, but eh. After an 8 hour trip home from Dollywood a couple weeks ago, I changed my mind. Theo started complaining 100 miles from home that his back hurt. He wasn't injured so I can only imagine it was his position in his carseat. I hate sitting for that long too. Flying nonstop 2 hours will be a dream compared to a 16+ hour drive.

My dough's chilled!

night,
~C~

a day in the life

prepare to be green with envy, y'all.

Here's what a typical (week)day in the life looks like.

6:15AM:  The alarm goes off.  Sometimes Dexter is already awake, sometimes I'm stunned by the silence and actually waking up to the sound of the alarm clock.  Suppose on this day, Dexter was still asleep.

Nah, scratch that.  He's awake by now.  Starting over.

5:32AM:  Wake up to whining and temporarily wonder if I am on another planet or if it's the middle of the night.  Disoriented, I walk out to the kitchen with my eyes as squinted as they can be and still be useful for seeing things. Sort of.  I listen to Dexter through the monitor in the living room either calling "mama" or "I want milk hot."  Yep. We still give him warm milk. Shut up.

5:35AM: Dexter is tucked snugly in our bed between us and slurping down the last few sips of milk before handing me his cup and saying "Here. Here. Take it mommy. All gone."  We all fall asleep.

6:15AM:  Ahh, there you are alarm clock.  Now I hit snooze.
6:20AM: Again.
6:25AM: And again.

6:30AM: I roll out of bed and head to the shower.  Sometime while I'm in there, Theo wakes up and Ryan has started getting him and/or Dexter dressed.

7:20AM:  This is the goal time to leave the house.  At this point, we're usually still putting on shoes and jackets and it just depends how cooperative two little boys are as to whether or not we're out the door by 7:40.  If it becomes clear that it's not happening, I just leave and Ryan takes them because while my job is flexible, I feel the need to be there at a certain time. Ryan flies by the seat of his pants.

7:30AM: If I drop off the boys, this is the desired time.  I get them out of their carseats and follow them up the sidewalk, walk in, put their jackets, diaper bag, shoes, etc. in the closet and kiss them goodbye.

8AM - 4PM:  blahblahblahblahblah.

4:20PM: Pick up the boys.  Chase Dexter around the babysitter's house for 10 minutes begging him to let me put his shoes on because he is doing anything he can to stall leaving.  Look, kid.  I'm glad you like it there and all but I'm sure your sitter is ready for you to get the H-E-double hockey sticks out of there and frankly, I just wanna go home myself.

4:40PM: Usually around the time we get home.  I'll flip on a cartoon for the boys to watch because that's what guarantees me the least interruptions while attempting to create some kind of Pinterest culinary masterpiece.  Check on them periodically to make sure no one's bleeding, they haven't knocked the t.v. over, or just taken off down the street for a stroll.  Okay -NONE of these things have just happened so back off.  Obviously because I'm checking on them periodically.

5:30-5:45PMish: Ryan gets home from work and dinner's ready.  (MUST BE NICE).  We eat. This can be a drawn out process, guys.  By the time dinner's cleaned up it could be 6:30 or 7.  There is a lot of redirecting to eat. Bribery. False promises.  True promises.  Encouragement. And surrender.  I'm just kidding. It's not that bad. They're pretty good eaters usually, just slow.

7PM: Bath night is every other night until they are getting sweaty and slathered with sunscreen every day.  So if it's bath night, we'll do that. I'll let them stay in there as long as they like unless they're splashing all the water out and acting too nutso for me to handle.  They're usually out by 7:30 and ready to play some games, read some books, or play with toys.

7:50PM: 10 minute warning! It's almost bedtime. Time to brush your teeth. Time to get your fresh diapers on.  So you (Theo) can fill it up with a big bomb since you won't do that in the toilet (again). Time to pick out what toy(s) you want to take to bed.

8:05PM: Lights out!  Good night.
8:06PM: Dexter's crying and begging for us to "rock-a-beebee" him.
8:15PM: 9 minutes and 14 songs later, they are both in their beds.
8:32PM: Theo calls for me and when I go in, he says he's pooped.
8:34PM: Theo's back in bed.
8:44PM: Dexter's finally quiet.  No blue lights on the monitor.  Whew.
8:50PM: Theo calls for me and when I go in, he asks me to snuggle up with him.

9:46PM: I wake up in Theo's bed and temporarily wonder if I am on another planet or if it's the middle of the night.  Disoriented, I walk out to the living room with my eyes as squinted as they can be and still be useful for seeing things. Ryan's still awake and asks me where I've been. As if.

10:31PM: I'm falling asleep on the couch again and announce that I'm going to bed.  Or maybe I've got the laptop right here, and I'm pecking away at the keys. Trying to document the things that my boys do. The things they say. Things I want to remember and things I'd rather forget.  Or maybe I'm watching Nashville or some other show on DVR.  Maybe I'm watching Ryan play a video game while I play on my phone.

At some point, I do go to bed and look at Pinterest for far too long. Until I cannot keep my eyes open and my phone slips out of my hand.  Then I do it all over again.

Good night,
~C~

Linking up with Melissa at Growing Up Geeky for Toddle Along Tuesday.

things that made me smile/cry

stuff for smiling:

Well-behaved boys and fast-moving traffic on the way to Tennessee Friday night.

My niece playing games on her iPod with her cousin.

My husband snuggling up with our 3 month old niece.

A delicious food truck lunch with my nephew at the Dogwood Arts Festival.

Cousins crafting.

My mama and her gorgeous grandbaby, Penelope Quinn.

Kids playing at the park.

Grown-ups playing at the park (my sister).

Sister love.

A child's curiosity.

This.  THIS THIS THIS.

Donuts at dusk while their cousin practices baseball.

A bed full of the three cutest guys I know.

A family day at Dollywood with my hubby and our boys.

Boys drivin' cars.

Boys drivin' ducks.

Boys splashin' and laughin'.

His hand on mine.

Train ride in the mountains.

Finally getting home and seeing these two snuggling on the couch.

This face.

And the things that did not make me smile during that same time frame? Tears.  Or at least some negative feelings. 

1. Only having 2 days to spend in TN.

2. Traffic jams that meant an 8 hr drive home.

3. Theo's eyes swelling up from seasonal allergies. Hello, Zyrtec. We remember you from March - June 2012.

4. This: 

5. Boston Marathon.

6. My very, very good friend moving far, far away. Good, good friends are hard to find and keep in the same state apparently. 

7. Other stuff. Blah.

How was your weekend?

xo, 

~C~

weigh to go: 3 months in

This is the picture that did it for me.  The one that made me realize that I really didn't like the way I looked.  Christmas morning with my boys and all I could see in this picture was how big my arms and stomach and legs looked.  [My hair's pretty gross too, but that's not the point.]  It's not even that I think I look necessarily huge, I just didn't realize that this is what I looked like.  At all.

On January 2nd, I started a diet.  A couple weeks later I joined the gym.

Click here for the previous update.

As of a month ago I had lost 12.something pounds.  I posted this on Instagram.

I'm happy to report that 1 month later, as of today, I've lost 16.4 pounds.  This is not a dramatic weight loss - just averaging a pound a week, but that is fine.  I find it a little surprising because my lifestyle has changed quite dramatically since I started all this healthier living business.

I started Couch to 5k, are you familiar? I've historically never been a runner.  I've historically always complained about my crappy knees.  But.  I've recently been sooo inspired by Mommy Boots and her success with this program that the urge to try it was overwhelming.  I am currently in the middle of week four.  In case you are not familiar, this program is designed to train a non-runner (definition: ME) to run a 5k in just 9 weeks.  There are 3 sessions per week and each one is just about 30 minutes. Easy enough to commit to that, right? 

To give you a better, but brief rundown, I think Wk 1 starts out alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking.  By Wk 4, I'm up to this:

Warm up walk: 5 min
Jog: 3 min
Walk: 90 sec
Jog: 5 min
Walk: 2 min 30 sec
Repeat (minus the 5 minute warm up)
Cool down walk for 5 min

I have been doing the program outside at least 1x a week and inside on the treadmill 2x a week since I started.  Not intentionally necessarily, but it's just worked out that way.  Jogging outside is like 54ish times harder than on the treadmill.  I hate it during, but I love it afterwards. 

My knees do hurt initially, but that kind of goes away once I get into my rhythm.  I did day one of week four outside and it was quite a jump from week three so it was rough. REALLY rough. But I completed it.  Did it again tonight on the treadmill and it was easy.  I've already told myself that if I am not able to successfully complete a day, I am going to repeat it until I'm successful. So far, I haven't had to repeat anything.  Which is surprising since that 60 seconds of jogging the first week nearly killed me.  Or so I thought. 

This month's major milestone:  I fit into my "skinny jeans" that I quickly outgrew about a year ago when I stopped nursing Dexter.  Woo!!  Getting back into them has been a goal since I started on this journey.  I did it and here's the proof!

Disregard the dorky pose, fake smile, and wet hair.

So despite the fact that the numbers are not changing rapidly on the scale, I feel MUCH better. I desperately need to buy some new clothes.  I notice that I care more about how I look.  I'm wearing make-up.  Getting my eyebrows done again.  Dressing (a little) cuter despite my limited wardrobe (the picture above is not intended to depict that).  Contemplating a new hairstyle.

I'm proud of myself for challenging my brain and my body with this jogging madness, and I have so much more energy than I can remember having in recent years.  I've been known to bust out 50 jumping jacks in the bathroom at work. I'm still sticking with My Fitness Pal, logging everything I eat and all of my workouts.  It seems like a lot of work at first, but it really just takes a few seconds here and there and is kind of addictive!  Not to mention sooo motivating.  Come join and be a pal if you haven't already!

xo,
~C~

the most wonderful time of the year

It happens every year.  Seasons change.  Some years it seems to happen more slowly than others.  This year, there are no green leaves on the trees in our Easter egg hunt photos.  Last year, the trees were full.  This winter has seemed unbearably long. 

But today?  Today it's going to be 80 degrees.  I celebrate.

I celebrate by taking a walk on my break at work. I celebrate by wearing a knee-length skirt with butterflies on it that I've had for (literally) 10 years, bare legs, and flats.  I celebrate by rolling my windows down, turning the radio up, and singing loudly (and badly) on my way to work.  I celebrate by feeling the warmth on the back of my neck while I'm standing outside.  I celebrate by smiling at strangers more.  I celebrate by taking my time, taking deep breaths, and taking the boys for wagon rides. 

Spending evenings at the park.

Grilling out and enjoying a picnic. Going for frozen yogurt at bedtime.  We celebrate. 

Some people like the snow.  Some people say the Christmas season is the most wonderful time of the year.  I say right now is.  This is my favorite.  I need to live somewhere that has weather like this year round.  I feel such a sense of promise and anticipation.  Knowing that we have a summer full of fun ahead of us before the weather changes for the worse again. 

I'm happy.  That doesn't mean life is perfect, but it feels pretty damn close right now.  I'm happy.  My favorite time of year.  Time to celebrate! 

 

xo,

~C~

conversations with the boys: cuteness I don't wanna forget

THEO:


Mom, where's that puddle stick Aunt Chelle gave me?
What?  Where is it?  What color is it?
It's on the counter and it's blue...
Come show me. Ohh...silly putty?
Yes. Silly putty.
*****

Mom, do we have any u-quips?
Any what?
Those things you put in my ears after the bath.
Q-tips?
Yes. Q-tips.
*****



(the next bath)
Mom, are you gonna put those corn chips in my ears?
Q-tips?
Yes. Q-tips.
*****
Mom, will you read me the constructions?

DEXTER:

Before bed and as soon as he wakes up, Dexter says "I want milk hot."
*****
When he gets a boo boo, "Chiss it, mommy."
*****
When he wants to lay with Theo, "I wan sungle with brudder."
*****
When he wants us to sing to him, "Rock-a-bee-bee, mommy" or "Sing ABCB, mommy."

Easter 2013

To see how much they've changed in a year, click: Easter 2012

This Easter weekend we stayed with Ryan's parents, AKA Pop Pop & Nana.  Aunt Chelle, Uncle Bob, and cousin Spencer were able to join us for the weekend.  There was an unexpected twist on Easter, but overall, it was a great weekend.

Saturday, their neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt.

A rare photo of me & my boys.

Apparently this is their Swing Face.

Saturday night we celebrated Pop Pop and Uncle Bob's birthdays with the delicious and adorable cake below.

Theo REALLY wanted to blow out the candles.  So we re-lit some.

Sunday morning, Dexter and I were playing on the floor.  He was laying/rolling/jumping all over me.  It's kind of a blur now, but I recall that he started to roll off of me and instinctively, I grabbed his arm.  It must have been the angle at which he was falling + the angle at which I pulled his arm...but I heard and felt a pop.  I sat up immediately and stood him up in front of me.  He instantly started screaming and crying in a way that said something was very wrong.  We took his shirt off and his right shoulder was visibly different from his left.  It looked higher.  I picked up his right hand and dropped it. It fell limp at his side.  He was not able to use his right arm at all.  Ryan and I loaded him up in the car and left for Urgent Care.  

in the car

waiting on x-ray results

The boy went from being uncomfortable to being in excruciating pain from moment to moment. His arm remained limp throughout this time. After the first set of x-rays came back normal, the radiologist requested a second set from a different angle. This time the tech raised his arm, which was the first time it had been in that position since his arm popped.  He screamed and cried.  I noticed, though, that as soon as I picked him up off the table this time, he immediately wrapped his right arm around my neck.  I pointed it out to Ryan and the x-ray tech and we went back to the room to wait for results once more.  When we sat in the chair, Dexter sat up in my lap. Until then, he had been lying on us.  He was hesitant when I asked him to give me a high 5, but did it.  He cried a little.  He was fidgety. We asked if he wanted to get down and walk around and he did so we put his shoes on and sat him down.  He began swinging his arm normally and walked right over to the doctor's stool and started drumming on it.  !!!  What!?  

This almost brought tears to my eyes; I was so relieved that my babe was fine.  Ryan was mortified because we had wasted all this time (and money, no doubt) and there was absolutely nothing wrong with our kid.  My perspective ... we could have been in surgery for a dislocated shoulder.  I don't know what happened, but when he had that second x-ray, he got all better.  We told the nice ladies at Urgent Care "check, please!" and hit the road.  

On the way back.

We got back just in time for lunch and just in time for the weather to warm up enough for our outdoor Easter egg hunt. 

It's safe to say the boys loved their baskets.  Theo has not stopped playing with his Barrel of Monkeys.  I had a lot of fun hiding the Easter eggs. 

Three excited boys!

Seeing this kid run, laugh, and play made my day.

Hope your Easter was happy!

xo,

~C~