Thursday, July 02, 2009

Kids really do say and do the craziest things!

Lately Maddie and Natalie have really been cracking me up in the things they do and say. Their imaginations are huge and wild and I really never know what they are going to say. This was proven both yesterday and today when Maddie, had I been sitting at the time, would have had me falling out of my chair. We have had a bunch of doctor appointments this week between the three of us and I was trying to explain to them yesterday morning what was going to happen when I went to mine, so they would be prepared and better behaved. Well, when we walked in Maddie yells, "Mommy, is this where they are going to look at your boobies?" What an entrance I tell you. Then after a little while she informs me and everyone else in the waiting area that she has to go poop on the little potty. That would have been fine if she didn't hike up her dress and start taking her underwear off as she started running to the bathroom yelling, "I have to poop, I have to poop." There I am jaw on the ground trying to grab my bag and Natalie and get to her to help her out. Good times let me tell you. It was a good laugh after the fact, but it was pretty embarrassing while it was happening. Then today we were at the dermatologist and the girls were very good and we had almost made it out the door without any mishaps. Well, then all of a sudden Maddie trips and hurts herself somehow and I am not sure how, but she tells me her who ha hurts and I need to kiss it. I am quickly trying to usher her out the door as she is holding herself past all the other patients asking me to kiss it....ugh seriously, I tell you what I was completely embarrassed even though I understand that most people think it is funny and cute, but when it is your child, you get a little embarrassed. I guess from now on I will have to be more prepared and know that anything could come out of their mouths and try to teach them that it is not okay to run around screaming you have to go to the bathroom while trying to get out of your undergarments!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Hot, hot and hotter

I remember saying around February or so that when summer came I would welcome the warmth and wouldn't complain. Well, here I am getting ready to complain. I honestly would take the cold, frigid days of winter over this extreme heat and humidity. It is unbearable over 90 degrees with high, high humidity. It is crazy, so crazy in fact that I went for a run this morning at 8:30 and I could only go for a mile and a half because it was so awful. It is the kind of heat where you walk out the door and your breath is taken away, you start sweating immediately and it is just awful. I can't remember a summer like this where it was this hot already and I long for a summer where you can go outside and breath and enjoy the sunny days and do activities that involve movement without wanting to crawl into a hole. On days like this I sit and think about what it would be like to live somewhere else, somewhere less humid and closer to 4 seasons instead of the 2.5 Indiana has. When I was younger I never thought I would live in Indiana and I certainly didn't think that I would have lived here for 11 years and I have got the itch. The itch for new scenery, new activities and just everything new. I hope that someday in the near future we will be able to take our family and hit the road settle on the West coast somewhere or at least further West than the Midwest and closer to my brother and sister. Ahhhh, but for now I am just crossing my fingers that this heat will pass and the summer won't be so unbearable and we will be able to enjoy the outside and the girl's little oasis that we have built for them...good times to come and fun in the sun :-)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

For the Love of Maine

There is something so great and relaxing about going on vacation and even more so going to Maine. Almost every year we head to the East Coast for a visit to my family's house in Maine. It is so nice and peaceful and the ocean sounds is absolutely great. The weather this week has not been ideal, but it is still Maine and the scenery and food are fabulous. I have been having a hard time eating the lobster this time around due to finding some of them pregnant, which has totally grossed me out and makes me want to become a vegetarian... ah well, at least I got it in twice before I totally got grossed out. But Maine is always fun to sit and relax and see family I don't always get to see and it is just a great relaxing place. The girls have been enjoying fishing and going on the rocks and playing with their Auntie, Uncle and Miss. Grace and of course their Yaya. It has been a good time and I cannot believe we only have a few days left. Why does vacation time go by so much faster than "real" time? Reality will be back soon, but for now, I am going to enjoy the time we have left here with the lobster and the ocean!

Friday, May 29, 2009

We are almost there

Potty training in our house is almost complete. I knew that Maddie would come around in her own time and so I didn't push her or really even ask her if she wanted to try. She would congratulate Natalie and tell her good job, but when asked if she wanted a diaper or big girl pants she always chose the diaper until this week. She just started sitting on the potty and saying she didn't want to wear a diaper anymore. She has only had a few accidents, and still needs to work a little on the number two issue, but all in all she has entered into the world of big girls. Natalie is 99% there minus a few accidents when playing in water outside, but all in all she is there. It does make planning outings a little more challenging, making sure there is a toilet available and remembering to take them every 45 minutes to an hour, but for the most part it has been a great and easy transition and one milestone I am happy to say is almost complete!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

6 Words a Parent Never Wants to Hear from Their Child

"Mom, I tinkled in your bed!" Yes, you read correctly, my dear little Natalie peed in my bed yesterday! I would say if I had to give her a percentage she is 90% potty trained, but that 10% which she isn't can be a little of an inconvience, such as in my bed, or when we are out in public, like at my cousin's tennis match a few weeks ago, but for the most part she is doing a great job. It is taking a while because I am just not pushing the issue. If they want to wear big girl pants they do, if they don't okay then, fine with me. I know most parents would say when you are ready just do it, but I don't see the rush and when they are ready it will happen.
In other news their imaginations are taking off as well. Most mornings I am greeted by little oinks or puppy dog barks and I have to call them puppy Nat or little piggie Maddie. But this week they have been Cinderella and Dora. My mom got them so new nighties while she was here last weekend, Cinderella and Dora and they have been wearing them constantly. They minute we get home they have to put them on, Maddie especially and the other night she even sat on the floor of the laundry room crying while her nightie was in the dryer because I had forgotten to wash it before bathtime. You would have thought that it was the end of the world.
All in all Cinderella, aka Maddie and Dora, aka Natalie are doing extremely well and they are getting way to big!
All I ask is that you take with you the notion that when you are potty training keep a VERY close eye on your child when she is in your bed, or you too will hear, "Mom, I tinkled in your bed!"

Sunday, May 03, 2009

30 by 30

In January I will turn 30 years old. I cannot believe I will be that old and that the girls will be 3 in October, but what can you do?! Anyway, in order to prepare for this blessed event I have decided that I am going to lose 30 pounds by the time I turn 30. Surly this should be possible, it is roughly 4-5 pounds a month, which is 1+ pounds a week...easy enough. Well, it will be easy enough after I get off my no high impact exercising orders! See I have a stress reaction, almost stress fracture from training for my half marathon yesterday. Which I ran, against Doctors orders, he said I could walk, but I just couldn't not run. Finishing time was 2:37, only 9 minutes worse than last year, but I am paying for it today and crossing my fingers that I will not end up in a boot later this week. If your doctor tells you NOT to do something, then don't do it. But I digress back to my 30 by 30. I have several reasons for wanting to lose weight, but really I just need to control my appetite and what I eat, but not just to lose weight. I soon will be going on Accutane to control my wonder cystic acne. Now this drug is a very powerful drug that can mess with your cholestrol and triclicerides, which I found out this week, mine are somewhat elevated already. So I have to eat low choloestrol, low fat now so that I can continue the acne treatment and basically just to be healthier. So I am going back to my semi-veggie ways, cutting out the red meat and going more organic, less processed and cutting out the fast food. I am not sure who this is going to be more of a struggle for, me or my family. Both Tom and the girls love them some good snacks, chips and cookies, but in reality none of us need it, so we will be cutting that out. The hardest part will be giving up my beloved daily Starbucks. I don't think that I can count the times I have tried to give up the Starbuck, but here I go again. So here is to eating healthier, lowering my cholestrol and losing weight!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Can I get out now?

A common phrase in our house lately has been "can I get out now." Usually this phrase is said by Maddie, or better yet yelled by Maddie when she has been put in time out. Usually it goes " Moooooom I'm done, can I get out now?" Over and over and over again until her time out is up. Today, however, after 30 minutes of laying in bed for her nap I heard, "I'm done, I want out now" over and over again until I went up to check on them. She just looked at me and smiled and then told me she had lost her paci under Natalie's bed.
The things these kids say anymore crack me up and I find it comical yet disturbing when I hear them repeat something that I have said and not even realized it. For instance, the other day I asked Maddie to do something and she said, "no, no, I don't want to, go away, leave me alone." WHAT! That is right, go away, leave me alone. Yup, this is what I have said to them when I am trying to do the dishes and need them to go in the other room. Please leave me alone girls. Well, that one came back to bit me. Then last week, Natalie had a fever and I said, dang it Nat you have a frickin fever and what comes back, "dang mom I have a frickin fever."
I tell you they are little parrots and they hear and repeat EVERYTHING. Tom and I are truly trying to be more diligent in our language and I just hope nothing else comes out that would be embarrassing, I mean isn't it bad enough that Natalie stands in the carts yelling, "I'm crazy" as loud as she can, while Maddie yells "hey mom, I tooted, I tooted mom." Yes, these are my lovely daughters, who I try to keep in check, yet allow them to have fun at the same time. Good times are ahead I am sure!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Reality Check

This weekend I truly had a reality check. I have never really enjoyed clothes shopping and it is especially bad when I am overweight or obese as my Wii keeps telling me. So this weekend when my sister, cousin and I went shopping I was pretty excited until I started trying things on and nothing was fitting right and everything was to small and ugh I looked awful. I know that I have really been in denial about how big I have truly gotten over the last year, but this weekend I had to face it, there can be no more hiding. No more living in sweatpants or wearing baggy sweatshirts. I can exercise until I am blue in the face but if I don't cut out the calories and crack down the bad things I eat then what good is it all and why bother?! So today I had my last junk food for awhile. I know moderation will be key and I am not going to cut everything out, but I am going to cleanse for a little while and try to get into the habit of eating healthy. then I will gradually add in little treats, but in small quantities. I also purchased a new bathroom scale as well as a food scale. I hate when I read something and it says 4 ounces of meat or veggies, what the heck you have to have a scale in order to know for sure, so there you go. I won't be dieting, just changing my eating habits and of course until the Mini is over in a few weeks I will still be having pasta and carbs, but just enough to keep me motoring and going. No crashing, but no over indulging. So with all of you as my witnesses, here goes another journey, but hopefully this time it won't just be ANOTHER diet, but instead will be a life change that allows me to lose the weight and learn how to eat healthy so I can be happier and healthier.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Conclusion

I have come to the conclusion that my scale is broken. I am not losing my mind and I am really losing weight. I relief I must say. How do I know the scale is not working correctly? Well, I am at my parents house this week with the girls and I weighed myself this morning and I was 5.5 pounds less than I was on Tuesday at home. I am pretty sure that I haven't lost 5.5 pounds in 2 days and that I conclude we need a new scale. I was please to see a lower number and even more pleased to know that I am doing somethings right and that the number will continue to go down if I stick with. So when I get home it will be out with the old scale and in with the new...let the weight loss continue!

Friday, April 03, 2009

Is the scale broken?

As you know I have been actively working out, training for the Indy Half Marathon and trying to eat healthy. One would think that the reward would be a svelte body and weight loss. WRONG! For some reason the scale has not budged. It has been months of this and I have lost maybe 5 pounds total. A very distressing thing to see the scale go down a few then back up. I don't know if I should throw it out and get a new one, stop weighing myself or re-evaluate what I am doing...maybe all three options are in order. I do know it is a frustrating process and a depressing one at that. I am still hovering at my heaviest weight ever, not including being pregnant, but the number I see scares me and makes me sad. I am also sick of looking in my closet and having nothing to wear because I am "to fat" to fit into anything nice. My wardrobe these days consists mostly of sweats and sweatshirts, not very attractive I admit, but comfortable and not depressing since I know the waist band on my sweats will never be tight!
Alas, what to do, I am not sure, but deep down inside I sure hope that scale is broken, the battery is dying or it needs some recalibration because I don't know how one can work so hard and have zero results!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

30 Day, Half Way Point

Well, it is official, I LOVE Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It is painful, but it works! Stats for 2 weeks down are:
Pounds: 4 lost
Waist: 1.5 inches lost
Hip: 1 inch lost
Calves: +.5 gain
Thighs: 1.5 inches lost
Belly: 1 inch lost
Chest: 2 inches Lost
Arms: +1 Inch gained

That is an overall total body inch loss of 5.5 inches lost in two weeks, with a few gains in the places you hope for!
I am so excited by this workout and can't wait to finish the next two weeks. I have also ordered the Biggest Loser Bootcamp Dvd to add to my routine and of course I still have my mini training!

Monday, February 23, 2009

30 Day Ouch!

Today, was my second day of Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred. At first I thought this workout would be another sissy dvd, that guarantees x,y and z. However, this is a WORKOUT! 20 minutes, just 20 minutes and I am in PAIN and dripping with sweat. Yesterday I ran 3 miles and then did the workout and I was soaked. I thought most the sweat was from my run, but today I did the workout before anything else...still dripping. Who knows how much I will lose, if anything, but I will give you inches and pounds lost if there are in at the end of 30 days! So if you are looking for a quick workout that will leave you in pain, this would be the workout for you...give it a try and let me know what you think. Also, if you have any other workout ideas of good workouts let me know that as well. It truly is no wonder those people on the Biggest loser lose so much weight, if I am dripping and in pain after twenty minutes, after 6-8 hours I would hope some weight would come off. Ah, another workout program, here we go again!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

It's Official...

It's official, I am truly 100% allergic to my wedding band. How might that be you ask, well at first I didn't know either, how after 3 years I could all of a sudden become allergic, but I am. It appears that some white gold jewelry is made with palladium and some is made with nickel. My Engagement ring was made, it appears, with palladium and my wedding band, purchased from another location, with nickel. So, I have a nickel allergy, which causes me to get red, itchy, open wounds whenever I put on my wedding band. At first I thought maybe I had somehow gotten into poison ivy or something else that could have caused the rash, but after waiting a few weeks and letting it dry up and heal, I put the ring back on and tried again. Once again, rash, horrible, horrible rash. I have tried several more times, but to no avail. It is very disheartening to not be able to wear my wedding band, it makes me feel like I am still engaged or something and sometimes I wonder what people thing when they see I have two kids and only an engagement ring or no ring on at all?! It now appears like we are going to have to get a new wedding band, some day in the future...really it is sad, this ring has been nothing but problems since the day we got it. The first day after we were married a stone fell out of it and we had to send it back, while we were on our honeymoon, to have it fixed. At that time we got a little silver ring, that was probably $10.00, because Tom said it was like we weren't even married and we were on our Honeymoon so I should have some sort of ring. I have been wearing this ring on and off throughout this whole allergy thing, but it has started to give me rashes as well. So I am hoping that we will be able to replace the original wedding band, and that I won't be allergic to it. Luckily, I am only allergic to the ring and nickel and not my loving husband!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Baby Mania

I feel like lately everyone around me is pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant. I have at least 4 friends who are already currently pregnant, and a few others who are thinking or getting ready to try. It is crazy....I know we are in that time of our lives for sure, but it makes me jealous a little. I am still not sure if we will ever have any more kids and if we don't it will be the best decision for our family and especially our little lovely girls. However, part of me finds myself living vicariously through my friends who are pregnant now and will get to hold their little joys in the near future. I am, however, VERY lucky that both my girls are still snuggle bugs and they love hugging me and telling me they love me and I can honestly say that, it is the highlight of my day and life, when one of those little voices says, "I love you mommmy." It is way to cute and makes me melt. So, to all of my lovely friends with little buns in the oven CONGRATULATIONS and I look forward to meeting all of your little bundles in the near future.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

For Fun or Competition

This year I am registered for my 5th Indianapolis 500 Mini Marathon, even though each year after I complete it, I say I will never do another one again. But, here I am, a little over 3 months away, and I find myself debating whether I want to run this year, or run/walk. I get very competitive, mostly with myself and I find it difficult to allow myself to walk, even though just finishing is an accomplishment and I have already run it, 4 times previously. Last year I had the time of 2:15 in mind that I wanted to accomplish, but I finished in 2:28, after discovering I had eaten and not even noticed I was eating about half a package of reduced fat Oreos. Needless to say, I was not in top form race day and did not complete my goal time. This year I signed up with my good running friend Sheri and my movie and book club friend Lindsay. I now find myself debating whether I want to run or walk. I think I would have more fun if I walked, but I don't want to regret not running and beating my time from last year. I go back and forth each day and have talked to both Lindsay and Sheri about what they want to do and Sheri wants to run and Lindsay is fine with walking. Of course this doesn't make my decision any easier. I know most of you are probably thinking this is a petty thing to be hung up on, but to me it is a big deal and one I think of often. I currently am leaning toward running about 3 miles, walking 1 mile and repeating. I think if I break it into smaller pieces it won't seem as daunting and I won't poop out, or hurt myself like I normally do. Did I mention that I usually take a 3-5 month exercise hiatas after the mini as well because I bang myself up so badly...another reason to walk right! :-)

Monday, January 12, 2009

Updated

Well, it has been over a month since I have last posted. I seem to be enjoying facebook to much to write here. I am much better at the one line status updates than I am at keeping up with a daily blog! Not much is shaking here really. Natalie is basically potty trained, Maddie could care less. Both girls are in their big girl beds and life is good. They have discovered a new love for swimming and ask daily to go, as soon as they wake up. Luckily we have a membership to the rec center so I can take them whenever we have time. So, that is really all that is going on here. As you can tell I have a new look here at Shades of Green. It doesn't really go with the title, but I thought it was time for a change! New Year, New Blog...same ole, same ole!