Day #55: Thankful

   This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house. I originally just invited my parents, thinking that I didn't want to interfere with my sisters' plans for Thanksgiving with husbands and in-laws. I thought I was being thoughtful, I didn't want them to feel obligated to take time off work and fly here to see us. Well, a week after my parents agreed to come out, my sisters and their husbands decided they wanted to come out too; and why hadn't I invited them in the first place (I'm just so inconsiderate)?!?. Then, my whole crazy family decided it would be cheaper, and well, just more fun, to drive out. A 24 hour drive. Straight through. No stops. The day before Thanksgiving. Yeah...as I write this, they are still an hour or so from  home, safe and sound, to Texas. We also had our good family friends, the H's join us. However, they are slightly more sane than my family, and took a non stop flight to get here. First class. With a glass of wine. That is clearly the better travel choice here.
   Needless to say, Thanksgiving was a whirlwind. Everyone arrived Wednesday night just in time for dinner, and just in time to kiss my kiddos goodnight before putting them to bed. My sisters and I got up the next day and ran the Turkey Trot- which is one of my favorite things to do the morning of Thanksgiving. I feel better about all of the stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, corn casserole, and pie that I eat the rest of the day when I begin my day running 6 miles.... like I deserve that third second piece of pie. And I do deserve it. And yes, 75% of our Thanksgiving sides are casseroles. Translation=butter is involved.
   Our house was maxed out with 12 people, but I LOVED every minute of it. I'm thankful that I have family who wants to drive 24 hours straight to spend the holidays with us. I'm thankful the H's, who are not related, chose to fly out here to spend this holiday with us and my crazy road-tripping family. Too bad Thanksgiving is always overshadowed by Christmas, because between the casseroles, Turkey Trot, family and friends, and pumpkin spice lattes, Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday of the year.

Day #54: it's that time of year

 You moms know what I'm talking about. It's that time of year where runny noses run rampant and chunky coughs are prevalent. Fall is here, and along with it, the flu, common cold, and a whole plethora of illnesses.
  Some of you may remember Luke's seizure scares from earlier this year. Although this past Tuesday his fever was never higher than 99.4, I kept him home from school. I wanted to see if this was a fever that was going to spike. It seemed to me that with his runny nose, cough, insane crankiness, and three hour naps, that he was just fighting off a cold.  If this were Savannah, I would send her to school without a second thought. Yes, I send my kid to school with a cough, runny nose, and a 99 degree fever. Judge me. Where do you think they picked up that cold in the first place? But Luke is different. Luke has seizures when his fever spikes, Luke is much clingier, and Luke is my baby. So Luke stayed home. By Thursday I had done enough googling and talking to other moms that I realized he had croup. His fever had risen to 101.5, which still is not too high, but for Luke, anything over 99 scares me. So Friday afternoon we visited the doctor where it was confirmed, he did indeed have croup. Unfortunately, it is a virus and just has to run it's course.
  Thankfully Luke never spiked a fever, so there were no seizures. It was a huge comfort and relief to me that we got through this first virus of the season smoothly. Our weekend scuba plans were cancelled; I could not justify leaving my sick Luke with a sitter all weekend. But you know what? It didn't really bother me. I wasn't upset that our weekend plans had to be postponed. If this had happened a year ago, I would have been slightly irritated. My kids being sick used to interfere with my plans. But now, I don't bat an eye. I quickly adjust and am grateful that I can stay home to cuddle, comfort, and love on my sick baby. Not everyone gets to do that, not everyone wants to do that, but I'm happy that I get to.

Day #53: Falling into Fall

  Doesn't it always seem that this time of year absolutely flies by? Once October hits, I know I'm in for a ride and that when I finally get around to looking up from the chaos of the holidays, it will be January 1st. A new year. Again.
  But I do love fall, especially in Virginia. As strong as my Texas roots are (no, I will not stop saying, typing, or texting "ya'll"), the fall here is breathtaking, the colors are intoxicating, the crispness in the air is energizing. All of that aside, I know this holiday season will be a whirlwind like no other. The next few weeks we have some fun things planned: Tyson and I are getting certified in scuba diving, Savannah and I are running the Monster mile, and we are going to Annapolis, MD with friends to watch some Navy football! Throw in a little trick- or- treating, trying to rent out our house, the holidays, and well ya know, just life, and it's a recipe for a stress fest. For me. Not Tyson, because he does not seem the least bit apprehensive about anything the upcoming months.
  I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving. I have my whole family (parents, sisters, brother- in -laws, and the H's) all driving/flying in. Two weeks after that, the packers and movers come to and by the second week in December we should be moved into our new home in Maryland. Seven days after moving in, we fly to Colorado for Christmas with the other side of the family. I am totally stoked to have a white Christmas. Tyson is going to get some skiing in, I hope to take the kids sledding, and great grandma may possibly come to visit. And to top it all off, if Santa were a woman, it would be my mother in law. She knows how to do Christmas, and she goes all out. Needless to say, the next few months will be a blast! BUT. I would be lying if I said that looking at my calendar did not give me heart palpitations and make my hands sweat. Cooking, packing, unpacking, flying, moving, renting, shopping...
  This is when I have to tell myself, remind myself, it's one day at a time. If I can get myself to just look at today, I think I can really enjoy this holiday season to the fullest. So I will try to relinquish control of the things I cannot control and enjoy today.

Day # 52: Lessons learned

So I actually wrote this post a few weeks ago, but am just getting around to editing it and posting it...

As my sweet, precious Luke nears his second birthday, I've been looking back on what I've learned in my last 4 1/2 years of motherhood. This post goes hand in hand with my new mom post from yesterday; a compilation of things I've learned my children have taught me.
1. It ain't about me anymore.
2. Luke goes to bed at least twice a week without dinner, and he's still alive. He eats when he's hungry, and let me tell you, that boy will put away a banana, yogurt, and two whole grain waffles the morning after! Don't stress over the little things, it's just not worth it.
3. You will sleep again! The first year it felt like sleep was a luxury of the past. But alas, I now sleep a good solid 8-9 hours  each night.
4. A Starbucks coffee and a laugh with a girlfriend can cure any bad day.
5. My ability and capacity to love and understand others has increased exponentially.
6. Patience increases along the way. Ask my mom, I was not given the gift of patience. But in the past few years, I have become more patient.
7. Progress is progress. A little is better than none at all. A little house cleaning, a little work out, a little down time, a little sex. It's better that none at all- appreciate ALL progress!
8. Stay at home mom's are underrated. I try not to take offense when other women/mothers ask "what do you do?". I simply say, " I have two young children. That's what I do." Be confident in knowing you are doing one of the most important jobs on earth: raising children, caring for them, ensuring them that they are loved. I love what I do and wouldn't trade it for any other job in the world.

Day #51:To all the new moms

I was reminded yesterday of the absolute exhaustion that accompanies motherhood. But especially the new mothers. I am no expert but I have learned a few things along the way. But first off I want to say, being a mom is HARD, and sometimes new moms are not told just how hard it is. Yes, babies are adorable, you wouldn't trade them for anything, they give your life new meaning and purpose, and gosh darn those tiny little clothes! BUT. Sleepless nights, breastfeeding, smelling like puke, not having time to take a shower....
So here are a few tips I've learned along the way:

1. Sleep when the baby sleeps. This is not a helpful suggestion, it is a survival skill. I know you haven't taken a shower, and you don't remember the last time you did laundry, and you want to check Facebook. But don't.
2. Schedule a break. Have a sitter on the calendar and commit to getting out of the house WITHOUT your baby, once a week, once a month, whatever you need to be sane. An hour alone can make your entire day better. I promise.
3. Have friends who are moms. Listen, there are days when you will feel crazy. Actually crazy, like you are seriously considering seeing a therapist. Welcome to the mom club! I'll let you in on a little secret: we all feel crazy most of the time. Especially the first few years months. You need other mothers in your life who can reassure you that you are not crazy, you are just a mother!
4) I know in the beginning, you really feel like you don't know what the H you are doing. But you know more than you realize. At some point you will understand that although your Pediatrician has a degree in babies, and your mother has been a mother much longer than you have, and that your friend has more "mom experience" than you...you know YOUR baby best. Just because your Pediatrician/mom/friend tell you what you are supposed to do or what works best, YOU know what's best for your baby. And it's okay to do things your way.
5) Don't lose yourself. Yes, you are a mother, but you are still who you were before you were a mother. Keep doing the things you love.

That's all I got, but I'm still learning new things every.single.day. My kids are great teachers, I think they teach me more than I teach them!

Day #50: My "first" half marathon

  I say "first" because I think I should get credit for the one I signed up for a year and half ago, but never ran. I originally started training for it at the beginning of 2010, to help shed the last of my baby weight from Luke. The race was mid March. I ran and ran, trained and trained. Two nights before the race, I became violently ill (I'll spare you the details) and could not run (let alone pry myself away from the porcelain throne). I was SO pissed bummed! I mean, I had paid the $100 and trained my little heart out...for nothing!
  I have wanted to run a half marathon for years, yes, years. But between having babies, being a wife to a twice deployed husband, and finishing grad school...I just couldn't fit it in! Needless to say, after the attempt (and fail) of half marathon #1, I was less than anxious to pay and train for another one. After a year and a half of of pouting about what happened, my friend finally convinced me to run the Rock and Roll half marathon here in Virginia Beach. So we have trained for the past 2 months, diligently increasing our mileage each week. Yesterday was the BIG day and I have to say, I'm thrilled that I can check that sinkin' half marathon off my bucket list. However, I have no plans to run another half marathon EVER again. EVER. And yes, I'll tell you why.
  I love running. I've mentioned this before. I've been running for 17 years and I do it at least 5 days a week. Voluntarily. I actually enjoy it. But I run 3-4 miles at a time, not 10, and certainly not 13.1. 13.1 miles is not fun or enjoyable. It is painful and honestly, downright boring. Running for over two hours...um, why? I was DONE at mile 10. I didn't have cramps and I wasn't tired, but my knees and hips were screaming at me to stop! Luckily my sweet little family was there to cheer me along right as I was ready to stop. I completed my first (and last) half marathon in my personal goal time of 2:10 exactly.
  It took me over two hours to recover! My stomach does not like when I run more than 10 miles, I mean, I pay for it. So being in a beach port-a-potty post race was an awesome way to end my experience. Not! Not to mention my hips, knees, feet....and EVERY muscle in my body ached. But I did it, I had the experience, and I'm never doing it again. I would much rather run "fun" runs throughout the year, because I do love running in races. The people, the atmosphere, the excitement of it all. But I think I'll stick to 10K's and mud runs and maybe look into training for a (mini)triathlon. I like running too much to run for 13.1 miles. Or at least that's what I"ll tell my myself and other people. I like running too much to ever run another half marathon. That makes perfect sense to me.

Day #49: Irene Shmirene

  Hurricane Irene. Really? It was the most lame hurricane ever. Or at least thats what I'm told; My people (cat included) and I evacuated. Yes, we were evacuees. I'm from Houston, people.  My dad was a Houston police officer and was not allowed to leave the city during natural disasters and my mom never wanted to leave without my dad, so we rode out every single hurricane that rolled our way. The word hurricane just doesn't phase me. It was something that was pretty common growing up and evokes no fear or sense of urgency in me. So evacuating is something I just don't do. My husband, however, is from Colorado and never had the experience of hurricanes. He is also a pilot in the Navy. The military hears hurricane and evacuate ships and aircraft ASAP. And Tyson pretty much always makes me and the kids leave as well. Honestly, I'm fine with stocking up on water and beanie weenies, topping off my gas tank, and making friends with neighbors who have generators. But my northerner husband prefers to get the heck out of dodge.
  Tyson has learned over the past five years or being married to me how to carefully phrase things.  Instead of suggesting we evacuate, he suggested we do a mini vacation to wherever I wanted within driving distance. Other than the beach. But anywhere else. If you know me at all, you know I'm a planner, a scheduler. I like to plan in advance. Way in advance. I don't do spur of the moment or spontaneous. So this was going against all of my natural instints. But Tyson persuaded me and finally I decided that as long as we had a hotel suite, I would survive. We packed up quickly Thursday night and left early Friday morning. Let me tell you, Best.Vacation.Ever. Who would have thought? Not me! I was envisioning sleepless nights in a hotel, screaming and bickering in the car, and misery. Yes I know, slightly dramatic, but I have learned with children to expect and plan for the worst. The absolute worst. So I was pleasantly surprised and just downright SHOCKED that our spur of the moment evacuation trip turned out so incredibly well.
 We are now back from a relaxing vacation; no laundry, no cooking, no cleaning for the past three days and now I'm refreshed and renewed. Plus the kids start school next week and this was some good quality family time. We came home to no damage, just a bunch of leaves and branches in the yard. Letting go  and being more flexible is a challenge for me, but a good quality to develop as a mother. I cannot control and plan for everything, especially hurricanes. If my husband wants to do a mini vaca every time we may or may not encounter a hurricane, I'm on board!

Day #48: It's not easy being green, or is it?

   On to my next venture. I'm going to take on recycling. I am, admittedly, the world's WORST green/eco-friendly mother on the planet. I go through paper towels and plastic baggies like no ones business. And although we actually have curbside  pick-up for recycling, I still don't recycle. I'm just being lazy and not wanting to sort trash. But I've been thinking and asking some of my eco- friendly mother's for some easy tips. I gotta start slow. It's like a diet, if you take on too much all at once, it ain't gonna happen. So here is my proposed plan:

1. Use less plastic baggies for snacks and more Tupperware. Same goes for paper plates. But paper plates are so easy, especially when I don't feel like doing dishes. But alas, I will reduce my paper plate use! This also goes for paper towels (I can use a sponge/washcloth) and napkins (I have some cloth ones, I think I could handle a switch).
2. Turning off the lights when they are not being used. I blame my children for the bulk of this. But I'm guilty as well. just a little.
3. Sorting trash from recyclables. I am going to get another trash can and make it my recycle bin and put it right next to the trash can.
4. Reuse. I always forget that reusing an item is a form of being green and I actually do reuse my plastic baggies already. I will attempt to reuse other things as well.
5. I am hesitant to commit to reusable bags at the grocery story, that seems like a BIG step. Plastic is SO easy. I wonder if I can bring back my plastic bags to reuse? Does that count as being green?

That's what I'll start with for now and I'll see how/where it goes. These are all very easy changes. I guess when I hear "going green" I think of big inconvenient changes. I think of solar lighting, cloth diapering, and Hybrid cars. But it doesn't have to be big at all to make an impact.

Any other tips would be helpful; I'm open to suggestions. What green lifestyle habits have you adopted?

Day #47: Recap

So I was thinking the other day, since starting this "project" back in March, how much progress have actually made? I mean, I've made a lot of statements, plans, and promises, but how many have I actually followed through with? So I started looking back through my previous blogs to see what I've actually done.
1. Couponing: Although I am no where near as successful as the ladies from Extreme Couponing, I have made some progress. I now get all my diapers and wipes through Amazon using my mom prime account; I love having them brought to my door once a month. Seriously, could it get any easier? I get all of my bulk paper items, laundry detergent, and yogurt (can you really have too much yogurt??) from Costco. I still clip coupons, but probably only save about 5$ when I use them. Hey, 5$ is a Starbucks coffee, so it's something! I justify this with the fact that I do shop at the commissary which typically has better prices than Walmart on most items. I guess I still need to step up my coupon clipping game, but I'm doing better than I was in March.
2. Doing more activities for/with the kids: I have to say I have stepped up my activities for my kids. I mean, I don't mean to brag but, okay yeah, I do mean to brag. I'm kicking but on the kid friendly activities! We go to the zoo, bike ride, Busch gardens, the beach, the aquarium, have make your own pizza night. We also have plenty of outside play time, play with play dough (although I have yet to make my own), coloring, cooking (with Savannah),  and reading books.
3. Reading with Savannah: I got a reading book that Savannah and I have been diligently working through. We have not made a whole lot of progress but we are still working on it, so that's what counts. She doesn't have to be reading novels by the end of the year, but if I can give her a leg up before kindergarten, then I'll be happy.
4. Luke: We have really been working on colors with Luke. Every now I'll ask for a blue crayon and he will actually bring me a blue crayon. But most of the time he brings me a different color! We have also been reading to Luke every night before bed. He LOVES his bedtime stories and sits still and pays attention throughout the book. So he will at last have that skill down when he starts preschool (yikes) in a few weeks!

All in all, progress (slow and inconsistent) has been made since I started this "mommy project" in March.  It is nice to look back and be able to see that I am moving in the direction I want to as a mother. Some days it feels like I'm standing still, other times it's one step forward two steps back. But in the overall big picture, I am moving forward. Slowly.

Day # 46: Make your own pizza night

I think we are going to officially start a "pizza dinner night". I mean, who doesn't like pizza (besides Luke when he's being stubborn and trying to piss me off)? And I love the idea of the kids helping with the cooking, it's a good life skill to have. Pizza is so versatile too, so I think we could mix it up enough so we don't get bored with the same thing. Veggie, meat, chicken pesto, mexican, mediterannean, BBQ...the possibilities are endless! It may not be every week, but I'm thinking we could squeeze it in twice a month. So we test drove this plan Saturday night and combined it with a movie and it was a hit. 

   I bought individual pizza crusts for the kids, and a big whole wheat one for Tyson and I (He says it tastes a little like cardboard, I mostly disagree). I found sauce that is squeezable, so the kids had no problem squirting it out and spreading it around with their hands a spatula. I put all the toppings on the table: pepperoni, cheese, and veggies and let them choose what to put on. They had a blast! Throw in an animated movie and my kids thought it was the best.night.ever. Sometimes I forget how easy it is to entertain kids, they don't need Busch Gardens, bike rides, and tons of toys. Sometimes making dinner together and watching a movie is even better than all of that!

making pizza!

                                                    

and this is why they ate their own pizza! Luke snuck in a few licks of the sauce!

Luke was pretty upset when I took the pizza away to put in the oven.

                                                      

Day #45: Boys vs. Girls

   I was told last week at the gym that the teacher had to take Luke's sippy cup from him him because he was hitting other children with it. Sippy cup as a weapon. Great.

   I have a confession to make. When I heard mother's talking about the difference between boys and girls, it always seemed it was the mother's of boys doing all the talking. Boys are more aggressive, active, and just...different than little girls. Well it sounded like a bunch of crap excuses to me. We were (and still are) pretty strict with Savannah:we made her eat what we ate, never let her sleep in bed with us, restricted her t.v watching, and consistently disciplined her. I attributed her good behavior and obedience to our solid parenting techniques. I mean, I must just be that awesome of a parent. Well turns out, I'm not. I know, I was shocked too. And I owe all those mother's of boys a big FAT apology. I secretly and quietly thought that yall just sucked (for lack of a better word) at parenting. Turns out, boys ARE completely different than girls! Yes, what everyone has been telling me for years, I now have seen for myself. Turns out boys really are more aggressive, more active, and, well, just boys! They like dirt. Playing in it, eating it, throwing it, spreading it around my carpet. Luke throws anything and everything. A ball, his sister's toys (after he takes them away from her), books, crayons, and apparently sippy cups. He loves taking his toys to the top of the stairs and launching them down. He takes his diaper off and pees and poops on the deck. He spits when he's angry. He is obsessed with any type of motor vehicle- trains, planes, helicopters, semi trucks. He loves to climb. He ate 8 chicken nuggets yesterday. He is all boy and he is completely different than my girl. But I guess, "boys will be boys". And that's not an excuse!

  

Day #44: 37 minutes

   37 minutes is how long it took us to arrive at Fuddruckers, order our food, eat it, and get back into the car. I attribute our speedy dinner to three factors: A) not a whole lot of people eat at 5PM on. the. dot. like we do B) Luke decided a 30 minute nap in the car was sufficient for the day and C) I thought Luke could handle the booth experience rather than sitting in a high chair. He could not. I mean, there were no broken plates, no tantrums, no spills, so overall I rate this as a successful dining out experience with the fam. I appreciate where we are in life, where we are in our eating out experience. You know, my kids always went through that phase where we literally could not eat out with them because they could not sit still long enough to get through dinner in a semi-sane fashion. It's usually around that 9 month-18 month age. Fun times. So I know we have come a long way a little ways from that, and I acknowledge that and look forward to the day when we can sit together and eat dinner as a family without the high chair, or the shoes coming off (and subsequently being thrown under the table), or having to bribe plead with my children to eat their food.

Day # 43: Family reunion

   We just returned from a week at the beach with my parents, Aunt, Uncle, five cousins, the cousins children (does that make them my second cousins?) and a boyfriend. A grand total of 23! Unlike the vacation from hell trip to New York in June, this one was actually incredibly relaxing. Our days were filled with naps, margaritas, and the beach.  I must admit that things started to take a downhill turn towards the end of the week. A few of us passed around the stomach bug (which I was included in), my mother was bitten by a spider, and my cousin had to be rushed to the ER for emergency surgery for compression syndrome. Not to mention a bit of sea sickness during a deep sea fishing trip and yacht excursion. We sure do know how to have fun!  We have now (grudgingly) returned home, back to the daily grind of laundry, the gym, grocery shopping, and not laying on the beach. Aside from all of that, I came home relaxed, rested, and very tan.

Day #42: Zumba and Zumba Gold

   I have been running for 17 years. I hadn't really realized it had been that long until I stopped to think about it ( a sign of my age I suppose, when you can vividly remember things from 17 years ago!). And now it makes sense that my knees are starting to ache. I've been going to a gym (on and off, but mostly on) for almost 10 years. So sometimes I get in a gym rut; my routines are the same, I'm rarely sore, I'm bored! So in an effort to revamp my gym routine I try new classes out and add them into my week when I can. I am OBSESSED with Les Mills Body classes. Obsessed. They have a wide range of classes: Body Attack (my personal favorite), Body Combat (my second favorite), Body Pump, Body Step, Body Jam, Body Flow, etc. You get the point. So through the years I've tried some of these and usually take about 2 classes a week, just to mix things up. My friend Amy and I work out together most days and last week we decided to try Zumba. All I hear are good things about this class, from the young and old. I mean, people rave about it. Unfortunately I have no dance skill/coordination/rhythm of any kind. None. And I proved it in Zumba last week. This is why I run; I at least have enough coordination to do that. So we ventured in to Zumba and low and behold, I fell in love. If I could, I would marry Zumba and have zumba babies. It was so. much. fun. I told Amy I felt like the lights should have been low and I should have done a tequila shot before class though. Since I cannot shake what my mama gave me I spent most of class hopping around and laughing at myself, which is always fun to do. However, the next day I was sore, and thus reassured that Zumba was indeed a good workout.
  Today Amy and I decided to go to  Zumba on a different day at a different gym. As we were walking in I noticed that the class was Zumba Gold, not just Zumba. I wondered aloud what the "gold" part meant and was told it was a slower paced Zumba. You know, for beginners (like me) and people who want to move slower...hmm. I started looking around and noticed Amy and I were the only people under the age of 70! Okay, I exaggerate, but only a little bit. Really, there were about 12 people, or, senior citizens, I should say. It really did look like a retirement home field trip in there. One man had to be 80 and he somehow managed to incorporate a chair into the class.?.  Needless to say, we bailed out after song 2. So if ever you find yourself wondering if there is a difference between Zumba and Zumba Gold, there is. A big one. If you are under the age of 65, go ahead and try Zumba!

Day #41: Pee and Poop- the sequel

   I'm sitting outside on the back deck, under the umbrella enjoying the heat of summer and the occasional breeze. I have two halfway finished magazines, a book, and my computer all to keep me entertained. I've had a productive Monday morning, well I have yet to shower, but I ran 4 miles, cleaned out the guest room, weeded and trimmed up the front yard, and vacuumed downstairs. I plan on going inside in an hour to start dinner; meatloaf, mac and cheese, and baked applesauce. I'm way too excited about dinner. The kids are playing happily together in the kiddie pool, jumping in, splashing. Everything is going great, or so I thought.  Savannah came to me, looking very serious and mumbled something to me. I look at her, thinking I have surely heard her wrong. I ask her to repeat herself. "I pooped under the bucket". I look in the yard and the big red bucket is suspiciously flipped over. I look at her and ask if she is serious. Oh yes, she is. She squatted, pooped, and covered it up with a big red bucket (and how did I miss that, I was sitting right here....). Now, Savannah is 4. The last pooping "accident" she had, she was probably two and potty training; this was no accident. Even worse, she knew it was wrong, which is why she covered it up and then confessed! She was testing me. Because next she said, "Luke did it". Yes, as you may all recall, Luke did poop on the deck last weekend, so Savannah seemed to interpret that as it being okay for her to poop in the yard.and hide it under a bucket. Oh Lord. I made that child clean up the poop with a paper towel and a plastic bag. That was gross. 

   The funny thing is, I had just opened up my computer to blog. and I was wondering what I was going to blog about today. And there it was, (literally) right in front of me.

Day# 40: Slacking off

   So I began my blogging journey by blogging almost daily. Now, I'm lucky if I blog once every other week. I blame my husband being home. When he was gone, I would blog whenever, but now all of that alone time (that I used to complain about), I no longer have. And I'm not complaining. I'm just saying, I went from no husband, to one who is home all.the.time. He has recently switched to a new training squadron and the pace there is slow at best. He goes to work around 9ish and is home by noon. And as I have mentioned before, when he is home and hanging around the house, I tend to be much less productive. So needless to say, I've been slacking lately on my blogging and it's not for lack of material, it's for lack of alone time. And I'm not complaining. Having my husband home and around is far better than being out of the country for 6 months. It's feast or famine around here; you gotta take what you have at the moment and make the best of it. So we have had A LOT of quality time, one "vacation" to NY, one beach vacation planned for mid- July, multiple zoo trips, and a few Busch Garden trips on the horizon. In between all of that is playing outside in the kiddie pool almost daily. I've also been catching up on sleep that I've missed the past, oh, 4 years or so. Luke now "sleeps in" until 7-7:30am and sometimes Savannah will even sleep until 8am! I feel like I've won the sleeping lottery. The past 4 years I have been up before 7am and several times each night, so I feel like I should take advantage of this. Plus, the big boy bed is right around the corner. Yesterday morning Savannah 'helped' Luke out of bed. I made them reenact this. Luke swung a leg over the rail and then Savannah held out her arms as he did a free fall into them. Nice. So my sleeping in will come to an end once again when Mr. Luke has the freedom to get in and out of bed as he pleases.... All that said,  slacking off is quite nice. You should give it a try.

Day #39: Poop and pee

    My title today says it all. During my first pregnancy I became obsessed overly concerned with bodily functions and the frequency with which they occur. My prenatal vitamins made me constipated, the iron supplements didn't help either, and I was up 3-4 times every night to pee. I mean, bodily functions were a HUGE part of my day and night, no wonder I was so concerned. Well then Savannah was born and for the first WEEK or her life, we had to track her pee/poop output, frequency, and color. (Can you seriously believe I've dedicated an entire blog to poop and pee?? What has my life become?!?) So once I became a mom, talking about stuff like this was normal. I find myself just chatting away with friends about whether Luke has pooped or not, like its all so...normal. And like they care.
  So to tie this story into present day, this morning we went to the beach. When we got home, Tyson stripped Luke down in the backyard and sprayed him off. I went inside and made a quick lunch for the kids so they could eat on the deck while they dried off. I come out and get Luke set up  (naked) on the deck to eat his lunch. The deck is wet and Tyson said he had to spray it off because Luke went up there and started peeing all over it. Classic boy. So he sat on a wet deck and ate his lunch, Savannah right next to him in her swim suit. I then go inside to fix Tyson lunch and when I come out, our lunches in hand, I find that Luke is squatting and has just finished pooping. On the deck. While eating lunch. And then....he stepped in it. True story.
  Theres just never a dull moment around here. And I love it.

Day #32-#38: Roadtripping to NYC

Where, oh where, do I begin this post? We have just returned from a week long family "vacation" to Philadelphia and New York City (note to self: vacation is NOT roadtripping with the little people; it is a beach.without kids.and a margarita.) Here are the high points though:

- Staying in a historic hotel in Philadelphia where the parking garage was several blocks away. Tyson has now banned us from staying anywhere unless there is on site parking. Apparently hauling the travel crib several blocks through Philly was unpleasant.

- Luke decided to choose this week to begin climbing out of his travel crib.

- Savannah started saying, "holy crack" (holy crap). I should probably stop saying that. But she was also told by her great aunt Claudia that "pouty's not pretty" and she now says that throughout the day to herself.

- Luke entered the pre-terrible -twos and threw FULL.OUT.TANTRUMS. complete with kicking, screaming, and hitting. He did this DURING my sister-in-laws graduation from the Merchant Marine Academy and at EVERY meal we had with family. I wanted to leave him in NYC. Seriously.

- I have a vague memory of being on a booze cruise and then walking barefoot through NYC.  Then passing out sleeping on the train ride home. Not my finest moment.

- Going to bed at 8:30pm because we were all in a hotel room together and my children need complete darkness and silence to sleep. Also, I now have to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Cruisin (the song Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis sing together in Duets) each night to Savannah. I'm not sure why that was the first song that came to mind when Savannah asked me to sing...

- Did you know that 4 year olds and 21 month olds DO NOT appreciate bus tours of NYC? They also do not care about times square, the statue of liberty, or ground zero. Imagine my surprise. Imagine it. They did like the subway though.

- P.S. My baby fever has vanished! Poof! Between tantrums, potty stops, walking blocks (and blocks and blocks and blocks) pushing a stroller in NYC, sleeping in hotel rooms with my little people...suddenly I have no desire for another baby. At least not anytime soon.

Day #31: Holy heat wave (thanks Amy for my catchy title)

   It was hot today. So hot. The kind of hot where we filled up the baby pool, turned on the sprinklers, and stripped down to the least amount of appropriate clothing possible. For Luke that meant a diaper half of the afternoon and complete nudity the other half. Boys like that being naked and running around thing. I made Tyson keep his shorts on though. It was also the first night in over two weeks that we did not eat outside for dinner. And of course, to top it off, my upstairs AC is not working properly. It's like 80 degrees up there, and I definitely keep it around 74 degrees at night. My air went out last year on July 4th. Apparently the AC must stop working when it's super hot outside. I mean, why can't it break when it's in the 70's and 80's so we could just sleep with our windows open? I'm thinking the guest room on the first floor is calling my name tonight.

Day #30: Life is a beach

   Tyson has been home from work everyday for the past week by noon. It's wonderful. Most of the time. It's feast or famine over here; he's either gone to another country for 6 months or home ALL. THE. TIME.  I seem to be less productive when he is home though, I act like it's Saturday everyday. I've been doing things like forgetting about all the laundry piling up (although I loathe laundry, so maybe I'm just using this as an excuse), not thawing out meat for dinner (which leads to ordering pizza), taking afternoon catnaps. Having a glass of wine every night with dinner. Today we went to the beach. On a Wednesday at 3PM. We also brought our bikes because yes, I have been riding my bike lately (and Tyson bought me a HUGE comfy seat for the bike so it's akin to sitting in a Lazy boy recliner while biking. And I look a little like a grandma, but for the sake of comfort, I don't care!). We also recently invested in a Schwinn kid buggy that attaches to Tyson's bike. So we played at the beach, built sand castles, got in the water, and snacked on watermelon. We then went back to the car, hooked up the buggy to the bikes, got the the kids snacks (again, because my children eat constantly) and went riding down the VB boardwalk as a family unit, little people in tow, giggling the entire time. It was seriously the best Wednesday EVER. Ever. Everyone remained happy throughout the afternoon; no meltdowns, no demands. Did aliens abduct my little people and replace them with look alike robots? Possibly. But either way, me, Tyson, and the robots kids had a blast.

Day #29: Baby fever

   I have it. Baby fever. Officially. But then I have afternoons like today and I think, "there is no way in HELL I could throw a baby into the mix and still keep my semi-sane status". The kids aren't doing anything out of the ordinary or particularly irritating; but the combination of me PMSing and them being a 1 year old (whose favorite word is "no!") and a 4 year old (who talks incessantly) is enough for today. And it's hot outside, like really hot. You know the murder rate goes up in the summer months? Yeah, just an FYI. People are easily bothered and looking for a fight. But no, I'm not planning on killing anyone just in case you were wondering. At least not today. But the heat does add to the irritation.
  But back to the issue at hand. Babies. Have you noticed that EVERYONE is pregnant? I have. I even know three girls pregnant with TWINS! And not just the humans are preggo. The geese in our pond have multiple families of baby geese wandering the neighborhood and it takes all I have to not goosenap one, swaddle it, and bring it home. Adding to the fever is that my baby Luke got a big boy haircut on base this weekend and now looks like a 15 year old marine rather than my sweet 20 month old Luke, which is not helping the baby situation. Then I rented Babies (the documentary). Why, why did I do that? Because I have baby fever, that's why! Japanese, Mongolian, and Kenyan babies are just as cute, no wait, cuter than, American babies. And I want one.
   I think I need to go hang out with a pregnant mom friend who is hot and miserable and then move on to a mother of a newborn, you know, the mom who is like a zombie, completely sleep deprived and feeling like a human milk machine? Then maybe my fever will be cured. If not I may need to explore other alternatives...like actually having another baby. I mean, I do already have a minivan.
  

Day #28: what is really important

  So I watched 20/20 last night (something I had on my DVR from who knows when), and bawled my freakin eyes out. Yes I did. Now, there were a number of factors contributing to said sobfest, but it was in fact a very good reminder of what life is really about and how much I take for granted. From all the little things I fret over- my body, my hair, my wardrobe to the really important things I take for granted- a husband who loves me, my home, my family's health.

 She too is a blogging mommy, check out her blog and be reminded of how good you have it or go to abc.com to watch her full story.
http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

Day #27: banned from the gym

    My husband has banned me from the gym for the next two weeks. This is the equivalent of a time-out for my one- year old, or not letting Savannah have fruit snacks for the day (holy cow that is about the worst punishment around here!), or taking away her t.v privileges. This. is. BIG. The reason being, my sweet Luke now has Strep throat! In efforts to get him well and keep him well, all contact with other children has been banned, which includes, but is not limited to, the gym. I must say, I agree too. The boy has had a double ear infection, pink eye, two seizures, Hand Foot and Mouth, and now Strep- all in a 2 month period. Each time he gets better, we return to our normal schedule of the gym, playdates, etc. Not this time though! We are going to try to get him 200% better and healthy! To add to all the fun of staying home, Savannah had her last day of school on Friday, so I now have both of my children home all day with me and nothing.on.the.calendar.nothing. This calls for some big time creativity on my part.
    I just ordered How to Teach your child to Read in twenty Easy Lessons. Yeah right like it's going to be easy. And I can just about swear on my life it will be longer than twenty lessons. Call me crazy. I figure it will give her a leg up before going into real preschool this Fall. So that should occupy a total of 20 minutes every day..... I do have big plans, I just don't know how realistic they are. I tend to get preoccupied with my to-do lists. Laundry, gym, grocery store. Although I stay at home with the kids, I feel like I sometimes don't give them the attention and time they deserve. So the next two weeks I am really going to make an effort to put them first, rather than fitting them in at the end of the day when my energy is dwindling and my patience is low. I mean, I am literally going to put activities on the calendar to do with them everyday. Along with reading, Savannah loves to help me cook. So I think I will have her help me cook dinner every night and master setting the table. These are life skills that she is old enough to accomplish. She also enjoys painting but I rarely let her do it because it is just so dang messy. But heck, I apparently now have all the time in the world, so I'm going to get a cheap shower curtain liner to cover the table and let her have at it.
   As the second child, Luke does not get as much of my time as Savannah did at his age. He has about three hundred books (no I'm not kidding! Thank you grandma for being a book lover!) so I'm thinking this is the week to start sitting down and reading with him daily. He is also starting "preschool" in the Fall, so this is a good opportunity to start working on sitting still and listening to instruction. ha. Like I said, I have BIG plans for my little people! He can start working on his colors too. He loves balls and food, so I'm thinking if we can round up all the balls in this house, we will have every color, and then throw in a bag of Skittles...I'm confident we will have our colors down in no time!
  As for me, I have a few plans for myself too. I want to branch out and try some new recipes, which I rarely do because it takes extra time and effort, both of which I sometimes always lack.  Also, Tyson has been wanting me to get into bike riding (not like the biker shorts, shave my body, crazy kind- just regular get- on- a -bike- and -ride -it kind) an activity the whole family can do together. He has been working on my bike lately and I'm thinking I will get over my bike issues (so, when I was fifteen my parents for some reason thought it would be fun for our whole family to ride bikes in Colorado. in the summer. for 30 miles. And FYI, there are mountains there. Now I know its been 12 years, but the emotional scars left behind are vast), find a bike trailer on Craigslist for the kids, and maybe hit up a bike path this weekend!
   I will have to update my blog to let you know what actually gets accomplished. It might just be that I read to Luke, Savannah paints, and we do some bike riding. But I'll aim high and hope for the best!

Day # 26: waking up too early: an epidemic

So I had to get up at 4:30AM to get Chel (my little sister) to the airport for her 6AM flight. I was going to make her take a cab, but I'm not that mean. I got back in bed at 5:20AM, Tyson's alarm went off at 5:45AM. Needless to say, I was awake and was not going back to sleep. So I decided to be productive, do a little bit of cleaning and laundry since I was up and unable to sleep. Well my children just know when I am up, it doesn't seem to matter what time it is or how quiet I am. They can hear me. For a while I was setting my alarm for 6AM, having some down time and coffee before the little people were up; well that lasted all of a week because although Luke typically does not start making noise until 6:45AM he started fussing the minute I swung my legs out of bed to get up. Plus, I have a rule that I do NOT get Luke out of bed until 7AM. It doesn't matter if I am awake, it doesn't matter if he has been making noise for an hour, 7AM is when I go in his room to get him up. Apparently I didn't pass this rule on to Tyson who brought Luke down at 6:20AM this morning- then left for work! I was slightly peeved not so happy about that, he claims he did not know the 7AM rule. Well then Savannah heard us all downstairs and came down at 6:45AM- she's been sleeping until almost 8AM every morning. People, let me call it now, there will be a mandatory nap time today at noon...if we can even make it until then. Honestly, I'm already grumpy and I'm pretty much ready for a nap now.

Day #25: To have or not to have

  I grew up on shows like Full House and 7th Heaven, the families were big and happy. Now I watch shows like Parenthood and Brothers and Sisters, each boasting big families that eat together, live a few miles apart, and are each other's best friends. I like to imagine myself with this big family one day, lots of kids and in-laws and grand kids....
  So the time has come that if we wanted a third child and if we wanted them to be the same 2.5 years apart as Savannah and Luke, I'd have to get pregnant. Next month. I know, I know, the kids don't all have to be the exact same years apart, but I would like it to be similar and not to have my oldest and youngest too far apart, ya know? Tyson is all for another kid; of course he is! He isn't the one who will be pregnant, or breast feeding, or struggling to lose 40 pounds.again. And I have to admit, having two kids has its perks. I like that we have a boy and a girl, its east to divide and conquer. Tyson and Luke can go to Home Depot while Savannah and I grocery shop.or better yet, go to the mall. The kids are each others playmates, they only have each other, so there is never an odd man out. I can spoil them separately. If I buy Savannah a baby doll, I don't have to get Luke one too. I have two younger sisters and my mom would always say, "I can't buy you that because then I'd have to buy two more just like it for your sisters." Tables at restaurants are made for four, not five. My youngest sister Sam was always stuck in a chair at the end of the booth at restaurants, which I'm pretty sure she is still bitter about. Two kids seems more manageable than three, I feel like I already stay busy enough with two, how would I make time for a third?
   It doesn't help that I have 12 (at least) "friends" (I use quotations because I admit some of these people are FB friends, people I haven't actually spoken to in years) who are having or about to have babies this year! Maybe just MAYBE, I'm having a touch of baby fever?...possibly, especially since Luke will be two in September! However, I do feel like I'm just now getting a little bit of my life back. Babies are hard work! I mean, they are cute, but heck, sleep deprivation, crying, all of it- wears.me.out! Throw in a husband who has an unpredictable work schedule and who deploys regularly, and it's even more tiring. Right now I have two children who sleep through the night, can feed themselves, and who are independently mobile. I just don't know that I am ready to go back again right now, or ever.
 

Day #24: Time flies

   Today I went to Savannah's end of the year parent-teacher conference. What the what? It's already the end of the school year? Her teacher showed me her progress throughout the year: writing her name (or something that resembled her name, there was definitely an S and two upside down v's somewhere in there) her drawing of people (which I love at this age because it was basically a head with arms and legs coming out of it) and her cutting skills. As a mother, I loved hearing her teacher talk about how my child is doing well, learning quickly, following instructions, and always has a smile.  My child isn't a social outcast who tortures small animals, throws tantrums, and pushes her classmates down. Knock on wood. It gives me reassurance that although it may not feel like it ever, I'm doing something right.
 

Day #23: staying calm during an emergency: a mandatory class for the SAHM

   So my little sister is here this week and my parents are coming next week, so I'm enjoying lots of quality family time. It's also a bonus that my sister is a pediatric ICU nurse since Luke, once again, had a fever induced seizure on Tuesday. Luckily, Tyson was with him when it happened, not me. I don't know that I could have handled it again this soon on my own.
   Tyson and Luke had gone to Home Depot on Tuesday while Savannah and I headed out to do some grocery shopping in preparation for the next two weeks of company. Luke had a low fever that morning and I had given him Tylenol. I had even taken him to the Dr. Saturday because I was sure he had another ear infection, but he checked out 100%, in fact, the Dr. said he looked great! We went to ballet class and Chick- fil- a and he had been a little cranky but nothing out of the ordinary. Well, when Tyson looked back in the car seat after they returned from their errand, Luke was seizing. Tyson explains this all to me in a very detached matter-of-fact tone later that night. Once he realized what was happening, he took Luke inside and put him on the rug in the 'safe' position and made sure nothing was blocking his airway and took his pulse. Then he called 9-1-1 and rode with Luke to the children's hospital where Savannah and I met them. So of course, as a woman and mother, at the end of his tale, the only question I had was, "how are you telling me all this in such a calm manner?? How were you acting so rationally as our child was having a S-E-I-Z-U-R-E?". Fine, my tone may have been slightly accusatory. To which he replied, "Micah, I'm trained to be calm in stressful situations and act rationally." Which got me thinking, there should totally be a mandatory class for all mothers that give us the same training! But of course what I told him is that I am his mother and I must love him more because I am a WRECK when things like this happen to me! I could NEVER act so calmly when I think my child is in the grips of death. A little dramatic, I know. I'm just grateful I have a partner who can act rationally and appropriately in tough situations; maybe some of that will eventually rub off on me.

Day#22: no nap and cranky (Luke, not me. Okay fine, me too.)

  Well, you would think I would be an expert in diagnosing ear infections in my children by now. Savannah had them CONSTANTLY as a baby and ended up with a set of tubes right before turning 2. Luke has had his fair share of ear infections as well, landing us in the ER last summer (yes, I have been to the ER 3 times with this child!). But this kid is a little trickier to diagnose than most. He never runs a fever or has a runny nose. He doesnt lose his appetite. He sleeps through the night. He rarely tugs at his ears.  Instead, he has a hard time napping, but yet will still sleep 13-14 hours at night and he becomes super cranky. And I mean cranky. Like lie down on the floor and throw.a.fit. A tantrum if you will. But every kid has cranky days. I figure I have bad days, days where I wake up pissed off at the world irritated for no apparent reason and my whole day is just a series of bad events overshadowed by a bad mood...so I allow my kids a cranky day every now and then. But his crankiness has lasted 2-3 days, which for Luke, means possible ear infection. Right? Wrong! So adding up the handful of "symptoms", if you can even call them that, I surmised he must have an ear infection, and with the way things go in my house, probably a double ear infection.
  So you must imagine my absolute shock (My mouth was literally hanging wide open) when the Dr. looked in both of his ears and said they look great! I was like, "are you sure? Is there anything else that could be wrong with him??".  I know this sounds bad, but I hate to go to the doctor FOR NO REASON AT ALL! Tyson asked, "Isn't that better than going there and finding out he is sick?". Um, no, it's not. I need a reason for my child's crankiness and inability to not nap longer than an hour. And I need medication. For him. So I basically took my child to the doctor for crankiness. Classic.

Day #21: Carrabas fiasco

  Well I ate at Carrabas one time while Tyson was deployed and if you know anything about me at all, you know I LOVE Carrabas. Love. So I suggested we go a few nights ago; I figured a Wednesday at 5pm would be "safe". I realize Carrabas is not a super kid friendly establishment, so I was trying to be there at a time that would not inconvenience all guest surrounding us. But there were a few things I should have considered before we went. A) I have a 20 month old (who I am pretty sure is coming down with yet another ear infection)  B) he napped 40 minutes that day and C) we were at the beach that afternoon, so both kids were already so freaking cranky tired. But no, my craving and NEED for Carrabas overshadowed my mom sense.
  Unfortunately, two elderly couples were seated right behind us, I mean, who else goes to dinner at 5PM, yes, the senior citizens. They glared at Tyson, who was facing them, throughout most of dinner. Good thing I wasn't on the other side of the table because I would have glared right back! Granted, my son was Out.of.control. He even threw a plate on the floor and broke it! The manager looked far less than happy about it. Yes, we were those people. Never again will I judge parents with crazy kids at restaurants. Maybe their kids only napped 40 minutes. Maybe they had an ear infection. Maybe despite  their best efforts to go to dinner at a convenient time was undone by a 20 month old. Or maybe they suck as parents, who knows.
  The only thing good that came out of our trip was we arrived during happy hour, making my Sangria half price. Of course I was chugging it at the end of the meal since I had spent the entire 45 minutes we were there wrestling the plate away from Luke (unsuccessfully), coercing Savannah to take a BITE, just one bite, of pizza, and wishing we had gotten our dinner To Go. Maybe the next two years it would be wise to NOT take my children to non kid friendly places and stick to places like Texas Roadhouse where you are expected to throw things on the floor. My kids would blend right in.

Day # 20: An Ice cream maker

   So with my husband being home (and have I said how AMAZING it is to have a spouse who lives in the same country??) we have been on a "staycation" for the past 10 days. I love that I just used the word staycation.  It just so happens I really had nothing on my calendar last week or this week. Well, I think Savannah has a Dr. appointment sometime this week. Or is that next week. Hmm, I should have written that down....anyway, we have really just gotten up everyday, had coffee, then looked at each other and asked, "what do you want to do today?".  We have gone to the gym, the zoo, Busch Gardens, the beach (tomorrow) and a baseball game later this week. Since we finally have beautiful Spring weather here in good ol' Norfolk, VA, we have also played outside almost every afternoon. These are a few of the moments I've really enjoyed in our backyard:

- Luke drinking directly out of the water hose.
-Tyson telling the kids that he hid the sweet gum balls (ya know, those brown prickly balls that fall off trees?) all around the yard and needed the kids to pick them up...like an egg hunt.... but without the candy.
- eating dinner outside.
- rocking in my rocking chair with Tyson.
- Savannah pushing her baby doll stroller down the slide from the fort (which concerns me on many levels)
- Luke pushing Savannah around in his toy truck.


 But I just want to say, I think I would be a better mother if I had an ice cream maker. I mean, for the children of course. Wouldn't that just perfectly complete an afternoon of playing outside (besides a giant glass of wine)- homemade ice cream? I think so.

Day #19: The Play date

  Well, I did my good mommy deed of the day. Do I get mommy points for that somewhere?? I arranged a play date for Savannah. Yep, I picked Savannah and her friend up from school. Of course the teachers in carpool line were all very concerned with whether I had an extra car seat. "CHECK HER CAR!! MAKE SURE SHE HAS 2 CAR SEATS!" Um, hello, I drive a mini van, of course I have an extra car seat. They were acting like I was just going to strap her to the roof of the van and drive off. After we got that sorted out, we were off to Chick-fil-a. I mean am I good or am I good? I got them both hopped up on chicken nuggets and chocolate milk (and heck yes we did the french fries too. I mean, is a happy meal really happy when you get a fruit cup. No, absolutely not.) They ate and intermittently played on the germ infested  play ground. Yes, I so let my children play on fast food play grounds. and play grounds at the mall. and bounce houses. People, they are going to get sick no matter what....and in my defense I go through at least a pack of wet ones anti -bacterial hand wipes every time we visit Chick-fil-a or the mall. Or anywhere. I also carry Lysol wipes to go. Yeah, I'm that mom. Anyway, the girls had a blast and I got to sit on the other side of the plate glass windows while drinking my diet coke and reading a People magazine for AN HOUR! This is the closest thing to an official "lunch break" a mom can get. So not only do the girls benefit (I mean, play dates are for the children right?), but I got a caffeine fix and got to catch up on my celebrity gossip. And yes, I do care if Jennifer Aniston and Bradley Cooper have been out on a date. again. Oh, and Gwyneth cooks now. Really? It's okay to be good at just one thing Gwyneth.
   I do have to give props to my husband though. He stayed at home while Luke napped so I could have a Luke-free play date. I mean, don't get me wrong- a 19 month old at any restaurant is a BLAST...but it was nice to just have a pair of 4 year- olds who could eat on their own (without throwing food on the floor), go to the bathroom and wipe themselves unassisted, and who don't yell "no" at me every 5 minutes... apparently shaking his head violently and yelling "no" are currently Luke's favorite things to do right now. Gosh, I don't blame him...I wish I could get away with that some days too.
  But really, do I earn some mommy points for arranging and hosting the play date? I think so.

Day # 18: Mother's Day

  Mother's Day started out at the Silengo household with the best gift EVER- my entire family (including myself) slept until 8am! I know, incredible! We then all got dressed and headed to my favorite breakfast place here in Norfolk, The Baker's Crust. Everyone was happy, well I wasn't super happy until I downed my first cup of coffee (note to self: Even when going to breakfast where I will have coffee, I need to take a cup to go with me for the drive to the restaurant and for the wait) and the food was great! Then my husband took us to a local flower shop where he and Savannah picked out some flowers for me. All in all, a wonderful way to start Mother's Day.
   Growing up I didn't really appreciate Mother's Day. Fortunately, my dad knew how important it was to make a big fuss over my mom and now that I am a mother I realize how nice it is to have a special day where I am appreciated for being a mother.
  I spent some time yesterday reflecting on what my mom did for me and just what an amazing woman she is.
- My mother is selfless. Even in the little things, she put us before herself in everything
- She told us she loved us EVERY SINGLE DAY
- She tucked me in until I left for college
- She is my biggest cheerleader
-She used to say she would cut off her own arm if it meant I would avoid hurt in my life. I now fully understand that.
- She used coupons on triple coupon day- while shopping with three kids!
- She never yelled at (until I left the house... we have had a couple of yelling matches since then)
- She home schooled my sisters and I! Now that's love.

  Being a mother is amazing and some days, really hard, but all totally worth it.

Day #17: Food, exercise, and my body...Oh my!

    Food, and exercise, and my body...Oh my! I have a love/hate relationship with each of these areas. I think most women do, and for me, it was amplified once I became a mother. Finding the place where I  not only accept, but LOVE my body is a daily challenge that I struggle with. Even after I lost all of my baby weight and then some, I continue to scrutinize myself.

  Food. Let me just say- I love it. I love to cook a good meal, to plan meals, to have dinner parties, heck, I even love to grocery shop (without the two little people, although that is really just a fantasy I have since they are with me ALL THE TIME). I also have a major sweet tooth. Major. If it's in the house and its chocolate, or cake, or involves icing, I'll eat it. Or I'll think about eating it. I confess there are times where I've had to THROW away the temptation so I won't eat it. I know, it's sounds extreme, but I would eat it all until it was gone! I have to force my self to not count every single calorie I put in my mouth every single day. It is okay to let go. It is okay to indulge. It is okay to not feel guilty over every bite. And that is something that goes through my mind EVERY MEAL I EAT.

  Exercise is something my parents forced my sisters and I to make a habit of. We had no choice in the matter; exercise was a daily event, unless we were sick. I am fortunate that I had my parents drill that into my head at a young age because now, it really is second nature to me. I crave it. I start everyday with it and if I don't get my gym time in or a run, I get grouchy. So exercise for me personally is not a struggle, but keeping it in balance is. I cannot let making it to the gym dictate the course of my day. Sick kids, school events, vacation, my husband coming home (!!!)...all of these things interrupt that. And that's okay. My family IS more important than exercising. But I still have to remind myself of that every.single.day.

  My body. Oh, my body is so different than it was before I had children. I used to not obsess over it, I didn't even own a scale. If my pants fit, then I was fine. If they got a little snug, I would start being a little more cautious about what I ate and add an extra 15 minutes of cardio. But I've also experienced the opposite end of the spectrum, stepping on the scale at least 5 times a day. I can say that that behavior was not healthy. I feel like I am an all or nothing kind of girl, balance- especially in this area- is difficult.

 Having a healthy relationship with food and exercise is important, especially when you have children, and especially when you have girls. I want to be a good example for Savannah. I don't want her to have food issues or body issues. But I have to remember what my body has achieved. I have carried two children and for that I appreciate my body. All of this being said, having a healthy outlook when it comes to food, exercise, and your body will make you a better mom. You can stop obsessing over it all and focus on others rather than yourself, which is what being a mom is all about.

Day #16: My better half

  Well, after six LONG months ( and I mean l-o-n-g), my husband is home! We are in the honey moon phase again, which is a challenge with two kids hanging around.... But the kids have taken to Tyson quickly and Luke seems to remember who he is, which is a relief. Luke was a little unsure at first, seeing his dad in 3D rather than on Skype was confusing, but within half an hour he was his father's shadow. He now prefers Tyson over me, which I love (less diaper changing for me)! Everyone is settling in beautifully and we have Tyson all to ourselves for the next two weeks before he returns to work.
   The next couple of months present new challenges. When your husband has been gone for six months, theres at least a month of an adjustment period, if not more. Life doesn't stop when they are gone, so picking up where you left off is not an option because it's just not possible. Tyson has been on his own for six months and I have been here with the kids doing everything on my own for six months. There are  things that we both have to relearn like- sharing a bed, making coffee for two, parenting together, watching t.v. shows we can both tolerate (no more Desperate Housewives and HGTV)....but it's all worth it because he makes me a better mom, he calms me down when I get wound up,  he listens to me. Simply put, he is my better half.
    I would rather be left here with our kids than leaving my family for six months. In the end, Tyson had it the hardest. Although the next month or two may be bumpy, it'll be a great ride.

Day #15: Oh me, Oh my!

   My husband called this morning and told me he would be home tomorrow at 1:30PM instead of June 8th.... Oh.My.Gosh. Seriously?? I was jumping up and down like a little girl, I was so excited. I am so excited! Anyway, after hearing my husband was coming home in 30 hours, here is a little peak into my brain:
1) Didn't get that bikini wax...oh well
2) I need to actually wash my sheets. Lately I've been just flipping them around, so I sleep on my side for a while, then take them off and put "Tyson's side" of the sheets on my side, so I eliminate actually having to wash them as often.
3) The floors need to be swept and mopped. And the bathrooms need to be cleaned. When did I last vacuum??
4) Should have mowed the yard, it looks like a jungle
5) I took over the ENTIRE closet and bathroom
6) crap, I have to cook dinner tomorrow night. and not hotdogs again.
7) I hope Savannah stops referring to her father as "Tyson" and starts calling him Dad
8) Wish I had started my birth control....

But you know what?? After six months away, my husband won't care if any of that gets done, so I'm sitting here blogging with a glass of wine, delighting in the fact that tomorrow night at this time, Tyson will be home. With me. And not deployed for the next three years. WooHoo!

Day #14: Home again home again jiggity jig

   We are home! Of course, I could NOT sleep last night. Although I was in my own comfortable big bed, my brain would not shut off. Was it the big coffee I had at 4PM? Possibly. Was it the fact that my baby girl is turning 4 today? Could be. Was it the fact that I have a dentist appointment, doctor's appointment, cupcakes to make, a birthday party with a dozen 4 years olds, swim lessons, and a Change of Command dinner....all in the next 4 days? Yeah, I think that's it. So I dozed off around 2am and woke up at 6am sharp, brain on. Not the best plan to get four hours of sleep after a long day of travel and a bazillion things to do today, but that's what I got. And it's better than nothing.
   Florida did not go as planned. Shocking, I know. I mean, does anything ever go as planned when you are a mother of young children? No, no it does not. The flight out there was challenging at best. In the past month we have battled a multitude of illnesses, but not diarrhea. Apparently we needed to add that to the list, so poor Savannah headed up that effort. For 8 days. While dealing with that, the airport people did not put my stroller on my flight thus leaving me strollerless in Atlanta. For two hours. With two kids, a backpack, a diaper bag, a purse, and a car seat, I couldn't even walk. And do you know who cares? No one at the airport! So I asked a bitchy overworked kind airport employee at our next gate if I could leave my car seat behind the desk so that I could walk through the airport and take my kids to the bathroom and pick up lunch. She said no. I told her I would just leave it at the gate then. She told me she would call the police on me. Yep. Apparently I look like I may be hiding a bomb in the car seat. I told her thank you for all of her help (I may have used some major sarcasm) which was better than throwing the car seat at her while yelling expletives. I found an old couple and through my tears, managed to explain my dilemma. They said of course they would watch my car seat. That was the start to my trip...
   The middle of the trip continued on with Savannah up a few nights, which meant a few hours of sleep for both of us. I'm an eight- hours- of- sleep- a -night kind of gal. Unfortunately, Disney World did not happen due to the running to the potty every hour, but that just means we will do Disney World another time and do it with Daddy. The end of the trip got better, with TONS of beach time, several long runs on the beach, a pedicure, and I finished a book! The kids spent quality time with their grandparents and aunts and got completely and utterly spoiled. So all in all it was a good trip. Could have been better, could have been worse. But that's life, you take what you get, smile, and keep moving on.

Day #13: Leaving on a jet plane

  Yay! We are Florida bound, heading to Naples to see the in-laws and then to Orlando for Disney World. I am SO excited to take my self kids to Disney World, but bummed that Tyson is missing out. Guess that means we need to go again when gets back....
   In March I traveled solo with my little people to Texas, it was a success. I mean, I was that crazy mom in the airport hauling a stroller, carseat, diaper bag, and running on caffeine fumes with two kids through the airport. But we made it to Texas and back, my sanity in tact, just barely. Traveling with kids is one of the most exhausting things I can think of (besides all of us being sick for over a week), but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger...right??  Anyway, I'm a little anxious regarding the flight for one reason, the potty. Oh yes. First of all, I think Luke poops on command. Yes, I'm going to talk about poop in this blog, so if that bothers you, stop reading now. I swear every time that child would hear that our flight was boarding, he pooped. So twice he did this - when we should have been doing early boarding (because it actually takes us a solid 5 minutes to get down the runway, fold up the stroller, and corral my kids...all while balancing my Starbucks of course), we were in the bathroom changing his diaper. Oh, and then he pooped while we were in flight.and there was no changing table. and I had to change him ON TOP of the potty. My son is in the 60th% for his height, he's long! Longer than the top of the potty. So when I emerged and my clothing was poop-free, I felt like a million bucks, like I could do anything. As though that's not enough, Savannah recently developed an aversion to automatically flushing toilets. Take a minute and think back to an airport, any airport. Do you know what they ALL have in common? Automatically flushing toilets. Yep. I asked. I actually asked an employee at the airport if there was a manually flushing potty that we might use because my daughter had been holding it for over TEN HOURS. The Lord put a broken potty in our path, one that did not flush unless the button was pushed, and the girl finally went. Needless to say, I'm anxious to see what this trip brings, but I know it will be an adventure for sure!
   All that said, I'm sure I will have a wealth of new blogging material when we return. But until then, I'll be laying on the beach a margarita in each hand, having lunch with Winnie the Pooh, and getting some much needed down time!

the evil automatically flushing potty...

    

Day #12: 4 going on 14

   I think I have a little diva on my hands...or maybe just a strong willed 4 year old. But really, is there a difference? Last Sunday Savannah did something she's never done before. She picked out her own (mismatched) clothes and put them on. She then put on her "dancy shoes" AKA fancy shoes. Her black jeweled church shoes, along with a purple t-shirt and her brown and pink skirt. I like my children to look as though they are not homeless when we go out in public, but honestly, we were all sick and I just didn't have the energy to care. Well, ever since then she has picked out her clothes everyday and has been adamant about what she wears. Today she wanted to be a cowgirl, we fought over tights or no tights for 10 minutes before we ditched that outfit for another one. But once it was on, she cried because she really wanted to wear a skirt today! Oh mercy. The girl has never cared about what she wears; I pick her clothes out every single day and she never says a word about it. But suddenly, she has a preference and an input.
   So last summer, Savannah thought she wanted to get her ears pierced. We talked about how it would pinch, feel like a shot, but then be over quickly and she would have earrings. We went to Clarie's, picked out earrings, sat in the chair, and even got the purple dots put on her ears. Then the two girls stepped forward and touched her ears. SHE. FREAKED. OUT. So we left. Well that was 9 months ago. Every time we go to the mall I ask her, "Hey, you want to get your ears pierced?" and every time she has a reason for why she isn't going to that day, " I'll wait until my daddy comes home. I'll wait until I'm 5. I'll do it when my Yia Yia visits me." And I say, "okay." Well, yesterday we were at the mall and I asked, as I always do, if she wanted her ears pierced. She said no along with some reason....then she said, "No, wait, I do want to get my eras pierced today." She was completely confident and it was like, she was suddenly ready. So we shopped some more and I figured she would change her mind. But no. We went, picked out the pink earrings, got the purple dots, and she sat still and had them pierced! I was honestly shocked. I figured we would be leaving the mall once again with purple dots on her ears. But no. She cried for about ten seconds. She has yet to complain about them hurting. She just looks in the mirror and says, "Oh, I have my ears pierced. They are so pretty."

    I'm feeling like my little girl has become a 'big girl' this week, just in time for her 4th birthday. I'm  glimpsing drama filled mornings regarding outfit choices! But I'm also seeing this strong willed little girl who knows exactly what she wants, making decisions, and sticking to them. But do you ever just feel like your child changes over night? I swear they actually do sometimes.

Day #11: Baby Boot Camp

   Baby boot camp is what happens at my house typically after grandparents visit. During the visit my kids get what they want, when they want, how they want. In the real world (aka, my house) that just ain't how it works. Well, baby boot camp has commenced at the Silengo house in spite of the fact there was not a recent grandparent visit. All I can figure is that things started to slowly unravel in the midst of all the sickness and that is the source of sassiness.
    When my kids are sick, I cut them some slack. They are allowed to be fussy, they can eat cereal for dinner, and they just get their way more often. So all I can figure is I unwittingly let things get out of control around here and today I realized just how bad it was. I snapped. I had had it with the complaining, the back talk, and the lack of manners from Savannah. I was sick of Luke hitting everything and anything in his path, throwing everything and anything in his path, and sick of hearing him yell, "Ni" at me. Not "no", "ni". It's Luke's version of no, but I know what he means and when he yells "ni" at me, he has attitude. Major attitude. So today, I followed through on all of my empty threats of spanking, time outs, no t.v., and no fruit snacks. Yeah, I mean business when I take the fruit snacks away. Today it's going to be one fun day around our house, and by fun, I mean miserable.
    But the truth is I hate it just as much, if not more, than my kids do. It's hard to discipline and stay consistent all day every day. At the end of the day, I'm tired of saying "no" and I let things slip. When Tyson is home I have some reenforcement. When he comes home from work he can take over for me saying "no" and encourage me to finish the day out. One of my fears when Tyson is deployed is that he is going to come home and find his children undisciplined and out of control. I know that is extreme, but I just want them to be as well behaved or even better behaved than when he left. I don't want him to have to come home to pick up a mess I made. So now it's time to step up my game. Time to pull out the camo diapers and my whistle.
 

                                      

Day #10: Taking it out on the wrong person

  So, I've just realized something. Okay, that's actually a lie; I realized this a while back, and by a while, I mean years. I'm not proud to own up to it. I say it in hopes that other mothers and wives can relate. Yesterday I had a busy, exhausting day. Well, that describes all most days with my kids, but yesterday was extra busy and extra exhausting. We went to the gym, which is stupid because I'm still sick, but it's a compulsion, I can't help myself. Then we went to ballet,Wal-mart (which I loathe) and then our home away from home- the Doctor. Needless to say, by the time we got home, I was done, completely spent, and so were the kids.
  Unfortunately, my poor unsuspecting husband got the brunt of how I was feeling. I just verbally vomited up everything I was feeling, and since I was frustrated and exhausted, I was yelling about how I was feeling. Awesome. This seems to happen more than I would like to admit. I get upset or angry about something completely unrelated to Tyson he's the one who gets an earful! There is a difference between passionately venting and yelling everything that comes into your head that your'e mad about. I'm not mad at him, but unfortunately that is how it comes across. So, here is to making it a point to not take it out on the person I love the most, but to attempt to effectively communicate my frustrations to him. Without yelling.
 

Day # 9: rejoining society

  Yesterday I finally began to feel human again and was able to rejoin society after being exiled for a week. Did I mention I also got pink eye, or should I say pink eyes? Yep, in both eyes. I like to do things all the way, be the best at being sick ya know. Yes, I thought I had missed out on that fun experience but no, I've been wearing my super sexy glasses from six years ago and looking like I have blood shot goopy eyes. These are the times I'm happy my husband isn't here to see me. I'm truly a sight.
  I ventured out into the world yesterday- the gym, lunch with a friend, and the mall. It was amazing. I actually felt good (minus the semi blurred vision due to an outdated glasses prescription and antibiotic eye ointment). I have to say I have missed my routine. Not that I go to the lunch and the mall everyday, but heck I actually missed the treadmill. It's true. And poor little Luke, he practically ran into the kid's club at the gym and waved goodbye to me. The kid was ready to get away from me and go play with some other kids. Apparently I am not as good of a playmate as the gym kids. Or he's just sick of me. And after a week of staying around the house, I'm sick of me too.
   As nice as it is to get away from routine, it's just as nice to return to it. It's comfortable, familiar, and predictable. I'm a creature of habit and routine and being away from it too long makes me antsy, nervous even. I like knowing what I'm doing everyday, every hour. Yes, I'm that much of a control freak, but that topic can be saved for another blog.

Day #8: Balance

   I think balance is something every mother struggles with, regardless of if they are a stay at home mom or a working mom. It seems to be the unattainable goal that we strive for daily. I seem to have trouble balancing most areas of my life, especially when it comes to "me" time and time with the kids. I find myself feeling guilty over getting a sitter to have dinner with a girlfriend. But if I stay home, I find myself resenting my kids because I didn't go out. It's a lose lose situation. So why is balance so hard to achieve? In theory it sounds so reasonable, so easy. But putting it into practice is an entirely different thing.
   My mom gave me good advice, she told me to have a sitter come every other week (or every day week, depending on what kind of week it has been), so that I can have some "me" time. This way it is on the calendar, I know it's coming, and I have something to look forward to. How many times have you heard self help gurus tell you to put things on the calendar or write it down? All the time. Do you know why? Because it works. Anything from scheduling "me" time on your calendar to keeping a food journal; when you write it down, it makes it real. Suddenly, you feel committed because it is out there and not just an idea in your head. Having that down time makes me a better mom. It really does. Judge me if you want. But when I sip on a Starbucks chai tea latte while getting a pedicure, I come back feeling refreshed and feeling like I haven't completely lost myself in the midst of raising my kids. And that is important.
  But what about spending time with my kids? This is also something I have to put on my calendar as well. I almost feel bad saying that. Maybe it's just me, but I have to schedule time to play with my kids, otherwise I get caught up in all of my "to-do's". As a stay at home mom, I feel like I always have something to do- laundry, dishes, change a diaper, grocery shopping, make dinner, Dr. appointments... I miss out on just sitting down and playing because I get so wrapped up in what needs to be done around the house. Our mini road trip last week was perfect because it got me out of the house and focused on spending time with my kids rather than what needed to get done that day.
  I don't mean to sound like "me" time and spending time with my kids is a chore. But for me, putting it on a calendar is key. It makes it happen and it helps me maintain balance.

"me" time         vs.        the kids

                                        

Day #7: Accepting help

   Sometimes it's okay to accept help. Sometimes it's the best thing you can do for yourself, and for your kids. I like to think I can do it all on my own, and you know, that is probably a good mentality to have when raising two kids while your husband is gone. But sometimes saying, "Yes, help would be great", is hard to do. My sister-in-law called me Monday night, after all of the the seizure drama with Luke and asked me if I would be in town this weekend and said she was coming down to help out and to keep me company. My first instinct was to tell her I that I don't need any help and to not come and waste her time. I mean, this girl is a senior at the Merchant Marine Academy, graduating in 70 days...SHE'S BUSY!  But instead I said, "that would be great". So she came and, let me tell you, I have some big plans. I went to go to the grocery store ALONE today. I know. This afternoon Luke has another Dr. appointment (Yeah, we've been to the Dr. three times in two weeks, I'm going to look into getting a reserved parking spot there) and having an extra set of hands to keep tabs on Savannah while I deal with Luke will be so much help. It's not like I can't go to the grocery store and Dr. with my kids, but having someone help me out gives me a little bit of (much needed) relief. Sometimes, you don't know how much you need the help until you have it. Shout out to my sis-in-law for being awesome!

Day # 6: Playing hooky

  You know what you don't get as a SAHM (yes, that means Stay at home mom. Once your'e in the mom club they give you a list of all of these acronyms and what they mean)? Well, you don't get a break at the end of the day and you certainly don't get a paycheck at the end of the week. But, what you do get, is to decide what to do every.single.day. And today, we played hooky. Okay, fine, you caught me. I may or may not have had a dentist appointment to get cavities filled, but hello, those cavities will still be there next year month week when I reschedule my appointment. Plus, I hated to pass up 75 degrees and sunny after a week of doom (REMINDER: pink eye, double ear infection, high fever, and seizure) and gloom ( I'm pretty sure it has rained the past 10 days, and my depression mood has taken a hit.)
   I decided to head to Williamsburg, VA which is only about a 45 minute-5 hour (depending on the tunnel traffic) drive from Norfolk. Pretty much the only cool thing about living in Norfolk is that Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown are so close. When we lived in Houston, driving 45 minutes got us to downtown Houston; so you can see why I'm so psyched that Williamsburg is a completely different city and so close. I decided that the minivan needed a maiden voyage and that my kids and I needed to get out of town and have a play day just with us. We walked Colonial Williamsburg, pet some horses, ate lunch outside, and had ice cream. Perfect day.
   Sometimes, tossing routine out the window is the best idea. For me it meant giving up gym time, and if you know me well, I don't give up gym time. EVER., rescheduling a dentist appointment, and not finishing up laundry, but sometimes you just need to drop it all and get away for awhile. So that's what we did. The gym, dentist, and laundry will still all be there tomorrow.

Day # 5: coffee

    I'm going to keep this short and sweet. You know what makes me a better mommy? Coffee. Yeah, I said it. You know what makes me an even better mommy? Coffee with creamer, the good kind. Not that sugar free, fat free crap garbage. Like right now, Almond Joy. If you have not had Almond Joy creamer let me ask you, why in the heck not? It will make your life day better. So the problem is, it is limited edition creamer. The last three grocery stores I have been in DID NOT have this creamer. Now, before I freak out completely, I will visit multiple other stores across the Hampton Roads area. I mean, this is my Prozac ....um, drug of choice. I make my coffee the night before so that all I have to do is to push that button when I walk downstairs, no prep necessary. But the creamer is a major player in the enjoyment of my coffee. So today, my mission is: Find that Almond Joy creamer. And stock up like it's 2012.

                                                            

Day # 4: One helluva day

    Let me tell you about my day yesterday. It all started out great. I got my birthday gift from my husband! A new Honda Odyssey minivan. Hooray for the mini van! I mean, I feel that I am officially in the mom club now. So I went over to the Honda dealership, all of my paperwork in hand, ready to purchase my van. However, I had to take both (semi sick) kids with me and trade my old Honda Accord in...so it took a little longer than I had expected. Well, during this time Luke suddenly spiked a fever. As far as I know, he did not have a fever when we left the house, but within the hour we were there his temperature began to rise quickly. When I took him out of his stroller, he was BURNING UP! He was so hot  that I took his shirt off and asked for an ice pack to cool him down. I was getting very concerned and of course I had no children's tylenol with me. So I was anxious to get going. About 30 seconds after I signed my check and finished all of the paperwork, Luke starts violently shaking and his eyes start rolling back into his head. You know what a seizure looks like when you finally see one; there was no doubt in my mind that was what was happening. The woman in the office called 9-1-1 while I yelled out the door for some help. As I look back on all of this today, I remember now that I was pleading with God that Luke would be okay. Do you know what it is like to hold your child and think your'e watching him take his last breaths? It is terrifying. It brings you to your knees faster than anything. The first woman who ran to the room was a Pediatric Intensive Care nurse. You think there is no God? You think again. There is, and He was there.  Really, a pediatric nurse just happened to be in the Honda dealership? DO NOT try to tell me that was a coincidence. She took him from me, held him, and made sure his airway was open. We were taken to the hospital and Luke was given Tylenol and Motrin. After speaking to the Doctor, it was concluded that what had occurred was a Febrile Seizure which is triggered when your child is sick and also has a fever. The Dr. was not concerned and this is apparently something that is common in children of normal development between the ages of 6 months and 6 years. We were home in time for dinner. My precious boy is well today, no temperature, playing with his sister, and being his sweet happy self.
   Now, that was a heck of a day! And yes, I got my new van after all! The car salesman brought me my van to the hospital. So in the end, all was well. But let me tell you, I'm ready for my babies to both be healthy, it has been a rough few days. I think they are both feeling better, and now, of course, I'm coming down with something.