'Tis the Season

We have had a lot going on the last couple of weeks. Lots of shopping, a little partying, playing in some snow, decorating cookies, travel preparations, Holiday festivities, etc. etc. Todd had his work party last week. I had the camera out so the babysitter could take a picture and completely forgot. Boo!  And yes…I found a baby-sitter that we like. Kinda pricey…but well worth the $$ I must say! It was really awesome to get dressed up and have a nice dinner with only adults. :)

Yummy Cookies!! 

Even "Mark" the Elf got a cookie :) 

Andrew had his Christmas program at school today. I don't think I've ever been more excited to watch something in my life. The whole family had been practicing his 2 songs at home all week and he nailed them every time. Today….he FROZE on stage and didn't sing a SINGLE word! lol! It was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen though. :) He has a little girl in his class that he ADORES, and she was sitting next to him singing every word right on.  On his school note this week, it said: "Andrew was very excited to have Kylie back today" MELT! She is the cutest, sweetest little girl too. He always talks about buying her stuff and asks about where she is pretty much everyday when we are leaving school.

He is far left-front row (white sweater)..such a handsome boy! 

Sadly, I had to leave because my *almost* 2-year old daughter was screaming, "SUCKER!!!" at me for 5 minutes. Yikes…I was THAT mom MANY times today…

teenage years beware….she's a feisty one! 

And poor Santa….we attempted a photo with Santa a couple weeks ago at the Woburn lights festival…and as expected, it was pretty bad. I found Andrew's santa photo from when he was her age and it makes me LAUGH….I remember thinking he was SOOOO awful with Santa….haha…I think it's pretty clear who was more traumatized by the bearded, jolly-old man

The look on Andrew's face is priceless…he just wanted to tell Santa he wanted a train with a track for Christmas and Abby totally ruined that opportunity.

So, while we were at the "mall" in Woburn today, I saw parents waiting for Santa pictures and asked if Andrew wanted to see him again. Of course he was SO excited and said, "yes!!" while Abby's response was: "No!!! No sit!! No want to!!" *traumatized??* So we waited. Hindsight: BAD idea…I ended up with one kid screaming because they did NOT want to see Santa (and brought on the FULL THROTTLE death scream when he showed up), and the other kid screaming because they did NOT want to WAIT to see him….sigh…this day continued into a mad dash for a bathroom (upstairs) so my son could go (not going into details here…but am SO happy he told me he had to go!!!) , a full on throw yourself on the floor fit in the store when I ran in to grab almond milk (I promptly scooped the screaming child up and put them in the cart and carried on…I needed milk!).

And then I get home to a "lovely" Christmas card from a neighbor explaining that they haven't met us but don't want our dog doing their business in their yard and "reminding" us that there ARE leash laws in this town (i.e- our backyard is not fenced so yes..she does go into the front yard on occasion)…..BIG SIGH….I spent 20 minutes one day searching for my dog's "business" so I could clean it up and I KNOW Todd cleans up after Sadie anytime she goes in someone's yard. So this was just upsetting to me. The people in our neighborhood in Texas LOVED Sadie (and she would JUMP over the fence and run wild in the neighborhood then….and our neighbor's would call, bring her back home, or just let her play with their dogs….I miss that….) Don't get me wrong- I felt AWFUL anytime it happened, but it was completely unavoidable unless I sat out there watching her the entire time instead of tending to my babes. People UNDERSTOOD that life happens, and it isn't worth it  to walk around being so angry at other people all the time…that was something a lot of people around here did not learn I guess.

Anywho…tis the season I guess….my babies are the most beautiful gift ever, but it's tough when it seems so many people are watching and judging rather than jumping in to lend a hand. *Rant OVER* :)

Andrew by his school's tree on display 

                                       
                                            Abby and Mommy on the "2-horse open-sleigh" ride :)

                                             Have a Merry and blessed Christmas everyone!!!!!

Let the training begin

Despite the 28 degree temp. and the snow on its way, I got a good 5 miles under my belt tonight (woohoo!). It felt really good too. Even though this measly mileage is NO comparison to the 26.2 that a marathon entails, I'm happy to say I'm able to run 5 miles with no problem. I've got a long way to go, but I can do it. I printed off a 16 week beginner's schedule for marathon training, and it doesn't technically start until after Christmas (which is awfully convenient I must say).

It's crazy to think that I've been a "runner" for almost 20 years now. I have always used running as my "drug" of choice, a way to burn off some stress or just a way to get myself going (and it always feels great after it's done). My PE coach in elementary school was actually the one that sparked my interest in running. She was SO fit (even when pregnant with her 2nd child). We were running a timed mile in PE one day when my shoe fell off. I kept running and when I got to her asked what I should do and she said, "Keep running!! Throw me your shoe!" I remember finishing that mile in 10 minutes  (with grass and stickers in my sock), and she was so proud. She kept telling me I did awesome. (no doubt it probably looked good on the "test results" too). Oddly enough, a few years later she was also my cheerleading coach for a year. And man that woman made us RUN. Everyone knew that if you were a High School cheerleader that you better get ready to work your butt off. She didn't mess around. And I loved that she would always run with us. That was great.

I could never categorize myself as an "elite runner" (I always liked seeing them at the very front of the starting line, finger on their fancy runner's watch, bodies' nothing but bone and muscle). There was a guy I used to see at a lot of the races in Dallas. He was recognizable by his poofy hair (Carrot Top style).  At one of the 5 K's, I was getting close to the finish line when I noticed him throwing the BIGGEST fit…I mean..full on kicking the grass, jumping up and down and SCREAMING like a child. Come to find out he was "supposed" to be first place out of the entire race, but the signs led him astray and he went off the course.  He did end up placing 2nd I believe….but that was NOT good enough apparently. :)

 I ran a 5K with my coworkers one year and ended up placing 3rd in my age division (I got 2nd in my age group the next year!).  I was in denial. A woman I worked with said, "look…there's a 3 next to your name! I think you got 3rd place!" My response- "No way. I couldn't' possibly be fast enough." Yep. I got a medal and everything. That's the year I made the decision to run a half marathon (with no thoughts of placing- just focused on finishing).

Those are my thoughts about the whole marathon ordeal that I have gotten myself in. :) I may not be the fastest or the best, but as long as I try….that will be plenty for me.  Here are a few pics of what's been going in at our home and some my cutie pies. 

I always wanted our tree in the window :)

                      pre-nap Abby ;) 

               post nap/adorable curls :)

             popcorn and movie reward 

somebody partied too hard at the popcorn party the night before :) 

           Such a cutie with pigtails 

Motherhood in the raw

One of my last blog posts took about 3 days to finally post because….

   

 1- My daughter came running over to the computer shouting "poopy mommy!! Poopy!" whilst standing with her diaper off/poo everywhere…this resulted in  a quick shower with mommy (not the first..)

2- Ornaments were being taken from the tree and "sorted" on a chair (2 shattered all over the floor in the process)

3-My daughter HAD to sit in my lap and try to type like mommy causing the blog to be a lost cause and more of a game (this was kinda cute…) 

4-Andrew went to the bathroom and proceeded to wipe with the hand towel and then plunge the toilet by himself…

5-A little of this….

and a little of that…

This is why I need to save blogging for times like now: When Andrew is in school and Abby is napping. So I guess I need to take partial blame for the destruction. :) 

Those 2 are quite the team too: He climbs up to the counter and gets the box of cereal only to watch his sister pour the entire box on the floor. She uses her little hands to dig snacks out of the locked cabinet only to have them smashed all over the floor. Sigh…they sure are cute, but they wear me out. 

I used to think I was a pretty patient person. Now that I have 2 kids under 5 and not much help around, it's been tough to hold back on yelling and throwing my own fits now and then. I try so hard to act calm around my kids, but yesterday was one of the worst days I've had. Abby was just all out of sorts, screaming all day, and it had been my 3rd attempt  to go to the gym and leave the kids at the daycare only to get the call, "I'm sorry but your daughter is just not happy and is about to completely lose it." What I REALLY wanted to say (bad parent moment), was, "Yea, no kidding. Try dealing with it for 70% of your day! Please take care of it for an hour so I can run off some steam!!" But when I get in there and Abby sees me and comes running with open arms shouting, "Look!! Mommy!!!" I guess I can assume I'm not as mean as I feel sometimes. 

Todd's work hours are all out of sorts right now too. He didn't get home until after 9 last night and 8 the night before. 

Don't get me wrong: it's not always this bad. But the last few months I keep waiting for a little sigh of relief when this "stage" is coming to a close. I am on a desperate search for a babysitter that I can rely on frequently because let's face it: it takes a village to raise babes and we don't know many people. It was our choice to move way up north away from family, but I never thought it would be as difficult as it's been. We count our blessings and roll with the punches day to day, but I definitely see Texas in our future (and hopefully SOONER than later). As I've said before: it's only making us stronger. And as my chiropractor said today while trying his hardest to re-adjust me, "Wow! You people from Texas are STRONG!" :) Have a great weekend!!! 

Maybe next time...

So, I planned on writing this blog focused on what I find myself telling my kids pretty frequently: "Maybe next time." It seems to work really well for my 3 1/2 year old son.  It's not a negative, "No." but it's not giving into everything he wants at the moment. It's a hope for the future. Whether it's a toy he really wants, a place he wants to go, or if he's at a place he doesn't want to leave. I usually will respond with, "Well, maybe next time we can ______."  I remember my mom's "magic phrase" was, "we'll see," and it always kept my hopes up. :)

The topic I wanted to go into after this was the Boston Marathon and how maybe there would be a next time for me. Last year, I signed up on a whim thinking, "Well, maybe it's meant to be! It will probably be my only opportunity considering we are planning on moving back to Texas in June (haha! Move back to Texas…. ;-) Well, I didn't get accepted and it was actually a bit of a relief. I would have been obligated to raise $3,000 for the Boston Children's Hospital (which in itself would have been quite a task). And you know what: God had a plan. Thank God I didn't run.

If you follow my blog (or if you know me well),  you know that we were there last year when the bombs went off. Right there. And what freaks me out the most is the finishing time on the clock: I don't remember the exact time on the clock (the time people were finishing), but I remember very clearly thinking, "If I would have run this year, this would have been around when I would have finished." This was minutes before the bombs. It puts a lump in my throat thinking about it and makes me so sad for those that were affected WAY more seriously than we were.

Well, my "next time" is going to be the Boston Marathon 2014. I was watching the news a few weeks ago (which I rarely EVER do), when I heard that there would be a few spots available to people who were affected by last year's marathon. You needed to apply online, write a paragraph telling your story, and they would choose the people that would run.  Honestly- at first I thought, "that's cool… but I can't…. that scares me so much, and I wouldn't be able to focus on finishing 26.2 miles after what happened last year…" Well, later that night I got this feeling that I just HAD to apply. It was really an out of body kind of experience. I was scared, but had this voice in my head saying, "You can do this! You NEED to do this!" This invitation was only for the 2014 Boston Marathon, so I couldn't apply next year. Well, I got the acceptance email today…I really really did NOT think I would get it…so today I was going to write about "maybe next time"  thinking I would be declined, when in reality…my next time is here. Even the day before the marathon last year, I went on a run and posted a picture of the 2013 finish line on Facebook and wrote, "seeing this motivates me to run next year!" Who would have thought.

I know it seems crazy…it took me a while to get over all that happened and what we experienced last year…but in all honesty…it seems to be coming full circle. Had I not been there when I was there last year, I wouldn't have a story to tell, and I wouldn't have this opportunity to run this year. And it's only made me stronger and more determined.
It's been a long road, but I get to check something off my bucket list…a BIG something that I thought might not happen. :) And even if I don't finish the entire 26.2 miles (because WOW that's a LOT of miles!) ….at least I had my "next time" to try. :)

Driven/Fall 2013

Fall is coming to a close, and winter is slowly moving in. I remember last year's first snow: on December 1st (very fitting I must say). It was peaceful, beautiful, and exciting. December is one of my favorite months of the year. It feels so magical and makes me realize how very much we have to be grateful for. Christmas with kids is amazing. The moment Andrew saw Santa Clause in the mall brought tears to my eyes. He had this look of amazement and the biggest smile I've ever seen. Christmas IS really magical to children. I love it.

With that said, the worst part of the year follows right after Christmas. The dreaded winter. I get so depressed and lonely in the last winter months. Christmas is over and the chill in the air is brutal. By the time March rolls around, I am over the heavy coats, gloves, hats, and scarves that I've had to keep up with for a family of 4 (and by then we've already gone through 3 sets each). Last night, I was thinking about what drives different people. What keeps their spirit alive and motivates them to be happy, healthy, and thankful for all they have. Even in the bleary winter months. I'm driven by being around the people in my life and seeing them happy. That's not exactly easy when we live so far from our family and close friends. I'm also driven by fitness. Not only because I want my clothes to fit nicely, but because it  gives me power. Literally. I'm stronger, I feel better, I'm happier, and I can keep up with my kids.  I also have a sense of achievement when I've ran a new distance. Some people are driven by competition/winning (my husband), making a difference in others'  lives (this fits me too), entertaining, reading a challenging book, teaching, by starting a new home project or craft (I wish this were me), or by working hard in the garden.  Whatever it is that drives us, it's always nice to see some sort of a positive result.

When we don't have something healthy that drives us, that's when it could go in the wrong direction and people may find other ways of "driving themselves" ( alcohol/drugs,unhealthy food, caffeine). So my thought today: keeping myself driven this winter. I have something "in the works" that will "force" me to continue running even in the freezing winter. We will see if it pans out. ;-) So don't forget to take care of yourself. Don't forget what drives you. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A few pictures from our fall
                                                              Apple Picking 2013

Jake, Leslie, Alex, and baby Emily came to visit! 

Halloween Parade

Somebody couldn't wait to eat..

food for thought

I've been wanting to write a blog about diet/nutrition/health for a while and found it quite ironic that it was decided RIGHT after posting a picture of a giant, greasy hamburger and bragging about how (with the help from my daughter), that entire thing was devoured in one sitting. Yep….this blog may seem a bit contradictory, but here it is. :)

I recently took Andrew to a GI specialist and nutritionist. My head was filled with an abundance of knowledge pertaining to the gluten/dairy free diets along with eating ORGANIC fruits and vegetables, one specific brand of turkey sausage (I won't advertise that brand on my blog because I honestly don't find it any better than others we have tried), and 2 very specific brands of vitamins and probiotics. I may sound like a conspiracy theorist…but after speaking with another parent,  I found it odd that the exact same brand names/types of vitamins and foods were recommended by a completely different nutritionist. Right on the box of the recommended probiotic, it says something along the lines of, "#1 probiotic recommended by pediatricians!" Which if I'm being honest, seems more like a marketing scheme than something I'm going to run out and buy. I guess what I'm trying to get at is this: If I'm going to run out and spend bundles of money on foods/supplements I've never tried, I need to speak with actual parents of children that have witnessed the results. I've been giving my kids a probiotic for a while now (not the "#1 recommended by pediatricians"), but it's one I researched and decided it was best for my kids. It is also refrigerated versus the other being in individual packets. The one we've been using seems to be working pretty well, but I'm no expert.

What I'm trying to get at is this: I want to hear the success stories from real people. So with that said, let's talk organic foods. Now, my husband is quite the skeptic when it comes to overly priced items that are promised to be "better for you." I was too until recently. I haven't seen "huge results" with buying organically, but with all the chemicals/modifications/processing happening to our "fresh produce," and all the food we put into our body, I started wondering.  What we can't see MIGHT actually be slowly hurting us. As I said- I'm no expert and definitely need to live by my words as far as eating better, but I really really want the evidence. Does organic food really make you feel better? Will it prevent disease/illness in the future? hmm…I've made lots of changes in what we are eating, but I haven't been buying everything organic just yet. And I'm still cheating quite a bit when it comes to "eating better" (as evidenced by my previous blog).  I need evidence…from real people. So that's food for thought.

A girl's gotta eat!!

One of the things I've missed the most about Texas is the Tex Mex! Kinda sad…I know, but Mexican food here is awful. People that live in the north have no idea how delicious it can truly be. Now I'm not the best cook in the world, but the Mexican food dishes I make are twice as good as the restaurants around here. Maybe I could open up my own business…hmm…nope. Not happening. :)

Another interesting thing about food here- there are not even a third as many fast food restaurants here as there are in Texas. I actually think this is a good thing. I was a pretty bad fast food junkie in my younger days, and it's nice that the temptation is not even available (unless you want McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts all the time….those 2 chains are definitely found at every corner around here). And restaurants- not many choices either. Unless you are up for making the trek to the heart of Boston…there are not near as many options here as there were in Texas. I've always loved eating out in a nice restaurant. Everything about it makes me happy.  We have saved a lot of money by not eating out (which is a must when we are living on 1 income), but I do want to make a point to eat out pretty often when we go home for Christmas.  :)

Just yesterday, I randomly ordered this between a 2nd doctor appointment and picking up Andrew from school

Guess what the name of this bad boy was: The Texas burger!! :) I couldn't resist ordering it when I saw it on the menu. It was very reasonably priced for the size too, and was hands down the best hamburger I've had in a long time. And of all the places to get it- it was a hole in the wall Roast Beef sandwich restaurant. I have no shame- Abby and I shared that entire burger while sitting in the parking lot of the restaurant. :) What can I say- it had been a pretty rough day (and I will say, my daughter had already had 2 breakfasts, lunch, snacks while I was at the doctor and was shouting from the backseat, "BITE!!!!!".. whoa can that baby girl eat!!) 

 So while some people dream of traveling up to Maine to get a nice serving of something that might look like this: 

I would much rather drive through a chick fil a or What a burger or eat chips and salsa until I thought I might bust. 

(*my husband and mother-in-law put most of this fancy meal together...I can't take credit nor was I too excited to break those puppies open)...

What's a Texas girl to do. :) 

silver and gold friendships

Todd and I have been joking a lot about how making new friends is a lot like dating (even though ironically we have been together for 15 years THIS week, so we didn't really date much). :) You don't want to come across as too persistent or desperate by asking for their phone number right away, but you want to let them know you are interested in being their friend….wow that sounds corny!! :) HA! Since we've moved to the Boston area, we have met some really great people. Living in the dorm last year made it really easy to meet people.  Sadly, most of our dorm friends all moved to other places all over the US (and some even in other countries), so we don't see them much. It's so cool to have made friends from all walks of life that have lived and experienced so much. I have seriously learned more about myself this year than I could have ever imagined had I stayed in my "comfort zone."

  Living in a town that we are just now becoming familiar/comfortable with (Woburn, MA- pronounced WOOburn by all the Bostonians: I refuse to call it that), has made it a lot more challenging to make friends. I don't see moms playing on the community play ground everyday or run into them while running to the community laundry room.  I don't have play dates right next door, friends bringing me goodies all the time, or birthday parties to attend at least once a month. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE our new house! It's actually a really awesome fit for us right now (aside from the stairs that are SUPER steep and scary). And here lately, I'm starting to find a pretty nice group of women that I can text now and then about meeting at a park, having a play date that week, or just to ask for local advice. I met a wonderful woman who is Andrew's classmate's mom. She is a fitness instructor who co-owns her own gym with some other women. I liked her right off the bat at Meet the teacher night. But like I said- you can't jump right into a friendship, so it's been a process. :) She referred me to a photographer who was hosting a mini-holiday photo shoot for families. It was awesome! My kids have never smiled so much for pictures EVER!! And yesterday she picked Andrew up from school for me and then we went to their house to have a play date. Even Sadie got to go play with their labs! :) God works in mysterious ways, and I have absolutely loved meeting so many fabulous women who have taught me so much about my faith, abilities to be a "Super Mom," healthy eating habits, fitness, and so much more. It makes me think of the song from girl scouts, "Make new friends but keep the old: one is silver and the other's gold." Again- a little corny…but TRUE! I made some of the best friends in the dorm last year that I still text, email, or even plan to meet up with soon! And these new friendships that are developing are something we will hopefully keep forever (even when we move BACK to Texas). :) Cherish the people in your life-that's what makes life worth living! :)  I randomly found these pictures and thought I would add them.. Just a few of our "golden friends"  that we will always have. :) Wow…kids sure have aged me. :) ha!

     

                       

                             And a few of our silver (new friendships) from this year!