5/1/12

Seriously, can you believe that it's May already?!? I cannot, even for one second. It seems completely crazy to me. This year is nearly half over already! Wow.

Today was a pretty quiet day. Work, home, workout, dinner, baths, bed. That's about it.

Today I received the girls' summer schedule at school. Each of them has a special summer fee because they bring in a bunch of "field trips", and have a special activity they do every day of the summer. They even have a couple of parent days where we can come in and participate in what they are doing, which I cannot wait for! I'm so excited for them, they're going to have so much fun! Of course, there are a few things on Mondays and Fridays that I really want them to be there for. I talked to the Director and he said they'll definitely be flexible with us, and we can adjust there days to accommodate some of those day they would miss. I'm SO happy they are so flexible and understanding. We definitely made the right choice! So, I'll be going over the schedule this weekend, and figuring out which weeks we need to adjust.

The last few months, I've been seeing people doing to a "picture of the day" thing, but I always see too late. Well, I actually go May's list on time, so that's what I'll be doing this month. Today's "Photo A Day in May" was - PEACE. Here is my ideas of peace:

4/30/12

Well, this Monday ended up being better than most. Work was pretty busy. I've been staying pretty on top of my work lately, which is a nice stress reliever, but still just busy enough. Christian met with his supervisor today to go over his new job details. He will NOT be salaried (THANK GOD), will be getting a slight raise (not enough, in my opinion) and is officially out of the union (YAY, because his union was craptastic). He is supposed to work 8:00-4:30. He usually goes in around 7:00, and it sounds like he'll be working until at least 5:00, possibly 5:30 from now on. One of the main reasons I was not into the idea of him being salaried - they already know he's going to be working 1-2 hours of overtime a day, why in world should be agree to be salaried?! Other than that, he's pretty much already been doing the work he's being promoted too, so he's pretty comfortable with the switch. He'll just be doing more "office" type work, and spending less time in the factory.

I left work a little early to run back to T-Mobile and make my new phone purchase. I had it narrowed down to a couple, and the guy at the store was super helpful. I ended up getting a great phone, with some pretty kickass rebates, and adding the data plan to our package isn't going to be as much of an increase as I thought! So, yay for that :) Of corse,  I spent a good deal of the evening bonding with my new little right hand man. I already LOVE finally having a smartphone.

Since I was doing that, Christian took his time getting home from his moms. I was just finishing up my workout when they got home. It was already pretty late, so we just heated up some random leftovers for dinner when I finished, and it was right to baths, and into bed. Another day down!

Here is a new typical view I have when working out...Amelia likes to be involved - but she's more of an observer.

4/29/12

Another Sunday. Another weekend comes to an end. Boo.

Today was another pretty relaxing day. The girls were at each other's throats this morning. Fighting over everything - just clearly needing a break from each other. So, after breakfast and a few duels, we finally showered, dressed, and went about our days. Olivia and I were off to Target to do our weekly shopping. She now insists on going with me, and it's kind of our special time together, so I look forward to it. She loves going to Target, and it's nice to separate the girls for a while. Target on sample day makes it even better because that keeps Olivia distracted. While we did that, Christian and Amelia were of to Menards to  pick up some some fertilizer and a few yard supplies.

We met up at home just in time for lunch, and naps. Apparently it wasn't enough time apart, because the girls were right back to their antics as soon as they were back together. Nap time couldn't have come soon enough!

Once they were finally down to sleep, Christian and I ate lunch and relaxed for a bit. I finally made my way downstairs to get my workout in, while he ran to his parents house for a visit and to grab his air compressor. The girls were up and at it by the time he got home. We had a big taco feast for dinner, hung out for a bath and before we knew it, it was time for baths and bed. Hard to believe the weekend is over again. NEVER, EVER, EVER long enough!

Here's a pic of our morning...

4/28/12

Today was a pretty low key Saturday. It was just what we've been needing - a nice, quiet, family day. I forced Christian to get up with the girls so I could get a little extra time in bed. Even though I wasn't actually sleeping, it was nice to just rest and not have to jump right out of bed. We spent the morning just hanging out - breakfast, some play time. The usual. The girls were pretty well behaved, so it was a fairly peaceful morning.

While the girls napped, Christian and I just hung out watching TV movies for a while, and doing a whole lotta nothing. He actually ended up falling asleep as well - so yes, very lazy day for us.

We finally got our butts in gear when the girls woke up. We all got cleaned up and dressed, and off we went. First up, we stopped into T-Mobile because I am in the market for a new phone. My phone isn't horrible, but it's started dropping calls a lot, and randomly shuts off. I'm eligible for a full upgrade, and I've REALLY wanted to splurge on a smartphone for a long time. So, we stopped in to check out the phones and start thinking about it. Christian is definitely jealous that I'll be getting a new phone - but I figure, he gets a trip to Mexico, I get a new phone. LOL.

After playing with the phones for a bit, we were off to Famous Footwear. Yesterday, poor Amelia came walking over to me, pointing at her feet. She had a bunch of random little blisters, and one HUGE blister on one of her big toes. I felt so horrible - knowing her shoes must be too tight for her. Now that they wear their shoes all day at school, we definitely need to pay closer attention. They had a lot of great sales going on, so we ended up getting her and Olivia a "nice" pair of tennis shoes, and getting Amelia a pair of "school" shoes, since I'm sure those will be as dirty and gross as Olivia's are soon enough.

Next up, we stopped into Applebee's for dinner. The girls LOVE eating out, and it' nice to get out to eat once in a while. They have some new weight watchers endorsed meals, and I tried a creamy parmesan chicken meal that was actually pretty good. I did indulge in a Mojito as well. YUM

Finally, we were on our way home. The girls took a bath, and we hung out for a little bit relaxing. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you as soon as the girls were in bed, and asleep...Christian and I both passed out on the couch. Literally - 9:30PM and we were LONG gone. I swear, we get more pathetic by the week! LOL

The girls found Christian's stash of hats this morning and tried them out. Very serious little misfits...

4/27/12

Friday again! And, a truly amazing one at that! This morning I weighed in, and after 3.5 looooooong months, I have finally hit my first weight loss goal! I've lost 20.2 pounds, and I am finally under the 200 mark. It feels so good to finally feel like I am making progress. Even though I have so far to go, I have truly come so far already, and it feels amazing! I've lost 9.18% of my body weight, and I've lost 12.25". Progress, REAL progress! Now, it's time to roll on and head towards my next goal - my pre-pregnancy weight with Amelia. I have to lose 7 pounds to hit that - here we go!

I was definitely on cloud nine all day after starting my day off on such an amazing foot. Work was OK - Friday at work always seems to drag a little bit. But, I survived. After work I picked up the girls and we made our way home. Christian picked up some pizza for dinner on his way home, and we spent the evening together, just relaxing. Another week down, and we were definitely ready for the weekend.

After the girls went to bed Christian and I watched a movie - a WHOLE movie. LOL. We watched Final Destination 6. We LOVE the Final Destination movies, and this one was actually as good as the others. LOVED the ending, very creative.

I debated doing this for a long time, but decided to just go for it. Last time I lost weight, I never took any pictures. It's hard to really tell how far you've come, when you can't really compare it. I took pictures when I started in January, and I intend on taking updated pics every time I reach a goal. So, here is my first comparison - still pretty embarrassing to post, but at least I know that I'm working on it!

4/26/12

Amelia Grace - 21 months old! My how time surely flies.

Amelia never ceases to amaze us. I mean, of course, we are her parents! She is fully adjusted to school now. She hasn't cried at drop off in a couple of weeks...she gives me a hug and kiss and goes about her business, like it's no big deal. What a big girl!! She's started showing interest in using the potty this month. Waking up dry from her naps often, and sitting on the potty after. I can't devote that kind of time to "training", so we're waiting until this summer and doing the weekend trial run like we did with Olivia, but it's nice to know that she's showing interest.

She talks more and more every day. She has a crazy amount of works, not sure what new ones she's picked up. She pretty much just copies everything everybody else says. She hasn't been weighed or measured for a few months, so I have no idea where she falls in line there. She is wearing 12-18 month clothes still, and size 4 diapers. She has a BIG ol' belly, and if it weren't for that, I think her 12-18 month stuff would still be a little baggy on her. That helps her fill her clothes out. LOL. I'm thinking in the next couple months we'll start incorporating some 18-24 month stuff in though.

She is still a total mama's girl, through and through. She comes to be when hurt, when she wants something, and insists that I put her to bed. I LOVE it! I was so worried we'd have two major daddy's girls on our hands, but that is not the case :) The teachers and director at their school still rave about what a little sweetheart she is - they just seem to love her to pieces which is so great to hear. They still say they are very impressed at how easily she adjusted to going there. My girl, my cuddle bug!

Today was a pretty low key day, nothing out of the norm. Work, work, work. Workout. Dinner. Family time. Bed!

As my readers know, I take a monthly picture of Amelia by the stair case (and every 6 months now with Olivia). I usually manage to get a pretty cute shot out of them, but it never comes easy. Here is basically a run down of how I finally get to a good picture...for some reason, looking through them just cracks me up...

4/25/12

Today was a pretty good day. Well, it didn't start off that way. I was more than a little crabby after yesterday's events with Christian. Of course, like usual when I'm upset, I shut down and go into silent mode, and never speak my mind. I need to work on that so bad! He actually sent me a message and confronted the issue, which I was pretty impressed with. We talked a little, I brought up some issues I've been having, some thinking I've been doing - and insisted we have a good conversation about everything. He was totally on board, and seemed to be eager to work on things and figure everything out. It was a relief to hear him being so involved.

A little later in the day, he sent me a message letting me know he just found out he got the job he interviewed for a few weeks ago! I'm so excited for him. He works so hard, and I'm so happy he is finally being rewarded for it. This new job will be a promotion for him, and should come with a decent raise. He'll probably have to work an extra hour ever day though - which means I'll be picking up the girls and my evening schedule is going to be uprooted. They are supposed to be meeting on Monday to hash out all of the details, so we'll see. Right now, he's supposed to work 8:00-4:30....but he usually goes in closer to 7:00. With this new job, he thinks he'll be working until at least 5:00, probably 5:30. Initially they talked about doing this position salaried, which I was not on board with. We depend on his overtime for a little extra cash - and if he knows for a fact he'll be working 1-2 hours of overtime everyday, there's no way he should have to give up that OT pay! I guess they did change it to an hourly position, thank goodness.

Work for me wasn't as bad as yesterday. Things kind of picked up all of a sudden, which is nice. Nothing too interesting is going on in that department though.

After work, the girls were bugging Christian to go see Grandma Coro, and he hasn't seen his mom since he got home, so they stopped over there to visit while I worked out. They arrived home just in time for dinner. Much to my surprise, Christian actually brought up our conversation from earlier, and we had a long conversation about some of our issues, and the fact that we need to communicate more, and in a better way. I couldn't believe he actually brought it up - sometimes he actually does amaze me!

After dinner, we all rushed outside to enjoy the amazing weather for a while. Olivia rode her bike, we watered the plants a little and ran around the yard. This little bush the previous owners planted the summer before we moved in is FINALLY blooming. It was just this tiny little green thing, and it's gotten bigger and bigger every year. Tonight, I noticed the lilacs on it are FINALLY blooming for the first time. SO excited, lilacs are my favorite!! Finally, the girls were dirty and tired, and it was time for baths and bed.

Here are some pictures of our outdoor adventures tonight...

4/24/12

Well, I started off the day feeling a little down. I had a pretty bad weekend, diet and exercise wise. I didn't exercise...my body was really aching, and I just felt really tired - tired to my bones. The rest was nice, but it leaves me feeling guilty - knowing how far I have to go yet. I spent the weekend not eating HORRIBLY, but not eating very well either. WAY too much sodium. I cheated and stepped on the scale this morning - and it was NOT good, at all. Definitely need to hit it hard the next few days.

Work was long, LONG, LONG, LONG. After a week of short days, and a long weekend, it was tough to make it through. And there is still so much I want to do outside of work...get some shopping done, a little more cleaning, work on the basement some more. Some days, work can seriously get in the way!

Christian's first day home from vacation didn't really go too well. He decided to sleep most of the day away, and I was less than thrilled about that. He finally decided to roll out of bed and get some stuff down around noon or so. He FINALLY put away all of the clothes he left sitting around when he left, and took care of his recycling. And, he mowed the front yard. When the girls and I got home, he was just finishing up the front yard. I attempted to work out while keeping an eye on the girls - which never goes too well, while he mowed the back yard. He finally finished up as the girls and I sat down for dinner. We spent a tiny amount of time together after dinner, before it was time for baths and bed. As I got the girls into the bath, Christian decided it was a good time to start unpacking, and, apparently, to shave. So, I was on bath and bedtime routine duty - as I have solely been for the past week. So, today was basically a culmination of most of the issues I have with Christian. I don't talk a ton about any "relationship issues" we have on here - but it's been rough. I can't lie - I was actually looking forward to his vacation a little. Some time apart never hurts, and it was a nice little break from taking care of the "third child" in the house. I kind of enjoyed the routine, and the quietness we had while it was just the girls and me. I think it's going to take an adjustment to all be back together again. LOL

Christian showed the girls all the fun stuff he brought back for them tonight...a little train set, some little Mexican drums, a few little toys and some Mexican candy. His sisters sent them some fun little hair clips and ties, and even sent me a couple really cute necklaces. The girls thought everything was SUPER cool, and had a blast checking everything out. Especially the little train set...

4/23/12

Today was a pretty amazing Monday. I know, I know - that sounds like an absolutely CRAZY statement.  It was though. I took the day off...sent the girls over to my mother in laws like usual, and had the entire day all to myself. I spent the morning curled up in bed - catching up on the new show "Awake". I eventually rolled out of bed for some lunch and to get going on some cleaning and organizing around the house. I got our rooms, the kitchen, the bathroom and the living room picked up and looking shiny and new. I did laundry throughout the day - even got it folded ad put away! I was on a roll.

Finally, I was off to pick up the girls. I grabbed us some dinner on the way home, and we spent the night hanging out together. Our last little bit of time before Christian comes home - and luckily they were on their best behavior. Tonight was another "my sister is my best friend" kind of day - they couldn't get enough of each other, and I cannot get enough of days like that. It's so great to see - I hope they are able to grow up truly being the best of friends, realizing what an amazing gift they have in each other. I would give anything to have been blessed with a sibling (well, a blood sibling, that I actually lived with). They are lucky, and I hope they always feel that way.

Christian finally arrived home tonight around 9:45. He was pretty exhausted from his travels, and I was just tired from life in general. He filled me in on a few tidbits, and I was off to bed. He already has plans of taking tomorrow off to recuperate - hopefully he'll take some time away from his R&R to get a few things done...

I got this picture of the girls tonight. They put on their little dresses, so I asked if they wanted to take a picture...they both ran into the kitchen, to "their spot", and this was their "pose". Seriously, they melt my heart!

4/22/12

Sunday has once again come too soon! At least I took tomorrow off work, so it' not so bad :)

Today shaped up to be a pretty busy day. I actually did sleep in, until 9:00, which felt pretty nice. I jumped in the shower right away and got ready for the day. My mom dropped the girls off around 11:00 and I was so excited to see them. It's amazing how much you miss those little terrors when they are away! We were right away off to my dad's to visit with him and my stepmom for a while.

The girls ate some lunch and played with just about every toy they had in their house. They definitely keep my stepmom busy whenever we visit! It was great getting the chance to catch up with them for a while, it's far too rare that we see them.

We hit the road around 2:00 and the girls passed out on the way home. I got them settled in for naps when we got home, and ate some lunch myself. I ended up waking them up a little before 5:00 and we were off to Christian's parents for dinner. Nothing like free food! The girls were so excited to see all of their grandparents this weekend :) They were so well behaved all day took, which is amazing. They usually get pretty out of control when we go to his parents house...then again, he wasn't there, and that usually seems to be when they start acting up!

Finally, we were on our way home around 7:00 for the night. We cleaned up, had a little bedtime snack, and the girls were off to bed. They'll be going to his parents house like usual tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to the day to myself. Cleaning, maybe a little more work on the basement, and getting back into my workout routine! My body definitely needed a little break this weekend!

I snapped this picture of the girls and I tonight. I couldn't believe I actually got them both smiling...as the camera was dying. Ugh they are SO cute!