5/18/12

Today was my Friday home with the girls. They were quite a handful today, so that was a little frustrating. But, as I went to do my usual balance the checkbooks/pay the bills song and dance, I was pleasantly surprised. As I mentioned in my plan to save/bring in some more money last week, I did change my W4 from claiming 0, to claiming 2, and the difference was much more than I expected. And, Christian's raise showed up on this check, which was also more than I expected. Once our modification finally goes though, we'll definitely be able to start breathing a little easier. Definitely started my day off right.

I did weigh in this morning, and that wasn't quite as exciting. I was down .6 from last week. Not much, but I'm happy to be down. I'm hoping it's just my body adjusting to a new workout.

After breakfast and a little playtime around the house, we got ready and headed out for a picnic at the park. We stopped to pick up some picnic groceries, and spent a couple hours at the park, burning off some energy. There was a huge group of kids there (daycare I'm guessing), and Olivia jumped right in and started playing with a little girl that looked about her age. She's never been SUPER shy, but I've never seen her just play with a perfect stranger like that before. I suppose that's a result from school, but I definitely like it!

The sun started taking a toll on us, the girls were dirty and exhausted, and it was finally nap time, so we started on our way home. I relaxed while the girls napped. It ended up being a record breaking hot day - but I actually was OK with it. The thought of turning on the AC never even crossed my mind (at one point, it was 85 degrees in the house) - for me, that's crazy. I've always been a winter person, hated the heat and hot weather...maybe that's all starting to change a little.

After naps, the girls and I played in the backyard for a while. They checked out the sandbox for a big, and I watered the plants...which turned into watering the girls :) They had a blast though. Christian arrived home in time for dinner, which of course had to take place on the deck. After dinner we watered the front yard, AKA played in the sprinkler some more. Then, it was finally time for baths and bed. Christian was off for a work retirement/goodbye party, and I did my workout, took a shower and settled into bed with the DVR for a while. A long, busy day - but in the end, a great one.

Today's Photo a Day in May is Something I Made. Today, I started making our trip list for the Dells. YAY!

And, here are some photos of our day...

5/17/12

Today was my Friday. YAY! I weighed in for the Biggest Loser at work today...down another 2.1. Whoo Hoo. I have 4 weeks to lose 4.7lbs and reach my 12 week goal. Fingers crossed. Additionally, the incentive for our next 2 weeks is that whoever loses 5lbs will win $10 - I WANT that $10, so I'm going to bust my butt and try to figure out some way to do that. Toes crossed!

Today went super fast. My usual end of the week cleanup of everything, and before I knew it, it was time to head home. My mother in law invited us all over for Chilaquiles tonight, so we took her up on it and spent some time over there. The girls were so tired by the time we got home, we skipped their baths tonight. Amelia went right to bed while Olivia and I cuddled and played some tablet games for a little it. When I told her it was time for bed, she laid down and pretended to fall asleep, LOL. It was hard to kick her little butt outta my bed, but she cooperated pretty well :)

Today's Photo a Day in May was Snack. So, here is my morning and afternoon snacks for today - pretty much every day (at least when I'm at work)...

And, here is a picture of the 3-year old that tried to take over my bed tonight....

5/16/12

Wednesday - halfway through the week. Though, this week is my Friday off (and, I have next Monday off for the Dells), so I really can't complain. Today was the Health and Wellness Fair at work, and the little walk-a-thon they hold every year. So, I spent my breaks and lunch walking around the complex - ended up getting like 5 miles in, so YAY for some extra exercise. They had so many goodies at the fair too - lots of freebies and samples - of course, heaven for me. LOL.

After work, the girls were bugging Christian to go over to grandma's house, so he stopped home to fertilize the backyard, then they were on their way. I got some picking up done, a couple loads of laundry, and caught up on some shows while I had the house to myself. Always a win/win!

They took a bath over at my in-laws house, so they pretty much just went off to bed when they got home. Olivia and I hung out for a bit while Amelia fell asleep, but she was so exhausted, it didn't take long. Another day down!

Today's Photo a Day in May is What I'm Reading. Now, I don't read. I know that sounds dumb - but I don't. It doesn't interest, or stimulate me, and quite frankly, I can never figure out where people find the time to read. So, all I can really post, other than the "Twilight" book that has been sitting on my nightstand since I had Olivia, is what I read/write everyday - a Contract from work :)

Since that's super boring, here are a couple shots of the girls I took while Christian fertilized this afternoon...

5/15/12

Today was a pretty long day at work. The day just seemed to drag and drag. The office was pretty empty, so that didn't help. I did get a lot done though, so I guess that's a plus.

I got my pre-work workout in again, and I'm thinking I need to stick to these 20-30 minute workouts, because I really like getting it out of the way.

Christian wanted to get his hair cut after work, so I picked up the girls from school, and we spent time playing in the backyard. They insisted on eating outside, so I made dinner, and we all ate out on the deck. Christian arrived home just as we sat down, so we got to spend some nice family time together. The weather has been so great again, it's amazing!

After dinner and some more play time, we headed inside for the usual - baths and bed. Now that the girls are outside so much, that get so gross and definitely need a full bath, every night. Good thing they're both total water babies!

Today's Photo a Day in May is Love...Here is Our Love - My Love, Sister Love, Baby Love :)

And, here are a couple other snaps from tonight...

5/14/12

Well, another weekend has passed, way too fast, and here we are at Monday again. Work did go by pretty fast though, so it could have been worse.

This morning I started up my new workout, Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I think this one is more about toning and strength, so the weight might not come off as quickly, but I can definitely use the toning. And, a huge bonus, is that it's only 25 minutes long, so I can get up and do it before work. It's SO nice being able to get it out of the way before work and have the evening open to do whatever I want. The view was much harder than I remember - I contemplated skipping Level 1, and I am sure glad that I didn't!

After work, I stopped into Target. Christian and I both need swimsuits...my hope was to be swimsuit ready by the end of the summer - BUT, we're heading to Wisconsin Dells on Sunday, so I had to move that up a couple months. I wasn't super excited about the whole swimsuit business, but I've vowed to have a good attitude about it, and think positively. I did end up finding one that I really like, and a cute coverup to go over it, so I'm satisfied with it.

After Target, I met Christian at home for dinner. We had leftovers - Olivia was insistent that we shoudn't be having Chicken, because it wasn't Mother's Day anymore. LOL. After dinner, we were off on a family walk around the neighborhood. By the time we got home, it was time for baths and bed, so the day definitely flew by!

Today's Photo a Day in May is Grass. The girls spent some time rolling around in the grass before we took off on our walk tonight, checking out the clouds along the way...

5/13/12

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Today was such a wonderful day, from start to finish. I have to give it up to Christian - he really impressed me, and stepped up this year!

The girls were up bright and early. Christian did get up with them, but they are so loud, I couldn't sleep. He made us waffles and sausage for breakfast. YUM. Then, we all got ready and we were all off to the grocery store to pick up some food to grill tonight.

On our way home, we grabbed some Thai food for lunch, DOUBLE YUM, and the girls went right down for a long nap. Christian and I cleaned off the patio tables and chairs, got everything set up, and he fired up the grill. My mom and his parents came over just as the girls were waking up from their naps, and we spent the rest of the night enjoying the weather outside. Christian grilled, the girls played in the bounce house for a while, we ate and chatted away the evening.

After dinner, our parents were on their way, we cleaned up, and it was pretty much time for baths and bed. Christian surprised me with some roses this morning, and I got my mother's necklace we ordered a few weeks ago. My mother in law gave me a little rose bush that I can't wait to plant outside. Mixed with the crafts the girls made me at school, and with my mom, I was showered with so many great figs this year. It was definitely a the best mothers day yet!

Today's Photo a Day in May is Mum. So, here is a photo of me and my mum, then and now :)

And, here are some other pics from today...

5/12/12

Today was a very exciting day! Today was my BFF's Bridal Shower day :)

Christian worked some OT this morning, so it was just me and the girls. Luckily I got a lot of stuff done yesterday for the shower. We're having a taco bar and rice for lunch, so all I really had to do was make the taco meat and the rice, and load everything into the car. The girls were pretty good this morning. They played, ate some breakfast and just kind of did their own thing so I was able to get my food cooked. The problem started when I decided it would be a good idea to take a quick shower...I got out to find them sitting on the bathroom floor, covered in lotion. I suppose it could have been worse!

My mom stopped over right as I got out of the shower to watch the girls for a while, so I could load up the car and head over to Kari's house. She took them over to Walmart (and YAY, bought Olivia a new pair of school shoes, and each of them some sunglasses!), and got them some lunch. Until Christian got home from work, then she came over to join the shower.

The shower went great. The food was delicious, and games were a hit, and Kari and Jay got some great stuff. It was a really good day, and it seemed like everybody enjoyed themselves, which is most important. While the girls napped, Christian cut the grass and got some yardwork done.

After the shower, Kari's mom, sisters, and their families hung around for leftovers, so Christian and the girls came over to hang out. The girls had a blast playing with Kari's nephew, and they were exhausted when we got home. It was a long day, but definitely a good one!

Today's Photo a Day in May is Something That Makes You Happy. Of course, being with my BFF!

And, here are some more photos of the shower. I didn't get many "people photos", but at least I captured some of the set up...

5/11/12

Another Friday! Another great weigh in...down 2lbs this week, for a total of 23.6. I have finally lost 10% of my body weight, and I'm 3.5 pounds away from my next goal. AHHHHHHH, feels so damn good!

Work was actually pretty good today. I had a few issues to deal with, which helped move the morning alone. Tied up all of my usual end of the week loose ends, and then I had the afternoon off.

I was off to get groceries and a few last things for the shower tomorrow. I always get so nervous throwing parties like this - hoping everything goes well, hoping everybody has a good time and hoping that I don't forget anything or screw anything up. Pressure!!!!

After shopping, I was off to pick the girls up early - my mom seemed to have found the migraine I lost the other night, so I picked up my noisy toddlers and brought them home. I wrapped all of the prizes for the shower tomorrow, and started packing up all of the stuff I need to bring over there. I'll just have to cook a few of the food items in the morning, and I'll be ready to go! Fun, fun :)

Christian of course worked late, and we ate dinner as soon as he arrived home. He had a BIG surprise for me tonight...he was able to cash in some of his leave time at work early, and brought home a nice check. Such a huge relief, and I'm super impressed that he actually thought to ask about that. Some more good news, is that now that he's "staff", instead of "factory", the rules are a little different. In the factory, they received leave time, but it was pretty frowned upon to actually use it. Now that he's staff, their leave time doesn't roll over, or pay out, so they have to use it or lose it...and are actually expected to use it. SO, he's actually going to be able to start taking time off if the girls are sick or need to stay home for some reason. Since my time does roll over, it will be nice to save those hours/days since he has to use his anyway. That will be a nice little break.

After dinner, Christian was off to have a couple beers with a friend from work. I got the girls in bed, and spent the night updating the blog and catching up on some shows. Speaking of bed...Amelia is still doing amazingly with her big girl bed. She has fallen out a few times (we have her bed surrounded with pillows), so we are going to have to invest in a bed rail. Hopefully it will just be temporary, but she is such a wild sleeper, it will probably take time for her to learn to stay put. I can't believe how easy the switch was. She's never once tried to open the door or leave the room. She doesn't even really get out of the bed at all anymore. BIG GIRL indeed!

Today's Photo a Day in May is - Kitchen. These are a little old, but this is basically our kitchen. We do have a couple stools at the sink bar that aren't here. We still need to do a backsplash, put in new countertops and get a table and chairs for the breakfast nook, but I love our kitchen! It's open, bright, light. It's just perfect :)

5/10/12

Well, today was indeed a better day. No headache, much less stress, and the day actually went pretty fast. I plowed through a ton of work which felt good. A lot of my office was gone today, so the quiet definitely helps me stay focused and get a lot done.

Olivia insisted on going to grandma's again tonight, and wouldn't let it go, so Christian and the girls were off to his mom's again for dinner. I was a little annoyed with it, but it did give me time to get the house picked up and relax for a while, so I really couldn't complain.

When they finally arrived home, the girls both had a card and some crafts for me for mother's day! OMG, it made my day. Seriously brought a tear to my eye. They were SO excited to give me their surprises - even though Olivia kept trying to take hers back. LOL. Man, I love those girls!

Today's Word a Day in May is, Favorite Word. Of course, "Mommy" is most definitely my favorite word. I never realized what an amazing, powerful word that is until I became one, and heard it mummled from a squeaky little girls voice. Yes, no word compares.

5/9/12

Well, as expected, my day was filled with "figuring it out".

First up, I finally talked to our Credit Union about our home loan. We, of course, are completely upside down in our loan right now. I talked to a mortgage broker a few weeks ago to see if we had any options for refinancing. He said because we had a 30 year conventional loan, he couldn't help us. He said because of our clear history, and our excellent credit rates, our current lenders may be able to help us, and suggested we talk to them. So, today I finally did. After explaining our situation, and the advisor having a conversation with the underwriters, they found out that we qualified for a loan modification. Our loan term will not start over, which is great, and our loan will be modified from what we currently own, regardless of the appraisal results, which is also great. Our fees will be minimal, and in the end, we're going to go from our current 6.875% rate, to a 4.75% rate, which in the end should save us about $300 a month! I'm so excited, it's such a huge relief. By the end of the afternoon, I paid our appraisal fee, and now we're just waiting to hear from them to schedule the visit.

Christian and I will also finally be changing our claims on our W4. Right now, we both claim 0 (I know, most people cringe when they read that). We're finally going to up it to 2 I believe, and see what kind of difference that makes.

I'm currently looking into internet and cable options to see what we can do. Other than that, there isn't a ton of changes we can make right now, other than just keep watching what we spend and being careful. Hopefully all of this will make up the different of full time daycare. Which, by the way, I did check with the center, and they do have room for both girls full time, so they are ready to go whenever we need to. I'm still hoping it will be a couple months before we have to make the switch so we can save up a little once everything is taken care of. Fingers crossed!

In the end, I ended up with a migraine around lunchtime. My head was pounding, I felt nauseous and it just kept getting worse. Stress, numbers, too much thinking! I left work an early, got in my jammies and hopped into bed. Christian offered to bring the girls to his mom's house so I could rest, so they ate dinner over there. I took my meds and didn't move from the bed for a few hours. I started feeling better around dinner time, and ate some leftovers, which also seemed to help. Have not had a migraine like that for a while!

Christian and the girls didn't get home until pretty late, so the girls were right off to bed. Christian and I were not far behind, hoping for a less stressful day tomorrow!

Today's Photo a Day in May is, "Something You Do Everyday". Like it says, Everyday I thank myself for my sweet, challenging, beautiful, brilliant baby girls - the best gift ever. Everyday I log my food, my exercise and I work on myself. And, everyday I spend time on Facebook, catching up with my friends and family.