8/21/12

Today was my day home with the girls. Oh how I look forward to this day (though, it’s much better when it’s my usual Friday!). Life is so much easier when we don’t have to get up and go…go to school, go to work. Just spending the day with my girls makes it better, but also being able to just do what we need to do, get stuff done and not be so rushed all day long. It’s such a relief. It’s not the same as the weekends, because Christian adds a different layer of chaos since the girls act differently around us together vs. us individually, so my day with them alone is just special. I could never give up my job, but my day off with them just reminds me of how much...ummm, different, those days are – minus the constant toddler fight refereeing of course – I could do without that stress.

Today we were FINALLY off to Amelia’s 2 year check-up (just one more thing that has to be put off until my day off ). She is 25lbs and 33.75” tall. I was really curious where she would fall on the scale. Much to my surprise, our clinic has switched to tracking kids on a worldwide scale, instead of the United States scale, because America is getting too fat it was throwing everything off. Wow, that’s kind of sad, but at the same time, it sure made me feel better about Amelia. She actually wasn’t too bad on either scale now though – unlike in her infant months. On the US scale, her weight and height were around the 20% mark – much better than falling off the scale when she was younger. But, on the Worldwide scale, she’s actually completely average for both, right at the 42% mark for both. That was great to hear. She also had to get some bloodwork done today. But, no shots, which was great. I actually left her check-up, got the girls loaded into the car, and was heading home when I remembered she needed bloodwork. Oops, back to the clinic we went. I was fully prepared for my little drama queen to throw a fit, but she didn’t even flinch or shed a single tear through the whole process. My baby, tough as nails. The tech’s were all so impressed with her. She earned a sticker for herself, and Olivia, so that was pretty exciting.

Finally, we were ACTUALLY on our way home. I stopped at Wendy’s to get them some lunch, and myself a salad. We ate, then it was nap time. The girls took a nice long nap…I did some cleaning up and worked on their baby books – finally adding some pictures – for a while. We made some dinner, Christian arrived home and we spent the evening relaxing and hanging out. Back to the normal grind tomorrow – and now it’s going to be an extra LONG time until I’m off with them again. Boo!

Here is a picture of Amelia, showing off her bandaid from her finger prick. Tough girl!

8/20/12

Just another Monday in our world. Work, home, clean up, dinner, play time, baths and bed. That’s really about it! I’m off tomorrow because the girls are going to school on Friday, so it’s going to be a strange week. But, it’s nice to get that random break in the week. Should make the rest of the week go fast, so that’s a bonus!

Tonight I started my last week of 30 Day Shred. I’m excited to see the results. I haven’t been feeling great about my weight loss progress (or, lack of) lately. I feel kind of stuck right now. I’ve been doing my video, eating FAIRLY well. But, my head definitely hasn’t been in it. I think my body is kind of going through a rebelling stage right now as well, so that doesn’t help. I know I just need to push through, and get over that hump/plateau, but it’s so frustrating. I’m also having some digestive issues, and haven’t been feeling so great – so that is just another layer of badness. Hopefully I can get everything under control soon and get back on track. It’s much easier to stay motivated when you see results. I do think that I’m down inches though, so when I take my measurements that should help pick me back up.

Tonight, Olivia was playing on the tablet, Amelia on the iPod, and it just cracked me up. Definitely had to snap a picture of that…kids and their “toys”…

8/19/12

Another great Sunday around the house today.

Olivia woke me up at 7:00 and wanted to go inside (well, had to go potty), so with that, our camping adventure came to an end. After going potty, Olivia and Christian hung out, with Amelia soon joining them, and I rested in bed for a while. Camping out actually went a lot better than expected. Even with the rain, I actually slept pretty good!

I made pancakes for breakfast, and the day was in full gear. I spent the day doing chores around the house...dishes, picked up the kitchen, living room and bedrooms, did laundry all day (and, actually got all of it put away too, BONUS!). Christian watched the girls, made us lunch, vacuumed the house and grilled dinner. While the girls napped, I finally took on the task of going through the spare bedroom closet. Got all of the coats and winter gear straightened out. And, went through all of my old (aka, too small) clothes. I found a pile of stuff that was too dated, and no longer appropriate for me/in style, that will be getting donated. AND, I have a pile of stuff that I can add back into my wardrobe!! Some of it is too wintery, so can't come out yet, but I'm so excited. I was also able to pull out another pair of jeans. Yahoo, happy day!

After dinner, Christian was off to hang out with his friend from work. I think he's been feeling pretty cooped up in the house the past couple of weeks, and I was actually craving some alone time, so it worked out well. Ready to start off another week!

Here's a picture of Olivia and I. Always has to be so goofy!

8/18/12

Today was a busy, but very fun day!

First up, we had some breakfast and got ready for the day. Then, we all made our way to the PetSmart store. We were off to finally get Chuy a collar and tags, and were going to invest in some nail clippers since they won't clip his nails without up to date vaccinations. We checked out all of the animals...the fish, the birds (I REALLY want some birds), the rodents and the cats. There were some SUPER cute cats up for adoption, and they had a few dogs there for adoption too. Big dogs, which I REALLY want, but Amelia is terrified of dogs. I'm not sure if she'll ever get over it.

While we were there, we talked to their clinic. We found out the check up and rabies vaccinations wasn't horribly expensive, and that it's best we get back on track with vet visits, so we ended up getting him in for an exam and shot later in the afternoon, and they clipped his nails for us. Works out better, because I'm really not comfortable clipping his nails.

So, after naps, Christian and Olivia took care of his appointment, while Amelia and I ran to Target. We had to pick up a few groceries and necessities, particularly for tonight. Tonight, we camped out in the backyard! We set up a tent, grilled dinner on a little camping grill, had a bonfire and s'mores, and played outside all night. The girls had such a blast playing in the tent and "roughing it". It was some really great, much needed, family time for all of us. We ended up having Amelia sleep in on her own bed, then settled in for the night. It was pretty cold out, and started raining shortly after we settled in...so, we spent the night half awake wondering if the rain guard would give out. Christian ended up getting too cold in the middle of the night, and headed inside. Olivia and I toughed it out though, all night long. YAY!

Here are some pictures of our camping adventures. Good times :)

8/17/12

Finally Friday! It didn't start out great. I gained 1.5 pounds this week. I was prepared for it...2 weeks of not working out, and now a week on a new workout plan, meant strange changes going on. And, I've been going through a lot of non-blog sharable stress at home, which doesn't help. But, just kept pushing through! That's all you can do :)

Work was pretty good today. The day went fairly fast. We've been getting more and more food trucks outside of my work the past few months, and today I finally tried one out. There was a taco truck, so I picked up some carnitas tacos. They only had traditional mexican fixings (which, are not for me), but luckily I had some salad stuff in the fridge. They were actually really good, I'd have them again.

After work, I picked up the girls from school. Today Sea Life Aquarium came to the school for a visit, so I switched their schedule for the week. Since I get off a little earlier on Friday's, I got to the school earlier, and there were a TON of kids there still. It was fun watching Olivia play with all of her little friends for a while. I actually talked to her little BFF's mom today and set up our next play date too, so that was pretty exciting.

We took Chuy for a little ride down to the park for a little while, then headed back to play in the yard for a bit. Christian worked a little late, then came home with dinner and we spent the evening hanging out. He was pretty exhausted, and fell asleep pretty early, so I caught up on the DVR and went to bed fairly early myself.

Here is a photo of Olivia and her puppy. She just loves this guy!

8/16/12

Today was a pretty low key day. Work has been busy as usual for me. Christian has been getting his OT like usual, so that's good. Just, the usual.

I was greeted with a pretty big surprise at school this afternoon though. I went in to pick Olivia up like usual. Today they were outside, and Olivia was by the teacher at the table playing. As I was walking up I could hear the teacher say "that is only for family". Then, Olivia spotted me and ran over to give me a hug. Then, a little boy came over here, not an ounce of shyness, and said "She just kissed me....ON THE LIPS!", while pointing at Olivia. I was in shock, and really not sure how to respond. I looked at Olivia, laughed a little, and said "Olivia, we don't ever kiss anybody at school!". Then, her teacher again said, "Nope, we only kiss family". I harassed Olivia about it all night long....asking her what her boyfriends name is, and why she was kissing boys at school. She kept telling me that she didn't and he's not her boyfriend, with a guilty grin on her face the whole time! She's trouble. Needless to say, we had a little talk tonight , and I'm hoping it doesn't happy again. I can't imagine the school is too fond of that behavior!

After we played outside at home for a bit, we had dinner and relaxed for the night. That was all the excitement I could handle!

Here is a picture of Amelia and I tonight. Love this one!

8/15/12

Well, today was not the best day ever.

Work was OK. Just the usual. Christian took the girls over to his parents' house for dinner, which gave me some time to catch up on some stuff at home. So, not bad

When they arrived home, I could tell the girls must have been acting up, because Christian seemed annoyed and frustrated as soon as he walked in the door. I was trying to get them into they jammies so Amelia could get to bed, and we could relax and settle down for the night. Olivia wasn't having any of it. On top of that, she was being SUPER rude and disrespectful to me, and I was getting really upset. I finally told her to lay down in our bed. No jammies, no TV, no bathroom break. Bed, immediately. Closed the shades, turned the nightlight on, lights out and walked out. Of course she started throwing a fit. As I got Amelia ready for bed, Christian went into our room and started consoling her and babying her, like usual. This of course led to a huge fight between he and I.

I don't know why, but somehow Olivia became really attached to Christian, and Amelia to me. It's always been that way, since each of them were born you could see an obvious attachment to one parent over the other. The problem is that Christian totally thrives on Olivia's attachment to him, and almost encourages it. So, she continues to treat me crappy, and disrespect me, because Daddy always comes to the rescue. It's really upsetting, and we had it out over it tonight. With some other issues we've had going on, this was just kind of the last straw.

I finally just went downstairs, did my workout and watched TV to cool down for a while. By the time I went upstairs, he was passed out, snoring away and I just went to bed myself. Stress, it just seems never ending!

We have couple of nests under our deck, that seem to get used randomly, here and there. A couple weeks ago I noticed the birds coming in and out of one, peeked inside, and saw a couple of Robin eggs. So, I've watched them over the last couple of weeks. There were only two, and those suckers grow fast! Tonight, the nest was empty. So, our birds are gone for the season. Here is their little growth collage...

8/14/12

Well, today was kind of a stressful day. The stresses of life are definitely carrying over into our home life, and it's frustrating. We have all of this stuff to plan out. I have all of these things I want to do - places I want to go, but we're trying to make sure we have more down/family time as well. So, I'm trying to plan out our upcoming adventures without booking up entire weekends. I think I finally have that figured out. This weekend we have another great weekend of no plans, which I'm really excited about. Then, it all begins. The following week we have a family reunion, next - the fair, next - the apple orchard, next - the Renaissance Festival, next - our anniversary (it is ON a Saturday, you better believe we'll be doing something!), next - the Corn Maze, next - a birthday party. Then, we have a little break before Halloween activities kick into gear. So, it's a lot to fit in. I know there are a few other birthday parties we typically attend in this time frame - so it will be a matter of availability if we're invited to those this year. We also have a local family festival next, and a playdate with Olivia's BFF coming up to add into the mix. I like being busy, and I LOVE experiencing life with the girls as much as possible, but I think our business definitely starts taking a toll on our family. Time to start making better decisions with our time :)

We also have some money stuff to deal with. Christian needs new tires, so we're on the search for a good deal on that, and possible financing (no interest, of course) options out there. We also need to get the girls' swing set. I've always wanted to get one, but never wanted to spend the money. Our parents and some of our friends chipped in for Amelia's birthday to put towards a swing set, so now we HAVE to do it. Of course, I'd like to get it, and get it up, before the snow flys, so we're on the search for that.

We just have so much planning and "figuring out" to do, and issues going on that it's just plain stressful. Just have to keep pushing through, and work through everything.

So, most of our day was consumed with that. I did get this cute picture of Chuy tonight though, what a cutie!

8/13/12

Monday. Blah.

The day went fast though. Today I am officially back on the wagon. We did have a little going-away party for a co-worker today, which included a lot of treats, but I kept myself under control. I brought grapes as my contribution (I know, lame), so I tried to fill up on those and split a dessert. I was back on the 30 day shred train, and did my first Level 3 workout tonight. It was hard, and I definitely couldn’t do everything, but it didn’t kill me like I anticipated. So, YAY! I have a lot of work to do this week before my biggest loser contests end next week. Mama needs some new clothes money!!!

Work went fast and I had another productive day. I spent my lunch planning out some upcoming events. Over the next couple of months we have the State Fair, our annual Apple Orchard trip, our annual Sever’s Corn Maze trip and a visit to the Renaissance Festival. There are also a few birthday parties we’ll be attending, and our family reunion, so I had to sit down and figure out when we can fit everything in. I was really excited because I scored some Renaissance Festival tickets for super cheap. There were actually 2 deals going on…a StarTribune Steal, and a KS95 fan special. Both were basically buy one ticket, get one free. BUT, the steal was only good for a couple of weekends, which is lame. Luckily, the KS95 deal was good for any weekend, AND I was able to use it today and take advantage of the pre-sale discount too. Normally an adult ticket is $21.95 plus fees. I was able to get both of our tickets, with fees, for $21.26. YAY. Christian is always so impressed with my saving skills  The girls are free to get in still, so we’re all set for that. Now I just need to get my discount State Fair tickets at work, and try to win Sever’s tickets again and we’ll be set! LOL.

After work, it was the usual. Clean a little, dinner, play time, baths and bed time. Amelia has had this HORRIBLE diaper rash for the last week or two and it just won’t go away. We’ve tried creams, letting her run around diaperless, baths. Nothing has helped. She is teething so I know that’s part of the issue, but I feel so bad. We’ll be hitting the potty training train soon – possibly this weekend. Hopefully she’ll take to it and that will help a ton I’m sure.

After Amelia went to bed, I headed downstairs to do my workout. Olivia, my little personal trainer, insisted on coming with me, so I had my little cheerleader there to push me. Then, she was off to bed. I watched a couple shows, cooled down and passed out. Excited to be back on track, that’s for sure!

Here is a picture of my little personal trainer helping me out tonight…love her!

8/12/12

Today was another low key, put productive day for us. I spent the morning doing some more cleaning around the house, lots of laundry and going through my coupons/making my shopping list for the week. Once I was finally done and ready to go, Olivia and I headed to Target for our weekly shopping (though, it’s been a while since we’ve had our regular weekly shopping schedule in place...part of the whole getting back on track thing). Olivia LOVES shopping with me, and it’s even better on sample day since that keeps her pretty occupied the entire trip! Since I don’t have my check card anymore, I had to take Christian’s card and get some cash – meaning, take a wild guess on how much I would be spending. More difficult since I needed diapers, dog food, laundry detergent, etc. on top of groceries. I took out $200 and prayed it would be enough. As we were in line, Olivia was begging me for this little $3.00 princess phone by the register. I promised her that if we had money left over, she could buy it. We ended up getting $5.00 back in change, so she went and picked out a phone and paid for it all by herself. Such a big girl, and she was SO excited about it. And, YAY for me for being just about perfect on my shot in the dark. I know my shopping expenses, that’s for sure!

When we arrived home, Amelia was already down for a nap, so we ate some lunch, and Olivia went down. Christian took my car in for a (way overdue) oil change, then he did a little more picking up in the garage while I relaxed. We all spent the evening hanging out…we played for a while, had some dinner, then the girls went right into the bath. While Christian was outside, the girls and I had some ice cream and watched “Tangled” before bed. Before I knew it, the day was over and we were all tucked in for the night. I’m looking forward to another relaxing weekend coming up, this was perfect!

Here is a picture I got of the girls tonight…clean, bedtime snack and watching a movie. Perfect end to a great weekend!