12/4/12

Well, just a pretty standard day for us. Work was work. BUT, one of the committee’s I’m on right now – to plan a big transportation conference we hold every spring – met this afternoon. My friend Brad runs the committee and asked me to run the smart board for him (it’s like a dry erase board, only you type like it’s a computer screen). We were planning the agenda and speakers for the meeting so I was in charge of getting everything set up and put into tables and all that. Everybody in the meeting was so impressed with my Word skills – and I never honestly realized they were so impressive. I know that I type well/fast, but I didn’t realize I was so proficient in tables and graphs and all that. The guy sitting next to me is a Big Wig, District Engineer at our Metro District and jokingly asked if I’d ever thought of going out to Metro to work. Funny enough, I have been offered a job out there before! LOL. Dawn, my supervisor, did not think that conversation was very funny and nixed that right away. Anyway, just a little boost of confidence that made me feel kind of good today. It’s funny how little comments and reactions  can make you brighten your day, even if they seem kind of trivial.

After work, I quickly picked up the girls and we stopped into Walmart. Buddy needed some supplies for his visit tonight. I grabbed his stuff and we headed home. I started making dinner, AND Buddy’s treat. Tonight, he thought it would be a good idea to make some Peppermint Almond Popcorn Bark and Red Nosed Punch to have while we watch “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” tonight. FUN!

We ate dinner, watched our movie, had our snacks, and off to bed we went. Busy day, but it turned out pretty good!

Here are some pictures of Buddy Day 4: Ready for Rudolph!

12/3/12

It’s Monday – and that could really just about sum it up.

I contemplated all evening yesterday, and this morning, calling in and taking the day off. Just a day for myself, to relax and get some stuff done. But, I decided against it, got up, and started the week. I spent the morning catching up on some e-mails and my in-box from Friday. I spent my lunch break addressing and stamping our Christmas cards and dropped them in the mail (YAY, no on to Birthday invitations!), and ended up leaving a couple hours early (better than a whole day off, I suppose). I stopped into Hallmark to get Olivia’s final birthday present, her “4” Precious Moments figurine, and then made my way to Target. I grabbed a couple of greeting cards and some random small gifts that I needed, and did our grocery shopping for the week. So, at least my time off was productive!

I got all of the groceries and goodies put away, cleaned up around the house a little bit, put some laundry away and even got in little bit of relaxation before the rest of the crew got home. It didn’t take long for the girls to find Buddy perched upon their dresser…today be brought their Christmas tree back from the North Pole, so they got right to decorating. Christian ran to Menard’s to get some really exciting stuff…plastic for the windows, new filters for the humidifier and some salt for the water softener. Ahhh, the stuff I really love spending money on! We ate some diner, watched a Christmas movie and relaxed for a while before sending them off to bed.

I spent a little time updating the blog and watching some shows while Christian cleaned the humidifier and got that going. It was a party all around tonight!

Here are some pictures of Buddy Day 3: Oh, Christmas Tree:

12/2/12

Today was an early and busy day! First up, a portable medic stopped by the house to do my medical screening for my new insurance policy. I’m sure I’ll be denied, but I guess it’s worth a shot. She took my blood and urine samples for screening, and went over all of the usual medical questions. Of course, Question #1 “Do you have any congenital birth defects or disorders”. Ugh. However, I did have the letter from my cardiologist basically clearing me a few years ago, and stating that I no longer required monitoring or cardiologist visits. She took a lot of notes, so FINGERS CROSSED that helps. She also seemed really shocked by my weight loss this year, which made me happy, especially in my current frame of mind!

Next up, we immediately got to showers and getting ready. We had to leave the house at 8:30AM, so there was no dilly dalliying allowed! I got ready, we got the girls ready, Christian got ready…I packed them some granola bars and cereal and we were off. First up, my step-mom forgot her purse at our house last night, so we made a quick stop at their house. Then, off to Chuck E Cheese, bright and early, for a birthday party! The party started at 9:30, which pretty much sounds like death when you first think about it. But, really, it’s perfect! I mean, we’re up anyway, it’s not like the girls are sleeping until noon or anything. There was only one other party going on, and barely anybody else in the place, so it was low-key, fairly mellow and no chaos whatsoever. The girls played tons of games, we ate some lunch and had lots of fun! YAY, I love birthday parties!

We stayed a bit after the party to use up our tokens and pick out some prizes. We left around 12:30, and Amelia pretty much passed out immediately. Olivia swore she wasn’t going to fall asleep and was NOT tired, but it didn’t take her long to pass out either. They proceeded to nap for a bit once we got home, while Christian and I watched a heartbreaking Vikings (vs. Packers) game – they lost, but had SO MANY chances to win, it was very sad, and I ran quick to Walmart to pick up a few items for tonight.

Once up, the girls discovered Buddy in the kitchen with lots of treat and baking supplies gathered up! Tonight, he decided we needed to make some “Grinch Cookies” and “Grinch Punch” to snack on while we watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” tonight (the Jim Carey version). Sure, why not! So, we got right to baking – and YUM, the cookies were delicious! We had some dinner and hung out for a bit while we waited for the movie to start. Then, I finished up some laundry while we had our snacks and watched the movies. It was a hit, great idea, Buddy!

Finally, the girls were off to bed. I packed their bag for my in-laws house tomorrow and relaxed for a while. With that, another weekend comes to an end. BOO!

Here are some pictures of Buddy Day 2: It’s a Very Grinchy Christmas...

12/1/12

Today was a great day! Christian had to work all day, so he was busy with that. YAY for the OT!

The girls and I had breakfast, hung out for a bit and got ready for the day. Today I was off to take a family picture with my cousins on my dad’s side…we took one 10 or 11 years ago as a gift to our grandparents. My grandpa has mentioned lately he’d really like an updated one – so, my oldest cousin organized everything and got us set up to take it today. We’re all scattered around the cities, but lucky for me, I’m fairly central so it ended up being close to home. YAY! We took our picture, which turned out SUPER cute and I can’t wait to give it to our grandparents, and then my aunt treated us all to pizza for lunch. So our loud, rowdy group gathered at a local pizza place and hung out for a bit. It was actually really nice to sit around the table, laughing and joking and catching up with each other. I wish it could happen more often.

After lunch, we headed home and the girls went down for their nap, and Christian actually arrived home at the same time. We did some cleaning and picking up around the house, Christian ran to bring the vacuum cleaner back to his parents and ran to the grocery store quick and we hung out for a while. Then, onto the next family adventure…

My dad and stepmom stopped over to spend the evening with us. My dad’s birthday was on Thursday, and their (28^th!) anniversary was yesterday, so we had them over for pizza (yes, again) and some time to catch up. The girls had a lot of fun showing them around and showing off for them, and I know that since we don’t get the chance to see them often, they really enjoyed their time with the girls. My stepmom had a little Christmas craft for the girls, which they loved.

Once they headed out, the girls were off to bed, and we settled in to watch some Dexter. Christian’s friend stopped over for a bit – but I couldn’t hang. Off to bed I went! What a great day!

Here are some pictures of Buddy Day 1: Welcome Home!

And, this was really cute. We still have all the girls' little chairs from the basement upstairs from Thanksgiving. They gathered all of them up, put them around the table, and set up all of their stuffed animals to have a "pizza party" of their own. They've never really played "pretend" to that extent before, so it was really cute to see.

11/30/12

Well, today was a busy day! Christian and I were both off work today, so we took full advantage!

Christian took the truck in for an oil change this morning, while the girls and I hung out, watched some cartoons and ate some breakfast. I did some vacuuming (so we could return his parents' vacuum cleaner) and a little picking up, while Christian did some picking up in the garage. As soon as I got the girls settled in with lunch, Christian took over kid duty and I was off! Christmas shopping extravaganza today!

First up, Toys R Us. I had a bunch of coupons and rewards to use, so I ended up making two trips so I'd be able to use all of them. I found a bunch of great deals and was able to get a ton of stuff done. Next up, I stopped into Hallmark to get Olivia's birthday figurine. Well, of course they didn't have the "4"...BUT, they finally brought back the dancing, singing snowmen that we used to buy every year, so I did get one of those. I stopped to grab a quick lunch, then off to Target I went. I got a few groceries for the weekend, and finished up some more Christmas shopping. I'm just about done....one day of online shopping, one day of running around, and I only have a couple more things to get. Super cool!

I got home around dinner time, so we ate and spent the evening playing and goofing around. Christian has to work tomorrow, so he passed out shortly after the girls went to bed, and I caught up on some DVR'd goodies. What day!

I got this shot of Rico today. This is his favorite place in the house - laying on top of the cable box. It gets so hot, I don't know how he can stand it, but he just loves it. Always has.

11/29/12

Today was another pretty boring day. It was my Friday at work, so I spent the day tying up loose ends. The girls had another great week at school. I just love talking to their teachers - they just love the girls so much, it warms my heart. They sure can drive me crazy and fight with each other like nobody's business - but they are so good at school, and so great to their teachers. Makes me happy!

After work, I picked up the girls, and we met Christian at Applebee's for a fun dinner out. He had to work later than expected, so the girls and I hung out for a while, colored and had lots of laughs while we waited for him. We're so lucky that they do so well when we're out to eat...because we love going out to eat. It's our one luxury in life, LOL.

After dinner, it was pretty much time for baths and bed. Tomorrow is my flex day, and Christian took the day off to use up some of his leave time, so we cuddled up on the couch and watched some Dexter after the girls went down. Great end to the day!

Here is a shot of the girls at dinner. So cute!

11/28/12

Today was a pretty low key day. Nothing too interesting to report. I left work a tad early to get some cleaning and stuff done around the house. All of my online shopping orders have been coming in...I love when packages come in - it's like Christmas every day! Pretty soon Christmas cards will be flooding our mailbox and then it will REALLY start getting me in the Christmas mood! So fun :)

So, I really don't have much else to write about today. For some reason, Olivia climbed into our bed in the middle of the night...I don't think she was scared or sick..I think she was just confused. LOL. I welcomed the cuddles, no matter the reason...

11/27/12

Today was a pretty good day. The radio station I listen to does this thing every year called “Christmas Wish”. People nominate other people/families that are suffering or going through something – a house fire, some kind of bad accident, a major illness, etc. – and the radio station surprises that person/family with all kinds of great stuff – groceries, gift cards, clothes and toys for kids, etc. They usually do a wish a day in December, but at the end of November they have a wish-a-thon all day, grating a wish an hour, and raising money to grant more throughout the season. I LOVE this day. Listening to these heartwarming stories, and hearing the strength and faith people have while going through the various difficult experiences is so uplifting, and hearing the love and emotion people have for each other while they read their stories and nominations is amazing. It just fills me with the holiday spirit all day! That day was today, so even though I cried A LOT throughout the day listening to these stories, I loved it.

The days have been going really fast – I can’t believe it will be December by the end of the week. I’ve been so busy at work that it seriously feels like I just got there when it’s time to go home. I love the quick day at work, but being swamped for SO LONG is really getting draining. I’d give anything for our office to be able to hire another person – we’ve been underwater for so long now.

I was also pretty excited because I finally touched base with our insurance agent today, and we’re getting together tomorrow to adjust our insurance policies. Now that Christian’s truck is paid off, we can drop his full coverage and save quite a bit of money. YAY! He was also able to lower our homeowners insurance a little bit (which was set to go up about $200 this year – ugh). AND, he wants to try to get my life insurance policy adjusted. Right now I pay a TON for a fairly small policy because of my heart disease. Since I’ve basically been cleared by my cardiologist and don’t require any monitoring or anything, we’re thinking I can go ahead and get a larger policy for cheaper – like a “regular” person. Fingers Crossed!

After work I picked up the girls from school, and we met Christian at McDonald’s for dinner and some playland time. We had some gift certificates, and I’ve been too busy and too tired to grocery shop this week, so this was a good alternative for the day. After some food and playtime, we made our way home…took a quick bath, and cuddled up on the couch for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Shrek the Halls” on TV. LOVE Christmas movies, and the girls are SO into it this year. It’s cute.

I finally got Amelia down to bed and made my way downstairs to workout. My legs and arms were KILLING me, so it was pretty painful, but I made it through. I watched a couple shows, got myself ready for bed and passed out! Busy day!

This morning, before school, Amelia was really concerned about Chuy for some reason, and had to keep an eye on him while we went to the bathroom. What a helpful gal...

11/26/12

Monday’s are hard enough. Monday’s after a LONG weekend is exhausting. No good. At least I’m busy and the days go fast! Christian has a long month or so ahead of him at work with the holiday’s in full swing. He’ll definitely be getting an hour or two of OT every day, along with working every Saturday. He’s going to be tired for sure!

My mother-in-law had to work today (really this time), so the girls went to my mom’s house for the day. They were pretty excited about that switch up. And, my mom took them to buy new tennis shoes (part of their Christmas present), so they were REALLY excited about that. Those girls LOVE shoes. They definitely don’t get that from me.

I did get in some Cyber Monday of course. I ordered our Christmas cards for SUPER cheap – I got 60 of them for $25.00 with all of the coupon’s and deals. I also ordered the “year in review” Photo Books we give our parents for Christmas every year, and got them for about 60% off in the end. AWESOME! Finally, I ordered the girls these really cute scarfs from one of those deal sites to go in their stockings. They are going to LOVE them.

I picked up the girls after work and we made our way home. They actually played really good together all night, which was great. We ate some random leftovers for dinner and hung out once Christian was home. Just a fairly quiet night at home, which is always a good thing.

After I put Amelia down, I FINALLY started working out again. I’m doing another round of 30 Day Shred. It’s a quick, really good workout, so it’s a good fit for me. It’s amazing how quickly your body can get out of shape – I seriously felt like I was starting at square one, and will definitely be in pain tomorrow. It feels good to be getting back to it though. I started logging on myfitnesspal again today, getting my water and getting back on track there too. I’m going to keep up my workouts and watching what I eat – BUT, I’m really just hoping to maintain through the holiday’s. If I can lose, GREAT, but I don’t want to be stressed out about it and I want to enjoy the few holiday celebrations we’ll have, so I’m trying to have a positive attitude about it. January, I’m back at it 100% though! I have goals in mind, and I WILL reach them.

Rico, Tigger and I cuddled up for a while tonight...how fun!

11/25/12

Today was a good day. The girls slept until a decent time, which was great. After we ate some breakfast, we blasted some Christmas Music, I made some Hot Chocolate, and we decorated the Christmas tree. We actually let the girls do most of the decorating this year, and they LOVED it. Christian would pick them up to hang them higher, and they filled up the bottom like pros. I did have to adjust a few of them after they went down for their naps, but they actually did a really good job. They were so proud of their masterpiece! I hung our stockings and got some of our decorations up, and it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas. YES!

Once the tree was up, we all got dressed and took our family photos for our Christmas card. I couldn’t get great lighting in the house, but we ended up with a pretty good picture, so I’m content.

Then, it was nap time! Christian and I relaxed on the couch and watched some football for a while. The Vikings had a REALLY bad day against the Bears this week. OUCH. To make it worse, they play Green Bay next weekend, then the Bears again the following weekend – so we have some rough games ahead of us. It’s not looking too good – but I’m not giving up hope yet!

I did run to Walmart before the girls got up. I had to buy a birthday gift for party tonight, and ended up buying some stuff for the girls too. They still had their board games on sale, so I got them Candyland and Chutes and Ladders (they’ll each get one from Santa), and I got Olivia’s Hungry Hungry Hippos for her birthday (she thinks that game is HILARIOUS, I can’t wait to play it with her!).

Olivia was up when I got home, so I got her dressed and ready to go. Then, got Amelia up, dressed and ready to go. We made our way to our little friend Caleb’s 4^th birthday party! The girls had so much fun doing some crafts and playing with the kids. I got to catch up with my BFF and her family for a while. Win/Win! Christian stayed home and did some stuff around the house. He ran out the gas on the lawnmower and riding mower, checked the snowblower and put up some plastic on the windows. Busy bee!

It was pretty much bedtime when the girls and I arrived home. I finished up some laundry, watched a few shows and fell asleep myself. So sad to see this long weekend come to an end. It’s never easy…