2013 - Week 4

Week 4 of 2013. This week was another pretty low key week for us. We really don't have anything on our calendar - AT ALL, so I'm guessing we have many low key weeks ahead of us!

Monday I was off for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. My mother in law "had" to work, so the girls were home with me. And, Christian took the day off (he has to use up some time by the end of the month), so, we planned a family day! The girls slept in a little bit, which was a great start. We had some breakfast, showered and got ready for the day, and then we were off to spend the day at the Mall of America. I won some passes to Sea Life (the aquarium) a couple weeks ago, so we used those and sent some time in there. We've been there a few times, but the girls were SUPER into it this time. They were so excited by all of the different fish, sharks, turtles and sea creatures. They were so cute :) After our sea adventure, we stopped into Nickelodean Universe so the girls could go on a few rides...of course, loving every minute of it. This was the PERFECT way to spend a fun, family day together. And, a good chance to get out of the house, even though it was FREEZING. And, I mean FREEZING. Today was the coldest weather we've seen in 4 years, with a low of -32 Wind Chill! That shouldn't even be possible! After some rides, we made our way home, ate some lunch, and the girls went down for their naps. Meanwhile, I had developed a monster migraine through the course of the morning, so I took some medicine and put myself down for a nap! I was feeling a tad better by the time the girls woke up, so we had some dinner, and spent the night watching some videos and cuddling. Wonderful way to end a long weekend!

Some pictures from our trip to the Aquarium and Nickelodeon Universe.

Tuesday was back to reality. I've been managing to stay up on my work fairly well the past couple weeks, which has been great. Such a relief to be busy, but not swamped and drowning in work! Christian has been doing great in his new position and is really getting into the supervisor side of it lately. Not as much OT now that the Holiday's are over, but I'm hoping it will pick up again. The girls have been doing great at school. Amelia continues to progress with her Potty Training and is doing so great! I'm so proud of her. Olivia has still been spending time in the Pre-K room and loves every minute of it. Today I also ordered a new Workout Program. The very first program I did was a "Mom's into Fitness" 60-Day Slimdown program, by Lindsay Brin. It did wonders for me, and I just LOVE Lindsay's style. Well, not long ago she came out with a new program, "Pretty Fierce". Today, the program happened to be featured on a daily deal site, for half off, so I HAD to snatch it up. I bought the "Weight Loss" series (vs. the Lean Out series that I'm nowhere near ready for) and I'm excited to start it. I'm actually going to start up the 60-Day Slimdown again on February 1st, then progress to Pretty Fierce. YES! PS - the weather is NOT getting better. I honestly can't remember the last time it was this cold. It's torture going outside, and I'm much more of a winter person than summer - but even I can't take much more of this. It's BRUTAL!

Wednesday was still freezing, and Amelia had one accident at school. She's still doing great though. She's staying dry during naps and at night (for the most part), she's going on her own now and telling us when she needs to go. GREAT strides. I think her accident today was during her nap - so I'm thinking they didn't put a diaper on her for her nap and that's why she needed to be changed. Not sure though. I also got our daycare year-end statement for taxes (OUCH), so now I just need our bank statement for the house and I can get our taxes going. I can't WAIT! I'm hoping what I've estimated our rebate will be is correct and we can move forward with our plans...paying off the Visa (the last of our debt) and starting the girls in daycare full time. Fingers crossed!!!

We got a little snowfall overnight, and I just LOVE the way a new snowfall glitters and shines...

Thursday I left work a tad early, got my workout in (and it was P-A-I-N-F-U-L!) and then I was off on a date night with my BFF! It had been way, WAY too long, so it was great to see her. We went to a screening of "Warm Bodies" and got to spend lots of time catching up and laughing the night away. The movie was actually really great, one of the best I've seen in a long time. It was super funny, and had a really cute story line. I would highly recommend this one. After the movie, I dropped her off at home, and got home just as the girls were falling asleep for the night. Christian and I both had Friday off work, so we cuddled up and watched "The Avengers" - which was also really good. Happy Day, and looking forward to a weekend of no plans!

The Red Bull Crushed Ice competition is in St. Paul this weekend. As I pulled up to work this morning the Cathedral was all lit up for it and I thought it looked pretty cool.

Friday was my normal day off from work. I started the day off with my weigh in and I was down 1.8lbs - FINALLY a GREAT week!!! Down a total of 33.6lbs to date. YAHOO - gaining some traction again. Christian was also off again, still using up the last of his time before the end of the month. I spent the morning doing my usual weekend chores a little early - dishes, cleaned the kitchen, swept the floors. It was nice to get it out of the way early! While the girls napped, I finished going through their clothes to sell. I have gone through everything, premie through 18 months, sorted, organized, inventoried, photographed and priced - AND, pulled out a few favorites to pack away. I actually have a couple friends on facebook pregnant with their first girls, and showing some interest, so fingers crossed - it may be easier to sell than I expected! I'm still having a hard time letting go, but I feel better now that I have my box of favorites all packed up. We spent the evening hanging out around the house watching some TV and playing with the girls. Christian went out with a friend from work for a while I caught up on the DVR a little bit, and started going through the girls' toys and other stuff I plan on selling. Time to  free up some storage space!!! Today I also got a visit from our insurance agent. I was FINALLY able to get approved for some better life insurance. My medical screening from a couple months ago went well, and with the letter from my cardiologist basically "clearing" me, they approved me! YAY, maybe I can get some short term disability from work next....

This is what 18 months worth of clothes looks like! Everything in the back is for sale. And, that is the 1 lonely box of stuff I can't part with. Besides that, I kept all of the girls' holiday shirts and dresses, because I REALLY don't want to buy more of those if we have another girl.

Speaking of clothes - I just HAD to photograph the interesting outfit Olivia put together for herself today. What a fashionista!

Saturday was week two of Swim Class for Olivia. She was still a little uneasy at the start, but she warmed right up to it. By the end of class, she jumped off of the ledge (holding the teachers hand) into the water! Awesome! After class I picked the girls up their Saturday McDonalds for lunch...they took their naps, and I got to work. Now that I've finished going through the girls' clothes to sell, I moved on to gathering up everything else we want to sell. High chairs, a pack n' play and a bunch of toys. A friend of mine from school is going to buy a few sets of the girls' clothes, and another friend is thinking about buying a couple others. Fingers crossed! I still haven't received our mortgage statement from the bank, so I STILL can't file our taxes. Ugh. I was really hoping this weekend would be it. Once the girls were in bed for the night, Christian and I cuddled up and watched "Men in Black 3". We love all of those Will Smith movies, so it was a good one.

Chuy cuddled up with us to watch the movie tonight - he didn't last long though...

Sunday proved to be busier than I anticipated. I did a little more organizing around the house, made sure the house stayed picked up and spent the day doing laundry. And, we ran a few errands. We stopped into Kohl's because I needed (really, mine were breaking, LOL) some new jeans - even though they're a tad tight, I was able to buy them a size smaller. YAY! Next up was a quick stop at Menard's for some boring "man" house stuff. Then, Target for our weekly shopping. Side note, Target has been having some AWESOME samples lately. Today, we got bags of pop chips, and a coupon for some free dog food - the new, "fresh" refrigerated kind - a whole log of it. WHOA! With my sample and free stuff addiction, it's like paradise for me! The girls were getting super antsy and crabby by the time we left, so we had a quick lunch and the girls went down for their nap. The weather was pretty crazy all day. It wasn't too bad in the morning, but then it started raining, then hailing/sleeting, then snowing - BIG TIME. It was really slippery and freezing by the time we settled into the house. Looks like it's going to be a tough travel day tomorrow! I was kind of bummed though, because by the time the girls got up from their naps, it was too dark - but I REALLY wanted to take them out to finally try their sleds. Maybe next weekend! They took a really late nap, so it was a quiet night around the house. Dinner, some videos and a little play time. So not ready to start another week, but here it comes!

The girls and I had to show off one of our newest traditions - Sunday night nail polishing. Love girl time with my girls!

So ends another week in our house. Amelia continues to ROCK at potty training - we don't even bring extra clothes or diapers with us when we go out shopping or to eat or anything, and she's been going on her own at home, which is even better! I've seen some major changes in Olivia the past couple of weeks. She's always despised having a sibling, and has been really rough on Amelia the last couple of years. Lately, she's REALLY opened up to it. She helps Amelia go to the bathroom, she's been playing with her and really just helping her in general. I can finally see a big sister shining through, and I absolutely LOVE it. I truly never thought I'd see the day I could say that. It's wonderful - and hopefully it continues!

See you next week!

2013 - Week 3

Week 3 of 2013, and a much welcomed, relaxing week, with virtually no plans. NO complaints here!

On Monday my back was at its worse. I had a meeting at work, but left for home shortly after. I stopped in the store to pick up some medication and icy hot patches, and laid on the couch watching my shows for the rest of the night. Christian didn’t get home with the girls until really late, so we ate a quick dinner, and everyone was off to bed. We did kick off another week of Potty Training with Amelia today, and she did well with my mother in law again. Hopefully she’s more successful at school this week!

Tuesday I was still in some pain, but my back seemed to be getting better. Amelia went potty at school for the first time today, which was HUGE! She went in her diaper before the teacher got there this morning, stayed dry all day, and used the potty in the afternoon. AND, she actually used the potty tonight, before bed. It was the first time we actually saw her use the potty, so that was super exciting! YES, I think she’s finally getting it! Olivia didn’t have quiet as great of a day…she wiped out on some ice at school and got some major road rash on her cheek. She was pretty upset about it, but in good spirits. Chuy also had a stressful night (well, really, provided us with a stressful night). He managed to escape the backyard tonight. Christian & I switched off, spending almost 2 hours driving around yelling for him. Even calling the police station to see if he’d been reported. With how cold it is, I knew it wouldn’t be long before somebody called him in. As I took off for another round of searching, a neighbor flagged me down, and asked if I was looking for a dog. Sure enough, she had him. INSIDE HER HOUSE. Seriously lady, I know you’re trying to help, but I cannot find my dog if he’s INSIDE your house. I wish people would just leave him alone if he’s out loose. If people would just leave him, he’d come home. Instead, they play with him, pick him up, bring in in their yards (and, now their house apparently). UGH!

By Wednesday my back was starting to feel pretty normal again – just a little “bruised”. Thankfully. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday went great potty training wise – Amelia woke up in the morning, and from her naps, dry, she used the potty at school and at my mom’s on Friday, AND she used the potty at home before bed. YAY! Friday, while we were out to dinner, she even used to the potty at the restaurant! AWESOME!!! I’m not saying this is it, we’re trained! Or anything like that, but we’re on our way. My big girl!

I started off Friday like usual, with my weigh in. Only down .4 for the week, which is disappointing, but a loss is a loss. Down 31.8 to date. After work, I picked up the girls from my mom’s, picked Christian up from home, and we were all off to Target to buy a new vacuum cleaner. FINALLY, after months of living without one, it was long overdue. It’s my cheat day today, so after picking out our new vacuum, we were off to Carbone’s for dinner. I’ve been craving some GOOD pizza forever, so I was beyond excited. The girls didn’t seem to be feeling too well – Amelia more so than Olivia. They both had a cough going on, and Amelia had a runny nose and just seemed miserable. Poor thing – hopefully it doesn’t last long. They were pretty much off to bed once we got home and bathed. Exhausted girls. Christian and I settled in for a movie night. First up, “The Cabin in the Woods” – I heard good things about it, and it had good ratings – but we weren’t too impressed with it. Then, “Rock of Ages”. I LOVE my 80’s music, but Christian was bitter about the musical aspect of it and fell asleep. His loss!

Our weekend was pretty low key. Olivia had her first swim lesson on Saturday. She was really excited, but really nervous about it. I couldn’t stay with her for the class, so I was watching from a balcony up above the pool. I could tell she was REALLY hesitant at first, and at one point almost looked like she was going to cry. But, she really warmed up by the end of class and was participating. Afterwards, she told me she had SO much fun, so hopefully she gets more into it ever week. We spent Saturday evening hanging out and spending some family time together, and were all off to bed fairly early. Party Animals!!

Sunday was a low key day at home. A little arctic blast made its way into town for a few days, so we didn’t make any big plans. We spent the morning playing games, watching movies and relaxing. During naps, Christian went over to his parents house to help them with a few things, and I got started on my latest task…I started going through the girls’ clothes. I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and get rid of their clothes (as Amelia outgrows them, of course). So, I spent naptime unpacking all of their clothes from storage. Once the girls were up, we all continued our relaxing. Once the girls were in bed for the night, Christian left to hang out with a friend for a while, and I continued going through the clothes. I went through the newborn to 6 months sizes, picked out a few favorites, photographed the rest and sorted them to be sold. It’s going to be REALLY hard to do. I swear, every outfit, every pair of pajamas – I can picture the girls in them. Special events, “firsts”, celebrations. They are just clothes, but they’re full of memories. BUT, I’m ready to part with them. If we have another baby, and it’s a boy – we don’t need them anyway. If we have another baby, and it’s a girl, it will be nice to get some new clothes anyway. So, I just need to look at it that way! And, it will be nice to earn a little extra cash and free up some storage space!

So, that was the end of our week. Amelia has been advancing great in potty training, Olivia started swim lessons and we had a fairly, much deserved, relaxing week.

2013 - Week 2

Week 2 of 2013, and we had a fairly low key week, mainly consisting of another (hopefully final) round of potty training with Amelia.

Monday was the big day. Officially back on track with my diet. I swore, and promised I would get myself back on track after Olivia’s birthday party (pretty much the same time I did last year). No more holiday’s, no more parties, no more EXCUSES! So, here we go! Also, I discovered a new radio station today…Love 105. They play music from the 80’s through today. The best part is they ACTUALLY play A LOT of music from the 80’s and 90’s and I can’t get enough of it. I know, not especially newsworth, but when you sit in a cubicle all day long, you NEED some good music to get you through the day! Once ready for bed, the girls confiscated a bag of chips and the iPad and hid out in their room watching some videos for a while. I love sights like this...

On Tuesday I reached a HUGE goal. It probably sounds silly to most people, but as of today I have officially logged into MyFitnessPal for 365 days in a row! No, I haven’t logged everyday, but I’ve made a conscious point of getting online, logging on, keeping up with my friends, checking the message boards, etc. every single day for the last year. Making it a point to keep my goals, and my mission in the forefront of my mind every day. It felt amazing reaching that goal. Christian and I were also able to go to a screening of “Gangster Squad” tonight as well, which was great. It felt so good to get out of the house for a while, just the two of us, and the movie was actually really good too. Lots of action, some comedy, some great eye candy in Ryan Gosseling, and a good story line. A tad too much violence for me, but all in all, I’m glad we were able to see it.

On Wednesday, we started round 3 of potty training with Amelia. My mother in law got her to wear underwear and use the potty on Monday, and yesterday at school she kept telling Miss Eva she “wants to wear underwears like sissy”, so, we’re giving it a shot. I sent her off to school today with a few extra pairs of pants and underwear, and kept my fingers crossed. When I picked her up, she’d had two accidents, and held it the rest of the day. Not great. I did receive some exciting news from the director though. Olivia is ready for Pre-Kindergarten full time, but they don’t have space for her right now. This summer, she’ll be moving up though. AND, apparently they think Amelia is ready for Preschool. She’ll be moving up to the Preschool room in March. CRAZY!!!! I’m excited for them, but it does mean they’ll be in the same room for a couple months. I warned the school that may not work out too well, but it’s worth a shot. We’ll see how it goes! And, finally, tonight we discovered the one thing on the planet that will make Amelia sit down for more than 30 seconds. Apparently, she LOVES “The Lorax”. We put it on tonight and she sat on the couch, watching the entire thing! I have a feeling there will be A LOT of Lorax in our lives in the coming days/weeks! While she did that, Olivia played with some link toys she got in a happy meal - she was super proud of a little bike she designed. It's a warm feeling to watch your kids have so much pride in themselves. At the end of the day, we never did get Amelia to use the potty, not the best start….but we’re not giving up!

Thursday and Friday we’re too successful in the Potty Training department either, and the weekend we weren’t very consistent with it. So, next week we’ll have to push it a little more.

I started off Friday with a weigh in. Down 1.4lbs. Not the big, motivational first week I was hoping for, but it’s a loss! So, to date, I’m down 31.4lbs. Friday I had to work, but I took a long lunch and my mom and I took the girls to the clinic. Olivia was due for her 4 year appointment, and both girls were due for their dentist check-ups. I wasn’t very excited about going to the clinic with all of the flu stuff going around, but I didn’t want to reschedule anything. Of course, Olivia’s doctor was running SUPER late, so I had to send Amelia up to her dentist appointment with my mom (thank God they’re in the same building). I finally got Olivia in and rushed the doctor through the appointment. She was 35lbs (50%), up 3 pounds this year, and she was 40.5” tall (67%), growing 2.25” this year. She didn’t need any shots, she passed her eye exam and everything checked out great. We didn’t have time for her to do her auditory test, but she passed it a few months ago at her kindergarten screening, so I’m not worried. After her appointment, we rushed up to her dentist appointment. Both of the girls did great at their appointments. They opened wide, cooperated like little angels and their teeth are looking great. They both got a toothbrush, some toothpaste, some flossers and a prize! Quite a haul, and a successful, but stressful visit to the clinic. After work, I met Christian over at my mom’s and we were finally able to celebrate a late Christmas. The girls were spoiled once again with tons of toys and some new clothes. Lucky girls!!! Of course, with the chaos of the day, I completely forgot our camera though. Ugh. After presents, my mom took us all over to Applebee’s for dinner. Always delicious, and we had a chance to chat and hang out for a while. Finally, we made our way home and started our weekend. What a long day! Olivia asked to watch "Brave" tonight, so she gathered up her Merida doll and we watched it while relaxing before bed...

Saturday we were off to Sesame Street Live. We ended up getting tickets to the 10:30AM show – early, but it worked out well. We took off right after breakfast, and got there early enough to enjoy the play area and have some fun before the show. I wasn’t sure how the girls would do – while they know who the main Sesame Street characters are, they don’t really watch it. And, Amelia is such a busy body, I didn’t know what to expect. They ended up doing great though. They sat in their chairs and watched the whole thing like champs! They were captivated by the whole thing. Olivia was upset that we wouldn’t buy her anything, but I wasn’t going to turn our free event into an ultra spendy one! They were definitely ready for naps by the time we got home, and we spent the rest of the night relaxing around the house. Games, coloring, movies. Lots of family time. Once the girls were in bed, Christian headed out to hang out with a friend for a bit, while I snuggled into bed and watched some shows (still trying to get through “Secret Life of the American Teenager”). The rest as much needed – my back was starting to bother me. I could tell it was going to be bad. It felt like I had pinched something like a few months ago.

Sunday was a very busy day around the house for me. Christian spent most of the day taking care of the girls and keeping them busy. For some reason, Amelia was obsessed with the Mega Blocks today. It's so weird that they can see something every single day, and not even touch it, them suddenly become obsessed with it. I cleaned pretty much ALL day – getting everything back in its place, laundry, dishes, sweeping and picking up all over the house. I even managed to put together our menu for the week and run to the grocery store. By the time I settled into bed, my back was seriously killing me. Looks like I’m in for a few days of pain and suffering. Not the best way to end a week…