2013 - Week 5

On to another week, and kicking if off by catching up on a couple of things I totally spaced on recently!

First, I totally meant to start the annual "birthday quiz" with the girls this year, and never posted Olivia's! So, I'm starting this week with that...

1. How Old Are You? 4 (to be honest, she held up 4 fingers - then she elaborated just to be sure...)
2. What Makes You Happy? Sissy and Bella too (I was quite shocked by her first response.)
3. What Is Your Favorite Animal? Jingle (her pet Dog. I guess it will have to do.)
4. What Is Your Favorite Thing To Eat? Oranges
5. What Is Your Lest Favorite Thing To Eat? Soup (the Beef Stew kind)
6. What Is Your Favorite Thing To Do? Play with Jingle
7. What Is Your Favorite TV Show? Spongebob (I don't think this is true, but she does enjoy watching it from time to time, and I have no issue with that.)
8. What Are You Really Good At? Letters
9. What Is Your Favorite Movie? Brave
10. What Is Your Favorite Color? Orange
11. What Is Your Favorite Song? Ain't Your Baby (Miranda Lambert - Fastest Girl in Town)
12. Who Is Your Best Friend?  Bella
13. What Do You and Your Mom Do Together? Play With Sissy
14. What Do You and Your Dad Do Together? Play "You Can't Get Me"
15. What Is Your Favorite Sport? ....(she's really never played any sports, so she didn't understand)
16. Where Is Your Favorite Place To Go? Tree House (apparently she was talking about the place we had her birthday party - Edinborough Park)
17. What Is Your Favorite Book? Princess Books
18. What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Be a Soldier (I have NO idea where this came from)

Also, Amelia turned 2.5 this last weekend (WHAT?!?!?!) and I didn't post her picture. So here is that, along with a little growing-up-collage, which proves, contrary to my personal opinion, that she is indeed growing. My baby!

Now, as for this week. Monday started off pretty slow-going in the Duran household. Christian and I both overslept, so he raced to get ready and head out. The girls were up late last night, so I decided to be and awesome mom and let them sleep in (though, their version of sleeping in is NOT the same as mine) and drop them off at my in-laws when they woke up. It was also fairly selfish because it was a good excuse to skip the crappy-weather-rush-hour traffic. The work day flew by thanks to my late start. I rushed home after work and got my 30-Day Shred on, made dinner and waited for the rest of the house to arrive. And, that was about that!

Tuesday started off with a "Craigslist" sale. Really, it was to a woman at work, but whatever. She bought the girls' 9-12 Month, and 12-18 Month clothes for her granddaughter! YES! I was sad to hand it over, but I'm content with our decision to sell everything. The same woman is going to buy some of the toys we're selling later this week, and, I sold my old "boombox" today, so it was a good sale day! I've decided I'm for sure stashing some of the money away, and when I finish losing this weight, the girls and I are getting our hair and nails done! Pamper day. I can't wait. I have not cut/colored/anything my hair in well over 2 years, IT'S NEEDED!!!!!!!! I picked up the girls after work, got my work out in, made dinner...the usual.

Wednesday was a pretty standard day. We did have conferences for the girls at school tonight, so I met Christian at the center after work. The winter conferences are more informal - we really just met to talk to the teachers and connect. Amelia's teacher just adores her, and that warms my heart. Apparently Amelia has really come out of her shell lately, and she is becoming her teachers little helper. Her teacher is so impressed with her potty training and how quickly she took to it - it's wonderful to see her so excited and proud of Amelia, you can tell how much she really cares, and that's a great feeling. Olivia's teacher is fairly new, so she's still getting used to the class and getting to know the kids. But, she said Olivia does great - she's always the first to do what they're told, she uses her manners, she is apparently quite a social butterfly (even though she NEVER talks about the kids at school) and she doesn't have any concerns. So, couldn't have gone much better! After conferences, Christian ran to get his hair cut, the girls cuddled up with the iPad and played some games together, and I got dinner going. While I was cooking, the girls were pretty quiet. I kept checking on them, thinking they were up to something - but, they were just sitting on the couch, playing together. No fighting, no arguing, no teasing each other. They have been getting along better and better with each passing week, and it feels like we've been waiting a life time for this! It's amazing to see them actually being sisters, actually spending time together - it's brought so much peace to our house! After dinner, I was finally able to finish our taxes and got them filed. This past summer we changed our tax withholdings at work...that, plus the added childcare claim we have this year left me pretty in the dark about what our tax return would be. In the end, we're getting back quite a bit more than I expected, so we will definitely be able to pay off our credit card, with some to spare. I can FINALLY breathe easy, and know that all of our hard work, and all of my diligent planning is coming to fruition. HALLELUJAH! Finally, we got the girls to bed, I got my workout in and I passed out! By this point, the weekend couldn't come soon enough!

The girls cuddled together with the iPad, quiet as a couple of mice!

Thursday was a pretty low key day. Work was work, the girls were pretty well-behaved again. I was feeling pretty exhausted, so we had leftovers to dinner, and I actually went to bed shortly after the girls. I could not hang today at all!

The girls had a tough time getting going today. They had that "I really want to watch the TV, but I can't open my eyes" thing going on.

Friday brought us the first day of February! Can you believe it, already one month down of 2013. So crazy! And, it was a pretty busy day...

• Today marks the start of Heart Disease Awareness month. Anybody who knows me, or has read my blog the last few years, knows that this month is pretty important to me since I was born with congenital heart disease. Today in particular is Go Red for Women day. I was touched to see how many of my friends and coworkers showed their support...not only for the day in general, but for me in particular! I have a lot of great people in my life, that's for sure. So, I sported my red, my Go Red dress pin and my heart disease awareness bracelet.
• The weather is horrible again, I can't stand much more of it. When I left for work this morning the actual temperature was -12, with wind chill it was -24. WHAT?!? So over it.
• I started the day with my weekly weigh in, and that brought me down a bit. I thought I'd had a really great week - I've been feeling stronger, I've had more energy, I've been eating well, taking my vitamins and supplements, drinking my detox water and really focusing on myself. Yet, I gained a pound. I just don't know what to do...I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Ugh. BUT, I'm going to keep pushing though. Tonight I restarted the 60-Day Slimdown Program I did when I kicked off my weight loss journey last year. Hopefully this gets me going again!
• When I got to my mom's to pick up the girls after work, they were both passed out still. So, I hung out and chatted with my mom for a bit while they slept. The snow started up as soon as I got there, and it came down fast - making things pretty slippery by the time they woke up and we hit the road.
• We picked up Christian and were off to Best Buy right away. We decided to take the plunge, and get rid of cable. So, we chatted with the Geek Squad for a while, used a gift card and some of our Craigslist money and ended up with an outdoor antenna (which should cover both of our TV's) and an Apple TV. We're going to cancel our cable and subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netflix. So, our "cable" bill will go from $75.00 a month (and, that's just standard - no movie channels  or any extras like that) to $16.00. And, my dad has a Tivo he's not using, that we may borrow for a while to record some stuff. I'm a little nervous about the change, but we'll definitely survive, and I'm more than happy to save the money. Now, if only there were something I could do about our internet...
• Finally, we stopped to get some Chinese takeout for the girls, some Cold Stone ice cream to split and made our way home. The girls were pretty exhausted by the time we were settled in, and Christian has to work tomorrow, so we all settled in for the night. What a day!

My heart disease awareness bracelet.

The girls catching snowflakes while we were out and about tonight.

Saturday was a tad hectic. Christian was off to work bright and early, so it was just me and the girls. We had some breakfast, watched a little TV, I showered and we all got dressed and ready for the day. Olivia had swim class, and this was the first time I had to bring Amelia with. Olivia was really excited to get in the water and seems to get more brave with every class. She even "swam" all by herself a little bit today (with the safety belt on). She was so proud! Amelia did really great too. She sat with me and watched Olivia, waving to her every time she'd look up towards us. She was so proud of her sister! After class, we dried off and were on our way for Saturday Happy Meals at McDonald's. Olivia's BFF Bella and her mom met us there for a little playland play date. The girls had so much fun, but Amelia was exhausted! She actually asked to go home and take a nap. What a honey! So, we finally made our way home and the girls went right down for their naps. I relaxed on the couch, playing with the new apple TV for a while. Christian arrived home just as the girls woke up, and came home with a bunch of leftovers from the lunch his work provided - so YAY for no cooking! I did a little cleaning and picking up, and caught up on some shows, while Christian and a friend from work hung out for a while.  Another busy day!

Rico and Chuy have quite the Love/Hate relationship, today they were BFF's, napping in the sun.

BFF time at McDonald's.

 Olivia disappeared for a bit, this is where we found her.

Sunday was a pretty great day. We had some breakfast, I finished up some cleaning, and then we all bundled up and made our way outside. It's still cold, but not AS cold, so we finally got out to enjoy some of our new snow. Christian did some shoveling while the girls and I made snow angels and played in the snow. Then, we grabbed our sleds and made our way to the back yard. We made a pit stop at the swing set for a little play time, then it was sledding time! We have a pretty decent slope in our back yard that did the trick, and the girls had a blast! It was so much fun watching them laugh and run up the hill with their sleds dragging behind, over and over again. Those smiles and giggles are worth a frozen face any day! We finally forced them into the house to warm up and eat some lunch. Grilled Cheese and Soup - just what you need after playing in the snow! While the girls took a nap, I edited some pictures and played on the computer for a while, and Christian was off to get some pizzas and food for the superbowl. His friend from work came over to "party" with us, but first - they installed the new antenna. It's official - the antenna is up and running, and we're ready to cancel our cable. Big Day! Finally, it was game time. We don't really care about the 49ers or the Ravens, so the commercials and halftime show were definitely most interesting this year - but it's still football, and we love us some football! Hopefully one of these years, we'll finally have something to REALLY cheer about for the superbowl! The Vikings did have a pretty good weekend too though - Our running back, Adrien Peterson, was chosen as the NFL MVP this year, which is super exciting (and definitely well-deserved) and one of our old Wide Receiver's, Chris Carter, was inducted into the NFL Hall f Fame (WAY overdue), so that's pretty exciting! By the time the game was over, we were all pretty much ready for bed. Hard to believe, another weekend has come to an end!

Some pics from our snow fun.

So, that ends our week. Sold some stuff, bought some new gadgets, survived another arctic blast and spent a little time in the snow. The girls have been getting along better than ever, making our home a happier home all around, which has been fantastic. Our taxes are filed, and we have some much less financially straining days ahead of us. I can finally rest a little easier knowing that our plans are starting to become reality! That will make any week a great week!

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.