2013 - Week 10

Another week down. This week wasn't 100% on the healthy scale, but much better than the last!

Monday brought us [hopefully] our final snow storm for the year. It snowed all day, all night, into Tuesday afternoon. In the end, we got about 9" of snow - not too shabby! Definitely ready for spring, and hoping it really is just around the corner! The morning snow did make me a tad late for work, but that was to be expected. I'll be out of the office all day tomorrow, so it was a chaotic day getting caught up on some work. It made the day go fast though.

After a whole day together at my in-laws, they still wanted to cuddle up together and watch a video before bed.

Tuesday was quite a long day. We have an annual conference at work, which was held today. I was on the planning committee for the conference this year, and I worked registration, as I have for the last few years. It's not the most exciting day, but it's nice to get away from the office once in a while. The down side - the snow storm made for an interesting day. Under normal conditions, the drive to the conference is close to an hour. So, that wasn't the most fantastic start to the day. The best part about it is that it ends around 3:00, and our boss lets us clock out for the day then, so that's a little bonus. I used my extra time off to run to Target. Picked up a few groceries, some odds and ends, and FINALLY, storage for the girls' arts and crafts supplies. As I was checking out, I got a call from school that Amelia had thrown up. I thought for sure we were on to round two of illness - but, thankfully, it never got that bad. It did result in a quiet night at home though - I did lots of cuddling with Amelia, who was exhausted and wouldn't eat. Poor thing.

Olivia had some love for her sick sissy.

My baby just wanted cuddles and love. Still goofy as ever!

Wednesday everything seemed back to normal. Work was hectic, catching up. Christian recently has his annual performance review, and found out he was getting a small raise - YAY! They approached him again about working him even more into a supervisor role, and asked about the possibility of moving to nights again - and, again, pointed out he would likely move to a salaried position at that point. They seem to understand that the pay will definitely need to be worth the move, especially with the kids and everything. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, so we'll have some major talking to do if the opportunity does present itself. Christian will be a lifer at the company, just like I am at my work, so we have to think about that, think about the future. If he wants to grow and move up in the company, we'll have to consider the sacrifice. I'm just not sure how ready I am for that. The girls had a pretty good day - Olivia has been excited to be back in school, and has been back to her usual, well-behaved self. They informed me that Amelia was running a small fever this afternoon - not high enough to be sent home, but they were keeping an eye on her. After hearing that news, I packed up a bunch of work to bring home, in anticipation of not being able to work Thursday. What chaos!!!!! So, we kept it pretty low key for the night.

When I picked up the girls. this guy was sitting right by the front door, and wouldn't move. I'm guessing he was hurt, poor guy. Ducks must mean spring is on the way though!

Thursday, Amelia seemed back to normal. I decided it was dumb for me to head all the way into work when I had everything I needed to get through the day with me, and with the way things have been going, knowing there was a chance I'd get a call about Amelia. So, I dropped the girls off at school, gathered up my work and spent the day plugging away. I actually got a ton of stuff written, probably more than I would have in the office, so that was a pleasant surprise. And, in the end, no calls from school. Amelia appeared to back to her usual self and everybody was happy as could be. I picked the girls up and met Christian at home. We had some dinner, watched some TV and relaxed. Much more successful day!

Friday was my day off, so I was home with the girls. Christian's work installed a new inventory system this morning, so he started later than usual, waiting for the system to be up and running. Which meant, he worked really late. So it was just me and the girls all day, and all evening. We had some breakfast, played some games, watched some movies, did some coloring. The usual. I did the checkbooks and paid some bills, again, the usual. We have yet to close Christian's bank account, but his check goes into our joint account now, and all of the bills have officially been transferred to withdraw from it, so we're all set to close it any time now. I can't wait to officially be down to one account to track and deal with. A couple week ago I started watching "Parenthood" on Netflix and today, I caught up on it. So tonight, when the girls went to bed, Christian and I started watching "The Walking Dead". I've been hearing great things about it, and it seems like everybody is obsessed with it, so I figured it was time to jump on the bandwagon. It was really good too - I can tell we'll be caught up on that in no time, definitely addicting.

I attempted to get a cute picture of Amelia tonight. Unfortunately, the flash does not agree with her, and I ended up with a gallery of these...

We had a fairly low key weekend this week.

Saturday I did my usual chores...dishes, sweeping, etc. We all had some breakfast and watched some TV. Olivia and I were off to swim class - it a good thing I double checked the schedule. I could have sworn this was her last class of the session, but it's actually next week. She's all signed up for the next session though, which starts in April. She and I stopped into Kohl's after class to pick out an Easter dress for her. Lucky Amelia is always stuck with the hand-me-downs - good thing she doesn't realize it yet! We made our way home, had some lunch and the girls went down for their naps. Christian and I watched a couple more episodes of The Walking Dead (and, a few more after they went to bed - we're already a good way into the 2nd season...). The evening was pretty relaxed - just spent some time together, watched some shows and took it easy.

Twinsies in their Hello Kitty shirts! FUN :)

Sunday, the dreaded Daylight Savings Time hit. Ugh - not really looking forward for a few days of adjustment. Christian was off bright and early, over to his parents house, to work on my car...yet again. The back, drivers side brakes are still messed up, and have been for a while. I really don't see the point in working on it anymore, but he felt the need. Now, we just hope once again, that it did the trick and gets us through another year or so. I spent the day with the girls. Did laundry, some minor cleaning and picking up around the house. I had a list of chores to do, but was not in the mood for it. Oh well, there's always next week, right?! We spent the night hanging out, playing...the girls chased each other around until they were both exhausted.

I got a much more successful photo of Amelia today - what a doll!

With that, we ended the week. A nice relaxing weekend was definitely in order! You may have noticed that I have not posted any weight loss updates for a while. I'm still having a hard time finding, and keeping, my motivation. When I started this journey last year, I had hoped to hit my goal by this month. I'm no where near meeting that goal. It's pretty devastating. I just can't figure out what to do to get myself over this hurdle. To get past my own road blocks. To find the discipline I so badly need. I can't figure out how to keep myself out of my own way. But, I won't give up. I still have goals to meet, plans to keep and changes to make. I'm heading into a new week. and every day is a new chance to get back on track. So, that's my little update for now. Hopefully I'll have some good news by the end of this coming week!

2013 - Week 9

Well, this week brought us March, and our first ever round of the stomach flu!!! AWESOME...

Monday started off pretty standard. Us off to work, the girls off to my in-laws for the day. I ended up setting up a craigslist sale, and had some shopping to do, so I left work a tad early. I ran to do our weekly shopping quick, made my way home to work out, put everything away, start dinner and do a little cleaning up. A couple stopped by to buy our travel crib (basically, a smaller pack and play, which we kept at my in-laws house). Finally, the family was home for dinner, baths and bed. Everything seems pretty normal...then, at 11:00, I was just dozing off and heard Olivia crying out. Obviously, very strange coming from her. I ran in to find out what was going on, and found that she had thrown up all over her bed. Christian took her into the bathroom, I threw her bedding and everything into the wash and brought her into bed with me. My stomach started turning, but I thought it was just from dealing with her, and didn't think much of it. She woke up again a couple hours later and we barely made  it to the bathroom. At this point, my stomach was not good at all, and it wasn't long before I lost it as well. We had a rough night of tossing and turning together.

Tuesday morning I knew we weren't going anywhere. I called into work, Christian took Amelia to school and Olivia and I spent the day pretty miserable together. She watched many episodes of My Little Pony on Netflix while I tried to relax as much as possible. Luckily, neither of us could eat or do anything, so we got the rest we needed. But, weren't feeling much better by the time we went to bed. Health wise, it was a crappy day...but, today was also my mom's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mom! Not the best way to mark a loved ones birthday...

Today was mismatch day at school. Poor Olivia was bummed, and would've put together the PERFECT outfit. Amelia held it down for the family though!

These two were by my side ALL day long. Maybe they could just sense the sickness. I was just hoping they had healing powers...

Wednesday, we THOUGHT all was back to normal....just a 24 hour thing. I dropped the girls off to school and made my way to work. As I got closer to work, my stomach started cramping and hurting again. I tried to eat some breakfast, thinking that was the problem. Nope - didn't help at all. Not long after, I got a call from school that Olivia was laying on the cot, miserable, and had a fever. I had taken her temperature before school, and it was completely normal, so I was pretty surprised by that (and, I took it again when we got settled in at home, and, again, it was completely normal - very strange). So, I packed up some work, just in case I got the energy to do some, picked her up and we made our way home. She was clearly miserable, and I felt so horrible for her. So, we spent the rest of the day resting and being lazy again. Christian took Amelia to his parents' for dinner to give Olivia and I some peace and quiet for the night - much welcomed!

What a smile for a sick girl!

Finally feeling a tad better, Olivia did some coloring to end the night.

By Thursday morning, Olivia was completely back to normal. Like nothing had every happened. Because of her fever on Wednesday, she couldn't go to school though. I really couldn't miss any more work, and was feeling much better, as long as I didn't eat much. So, Christian stayed home with Olivia and I made my way to work. I survived the day pretty well, with a few small meals. I wasn't feeling 100% yet, but getting there.

Friday was a much better day for all. The girls were off to my mom's house, and had a great day (until I picked them up, and Olivia started acting out like a mad woman). I had a SUPER productive day at work - not much of an option after missing most of the week. I made up a lot of work though, so that was good. We had a pretty low key night at home. Christian had to work pretty late. When he got home, we had a little bit of an argument. Anybody who reads my posts, knows that Christian goes out with his friends quite a bit. While it bothers me, he never spends any money, so I don't made a huge deal of it (he either goes to a friends house, or his friend from work buys him a few when they go out [he's spoiled]). Also, we're completely opposite in that I'm a TOTAL homebody, and I'm happy to curl up with the TV or computer and relax, while he's much more social and outgoing - so I try to respect that. But, it still bothers me. So tonight, when he "asked" to go out with his friend from work, I kind of put my foot down and we had it out a little bit. My main point in the conversation was that he's married, with a home and two kids, and it's time that he start realizing that those things change you, change the way you live your life. And, that there's going to be a lot less going out. He definitely spent the night pouting and pretty upset, and I know it's going to be hard for him to adjust that side of his life (not that he'll NEVER be able to go out for anything, but still....), but it was time. It felt good to get that issue off my chest though - it's something I've carried around for a while, especially with my stunning lack of communication skills, so I was pretty proud that I brought it up at all!

Saturday morning I was still pretty touch and go for a while. I spent the morning relaxing and taking it easy while Christian made breakfast and the girls played for a while. I took Olivia to swim class, we had lunch and they went down for their naps. I was feeling a tad better, ate some lunch and was off to meet a friend from school to sell some more of the kids' clothes. YAY - it's hard to see stuff go, but I sure like making the money!  I slowly started feeling better and better and getting more energy back. Once the girls were up, I was able to start cleaning our disaster of a house. Mom out of commission for a few days - you can imagine the toll that takes on a house! I got the kitchen cleaned, dishes done, floors swept. Cleaned our room and the girls' room and picked up the living room. It felt good to get some normalcy back. Once the girls were in be, Christian and I settled in for the night. We played our new game addiction, Candy Crush, for a while and watched Saturday Night Live (yes, we actually stayed up for the WHOLE thing!). Then, passed out. Man, it feels good to feel good again! Hopefully it doesn't lump to anybody else in the house...

Post Swim Class, what a honey!

Sunday was a very busy day around the house. After breakfast, Christian was on dad duty for the day - he took the girls outside to play in the snow for a while, they colored and did some arts and crafts and hung out around the house. I continued my cleaning mission, and started tackling the basement - an even bigger disaster. I started with the spare bedroom (aka, the dumping grounds). Since we sold the bed a few months ago, we have a lot more room, so I wanted to clean it up and use the space. I went through our clothes and linens in the closet, I organized all of our "sale stuff" and all of the baby gear we're actually holding onto and got everything in order. Next up, the playroom and "princess area". This, of course, took forever. But, for the most part, I got it done. Next, I went through the hallway closet and the storage under the stairs and got everything packed up and in order. Finally, I packed the clothes that are too small for Olivia and stored them away for Amelia. In the midst, I did laundry throughout the day and managed to make dinner. It was a LONG day, but productive, so it felt good.

So, that was our week. Welcomed March, battled the plague, wished my mom a happy birthday, and now we're just hoping a praying for a much healthier week coming up!

2013 - Week 8

Already 8 weeks into a new year! Pretty crazy! This week WELCOMED a 3-day work week for me, and a full weekend of fun.

Monday I was off for Presidents Day. AWESOME! Christian had to work, my mom kept Olivia overnight last night, and Amelia was off to my in-laws house (per usual), so I had the house all to myself for the morning. Instead of working on my mile-long to-do list, I spent the morning lounging, catching up on some shows and relaxing. Olivia got home around lunchtime. I let her skip her nap today, so she watched a few videos while I got my workout in, showered and got ready. Then, we were off to do some grocery shopping. Once I got everything put away, we picked up Amelia, and made our way to Applebee's to meet Christian and our friends, Nate and Gini, for dinner and some catch-up time. We hadn't seen them in FOREVER, so it was great to spend some time with them. We finally made our way home, sent the girls to bed and relaxed for a bit.

My shopping buddy!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were pretty standard days. Work, exercise, dinner, baths, playtime. All of the usual. Olivia has been a bit trying lately. Just overly aggressive, not listening well, whining A LOT. I know it's all pretty standard preschooler stuff, but everything is just over the top. It all came full circle on Thursday. Thursday marked 1 year since the girls started at KinderCare (seriously, the best decision we've ever made!), and, it also marked the first negative report we've ever received (other than Amelia and her partner in crime getting into it). Of course, it was Olivia. I guess he was just completely out of sorts all day - pushing, pulling and hitting the other kids, running around, she kept taking her shoes off and chewing on the laces, she wasn't listening and was just not herself, at all. We had a LOOOOONG conversation about it when we got home. I explained how disappointed I was in her, and she enjoyed a nice long timeout. She had no reason or explanation for her actions - it just doesn't make sense. My best guess, is that 1) I don't think she's been taking a nap, and while many 4-year olds no longer need them - she does, and 2) I think she's getting incredibly bored with the preschool atmosphere. She is definitely ready for Pre-K, and needs the challenge. I did chat with the assistant director a little bit, and she said they are hoping to move her up in the next month. So, HOPEFULLY it happens, and hopefully it helps.

 Olivia helping Daddy cook dinner!

 My new workout crew!

A rare moment of sitting together and bonding!

On Tuesday I did get some fairly good news. As most people know, I work for the state. We've been working outside of a Contract since July 2011 (it's negotiated every 2 years). On Tuesday, the Governor finally signed off on our Contract, which includes a 2% pay raise. Great news, and I'm excited for the backpay that will come with it. But, it's pretty crappy that after years of no raises (just like a majority of the country) they finally pass it, and it's going to end up getting taxed to h-e-double-hockey-sticks. THEN, our Contract is up again this coming July, and I'm sure they either won't pass a contract in time, or put us back on no raises. So, even though our "leaders" look like the good guys, it really ends up working in their favor in the end - and since everybody hates state workers as it is, makes us look even worse, because lord knows, we don't deserve a raise in anybody's eyes. It's a no-win situation. BUT, I'm definitely not focusing on the bad - anything extra, at any time, is so appreciated.

Friday was my day off, and it started with another great weigh-in. I lost 1.6lbs this week, for a total loss of 33.6lbs to date. I was hoping for another good number, but I wasn't feeling super confident. It felt GREAT to see that number! A new round of snow storms rolled into the area overnight, so we woke up to a fresh, mega-coating of snow. It continued to snow throughout the day - but the majority came overnight. The girls played for a bit while I did the usual checkbooks, bill paying, fun stuff. We had some breakfast, got dressed and bundled up, and headed out to play in the snow for a while. We found a park down the road with a small hill, so we played, and took the sled down the hill a few times. The girls LOVED it, and it was some pretty great exercise running around in all that snow! Who says you can't go to the park in the winter?!? And, bonus, the girls had some lunch when we got home, and passed out for some SUPER long naps! AWESOME. I got some very exciting R&R. Christian stopped home from work to shovel and plow the driveway, shower, and was off to his "holiday dinner" for work (yes, at the end of February)...which, is employee only. Lame. So, it was just me and the girls for the night. We had dinner, played some games and had a pretty low-key night. Pretty good start to the weekend.

Saturday started off typical...breakfast, sweeping, dishes. Fun stuff! Olivia and I were off to her swim class. She's getting better, and more brave every week. It's fun to watch her develop week to week. After class, we had some lunch and the girls went down for their naps. I got my workout in, got ready and we were on our way to my Grandpa's house for his birthday. The girls had so much fun playing with all of the other little kids and it was great to catch up with our family. We were all pretty exhausted when we got home...the girls went to bed, Christian and I watched a little TV and passed out.

Amelia, [literally] digging into he cake and ice cream. YUM!

We started Sunday off at the bowling alley with Olivia's BFF and her family.  It was so fun to get out and do something we haven't done for a while and hang out with friends. The girls were all SO excited to see each other, it was so cute. We bowled a game, played in the arcade for a while and made our way home. The girls took their naps while I worked out and we rested for a while. We spent the night playing around the house, doing laundry and doing some cleaning up. What a fun day!

2013 - Week 7

Well, we're off on another week. This week marks the Day o' Love. OooLaLa!

Monday started off pretty standard...except my mother in law came to our house to watch the girls so I wouldn't have to take them out in the snow. So, that saved me a little time. Even with the new coating of snow, traffic actually wasn't as horrible as I was expecting, which was quite refreshing! The girls had just woken up from their naps when I arrived home, so we started dinner, watched some shows and hung out for a bit. After dinner it was the usual play, relax, bedtime. I got my workout in and called it a day.

Tuesday started off SUPER exciting! Our Wisconsin Dells 2013 trip is officially booked! We're meeting our friends from Indiana there again and we're staying in a big suite together at the beginning of April. We had such an amazing time last year. I'm so excited to go again, and to see our friends. The rest of the day was pretty low key. Today was my "break day" from my workout, so I was able to have a pretty relaxing night - much needed!

You never get too old to play in a box!

Wednesday ended up being much more chaotic than anticipated.The morning started off fine. Both of the girls have been pretty good about dressing themselves lately. Olivia has obviously been able to for a while, but we just always did it for them. Lately though, I lay their clothes out, and they've been changing themselves. Seriously, it's AMAZING! It saves me so much rushing around in the morning...they get dressed while I'm finishing getting ready and packing my food for work...by the time I'm ready, they're dressed and I just have to do their hair and get them out the door. FANTASTIC! Work went fine...then, they chaos hit. When I got to school to pick the girls up, Olivia's teacher asked me if I'd like a class list for Valentines. Ummm...that's TOMORROW!!!!! I assumed they didn't exchange cards since I hadn't heard anything, or received a class list. Jokes on me I guess! So, we rushed home, I quick made dinner and got that going, then ran out the door as soon as Christian got home. Stopped at Walmart...NO cards left. Seriously. Ran to Target and I was able to get some Hello Kitty cards for the girls, and Spiderman cards for the boys. Rushed home, ate MY dinner quick, wrote out cards (which, of course, included inserting little tiny note pads into each one), taped some candy to the outside and packed them up. By the time I finished that, and washed the dishes/cleaned the kitchen up, it was bedtime for the girls. Then, still not done, down to the basement I went to workout. FINALLY, at 9:15, I was able to sit down. I watched a show and passed out. Never enough hours in the day, that's for sure! But, we're done and ready for Valentine's Day!

Thursday was all about the love! Christian got the day off to an AMAZING start. He had a bouquet of mini-roses waiting for me on the counter, along with a card. In the card was a picture of my salon (which, I haven't been to in 2.5 years)...turns out, he got a hold of my stylist and made me a hair appointment for this Saturday. I can't believe it - I was so shocked! This is by far the most thoughtful thing he's ever done for me...I am over the moon with my groom right now! The work day went quickly - we got another round of snow overnight, so the drive and the parking lot were crappy. But, we celebrated the February birthdays in my office today, so we had some cake! YUM (even though my piece was as small as humanly possible). I left work a tad early to pick up some steaks to grill tonight and a small case of beer for Christian (his romantic gift from me, LOL), get my workout in and pack the girls' gifts up. I picked them up from school with all of their goodies from their classmates. They each had a photo Valentines gift for me too - super cute!   The girls opened their gifts as soon a we got home, we baked some cupcakes, played for a while and they ate dinner. Christian grilled our steaks as soon as he got home, we ate and we all hung out for a while. Such a busy day, but a great one!

Friday FINALLY marked the end of the week. The week was pretty busy, but, for some reason, it just seemed to draaaag on. Today started with my weekly weigh in, and I was FINALLY down. I lost 1.8lbs this week, back to a total of 32lbs lost. Hopefully I can keep this momentum up! Olivia was still napping when I got to my mom's house to pick the girls up, so she and I chatted and played with Amelia until she woke up. Christian picked up some Thai food for dinner on his way home - YUM! Once the girls were in bed, we cuddled up for a movie night (what's new?!?). Tonight was "Ted" and "Pitch Perfect" - both very good...lots of laughs tonight! Nothing like a relaxing movie night to end a long week.

Somebody got into a ring pop! There's no hiding that...

Saturday was a pretty exciting day. It started off pretty normal. I did some of my usual cleaning...dishes, sweeping and picking up. We ate some breakfast, and Olivia and I were off to her swim class. It crazy how much better she gets from week to week. She's getting better at going under water, and really learning how to user her arms and legs. She seems to really love it too, so it's a pretty big success so far. After class, we ate some lunch, I showered and got ready for the day, and the girls went down for their naps. Then, I was off for my big salon appointment!! It's been WAY too long, and Irma is always pretty excited to see me because I usually have something drastic in mind. This time was no different...my plan was to chop all of my hair and donate it (again), and add some color to it. And, that's exactly what I did! I kept my natural color, and just added in some red and light highlights. Everything turned out great, and she threw in a free hand wax-dip, which I've never done, and was super cool. My appointment was later in the day, so it was really just me and her in the salon...peaceful music, quiet atmosphere - SO RELAXING. Exactly what I needed. And, I love the way my hair turned out, so it was a perfect way to spend the afternoon. We had some dinner when I got home, and Christian was off to hang out with a friend from work for a bit, while I caught up on some shows. More relaxing - no complaints here!

Sunday was another pretty exciting day...haircut day for the girls! Olivia has been begging me for months to cut her hair - especially after her friend Annabelle cut hers. I've been putting it off - she has such long, beautiful hair. But, we finally decided to give in, and go for it. Heck, it's just hair - it grows back, and it's fun to try new things! And, now that I've cut my hair, I would never hear the end of it if we didn't let her. So, after some breakfast and starting laundry, we were off to Kids Hair. Both of the girls got their hair cut - they both did great, and they LOVE their new 'do's. Olivia played with her hair ALL DAY, she couldn't get enough of it. Amelia's hair lays pretty great, so we got her some bangs. They're shorter than I would like, but I'll probably let them grow out a bit, and attempt to trim them myself when they get too long. But, they both look super cute. FUN! After out appointment, the girls took their naps. Christian and I were both pretty exhausted, so we took some cat naps ourselves. We were off to my mom's for dinner and chatting when the girls got up, and Olivia actually stayed there to spend the night. Amelia's terrible two's were in full force tonight, but she finally calmed down a bit when we got home. THANK GOD, because she was really grading on my last nerve. She is most definitely our wild child - I sometimes think she was meant to be a boy! LOL. It was finally time for bed, and we were all beyond exhausted. I'm off of work tomorrow for Presidents Day, and it will be a welcomed day off, that's for sure!

So, that ends another week. Lots of LOVE, and some new, fresh looks for the Duran girls. AWESOME!