What's Goin' On?

Okay, here I am at my new bed time, midnight. Yep. My clock has changed dramatically and I still blame the time change.

Not much new going on in my world, but here is a brief list of the week's events:

-Had lunch with my friend, Toni, today. It was so nice to see her and her girls. I think it was the first time I'd spent one on one time with her. I quite enjoyed myself.

-I completed another swim class this past weekend. It was a swimming success. :) I crack myself up. No, actually. It was. I'm going to be the next Michael Phelps. Okay maybe Michelle Phelps. I've managed to convince myself that the pools I have been practicing in are controlled settings and not deep. I can stand up whenever I want and even though I have swallowed a bit of water here and there (mostly doing the back stroke), I'm fine. Really. Yes, you heard me correctly, I'm already working on strokes. I'm astounded at myself and quite proud actually. I still may not get in a pool with you, but I will be okay by the session end with swimming laps at my gym pool. It might take me a bit longer to be comfortable with kids or other adults in the water. Have I mentioned that you should NOT get too close to me in a pool. Truth is, you've probably not seen me in a pool, except maybe waist deep or just feet.

-Sydney completed another swimming class. She's doing very well and her little class started jumping into the deep end last weekend. Oh! I was watching from a distance. I was really unhappy about it. When she saw me, I had to smile and cheer. VERY HARD.

-I've cooked several more recipes from my new Ellie Krieger cookbook (apple pecan muffins, beef tenderloin with a rosemary chocolate sauce, sauteed mushrooms and shallots, seared pork chops with a warm apple slaw, broccoli with toasted garlic, oven roasted chicken with thyme and lemon and a savory egg scramble with tomato and dill). So far, they have all turned out quite well. Although, Marc tells me he isn't sure he likes dill. The recipes, aside from the chocolate sauce, have been very friendly, extremely easy and tasty. I find comfort knowing that we are consciously eating healthier. We've always been all over the veggies, etc., but the mains haven't always been as healthy.

-New grill is in sight! I'm so excited. I think we will be finally picking up our new grill this weekend. Oh boy! I love love love grilling food. It is so nice to chillax next to the grill. It is heaven. I certainly haven't mastered the grill at all, but I do love it. It is one of my joys. Why go to a restaurant and pay $26 for a crappy steak when you can grill one ten times better at home with little to no clean up at a fraction of the cost? Seriously.

-I have picked up two books over the last week. I'm half way through both, 'Hannibal Rising' and 'Always Looking Up.' I'm happy to be reading a bit, even though it isn't as much as I would like. I am trying to fit it in here and there. Also, surprisingly, I'm enjoying the Thomas Harris novel. It has been so long since I've read fiction. I am typically drawn to non-fiction. I just found it in my closet and thought I should read it.

-I've made a very small dent in our basement. This, of course, means that I have STUFF strewn about the house. I'm attempting to organize, purge and put away the junk in the basement and in my closet. It is going to be a work in progress for quite some time. In the meantime, I'm finding all kinds of things I haven't seen for years.

-We got a second fridge! Yay! We've always had one, since we got married. It has always been so useful to have the second fridge and now, with two kids, even more so. The amount of produce we buy causes our fridge to be jammed with stuff and it is quite hard to find things. I tossed around the idea of getting a freezer, but I thought it would make more sense to go this direction. I'm afraid of the freezer trap. :) Thank goodness one of Marc's coworkers was willing to part with their old one for $50! Yahoo! What a steal!

-Yay to fresh eggs! My mom's neighbor has about twelve hens. She sells the eggs and I picked up my first two dozen late last week. If I had my wish, I would grow everything in my own back yard. I would even consider having hens myself, but no approval in this area. Also, why go to the trouble when I can just walk up the hill and visit hers. :) I'm not sure what happened to the farmer's market here. It used to be down the street. I would have thought it would have started by now. I've got to figure that out soon. That reminds me, I've got to drive to my grandfather's produce stand. It is too far for a weekly visit, but every now and then would be good.

-I have not picked up the camera this week, but I thought about it. Does that count?

-I've done load after load of laundry, but there is much left to do. :) It is a never ending cycle.

-I FINALLY purchased cloth napkins. This is something I've been meaning to do for a while and kept forgetting. I made a lot of strides to be greener last year and nearly everything has stuck. I couldn't deal with the no dry cleaners. I do wash just about everything now, with the exception of the DRY CLEAN ONLY items. I would send nearly everything to the cleaners before because I thought they did a better job, not casual clothes. Now, since I'm only working in person here and there, I get away with going to the ORGANIC cleaner once in a blue moon. I couldn't handle the dish soap or laundry detergent. Things never seemed as clean. I tried though, really hard. I finally got my compost bin up and running. Yay! I've been without that for about a year. We've made steps forward, a few steps back, and we are moving the right direction. I took Rachael's advice on the sham wows way back and it is has saved us a ton of paper towels. I'm hoping the cloth napkins will do the same.

Tomorrow will be quite a busy day. I'd better get myself to bed and try to organize in my head. Oh boy. Now, there is a job. Sweet dreams!

I can hardly believe it is after midnight already. I seriously need to get my butt into bed, but I was trying to get some work done on the computer. I was doing very well actually and then the remote connection to my office crapped out. Sigh. I guess it is time to give up for the night.

Tomorrow is a new day, one without mistakes. :) I keep telling myself this, but I really wish I would just stop thinking about the new tomorrow and stop making so many mistakes. I'm impatient and moody. This isn't helpful when it comes to my little ones. Sure, when everyone is on their P's and Q's, we have a grand time, but after whining and misbehaving comes into play, it is another story.

Nathan started climbing out of his crib a few weeks ago. I was unaffected at first because he wasn't really using it yet. We decided to just switch to the toddler bed. Boo! My baby boy isn't a baby anymore. Now, he is refusing to take naps and now he's even refusing to go to bed. Recently, the two of them are up until almost ten, sometimes later, before they will finally go to bed. It isn't pretty. It is so frustrating. I used to use the naps for work and of course, bedtime permits Marc and I to chill or do chores in the evening. Now, we spend time running up and down the stairs. I just keep trying to remind myself that it is just another phase.

We had to take a break from the potty business with Nathan. He was adamantly refusing to sit on the potty when I decided that perhaps he just isn't ready. Now, a week or so later, he asked me to use the potty today. I think I'll continue in this fashion for a little bit and see if he comes around on his own. He's extremely independent, so maybe he just wants it to be his decision.

We played a fun game on Sunday. We had a treasure hunt in the house. The kids had to find and follow the clues that were left for them by the "Leprechaun" until they reached their pot of gold. Yes, I know it was late since St. Patty's was earlier in the week, but I figure they are young and do not care. In fact, today, we made leprechaun puppets and counted the gold in the pot.

I started taking swimming lessons two weeks ago. I'm not sure if I mentioned that or not. I'm really quite proud of myself actually. I'm doing quite well. I can now go under without fear (as long as I have goggles on) and I was able to free-style stroke a bit this weekend WITHOUT my bell prop. YAY! I'm moving much more quickly than I expected. I'm still not ready to jump into a pool with a bunch of people, but the quiet lap pool at the gym is becoming more comfortable. Marc, you can still forget Water Country. It is not going to happen! He makes fun of me because I say I "NEED" my goggles. Well, I do. Bleah!

I picked up my Xsi book for dummies this week. I've started reading it and picking my camera back up again. I've been on a "break" for a few months. It is just one of those things that went by the wayside when we moved. I prefer an instructional environment to an experimental environment so, perhaps I will learn something. I'm looking forward to Spring and taking pics of the kids.

In addition to that book, I picked up Michael J. Fox's memoir at the library. I've only read a chapter or so, but I find myself wrapped up already.

Finally, Marc and I decided to get the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. My stepmom told me about his program way back in the Fall and we've been listening to the show here and there since. Then, Ruh you brought it to the front.

Thankfully, Marc and I learned our lessons early on and are very conservative with our money. I'm happy to say that we don't have car debt, student loans, credit card debt or the like. Our only debt right now is our home. We've tried to tuck money away, especially when we put the contract out on the house, knowing that we wanted to purchase a few things for the house and unexpected expenses. Having just finished the first draft of our taxes for the year, I am thankful as we are getting KILLED this year. DAMN IT!

Anyway, we figure that we could be doing so much better and given that we are a sole income now, essentially, we need to be on our best behavior. Now, we will have A LOT of work ahead to replenish the taxes we are about to pay. We are anxious to see what he can add to our lives. We've heard such great things and thought that it certainly wouldn't hurt. So tonight, Marc replaced the hardware in the half bath and I read to him. We're committed to doing it once a week. If nothing else, it will be together time. :)

Well, I'm off to bed. The morning will soon be here and the little ones will be ready to go! I haven't got much planned for tomorrow yet. I'd better get on the stick.

Tonight:

Grilled lamb chops (on our grill pan bc we haven't bought a grill)
Grilled romaine and tomato
Oven roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes
Lemon/Orange Mango Sorbet (can't take credit-it is from Costco and you should totally get it!)

YUM! YUM!

Last night:

Shrimp Caesar Salad (homemade Caesar)-Ellie Krieger

Good, but not enough dressing for me!

Tomorrow (I think):

Turkey meatloaf
Smashed sour cream potato (for me!)
Sauteed Green Beans and Garlic

Oh Time Change

I woke up this morning to construction workers banging away at 530am this morning, well actually 630am. I'm annoyed that 700am wasn't early enough. Seriously, I get that you want to take advantage of the daylight, but come on! I don't really like hearing so much noise first thing, awake or not.

I suppose my body and clock are in denial. My body isn't ready to go to bed earlier and resultantly, will not wake up earlier. My clock will not change. Literally! I'm going to have to change the time zone to get it to cooperate. In many ways I love the spring time change, more day light is wonderful. This year, I seem to be having lots of trouble adjusting. :)

Yay coffee!

Siblings

The relationship between Sydney and Nathan is quite adorable, most of the time. Generally they are holding hands, chasing after each other and when one is out of the room, the other instantly notices.

This evening, Sydney and Nathan decided that they HAD to sleep together. They turned on the charm, sad faces and whatnot. Remembering how I loved snuggling with my sister, early and late in life (now), I gave in. The first hour or so was talking and giggling, which I expected and before I knew it, Nathan was downstairs in tears with a bloody cheek. It seems that Sydney didn't appreciate Nathan's constant chatter and she retaliated by scratching him (very hard). This immediately reminded me of my teenage years when Ashley wanted to sleep in my room and I got so mad that I dug my nails into her arm. Certainly not one of my proudest moments, but I was a teenage brat. Hmmm...I could totally see myself in Sydney, as if that is new. We instantly gave Syd a hard time for being so mean, even if Nathan wasn't nice, and then, we did the same to Nate. We gave them the "you are to look out for each other" chat (again). I'm sure they will be hugging in the morning, which will be followed by the usual squabbles.

Two Months in Two Winks!

With all that has happened over the last two months, I shouldn't be surprised that two months passed so quickly.

We are all settled into the new house. "Settled" means that we have all essentials unpacked, a few pictures hung and are acclimated to the new sounds or lack of sounds. I love our new home. I love looking out into our patch of trees every morning. I am enjoying my new kitchen immensely, the large island and double ovens. Love it!

I continue working part-time for GR and it was quite overwhelming at first, but I think that things are settling and I'm finding a rhythm. Of course, life is significantly easier now that the wireless network is set up in our house. Thanks, babe!

The biggest change in the last two months, of course, is that I've made the switch from a full time employee to a stay at home mom. I was apprehensive and excited about the switch. I've had my ups and downs, mostly ups and am still struggling a bit with the juggling, but I'm still happy with my decision.

One of my biggest challenges has been keeping a good schedule, managing appointments, chores and schoolwork. I'm quite good at juggling tasks, until you throw in two children that have minds of their own. It was my goal to work with the kids on educations projects, visit the library and misc schoolwork. While I haven't accomplished as much as I had wanted in the last two months, I am excited to report that Sydney has read her very first story and a second this evening! Yay! How elated I was to be there for her as she sounded out the first story and to see how proud she was of herself! Not as proud as I was of her! :) I've promised that when she completes her workbook, we will have a party. I cannot wait.

In addition to Syd's reading accomplishment, she is now finally sleeping in her own room through the night! WOW! After weeks and weeks of trying, we finally succeeded. Who knew it would take fingernail polish, curlers and 'The Wizard of Oz' movie? If only I had thought of it sooner.

Our next challenges with Syd are public tantrums, television reliance (which causes a lot of tantrums) and major sassiness. I have endured some major eye daggers over the last few weeks from shoppers at the mall, grocery store and Target. At these moments, I've wanted to literally melt into the floor or disappear. In addition to her stunning performances, her sassy mouth has landed her in her room quite frequently.

We are fairly strict with the television in our home and our belief that tv should play a small part is being reinforced lately. Sydney's desire to watch tv incessantly is frustrating and is the cause of a lot of tantrums. In the past, we had used the television as a reward and we have strayed from that. I'm thinking we are going back to that system, at least in part. Finding a balance is hard sometimes. We'll keeping working at it until my sweet little girl settles a bit.

Mr. Nate is growing like a little weed. He is a doll and so cuddly. He is generally very well mannered and so loving. He loves to color, play with playdough and flash cards are a favorite. He counts to fifteen or so now on his own. He loves to look at books and have stories read to him. We've been fortunate enough to get to the library over the last two weeks and we read a minimum of three books a day. That has been the habit since day one. I was getting a bit tired of reading the same stories over and over and over again. :) Thank goodness for the library.

Nathan is still working on recognizing his colors. Everything is blue, brown or orange. :) He does a great job with his shapes and likes to try to draw them. So far, circle is the only one that makes it out. He is learning the letter sounds, but is still not able to recognize the letters. We'll just keep working at it.

Nathan has decided to start mimicking some of Sydney's undesirable behavior. When he is unhappy or frustrated with you, Nate enjoys calling names. Specifically, "Stupid bumblehead!" Let's just say that his little behind has been sitting on the time out stair a lot for name calling lately. It is hard to remember to enforce this sometimes when he is still at that cute stage. You know, when you find it a little funny.

Sydney and Nathan are quite a pair. They are adorable together most of the time. They are huggy and cuddly a lot of the time. Sydney looks out for her little brother. I observe her trying to teach him things, not all bad. Today, she lined up cookies that were numbered 1-10 to show him the appropriate order. Then, she asked him to do it. She gently corrected him when he did something wrong. She calls him "honey" or "sweety" most of the day. It is sweet how she looks out for him and he wants to know where she is every minute of the day.

Of course, they are still brother and sister and it is expected that they will fight. They certainly do their fair share. There are times when I feel like my shirt should be striped black and white and a whistle should be attached.

Marc and I joined the local Sport and Health. I've been bouncing between the gym floor and aqua fitness classes. Tomorrow, or sometime this week, I'll get back to yoga now that I have a mat. Yay! I've missed it so. I'm trying anything I can think of to gain energy to keep up with my monkeys. I figured that it couldn't hurt.

Despite having a list of things to do a mile long, I'm still optimistic (shocker!) that things will shake out and settle down just in time for Syd to go to school. Ipes! I cringe at the thought.

Series Finale at GR

Today is my last day of work and emotions are running high. Tomorrow, I will call myself a full-time mom and a part-time employee. After nine years here, I feel like I'm separating from one family to return to another. It is a bittersweet day indeed.

At the end of every finale, there is a theme song. When I woke up this morning, "Time of Your Life" by Green Day came to mind.

Another turning point;a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist;directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test and don't ask why.
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time.
It's something unpredictablebut in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographsand still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf In good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth,it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictablebut in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Tomorrow, a new chapter begins. I'm scared, excited, sad and happy all at the same time. Please let me make it through the day without crying too much!

How Does That Happen?

I've been here, stalking others. I've been fairly quiet, except on Facebook. It is too easy.

We're gearing up for the move, which is in about three weeks. We have boxes everywhere and now, I even have some at work. I decided I should begin acclimating myself to it. It is going to be a tough adjustment. Our clients aren't making it any easier by telling me how much they will miss me. It is nice to hear, but...

The house is ready. The sod is down and all of the details are finished. They will be cleaning up and getting ready for the punch list on the 2nd. I have a list already. Yes, I'm like that.

The kids are great. Nathan is adorable and even more fascinated with stories and television. Goodness gracious that boy loves the television. We really limit the tv in our house. Generally speaking, the kids watch tv for a bit on the weekends only. Sydney never really minded until recently. Nathan, however, is drawn to the television.

Nathan loves to say, "I hold you tight, mommy." and "That's scary." He uses complete sentences and loves to talk. He's got quite a temper, which he gets honest and has started whining as a tactic to get things. Ugh. I really dislike that. Sydney is famous for it and we're trying desperately to get her out of the habit.

Sydney is growing into such a little lady. I often forget her age. She acts like a tiny adult sometimes. She's such a big helper and will do her best work when she feels needed. She doesn't, however, like to help clean up her brother's messes. "I didn't make that mess!" She says. We explain that we are a team and we all do things in our home to help each other, including cleaning up messes we didn't make.

She's FINALLY started keeping herself dry at night. We'd tried on several occasions, but to no avail. We decided about two weeks ago to give it a try again and SUCCESS. She's received little rewards here and there, but has been banking tokens that she will use to get princess sheets for her new room. She's quite excited about that and so are we! I'm thinking I'll start working with Nathan after we move. Oh boy.

Last week, Sydney and I were talking about the move and how she wouldn't be going to school anymore, at least for the time being. I told her we were still going to learn things and asked what she wanted to learn. She gave me a few ideas and reminded me about the time she wanted to learn about milk. We'd visited a dairy farm nearby, etc. She mentioned something about cheese and I asked if she knew where cheese came from. She responded, "Yes, I do. It comes from cows. They give the milk to a mouse and the mouse makes the cheese." There you have it.

I'll check in later. Knowing me, much later. I'm still keeping up with the lot of you so, don't worry. :)

Hugs!