Twas the night before Christmas

Okay, so I know that it technically is already Christmas (Merry Christmas!), but I don't count it as legit until I go to sleep and then wake up.

This mama is still awake -- doing some last minute work in the kitchen and completing R's present.  Nothing says love like procrastination, right?  ;)

I got the idea from pinterest.  You can find it here.

We are celebrating Christmas morning as a family with R's mom and stepdad who are staying with us.  Then we will be going over to my parents' to spend the rest of the day with my family.  We didn't get G much since he is still so small and I knew he would be getting way too much from everyone else.

I have thought long and hard about how I want to celebrate Christmas with G and with our future children. I love Christmas, but I don't love all of the commercialism and consumerism that comes along with it, aka "I want, I want, I want!"

We will do Santa and the elf on a shelf, although our elf will be nice and won't get into any mischief around the house.  But we won't be giving gobs of gifts because I don't want them to lose sight of what is truly important - giving to others.

I read another blog lately that had such a good idea that I am going to steal it.  They give their children 4 gifts each every year for Christmas: something you want, something you need, something you'll wear, and something you'll read.  And lastly, each child has to give something to someone in need.  I loved it the instant I read it.  Other than small things in their stockings, how many presents can one child need?  Especially with grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

I love the idea of teaching children to give to those less fortunate.  R already told me before we had G that he wanted G to have to give up one of his toys on his birthday and on Christmas.  I love the idea of adopting a family or child for the holidays -- there are so many local programs that cater to this.

I also love the idea of having a "giving" advent calendar, where you count down to Christmas and do one good deed each day.  So much more fulfilling than eating a chocolate in my personal opinion.

Anyway, this year we have kept it low key and have a nice little tree that G loves to look at and touch softly.  Hehe... we talk about that word a lot.

In keeping with the tradition of getting an ornament every year, I found this one for G...

And a mini Starbucks cup for R (so appropriate!)...

Ah, our little tree!  I've become quite fond of it and will put it up every year regardless of whether we get a big one or not.

I wasn't able to actually hang our stockings because of a certain sixteen month old.  He is tall enough to grab them and pull them down, and I was worried about my new stocking holders (and our floors).  I decided to spruce up the mantel with all of the lovely cards we have been receiving.  Our New Year cards came in today, so those should actually make it out before 2012.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful day full of family and love.

Mama and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Okay, okay, so maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but Monday was pretty much a fail.

It all started with a horrible night of sleep.  Horrible.  I have a new item added to my "things I despise" list and they are one year molars.  I feel like G has been getting his for weeks now.  They are taking
f o r e v e r to come in and the poor boy is miserable.  I am talking shirts soaked with drool, lack of appetite, whiny and sensitive about everything miserable.

With his misery comes waking up constantly during the night ... and you should know by now that little sleep makes this mama one über grouch.

Remember that picture I posted a few weeks back about co-sleeping with your baby?

That is our last ditch effort at times like this, and it never fails that I always regret bringing him in bed with us in the morning.  Yesterday morning I announced, "Never again!" (ha, yeah right!).

The more appropriate picture of what happens after co-sleeping with G and being kicked in the face, in the back of the head, and somehow only getting a sliver of our king size bed to sleep on would also include devil horns growing from my head 'cause I've been know to get a little grouchy!

R always manages these crazy nights with ease and isn't one to moan and grumble like I do.  At 6:30 a.m. after being kicked in the head again, I yelled at G to "stop kicking me!" (oops!  Sorry, Lovey!), piled up pillows on my side to book-end him in, and stomped out of our room and onto the couch.  R was kind of like, "Ummmm... seriously?"  But he let me lay there and wallow in self-pity while he entertained G and fed him breakfast for a good hour.  Yeah, I know.  I'm a lucky lady.

This past summer I went to one of those time share gigs where they use extreme sales pressure tactics to try and sell you a time share.  They rope suckers in, like myself, by promising us *free* prizes such as cruises, etc.

I had already done one of these with a different company a few years back, and while I hated sitting there and refusing to buy a time share for three hours, I loved getting my *free* cruise.  This time I got lucky and was paired with a young, newbie sales guy who had very little pressure sales experience.  They also didn't bother me much once I told them I was staying at home this year and would be making zero income.  That always seems to do the trick!

My last cruise was to Cozumel and this time we would be sailing to the Bahamas out of Florida.  I was so excited and decided to take my little sister along with me as a way of celebrating her finishing nursing school.  We had to select three dates from a short list of options and we diligently sent those in in early August.  Since then, we have been waiting patiently to hear back about which date was selected for us.  They reserve the right to inform you of your selected departure 45 days in advance, which doesn't give you much leeway in finding cheap airfare.

Well, I finally received the email and they hadn't given us a date.  I had to call and book the cruise with them... ummmm... what was the point of waiting four months for that?  So I called Monday morning after G went down for his nap.  The lady went through her schpiel and told me that once she did indeed have an offer, I had to be prepared by the end of the phone call to either accept or decline the offered date.  Okay, fine.  Not only were none of our three selected dates available (ummmm.... what?!?), but we would have to leave out of a different port than the one we selected at a different date (which was exactly 45 days from the email I received!).  My sister couldn't leave then because she is skiing during that time, so sadly, I had to decline the offer.  I was so bummed for having gone through all of that for nothing.  Grrrrr!

R felt sorry for me, so he suggested that we take G down to the children's museum and I happily agreed. Neither of them had been before and it was the perfect rainy day for an outing like that.  We bundled up and headed out, but first I wanted to stop off at the UPS store to mail a package to South Africa.

My good friend and I had spent some time purchasing some gifts for one of the mamas that works at the orphanage we had helped back in November of 2009.  We bought some things for her and for her daughter and wanted to get it mailed off to make it there as close to Christmas as possible.  UPS only offered one rate and it was ... $676!!!!!  I am not joking - I could not believe my ears when the chick told me that number!  I politely told her that I could hand deliver the package myself by flying there for not much more than that.  Ridiculous!  She said that while, yes, the post office would be much cheaper, that poor countries like South Africa have extremely corrupt postal systems.  Our package may take months to get there via the post office, or worst, may be stolen en route.  So now we are going to return everything and figure out a way to wire money to this sweet mama.  :(

If that didn't bum me out, then getting to the children's museum to find out that it is closed on Monday afternoons did the trick.  Awesome.  At this point, all I could do was shake my head and call it a fail.

I know I am not the only one who has days like this, and in retrospect, I am thankful that my "problems" or so minor.  One family that I am friends with since having their daughter in my class several years ago just received the worst news of their life.  Their son (just a couple of months younger than G) just had surgery to remove a tumor from his brain.  Wow.  Nothing like that to immediately put things in perspective and to remind myself to hug my family a little tighter each day.

And while I curse at things like one year molars and lack of sleep, I am so thankful for the reasons I do have those minor annoyances.  My blessings far outweigh all else in comparison.

Motivation

With the holiday season and holiday eating in full swing, I thought I would pin up some motivation for my amigos.

My 12-week personal training program was hated at times because it was not easy.  I hated giving up foods that I loved and thought I craved and I hated waking up early to work out.  But the end results?  I love them.  I lost 20 pounds that I have since maintained and have more confidence and feel stronger.  My endurance when I run or play soccer is substantially better.  Eater cleaner has cleared up my sensitive stomach issues (gee... imagine that!), and I am fine looking forward to my one cheat meal per week.  

I know it's about a lifestyle change - not a momentary "fix."  If I want to keep these results and even gain more, I have to live it day in and day out.  It isn't about looking good for other people.  It is about reaching the goals that I set for myself and for being happy with where I am at.

Yesterday evening, I stopped by Whole Foods (aka "whole paycheck" ;) ) for a few items before I headed home from my soccer game.  A really nice woman randomly asked me about salad dressings and which one was the healthiest option, etc.  I thought she was pretty trusting to ask a complete stranger for nutrition advice.  Then she saw me in the frozen section and asked me about what I was looking at (gluten free frozen pancakes), so then we got into a discussion about gluten, gluten free diets, etc.  

She was so appreciative of my personal feedback, and when I was leaving the store I couldn't help but think how good it felt to share some of my knowledge that I've gained through my own personal journey with eating healthier.  Last week I had my new job training for the childhood obesity intervention program.  We will be educating families on ways to implement healthier choices at home for everyone and emphasizing lifestyle changes, not diets.  (Confession: I stopped for a chocolate milkshake on my way home from training on the last day, but nobody's perfect, right?)

Now, I love me some pinterest, so I thought I'd share with you some work-out/healthy living inspiration:

Yes, genetics does play a role, but you do have a say in how you look and feel.  This post isn't meant to send the message that you need to be "skinny" with a six-pack.  Only that you have the power inside you to determine your own results.

Go get them.


**I've decided to not post my "before" and "after" pictures.  Not because I'm embarrassed (even though my "befores" are soooo gross.  My part-time jobs all involve working with kids in a school environment, and I don't feel that it would be appropriate to have pictures of me in a bikini online.

Jolly St. Nick

We are fully embracing the Christmas spirit at the W house.  Earlier this week we made a stop to Santa's little mall hut workshop.  I had been talking up Mr. C the whole morning, telling G excitedly that we were going to see Santa!

I had heard that this particular Santa location had zero lines, and I was not disappointed.  After all, what mama wants to wait in lines with a squirmy 16 month old?  Don't get me wrong - I think Jolly Old St. Nick is worth it, but I didn't think G would understand how badly we needed to see him.

G wasn't easily convinced, as you can see from the pics below:

"Wait, who is this guy?"

"I'm not so sure about this..."

Aaaaaand he's done!

He stopped crying immediately after finishing the picture and then pointed at the door, indicating he wanted to leave.  Ha!  See you next year, Santa!

Monday Musings

Whew, the weeks just keep flying by and it's hard to believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away now.

We finally had our family pictures done for our Christmas New Year's cards done after two reschedules... both because of rain ... when we've had a severe drought this year, nonetheless.  Go figure.

Attempt number one was on Thursday morning and it was in the low 30's.  G was not in a good mood and I felt terrible that he was probably so cold.  I didn't want pictures of us in coats, hats, and mittens, so we did our best to bundle him up in between shots but it just wasn't going well.  The photographer was really nice and offered to have us come back the next day and either try again outside if the weather cooperated or go indoors to her studio.  Fortunately for us, it was a good 30 degrees warmer the following afternoon and G was much happier.  I'm anxious to see how they turned out and to order our cards and get them mailed!  Note to self for next year: take family photos in October.


I attempted to be creative a la pinterest and tried taking some pictures of G playing with Christmas lights

My inspiration?

Adorable, right?

My pictures?

Things I learned:
(a) taking pictures of small children is harder than it seems
(b) I still need to learn how to use my camera
(c) there is a reason I'm not a photographer.

My last day of tutoring with my high school kids was today because I have job training for a new part time gig the rest of the week, and then next week they will be taking their finals (on my list of things I do not miss).  Next semester I will still be tutoring but also working 5-6 hours/week as a teacher assistant for a childhood obesity intervention program.

This past weekend I went downtown on Saturday night for a close friend's bachelorette party and left G with my parents (R was out of town).  Have I mentioned that I love having all of my family in the same town?  My dad sent me a text at 2:40 a.m. wondering if I was okay since I hadn't made it back yet.  This made me laugh at the fact that my dad not only texts and was waiting up for me to get home but I also appreciate that he still cares so much.

It's nice to have a reason to get dressed up and go out for some girl time, but I was quickly reminded that staying up late when you have a toddler has its consequences.  I made it to bed at 3:30 only to be woken up by G ready to play at 6:30.  I barricaded the play room by laying down in the doorway with a pillow and let him play while I was half asleep for another 30 minutes.  Have I mentioned that I love my sleep?  Guess I won't win the parenting award for that morning.

This has been a random enough post for one day.  Happy Monday, everyone!

I'll never...

Has anyone ever played the game, "I've never..."?  I think it's more commonly played as a drinking game (cough, cough), but the object of the game is to make an "I've never..." statement.  If you also have never done what that person stated then you do nothing.  If you have done it before, you drink (or whatever).


Anyway, the other day I was randomly thinking about all of the things that I had once proclaimed that I would never ever do ... in general and especially as a mom.  Working with kids, it is so funny to hear the things they say on a daily basis (even at the high school level) and to look back on my own list of things that I banned from my existence.

Such as...

• getting a tattoo (gasp!)  I have two and am seriously contemplating getting a third (as R cringes in the next room and curses under his breath).

• wearing skinny jeans (love them!)

• being a mom that co-sleeps (guilty for the first six months exclusively!)

• being that mom who coordinates things around her child's naps (guilty and not ashamed!)

• getting plastic surgery (lips are sealed on this one for the moment!)

Obviously, this is a short list of things that came to mind immediately.  I love how we evolve (hopefully for the better and more interesting) as we get older.  While I do believe that "a tiger's stripes never change," I also believe that we are capable of change.  

So, what are things that you swore up and down that you would never but later had a change of heart about?

We survived ... (I think), part two

The reason for separating my last post into two parts and the reason for taking an entire week just to write the first one?  (a) I was dealing with a sick toddler which = mama needs a drink big time and (b) I was lazy and had little energy for anything else that didn't involve laying on the couch in my pj's.

So there you have it.  Please take pity on me, or not, but I'll try to do better this month.

We stepped off the plane and happily headed home.  After a week of being away, I was looking forward to my small comforts - my bed, G's crib, our big bath tub, etc.

G was so happy to be home - his toys were on the receiving end of a longer than usual toddler attention span.  We were all exhausted from such a long day of travel, so I made sure to get everything packed and ready for "school"/work the next day.  When we were putting him down for bed we noticed he was much warmer than usual and took his temp only to discover he was running a fever.  No "school" for G or work for mama!

Of course running a fever usually means that he sleeps terribly, so my bed that I was so looking forward to was now being shared with a feverish and crabby baby.  Grrrrr...

On Monday he was the grumpiest I've ever remembered him being.  We are talking about epic meltdowns over anything.  He was so incredibly sensitive, but I knew he just wasn't feeling well at all so I tried my best to stay calm and collected.  His nice, long normal naps went out the window and by 6 p.m. we were both tired and cranky.  Poor dada.

His fever persisted all week long and I was grateful for when Thursday rolled around because we already had his 15 month check up scheduled.  It ended up being a sick visit instead, and we were there for two hours while they ran different tests to see what was wrong.  His symptoms: fever (getting worse as the week went on), runny nose, gross diapers, and lack of appetite (very unusual for my sweet boy).

Ever since he had his tear duct probed, G hates the dr.  Hates.  He clings onto me like a spider monkey the minute we walk into the small room.  He cries hysterically just getting weighed ... poor baby.  He does not like any of it.  Since we were not going to be getting any of the 15 month vaccines, I went in slightly relieved I wouldn't have to suffer through that with G.  But, it turns out he had to get a nasal swab to test for the flu, a finger prick and subsequent squeezes to check his white blood cell count, and then they put a urine bag sample in his diaper so they could test for a bladder infection.  That one kept us in that small room for a long time as we waited for him to pee.  Then most of the pee in the bag spilled on the floor anyways.  Fun times (and an interesting experience).

He tested negative for everything, so we left with a suspected virus and new antibiotic prescription in hand.  He is finally on the mend (no more fever!) and, more importantly, we are finally getting some much needed sleep in our own beds.

I had been looking forward to this past weekend for a long time because my entire family rented an RV and went camping.  We opted to stay home because of our sick little one.  It rained all weekend, so we ran a few errands but mostly just snuggled up inside.

We are ready to get back to our normal routine tomorrow and to stay away from the sickies for as long as possible!