Llama.

Another busy day for me filled with work and then class. So in lieu of a post today, you get a picture. :) 

Book: This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store.

Today my husband said (and bless his heart for saying it), “Man you sure do know how to make me look bad, don't you? You worked all day, came home, made dinner, did baths (upstairs no less), then made blueberry muffins. I can barely manage to get my kids out of jammies each day and make sure they eat lunch...”

As a note, I also managed to keep up on my awesomeness and worked out and then made Parmesan Garlic Kale Chips for snack when I REALLY wanted the Cheetos Stu went to the store and picked up. I felt pretty proud of myself.

After bath (Stu was at class), the kids and I all got to have said blueberry muffins for snack and they all freaking loved them. Then the three kids ate damn near an entire flat of raw blueberries before I finally had to cut them off for fear of screwing up their digestive systems.

I also finished the book I was reading, which I HAVE to tell you (and everyone I encounter) about. It is called This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store by A.K. Turner. This woman is a freaking riot. She is now a Boisean, which is both ironic (I had no idea this was the case until I was a few chapters in and she mentions that they relocated to Boise and now live here) and awesome, because you can fully picture the places she mentions, which makes it all the more real and relate-able.

The best part of the book is that she has girl versions of Kaden and Jackson. I swear to God, the way she describes the personalities and temperaments (and sleep schedules) of her girls, they are clones of my boys. Her oldest daughter, Emilia, was a “good” baby and slept through the night after several months, etc. She is independent and witty and probably too smart for her own good (so Kaden). Ivy, on the other hand, is Jackson’s twin. They went through the same struggles we did with non-sleeping, including, as we did, resulting to seeing specialists, assuming there was a medical reason for her lack of sleep, and to locking her in her room during the night. She is unapologetic about her alcohol consumption and acknowledges that she is probably not a contender for mother of the year. But this is exactly what is so endearing and “real life” about the book. Real moms DO feel like shitty parents a lot of the time, and we DO resort to alcohol in the evenings from time to time. Real Moms could never hope to be (or, let’s be honest, even care about being) mother of the year, and yet, we want what is best for our kids. We want them to be happy and healthy, and hopefully more well-adjusted than we are.

I absolutely recommend this book to any Mom who has ever felt that they are stumbling along through parenthood, yet have managed to produce basically well-behaved, healthy, and happy kids without the use of Mozart lullabies in the womb, or restricted TV viewing until age two.

Here is the link to the Amazon page of the book. Buy it. Read it. Love it. 

Busy... As Always.

So let me just vent for a bit. I will preface this by saying that I realize this is all my own doing, so I really have no room to be a whiner, however, as this is my blog, I will whine if I want to. Neener neener and all that.

I woke up this morning before the sun, got ready for my day, kisses my kids who were awake (missed sleeping Princess Lila... which means I didn't get to see her all day. Sad face.), and headed to work in the snow and with tard drivers. It was a busy, unrelenting day at work, so I was pretty tired by the end of the day anyway. Then I got to stay an extra hour to record a Webinar, so I had to pack breakfast, lunch, AND dinner to take with me to work that morning. I finished up the Webinar in time to fly across campus and NOT find adequate parking, then run on the ice (in high heels) to my night class in the freaking Engineering building (which, I maintain, ought to be bulldozed down to make room for another parking garage). Class is headed up by yet another cop, who I also maintain that I can’t stand be taught by. (He said something along the lines of, “If you were taught this class by a professor, it would be more academic… I would rather teach you in practical terms.” Great, so not only am I going to learn about Criminal Justice management from a cop, I don’t even get the luxury of learning the theory behind methods of CJ management. I get verbal diahrea from a former chief of what worked for him. Non-academics have little place in academia. Let those who will become cops learn on the job and not waste my time in class.

Anyway, rant aside, then I had to stop by the post office on my way home (side note: the post office by the airport is super deserted and creeping at night time) to mail off some books I sold on Amazon.

I FINALLY made it home and had to rinse out my dishes from the day, prepare more meals for the following day to take to work, change into workout clothes, and finally got on the treadmill at nearly 10 at night. BUT, the big point here is that I DID get my fat butt on the treadmill, so that is a victory in and of itself. And one of which I am proud. :)

I finally finished up and got a shower and fell into bed before midnight. Time to do it all over again tomorrow. 

Case of the Mondays.

Today was crazy. I had to come home quickly so Stu could immediately run off to school, then I made dinner and the kids were uncharacteristically whiny and clingy, which made things all the more difficult. Hopefully everyone can get some decent sleep and tomorrow can be a more laid-back day. :)

More Relaxed.

We had a much less eventful day and ended it with dinner at Mimi and Papa’s, which was nice (and super yummy!). Stu and I didn’t get much homework done (none) during the weekend with so much going on, so I suspect it will be a pretty hectic week ahead. Here’s hoping it goes well. 

Seizure.

Ok, so, after last night, I woke up quite hungover. This was a bummer because my Mom is in town and she brought her boyfriend, George, down to meet all of us for the first time. We all had a pretty decent day. George, Mom, Kaden and me went grocery shopping for Mimi's birthday dinner I was making for the night, where everyone would come over, and I was just trying really hard not to shit my pants in the store. Hangovers suck. Don't drink, kids.

Anyway, so my Momma made a killer breakfast of French Toast and bacon and then we set off on our travels to Fred Meyer, and then Mom and George with Kaden to Harbor Freight to get a triangle wrench because I killed my food processor and George was damned and determined to fix it. He had said a few times throughout the day that he was feeling dizzy or otherwise just tired. My Mom had surgery a few days ago and George has been taking care of her during sleepless nights and then drove down here in a blizzard, which took them 10 hours (a normally less than 8-hour drive). He didn't want to lay down and nap, so he just kept working on the food processor.

A few minutes after he sat down with the machine at the table, he got this weird look on his face and then fell out of his chair, sending it flying into the living room and then he started convulsing. Unfortunately for Mom, in her quick reaction to him falling, she caught him on his way down with her bad arm, and probably re-damaged it. He continued to convulse and shake on the floor and my Mom and Doug were tending to him while I called 911. Jackson was thrilled by it because both a fire truck AND an ambulance came to HIS house. He kept trying to get the attention of the paramedics saying, "Hell-lloowwww!" He was stoked.

Eventually they got him somewhat back to normal, though his eyes and demeanor stayed pretty "far away," and he couldn't really form words or focus. The paramedics said this was completely common (What???). They took him away and the rest of us finished up dinner and Mimi and Marcia came over to eat. It is crazy what adrenaline does to your body though. I was full blown shaking for at least an hour afterwards and then I felt like I NEEDED a nap. Marcia joked that while our family is pretty intense, that's not typically the effect we have on people. :) Poor George. Apparently it was just a random seizure as he doesn't have an issues that should cause seizures, but I'll tell you what, it was certainly terrifying. When they didn't think he was breathing for like 5 solid minutes while we waited for the paramedics to get there, I thought for sure he was going to die on my kitchen floor. Scary, that.

Kaden was little more freaked out, because he happened to be standing front and center when it happened and in the commotion of trying to make sure George didn't hurt himself, and calling 911, no one bothered to usher Kaden out of the room so he just sat there and stared. We had a chat with him later, explaining that sometimes these things happen and when he found out George was ok and was going to go home and take a nap, he felt better. Kids are so much more resilient than adults are. I totally expected much more worrying. It must be nice, to completely trust someone so much that when they tell you things will be ok, you believe it emphatically  I am jealous. :)

So anyway, a pretty eventful and unexpected turn of events for the day. Mimi did love the present we got her, which was a stretched canvas photo of the three kids together for her house after she liked the one I got Stu for Christmas so much. I thought she would love it. :) She even made her own birthday cake, which was her freaking amazing banana cake and it was SO GOOD! Hopefully George can get plenty of rest tonight and though I am sure he is going to be sore, hopefully everything works out well for him.

TIL.

Today I learned.... to not try to keep up with the "big boys" when drinking. They will always win.

We had a "team building" day at work. So after a morning of working hard, we took off for a lunch date at Dave and Buster's, which, if you haven't checked it out, was actually pretty fun. It is like a grown up arcade. They have casino-type games and you win tickets like you would at Chuck E Cheese's or Pojo's, but they also have alcohol, and they become 21 and over at a certain time of the night. We spent several hours there and it was a pretty fun time. The food was better than I expected too.

Then our bosses took off and the rest of us went to Twisted Timber. A few of David's friends came by too and we basically laughed and drank to excess before we retired to our house to finish off the night. It was really a fun time for me especially, and I think everyone had a good time. Yay for making memories and building the collective rapport of the "team." :)

Hayd.

So my brother called me today while I was in night class and when I called him back, he let me know that he got Mountain Home as his base. I am tentatively excited because my sister's base changed like five times before she actually got her assigned base, but I am cautiously optimistic  I think it would be awesome for my brother to be here, because then Boise really would become the hub for the family. My youngest sister would probably more than likely decide to come to Boise State for school, and I bet we could convince my Mom to move down too. Regardless, I am excited to watch him throughout his career and him being that much closer would make it even better. :)

7 Minutes.

So, does this happen to anyone else? I have been working out every day, but it seems fairly consistent that when I hit the “7 minute mark” (or thereabouts), I hit a wall. I always want to just quit there and call it good, but I push through it and then it feels like I could basically go forever. It is so weird. Last night especially, I hit the 7 minute mark and I was shaking and felt like I might barf (I had JUST eaten dinner after a late work day followed by mandatory errands), and my legs burned. But then a few minutes after that and I find myself more relaxed and the pain recedes and then suddenly I have been going for like a half hour after the first 7 minutes felt like 2 hours. It’s so weird. Is this typical? Anyone else have a “magic number” they have to push through?

Semester Shemester.

I am not sure how it is possible, but it seems that this coming semester is going to be even busier than last semester was. First off, Stu and I are alternating days of night school. He goes on Monday and Wednesday nights and then we switch and I go Tuesday and Thursday. I still work all day, every day, so that won't change any, but I am hosting more Webinars for work now, and those tend to run later than my typical schedule. So now, every other Monday for sure, we have an overlap in our schedules, so we need to call in family reinforcements, and then whenever else I have calls. Then, Stu has to figure out how to come up with the time to get in 65 hours of internship time this semester as well. I am taking my Research Methods class as well, so that's a pretty hefty paper and series of presentations I have to give, so the Friday night and weekends we appeared to have empty are already going to be eaten up with that.

Basically, I am seeing that there is going to be a lot of playing catch-up constantly, and moving duties and deadlines to accommodate others. I am just hoping we get through it relatively unscathed. AND, I have committed to my diet/workout regiment I started a few weeks ago, so that means I WILL work out every night either after class, or after the kids go to bed, depending on whichever is earliest, so that I don't add any more weight onto my already stressed frame (and self-esteem). I think I have done myself a favor getting into the rhythm of working out while we were on a break, and I am confident that I can keep it up. I just HAVE to keep myself from turning to food/drink when I am stressed out and overtaxed. I don't want to be a fat kid forever.

Monday off.

I got the day off for MLK day. I expected everyone would be home being lazy, watching the inauguration or just generally sitting around for their extra day off, but nooooooo. Everyone and their Mom was at Winco instead. Otherwise, we watched another "big screen" movie (Hercules) and then the kiddos went to bed while Stu and I rounded up our books and supplies to begin yet another semester in the morning. Ugh. Wish me luck.

Sunday Funday.

We had a pretty relaxed day and finished it at Mimi and Papa's for Sunday dinner. Papa used to tutor a boy in Phoenix when they lived there since the kid was in 3rd grade and he is now looking at colleges and came up to visit Boise State, so we got to meet him and his Mom and have pizza and pie. It was a fun time and the kids absolutely love going to their house, so it was a nice night. Except for the temperature. I am so sick of the freezing cold. Actually, I wish it WAS freezing! We haven't been anywhere near 32 degrees in a month. I am just ready for it to warm up SOME, even to freezing. Haha.

Double Date.

So, Stu and I do "date night" like most couples, where every so often (we don't have a set schedule), we go on dates without the kids. BUT, what we don't do is "double date." Well today we went on a real double date with my friend Emery, who has been my hairdresser for almost the past decade, and her boyfriend, Nate. We thought about it, and the last double date (sans kids) we went on was almost three years ago, so it truly is a rarity. For the date we went to the Discovery Center and saw the "Bodies Revealed" exhibit. It was........ interesting. I don't know, I expected it to be sort of weird, what with it being dissected humans on display, but it ended up being far more voyeuristic and morbid than I'd anticipated. I've heard people say it was a bunch of various adjectives for "amazing," but I was basically thoroughly freaked out. What really got to me was, as I meandered through the exhibit, it was obvious all of the specimens were Asian... so then I got to wondering how all of these people came to be in the exhibit. How did they round up so many people to participate in this? Were the forced to donate their bodies? There was a woman who was four months pregnant and they dissected open her uterus so we could see the fetus within. Talk about morbid. All of it's little parts were already formed and it was just this tiny like squirrel-like baby boy in there, captured forever in petrified death. Totally disconcerting.

Then we went to Bardenay for dinner, which wasn't an awesome plan because it was one degree outside and we had to park and walk because it was a Saturday night and then it was PACKED. So we got to wait for 30 minutes before we found a seat, so it was after eight before we ordered our food. For someone who normally eats dinner around five, I was STARVING. So my mushroom sammy was a-ma-zing when it finally arrived. We chatted for a while and then eventually decided to come back to our house for a bit. We hung out for a while and then called it bedtime. It was fun having a date with grown-ups.

It's Friday, Mudafukuz!

Today was a pretty good day. I have been getting chronic headaches that Tylenol/Excedrin/Advil cannot even touch, and today was another of those days, but in spite of that, it was fun at work and then fun at home, which is what counts.

We had another "big screen" movie night and watched Ice Age Continental Drift with the kids. It was freaking hilarious! I figured it wouldn't be all that great, because let's face it, multiple sequels often leave a lot to be desired, but instead, I was cracking up the entire movie. Would totally recommend.

Then Stu and I watched Men in Black III after the kids went to bed and it too was awesome. The second one wasn't great, so I had very low expectations, but it was way better than I figured it would be. All in all it was a pretty chill night, following a chill day. (And it was also chillY, so we're clear... we haven't gotten above 20 degrees in almost a month and the cabin fever is getting severe for all of us.)

Worked it out.

As part of my New Year's Resolution (which, to save time for those who don't remember and don't want to go back and look, is to put myself higher in my priorities list. "A focus on me."), I have been trying to consciously do some internal reflection. Who the heck am I anyway? I mean, after so many years of HUGE changes in my life, so much became only about other people and about experiences, and life markers, that I really had lost sight of who I am as an individual, independent of anyone else. Now I am finally starting to take some of that back and know more about who I am.

And one of those things might still be, under all these pounds and years of non-use, "athlete." Today I had a break-through moment in my exercise plan. Thus far, exercising (and I have been doing it for a little over two weeks now, every day) has been PAINFUL. Not just something I didn't really want to do, or mildly uncomfortable... but actually painful. I mean, let's face it, since we moved back from overseas (October of 2009), I have been either pregnant, caring for a newborn, or... well, the past 15 months (I have some excuses for why I am still fat from Lila after all this time, but that is all they are, excuses). I have NOT exercised, and if I did, it was intermittent and painful, so it didn't last long.

Now, let me preface my "moment" by also adding that, as a result of not working out for so long, it has taken my joints and limbs some time to get their rhythm and alignment back into a some-what normal place. I didn't realize how off my basic balance even was until I started doing this.

So, my break-through moment. I was on the treadmill and instead of painstakingly counting down the minutes, I had been going for twice the amount of time I had FINISHED at when I first started, and I was having fun. Legit fun. Not like, "Wow, I sure feel good after I work out." I mean during. I was laughing at my husband, joking and being silly with him(Ok, mostly AT him, because he was being a grouch), singing, and gasping for breath as a result, while sweat dripped off my red-hot face.... and I was freaking digging it. I decided to go for as long as I could today, instead of holding myself back with a set time and I went for twice as long as I have in the past decade (I don't count my cheerleading era as part of "ever", otherwise, I will probably never get back in "the best shape of my life").

So, things are going pretty well. The exercise is a great aspect and one which I now am proud to say I look forward to (who the fuck IS this person saying this???) and I am sticking to my diet (strict calorie counting) and seeing the pounds drop away (of course it is WAY slower than I'd like to see because there is SO MUCH to lose, but it is what it is. I'll get there.

And as far as mentally, this is a good step for me, because I have to admit, I've been going through a weird place. Today especially. In fact, if we are being perfectly honest (and for the sake of argument, let's say we all are), today was freaking tough. Those days were the rational part of your brain is nowhere to be found and you find yourself drowning in some silent sorrow only you know about. It sucks. And it is so isolating. But I think I've worked out what I had going on (as well as I can in a day... Rome and all that), and I can breathe a little easier without feeling quite so crushed. So, one day at a time is my current motto, and it is going great, if I do say so myself.

Here's to self-discovery and being confident in the things I KNOW I am, while I find out what else is in there. :)

School starts again in a few days, and I will again being adding "student" to the following list, but I think I am prepared to rock this semester, and this year, and make some things happen (especially for ME).

I am a Mom, wife, lover, sister, friend, sole provider for my family, and overly rational realist, but I am always working on keeping that last part in check. :)

And Speaking of Bath Time...

It is an adventure every day. This is a pretty good day, actually. On bad days, even the ceiling gets wet.

Teeth.

Just a quick photo from today of these sweet kiddos brushing their teeth. After bath, this is their favorite activity of the day. Love them too much.

Almost.

So, we are nary a week away from classes beginning again. As I've probably mentioned to everyone for the 351st time, I am not thrilled about the prospect. But here we are. So, I have been trying to make the most of my time off. I have had a lot of kid time and that is fantastic. Also, because Jackson is not napping anymore, he and I have had a lot of quiet alone time and he is an excellent helper. We organized the office and read books, and watched shows and made food. It's great. Kaden was excited to have the opportunity to wear his jammies to school on Friday! Here he is, ready for the school day.

We also have gotten quite a bit of snow for good old Boise, combined with very low temperatures, which has been at least a change. I got to take Kaden to school on Thursday and Friday which was great for both of us. His conversations are hilarious and he just started my days off so well. Friday was way more sketchy than Thursday, but we all made it fine, so that's what matters.

This weekend we had not one but TWO evenings of snack dinner and movie night. The kids are my freaking clones so they love it as much as I do. Stu thinks we're all crazy and participates because it makes the rest of us so gleeful. Otherwise we got quite a bit done this weekend, but are also trying to remember to enjoy the relative peace as well.

Here are some shots of the snow in the back yard.

And, a very happy birthday to my baby brother, who turns 19 today, while at Tech School. :) I love you Hayd!

Sleepy Jack-Jack.

He was sound asleep like this.

Dancing Queens.

Jackson and Lila were singing and dancing in the kitchen and then decided to dance with each other! I had to share the adorableness. :)

Pool Table Lila.

Stu heard Lila whining and he tried to find her, but when he got closer to where her voice was coming from, she was nowhere to be found. Finally, he figured out she had climbed up and inside of the pool table's leg and couldn't get herself out.

Weather.

So between last night and this morning we got a pretty decent amount of snow. But what really made things sketchy was the rain prior to the cold and snow, which created a nice little layer of black ice that was then covered by a dumping of snow. It totally reminded me of Coeur d’Alene’s ice storm ’96. So, while getting ready for work this morning I start to see the school closures coming in. Low and behold, ALL of the school districts in the valley were closed… just not Emmett and Kuna, which is where Kaden’s school is. Because they are a private school, they can choose to be open or closed, depending on what they feel is safe, but they decided to defer to the Kuna School District’s advice and stay open. Ugh. So we decided to have me take Kaden, both so Stu didn’t have to wake Lila up and take all the kids through a blizzard to get to school, and because my car handles amazingly in snow.

Kaden and I had no problems whatsoever, but we saw plenty of people who did. I think I saw more cops driving around than any other cars, which was nice. And also, because of the other school closures, there were almost no other cars on the road on the way there. What made driving bad, though, was the wind. It kept drifting on the already-plowed Meridian Road, so you would be going along, no problem, at like 45 mph and then suddenly hit a berm of snow that was 4 inches deep with no warning. BUT, we got there as soon as Miss Sara came outside to have the kids come in, so I was pretty impressed with us.

Kaden is a freaking riot and I wish I could take him to school every day. He asked so many logical, smart questions (like why having a heavier vehicle is actually safer than a smaller car, even though smaller things ought to stop easier than heavier things) and he is so intuitive. We discussed why watch a giant truck pass a tiny car on the right should was a terrible plan, and why we were giving ample “stopping distance” (and what that meant) between us and the car in front of us. He made the drive seem like minutes (and the counter drive all the way to work feel much longer in comparison) and I was in happy spirits despite the weather, when I dropped him off. I love my little guy. 

Shots.

I think everyone needs to give my husband a huge round of applause. While I spent my day locked (ok, not “locked”… but held against my will) in a meeting at the State Department, my husband took ALL THREE KIDS by himself…. To get SHOTS! What a freaking champ! It is something I would even be freaked out to tackle alone, but when I got home, he said it went fine… everyone cried, but he handled it like the awesome dude he is. J I’m pretty lucky our kids get to have their Dad at home with them and they are not being raised in daycare. As much as I hate missing the time with them, it makes me feel so much better that they have him. 

Snow.

Here's the thing about winter: I have HATED it since I learned to drive. Well, ok, that's not true. I have hated it since I got my Prius... or, probably before that... since I have to commute in it. I HATE driving with other fucktards on the road. NO ONE in Boise is capable of driving properly in the snow and it drives me crazy. In CDA it would snow a foot and everyone would take to the streets with no problems. When I learned to drive, my Dad took me to several abandoned parking lots and had me purposefully make the car misbehave so I could feel what to do when it happened to me in the streets so I would be a safe driver. Apparently that lesson is lost on Boiseans. As a result, since I moved here, I have dreaded the white stuff because I no longer participate in any snow sports since I had kids, and for now, I always only have to drive in it. And that sucks.

Then I got my CRV. And I have been returned to a snow lover. I ABSOLUTELY love my car. It handles amazingly and I could literally not be any happier about it. It's a nice change and I am going to enjoy it. :)

Not a lot to report.

So I will just post a pic for today's post. This basically David and I every Monday. :)

Lazy Sunday.

Today we did literally nothing. And it was everything I thought it could be. After a busy Saturday and knowing school is going to be starting again soon and we will be back to our busy lives, we decided to enjoy the time and do. nothing.

I actually kind of felt a little ill, so my doing nothing was more because I felt like crap than intent, but it still worked out. I read almost all day, played with the kids. Only changed out of jammies so that I could shower and then put on new jammies. Lovely. Two more weeks before school starts and I am not even close to looking forward to it. Ugh.

Pojo's

Today we took the kids to PoJo’s, which is a fun little arcade place here in town. It’s fairly cheap for the tokens and the kids had a great time. Mo is right though, I need to start bringing my camera with me places because the ones my phone takes are just awful. Still, the kids all had a fantastic time and there were a lot of laughs for everyone. Even Lila is finally big enough to actually have fun at places like this, and while I still mourn the loss of the “baby” stage of my babes, I am also looking forward to the new world of opportunities our family is going to have now that the kids are “bigger” and can actually be a different kind of fun (think road trips and camping! Woot woot!)

So here are some pics from our day. Enjoy my gleeful little midgets! J

Happy Anniversary!

Today Stu and I have been married for five years. It seems so long and so short at the same time. We have done SO MUCH in the time we have been together and it is so fun to look and think back at memories and the places we have been and the things we've accomplished in that amount of time. I posted this on Facebook, but I wanted to share it here as well. I made a little collage for Stuie. :)

I love you baby! Happy Anniversary!

~ Sydney ~

Anniversary Dinner.

My husband is so sweet. He surprised me tonight by making a several-course, homemade dinner for me to celebrate our anniversary which is tomorrow. But here’s the thing, he’s WAY more romantic than I could ever hope to be. He thinks of things I don’t consider and is so much better at it than me.

So, with that in mind, he set out to recreate a favorite memory of mine: my best meal ever. When we went to Rome, Italy, we were treated to a little off-the-beaten-path restaurant where I had a mushroom-cream pasta dish that was literally the best thing I’ve ever eaten, since before then and to this day. So freaking good. So Stu decided to recreate that. He found a recipe and then altered it to the best of his memory and it was so close! Of course no one can compare to fresh, homemade pasta and the freshest ingredients straight from the fields, but he came damn close! :) He also improved bruschetta by grilling slices of baguette and then adding scallions and bacon to the tomatoes and basil. Holy. Yum. He also was so thoughtful as to choose a Chianti for the dinner like we had over there and then a Moscato for the dessert course. He is great. And it was a lovely meal. Even Kaden was thrilled with it and he despises mushrooms as a rule.

Great effort though, and I absolutely appreciate him taking the time to do it for me. Sweet boy. 

Me in Rome, with the amazing meal, 2009.

And Stu's recreation. :) 

Back to Work.

It was SO NICE being off work for eleven days! Not that I don’t want to be at work, but it was so great having so much time with my kids every day and getting to do some things I’d been wanting to accomplish for a while now. It was just nice to not feel so much pressure and be so scheduled. I was SO BUSY today though. It was nice because it made the day fly by, but my goodness it was a ton of stuff to catch up on. 

I still have a few more weeks off school, which is awesome. I am hoping this coming semester goes better than last. I got good grades and all, it was just brutal. I didn’t like my classes very well and therefore was NOT interested in doing the readings or studying for the classes. Hopefully this coming semester I can be more motivated and not dread going to class every night.  

Me.

So it’s Resolutiony time again. I’m not huge on making them, but I get that it’s a good time to reevaluate what’s going on in your life and see if there are positive changes you can make. And I have decided to make some.

So, as everyone can tell, I’ve got some weight to lose. Sure. But that is only a small part of the changes I want to see in myself. So I have decided to make this year a little more about ME in general. I tend to put myself dead last on my priorities list. This may seem like a good thing, but I have realized more and more that I am losing sight of who I am as a person, independent of all of the things and people that make me “me.” Therefore, my New Year’s Resolution is to make myself better. I want to focus more on my body, mind, and spirit and make sustainable changes. Taking better care of myself will only make me a better mother, wife, lover, student, colleague… and it is probably long overdue.

So, with that said, I DO want to lose weight like everyone else on the planet, but I also want so much more than that. Here’s hoping 2013 can be a great year.