A Place Called Home

Who am I going to be today?

2011-08-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

Every day I have this internal battle with myself, which ultimately comes down to: Who am I going to be today? Am I going to be the fun, outgoing, confident Jen or the insecure, sad, dramatic Jen?

The first Jen doesn't exist much these days. I hate that I tie my confidence and self worth to the way I look. I feel enormous, clumsy, unattractive, and uncomfortable. I don't know why I feel this way with this pregnancy. I didn't feel this way at all when I was pregnant with the twins, but I think thats because my personal feelings were overshadowed by my feelings of carrying those babies for the parents who were waiting for them. I felt stronger emotionally with that surrogate pregnancy, and I feel sad, weak, and pathetic with my own.

I hope to start feeling like the REAL me in 5-6 weeks once this little guy is born. I'm really miserable.

Making some progress

2011-08-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Well I have a few shows booked for Aug/Sept which makes me happy. I hope I can get at least one or two bookings from each show for October so I can pick back up once I'm healed from delivery. Still frustrated that some people just don't respond when you message them. Most people responded with yes, I'd love to but I'm busy right now but some people just ignored my message. Rude!

Anyways, I have a 3D/4D ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow. I can't wait to see what this little guy looks like! I suppose I'd find out for sure in 6-7 weeks anyways, but I'm somewhat impatient! ;)

I went to Zumba for the first time in months last night and it was tough! I think I did pretty good...I did every song except the one I missed when I had to leave and go pee in the middle of the hour. LOL! I thought I would be hurting today but I feel ok. Just general, full body discomfort which I attribute more towards being 8 months pregnant than going to Zumba last night.

I really can't wait to be done with this pregnancy! I can't wait to work out HARDCORE again and feel strong again. I miss my muscle tone, my smaller body, my energy level. And of course I can't wait to have Arin here in my arms! :)

Here's a picture from a few days ago. Its my 8 month belly pic:

Not too much longer!

I did it!

2011-08-01T10:08:00.001-07:00

I have completed my CNA course and clinicals, now I just have the state exam to take this Friday. I'm not worried about it too much because I did very well in the course. And then I will be a 'certified nursing assistant'!! Not sure when I will officially look for a job, but I do have contacts at the children's hospitals around here that might help me get my foot in the door.

I am also now a Lia Sophia advisor! I bit the bullet and signed up. I am excited and ready to get going but am experiencing some resistance from my friends when I ask for a couple of them to host a show to get me started. I don't understand why I am being met with this reception...I go out of my way to do things for others so I thought my 'friends' would be willing to help me start my business. The host isn't even required to buy anything, just get some friends together and let me present the gorgeous high quality jewelry! If I can't get a couple shows booked for August, then my business is doomed and dead before it even got started. Really hoping someone steps up, helps their friend, and gets me going.

Until then, I am going to work as hard as I can at this until the baby is born. I'm 8 months now...it feels weird to say "I am going to have a baby next month!" LOL. I want to get the ball rolling before baby comes so I can take a few weeks off after his birth, and then pick up strong when I'm ready to.

The kids are excited to start back to school next month, Ian in 2nd grade and Quinn in kindergarten. :) They have enjoyed a lazy summer, although it has either been super hot (too hot to play outside) or rainy so they haven't gotten much outside time. I've also been so busy that we haven't been able to go do many fun things. I hope I can make it up to them.

Well I will hopefully continue to blog my adventure into lia sophia jewelry. I love the products so much, and when you are passionate about something, you succeed in it! Ready to make things happen!

Making decisions scares me

2011-05-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to pursue a nursing degree for YEARS. If I had done it back when I first wanted to, I would probably have my master's degree and be a nurse anesthetist. I already had a couple years under me at the college I went to, and instead of transferring to the nursing school I decided to keep going with the program I was in. Which was a terrible idea because Music Business isn't such a booming industry these days.

So after all this time, and watching some of my friends living MY dream and becoming nurses, I have taken the first step and registered for a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) course this summer. This will be my first step, to get this certification, and then once I secure a job at a local hospital I can likely get tuition reimbursed for me to get a nursing degree. I already have a Bachelor's degree so hopefully I can skip a bunch of Gen-Ed courses. 2 year degree nurses make as much as 4 year degree nurses, so I am going to go with the Associate Nursing degree. Someday. For now, I'm going to just get through the CNA course this summer! (while pregnant!)

Also, I went to a Lia Sophia jewelry party recently and just fell in love with the products. I am seriously considering becoming a consultant for them. I have a very large network of friends and think I could make a decent income. And if I don't make much, it will still be super fun. I don't think NOW is the time for me to jump into it though...it might have to wait until the first of the year. I am very excited about it!

So, just a couple decisions I recently made, which scare me just to think about them. Its good for me to do things that scare me though, as I tend to let my life get into a rut sometimes. The timing is awkward since I am pregnant but I guess there's no time like the present!

Random Thought

2011-05-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish I had a sign on my body/clothing that says "I love and support the LBGT community!"

We were eating at Cici's Pizza the other evening, and there was a younger gay couple in the booth in front of ours. One of the young men went to refill his drink and was walking back to the booth and caught me looking at him. He smiled quickly and sat down, and then I felt awkward because he probably thought I was staring at him, judging him, when I was just thinking about how years from now, when the civil rights movement for the LBGT community is victorious and they have all the rights as the rest of us, I can be proud that I have been a supporter the WHOLE time.

One thing I am passionate about (besides helping others) is the gay rights movement. I don't really know many gay people, either. I'm not one of those people who has a close gay friend and entered the fight in their honor...I'm just a happily married heterosexual female who believes all adults should be able to marry the one they love.

I'm also a Christian who sins plenty myself, so if people want to say this will cost me my salvation, then at least I'll go out being true to myself and having love for my fellow person, and without hate in my heart. (which sounds like what we as Christians are supposed to do anyways)

Update

2011-05-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

I have not been a very good blogger, have I?

Well I am now 20 weeks pregnant with my THIRD son! Yep, that's right, another boy! I guess that's what we're good at. :) As I sit here typing, I feel him wiggling around in my belly and I can't wait to be able to hold him for the first time.

We had gotten rid of all of our baby stuff, so I bought a new travel system that includes a stroller and infant car seat. Now I need one of those pack-n-play things with a built in bassinet for the first few months when he'll be rooming in with Chris and I. And then when its crib time, I don't even know where we are going to put him since my sister is still living with us and has our 4th bedroom. We finished our basement this winter and there's a bedroom down there, but Chris is using it as his office....plus I don't want to move any of my kids down there until they are older. And my sister can't use the new bedroom because she has cats in her room that have destroyed the carpet under the door. There's NO WAY they are allowed to be downstairs in the basement on the new carpet. So, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I've got a decent amount of cute newborn boy clothes. The Gymboree I used to work at had an after hours "shop the stockroom" sale and I got some great deals on things for this upcoming fall. Plus some of my coworkers have bought me some little onesies and outfits here and there. We'll be well prepared once he arrives, I'm sure. :)

Here we go again!

2011-01-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

Chris and I are expecting baby #3! My due date is September 30th. We had only been trying for one month, so we were incredibly surprised that it worked so quickly. We would love to have a little girl this time, but another boy would still be a blessing. We haven't told the boys yet. I think we'll wait a while and then I will try to come up with a fun, creative way to tell them. I will have to make sure that they understand that this time its OUR baby, and not somebody else's.

Chris and I have already decided on a girl name...LOL. Of course, we won't be telling anyone until the baby is born. And by then we may change our minds anyways. And if its another boy, we will need a name that goes well with Ian and Quinn.

I don't know when I will have my first doctor's appointment. They usually don't want to see you until you are 8 or so weeks along. That is a long time away considering I am only 3w3d. I got my first positive test only 6DPO, a darker one on 7DPO, and a very obvious digital "Pregnant" on 8DPO. I don't think Chris really believed it until he saw the digital test results. But now he's happy and excited. We are going to have to buy all new baby stuff since we got rid of everything previously. We thought we were done with 2 kids so we got rid of everything. We are starting over, no matter if this baby is a girl or a boy. Baby shopping is fun though and I cant wait!

I'm alive!

2010-05-20T13:01:00.001-07:00

Yes! I am still alive. I've been so busy that carving out some time to blog just hasn't been possible.

I'm working 2 part time jobs, at Life Time Fitness and at Gymboree. So when I'm not working, I am working out or running my kids to and from school and/or sports. With the summer approaching, I am going to have more time to relax and perhaps blog. ;) Unless the warm sunshine just keeps me outdoors all summer, which would be fine by me!

I haven't been running at all this year. I've been doing a lot of kickboxing and dance classes at the gym though. I bought some cute new running gear and hope to get out there one day soon and get a good run in. The weather is getting pretty warm here, too...I don't want to run in 80+ degree weather, which is what we have right now! I am hoping to run the Life Time Fitness Torchlight 5K again like I did last year. It was my first organized race and was so much fun.

Lots of stuff has been going on. Chris and I are doing fantastic as always. The boys are growing like weeds and both are doing well in school. Ian has been on the Lakeville track team, and is AWESOME at hurdles. I'm thinking its because his legs are so long compared to the other, normal sized kids on the teams. He's not very fast at running the 50, 100, or 200 though, but he doesn't finish in last place at least. His last track meet is tomorrow night and I hope he wins the hurdles again like last week. The school year is almost over for both of them. Quinn's last day of 3yo preschool is next Thursday. Ian's last day of Kindergarten is sometime in early-mid June. I can't believe it.

Chris has finally received a decent raise at work, as well as partial ownership in the company starting at the beginning of 2011. He has worked SO hard for this. He was going to resign there and work for another company, but his current job really stepped up and made him feel appreciated. So he's staying and we're all happy. He gets to keep the flexibility he has now, and make some extra money which is always nice.

We have started construction on our basement. It was completely unfinished, but a guy from our church does construction and he started on it 2 Mondays ago. It's really coming along nicely. Its a BIG space so it will take a while to finish, especially since he's only one guy, but he's giving us a good price and we're letting him have creative freedom which makes him happy. I can't wait to get ALL the toys out from this level of the house and down into the basement. "Bye kids...go downstairs and play!" LOL

A cat had kittens under one of our bushes recently and we were able to catch 3 of them. We have them upstairs in the bathroom with all the necessary kitty supplies. We are going to try to find them homes, but I think we might end up keeping one. I wouldn't be opposed to keeping all 3, but Chris is kinda anti-pet so I think if he lets me keep one I will be happy. He's getting attached to them too, I can tell. ;) I wish I could catch the other 2 kittens. I worry about them out there. I don't want them to get run over or eaten or starve to death. The mama cat is fast and runs away so we can't catch her. I'd like to take her in too so she can be with her babies, but I haven't seen her or the other 2 kittens in a few days. :(

Well, thats all for now. I need to go collect my kiddos from their schools, then go to work at Gymboree.

It felt good to blog again. I look forward to doing this again! :)

Frustrated

2009-10-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

I have always felt that I was destined to do something big or be someone important. I want to make a difference in peoples' lives.

Lately, the feeling that I need to do something NOW has settled over me like a ton of bricks. I always have that feeling that you get in your chest the split second you realize you forgot to do something important and need to jump up right away and do it. And let me tell you, its not a relaxing feeling at all. I'm on edge and anxious, and I have no idea how to stop this.

I know I need to be doing something. But what? I've always said that I would go back to work full time once my kids were both in school full time, but that wont be until Quinn's in 1st grade. And even then, what will I do? I could go back to my old job, but it wont fulfill me. I didn't help people. I was just another voice on the other end of the phone, ordering appraisals on foreclosed properties.

I should have gone to nursing school when I had the chance. If I could go back in time and change any one thing about my life, I would get a degree in nursing instead of a music business degree that I will never do anything with. I cant even go to nursing school at this time because of the student loans we're still paying for my first degree, plus the fact that clinicals are all day long and I'm the one who takes the kids to and from school (the bus doesnt pick up where we live).

So here I am, chasing something unknown. Its dangling in front of me and I'm running as hard as I can on that treadmill. Getting nowhere.

I want to help people. I want a job...no, a career...that I can feel good about. I want to make a difference in peoples' lives. I want to give love and compassion and support. I just want to give, even though I have nothing tangible to give.

Chris says I am ignoring my calling. But I dont know what to do or how to do it. But I do know I will never ever feel fulfilled until I figure it out.

New season, new look

2009-09-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to do something different with my hair. I tend to go darker in the fall anyways but I wanted something a little funky. So I got it dyed super dark brown with light blonde streaks. It turned out SO CUTE. I have gotten so many compliments on it! I straightened it so the streaks show up better. I wish I had a more clear shot of it though. Here's my new do:

Nothing new around here besides the boys starting school. We have Ian's kindergarten orientation and Quinn's preschool orientation tomorrow. And then Chris leaves for Tampa for 5 days on Wednesday. He wont even be here for Ian's first day of school. =(

I am looking forward to fall now. I was super sad that the summer was coming to an end, but I have come to terms with it (lol) and am now looking forward to all that fall has to offer. Apple orchard, pumpkins, the smell of the fireplace burning, crisp fall air, jackets, leaves, etc. Its what comes after fall that I really cant stand. So not ready for the white stuff yet! I also dont want to lose my tan. Waaaah. This summer has been amazing though. We had some good times and lots of family fun.

In October we will be going to Ohio to visit some relatives. Chris' grandfather isn't doing very well and they are thinking he doesn't have much longer. I'm so sad about this....Chris' grandparents are the closest thing to grandparents that I've ever had. They are my grandparents too. They are such sweet, wonderful people. We are going the weekend the kids are on Fall Break, which also happens to be Grandma & Grandpa's anniversary. It's going to be a tough trip for all of us. Chris' Dad is flying us all there so we dont have to waste all that time driving for such a short trip. *sigh*

I am officially at my pre-pregnancy weight of 155, although after yesterday & today's awesome meals I probably gained a pound or two back. That's nothing a few days at the gym & sticking to my WW points can't fix. 15 pounds until goal! =)

Well thats all for now. I'll be back when I have something more interesting to talk about. =)

Tiger Tracks 5K at the MN Zoo

2009-08-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

I ran in a 5K this morning at the zoo. It was a chilly morning and I had to get up super early to be able to eat breakfast before heading out to the zoo. I've also been recovering from being sick. So I wasn't expecting a great experience!

The race felt tough, probably because my throat and chest were still all congested and grody. Also because there were several areas of incline throughout the trail. Half of the trail snaked through the zoo, which was awesome. When we ran by the Grizzly Bear exhibit, a huge bear was standing up against the glass (on his hind legs) watching us run by. Someone joked that he must have thought we were 'fast food'. And then when we ran through the new Africa exhibit, the Zebras and Antelope took off running along side us. It was AWESOME!

I did pretty well, even though I had to slow to a walk for about a minute once I hit the 2 mile marker. My lungs felt like they were going to burst and my mouth was super dry. But then I picked it back up, and finished #298 out of #566 with a time of 32:07. When we went to grab some water & snacks my lungs were burning. It took a while for me to feel normal again. But overall it was a wonderful experience. Ian decided he is going to run the kids 1/2 mile next year. :)

Here are a few pictures:

Our last summer hurrah

2009-08-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well summer is winding down, which can be evidenced by the temps here in MN. Today will be up to 79 and sunny, so we will go swimming. The next 10 days will be upper 60's and low 70's. Just in time for school to start!

I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be for both my babies to be in school. Luckily they will be in school at the same time (afternoons) so I will have a couple hours to myself. Not sure what I'll do, but I'm sure I will figure something out.

It doesn't look like we will be going to Memphis in September after all since the kids have school. Maybe we will go in October when they are on fall break. I don't know how I just 'forgot' that from now on we have school schedules to work around. No more up and leaving on a vacation whenever we want.

I ordered the kids' Halloween costumes!! Ian is going to be Luigi and Quinn is going to be Mario. I got them last week but Ian's was too small so I had to send it back for a bigger one. But they are going to be SO CUTE! And I may not even need a new costume this year...I still have my Princess Peach costume from a few years ago. Maybe Chris could be Toad. haha

I have a few races coming up. I am running the Tiger Tracks 5K at the zoo this Saturday, then another 5K at the Renaissance Festival in September, and then a 10K in October. Hopefully I will be ready for it by then. I am up to running 4 miles now and will work on making it to 5 throughout September, and then hopefully be up to 6.5 by October 24th! I'm not racing to win because as far as running goes I am super slow. I chalk it up to having very short legs and sometimes being clumsy. I trip over my own feet sometimes, so running any faster than I do now just screams 'disaster!' I usually run 3 miles in 32 minutes...so about a 10.40 mile. I would love to get my 3 miles under 30 minutes but I really have a hard time keeping speed. Ah well...for me the speed doesn't really matter...its just getting it done that matters. :)

I am down to 155 and feeling wonderful! I am starting to feel like myself again. I am horribly self-conscious of my appearance so I can tell that the smaller I get, and more toned I get, the better my mood is and the better I feel about myself. I'm still doing my Weight Watchers plan and exercising as much as I can get my butt to the gym! Its going well and I am very happy. I've just got to get into shape for next summer so I can wear a bikini in Fiji. I've mentioned to Chris more than once about trying for another baby next fall (after our big trip!) and I think its making him nervous. The freedom we have right now with both boys being so independant (and potty trained!) is wonderful and we're both scared about starting over with a newborn. But I just cant explain it...I all of the sudden just want to have more kids. 2 more, probably. What is wrong with me!? This isn't like me! I've always been so certain I only wanted 2. I think my priorities are changing the older I get. I dont really care much for going out and stuff anymore. I just want to be a mom. And I REALLY want to have a house full of kids...laughter, love, and lots of noise! Chris wants me to do another surrogacy next fall...to give us some time to really be sure if we want more kids, I think. I do like that idea, but I became so emotionally invested in Melissa & Brian and their girls that it just feels a little weird to consider doing it all again for someone else. I also feel like I am 4 for 3, as far as delivering 4 healthy babies so far in 3 healthy pregnancies... so I wonder if I really want to push it...to push my luck. Surely its almost 'my turn' for something bad to happen, statistically speaking. They say 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, so that scares me for the next time. My mom beat that statistic though...she had 4 pregnancies that resulted in 4 healthy kids...but some of her pregnancies were tough and troublesome.

*sigh*

I have plenty of time to make whatever decision I am going to make. If I do another surrogacy I will definitely do it before having another child of my own. That is, if I decide to be pregnant again at all. Getting back into shape after babies is hard! ;)

Ok so, enough about that. That was just me rambling about something that confuses the crap out of me right now. I have no idea what I want to do, or when I want to do it...if I even want to do anything. I think I should work on being a better Mom to the kids I do have before I think about having more.

Which means right now I need to go play Mario Party 8 with a certain 5 year old who is sitting here asking every 2 minutes "Are you done yet? Are you done typing?"

Mid-August already!?

2009-08-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Chantel! *wave*

Well it's already mid-August. It seems like summer has come and gone, with not much to show for it. I mean, I do have a nice tan as far as I'm concerned. We've spent lots of time at the pool at our gym. My boys have really picked up this swimming thing! I guess their lessons were money well spent. Ian just takes off on his own as soon as we get to the pool. Quinn likes to go under water (with goggles on) and jump off the edge into the deep water and swim back to the side. He can't swim as well as Ian yet, but he's doing pretty well for a 3 year old. He refuses to wear a life-jacket, which used to make me nervous...but it seems that he knows his limits. Plus I dont take my eyes off of him. Ian, on the other hand, disppears into the crowd to make new friends and go down the big waterslides. He comes to find me occasionally to check in and show me a new friend he made. I will be sad when the outdoor pool is closed, but at least the indoor pool has waterslides as well. But its much smaller. :(

My garden is growing like crazy! I've already made some decisions about next year. I am going to grow corn next year, and I am going to plant several bell pepper plants. I have 2 green bell pepper plants and I eat them so often that I'm having to wait a week in between harvests. I make fajitas with them, and also chop them up in my spaghetti sauce. I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with though. Roma, Big Boy, and Cherry. Now that they are turning red I can finally start making my own tomato sauce instead of using canned stuff. I LOVE having a garden! I cant wait to expand it next year. I am going to double the size of my garden...maybe even more.

My diet has been going well. I am into the 150's now. 158 to be exact! I have lost 7 pounds since starting WW last month. I hope to be down to 155 by the end of August. I've been sticking to my points pretty religiously, and getting in some good exercise a few times a week. I also just applied for a part time position at the gym, being a front desk person. Basically I would smile and greet everyone and scan their membership cards. Also answer questions about their accounts and stuff. I'm totally over qualified for it, since most people in this position are in high school. But once I get my foot in the door I intend on moving up and taking on more responsibility. So we'll see if they call me in for an interview. I'm just bored being at home all the time. I would only be able to work in the evenings & weekends, but they are 24 hours so that shouldn't be a big deal.

Next month we are driving down to Memphis for a couple days, then down to Madison MS for a few days to visit my Dad. Its a 13 hour drive to Memphis, then another 5 to Madison. Its a good thing we all love road trips! I cant wait. We will be staying with our friend Wayne. He just bought a big beautiful house so we are excited to see it. Looks like we will have to go the first week of September because BOTH BOYS START SCHOOL the 2nd week!!

Ian starts Kindergarten on Sept 9th and Quinn starts preschool on Sept 16th. I cant believe it. My babies are going to be in school! They will both love it...and they will learn a lot. They are both going to excellent schools as well so I know they will get a top notch education. I am excited to be in the PTO and volunteer at the Ian's school. I'm going to be a total soccer mom! :)

Well, I just wanted to update real quick while I had a few spare moments. Things have been busy around here! But I love it. :)

Who's out there?

2009-08-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

So, my readers, I see that my blog gets decent traffic. So come out and introduce yourselves! Be seen and heard! :)

I am enjoying a lovely Saturday evening with the hubs. The kids are in bed, we're watching a movie, and my good friend 'vodka' is joining us for the evening. Vodka and sugar free koolaid, to be precise. The Koolaid is free and vodka is 1 point per shot. I have plenty of points left for today. I wont spend them all on alcohol though. I have a tasty ice cream treat waiting for me in the freezer. ;)

Tomorrow we are all going to a friends' son's birthday party at Chuck E cheese. Hopefully I can stop at one greasy piece of pizza. Good thing they have a salad bar too! :)

Nothing much to report. My weight was up a pound, but I have stuck to my points religiously. I only used flex points once, and only used 16 total. So, I'm not too worried yet. I will be super happy to be back in the 150s though. Hopefully I will have good news for my next journal entry. :)

Hellooooo 160!

2009-07-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Down to 160! I am not going to weigh-in again until Friday. I would think I would be into the 150's by then. Even 159 would be amaaaaazing. :)

I'm so close to my pre-pregnancy weight of 155, but still have my pre-surrogacy goal of 140. Yes, I gained 15 pounds while cycling. The meds and injections made me eat all the time...LOL. I cant wait to wear my old clothes again! I have this one pair of brightly colored orange/yellow/red plaid shorts that are a size 8 and they are super short. They are my absolute favorite shorts and I desperately want to wear them this summer!! If I fit back into them I will post a picture of me wearing them. :)

I have a nice long run in my future today. I'm hoping I can really push myself and complete 3.5 or maybe even 4 miles. I have a lot of other things to do today as well so I had better wrap this up.

No more diapers!

2009-07-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

Quinn is officially potty trained!!! We started last Thursday (my birthday!) because we were down to 2 diapers and just wanted to jump right in. That day Quinn held his pee ALL DAY. That evening while I was in the kitchen, he snuck off where I couldn't see him and wet his pants. We put him in a pull-up that night, and he woke up dry the next morning. He wore undies all day Friday and went on the toilet several times. Went to bed in undies, woke up dry. Rinse and repeat. He has only had one accident in the past week! I havent had to clean up pee or wash pee-sheets at all! It's amaaaaazing. And I am SO happy. No more nasty diapers. Hallelujiah!

He had to be potty trained before he starts preschool in the fall. So now we're good to go. We can even take him out places and he tells us when he needs to go to the restroom. Ahh...this is the life!

In non-potty news, I am going to run the Tiger Tracks 5K at the MN zoo on Aug 29th. Half of the run snakes through the zoo. I think I'm hooked now. There's nothing like that feeling when you cross the finish line. It doesn't matter if you're not in the top 10/20/100 whatever...its just an amazing sense of accomplishment to FINISH it. I had a friend ask me if I was going to try to accomplish a 10K in the future and I just dont know about that. Maybe when the day comes when running 3.2 miles is easy for me, I will consider training for a 10K. But I seriously doubt I will ever go past that. A half-marathon or full marathon isn't in the cards for me...LOL. I was invited to run a half-marathon in Las Vegas this December as part of a fundraiser for the Chron's & Colitis foundation. But a half marathon is 13 something miles...and...uh, just no. I will stick with local 5K runs, thanks. I like the commemorative T-shirts too. My Torchlight T-shirt is really nice. :)

I did my WW weigh in this morning and I lost a pound. It's not much, but its better than nothing! And certainly better than gaining! If I can just break back into the 150's within the next few weeks I will be excited. I'm so close, I can taste it! I'm so proud of myself for actually being committed to this diet & exercise routine I'm on. My sister bought some Leann Chin chinese food last night and I resisted the temptation. I wouldn't even take a bite because I knew I would want more. So there's some progress! 24 pounds to go to get back to my surro-twins weight of 140. CAN.NOT.WAIT.

I did it!

2009-07-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

I ran my first 5K last night! It was a fun run, so they didn't rank anyone except the first few people or so. I ran the 5K (3.2 miles) in 31.33. Not awesome, but very good for me!! Chris & the boys and my sister Kalynn were there at the finish line waiting for me. Then we went to celebrate at my favorite place, Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge. I tried to behave and had a salad, but I think it was probably one of those salads thats not very good for you. It was a Greek Alta salad (mixed greens) and had a vinaigrette dressing, black olives, tomatoes, feta & mozzarella, and these crispy onion straws on top. Very yum! I also had one piece of supreme pizza. =x But I hadn't eaten that many of my Weight Watchers points yesterday so I only ended up using about 6 of my flex points. Not bad!

Yes, I have decided to do Weight Watchers, although unofficially. Everyone I know who has been serious about WW has done very well on the program. Along with that, I am running 3 miles a day on M,W,F and then doing Yoga on T,Th,Sat. I was doing a Dance Jam class on Sunday nights but I haven't been in a while. I just like to relax on Sundays so its hard for me to get out of the house for a 7:30pm class.

Anyways, here are some pictures from the 5K last night. It was the Life Time Fitness Torchlight 5K. Life Time Fitness is the gym we belong to. =)

July 1st

2009-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Happy July! This is myt birthday month, so naturally we celebrate the whole month. ;) I will be 28 this year and it doesn't really bother me at all. People get older, kids grow up, life changes. You can either spend all your time worrying about the inevitable or you can enjoy the life you have been given. I choose to enjoy it.

Well, both my babies will be in school this fall. Ian will be in kindergarten and Quinn will be in preschool. Both are only 2.5 hours a day, so we can all ease into the transition peacefully. Quinn has to be pottytrained by the time school starts, and he is so.not.interested. Cleaning up human waste (or any waste, for that matter) off the floor and out of underwear is NOT my idea of a fun time. Once his current pack of diapers runs out, he's going to have to start cooperating with the toilet. Anyways...

So this is the last summer of Ian's 'babyhood'. He will officially be a student...a school-aged child. This makes me a little sad, but mostly excited for him. He is going to love school. He is such a friendly guy, and he's soooo funny. He will probably end up being the class clown, so I guess I should expect conduct notices to be sent home.

My sister should be arriving into town this afternoon. Her and her boyfriend are driving from Washington. She will be staying with us for a month. I cant wait to see her. I've got to get the house cleaned up real good since she has never seen our new house. She will even have her own bedroom...no more sleeping on the futon like she did at our old house!

I am doing ok with losing the baby weight from the twins. I have gotten to this one point where my weight is just hovering at the same spot, no matter what I do. I've been running 3 miles, 3 times a week, and watching my diet. When I was out of town this past weekend (went to Mississippi to visit my Dad) I ate a lot of good food. So that was a minor setback. My body shape hasn't recovered yet though. My hips are still a bit wider than they should be and I have more smooshy belly fat. Ordinarily at this particular weight, I would wear one size smaller than I do now. So that's how I am gauging it. But I'm not too worried about it. The girls are 3 months old. I've got time to get back to normal! I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and the weight will come off, my body will tighten and strengthen. I'm at 164 and my first goal is 150. Then back to 140...which is where I am happy.

Speaking of the twins, they are doing fabulous! I haven't seen any new pictures in a while, but their dad says they haven't gotten them off the camera yet. I'm not surprised...they are admittedly bad about that! I bet they have changed so much! Their mama went back to work a couple weeks ago...I bet that is both hard and a welcome break for her! It still seems like my whole pregnancy and delivery of the girls was a dream. It happened so quickly, and it was wonderful...and then it was over. But being their surrogate was still the neatest thing I've ever done. :)

I must now take the boys to their swimming lessons. My little boys are turning into little fishies!

A quiz for Ian

2009-03-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

This little quiz has been going around the internet recently so I decided I would play along. These are questions that I asked Ian:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
To be good.

2. What makes mom happy?
When I'm nice to my brother.

3. What makes mom sad?
When I'm being bad.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Tickling my belly!

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Bigger. (lol)

6. How old is your mom?
2-7 (wow he got it right!)

7. How tall is your mom?
6-0-0 (uh...)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Sit down. (LOL)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Sit down and listen to music.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Being good. (but Ian, most famous people aren't good people!)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Pooping (eh?) I told him to be serious and he said "laughing"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
He cant answer this one. (good boy!)

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Helping people.

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Everything (Ok so he thinks I'm a cow)

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Being nice.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Little Bill (Very confused on the gender & skin color, apparently)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Play with games.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We're both silly.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Babies.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because she gives me kisses and hugs.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Because you always like daddy.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Chuck E Cheese's...can I have a cookie now?

New lens came today!

2009-03-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

These were all shot with my new 50mm f/1.8 lens. It does not autofocus on the D40 so obviously I need some practice getting the focus correct. These are the first shots with the new lens...I hope to improve!

Funny Face Day!

2009-03-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

While taking pictures of the boys, they both ended up giving me funny faces. So I ran with it. LOL

Pictures

2009-03-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

Ian, eating his lunch.

Quinn, sitting in timeout.

Photography

2009-03-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

So I've decided to change this blog from a neglected personal blog to a functional photography blog. I do not claim to be a photographer by any means. Just a mom with a nice camera who wants to learn how to take decent pictures of her kids.

Here is the equipment I have:

Nikon D40

18-55mm kit kens

55-200mm Nikkor zoom lens

50mm f/1.8 lens (hasn't arrived yet)

SB-400 Nikon speedlight

Wireless remote

Tripod

-Adobe Photoshop CS3

-Adobe Lightroom 2.1

I just got the speedlight in the mail today and have taken a few photos with it. Its amazing how much better the pictures look when the flash is bounced off of the ceiling instead of straight ahead.

Here are a few pictures of my boys from today. Keep in mind this is my first attempt!

Long time no post!

2008-03-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy getting settled into the new house, and constantly cleaning it. Thats one downside to a big house...lots of stuff to clean! I think I have some silly little laundry fetish now. I love doing laundry with my new washer & dryer...I could do laundry all day. Weirdo.

And the kids....well they are messy boys. There's always something to clean when they're around. I cant even send Ian out in the backyard anymore to play since we got around a foot of snow between Thursday night and Saturday. And its gotten a little colder. Once it warms back up to the lower 40's I will let him go back out and play. Right now our yard looks like a tundra again!

I'm impatiently waiting for warmer temps. I am going to plant a vegetable garden!! I'm so excited about this! I have already started growing some herbs indoors...cilantro, dill, basil, coriander, chives, marjoram, and a couple other things. I need to get some small pots ASAP so I can start my peppers and tomatoes indoors. The rest of my veggies can be directly sown into the ground. I have hot peppers, bell pepper variety mix, peas, lettuce mix, spinach, and tomatoes. I am going to do 'Square Foot Gardening' because it seems to be easy enough to start and maintain. I am a beginner so I hope it all goes well. I cant wait to have grown my own fresh veggies and herbs.

I am starting to get into reading again. I love reading but I always felt like I wouldnt have time to get any reading done. I've traded computer time for book time...which is definitely a worthwhile trade. I'm currently reading 'The Other Boleyn Girl' and I am halfway through it. I just couldn't put it down! It's such a good read. I cant wait to see the movie, now! My next book will be Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth". A totally different book from the one I am reading currently, but thats great. Any books you could recommend for me to read, just let me know and I will start stockpiling. Speaking of reading, I am going to do a little more of it until Quinn wakes up from his nap.

I hope to update again soon if anything happens that's worth mentioning. My surrogacy blog gets more updates than this one so read that one if you're update hungry. ;)

It's officially ours!

2008-02-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

I am a homeowner once again!

Our closing was scheduled at 9am yesterday. We got there and there were some delays on the seller's side (the bank). So 2 hours later we got everything signed and finalized. We were told to bring a certain amount in a cashier's check for our closing costs, but it ended up being much less! So we have enough left over to get a nice new washer & dryer set. We went to this place called Appliance Smart which is this place for slightly damaged (scratches or dents, mismatched pairs, etc) appliances of all kinds. We found a white Whirlpool Duet front loading washer & dryer set for $799. The only thing wrong with it is that there is a gray accent on each one, and the shade of gray is different on each one. Sso we're getting the set for the price of ONE of the units. Isn't that amazing!? The washer & dryer in the house now are very old and when you turn it on it smells like it's burning. I'd rather not take any chances washing or drying clothes in them.

We also want a new refrigerator. The one at the house is brand new and stainless steel, but its the kind with the freezer on top. We prefer side-by-side with the water & ice in the door. So we'll probably get a fridge from Appliance Smart as well once we find one we like that has the dimensions we need. We'll probably sell the one we have right now since its brand new. All the paperwork is inside and the shelves and everything are still wrapped in plastic. And there are ice cube trays...I dont think I could even remember to keep those things filled!

Our painter started painting yesterday morning. He's painting the whole interior. I think he will be done by Sunday...at least I hope so! We have our new furniture being delivered tomorrow. We bought a king sized bedroom suite, a Serta mattress set, and a formal dining set. We'll probabl start moving some stuff over there today. Chris wants to have everything moved out from the downstairs here and put into the basement at the new house. He's off work today so we can finish up our packing. :)

I may not have internet until Monday or Tuesday so I will be back with an update next week!

Getting a package tomorrow!

2008-02-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

Remember the bedding I posted a few entries back? Well I bought it! I had a 30% off Presiden't Day sale coupon for Kohl's so I ordered it. It will be here tomorrow. I cant wait! I hope its good quality. It's listed as luxury bedding so it should be nice. The set we have currently on our bed was expensive but we've had it for 5-6 years and it's still in excellent shape. Well, not the sheets. The sheets were replaced about 2 years into it and haven been replaced 2 other times since then. I must not wash them correctly because they wear out too fast. Ah well.

Next week we will go to Hom furniture and pick out a new bedroom suite. We're getting a king bed this time. I cant wait to be able to stretch out in the bed. ahhh!

They found a renter!

2008-02-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

Our landlord called this morning and said he has a renter who wants to move in on 3/15! So that means we only have to pay a half month for our last rent payment! :) Plus we will get our deposit back, including the pet deposit we paid but ended up finding the dog a new home. So that will help out when we get moved in and start to personalize the house.

He wants to have the townhome painted this Sunday, too! And speaking of painting, we're going to have our previous pastor paint the interior of our new house and he will probably go take a look this weekend and give us a quote. We told Chris' dad about that, and he said he'd pay for the paintjob! Our previous pastor is having a hard time making money since he left ministry and he has been a professional painter for years and years so everyone is trying to scrounge him up some painting jobs. Chris even suggested him to our landlord for painting the townhome this weekend. I hope it works out for him (Tom). He's such a nice guy and was a great, humble pastor. And we didnt know if we'd be able to afford having the new house painted before we moved in but since Chris' dad offered to pay for it, it looks like it will happen after all! We are really very blessed to have Chris' parents in our lives. Sometimes we dont all get along, but I'd say about 98% of the time we get along fantastically. :)

I love good news!

Dramaaaa!

2008-02-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

Too much house drama for me to handle! So we got the toilets installed at the house, then we had a plumber come out to check things out and turn the water on to the house. As soon as he turned it on, the meter outside cracked. Sigh. We didn't know how long it would take for the city to have a new one installed so we were afraid we wouldn't get to move on schedule. Well then we found out that someone with the city would meet the plumber at the house this morning and install the meter, check the pipes, etc. Chris met them there at 7:30 this morning and they are still there.

Apparently there are a couple cracked pipes. Chris thinks its not too bad because they were able to pump the air pressure through the pipes at 40psi (they typically use between 40-60psi) and they held up. But they will have to be fixed or replaced somehow. As of now those are the only pipe issues. We were afraid if it was too bad that we would have to pull out entirely and find a new house. And with a closing date 2 weeks from now, this is all last minute and scary. The brand new dishwasher is either bad or wasnt installed correctly. Hopefully its just the latter. It looks like we will need to buy a new water heater and water softener as well. One thing after another.

Some advice - never buy a foreclosure if you dont have gobs of money to put into it (even if its in GREAT shape there are issues somewhere that will be uncovered) and time and patience.

Chris just updated me that the pipes aren't cracked, just some 90 degree fittings. The plumber thinks there was a bad batch of them and he replaced them already. Whew. So thats one hurdle we've crossed.

Normally I would be anxious and really freaking out about all this but I've been trying to be positive and trust that God will get us through it no matter what happens.

I'm so ready for February to be over with.

Toilets? Check!

2008-02-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

We bought, and installed, 3 new toilets this weekend and went and installed them in the new house. Some time within the next few days we will go over and fix the water damage spot in the kitchen and replace the damaged segment of the fence in the backyard. That will be difficult considering how much snow is back there! Chris already had to scrape the driveway and walkway yesterday in below zero temperatures. Otherwise we couldn't have gotten the car into the garage. The toilets look great though. We'll have to have a plumber come out and turn the water on and check everything to make sure there are no more leaks.

I walked through the house yesterday with some paint samples. I love this one sunny yellow color but if I paint the kitchen yellow, the dining room, family room, and living room will have to be yellow as well and while *I* could handle that much bright color, I dont know if Chris or any visitors can. My backup safe color is a taupe color. Upstairs we will paint the master bed/bath a blue color. Once we buy the bedding for our new bed we will take a sham up to Home Depot and coordinate it with some paint and see what looks good with it. The boys' bathroom will be the sunny yellow color, for sure, and the guest bedroom will be a sage green to match the bedding we have right now which will be used in the guest room. Ian wants his room to be "Lightning McQueen Red" but I dont know about that! Quinn's room will probably either be the same color as whatever we paint Ian's room or it will be the yellow color. Too many decisions to make!

My Pampered Chef orders came in on Saturday and Chris helped me put everyone's orders together. I got so much nice stuff! I had to box it back up though since we're about to move. I cant wait to use it all.

I just waxed my upper lip and its stinging. =(

Cute boys

2008-02-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Come on 2/28!

2008-02-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

We got our official closing documents in the mail yesterday. We close on our new house at 9am on 2/28. We received a copy of our appraisal last week and the appraiser had included a section of things that need to be fixed before FHA will fund the loan. Well the trouble comes from the fact that we are buying a foreclosure so there is not an actual seller to fix these things before we move in. Our realtor is asking the bank to provide $1000 in concessions so we can get the things fixed before we move in.

All 3 toilets are busted due to the tanks freezing, then thawing. There is a little bit of water damage on the kitchen ceiling, underneath one of the bathrooms. It's really just a stain and not damage since it was a one time leakage issue and not continual water damage. Also, 2 of the electrical outlets upstairs do not work. The fence in the backyard is one of those cheap section by section fences, and one section is damaged and has 'nails protruding from the wood'. So we need that section replaced or repaired. Eventually we will get rid of the fence and install a privacy fence instead. This has to be done before our closing, so our realtor is sending a handyman out to do an estimate and see what it would cost, whether the bank awards us the concessions or not.

I'm really excited to move, but haven't been motivated to start packing. We've been going through stuff and getting rid of clutter, donating old clothes, selling some baby stuff we dont need anymore. We really need to get with it and start packing. The 28th will be here before we know it.

We also have our old pastor from church who will come by the new house and give us an estimate about painting the walls inside. They are all plain white and it's so boring. We may just have him paint the main level and we'll take care of the upstairs. Unless he gives us a really good deal, then we may have him do it all. Either way, the walls need to be painted before we move anything big into the house.

I cant wait to meet my neighbors! I hope they all have kids and they're all friendly. I hope they do some kind of neighborhood activities too. If not, I may have to take it upon myself to start something. Chris and I may start a neighborhood association website for the subdivision. We can list events, neighborhood news, classifieds (garage sales and fundraisers, etc) and a babysitting co-op. All kinds of ideas.

I cant wait to decorate! Come on February! Let's get this over with! (BTW - patience is not a strength of mine...)

House stuff

2008-01-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

I want this bedding set from Kohl's for the new bed we're going to get when we move. We will be buying a King Sized bed and putting our Queen in the guest room. I am in love with this bedding and the color scheme. So I am posting it here so that I can come back to it and buy it once I have the money. :) They have curtains that match and I want to get those too.

I like this lamp from Target.

Brrrr

2008-01-29T13:57:00.000-08:00

It is currently -6 without the windchill. My heater stopped working today. Nice, huh? The kids and I are in layers and we're still cold. Hopefully Chris can fix it when he gets home. Tonight is supposed to get down to -40 or so. They are cancelling school and college classes today and tomorrow because it will be dangerously cold. Lovely. Why do I live in Minnesota again?

I've been having a really bad day. I had some drama with a friend this morning but we've worked it out. Then on my message board 2 of my favorite moderators have stepped down. I'm taking it personally even though I probably shouldn't. I seem to have fallen into a pattern of having people leave me, which I guess is what I deserve for leaving everyone back in Memphis. First my sister, then almost a close friend, then 2 of my mods. Who next?

I'm on my period and it's been really tough on me this time. I rarely get PMS. Last night I felt so sad for no reason so I went and took a hot bath and listened to Sia's album 'Some People Have Real Problems'. I wanted to stay in the bath for hours. I got out and slathered myself with some yummy smelling lotion and I felt better. I've just been so sad. And it's hard for me to even admit that because I am always the happy, bubbly person. I hate PMS. I should be back to my normal self tomorrow.

I want to feel like myself again.

Pink Eye

2008-01-23T12:41:00.001-08:00

I get pink eye way more than the average person ever should. What is going on? Seriously?

I understand why I got it twice within a couple weeks time last year. The boys were in daycare and brought it home to me. But why now? Ian must have picked it up in Sunday School this past Sunday. His eye was red for a couple days and now its fine, but yesterday mine was all red and sore. So I figured it might have just been irritated, but when I woke up this morning it was obvious that it was pink eye. Again.

So I keep washing my hands and I'm trying not to rub my eye at all. I've been putting Visine in my eye which makes the red go away for a bit but my eye is still sore. It better go away ASAP. I'm going to have a house full of people this weekend! Ay!

Heath Ledger Dead

2008-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

So by now the world knows about Heath Ledger's untimely death. Ordinarily celebrities' deaths don't effect me much because I don't really know them, and usually because it has something to do with stupidity and drug overdoses. But with Heath, the circumstances surrounding his death are just incredibly sad. The autopsy this morning was inconclusive and it will be another 2 weeks for the toxicology report to come back.

They are reporting that:

He had pneumonia
He had just travelled in 3 different countries in the previous few days
He was terribly disturbed after delving deep into the role of the maniacal Joker in the new Batman movie
There was a bottle of prescription sleeping pills near his bed

He had done an interview recently where he said the role of the Joker had made him anxious and he wasn't getting more than 2 hours of sleep a night. He would take an Ambien and it wouldn't work so he'd take another one and it would knock him out for an hour. Then he would wake up having an anxiety attack.

I think I am so upset by his death because it was so accidental. He has a 2 year old daughter who will only ever know her Daddy through his movies. Other actors have nothing but the nicest things to say about him. He just seemed like an all around decent guy. And now he's gone in the blink of an eye.

As morbid as it sounds, I watched (live) on tmz.com last night as they wheeled his body out of his apartment. And I replayed it in my head last night when I was trying to sleep. It's just not fair. I hope his family can find some sort of peace with all of this.

Hello

2008-01-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well I have decided to start a new personal blog. I have a Livejournal that I have had since 2000 but I don't really post there anymore. Back when Livejournal was super popular all of my friends had one too, and it was fun to read each others' blogs and comment each other. These days I just want an outlet for my ramblings and I rather like the idea of basically being anonymous since only maybe 3 people who know me in real life would read this. So it's a fresh start and it feels good.

Instead of a big introduction I will just jump right into journaling.

Yesterday on the messageboard I run, there was some drama that broke out. Drama is nothing new to a messageboard with 2500+ hormonal women, but this drama involved a friend of mine so it was especially taxing. She was accused of something she didn't do, so I had to be shown proof, which was her PayPal records. She had no problem showing me, and everything added up and all was well. She was accused of scamming people because she did a donation drive for one member who was struggling to survive and had her newborn in the hospital with a heart condition and another child at home. She collected diapers, wipes, outfits, toys, bottles, formula, etc for this woman, and any cash donated was used for shipping everything to her plus one more big diapers & wipes purchase from Walmart. Well this woman decided that she was being scammed because she thought there was extra cash left over and she was entitled to it. Excuse me? My friend did this out of the kindness of her heart for this gal, and they were close friends too! So once I was able to clear her name I made the ungreatful one apologize publicly on the board. Sure it was a bit of public humiliation, but she was telling everyone that H had scammed them out of money so it was only fair for her to apologize publicly to clear H's name. So she did and the other members tore her a new one. Whew. It has tapered down today and I think everyone is moving on. Sometimes I just can't believe I got myself into the mess of being the Admin of such a big mommy board. It really is a lot of work. Even while I was working full time I would have to do stuff on the board during the day. Very time consuming. Every issue anyone ever has, they come to me. I have to mediate squabbles between members, research possible fraud and lies, organize events & exchanges, etc. I do have a fabulous team of moderators who help me tremendously though, although we all don't always get along. So that was what I was dealing with all day yesterday...oh the drama!

One good thing that came from the board yesterday was that someone mentioned something called a Tassimo. So I looked it up and it looks awesome! -click- It makes single cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, espresso, latte, and cappuccino. It is so amazingly convenient with making one cup at a time. I don't drink regular coffee but I do drink the flavored stuff. And we'd all drink the hot chocolate. Mmm. I want one of these so bad. I can't buy anything right now since we haven't closed on our house yet. I would love to have one for the new house though. There's a perfect spot for it in the kitchen.

My kids are in the playroom watching the movie Aladdin. I love Disney movies. I want to collect them all. My favorite one is Little Mermaid. The boys don't particularly like that one but they love Monsters Inc, Toy Story, and Lion King. We'll see if they like Aladdin or not. I really want to take Ian to see the new Veggie Tales movie: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. I think it looks cute. I would have to take him once Chris was home so he could watch our little one while I take Ian to the movie. I think we will try to do that this coming weekend. It will be fun to spend some mommy/son time with him.

Chris and Ian have had some kind of stomach big for 3 days now. It's horrible. They feel just fine and have no other symptoms besides nonstop diarrhea. I'm tired of poop around here! Poor Ian sometimes doesn't make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night so I wake up to a yucky bathroom. Both of them get up so much during the night to 'go' that its a wonder they get any sleep at all. Chris took yesterday off work hoping he would get better but he didn't. He's working today though. I hope nothing embarassing happens to him. All I let him and Ian eat yesterday was toast, bananas, and corn flakes. They say to go by the BRAT diet when you need to firm up stools...bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. So that's what they did but it hasn't worked yet. I hope it goes away quickly. My poor guys. Luckily the little one and myself have been spared.

I'm having a Pampered Chef party this Saturday here at my house. I attended a friend's party in November and had so much fun! So I booked a show. My friends are looking forward to it too. I love Pampered Chef products. Everything I have ever bought from them has been awesome. And because we're buying a house right now, I can only really buy stuff if I get a lot free or discounted. But my friends know there's no pressure to buy stuff. I just really want the Mandoline. :) It will be fun. We'll be making 'Chicken Fajita Pizza' which sounds heavenly!

Let's see, what else is new in my world. Well the house buying thing is coming along nicely. We tried to get the bank (seller) to pay for the home warranty but they refused, so our realtor bought it for us. She's great. She's actually Chris' boss' wife. So that part is taken care of. We've asked to have our closing date pushed back to 2/15 instead of 2/28 since it looks like we've got someone who wants to move into our townhome on March 1st. We're still waiting to hear back from the rental management company to let us know for sure. When the couple was looking at the place they absolutely loved it. The lady said "This is it! This feels like home to me." So that was encouraging! I just want to move into my new house ASAP and get settled in. I can't wait for my kids to finally have a yard to play in, with a nice swingset out back. This spring is going to be wonderful.

Speaking of spring...is it almost here yet? Gah! We've been fighting -24 windchills lately. We got some snow all day yesterday but it was only about half an inch. So it looks pretty but isn't enough to cause problems. I am not a cold weather girl at all. I'm from TN and miss it terribly. Well I miss the warmth but not the humidity, or the crime, or the poor schools, etc etc etc. There's so much to love about Minnesota but the winter is NOT one of them.

I sent in an application to put Ian in preschool today. This would be for the 2008-2009 school year. I can choose the 2 day a week option or the 3 day option. It's only $40 difference in monthly cost for the 3 day option. It's only 2.5 hours a day but I suppose that is all they really need at this age. Since his birthday is in December he can't start Kindergarten this year, so I wanted to put him in something to get him out of the house and socializing with other kids. He will love it. I think he's smart enough to start Kindergarten anyways, but the age restrictions are tough and there's no getting around it. It will be ok though.

Well I suppose that is enough for the first day. I didn't mean to write a novel. Since I am at home with the kids these days I don't have adults to interact with and talk to, and I'm terribly phone shy so I won't call anyone to chat, so this is what I'm going to do. I really need to work on my issues with the phone. I'm just irrationally afraid of talking on the phone. I dread any awkward silences or saying something stupid. Plus I never know when to end the conversation. I don't want to end it too soon in case the other person has more to talk about, but I don't want to keep it dragging out if the other person has nothing else to say. So I avoid it as much as possible. It's sad, I know. I'll work on that this year.

:)