7/23/2014

Running Toward Toddler

Sidebar: Did you ever have a blog post idea that seemed super profound and like it would be a work of literary awesome only to then fall back asleep and completely forget what the topic was, but remember how epic it would have been? No? me neither (cursing quietly)

My little dude is nearly ten months old. He is a grinning, soggy, smiling little butter ball. He loves it when I sing and dance with him. He wants to have bites of whatever I am eating. He believes that my actual full time job is to hold him whenever we are in the same room. He learned how to do kisses this week.

And he is walking.

let me just let that sink in.

My last baby, the one who will be "the baby" has decided that he is done with crawling and tries to walk everywhere. He looks like an orangutan, he walks with his arms in the air and he is really unsteady, but he's not even 10 months old yet. Dude, could you just calm down. I don't get to do this again. You are the last one! I need to saok up every bit of baby you have to give. My mommy heart can't handle your headlong rush toward toddler-hood.

7/10/2014

Hindsight being 20/20 and all...

In recent months I have had some time to reflect honestly about my previous job. I thought, at the time, that I was doing okay and just a little behind. But here's the thing.

That's not accurate.

I was not good at the parts of that job that were important. It was a never ending list of long term projects. I have ADD and I am not good with long term, do when you have time, but make sure it's done by this date projects. Give me a thing to do right now, I'm brilliant.

I was not brilliant.

I was behind, and scatter brained, and terrible.

And then I was depressed.

Really, actually, painfully; probably clinically, depressed. and I didn't realize it. Between the birth of my older son, and the day I was fired from my job, I sank deeper and deeper. I got to the point where doing anything was exhausting. I didn't want to leave the house. I didn't want to do anything, cook, talk to my kids....

I feel the difference now, in a way that I don't believe I could have if I had recognized it and made the choice to get medication. I feel the lightness and the certainty that I have not over looked something that is going to end my livelihood.

I don't have much more to add on that, but introspection is interesting.

And here are some babies



7/08/2014

The Schedule Myth

So Jeeves and I have been trying for the last two years to discover the perfect set of actions that would make up, "our schedule" a thing that would allow everyone to sleep and no one to miss activities and babysitting to be obtained when it was needed. The problem with this is... Jeeves. He is a midnight supervisor and has a very flexible schedule on top of needing to attend daytime meetings, be a part of the family and have time to do his own thing.

It turns out that there is never going to be a time in our lives when things just "work" He is always going to have church elder meetings, training, meetings and daytime crap to do.  I am always going to have girl scouts, outings with the kids, happy hour with work and grocery shopping. We are, in reality, going to be scrambling for childcare for at least the next 5 years at which point Pumpkin will be old enough to assist with managing her siblings for short periods of time.

There is a freedom and calm in recognizing this. I don't feel failure when I can't get a thing done in time, I have let go of the idea that we can have a schedule because every. single. week. something causes that to go down to the tube. I get to the end of the week without having kept to "the schedule" and feel like I've done someone some huge disservice. Turns out that disservice is expecting to fit our lives into a rigid structure.

Well, no more. I am embracing the chaos. I love my home and my babies and I am going to live in the crazy for the next little while. As long as everyone is fed, clean and gets to school on time, i'm being successful at this mommy business.  When it works, great; when it doesn't, oh well.

Last night all the kids ate dinner before 8pm, everyone slept in their own bed, and I didn't shovel chocolate into my face before collapsing into my nightly 5 hour coma. I am winning,

Also: I went grocery shopping last night and am now armed to take on the week and try to lose a few pounds. I am buying a scale on august 1st and going to try to make the first weigh in be a pleasant surprise. I digging in and making big food changes that are smart and sustainable. I'm NOT on a diet, I'm changing my life again. and this time I'm taking the whole family with me.

Dinner last night was sloppy Joe's made with grounf turkey and liberally laced with pureed broccoli. Everyone loved them.

Tonight, crock pot orange chicken with a mix of brown rice and steamed cauliflower rice. bring on the fiber.

7/07/2014

Who is this guy?

Jeeves has finally decided to get on the living better through eating better train along with me.

Our children are doomed.
bwahahahahahahahaha

Ahem.

So I am shopping tonight, filling my fridge with frozen veggies, lean proteins, and good carbs and fats. I'm cooking large amounts to have healthy microwavable leftovers. He's asked me not to buy soda and he has agreed to run a 5K with me in October.

no really, he has.

and since it is a Halloween themed run, he is going to wear a costume.

I swear he said he would.

So on October 12th, Jeeves and I are going to dress up like Anna and Kristoff and run a 5K together. We most likely we are going to jog, but still.

I have agreed to do one 5K every month for the next foreseeable future and have harangued one of my best friends into doing it with me. I have done this, not because I hate myself, but because I desire a smaller waist line and a more pleasing silhouette. Knowing that you have paid hard earned money to hoof your butt down the road and get a t-shirt makes you re-consider eating 3 donuts.

Along that same line, we have begun sleep training with both of the boys and soon I will have my bedroom all to myself.
what?
What?

That's right, Doodle is now only fighting with token resistance to bed time and Jammer has started sleeping a least the majority of the night in his pack and play. Until they are both in a good routine I am keeping them separate so they don't wake one another up. This ties in with a healthier lifestyle for me because 75% of my overeating happens when I am too tired to make it through the day and I reach for high sugar, short term energy boosters, like Twizzlers.

I have other things in the works, more to come.

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