Best Laid Plans

So this is the month where I typically begin working on Halloween and then Christmas stuff. this year is no exception, I have lots in the works, and hopefully I'll get better about posting my handiwork as I go along.

This week is going to be a rough one. Add the heat to the fact that I have to clean my house, organize my office and get my work in order before friday and you've got a recipe for a really frazzled lady, hopefully we'll keep cool and get it all done.

I've been teaching/guiding a production developed by the folks I work with and our big show is this Saturday and then I'll be going to the farm next weekend, so before I know it, the end of July will be knocking and then I've got to think about Pumpkin's birthday party this first weekend of August.

Pumpkin will be starting school at the end of the summer and I'm in a small amount of denial about it, if I don't think about it, it might not have to happen, right, right?

No?

Damn?


Well, more soon, including some cool family pics probably tomorrow if I get the CD from the photographer. 

Lookit the ears, ZOMG I wanna bite em.  

GAH!!! So cute!!!

Too Much attitude for 4

  

Duck Herding 101

I just read on a wonderful blog about a woman who suspects she has ADD, but has never been diagnosed. She talks about finding clean rooms and making a mess, planning to do one thing but being completely distracted and finding herself awake at 3 in the morning. (I think she might be my doppelganger)

She mentioned attempts to keep her ducks in a  row and that they keep running away, getting out of line and she has to chase them.

Seriously

She is me

I've been wanting to update/change my blog for awhile so I could get a little better feel for my life, because while losing is part of it, that's not the only reason I'm here.

So, I'm changing the name of the blog, and going to change up the design a bit. I'll still be here with stories about babies, crafts, food, workouts and losing a few pounds, but I think I want something a little brighter. Hope you all will like the changes and enjoy my blathering for awhile longer.

Ninja Family June 2012

More when I get them.

Gooo!

My littlest munch is 3 months old today. As often happens I'm considering a nickname change, something like Twitch or using Sunshine's old call sign, Booger, I call  him that a lot. Of course I also call him the boy, so maybe I'll start referring to him as the boy one. I've got the older one, the middle one and the boy one. I sort of like that.

Little dude talks all the time, babbling, cooing and goo-ing all over us and we love every minute of it. Amazing that he's been here for a quarter of a year already. It's hard to remember a time when he wasn't one of my kids, and at the same time it seems like the past three months have just flown by.

Provided it doesn't continue to rain I think I might go for a walk with the kiddos later, I think we can all use the movement, especially Sunshine who is having a tragic attack of, well, being 4. I don't remember being four but it must be difficult because she's having an awfully rough time of it. She is always hungry, ALWAYS, but she doesn't want to eat real food she wants junk. She's constantly telling me how tired her legs are and how much they hurt, but it's mysteriously after I've asked her to pick up her toys. She's crying all the time and having completely blown out of proportion reactions to things that shouldn't really give her pause, for instance a meltdown occurred the other day because Pumpkin didn't want to wear a red dress that Sunshine wanted her to wear. 

Like I said, it must be hard to be 4.

Geesh

Alright, so I've finished lots of crap and will only bore you with a few details.

My fellow bridesmaid and I accomplished a fairly good bachelorette party in spite of the fact that I was in misery after hour three because I had no way to pump and my breasts felt like someone was slowly filling them with pudding and them beating them with a bat. Also, Aimes was pretty pregnant and ended up going home a little earlier than the rest of the party. I worried that it was a bust, but the bride to be told me she had a good time, so I guess it was alright.

Then I had a week of crazy crap at work and thought my head might explode. I finished making the munches flower girl dresses and worked on some other projects and generally didn't get enough sleep or eat right for awhile.

Then last Saturday was the wedding, which went off without a hitch, and the munches behaved wonderfully during their walk up the aisle. Erin was waiting for them and basically saved us by agreeing to wrangle them for the service (PS: can I mention how much I love this lady) Then pictures happened and after about 2 hours Sunshine melted down and began crying out of hunger and exhaustion. She rallied and we had a good time for the rest of the afternoon. I gave a speech at the reception and was rather impressed with how well it came out, I was a little worried that I might cry or say something dumb, but I was both coherent and it was well received. Just before leaving the reception the DJ played "isn't she lovely" and Jeeves and I danced with the girls while Squirt got some last minute cuddles from another party goer.

Tuesday was my 8th wedding anniversary. My facebook post on that day just about sums up how I felt and how happy I am right now.
"Today is my eighth wedding anniversary. If you had told 17 year old Nellie with big city journalist notions that she'd be a happily married suburbanite with three kids, she'd have laughed at you. And yet, here I am. 


Michael: Thank you for making something I never considered into more than I could have ever dreamed of."

I thought it was rather inspired.

Anywhoo, I'm settling into 5 weeks of teaching Saturday classes, and enjoying the lack of frantic nonsense. Mutti and I have plans for garage sale-ing on Wednesday mornings and then heading into work afterward. I'm in the process of creating a crocheted/handmade line of photo prop gifts for new moms. I am converting things that would usually be used by a photographer into wearable art items that are both useful for photos and also practical enough to wear daily, sweaters, hats, booties and the like. I've partnered with my photographer and I'm letting her have several props in exchange for use of her images to sell my items. Seems like a fair trade to me. I love to crochet and if you'd like something made, send me an email, we can talk.

Oh, some pictures.

Post Mud Run

Me and the Munches at Planet Fun - I'm in the tube too!

Funny thing about plastic slides - static electricity

Strong Sunshine

Happy Squirt

Dirty Once Again

Saturday was the Muck Ruckus (which replaced the mud run) and I decided at the last minute to give my post baby body a break and do the 5k rather than 5 mile course. I don't regret that decision.

I had a partner this time around which made the event much more fun, and she's said that barring scheduling difficulties, she will be doing it again next year, (which made my day) and we've also both decided to do the 5 mile if it is an option next time.

The obstacles were safer, the route more scenic and event more appealing this year, in short I loved every minute of it. I only skipped one obstacle, and I failed one, but I at least attempted it, so I'm happy with that. My teammate is also interested in doing other events in the Saint Louis area, so I've found a running buddy, even if she is a way better runner than me, I better get my butt out there!

I'm also going to try again to have a bigger team next year, my little brother had to work last minute so could not be there and several others who sounded interested were unable to commit, I'm still hopeful about next year.

I came away from the Muck Ruckus with a few blisters and more than a few missing layers of skin in various places but most significantly on the middle finger of my right hand. My finger looks gross and I've been soaking it in peroxide about once a day to combat any weird noseeums I may have picked up in the trenches.

I've decided this event is going to kick off my summer of working out, getting out and toning my tush.

I'm going to level with you, Today I still weigh 185, and if I never lost another pound, I would not care. (truth) but I would like very much to tone up my tush, arms, back and tummy so weight loss is going to be a side effect of the efforts to accomplish that goal. So, back in saddle I go with walking, 30 day shred and hopefully some Zumba, Piyo and Drills thrown in for good measure. Operation Tone the Ninja is in effect as of today.

or maybe tomorrow, I'm still pretty sore

So Little To Do

and so much time to get it done.

wait, strike that, reverse it.

GAH! I am headed into the busiest period of my life. no foolin.

May12: Baby shower - make cake and presents happen
May 19: Muck Ruckus - pain, beer, mud and hamburgers
May 26: Bachelorette Party - being a bridesmaid has it's obligations
June 2: Wedding - I have no way to tabulate the amount of things I have left to do for this.
June 9- July 7: Teaching Saturday classes.
July 13-15: Farm weekend with Mutti, Felix and the rest of the family.
Two Week Break (But let's be honest, I'll find something I have to do)
Aug 3: Pumpkin's Birthday
Aug 10: Jeeves Birthday

Writing it out that way makes my brain hurt. Also, Pumpkin is going to start school in the fall, she is excited, I'm terrified. What if my happy quirky little girl gets hurt by some jerk kid and she stops being happy and becomes a withdrawn sad kid instead. I'm having premature mommy freak out.

This morning I avoided a breakfast sandwich and instead ate a cup of yogurt in my office for breakfast. I'm getting back to the habits that helped me lose before, things like portion control and saying no to junk. I had a realization, One doesn't become fat by eating three meals a day. You can certainly stay fat that way, depending on what you are choosing to eat, but if eating normal portions of most foods, and preparing meals that have nutritional value, one is not going to become super huge. It's the snacking and eating when you are not hungry, at least it is for me. I wanted chips last night, but chips are one of those trigger foods for me. As soon as I start eating them I develop gustatory amnesia, My stomach forgets that it has eaten and I begin a campaign to fill a void that isn't there. I feel hungry, but how could I be. I've inhaled more calories than bear preparing for hibernation.

I didn't eat after 8pm last night, dinner was late because lunch had been late. I didn't get to bed until after 1pm (Squirt was having a rough time) so I didn't eat for 5 hours before getting to bed, I think I remember reading somewhere that not eating before going to sleep is important. Sleeping is important, water is important, moving is important, food choice is important and when you achieve balance with all of those things, you start losing weight, I'm on the road to balance.

Random Fact: When a protein bar label says "crunchy," is it almost always a lie.