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Friday, February 27, 2009

So I Ran

In the last year and a half I have not done much exercise. Meaning none. I did do my prenatal yoga twice last year, but that's about it. Taking care of small children all day should count as some exercise though, right? I've even moved furniture around occasionally. But real, get your heart pumping and lungs working exercise has been mostly non-existent for the last 1.5 years. If you recall, I ran a 5k in September 2007. That was seriously the last real exercise I did. It got cold soon after the 5k and then I got pregnant and so I haven't been running since then.

The last week I've been feeling pretty down about my pudgy belly and just anxious to start running again, but the weather up until recently hasn't been good enough. This last week was wonderful though. I wanted to go out so bad, but usually by the time Hubby got home it was getting dark so I hadn't had a chance to enjoy the warmer weather.

Yesterday was a long day. I was feeling emotionally drained from worrying and crying about my friend, the kids were being naughty on top of the colds they had, Little D was especially fussy from being sick, and I was feeling very unattractive because my psoriasis has gotten so bad and I swear I've gotten more fat on my tummy this last week (no, it wouldn't have anything to do with the small pan of brownies I ate in 2 days lol). The weather was a little chilly and windy so I didn't think I'd go out running.

Soon after Hubby got home from work, though, I decided I needed to get out of the house and get my mind off everything. I handed him the baby, changed into exercise pants, slipped on my battered running shoes, stretched a few minutes, and headed out the door. I hadn't even gotten dinner started and it was already 6pm with the sun getting lower, but I just had to go.

I wasn't sure how far I'd go. Maybe just down to the light and back, or maybe I'd turn and go around a few blocks, I wasn't sure. I started off with a few minutes of walking, then I started my run. It felt good to get my muscles working. My right ankle was bugging me a little but after a few minutes I didn't notice it anymore. I got down to the street light (about 1/4 mile) and decided instead of just turning around I felt good and I'd go up a block and circle around. I made it another 1/4 mile before I started feeling winded, but pushed myself just a bit more. I ended up running about 3/4 mile before I had to stop.

My neck has been out for a while now and the running jostled my head more, causing me to get an awful headache, I almost fell over from the pain. Plus the cold was adding to the headache (when my ears get cold I get bad headaches, next time I'll wear a hat). So I walked the rest of the way home, another 1/4 mile. But if my head hadn't been hurting so much I'm sure I could have kept running the full mile.

I am very happy I was able to run so much since it's been so long. I still have a long way to go if I plan to run a 5k in June and 10k in September with Michelle, but it's a start. The weather today is too cold (snow again! grr) but hopefully we'll get some warmer days soon so I can get out more.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thankful Thursday

Today I am so thankful for my beautiful boys. I have been giving them hugs and kisses and telling them I love them all morning. I am so blessed to have 3 healthy, happy children.

This morning a friend of mine had a baby girl. She was only 19 weeks pregnant and her precious baby was born sleeping. I don't know why things like this happen, I don't know what God's plan is, and I can't even imagine my friend's pain right now. All I know is that I am grateful for the knowledge I have that she will see her baby again in Heaven.

So today I am grateful for my children. Thankful that I get to watch them grow and learn. Thankful for their slobbery kisses and sticky hugs. Thankful for their messes that mean they are healthy and active.

What are you thankful for today?

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tuesday To-Do

On my list today:

* Finish washing and putting away laundry
* Dishes
* Clean stove
* Sweep/mop kitchen
* Clean up family room
* Vacuum

I've already tackled the kitchen this morning. The floor needed mopped so bad, so I got that done and decided that cleaning the stove would be a good idea, the burners were caked with junk.

Little D is being a bit fussy and doesn't like to let me put him down. So I've had to work during his nap and then put him in the high chair with some toys so I could finish the dishes.

The weather is beautiful today, 60* and sunny, so the boys are out in the backyard playing. Nathan is napping and being good, so it's just me and Little D right now.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Monday Madness

My Hubby is awesome. He helped get the house clean this weekend, even tackling the playroom with the boys while I was gone for a few hours. If only the house could stay clean lol.

Today I need to do a bunch of laundry, including bedding. And I need to go clean up a cat food mess in the bathroom. Jakey loves dumping the cat food into the water dish, grr. And I think I will make some yummy brownies today too.

Little D should be waking up soon so I better get some laundry going while I can.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

It's the little things

My last post reminded me of something lol. Whenever we take our car in to get the oil changed and stuff at WalMart, they have the waiting room you can sit in. There a vending machine, TV, a bunch of chairs and not much room for a shopping cart full of kids and groceries. And of course there are a dozen car magazines. And maybe a Field & Stream mag. And as much as I love to read about car lifts and concept cars, it would be nice if there was something a woman would like to read. Men aren't the only ones who need to have their oil changed. Even something like US Weekly would be nice. Not that there's much time to read when chasing little kids across flimsy metal chairs in a tiny waiting room playing keep away from the coffee machine.

Confused

One thing I've never understood about car insurance is what they do and don't pay for. Usually of course there's a deductible, but then if you are in a wreck they will help to fix it, or if your windshield needs replaced or a chip filled they take care of that. But routine maintenance, flat tire, breakdowns? Nope. Instead of just needing to pay for comprehensive and collision insurance, you would need a warranty to cover anything else. Good thing our health insurance isn't like that lol. It would be like them only paying for stuff like emergency surgery if you fall off a cliff, but not for broken bones, routine checkups, and preventative care. Of course a car is different from a person lol, but it would be nice if our insurance had paid some of what we had to pay to fix our car last week.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Trying to be artsy

I've decided to try to learn how to do more with my digital camera. I've had it for almost 3 years and usually use just the auto setting. So I've been experimenting with using the macro setting. I just found out that is what the little flower symbol thing is for lol. And of course as soon as I start trying to get better Jakey has to go and break it. I'm not sure what he did, I think he dropped it or hit it against something, but now the flap that covers the area where the memory card goes in won't shut, and the camera won't work if it's not shut. So now I have to hold it shut while taking pictures. Sigh.

Anyway, here is a picture I took today that I really like:

Going digital

One of my favorite Christmas presents last year was a digital frame from Hubby. I've wanted one for a long time so I could show off pics easily, but they can be pretty expensive. But now I have one and love it. Hubby got me an 8GB memory card to go in it. That holds a LOT of pictures! I only got partly through my picture files to put on there, I really need to finish loading stuff on it. My mom saw it when she was over a few weeks ago and decided that is what she wants for her birthday this year. So I'm thinking me and my siblings can all chip in to buy one, and if everyone gets me some pictures to put on there we can have it all done for her. I think digital picture frames are great presents.

Looks

A few days ago I was at the church to help set up stuff for the scouts Blue & Gold banquet. A couple other ladies went with me to drop off the kids in the nursery. One of the ladies asked me how old my baby is and went on to say that she was jealous of women like me who look skinny so soon after having a baby. It makes me uncomfortable when people say stuff like that because I'm not trying to make anyone else feel bad about how they look. I don't take diet pills, or workout, I just have a high metabolism. I don't lose the weight quickly to try to look better than anyone else, it just comes off no matter what I do. And oddly I don't think I look that good myself, my butt and thighs are still too big and jiggly, my tummy is no where near flat, and my psoriasis is so bad lately that I'm embarrassed by it.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Tired for nothing

Do you ever have one of those days where nothing got done but you still feel exhausted? That is me today. My back was hurting really bad so instead of cleaning up the playroom like I really need to I just sat around doing nothing but taking care of the boys. Jason and Jakey were supposed to help clean up their messes but they just ignored me. I did finally update their 365 blogs since I haven't updated them in 2 weeks. After dinner Hubby and I got started on our taxes. We've been waiting for a 1099, but since it still hasn't shown up we just added up what he made from that company ourselves so we could get it done. Unfortunately the IRS is busy updating some information on an adjustment on home selling or something like that so we can't file until they have that done March 4th. What a pain. Taxes were so much easier before we owned anything lol.

So I'm heading to bed. If I can find time tomorrow I still have a post I've been meaning to write about my boys' new favorite toy.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Thankful Thursday

I haven't written a Thankful Thursday post in a while so I figured instead of complaining about how tired I am and my crazy morning I should write something nice lol.

I am thankful that Hubby got a bonus on his last check, because without it we would have had to use our credit card to get our van fixed this weekend when it broke down in Idaho. I am also thankful that we can do our taxes soon. We should have enough to pay off our credit card, pay off the hospital for Nathan's birth, and maybe buy a new dishwasher.

I am also glad that some scout stuff we had to do for the Blue & Gold Banquet tonight took less time to set up than we had planned so I don't have to spend half the day at the church with 4 kids under 5 lol.

I am very grateful for my wonderful Hubby and sweet little boys. I just love watching Jason and Jakey use their imaginations and play together. Nathan is so smiley lately and his little laughs and grins can pull me right out of a bad mood and cheer me up.

What are you thankful for?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wish I could migrate South for the winter

Do you ever feel like you need a vacation after a vacation? That's how I feel after this weekend lol. It's nice to spend time with the inlaws but it just felt too busy this weekend with the van problems that popped up. Makes me want to visit someplace warmer too- it's even colder in Idaho than it is here in Utah. An Argentina travel site says this would be a nice time to go there since their seasons are the reverse of ours. Anywhere that has summer weather right now sounds good to me! Cancun sounds perfect too. Sigh. I'm so tired of winter!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Home again!

Boy, I'm exhausted! We had a long long weekend. Our van broke down while we were up in Idaho visiting the inlaws. We ended up staying an extra day to get it fixed so we just got home today. At least I did my laundry up there so I just need to unpack the clean laundry lol. I didn't realize I'd left the house a mess when we went up last week, so we came home to a pigsty. But I'm not tackling it today, we are tired. I'm going to head to bed soon. Tomorrow I need to clean up the house, go visiting teaching, and hopefully get our taxes done if one final paper shows up. Plus I still need to update the boys' 365 blogs and do a post I've been meaning to write. And one of these days I need to get around to making picture calendars for family that I have been meaning to make for months, and start planning my garden. Better get some sleep if I want to get any of that done! Goodnight!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Thursday To-Do

I have a bunch to do today. We are going up to Idaho this weekend, leaving tomorrow afternoon, so I need to get stuff done today. I have to get laundry washed, put away, and packed. And I want the dishes to be all done before we go too, so I don't come home to a stinky kitchen. I've already gotten the living room and family room picked up and vacuumed. And if my sister brings over the rest of the rent money she owes us I need to go to the bank. Actually I'll need to go to the bank even if she doesn't come and put some of our savings in, cuz we have a bill that might be going through before Hubby gets paid and our account is already negative thanks to PayPal messing us up. I only have Little D for a few hours today, half of which he'll be sleeping, so that helps.

Nathan has been such a little pig lately. He must be going through a growth spurt. He's gained about a pound in the last 2 weeks. I can't believe he will be 3 months old tomorrow! The newborn stage goes by way too quickly (though the Terrible 2s and 3s just drag on and on!) and it's so bittersweet how fast he's growing. I need to update my boys' 365 blogs today too. I keep getting behind and only updating them about once a week. And I have a post I've been meaning to do to review a toy I won that the boys love. So, we'll see if I get around to that today.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Missing church

Today we forgot that we didn't have our regular church meetings. Instead we had Stake Conference, and it was earlier than our normal church time. So I started walking to church (we live 2 doors down from it) and see the empty parking lot and then remembered. So we headed back to the house and had our own little church lesson at home. It made the day seem a lot longer not to have church. And next weekend we won't be going to church here either since we are planning to go up to Idaho. We'll be staying with Hubby's family for a few days. We have to get our van's windshield replaced, and Hubby's dad owns an autobody shop so we are having him do it. Plus I was thinking that since we will be there Valentine's Day maybe MIL can watch the boys so we can go out.

OK, Nathan is crying to be fed so I need to go take care of him and maybe go to bed early today.

I need a new purse

I think I'm in need of a new purse. A smaller one. I know most women have purses full of stuff like tons of makeup, promotional pens that accidentally get taken from the bank, money, glasses, brushes, receipts, etc etc. But my purse is always pretty empty. It's at least twice as big as I need. I have my wallet, checkbook, one pen, chapstick, and a few other little things. Plus when I am carrying it and the diaper bag and the baby in his infant seat it slides off my shoulder and lands on the baby. I want something small enough that I can just put it in the diaper bag if I am carrying both, but still looks ok by itself.

Friday, February 06, 2009

Making learning fun

I've been trying to get Jason more interested in learning the alphabet better. He recognizes about half the letters, but doesn't know their sounds and stuff. So I've been at least working on getting him to recognize all the letters first. When I have him practice writing them though, he gets bored very quickly and doesn't want to finish.
So yesterday on one of the messageboards I visit, a lady posted a link to a site that helps kids learn the alphabet and reading. It's www.starfall.com. The boys LOVE this site! I have them doing just the first part, which is for learning the letters and their sounds. Once Jason is better with the letters I will have him play the second section more, which deals with the sounds of some simple words by reading short stories. It's hard to explain, but it is really cute, easy, and fun. The boys have been playing the ABC section a ton the last few days.
I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to start teaching Jason to read. He'll be 5 this year but won't be going to Kindergarten until next year because of the deadline. So we are planning to put him in preschool a few days a week this coming school year and I want him to be ready to be in a school environment.

I like to window shop

The infant car seat we use for Nathan is the one I got when I was pregnant with Jason, so it is about 5 years old now. That means it won't be useful much longer. For those who don't know, most car seats have an expiration of 6 years. This is because over time the plastic weakens and can break. So I can still use the seat for Nathan, but when we have our next kid I will have to buy a new one. I was checking out buy.com to see what kind of selection they have available and if they have any good seats on sale. They have quite a few to choose from in a range of prices. There is a really cute Evenflo Car Seat that I like.

Of course I don't need to get a new one yet, so I'm just window shopping for fun. But while looking around I also found a cool little item that I think would be nice to have. It's the Prop-Os Head Support and Seat Strap Covers. This keeps the straps from chafing the baby's skin and it keeps their head from lolling to the side, both problems that I have with our seat. Nathan always looks so uncomfortable strapped in and gets red marks on his neck from the straps, so this kind of thing would be pretty helpful when he falls asleep in his seat. I'm always worried when his head falls over to the side that he can't breathe well. We have a little seat insert that has padded sides but it doesn't help because it doesn't really support his head very well. I also like that buy.com will show you what other merchants carry an item and the price, in case they don't have it in stock. This is actually over half off at the merchant they listed, less than $7, and with shipping it's still less than the original list price.

Monday, February 02, 2009

My kids aren't the only ones allowed to make messes here

Wanna guess what this is?
It's salsa. Lots of salsa. All over the floor. In and under the fridge. On the pantry door. Splattered across my pants and feet.
This is what happens when you rearrange things in the fridge and a large jug of salsa falls off the top shelf and busts open.
Luckily it wasn't too hard to clean up, but while I was doing that Nathan woke up and was screaming and Jason didn't quite get to the toilet on time and got poop all over himself and the toilet. So now I'm all frazzled and Little D just woke up after less than a half hour nap and is crying for me while I nurse Nathan. Hopefully he goes back to sleep and I have no more messes to clean up. OK, sounds like Little D went back to sleep.

It's definitely a Monday.