Trying June 29, 2011

I’m trying very hard to be healthy.  After the Celebration Triathlon in Columbia on Sunday that I participated in as a relay team, I am feeling shamed into being healthier.

Jeremy swam, Kristin biked, and I ran!

Everywhere I looked there were ultra-healthy people walking around and participating in the triathlon (including my BFF Megan – so proud of her for doing the whole thing while juggling the life of a super busy stay-at-home mom!)  Jeremy and I joked that we felt like posers.  We were just part of the relay yet we had the required bracelets, got access to all the goods, had people cheering us on and even earned a medal at the end!  It was a blast (except for the whole swimming, biking and running thing), but we were definitely not triathletes!

Combine that with a shocking number on the scale last week (why do I even do it to myself?), and I’m motivated to be healthy!  I have no goal weight in mind.   I am on no set diet.  I just want to be healthier.  You’d think with all the races I do, I’d be in better shape, but apparently the whole cookie-eating, frozen yogurt with lots of toppings-eating, and beer-drinking that I have been doing isn’t helping.  And when I realized my kids were eating Pop Tarts every single day for breakfast, I said it’s time to do something!

Here are some of the changes I’ve made so far:

1.  Pop Tarts  are not on the menu every morning.  I’m offering Nutrigrain bars, whole grain waffles, English muffins, toast, bagels and cereal.

2.  Fruit for breakfast!  We have always had fruit readily available, but I want more of it at breakfast to start our day off right.

3.  At night, I allow myself either a beer or a low-calorie dessert.  I can’t get both like I used to do.  During the week, it is definitely only low-calorie desserts like Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches.  On the weekend, I think I might let myself splurge a little bit depending on how I’ve been doing.  If I deprive myself of sweets too much, it would have an adverse effect on my mental health.  And I can’t be dealing with that now given the stress I’m going through at work these days.

4.  Core workouts.  Because of all the racing I’ve been doing, my workouts have been running, running, and more running.  But I need to focus on my core and get rid of these awesome love handles and ponch that my kids so lovingly left when they exited my body.  I haven’t decided on any one routine, although I’ve been tempted by a few.  I’ve done Jillian Michael’s Shred before.  I’m looking into the 10 Minute Trainer, and I’m super curious about Zumba.  For now, On Demand’s Exercise TV is giving me a good enough variety, so I’ll stick with that for now.  Love free exercise videos!

So those are the changes I’ve put into place this week.  I hope I can stick with it.  And I hope my family doesn’t start a revolt when they can’t have Pop Tarts two days in a row!

I’m participating in Nain’s Motivation Monday.  Link up if you’re motivated this week!

Friday Night Campout June 25, 2011

Today is The Great American Backyard Campout!  Unfortunately we won’t be able to participate tonight in our own backyard, but Jeremy made sure that the kids still had a campout…  of sorts…

Hopefully we’ll get some true camping in this summer when it cools down!

Father’s Day Top Ten June 19, 2011

Dear Jeremy,

Here are the ten reasons why I think you are an awesome dad….   (in no particular order)

1.  You are just as silly as our kids and are never afraid to be a kid with them.

2.  You’ve gotten our kids so obsessed with Star Wars, they are now telling other people the entire plot line of all the movies.

3.  You tickle like the best of them.

4.  You don’t take yourself too seriously.

5.  You’ve been willing to listen to girly music for so long that you now sing along to High School Musical, Camp Rock and Taylor Swift.

6.  But you also make sure our kids know a good hip-hop song when they hear it.

7.  You’ve introduced our kids to sports and continue to encourage their athleticism.

8.  You always know how to simplify a very complex answer for young ears.

9.  Our kids are excited to see you every single day when they wake up and when you come home from work.

10.  Your pride is apparent.  Your love is true.  And your hugs are huge!

Happy Father’s Day to you!

 

Our Pre-K Graduate June 17, 2011

It’s official!  My daughter is now a Pre-K Graduate – Class of 2011 (Future HS Class of 2025!)

This was actually her second graduation since she was in the same class last year, and all her friends were graduating and moving onto kindergarten.  She partook in the ceremony even though she was not moving on with everyone else.

You may remember our struggle with whether we were going to send Mason to kindergarten early or keep her in preschool another year.  Well, we obviously kept her in preschool.  And now that she will be entering kindergarten as a confident young girl, I am so glad we made that decision.  Her teachers and our friends kept saying that no one ever regrets holding their kids back.  While we only have this experience and can’t comment on what life would have been like if we had tested her in early, I definitely agree that we do not regret the decision.  I am so glad we kept her in pre-k one more year.

She is such a different girl this summer than she was last.  I am confident that she will enter kindergarten  with grace and excitement and definitely her own confidence!  Her skill level is higher.  Her social skills are better.  She is exactly where I want her to be as she enters this new phase of school.

Going back in time…

Pre-K Graduation 2010

To where we are now…

Pre-K Graduation 2011

Such a change.  Such a positive change.  I am so extremely proud of who Mason is and how she has handled herself at school, with her friends, and with us at home.  I can’t believe how big she is getting and how mature she seems.  The conversations we have are engaging and fun.  She is at a great age, and I can’t wait to see where kindergarten takes her!

Mom and Meema are so proud!

Our little girl is growing up!

My Current Thoughts… June 9, 2011

Thanks to Nain over at View From Down Here, I am pushing through my writer’s block (ok, maybe it’s just stress and the overwhelming feeling of being completely out of control of my life!) with a post about my current thoughts…

Current Playlist–  I have a playlist called “Love These Songs” on my iPhone.  It has a bunch of Glee songs, Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Ingrid Michaelson and other random stuff.  With the mix of upbeat, slow, and sing-along worthy songs, I never get bored!

Current nail polish–  Sally Hansen HD Spectrum on my toes.  It’s like a turquoise, and it looks like I need to redo them this weekend.  I never wear polish on my fingers.

Current drink–  I’m usually a Simply Lemonade with Raspberries girl in the summer, but my sister just turned me onto San Pellegrino Orange.  Oh man is it good!

Current food–  I’ll admit that I have had a big cup of frozen yogurt each of the past two days.  A new FrozenYo opened up here in Silver Spring, and I’m a little addicted.  Frozen yogurt is healthy!  And if I put chopped Oreos and peanut butter cups on it too, it’s still healthy because I’m getting my probiotic, right?

Current TV show–  So You Think You Can Dance

Current wish list–  A house cleaner!  We were going to wait until Mason was in kindergarten, but I just got her summer camp bill, and I think we might be able to swing it even earlier.  I’m doing the budget tonight to figure it out before I present this to Jeremy.

Current triumphs–  My company has been going through an acquisition by a larger company for a while, and they finally closed on Monday.  I received some amazing praise from the new company and my own boss for all I did to help make the acquisition a reality, and it felt really good to be acknowledged like that.

Current banes of my existence– Cooper’s sneakers and socks filled with sand.  (Seriously, it’s like he takes a bath in the sandbox at school!) Mason’s filthy feet from wearing Crocs or flip-flops every day.

Current celebrity crush– Ryan Reynolds – always and forever!

Current blessings– Always my family.  I am blessed we are all mostly close to each other.  Close enough that a day trip for a picnic to celebrate my sister’s birthday is not out of the question.  Close enough that my mom can come and help watch the kids if I find myself in a pinch.

Current outfit– Knit skirt, white flow-y (is that a word?) shirt, flip-flops.  How else can I stay cool in 101 degree weather?!

Current mood–  Encouraged.  It’s been a rough week, but I’m pushing through and am encouraged to make it to the weekend because I’m crossing things off my list (like getting a blog post written!)

Current Family Picture

8 Years June 2, 2011

Eight years ago yesterday, I married my best friend.  It was an amazing day that we will forever cherish in our hearts.  All of our family and friends celebrated with us, and even those no longer with us definitely showed they were there in spirit!

My favorite memory of the day…

Oh wow – there are so many!  I loved walking down the aisle with my mom, behind the bagpiper, towards Jeremy.  I already had tears in my eyes.  I loved how it was raining all morning, but by the time we needed to make the go/no go decision about holding the ceremony outside or not, the sky miraculously cleared up!  There was a gentle breeze throughout the entire ceremony, and I just know my dad had a part in that.   I especially loved the tender moment Jeremy and I shared after we walked down the aisle and into the Liriodendron mansion.  We were both so overwhelmed by everything, and we just held each other as tears trickled down our faces.  But then it was time to party!

What I have learned over the past eight years…

For us, the key is communication (doesn’t everyone say that?), compromise, compassion, and cookies!  Ok, maybe not cookies.

Communication:  knowing where each other stands, dealing with issues and problems, parenting together, sharing the good news and the bad news, and continuing to learn more about each other each day.

Compromise:  you can’t always get what you want, there is a middle ground, problems are often solved through compromise, don’t always be the one to compromise, though!

Compassion:  love each other, listen to each other, try to understand each other, be patient with each other.

Cookies:  bake a lot!  Especially ones with peanut butter if you know your husband loves anything with peanut butter!  (In reality, Jeremy always says he knew he was going to marry me the first night we hung out because I brought him cookies.)

In one way, eight years seems like an eternity.  We bought a house, have two kids, have traveled a lot, and shared many good times and bad.  But in another way, eight years seems like only a small hour in the grand scheme of our lives.  No matter how you look at it, though, I am so grateful for the past eight years of marriage (10 years together!)  I cannot wait to see what the next eight have in store for us… and the next eight…  and then the eight after that…

P.S. We share our wedding anniversary with my sister’s birthday and my parents anniversary.  It’s quite a special day!  So Jen, Happy Birthday again.  Mom, always thinking of you on this day and wishing Dad were here to celebrate with you!

P.P.S.  Eight years ago, it was not the norm for wedding photographers to do everything digitally, so please excuse the quality of the scanned photos.