Where I’ve Been

I'm sorry I haven’t been around much lately.  That’s because I’ve been here....

Feeling like this....

Due to a shortage of these....

I'm told the situation should be rectifying itself in a short while so I should be back writing more interesting posts soon.

Hippity Hop Hop

(This post is a little late due to my craziness this week, but better late than never.)  

We had a wonderful Easter this year with our families.  We spent Palm Sunday with my husband’s family and Easter Sunday with mine.  We were able to squeeze in a few outdoor egg hunts with our niece and nephews in-between the bad weather we kept having (and even did some with A inside the house for fun).  The excitement on their faces every time they found an egg was such a joy to watch.  It’s so much more fun celebrating the holidays now that A gets it a bit more.  Here are a few highlights from my favorite moments:

Dying Eggs

I think the Easter Bunny left something....

Following the trail

Hey, what's this he left me??  and yes, it wouldn't be
Easter without the Thomas Easter train

Egg hunt fun

Week 16: Check In

Pounds Lost this Week:  -0.25

Pounds Lost to Date:  -23.25

Pounds Left to Go:  11.75

Well, it’s better than nothing, right??  The final rankings of the weight loss competition at work were published this past week aaaaaaand…………..I won 2^nd place!  I won’t lie, I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t hold onto my 1^st place spot, but very happy overall on my loss and happy to have placed at all.  Now I just have to collect my winnings and use it to go buy some new (and smaller) clothes ;-)     

Have a great week everyone!

Goodbye...Sayonara...Bye-Bye

Potty training can be a hard enough process as it is and for those of us who work outside the home, when exactly does one have the time to do it??  For us, we had about 2 hours in the morning, 3 hrs in the evenings and then weekends (if we’re not running around doing errands and have parties, etc).  Not exactly the dedication time needed.   However, as slow paced as we were, it worked!  I thought I would share my experience/approach in the hopes it helps out some of you other working moms out there who are currently or going to be potty training soon. 

This past Monday I took a gamble.  I sent my son to daycare without wearing a diaper!  For the last 10-12 months I felt like all we were doing (and talking about) was potty training.  As A approached 3 years old he seemed like he was ready so I started giving him pep talks about wearing ‘big kid undies’.  Well, I guess suddenly was ready because one morning the other week when I was putting on his diaper he asked me why I was doing that and not putting on his big boy undies?!  That was music to my ears!!!  I took that as his cue to get rid of the diapers and see what happens.  Turns out my gamble on Monday paid off.  He had no accidents and hasn’t had any all week.  Like a light switch he suddenly “got” what we had been teaching him for the last year.  I officially have a potty trained kid.  Yaaay!

For those of you out there getting ready (or in the middle of potty training) here's what I did:  We implemented a sticker/prize system.  For prizes, go to Target and get a bunch of stuff from the $1 bins to put in a big gift bag for your little one to choose from. We decided not to use a separate child’s potty but instead used the baby bjorn toilet trainer.  We introduced the potty to A about a couple weeks before his 2nd birthday but we didn't get into the later stages of training until closer to 26-27 months old.  He took to doing #1 in the potty very quickly, but I was afraid to let him go without a diaper on unless we were home (which wasn't very often).  In hindsight he probably could have been daytime trained a few months earlier, but in the end it worked out wonderful because he trained both daytime & overnight at the same time.  I also learned a lot for when/if we have another baby.

Step 1 – got A used to sitting on the potty.  Each time he sat on it (no matter how long) he earned a prize from the prize bag. 

Step 2 – Every time A did pee on the potty he got a prize from the prize bag.  Once he got used to this (and we were going through lots of prizes we moved onto the next phase)

Step 3 – Every time A did pee on the potty he earned 1 sticker for his chart (for poop he earned 2 stickers).  Once he got to 5 stickers he got to pick a prize from the prize bag. 

Step 4 – Once he was going fairly consistently on the potty I started having him wear underwear around the house for a few hours at a time.  I set a timer for 5 and then 10 minute increments to remind him to use the potty.

We only did the last step for 2 weeks (few hours in morning & evenings before/after daycare and as much as we could on both weekends) and he was ready to let go of the diapers.

Lots of luck to anyone else out there who is potty training.  I know it can be hard so hang in there and stick with it.  One of the keys to success is to figure out what will motivate your child and use that as the reward.  Whether it be candy, stickers, prizes, spare change or simply lots and lots of praise.  It’s so true when you read that your little one will do it when they’re ready….and not a day before it!  You’ll be surprised at the difference you’ll see when they are ready.

Week 15: Check In

Pounds Lost this Week:  -0.75

Pounds Lost to Date:  -23.0

Pounds Left to Go:  12.0

I had my final weigh in for the weight loss competition at work, but the overall final rankings haven’t been published yet so still no clue if I held my 1^st place standing or have been knocked out.  What I do know is that I am 13% less in body weight than where I started and 4% less in body fat composition. The staff at our fitness center calculated that of the total pounds I lost, 10 of it was entirely fat – eeeew.  So gross, but at the same time awesome to hear. 

The bridesmaid dress for the wedding I am in this June just came in and I am actually looking forward to my fitting for once.  When I ordered it I was in-between sizes and of course the woman wouldn’t order me the smaller size no matter how much I begged.  Well, good things the alterations are included in the price.  Ha!  They’ll just have to take it in.

Have a great week everyone!

A Friday Field Trip

Shhhhhh…..this morning I took a little ‘field trip’ from work.  Actually, it was work related so it’s not a secret.  We are in the midst of planning Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, which is rapidly approaching (April 28^th…EEEK!) and we needed to buy some soft toys from IKEA for one of the activities we are doing.  Since you can’t order them online from their website, off to IKEA we went.

 

Trying not to browse for ourselves, my coworker and I headed straight to the toy section for what we needed.  Both being mothers, it proved hard to not shop for our own little ones.  My co-worker was smart enough to not bring her wallet, but since one of us had to pay for the supplies I brought mine.  BIG mistake.  They have such cute things it was hard to resist.

We looked around for a while and finally narrowed it down to these two items as the give-a-way for the kids.  

The moose was just so stinkin adorable but we ultimately chose the soccer ball since we thought it would fit best for both boys and girls and for all ages between 6 & 12.  I think they are going to love them!  We then made our way through the remaining maze of the store and to checkout.  But not before picking up some chocolate bars for the kids too.  Now did you really expect us to go to IKEA and not leave without chocolate?? 

We have so much more left to get done in preparation for the event but we can now cross this one off the to-do list.  Plus it was a nice 2 hr break from the normal work grind., especially on a Friday. 

Wordless Wednesday: King for a Day

Three….Could it Be?!?

3 years.  36 months.  156 weeks.  1,095 days.  

How do I have a 3 year old already?!?  It feels like yesterday that I had this big ‘ol belly and was anxiously waiting to meet our little man.

Over the last 3 years I think my husband and I have experienced all of the basic emotions that exist (and then some): love, anticipation, fear, joy, sadness, frustration, trust, surprise, anger.....  I’d say the first 12-18 months were the easiest most uncomplicated for us.  The twos weren’t so terrible, but the past year did throw a few curve balls at us – picky eating habits, moving to a toddler bed, potty training, and the biggest one of all – the start of what I call the terrible 3’s.  I hate to tell you moms out there with younger kids, but so far 3’s are proving more terrible than the 2’s ever were.  They're a different kind of terrible - more geared around them gaining their independence and testing limits.  Yes, it’s as much fun as it sounds.  I hear 4's are fabulous so we are very much looking forward to them and getting our sweet boy back :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Anthony,

It has been amazing watching your transformation the past 12 months from a toddler to a preschooler.  Daddy and I continue to be impressed with how smart you are.  You know all your ABCs, colors, shapes and can count up to almost 20.  You keep us laughing with the different funny faces that you make and funny things you say.  You have such a vivid imagination and I love to watch you play and listen to the stories you tell.  We are amazed at how well you speak and the vocabulary you have built up.  You love playing sports and are getting pretty good at soccer and t-ball.  You are still in love with your Thomas trains and we can’t go anywhere without toting at least one (or two) engines along with us. 

I tell you every day that you can do whatever you set your mind to because you are such a smart and determined kid.  The sky is the limit!  Daddy and I love you very much. 

Love,
Mommy

xoxoxo

 

Our Family: April 11, 2008

Our Family: April 9, 2011

3 Months Old

3 Years Old

 

Week 14: Check In

Pounds Lost this Week:  -1.0

Pounds Lost to Date:  -22.25

Pounds Left to Go:  12.75

Bye-Bye baby weight!!!  I am so excited to finally be back to my pre-baby weight.  Ok, ok, it took me 3 years, but at least I finally did it.  I can’t slack off though.  I have the final weigh in for the weight loss competition at work in 5 days and at the last check in I had slipped to 2^nd place.  Time to go, go go….

Have a great week everyone!

Friday Favorites: Week 10

This is the last week of the HV Nestie Blog Challenge.  I can now say that I’ve completed my very first challenge.  It was actually kind of fun to think about and share some of my favorite things.  Now I’m going to have to find something new to talk about on Fridays :)

For this final week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite thing about yourself (can be a feature or a talent, etc)
• Favorite cartoon character
• Favorite cocktail

Favorite Thing about Yourself:

My hair.  While I hated it growing up, I’ve come to love & appreciate my natural curls.  I can wear it curly, wavy or straight….but I typically wear it curly.  Once in a while I will straighten it, but it’s a pita so I get it done at the salon and I don’t do it very often.

Favorite Cartoon Character:

One of my favorite cartoons growing up was The Smurfs.  I remember waking up early on Saturday mornings and watching it.  Of course Smurfette was my favorite but I also loved Azrael the cat!

Favorite Cocktail:

Dirty Vodka Martini.  Shaken…not stirred.

Eyes Wide Open

I woke up in the middle of the night a couple weeks ago and for some reason had a feeling I should open my eyes vs. rolling over and trying to drift back off to sleep.  When I opened my eyes I almost screamed out of sheer surprise.  Staring right back at me was my son – standing next to our bed!  He had walked over to our room because he too had woken up in the middle of the night.  It took me a minute to process if I was dreaming or not since he wasn’t saying anything, he was just standing there looking at me.  Then he said “Hi Mama, I couldn’t sleep.”

I walked him back to bed and then went back to bed myself, but I couldn’t quite fall asleep.  I kept opening my eyes expecting to see him back at my bedside.  I think it might be time for a lock on our bedroom door. LOL

This week’s Working Mommy Wednesday prompt from Julia over at Work, Wife, Mom….Life! is: I woke up in the middle of the night and....

Week 13: Check In

Pounds Lost this Week:  -0.0

Pounds Lost to Date:  -21.25

Pounds Left to Go:  13.75

Not much to say other than…..ouch.  Seeing that zero kind of hurt.  I knew I would plateau sooner or later but it still isn’t fun to see the scale not move.  I’ve had so many distractions over the past couple weeks that I just need to refocus.  My goal this week is to eat more timely meals.  I’ve had such busy days at work that I’m missing meals and then getting so hungry that I eat huge dinners when I get home (which is late at night).

Have a great week everyone!

 

Friday Favorites: Week 9

For this week's installment of Friday Favorites the prompts are:

• Favorite picture (can be a personal picture or a piece of art)
• Favorite fast food restaurant
• Favorite actor/actress

Favorite Picture:

One of my favorite pictures is one from our honeymoon.  We were taking a jeep tour of Moorea (French Polynesia) and stopped in a pineapple field.  My husband and I have a tradition of taking self portraits wherever we go and snapped this one in the middle of the pineapple field.  I love our smiles and the happiness captured in this photo.

Favorite Fast Food Restaurant:

Every time I go to visit my brother on the west coast I have to eat at In-N-Out Burger.  I don’t know what it is about that place but I just love it.  I wish they would open one up on the east cost :(  I tried Five Guys and it’s just not the same.

Favorite Actor/Actress:

George Clooney for sure.  Just look at him....what’s not to love???