Back to School, Back to School

Tomorrow is my first day back at work since May 5th.  I've got mixed feelings about working again.  Part of me is ready to get back into the schedule; ready to feel like I have a purpose every day; and ready to not feel like all that I do is slave away around the house, just to start the cycle over again each day.  I really like working- I like the people I work with, and I like that teaching high school proves to be a job that gives you something new every day to experience.
But I am very sad about being away from my girls all day.  This summer was a blast- Ali was super fun and we got to experience a ton of fun stuff with her. Plus, I enjoyed how spontaneous we were as a family: never living on a schedule, just coming up with activities and doing whatever we felt like for the day.  Avery is getting to be so much fun and so full of life; I am sad that someone else gets to cuddle and love her for 8 hours a day that isn't me... but we do love our daycare so much and if my girls have to be somewhere away from us, I am thankful we have a loving, fun environment to send them to.
I am also feeling mixed emotions because today, instead of doing something super fun as a family to signify the end of our summer, I am slaving away at my house- trying to get all laundry cleaned, all toilets sparkling, and all floors vacuumed. Oh, and take care of my husband, who has bulging disks in his back; and while I do feel so sorry for him because of the pain he is in, I am secretly willing him to get better ASAP so that I don't have to not only clean up my house, and take care of my children, but also wait on him hand and foot.  I am soo not good at sympathy- I really hope he gets over this soon!
I am going to try to spend the afternoon soaking in my beautiful children... and doing a little relaxing... just a little anxious to see what it's like to work full time and get two kids ready every day- ahhh!

I hate potty training!

Dearest Alison,

Why o Why have you decided you are over potty training? After weeks of doing great and going to the bathroom in the proper receptacle, you have decided that peeing and pooping on the toilet is not for you. You now go either in your pull-up or panties, and sit on the potty with nothing happening.  The ratio of pee in the pants to pee in the toilet is too embarrassing to post.  I just don't get it? Why did you quit going on the toilet? And what do I do now? Do I put you back in diapers? Or keep pushing forward?

I still love ya,  Your (frustrated) Momma

It's Her Birthday!

August 19, 2008...We were so anxious to meet you! And we had no idea what you had in store for us...

We fell in love with our beautiful baby the moment you were born!

Your first year brought so many changes and went by so fast!

AMAZING that you are 2 years old already! 

Happy, Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Alison Elizabeth.  You are wonderful and perfect and bring so much joy to our lives every single day.  You are a gift from God and a little piece of heaven.  You are my heart beating outside of my body. I want to squeeze you and mooch you every moment of every day, because I love you that much.  You are so smart, so funny, and so full of life. You are my reason. You have taught me so much about seeing the world in so many colors. I love pretending with you, playing with you, dancing with you, singing with you, marching with you, and just being around you. You brighten my life more then you will ever, ever know.  I have had the best 2 years of my life raising you... I soak up every day and I look forward to watching you become even more amazing then you already are!  

For your birthday I give you everything- and you deserve it all! 

Sick, Sick, Sick

So I had my 10 year high school reunion on Friday. I was the V.P. of the Senior Class back in 2000, and that means that unfortunately I am party of the "committee" (meaning me and 2 other people who kinda helped) that gets to plan our reunions. Fun times, but not really- I despise party planning. Needless to say, all of the time it took me to find over 150 addresses, create an invitation, stuff envelopes, address envelopes, answer tons of dumb questions, find a place to host our event etc. etc. Was TOTALLY not worth it to have only about 35 people (plus spouses) show up.  Annoyed. That is what I am.
 Not to mention the weekend was totally hectic.  So I have been driving around a 2003 Toyota Camry since 2004. Love the car, just not so happy that all of my two babies' worth of crap hardly fits in it, forget trying to get groceries or visit, say, Target.  So I casually listed the Camry on craigslist last month. No calls, nothing, so I let it go. Then, the day of the reunion, when my husband is gone golfing, someone calls and wants to see it.  I say, sure, it's 1:30 and I don't have to be at the reunion to set up until 5- come on over. And the potential buyer shows up at 4:00. Awesome. And they end up buying the car, so it was worth it, but hectic, being as I not only had to clean out 6 years of not only my crap but all of my children's various crap-things from the car... and I now did not have a car to drive down-so had to call a neighbor and leave my babysitter thinking I was a crazy person running around like my hair was on fire.
That was the first car of the crazy train.  So we do the reunion thing- it sucks, nobody shows up, we had to ask the band to stop playing cause they suck so bad... and the hubs and I (he met me there from a golf tourney) end up getting home around 11:00. Sweet! I'm excited to get a good night's sleep before having to wake up and feed sweet Avery at 4AM.... so I'm laying in bed at around 1:00, and Miss Ali decides she is going to have a bad dream and desperately need to sleep with us, love it. And Avery is fussy so she is now in the bed too, double awesome.  Fast forward to 2:00AM, I still have yet to fall asleep, and my tummy is feeling a little off. I get up to go downstairs for some Pepto... and I end up sprinting to the bathroom to up-chuck. And this continued all.night.long- comin outta both ends, people!  Not to mention, KK has got it too, and we are tandem puking whilst our 2 year old stands in bewilderment as to what is going on.  24 stomach flus can eat it!
We survived the weekend, I woke up feeling better yesterday and totally disinfected my house. Got up this morning excited to take Ali to school for a bit and have some time to myself... and she pukes in the parking lot of daycare. Awesome.  We get home, I get Ali all settled on the couch with some Yo Gabba Gabba, go to feed Avery, and she pukes all over me. Double Awesome. And KK is out taking someone fishing today. Sweet!  Love it!
At least at this point I feel like I've seen it all, and I'm not phased. Plus, I just love the smell of baby puke.

Baby Sign Language

Baby sign language saved us a lot of tears before Ali could speak and articulate to us what she wanted... plus I think it actually helped speed up her language development!  Our neighbor's son, who is 2 and still not talking that great, uses his signs all the time to let us, and his best bud Ali, know what he needs. Thank the lord for Ali's daycare, who got her, and me, started on the signing process. We unfortunately did not start signing with her until she was a year old.. I wish we would have started sooner!
I was recently contacted by Misty Weaver, the Chief Editor at www.babysignlanguage.com and asked if I would like to host a guest post on baby sign language.  Being that I totally dig baby sign language, used it with Ali, and plan to teach it to Avery in the near future, I was totally down!   This article gives a great starting point for starting the process with your own babies!

Tips For Beginning To Start Signing With Your Baby 

Baby signing is a great early activity for mom and baby to do together. Because Mom (or Dad) will need to learn the signs first, it doesn’t matter if your baby is young when you first start signing. What is important is to be consistent, repeat the signs as much as possible, and to practice, practice, practice!

When Should I Start?
The sooner you start signing with your baby the sooner he will begin to sign back. You can start at any time, even from birth. If you have an older baby you can still begin to sign with him at any time. 
What Is The Best Way To Start?
The key for beginners is to pick a few simple signs, such as Mommy, Daddy, and Milk, and then concentrate on repeating these signs over and over. Repetition is important, and so is choosing signs which are interesting to your baby. Food is always a good place to start, as most babies are interested in food! Whenever you use the sign also say the word clearly, with good eye-contact.
When Will My Baby Start Signing Back To Me?
The key is to be patient and don’t expect your baby to start signing immediately. You should encourage all his efforts, even if you don’t recognize the sign your baby is trying to make. Any effort is worth encouraging. Most babies need about two months of exposure and repetition of a sign before they can begin to use it themselves. So, if you start signing with your baby when she is three months old, she will most likely be using one of your favorite signs by the age of five to six months. 
How Do You Increase Their Signing Vocabulary?
When your baby has mastered his first few signs you can to introduce some new ones. It’s a good idea to stick to groups of similar objects when introducing something new, for example food signs or colors. Remember to make it fun and repeat, repeat, repeat. Encourage your baby’s efforts at making the signs. Only introduce a few new signs at a time, and continue with these for around two months.
Do I Need To Go To A  Baby Sign Language Class?
This depends on your preference and where you live. If there is a class nearby, and you enjoy it, then classes can be a great way to learn. Good baby signing classes follow the advice given above – making the classes fun, repeating the signs over and over, and building a foundation of simple signs before moving on to new ones. They will also encourage the efforts of the babies and the moms! If you can’t find a local class don’t worry – there are loads of resources online for you to try at home. Have fun, repeat and encourage – these are the beginner’s steps to success no matter how young your baby. 

This guest post is brought especially to you by your friends at the Baby Sign Language site. Check out our Baby Sign Language Dictionary with a ton of new signs to learn.

I suck at Fat Tuesday!

Well, I pretty much suck at being on a diet... and at exercising.  I have not been doing my Jillian Micheals' DVD, but I have been keeping busy chasing my children and walking with my friend Andrea twice a week (she does spinning with her neighbor the other days of the week...I'm blaming her for my exercising downfalls).  And I guess I don't really sit around my house much- I'm pretty much obsessive compulsive about always being busy, so that's a plus.

Here's my problem: I'm just too tired and/or want to spend my "free time" doing other things!  I really need to motivate myself again to get back on track. But it's really hard, especially when I pretty much devote every moment of my day to picking up after not only my children, but my messy husband as well.  

The good news:  I am eating pretty well, staying off the junk,  and I have this little accountability of Fat Tuesday to thank for it- so THANKS, TAYLOR!  I think I weigh pretty much the same ( I haven't weighed myself since last week) and am happy to say that I can fit into all of my old, not-pregnant clothes again, save one pair of Seven jeans that have always been a little tight.  I know that once I start back teaching I will do better with diet- I find myself eating sometimes during nap time just because I'm not busy doing other things. I just wish I could find the motivation to walk or do my DVD the days I'm not walking with Andrea. I am just so tired!  I need to start taking my vitamins again.

...and now for a little tip on how I suffice my sweet tooth: put Dove Chocolates in the freezer, and only have 1 or 2 after dinner. I suck them down until they are gone ( I never chew), and I really relish them (I get the dark chocolate ones). This really works for me, and I never go back for more!  (seriously I should weigh 100lbs with how good I am at self-perseverance... there's something wrong with this picture!).

Avery Coy is 3 months old!

AMAZING is the word I use to describe my beautiful baby girl !  It is also the word I use to describe how fast 3 months have gone by... and at the same time, I couldn't imagine life without her!

She is so happy and such a snuggly buggly.  She is so content with life, and loves giving (and receiving) kisses! We are so thankful for you, Miss Avery Toots! And soaking up every second of your sweet sweet life!

Bleh

I just feel crappy today- I have been really since KK got home from his trip to California. I feel blah and I also I feel like at any moment I could blow my top.
Here is a bulleted list of why:

• I am constantly cleaning up clutter in this house. Why does NO ONE know how to put away shoes, toys, books, empty pop cans, newspapers, etc???
• My in-laws are so annoying, and so is the way my husband deals with them. I am so sick of my mother-in-law and that fact that things will never change or get better with her infringing on our boundaries as a household AND my father-in-law has decided to visit us the week of Ali's birthday, but has yet to tell us exactly when and my damn husband will not nail him down on the date.
• My husband sucks. Well, not really, but he just is kinda selfish and really thinks it is OK for me to handle all the daily responsibilities with the girls and not try to help out. He never offers to get up and feed Avery, and he acts put out when I ask him to do stupid small things like give someone a bath or rock someone or make someone a snack
• Ali is at daycare today, and KK is gone. He said he would be gone an hour at the most, and we are now going on two. Why lie? I wish I could go lolly-gag around town and do whatever I want, but I constantly have one or more children  that need my constant care and attention. I don't even really care that he isn't here- I'm just mad that he leaves me here with the baby and thinks that it is my life's dream sit at home all day long by myself
• I just cannot seem to get a hold of myself as the person that I used to be. I am so tired and busy all the time and always have a list of things that I want to get done but can never muster up the energy or desire to do them. I wonder when my head will clear up so I can think straight again? I wonder if I will ever feel truly ahead of the game?
• I wish I could tell my husband how I feel and have him understand. I wish he had a little bit of woman juice running in his veins so he could get it for once and not look at me like I am speaking Chinese

Fat Tuesday

I am participating in a little weight loss accountability with one of my online / real-life friends named Taylor. She even has a cool button for it, which I seem to be too stupid to figure out, so you will have to visit her blog to see it for yourself ...but anyways..here is the low down on  how Operation Loose Baby Fat is going:

• I have lost 2 lbs this week!
• I have done my 30 Day Shred DVD 6 out of 7 days
• I am eating well (thanks to my husband's low carb diet)
• I feel pretty darn good about my progress
• My stomach is still saggie and covered in stretch marks (damn it)

But I must admit; diet and exercise is super hard to concentrate on when you have 2 children under the age of 2 at home (as is concentrating on anything in general). The eating part has been pretty easy, mostly because I don't have time to eat  and because KK is back on his low-carb diet and I tend to be a follower when it comes to what we eat around here as I am not the main chef.  I admit, however, to sharing 2 fudgesicles with Ali and eating some of her Pirate's Bootie- which if you don't know what that is - is white cheddar puffies from Costco- her "chippies" so yummy!
And today I am not planning on doing my DVD as Ali was up from midnight to 4 AM wide awake and ready to play (?). So I am choosing to nap instead.
But I will leave you with the super easy and pretty good for you Chicken Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps we had for dinner last night:
1. Slice thin and marinate 2 chicken breasts in Yoshida's for 4 hrs, then grill um and cube um
2. Toast some water chestnuts and cashews in olive oil on the stove
3. Peel off lettuce leaves from a big ole head of lettuce
4. Throw in some snap peas, and eat um up!
(as you can see from that recipe, I am NOT, I repeat NOT a cook)