"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."

Monday, January 31, 2011

I made my first sale!


This little gem is on its way to Long Beach, CA right now.

And it feels awesome. :)

Thursday, January 27, 2011

One Week.

One week is how long I have until I register BigBoy for Kindergarten.



I sit here not knowing what to say next because that statement in itself is very big for me.

...


I know I'm not the first mother in the world to get sentimental thinking about her child starting school, so indulge me a bit, please?



I know he is going to love school. He LOVES preschool and asks every. single. day. if he is 5 yet so he can go to Kindergarten.



I'm thrilled that he is a happy, healthy little -- excuse me, BIG -- boy, but I can't help but feel like on that first day of Kindergarten we are getting on a roller coaster that only ends with college and him leaving home.


Seriously? Already?
I know, I know, "get over yourself."

But he's my oldest. And he has a HUGE heart. I dread the day some girl tramples that heart, because I know he is going to be that boyfriend to save all his part-time-job money for a year to buy a heart-shaped necklace for a girl that will break up with him 2 days after he gives it to her. That kid to plaster his room with basketball posters and know the stats for every player, but never get to play.
He feels things so deeply. He always has. Instead of saying he was a difficult baby, I'd like to think he was passionate.


No. He could be downright difficult, but for now let's just say he was passionate.



Right now he is 4 years old. I can protect him in so many ways: I cook his food, I buckle his seatbelt, I hold his hand.
Oh his precious little hand in mine! I don't even have to ask for it anymore. He just reaches up and I reach down. Our hands find each other without even a look.


But I know that his heart has to be bruised, battered, hardened, and broken just a tad in order for him to take care of himself one day.

I can't be there to hold his little hand forever.



But I will hold his hand on the first day of Kindergarten.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

WW Wednesday

Today was good. Let me just say that. It was better than expected.
Actually, I lost twice as much as I gained last week. I'm like scary-close to the size I was when I got married, and that feels really good. Maybe I'll be there in a month.

Maybe two. :)

I'm finding that my post-baby body is not the same at these weights as it was at these weights before, though. (Did that sentence make sense? I think you know what I mean...)
Oh well, this body grew and protected two healthy children so I should be thankful for this body no matter what its condition, right?

Well there is currently a 4 year old begging for my attention and a baby napping so I don't have long but I wanted to check in.

Lesson I learned this week: Don't let hormones drive you into a chocolate coma. You CAN resist it if you want to. (I'll have to test that theory out next month, though.)

Goal for the upcoming week: Continue the cardio and add in some resistance training.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

So Gramps doesn't start boycotting my blaaaahhhg (seriously people, I need a new word for this.), here's a pic of BabyCakes.
I straight up grabbed the camera and took a picture of her. She's been sick so I didn't want to mess with her too much just to piss her off.

No camera setting adjustments, no diaper changes (ewww, she stinks), no removing her delicious, forbidden toy
the remote from her hands, no changing of scenery (that's the exercise bike in our gym* she's holding on to.).



Yes, the children are alive. Here's proof. Well, of one, anyway.
Their "sickness" (some congestion and runny noses) only drives home the point that we are very blessed. I'll take waking up several times a night if it means that's the worst of it.

Of course, I might not be saying that in a few days... ;)

* Our "gym" is the corner of our bedroom that barely fits two bikes so we can work out at the same time. We even have to move the bikes against the wall during the day to be able to walk around our bed. It's kind of like trying to fit a trampoline in your bathroom. ;)

Monday, January 24, 2011

Just A Curl on Etsy

My etsy shop has been a bit neglected the last week. BabyCakes has been sick and I'm making excuses.

I still have a LOT to list but since I just got added to another etsy treasury, I figured it was only fair and go ahead and share my baby with my wonderful readers. :) Hopefully by sharing this with you it will make me move more quickly.
I plan on doing a giveaway for my One Year Blogiversary coming up at the end of February. I'll let you know more about that later on.

Ok, so go see my pitifully understocked shop on etsy.com!

If you haven't clicked on any of the blue words already you can click HERE.

Or HERE.


OR even HERE.


:)

Friday, January 21, 2011

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

WW Wednesday

The last couple weeks haven't been super-easy. I would go into details but I'm trying to get this done quickly so we can bike.
Long story short, I DIDN'T want to go to WW today. I knew I would not only NOT see a loss but definitely be up.

I have my WW buddy/neighbor that I ride with, though. And she's not going to let that happen.
But I didn't want that to happen either. No matter what, I go to my meetings.

I decided at the last minute to wash my dirty hair, put on prettier clothes than my normal Mom Uniform, and make the best out of it. I was going to be up but at least I would look good!
Usually I wear the lightest clothes that are seasonally appropriate and that usually means still shedding layers at the scale. :)
I don't weigh myself at home so I had no idea what was in store for me.
You know what, though?

It really wasn't that bad.

For realz. Waaay better than I expected.

I wasn't even nervous when I stepped on the scale. I had accepted my actions and the probable outcome, and forgiven myself.

Now the clouds have parted, I'm back on track, and looking forward to next Wednesday already.

Monday, January 17, 2011

I'm done with Winter.


Yep, DONE.

No more cold, gray, ice, or snow. No more salt on the roads or frumpty-dumpty clothes.

I want Spring! LIGHT! Blue skies, birds chirping and flowers blooming.

In my house I'm making it Spring. No more Winter.


Sorry, Frosty. Your time is up.

My etsy shop was featured!

I still have a lot to add to my shop and that's why I was waiting to tell you all more about it, but I just got added to a treasury list and I wanted to share it.


More on this later...

RIP, dear high chair.

Let me tell you about our new high chair.
We bought it because we painted BigBoy's room.



How's that, you say?

Let me tell ya!

After painting his room Outerbanks, the only paint we had left was what was remaining in my cup used for edge work. I put some plastic wrap over the top and sat it on the kitchen counter for a few days while I was making certain no touch-up was needed on his walls.

Then came the day I was having some people over during preschool and I didn't want it sitting on the counter. I quickly decided to stash it in the pantry for the duration of their visit, all the while "knowing" I would get it back out after they left and it would no longer be within certain children's grasp.

But I didn't get it out. I forgot. There it sat, untouched, waiting for curious little creatures to discover it.



And then one did.

BabyCakes found the cup and the proceeded to dump it all over herself, her highchair and yes, the CARPET. (Her highchair was the kind that attached to a regular chair and was being stored in the bottom of the pantry at that time.)

When I saw the destruction before me all I could think was "PAINT ON BABY! PAINT DRYING ON CARPET!" and vice versa.
I scooped up BabyCakes and plopped her in the (empty) tub. Then I called neighbor Stacy and just said "I need you right now!"
After hanging up I rushed back to my paint-covered daughter and stripped her. Her clothes were so saturated that they were dripping paint everywhere. By this point Stacy was already at our house with her mini steam vac thing and going at the paint in the carpet. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the highchair, rushed out the back door with it and the paint-covered sleeper, and then flung them off the back porch. I was going to gingerly walk down the steps but I didn't want paint dripping all over our recently-stained (stained in a GOOD way, I mean) floors.

We were able to get the paint out of the areas that people always see but the carpet inside the pantry is stained. Shadows help, but I still think it was a miracle that ANY paint came out!



But there were casualties in this battle.

Left for dead in the back yard.
Painted. Busted. Rejected.
Frozen in the harsh January winter.

I finally crammed the old high chair in the trash can last week. I only paid $12 for it at a consignment store, but I still felt like it was a sad way for it to go.

And so that is why we've moved on to this younger, snazzier model and yes I feel guilty about it.

BabyCakes sure likes it though!




(Ok, her hair is not usually this BIG. She had just woken up from an especially revitalizing nap, I suppose. Girlfriend needs some product in her hair, though, am I right? ohhh I can't wait for the teen years...)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Teddy

When we left for speech therapy and preschool this morning, BigBoy insisted we take Teddy. I think he's getting too old for that sort of thing, but I said he could go for his last ride to school.



As we were hustling to get to school on time, BigBoy requested that I put Teddy in the front seat with the seat belt on.

I forgot.

At one point on the road I had to hit the brakes a little hard and poor Teddy went flyin.



When I pulled into the parking lot at the doctor's office, I dusted poor Teddy off and buckled him in safely as his sweet 4-year-old caretaker had requested.




Poor Teddy. Just because you don't have a beating heart doesn't mean you aren't a life worth preserving.




Our Big Girl

BabyCakes FINALLY had her One-year well check today.
She weighs over 24 pounds and is 31.5 inches long.
That's off the charts in length and the 85th percentile for weight.


She's a strong, healthy, thriving child.




According to the World Health Organization in 2008, "Globally, more than one third of child deaths are attributed to undernutrition."

At the end of her appointment, BabyCakes had some immunizations that brought tears to her eyes.
At least she wasn't crying over a painfully empty stomach or a diseased little body.

Yes, we are surely blessed here in the green house.



Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Same baby, different hat?




Pretty dang close, anyway.

Or is it just me?

WW Wednesday

This past week I didn't do as well with the healthy choices.

In WW, I'm supposed to track ALL my meals, drinks, snacks, and bites.
I didn't do that this week. We had company in last weekend and I used the excuse that it would take too long to figure out my points of the different foods I had.
OK. So I could have left it at that for the one day, but did I? Noooo. I didn't "track" the rest of the WW week.
I didn't make a lot of bad food decisions, but I could have done a lot better. I put myself on cruise and I know better than that.
All the same, I had a loss on the scale this week. Not a great one, but not bad either. It reflected my actions, and in the end, those are the weigh-in's that prove the most beneficial.

Lesson learned this week: Don't let bad decisions made on one day affect the next. Each day is a new day and a new opportunity to make the right choices.

Goal for this week: Track, track, track. Really own what I am doing.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

My new baby

Today I am stepping out of fear. I've been wanting to start a vintage shop on etsy for over 6 months.
Today I pulled the trigger. I uploaded my first photos and completed my first listings.
They aren't perfect but I had to start somewhere.



I'm nervous, it's taking longer than expected, and I barely know what I'm doing.
Most things new to me are difficult at first, but I'm getting the hang of it and it's already getting easier.



I could describe my childbirth experiences the same way, and they definitely paid off in the end.



I'm not ready to share my new "baby" with you yet, though. I think it needs some one-on-one time with mama before being shown to the world. :)

Monday, January 10, 2011

BigBoy's Room: the furniture is in.

This weekend we moved BigBoy's newly-painted bookshelf and chest of drawers back into his room. I was thrilled with how they came out.


I love the clean look of the white bookshelf with his colorful books.


We repainted this yardsale chest of drawers and replaced the wooden knobs with new brushed nickel ones.


We think the knobs add a bit of whimsy to an otherwise blah piece of furniture.
Plus, the ball-shaped knobs are easy for little hands to grasp.


I purchased an inexpensive reversible red/khaki comforter from Target and a matching sham. I didn't even iron them before putting them on the bed because I couldn't wait to see what it looked like.

So to review, here's the before:


And the current after:


I still have curtain panels to purchase (those are the rods leaning in the corner) and dino posters to hang.


And because Gramps says every blaaaahhg post is incomplete without a picture of the children, here ya go.