tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65562509935965107992024-03-13T05:32:34.532-07:00Growing PainsMotleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-14027300959563270672015-09-29T09:23:00.002-07:002015-09-29T09:23:23.655-07:00For Stitch Fix StylistRachael,<br />
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This is the dress for my sons first communion. I had a heck of a time finding it in a pin-able state so I improvised. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KlATIJqNP9k/Vgq605ubzxI/AAAAAAAAASU/XAV7NGnhVXk/s1600/Kohls%2Bdress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KlATIJqNP9k/Vgq605ubzxI/AAAAAAAAASU/XAV7NGnhVXk/s320/Kohls%2Bdress.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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ShawnMotleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-85709988014334175292014-07-09T08:24:00.002-07:002014-07-09T08:24:32.351-07:00A request....<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello Friends, some of
you may be aware that back in March I was blessed to have participated in the 4<sup>th</sup>
Trimester Bodies Project. If not, here is a link to the project: </span></span><span style="color: #37404e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 14.979999542236328px;">http://4thtrimesterbodies.com spend some time reading. Its amazing, and beautiful, and I am proud to be a part of it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the
gorgeous picture of me and my boys that came out of that session: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><img alt="shawn final web" height="266" src="http://4thtrimesterbodies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/shawn-final-web.jpg" width="400" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I am immensely proud
of this photo, yet had not shared directly; instead posting the
link so friends could find it on thier own. Today, I’m taking a deep breath and
putting it out there. Why the nerves? I am not always comfortable in my skin, I feel
thinner than I actually am. I am often
startled by images of myself in pictures.
AND I wear more than that to the beach. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This leads me to my other point
today. The founder of this beautiful,
empowering project, Ashlee, is being harassed by Facebook and Instagram for
these “offensive” photos. She has had
several accounts deleted for the “inappropriate” content and yet as I scroll
through my fb feed, I see way less clothing, I see way more offensive photos that
remain unreported. She and her team are taking
legal action and a petition has been formed to aid in this process. Please take a minute to sign the Change.org
petition here <a href="http://bitly.com/4thtrijo">http://bitly.com/4thtrijo</a>. Show the world and that mothers and women
come in ALL shapes and ALL sizes and they are ALL beautiful! <span class="textexposedshow"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/4thtrimesterbodiesproject"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#4thtrimesterbodiesproject</span></a><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/fourthtrimesterbodiesproject" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#fourthtrimesterbodiesproject</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow"><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/4thtrimester" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#4thtrimester</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow"><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/fourthtrimester" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#fourthtrimester</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow"><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/postpartum" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#postpartum</span></a><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/breastfeeding" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#breastfeeding</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow"><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/childbirth" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#childbirth</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow"><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bodypositivity" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#bodypositivity</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow"><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/stopcensoringmotherhood" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#stopcensoringmotherhood</span></a><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/motherhood" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#motherhood</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="textexposedshow"><a data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/bodypositive" style="cursor: pointer;"><span style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">#bodypositive</span></a></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-85119029699340676132014-07-03T08:00:00.001-07:002014-07-03T08:00:26.658-07:00All is Quiet.....NOT! :)Hello Friends,<br />
<br />
I had this moment of really needing to connect today. I don't have a huge update, I don't have anything epic to say. So how do you start with no specific anything? I started with "All is Quiet" meaning nothing is really new but then I laughed out loud and thought, who am I kidding? I live in chaos! ALL. THE. TIME. It is fun and fine for us, but it <i>is </i>chaos! <br />
<br />
School ended. Apparently, I now have a 4th grader, eeek! Speech class for Z is on break as well and he is having a speech explosion. I can't wait for fall so they can see his progress. Summer is going great. Weather wise, its very strange here....Saturday it was very hot and humid, like move outside at all and start dripping in sweat. Yesterday, Wednesday, it was 57 and raining. Today it will be 70 but I am still wearing a sweatshirt in the office. This is all in July. In Wisconsin. <i>WEIRD</i>! Swimming lessons and baseball are in full swing (pun sort of intended), summer daycare adventures are happening and I'm looking ahead to a VERY busy July and August, leading into school starting in September and a big, highly anticipated, FUN trip to see a certain mouse before the end of that month. <br />
<br />
If you recall, Husband was having some issues, mostly with work when I posted last, shortly after that post, work came to him and offered a new, involved and exciting opportunity. He was sent to Slovenia for a week of training and he loved every minute of it. I managed to hold down the fort at home from Saturday to Saturday when he was gone. Thankfully he had grilled out a bunch before he left and left me lots of things to heat up and we were busy so it wasn't too bad. He is home and happily settling into the new role at work. On that front, all is quiet! ;)<br />
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I had buckled down in February and was watching my eating again trying to lose some weight...AGAIN. (I just like good food so much!) I am down 6 -8 depending on the day from then, but I have a loong way to go. The hard part is the chaos, and no time for me; we are running almost every night for stuff. Lunch is usually out as Dinner is late and either takeout or leftovers, IF we have remembered to arrange for leftovers or didn't take them to work already. Here is what last week looked like for us just from 5pm to bedtime.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Monday - J was supposed to have a baseball game but it rained out. So we took advantage and went to Vacation Bible School at church. Dinner of sloppy joes was served....got home by 8.</li>
<li>Tuesday - Swim class night. I couldn't get Z into a later class than 5:00 (I work till 5 - sigh) so I hired a college girl to take them to the Y. I send along lunchables, Z swims from 5-5:30, they eat dinner, I show up around 5:45 and send her home. We all swim for a bit, J has class at 6:45 while Z and I continue to swim until 7:30 when J is done with class and they close the pool. By the time we get home its 8 or a little after. Baths are mandatory after swimming in a public pool and J is usually starving again. Bedtime ends up around 9:30</li>
<li>Wednesday - J usually has baseball practice. but I had him skip in order to attend VBS again. Dinner was served - hot dogs and brats. Home after 8</li>
<li>Thursday - was blissfully a down night... we went to the store, the boys got fried chicken from the deli, I was going to make shrimp pasta salad. The kitchen was a disaster so I cleaned that up so I could cook. Then it was bath time, then bedtime, THEN I got to make dinner and I think we ate around 9:30.</li>
<li>Friday- I don't think we had plans, I think we stayed home....I cannot remember what we did. </li>
<li>Saturday - I ended up taking 2 boys to the Dr....they are fine. Z needs to use an inhaler for a cough. I attended 2 graduation parties, one alone and one with the boys. They got to swim and it was almost 8 when we got home. </li>
<li>Sunday - we went to church, ate mac n cheese for lunch and took naps (boy did I need one), we went to the store for.....who knows, picked up pizza for dinner and called it a day. </li>
</ul>
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I am looking forward to a few days off with not many plans this weekend. Hoping work lets us leave early today. <br />
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Wow for not a lot to say, this got long....sorry about that. I do hope to post as our fun things happen for the next few months. Have a wonderful Independence Day everyone!<br />
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Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-8901127487212279352014-05-06T08:11:00.001-07:002014-05-06T08:11:01.669-07:00What have I done?Oh Friends, I did a horrible thing. I have been carrying stress and exhaustion and frustration and disappointment around in my brain and my heart. Lots of things. Nothing major, nothing small. I'm just struggling a bit.<br />
<br />
So here goes, Husband and I were having a serious discussion last night that started when the boys were outside playing. By the time they got in, we were frustrated with each other and not even close to being done. I put Z in our room to watch TV and J in his to do homework. And we continued to push each others buttons, not solving anthing. Mind you, we rarely fight, argue etc....and we don't do it well/gracefully when we do. So J innocently came out of his room as his homework was done....and I SCREAMED at him to go back into his room and GO AWAY.<br />
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WTH people? I occasionally raise my voice to get things done. But I SCREAMED.....he was afraid. I made my child afraid. I apologized, hugged him, told him to be a good boy for daddy and ran outside to the car and began crying. Sobbing. What did I do? I have damaged him, his trust, his heart. I eventually came back in and numbly went through the evenings motions. Crying through most of it. I loved him and cuddled him and he said it was alright. But I told him over and over that it wasn't alright. <br />
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I misplaced my anger, frustration and emotions onto the wrong person. I feel awful. Today, my eyes are swollen and I feel like crap. I don't want to engage with others......I just .......I am sorry friends. I am sorry for not being a good mommy.<br />
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I am trying to go with the fact that today is a new day. Today I get to try again. But I'm not feeling very good about things. I needed to share this with you.<br />
<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-63099256151867922072014-03-12T07:40:00.000-07:002014-03-12T07:40:52.758-07:00Fun thingsHello friends.<br />
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Yup, I'm back and it hasn't been 4 months....weird huh? :)<br />
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Shortly after I wrote last time, we had a significant snowfall but with the pleasure of it being more like 30 degrees outside instead of -30. You know, how winter should be! We took advantage and all went out to "shovel". Husband blew snow, J did a little shoveling, there was a lot of J and Z tumbling and playing in the yard and I took advantage with my camera. It was a nice hour or so.<br />
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Here is a great pic of J in the snow.<br />
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And playing nicely together!<br />
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And Z...(yes, I think he is licking snot....but hes still cute)<br />
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Recently, we had another first. J got glasses! He said to me the week prior, "Mom, when are we going to the eye doctor?" I was like ".....ummmm I don't know why?" Well apparently things are getting blurry at a distance, esp after doing something close up. So off we went on Saturday morning and came home with these:<br />
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He is so excited and proud. He looks so grown up and studious!<br />
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We are in a spring thaw. It was in the 50's on Monday! Snow is melting and it is great. (shhhhh dont talk about that it is only going to be 18 or something silly by this evening.)I'm enjoying the hint of spring. Finally - it is MARCH! <br />
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Have a great day everyone!Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-54128129125265401652014-02-14T08:50:00.000-08:002014-02-14T08:50:30.308-08:00Neglectful, regretful.....busy busy life Hello Friends. <br />
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Oh how I am neglectful. I haven't written since SEPTEMBER! Seriously, WTH is wrong with me? Oh that's right, our little hamster wheel of life just keeps spinning and there is NO time. Ex: I didn't eat dinner (a bowl of avocado and sliced tomato followed up with peanut butter toast and chocolate milk) until like 10 last night. Don't worry the boys were fed....I just didn't have time, and never sat down until then. <br />
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So how are the growing pains in our house. Better than ever! I think I may have to bullet point this catch up....(pics if available)<br />
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<ul>
<li>We attended Husbands Grandmothers 100th birthday celebration in November. 100 years friends!! Amazing, she is amazing. We got to spend time with many of Husbands extended family from all over the country. So nice to reconnect and introduce our boys to some of them. Love this pic!</li>
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<ul>
<li>Thanksgiving was just as it should be. Family, food and a nice long weekend. </li>
<li>We had a delightful Christmas, spent with the ones we love. Gifts were carefully selected and we tried not to over do it this year. Everyone seems happy. </li>
<li>New years was spent overeating at my sister-in-laws. A yummy tradition we all enjoy. The kids get to see their cousins, we all get to eat and visit. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>J turned 9! He is such a sweet boy, but he is growing up fast. He got a Kindle Fire for Christmas and can usually be found either reading on it or playing games. He is doing well in school, loving on Math and Science. His school became an Integrated Arts school this year; art is part of most every lesson! I LOVE IT! (Pic is from A.ppleb.ees birthday dinner - he was feeling shy and I got ZERO pics with his hands away from his face - mom fail)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>Z turned 3! He is also just a sweet boy. He often greats us with an enthusiastic, "Mama (or Dat or Jaja), I missed you!" and a huge hug. Love. He is still a whirlwind of energy, but has will slow down to cuddle and I so love that. He was dismissed from the Birth to Three Program for Speech Therapy due to his age and the School District has taken over. He happily goes with his sitter to "Speech School" twice a week. (pic in green shirt is from first day) He has had a speech explosion and is talking ALL. THE. TIME.! Its wonderful.......and exhausting! Potty training....is slowly happening; sort of as he decides to....no pressure here. He goes a few times a day on the toilet but is often wet. We will get there. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</li>
<li>We are struggling through this long, cold, craptacular winter. Its just too cold to play outside. Im sick of bundling up, dressing warm, hats mittens boots, YUK! We have had school closed several times, and we even worked from home one of those days. Husband on the PC in the living room, me on a laptop in the family room, the boys....everywhere, the house, destroyed. Here is a hot cocoa break and an unattended boy surfing on the couch pillow. Thank goodness that pic was taken at 5pm...cant imagine what would have happened after that!</li>
</ul>
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Well that is a high level overview....we are doing well. I hope you all are too. I log in and read blogs almost every day if not, then every day or so....Stay well, Stay safe, Stay warm!<br />
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Have a wonderful day!</div>
Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-20174977592792344202013-09-30T12:58:00.003-07:002013-09-30T12:58:41.683-07:00Phone call<div>
Hello Friends!</div>
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We have had the potty seat out at our house for awhile now. Just available. Sitting on it occasionally, nothing happening. Whatever. On Thursday night, Z asked to sit on it and accomplished... PEE! And Friday night, and Saturday night, and Sunday night too!<div>
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I told the sitter this morning and today, while lunching at Br.avo with my BFF from FL, my phone rang. Sitter. Oh shoot (she rarely calls.....). I answer and she says Z needs to talk to me. "Mama pee an poo!!!!" WOW! YAY!!!! So now I am very excited with out saying pee or poo, in the middle of the restaurant. My BFF is chuckling very hard at my struggle. So was I. </div>
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So there you go. Z is leading his potty training. No stress, no pressure. Just offering to go before nap and bed for now. Here's to it going as easily as it did for J. We are on the same track!</div>
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Have a great day everyone! I'm smilin'!</div>
Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-63067837564334280572013-09-25T08:48:00.002-07:002013-09-25T08:48:28.515-07:00Catching my breath!Hello Friends!<br />
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I am sorry to have kept you hanging. The acquisition at work has been nothing short of a blessing. But I have been SOOOOOOOOO busy. I get to work at 8 (ok 8:15) and all of a sudden it's 5. That is good. But tiring. And exciting!<br />
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I did lose my General Manager title. I am now Operations Director (previously Operations Manager so its still a step up). And I am happy with that. That is what I truly do here, it fits in my head and in my heart. I make sure the day to day goes well. I do it well and am recognized for doing it well. I have taken on some other responsibilities and I like them.<br />
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Husband was so unhappy with previous management. Which was hard because I was part of the management but I had no say and things were a bit weird. We wouldn't talk about work cause it made me sad that he was unhappy and admittedly I didn't handle it as gracefully as I should have. He was job searching and I didn't want to know because I felt like in my position, I knew our lead (only) developer was looking and I should tell someone but then I would be breaking marital privilege and if I did tell he probably would have been walked out and we need his salary.....it was yukky. For a long time. So we had come to where I knew he was looking and I knew he had interviews and meetings with recruiters but no details other than that. And we just kinda lived on edge. Then the acquisition happened and now we work for a global software publishing company. Husband is now one of <b>26</b> developers and is working for the type of company he was looking to work for! He called all the recruiters and told them he was not looking anymore! Rides home are good again. We can talk about work again. There is no more uncertainty. It is good.<br />
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And guess what!? As part of this, he needs to go to Headquarters overseas to meet with the main development team, and so do I so, they are talking about sending me at the same time! How cool is that? No date to travel yet but it may even be before the holidays!<br />
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All this happened right before we headed to South Dakota for a family celebration. My dad had gone out the week before to spent time with his brother in Nebraska so he and that family met us there. My mom, who doesn't have as much vacation time as my dad, drove with us. The boys did great in the car. We did 3 hours on Thursday night and 5 on Friday morning. Spent Friday late afternoon, all day Saturday and Sunday with family celebrating, visiting, seeing and doing some things in town and having a wonderful time. My cousins who were there are aged 17-25 and they were all sweet and inclusive with my boys, I am so blessed. As part of the celebration, on Saturday, my aunt arranged a chuck wagon catered meal with the food all cooked in dutch oven right in the coals for the family and their close friends. So yummy and it looked cool too.<br />
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Here are my boys at a beautiful park on the SDSU grounds on Sunday. </div>
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We drove the whole way home on Monday with only the last hour and a half being awful. Truthfully,it wasn't all that bad we just all wanted to be done in the car. Here are the boys at a rest stop as we headed home. A welcome sign:<br />
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Tuesday we all jumped back into work, and.... J ended up with strep . Here he is at the Dr., one sick and sad little boy.<br />
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On Wednesday, the sitter called me and said she had strep. Crap! So I took Z in for rule out culture (cause he had been so exposed and had a weird cough) here he is at the Dr. Thankfully, no strep!<br />
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My goal for the rest of that week was to NOT go back to the Dr. Sadly, by Sunday, Husband had a weird stomach thing and was cramping so badly he asked me to take him to urgent care. Sigh! It was just a flu, but man I'm over it!<br />
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On to better things. I have a third grader! Who insisted on wearing this on the first day! Handsome!<br />
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We are settling into the new normal of this school year. J is playing soccer (shhhh: I don't think its his sport. He wants to be goalie so he doesn't have to run so much!) and has joined Cub Scouts. And of course there is immediately a fund raiser. Here he is proudly wearing his new uniform and selling his stuff to a few close friends in my moms neighborhood. <br />
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Oh an I also had another rummage sale to try to sell the rest of our baby stuff. The one we had in July was a great learning tool. I knew how to better display and it wasnt a holiday weekend. All the big baby stuff that we are done with is gone. (ex: we still have 2 strollers but we are using them.) We are down to 3 bins of really nice baby cloths that I will try again with next summer. I donated some stuff and there is visable space it the basement!<br />
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OK, I'm done. Whew! You are pretty well caught up and can see why I have not been on here in the last 6 weeks. Holy Cow that was only 6 weeks!!!!!! :) Have a great day everyone!<br />
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-60778210791478107892013-08-13T09:23:00.001-07:002013-08-13T09:23:36.134-07:00Its done...whewHello Friends,<br />
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Sorry for the weird Changes post earlier.....I was so nervous. I didnt know what to do with my energy. <br />
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So the company I work for has been sold to another. A move that I think will be fine for everyone. BUT its been something I havent been able to talk about with anyone but 3 other people at work. FOR MORE THAN 7 WEEKS! Not my besties, not my husband, not my mom or my sister or my dad. That is how I process. Talking. It has been a loooooong seven weeks.<br />
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I havent been sleeping well. I havent been eating well. Well, I've been eating, dont get me wrong....just not in a healthy manner (says the scale this am - UGH!). I have had what I am assuming are mini panic attacks. I LIED to Husband. We dont lie in our marriage and I had to lie. I was legally bound.....this did not sit welll with me.<br />
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Its done. Its out in the open. I feel so much better. Husband is not upset with me. He understands the position I was in. He is a bit on edge as this is all news to him and the new owners will be here in a few hours and I have had 7 weeks to process this. Understandable...right? <br />
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We have 2.5 days with new owners before leaving for vacation on Thursday evening. I think its gonna be a long 2.5 days. Im a little worried about leaving. Im so curious to see what they have planned for this office, for the people here. For me. I'm certain I will lose my General Manager title, I will probably gain some other title and still have the same job....whatever...<br /><br />
We shall see.<br />
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Thanks friends. Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-58601917359029037222013-08-13T06:53:00.001-07:002013-08-13T06:53:51.168-07:00ChangesChanges have been a brewing at work for awhile....I have been sworn to secrecy for well over a month. I could not even tell Husband who works here too.<br />
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Today is the day. Today it happens. Today they will all find out. Husband will find out. I hope its just like ripping off the band aid quickly....<br />
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I think it will all work out. I think we will all be fine. I think Husband will understand the position I'm in. I'm nervous. I'm kinda shakey. I have nothing to do today until this announcement happens.....Trying not to let it show to others.<br />
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Needed to vent to someone. Thanks for being there.<br />
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When I can speak freely I will..... I hate this!<br />
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Here we go................Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-46013105464973932122013-07-25T08:43:00.000-07:002013-07-25T08:43:53.217-07:00A bit muddled upHello Friends,<br />
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So things here are good. Z is finding words and being 2 all at the same time...He argues and cries about everything and holy cow is he loud about it! I may have lost my temper with him a few times lately and yelled. OK I have lost my temper several times as of late....he has definitely spent a decent amount of time in the corner pulling him self together. He only has to stay there until he is done crying and carrying on. It seems to help a little. Oh Two!<br />
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J is going well, trying to be a good big brother and enjoying his summer. He got to try archery with my dad the other day, he loved it! We are going to have to go back to the facility, its only a mile or so from our house. That's actually OK with me, I loved the archery units in HS. <br />
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One of my besties, A (she's almost like a sister as she lived with my family for 3 years just out of HS) lives in FL and I don't get to see her much. She and her new husband, a brilliant photographer, are traveling the art show circuit this summer and home based out of her moms here in WI for about 6 weeks while they did Midwest shows. My family got to have a lovely dinner with them both on July 3, they spent the night at my parents and then we all had breakfast on the 4th before they headed to another show. Her husband was out of town this week and she squeaked out a little more time to spend with us. I bit the bullet and took a last minute half day of vacation and spent it with her! It was sooo nice. We met my dad for lunch at BRA.VO (yum!) then we just hung out for a few hours before it was time to get Husband and the boys. We spent the time chatting and visiting like we have never been apart. I miss that sooo much! My mom, dad and sister joined us for dinner at our house and it was wonderful. They head out of town this weekend for some fairs out in UT and then they will go back home. I can't wait for next summer when I think they will be here longer. I may also get to see her, and help with a show in IL, in Sept....still working out the logistics on that one! Trying hard!<br />
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Husband is also doing well. He has been helping his brother with some stuff and ended up with some extra spending money. He bought a 90 gallon fish tank! OH BOY! We had a 55 gallon salt water tank for 5 years before we moved into our house. Then he just decided that with a new house, yard, and new baby (Z) on the way, his time and $ could be better spent. I have sensed the itch to get back into it coming for about 6 months now. He is building his own stand for it, so it will probably be a month or so before it gets set up. He seems quite pleased with himself and is happy puttering around in the garage.<br />
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Not sure if I have stated this here or not, but Husband is not a licensed driver. Some stuff happened before we met and he lost the privilege. Then he moved to WI with me and getting it back became complicated over state lines. He almost got it back twice, but misinformation has prevented it one way or another. Its also "easy" in that we work together so we can drive together and we live on a bus line so if he has to he can get around that way too. He is worried about increased insurance and another car payment when he does get it back, so just never has. I cannot fight with him about it. If I push him, he shuts down and I will NOT fix this for him. Its his mess to straighten out. <br />
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So, yesterday, Husband came to me and stated that maybe its time to get his license back. He said all the right things. Things I have said to him over the years. It would be easier to divide and conquer the errands, the kids activities, I wouldn't have to do all the driving etc.... And, well, when I should have been grateful, I got kinda irritated. I'm still kinda irritated. This, this one thing (I cant mention it here yet) is going to prompt you after all this time to get it back? Not the times when I was so tired and had no driver to back me up on a trip, or when getting it all done with one car and one driver is hard and often times complicated. Not when I was at the end of my rope about it all? Nope. Just this one thing. UGH! and yet, I should be feeling grateful. I should be jumping for joy.....still processing. No answers yet, no action yet. Just these muddled up feelings. <br />
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We are headed into our craziest part of summer next week. Husband and I took off on Wednesday and are going to take J to Gre.at Amer.ica for the day. He earned a free ticket for a reading challenge at school. He worked really hard at it and I think its what prompted his reading taking off. If it wasn't for that, I would have said HELL NO!. I ordered tix online in advance (saved $44!) and just for Husband and myself it was still $97! We still have to do parking when we get there and figure out food. I'm thinking we will be packing a lunch! Highway robbery....here's the best part. I hate those rides. A lot. I'm only going cause, well, I'm the driver and I want to experience it with him. From the ground! Maybe I can just work on my tan and read my Kin.dle.<br />
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Thursday, we will head to our friends cabin 6 hours away for the weekend. An annual thing for about 5 or 6 years now. We will return home on Sunday and crawl to work exhausted on Monday! <br />
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Have a good day everyone! <br />
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Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-84522250225900469142013-07-18T14:59:00.001-07:002013-07-18T14:59:28.827-07:00A Slightly Smaller Catch Up (June - July to date)Well hello friends! Look, look its only been a little while since my last post! hahaha actually that last post was getting crazy long so I decided to stop and start new.<br />
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I forgot at the end of May, our air conditioning in our van went out. $1500 minimum to fix it they tell me. Forget it, I tell them. Off to C.arM.ax we go. So a few months earlier than we hoped, we have a new van. Not as fancy of a model as our last one, but still nice, lower milage and it gets COLD! <br />
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June found us at the end of second grade for J. His teachers had nothing but great things to say about him. Nice to hear from others. I never know how he is away from us. You can only hope right? He finally conquored reading around Christmas and is devouring books. He is almost through the "Di.ary of a Wim.py K.id" Series and has finished several other chapter books in the meantime. He adores school and I cant wait for this next year. His school just got accepted to be a Charter school for Arts. That means art of all forms will be a part of everyday learning! This should only enhance his love of school as he is very artistic with drawing, painting and dancing!<br />
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In the summer, we have a crazy daily schedule. I allow J to go to his Daycare about 2 times a week for big fun field trips (museums, ball games, tours, play zones, etc....) and the rest of the days are spent at his beloved Babysitters where Z goes. Unfortunately, as she is self employed, she also takes many Fridays off in the summer. In past summers, I have struggled to fill these with a college age person at the house and then only when I needed to, fell back on the daycare for both boys. This year, we just decided to bite the financial bullet and if she was off they both went to Daycare. This does mean that to drop Z in for just one day a week is $94! (ouch!) But it has resulted in a much easier life. Sort of. I still have to check my calendar before bed every night to see who goes where in the am! :) Thank goodness for Google Calendar! I can type it in on my computer and check it on my phone. It also sinks to Husbands phone so he can see too. Very helpful!<br />
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The Friday school ended, we started our summer adventures. We drove 3 hours to Door County, WI, and spent the night. All day, Saturday we were with family at a reunion of sorts while seeing that beautiful part of the state, we left after dinner and drove 3 hours back home. Sunday morning we woke up and I packed J for a week and we drove to 3 hours to St Charles, IL to my sister-in-laws home. She had agreed to take him for a weekn in addition to her 4! And she babysits during the day! Husband, Z and I turned around and drove 3 more hours home. Thank goodness for the new individual DVD players my mom got for the boys in the van. This was Z on the way to IL.<br />
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J did great, except for the 2 times he called home at night. He was just so exhausted that he cried and wanted to come home. But he didnt really. But he did. So we just decided not to talk and I texted my SIL for updates. He was exhausted because they have a trampoline <i>and </i>a zipline in thier backyard, they went swimming at least twice, they went bowling, and to Se.venEl.even for slushies! Whew! Husband, Z and I went back Friday night, spent the night and stayed through lunch the next day and then headed home. That was just the first week of summer vacay!<br />
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The second week, we were blessed to have my dad home and on vacation from work so every morning he came to our house as we were leaving for work with Z and stayed with J until it was time to go to Vacation Bible School at our church. He then picked him up after and they had adventures. They went to the library, to the Dinosaur Museum in Kenosha and got to ride the trolley. On Thursday, as they were leaving my parents house to go to the barn to ride horses, J noticed a large fire at the neighbors backyard and told my dad. They ran over to see if anyone was home, nope, and my dad put out the fire with the hose that was filling the pool. J saved thier house! They were so grateful they wrote a letter to him saying he was thier hero and gave him $25 to Cul.vers! He was very proud. I am very proud! Here is a pic my dad took after the fire was out of J putting wather on the smoldering fence. Thats my parents house on the other side of the bigger fence so he may have saved thier house too! <br />
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July arrived and Husband and I took off on the Friday after the 4th for a 4 day weekend. It was sooo nice. </div>
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We bit the bullet and had our first rummage sale. The baby stuff must go! We need to regain space and I dont think there are any babies in our future! Apparently 4th of July weekends are not great but it helped us get prepared. We learned some and I think will have another in Sept...when its cooler. </div>
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We invested again in a splash pool for our backyard. (They dont seem to winter well but the price is less than $100 and we use it A LOT) I also found a new Coast Guard approved life jacket for Z. He loves it and is learning how to puppy paddle. (I promise I was only out of the water for the pic). </div>
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I think you are up to date on our home life and our cutie kids. August is set with adventure already so I will do my best to keep you updated. </div>
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Have a great day!</div>
<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-71158533772466357012013-07-18T13:59:00.003-07:002013-07-18T13:59:40.069-07:00A HUGE Catch Up (Feb - May)Oh my goodness friends, it has been since February when I posted last! What the heck!?! Im so lame!<br />
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I faithfully follow blogs, sometimes its every few days but I am caught up on all the blogs I read. I'm inspired by so many moms out there. I am moved by so many stories I read, sometimes even moved to action. Then I go to write my own stuff about my own little life and kinda feel like what do I have to put out in this world? My stories are not inspriring, my stories are far from moving. But I keep coming back to this blank page. So, boring and uninspiring as it may be, here we go again.<br />
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Life since February.... well, the last post showed me getting organized with photos on my walls. To be honest, I'm not much further. I did get a watercolor that we bought in Puerto Rico on our honeymoon framed. Its gorgeous, just not on the wall yet. Its so dumb, sticking nails in the wall is so easy and quick and yet, I'm sort of terrified to do it. Like I might mess it up. I love when its done. Cant stop staring at what we accomplished back in February and just cant get it done. Someday soon I hope. The paper pile in the bedroom, well that needs to get tackled again....as does J's room which is just a dumping ground for his crap. I'm to the point that I need to take everything out of his room and then only put back the stuff thats good and in a "home" spot. Never gonna happen with Z around. Maybe a magic wand?<br />
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In late March, I took Z for a hearing test to see if that is the cause of his delayed speech. Nope. He hears just fine. Of course that fell into Easter and it took awhile to get the Birth to Three program to call me back and set up a visit/evaluation. First visit was end of April and the evaluation wasnt until mid-May! A little frustrating. Especially for a little boy who has so much to say he just cant make us understand him. Well, we are on the right track now and have had 3 visits now. He is making leaps and bounds progress. He can usually make himself understood now, sometimes even with 3 and 4 word phrases! There is still work to be done on his word formaiton and some other things but it is so nice. His latest little word is "yep" and its sooo cute! I love to hear him say it.<br />
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In April, J had his tap dance recital. It was the 25th Annual Recital for the studio where I used to teach. I danced in the show as an alumni <i>and </i>as part of a crazy parents dance. Sooo fun! J did great too. A friend of mine is a photographer and was taking shots backstage. She took this one of J and I. Love it! <br />
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She also took this one of J, his teacher Mr B and his classmates waiting to go on. Im there too waiting to watch my tapper! Love behind the scenes stuff!<br />
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His tap teacher has retired and moved away so I have agreed to go back and teach the boys tap class and a boys dance class one night a week. J is excited and so am I!<br />
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Also in April, J & Husband participated in the science fair at the elementary school. This was supposed to be a father son thing....that got procrastinated on until it became a family (almost a huge fight) thing the day before it was due. It turned out pretty well and J did a great job speaking in front of the crowd and doing the demonstration of his Volcano. <br />
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May started off with me missing the step from our family room into the kitchen and gettting into a fight with our garbage can......Garbage can won. This pic was 2 days later, it got even prettier (not) and then it took almost 3 weeks for all the color to go away! Poor Husband had to endure lots of looks!<br />
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May was full of normal everyday stuff. End tap class, Kentucky Derby party (with hats and bets) at a friends house, Grandparents day at school, start of baseball practice for J (first foray into organized sports) <i>AND </i>J finally learned to ride this little bike. <br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Here is Z trying hard to catch up!</span></div>
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So J was finally able to call up my mom and say "guess who gets to buy me a new bike?" (Last summer, my parents had promised him a new bigger one if he learned to ride the one he had. ) So a week later, as promised, he came home with......</div>
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and can ride it pretty well. Corners arent so great but he's getting there. </div>
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May was also full of more grown up events: For my birthday in December, my sister had bought me a ticket to see Kenny Chesney at Miller Park and one of my besties came along too. Great sister/girlfriend outing, beautiful, fun, night. <br />
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Thats my sis! </div>
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Husband and I got to go to dinner and see a show with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert- very cool. AND....we had our 11th Wedding Anniversary. My sister watched the boys and we used a gift certificate from two years ago to go out to a fancy resturaunt in Milwaukee and enjoy great food. A good, busy, fun month. <br />
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June brought us the end of second grade and the jump into our crazy summer. This is getting very long. I think I will start a new post. Thanks for sticking with me friends!<br />
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-31565500948837181172013-02-20T10:06:00.000-08:002013-02-20T10:06:14.480-08:00A start .....Hello Friends,<br />
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A strange phenomenon has started to take place at my house.... organization....its weird and great and I kinda want to take a week off of work and keep doing it...but lets not go crazy!<br />
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So, the weekend before Husband went on his week away, I dug into our pantry. Like I pulled everything out, got rid of the expired stuff, stuff we weren't going to eat, wiped down all the shelves and put it all back in, in an orderly manner. It was NICE! It has managed to stay that way for 3 WEEKS! <br />
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The weekend he was gone, I hunted down all the frames I have bought over the last 2+ years, opened them all up, dusted them off, cleaned the glass and reassembled so they could dry before pics get inserted. Those sat against the wall in the living room for a week waiting.<br />
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This past weekend, my mom came over on Saturday to help me finally get some pictures on the wall. You all know this is a stresser for me, I have written about it often. The fact that I have 6 yr old pics of J in the envelope and I just picked up his 8 yr old pics......ugh!!!! So Husband asks if I want the boxes of pictures from when we moved brought up from the basement. Mom and I said sure......7 boxes (yes 7 she admitted sheepishly) came up. Leaving a rather nice gap in the basement! One was pretty vases etc that I am not ready to deal with so went back down stairs. One was 1/2 pictures and half pretty breakables that went back down after we pulled out some pics and put some that needed saving but not going on my walls back in. One was wedding (yes from 10 years ago) knick knacks that I went through and finally made decisions on, we actually emptied out a box! In one of them I found my jewelry I had been halfheartedly looking for since we moved. Nothing special, but some pretty costume stuff that would add some color to my wardrobe! The other 4 were all lovingly wrapped photos in frames. The result, when unwrapped, looked like this:<br />
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The taller pile in the middle, those are all of J....you would think he was an only child for a long time...... :) <br />
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We spent some time picking some pictures to go into 2 collage frames (why is that so hard for me?) I will share those later. We then decided to put up the things we KNEW where they were going. So we started in Z's room. The end result:<br />
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The rainbow fish pics have always been up. We put up the "Z" and somehow that corner looks complete now.<br />
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On the wall opposite the stripes, we put up a white shelf that contains a "brothers" picture and a baptism pic with his godparents along with a personalized Noah's ark bank from my sister from the same baptism. Under that is a newborn pic of he and I. Next to the closet door (the decals have been there all along) We added a cross from one of his god-mommies and added a hook for his bath towel. That's it. Thats all we did in that room and now when I go in there it is perfect!<br />
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Next up. The bathroom. We have the tiniest bathroom on the planet. It is only as wide as the tub you see below and as long as a sink and a toilet on the opposite wall. The gray frame you see on the left has always been there and hides behind the door, until you close the door and sit down to do your business, then you see a pic of an old outhouse... We added 1 wet baby pic of each boy at about the same age and again, its done. Two nails in the wall and a sigh of contentment. <br />
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We did get a few more up but those walls are not complete. so Im not ready to share. The pile on the bed....got depleted a bit. We have a plan for some. I have to go through some...some will not be put up as it would just be the J show! </div>
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Lastly, Husband and I tend to dump paper in our room to "deal with later." Especially when guests come over. So on Saturday night, he sorted through and organized his side of the bed. Sunday night, it was my turn. I can see my dresser top again. (Refer to bedroom pic above) I can walk along the bed and not have to follow a path. I have to find homes for the few small piles of stuff I kept, but I reduced the piles by <i>A LOT.</i> I'm also working on not letting the paper accumulate in the first place. Deal with it as it comes in and be done with it....Hard stuff for a busy household like ours. </div>
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Baby steps are feeling so good. We have a busy weekend ahead, hopefully we can squeeze in some more picture organizing/hanging. Husband wants to finish a shelf in the basement which will allow us to better organize down there - potentially clearing off the train table again......the holes left down there by the boxes coming up....more potential! And my first rummage sale this spring........its almost too much to think about! :)</div>
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Have a great day everyone!</div>
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-63956389255879599712013-02-15T09:35:00.003-08:002013-02-15T09:35:42.307-08:00My Valentines....Hello Friends,<br />
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A quick peek at a photo from our birthday shoot. Its probably the only time it will ever work or be totally appropriate. J adores Z, Z adores J and looooves giving kisses (look at those fishey lips!). The photographer, worked some serious magic in that session, probably deserves a raise and a vacation. But what a moment she caught!<br />
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Here you go!<br />
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I hope you all had a great day yesterday! (sorry the quality isn't great. its a phone camera shot of an actual picure...on my kitchen counter)<br />
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Have a great day!</div>
Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-5821832155171871892013-02-12T10:27:00.001-08:002013-02-12T10:27:21.147-08:00Single mom for a weekHello Friends,<br />
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I did it! I was a single, full-time, working mom for a whole week! The house is still standing, the kids are healthy, well rested, clean and fed. I am healthy, sort of rested, clean, fed and SANE. The driveway got shoveled twice (thanks dad) we had people over for dinner twice and went to dinner once. We had a small crisis and I figured it out.<br />
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I thought it would be harder. I am sort of shocked....and sort of not. Husband and I do have a partnership, but lets be honest, I carry the lions share at home, especially with the boys. Some by choice, some by stubbornness on my part, some cause no one else will do it in a timely manner. <br />
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The mornings were the hardest. We do work well as a team there (we had a cometojesus conversation a year or so ago). So doing the get everyone ready including lunches and milk for Z, get everyone and everything in the car, double daycare drop off, and get self to work in a timely manner was tough. J helped as much as he could and did great.<br />
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Weekday evenings were relatively normal. Double day care pick up and then the following:<br />
<b>Monday </b>we braved the grocery store for a few necessities, had dinner, bedtime etc...<br />
<b>Tuesday </b>drive-thru dinner (20% benefited J's school), my dad came over to help blow snow, we played outside for awhile, came in for baths and bedtime. <br />
<b>Wednesday </b>was J's dance class night, came home made dinner, bedtime. <br />
<b>Thursday</b>...well Thursday showed me that it does take a village to raise a child. A friend of mine said, nope, it takes a FAMILY, she was right. We had a pretty good snowstorm all day Thursday so I let my staff leave at 4:15 pm to get a jump on rush hour and get home safely. I had to pick up J from daycare and go straight to school for his student led conference. In the meantime,my mom picked up Z and went to our house for dinner. Due to the snow, my dad also met them there (good thing as mom got stuck in my driveway and he had to push her out). By the time I got home with J, dad had most of the driveway done, Mom had dinner cooking, and Z was happily playing. J got suited up and went to "help" shovel. They found our snow brick makers and started a fort. (Z was super unhappy to not be included). We all had dinner and all three "boys" went back out to play some more - they were all very happy and had a nice time. Mom and dad left to go shovel themselves out and I bribed Z to come inside with a bath. It was such a beautiful snowy night that if we didn't have school work etc the next day we could have stayed out for awhile!<br />
<b>Friday </b>we ate dinner at my parents and came home to bed (it was a long work week and I was beat!)<br />
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On to the weekend. Again, we did pretty well.<br />
<b>Saturday </b>we were all lazy. I snuggled with Z, then while the boys ate breakfast I cleaned out and organized my dresser drawers. (you know you can fit more into your underwear drawer when you take out all the nursing bras..... ;) ) I folded some cloths, cleaned up the kitchen and then some friends came and took J for a fun day as his Xmas gift. While they were gone, I fed Z and put him down for a nap. I then hunted down all the frames I have bought over the last 2+ years, opened them all up, dusted them off, cleaned the glass and reassembled so they could dry before pics get inserted. Then our friends came home with J and we had a lovely dinner, 2 bottles of wine, and great conversation. J slept with me and life was good.<br />
<b>Sunday </b>despite freezing rain and slippery roads, we were off to church, the congregational annual meeting, and then home for lunch and naps. I tried to shovel some of the now icey slush off the driveway...no dice. I started to put pics in frames....didn't get far. (but am started and feel good about that. I think mom is coming over on Sat this week to help me!) Again braved Sa.m's Club and the grocery store with they boys - it wasn't too bad. Came home and was ready to chill and be done. But first, had a small crisis with the sump pump....due to some warm weather we have had, Husband had disconnected it to ensure it wasn't trying to run through a frozen hose so that it wouldn't back up into the basement. WELLLLLL Sunday rained all day, and while it rained it got up to 40 degrees and melted the 7 inches of snow we had gotten on Thursday. As I was unloading the car, I heard water discharge from the house and 30 seconds later I heard it again and then again. I went and looked and it was discharging right next to the house.....down the foundation, and it was a big wet muddy mess. I tried to reconnect the hose and (as he had thought) it was frozen so water couldn't go through it just sprayed everywhere. I ran downstairs and looked in the sump area and there was some water trickling down the wall. That is NOT something you want to see. I grabbed a plastic cutter (I have it for the kids toys) and cut the hose, pushed it back in and the water immediately started running down the driveway and not down the foundation. I called my dad to stop by to just check my handiwork so that I could sleep with out worrying about water in the basement and he did and said it was fine. Gave the kids baths, put them to bed, tidied up the house and crashed.<br />
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Husband got home yesterday morning after taking the red eye. He said hi to some very excited boys and I (it was very nice to greet him NOT at the office), I dropped the boys at daycare, went back home to pick up a now showered but sleepy Husband and we arrived at work only 30 min late. And the cycle of real life started again.<br />
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I slept great last night! ;)<br />
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Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-9777246629472649872013-01-30T14:48:00.000-08:002013-01-30T14:48:14.690-08:00Weird feelings.....Hello Friends.<br />
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I have been struggling with some weird feelings. <br />
I need to blog about it, I need to get it out and this is my safe place. <br />
I need friends (esp real life friends) who read this not to have feelings hurt or to feel the need to protect me.<br />
I just have these feelings and that is that.<br />
So.<br />
Here goes.<br />
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I think.<br />
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Arrrgh! Why is this so hard to say?<br />
Its hard to say because, its stupid. Its selfish. Its childish. It is base and shouldn't be discussed out loud or in writing or anywhere and yet I think its strangling me.<br />
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Ok. I get jealous and feel bad about myself when others announce pregnancies. (And purchasing of huge houses. That's the same right?)<br />
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There I said it. <br />
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What about it? I'm sitting here, in my office, with tears in my eyes as I write this stupid, stupid thing. I just wrote Monday that I was content with my life. And I am in those moments. Z is mobile and (frustratingly) independent We have our lives back after being back in baby mode. I don't think I could handle another baby. I'm old. I'm fat. I work a full time job. I already have two kids. We have a tiny house with an even tinier bathroom. We do not have funds for daycare for a 3rd child. We certainly don't have funds for college for any of them. Who knows if we should even mess with Gods plan? What if another baby is His plan? What if I could be pregnant one more time and bring home one more baby? Don't get me wrong, I don't adore being pregnant, its kind of a means to an end. But a new baby, a new life..... <br />
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....and the struggle to get pregnant, to stay pregnant, to not freak out the whole time in fear of losing what I so desperately wanted. To await each cycle with fear and hope and tears and .......ugh. It took so long to get Z, we tried so many things. Then it just happened. Would it take long? If I started on the path, I couldn't just walk away....could we, should we? Husband says hes too old and doesnt want more. He also says that if that is really what would make my heart complete then we can talk....do I? Should we?<br />
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Then, I look at my mom friends who seem to do it so effortlessly. They get pregnant on a dime, have babies that are perfectly spaced, perfectly groomed, perfectly behaved. They bring them home to perfectly decorated, pictures on the wall, everyone has their own bedroom and possibly even own bathroom houses. Moms get 12 weeks of maternity leave. Then they go to work, and come home to a huge house. They go to the gym! There are not dirty cloths waiting to be washed in a pile in the basement or toys scattered EVERYWHERE. The bathrooms (plural) are actually clean. They do all sorts of activities with and without children, are super engaged with their children and yet no one seems to be at their wits end. They don't lose their tempers with their children. The bank account is never low and the grocery shopping is always done and dinner is rarely cooked in the microwave from a box.<br />
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OK maybe this is more about my feelings of inadequacy in all aspects of my life. See I told you I needed to blog. OH PLEASE DO NOT THINK LESS OF ME FOR THESE FEELINGS! I know they are senseless. But I feel them.<br />
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My bestie, says we are just in different places. I want to smack her. She is 5 years younger than me and her life is F-ing perfect. Seriously. Nothing hard ever happens at that house. <br />
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Another friend told me that the "hard" things that happen in my life just build character. Well, friends, I have LOTS of character! Lots and lots and lots. <br />
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I have to go. I really have a few things to do before I leave today. But this was bubbling inside me and just needed to get out. <br />
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If you have thoughts or feelings like this or if you hate me now.....let me know. Thanks for listening.<br />
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-17174552447793885632013-01-28T09:26:00.003-08:002013-01-28T11:31:03.801-08:002 year old ZHello Friends,<br />
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I should be fair and do a snapshot of my little Z at 2 years old. <br />
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Holy cow that went fast and yet it feels as if hes been a part of us forever. What can I tell you about him today? He is tiny, barely 26 lbs and 35 inches. Still wearing some 18-24 month outfits and some 2T stuff is falling off of him. And yet this little guy is a full on whirlwind of energy. He wakes up around 6:15/6:30 ready to play and never stops but to sleep; one decent nap a day and bedtime at 8:30. He has a fantastic smile and his giggles are infectious. He runs, jumps, gallops, rarely walks, climbs, tumbles, and launches himself through life.<br />
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Z understands everything we say. He follows simple instructions fairly well and <u>clearly</u> has things to
tell us just does not have the words to do so. Husband, babysitter and I made a list; it has about 36 "words" that we have heard him say. I use words loosely as for many of them you kinda have to interpret but in the last few weeks it has gotten easier to communicate with him. Frustration levels have gone down significantly on both sides. He still exclusively signs for "thank you" and "all done" - wont even attempt to say them and happily nods yes or no at you to confirm what he has signed. The Birth to Three social worker will be calling be soon to follow up and see if we need to do anything further. His doctor says hes certainly not ahead but he is doing fine for the age.<br />
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He is so easy to put down at night. We say prayers as a family, and give kisses and hugs all around. Then, we read three books, in a specific order (his choice not mine), while rocking in his room. I play a lullabye cd for him, put him in his crib, tuck a Poo.h Bear lovey in his arm as he pops his two fingers in his mouth. I cover him up with 2 specific blankets (again, his choice lately) and walk out. He has been having some trouble sleeping through the night but I think hes confused with the time. When he gets up and I let him get up at 6:15/6:30am its still just as dark in his room as it is at 4am...... The other night I went in to soothe him and he reached up to be picked up and he pointed to the hall way and said "pay car?" Play Cars? J has a Hot Wh.eels Wall Track set and Z LOVES to play with it. He thought it was time to get up and play....he was VERY sad to find out it wasn't time to get up. On the plus side, he is just as easy to get to go back to sleep. <br />
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Z goes to the babysitters house daily during our work hours and is so happy to see her every day. She takes such good care of our boys. He has also spent time at the day care where J goes before and after school and easily integrates into their routine and loves to be there too. If I could afford it, I would send them both there. Not because its better than her house, its just different and it would mean only one drop off in the morning and one pick up in the afternoon. Sometimes I take him in with me to pick up J and all the teachers smile and say Hi to him and he smiles and waves back and usually cries when its time to get in the car after only 5 min. That makes me feel so good (not the act of crying just that he is comfortable there). Its nice to have options for him - especially since his sitter takes off A LOT of days in the summer. And I refuse to take her days off as mine if I don't have to. <br />
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Shopping with Z has proven lately to be less than pleasurable. He wont sit in the cart for anything not even candy (yes I have tried). Seriously, he screams bloody murder - like I'm torturing him or something. So I let him out of the cart to walk and he refuses to hold hands - again sliding to the disgusting store floor and crying....I would let him walk alone but he doesn't listen, he wants to run the aisles and J cant help because Z either thinks its a game and runs faster, or hates it and screeches. Then, if we actually make it to the register, when I am paying, he runs towards the door (because we are done and it must be time to go right?) and those automatic doors that are so nice when you are pushing a cart are NOT good at stopping a toddler! AT ALL! They slide right open! I cannot tell you how many times I left my purse with wallet open to sprint after him to stop him before he actually gets outside. Husband says, you shouldn't leave your purse like that.....(eye roll. Really? Kid or purse.....?hmmmmmm)<br />
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So we have stopped going. Yes, we gave up going in as a family. We either stop and either Husband or I run in alone while the rest of us wait in the van, or we order P.ea Pod. They deliver right into your kitchen! You can order online right up until the night before and then they bring it in! As long as you watch, price wise its not much different and we don't have to take him in there! Note: In the last week he has gone in with Husband for short jaunts and has apparently been good. We'll see.......<br />
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Lastly, my little ball of energy has figured out that snuggling is a good thing. I LOVE IT! He has never liked that very much, that kind of made me sad sometimes because J was/is such a snuggler. We were better off putting him down as an infant than trying to rock it out. Within the last few months, he will crawl up next to me and put his head down with his fingers in his mouth. Sometimes laying right on me, other times just being real close to me and touching or patting. Over the weekend, he pulled up my shirt and laid his cheek on my tummy. It was like he needed some kangaroo snuggling or something! Sigh...all of it makes me very contented!<br />
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Have a great day everyone! <br />
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-65010274419219219332013-01-24T08:06:00.000-08:002013-01-24T08:06:22.483-08:00J at EightHello Friends,<br />
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I thought I should take a moment or two and document about my sweet J at 8 years old.<br />
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J is a dark blond, blue eyed, tall (4 feet 3 inches), skinny (60 lbs) heap of second grade sweetness. He is almost out of size 8 pants because they are too short. But 10's are too long depending on the brand. No matter what brand he wears, we have to buy slim AND the waist has to be adjustable or they just fall off! He thinks its hilarious when he can "pants himself" by walking around the house! He is polite (most of the time) and thoughtful to and about others (again, most of the time). <br />
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J is very artistic. The art work he brings home is so intricate and beautiful. Classroom teachers often have children draw an idea to prompt writing; they tell me they have to remind him to stop with the drawing in order to do the work. Deep down, I like that. <br />
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He is frighteningly good at math. Seriously, he can do stuff in his head that amazes me (and I need to think about hard before I get the answer) multiplication, easy division, subtraction and addition - all of it. He just seems to "get" it. He brought home some work before the holidays that was pre-algebra! Do you recall he is only in 2nd grade? :)<br />
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J still takes tap dance and is pretty good at it. I might be a bit biased, but I think if he continues he could be great at it! He was taking Tae Kwon Do through our Rec program, but we are taking a semester break as it added to our cold weather running around and the registration fee was due right after the holidays.....He seems ok with it. I think that when we re-join, Husband is going to take the class with him. It will be good for both of them.<br />
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He adores his little brother. J is prideful of him and is thrilled when he is rewarded with hugs and Z attention. He tries hard to play with Z and makes concessions with toys in order to do so. J has turned the corner in reading and likes to try to read to Z.....who doesn't always appreciate the effort!<br />
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J always was and still is a cuddle bug. He will still snuggle at every opportunity and although we don't fit in the rocker together very well anymore, he will try to climb up on me for a rock at night if he gets the chance. I suspect that a photo would look like arms and legs everywhere. Its not very comfy for me but he likes it. I try to snuggle with him in his bed at night but sometimes, its too late and we just need everyone to get to sleep ASAP. J has nightmares sometimes, I suspect it's his body's way of waking him up to use the bathroom, but he sure gets frightened. And from silly stuff like "Scoo.by D.oo" Needless to say we monitor what he watches and don't push that envelope very far. He is very interested in H.arry P.otter stuff - I'm just not sure about introducing it yet. When he wakes up with a nightmare, I send him to the bathroom and then he can come sleep in our bed for awhile. Cuddles again! That only lasts until Husband or I needs to move around or it gets too hot, our bed is only a Queen and not intended for 3 people. I know this cuddle stage will eventually go away as he grows older. I try to treasure it and allow it when I can.<br />
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He is a relatively easy going boy who adores his electronics; Wii, 3DS, computer games in general, and he is thrilled when he can get his hands on Husbands or my Android based phones for Angry Birds. He is also very into Leg.o's and other little boy toy collections that I do not understand ie: Beyblades. As I said earlier he turned a corner in reading ability and comprehension and is on a roll. He asked for books for his birthday so my sister took him to a major local bookseller and he got to buy 3 beginning chapter books. He also got a timer bookmark from my sister-in-law. He is very proud when he finishes another book and accomplishes his weekly school reading goal. <br />
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I could talk about my sweet boy all day long, but I think I should get some work done ;)<br />
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Have a great day everyone! <br />
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-80574152517435156022013-01-21T11:10:00.001-08:002013-01-21T11:10:16.731-08:002013.....8 & 2 oh my!Happy New Year Friends!<br />
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Here we are safely embarking upon 2013. A brief catch up (hey did you notice its only been one month-ish since my last post?)<br />
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Christmas was....ok. The kids had a great time, we did not stress about it too much and it was nice. But I had a stomach bug the entire weekend of and Christmas Eve. I wasn't full blown sick, I just really didn't feel right. Food smelled great, tasted great, just couldn't eat lots of it. So weird (and a bummer as Husband made an AMAZING lasagna and Italian salad). Not one but 3 people asked me if I was pregnant. I said I hope not as I have the Mir.ena and that would not be good. Christmas day I was finally back to normal and we had a nice time opening presents with the boys. Then we spent all day playing with our new stuff. Sadly, back to work the next day. <br />
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Next up, New Years. We headed to my sister-in-laws for New Years Eve and we went early to maximize cousin time for the boys. My boys are the youngest 2 out of 7 grandkids and they get mucho attention there. We gather annually on NYE and do appetizers all night long and usually the cousin Christmas exchange. Then on New Years morning, Husband and I make breakfast and we start the birthday celebrations for J and Z and they get their gifts from that side of the family. We were home from thier house by 2:30 and napping by 3. It was a nice weekend.<br />
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On January 2, J turned 8. Eight years old, holy cow! Really? I have an 8 year old........ It was back to work and J had school that day. So we sent a fun treat to school and another to daycare and he was allowed to pick a place to go to eat. He picked Ap.plebee's. My parents and sister joined us for dinner and here is the sunday they brought him when they sang. (I took the candle and gave it to the waiter when I told him it was his birthday. ) He doesnt really like cake so this was great for him.<br />
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Yes he ate the whole thing! </div>
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We went back to our house for presents and then it was bedtime. And reality of life returned (school work life)!</div>
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On Saturday, Jan 19th, we had a gathering of our close family friends with kiddos to celebrate both J and Z. I had found a great Leg.o party kit and did a loose theme. I looked and looked to find a cake to make that looked like a brick, but then reality set in; I'm capable and willing, but just did not have time. So I called a local bakery and asked for a Leg.o themed cake. They said sure. At the last minute I asked them to put a small monkey by Z's name as he is a monkey! I think it turned out cute. </div>
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I think it turned out cute!!</div>
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And I think they liked it!!!</div>
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Then yesterday was Z's actual birthday. He's 2! Can you believe he's 2 already? We invited my parents over for dinner (my sister was traveling for work) recycled the dinner from Sat, and re-used a portion of the cake from Sat. He seemed happy and the food was just as good on day two!</div>
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Blowing out his candle</div>
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His big present from us (on sale at Sa.ms Club) Cant wait for spring I think this is going to be fun!</div>
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A quiet moment. Look at that little face!</div>
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J will actually get one more party next week. He asked if a few friends from school could come to the family friends party and it was already too big, and it would have been complicated to have them there too. So Im taking a 4 of them bowling after church on Sunday. Then we are done. NO MORE BIRTHDAYS for awhile. I get this way every year. The run from Thanksgiving to Christmas all the way through Z's birthday is just one very long ride. We did it right this year, it was very nice all around. I'm just tired, a bit broke and now need to clean out closets and toy shelves to fit all the new stuff in. </div>
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We are blessed. I love my boys. I have contributed at least two beautiful things in this world! Have a great day!</div>
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-68339017047854422792012-12-14T08:06:00.002-08:002012-12-14T08:06:57.589-08:00December.....Hello Friends.<br />
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Um, excuse me? Have you seen the October and November? I seem to have missed them. No actually, I think I was there, just hanging on for dear life! :) Somehow we have made it to December (and after having started this a week ago, its now almost mid-December). <br />
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We had a wonderful late fall with family and close friends. We started early Oct with a trip to MN to see Husbands grandmother who turned 99 in late Oct. 99 people! That is amazing, she is amazing. She needs a walker and some repeating of things, otherwise she is sharp as a tack. We make this trip once a year and have a lovely time doing it. I am certain we will be planning a 100th party for next Oct and frankly, I cannot wait! <br />
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We ended the month with several dinners with friends and Halloween celebrations. J was a magician. He wanted to be a ninja with a huge sword. But the costume was $35 at Tar.get and I hated it. Took him to Good.will as I discovered they have a huge Halloween selection to choose from. We ended up finding a top hat, white gloves, and a cape. He bought it, hook line and sinker. We added a tuxedo shirt and bowtie from a dance recital past. Then he and Husband made his wand (family bonding anyone?) We found a small rabbit and put it in the hat for a trick - HE LOVED IT! Hard part is we live in WI and it was cold. So the whole look has to be pulled off with a winter coat. It worked. Z was Elmo and he was cute.<br />
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November flew by. Thanksgiving was early and it totally threw me off. My sister works for the corporate office of large department store chain. Every year they hire coach buses and take a group to Chicago for a day of shopping. My mom, sister and I went last year and decided to make it a tradition. We had soooo much fun and it was 70 degrees. People, it was 70 degrees on November 10 in Chicago! Unheard of! But it made for a super pleasant day walking around! Found a few things, had a great lunch, visited a bunch. <br />
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The next weekend we went to a waterpark resort in the Wisconsin Dells with 3 other families. We had a wonderful time. 7 adults, 9 kids ranging in age from 11 to 1! The other families have done it before and we got included this year. So much fun! Already planning for next year! A little hard with Z, he wasn't so sure about all the noise and the water....I didn't get to go on many waterslides, but I had fun splashing with him. J and Husband even did an indoor ropes course! <br />
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Days later, Thanksgiving was upon us. We drove to Sturgeon Bay, WI (Door County) to spend it with my aunt who was widowed just over a year ago and had to work the day after. We didn't want her to be alone so we (mom, dad, sister, mother in law, and us) descended upon her and had a lovely meal. I thought that on Saturday of that weekend, we were headed to my girlfriends house for a couples only dinner. The 3 girls go out a lot and leave the boys home with the kiddos so that sounded fun. Wellllll....it wasn't a cozy dinner for 6. It was a surprise party for my upcoming (gulp) 40th birthday! I had a wonderful time and was truly surprised with many more friends. My husbands gift was: the next morning, my parents, sister, his mom and Jackson drove to Chicago to have brunch at Table 54. Art Smith is one of the chefs on our bucket list. HOLY COW PEOPLE the food was amazing. My dad kept saying he didn't understand why Husband wanted to to all the way to Chicago for food....until he had pancakes he is still talking about! Seriously! We did a little city wandering, and stopped by Millennium Park - many of our family had not seen " the Bean." It was another mild day in the city and again we had a wonderful time. <br />
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Now we are just hanging on for the holiday. Christmas pics taken, cards picked up, not mailed yet. Most of the shopping is done, Christmas cookies baked (fun baking day with mom and sister), Sugar cookies decorated with J, trees mostly up. I have officially turned 40....(Husband and I took day off of work and we went to another fancy restaurant, french food, way too much of it.) and I survived. I just don't feel 40. I distinctly remember my dad turning 40 and the party we threw with all the black over the hill stuff. I remember thinking, wow is he old! Now I'm 40 and I am not old! I cant be, I have an almost 2 year old. I cannot be old.<br />
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OK - this post has become a novel - I'm sorry. You can see that we have been super busy. I hope all is well with all of you. If I don't get to post again before the holidays, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! <br />
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-62143874515225011302012-10-16T08:11:00.003-07:002012-10-16T08:11:38.958-07:00Fall CatchupHello Friends,<br />
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So where did I leave off with our life? I think we were mid- August. (How in the heck is it Oct 16th????sigh.........)<br />
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Our Peru friends left, with great sadness from all of us and 4 days later we headed north to hang out by the lake for a few days. It was wonderful, very cool for August in WI but we managed to swim/play in water a bit for both days. Z sat in the stones and dug, waded in the water and climbed all over that paddle boat when it was beached. He did great. The campfire made me a little nervous but we managed.<br />
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J- he loves it up there. For the most part there were no electronics, computers, or cable TV (except in the morning when it was 42 degrees out! brrrrrrr). This grin and hairstyle are compliments of driving the jetski with his daddy. <br />
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This was our playground for the weekend. I took this pic from the deck. Its about 10 steps to the fire and 15 more to the lake; perfect for just hanging out. It was good. <br />
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The weekend after the cabin, Z started a round of the stomach flu in our house. He threw up several times on Saturday (I was out with girlfriends when it started so Husband go the brunt of it). We were a little worried that he had hit his head earlier in the day but by Tuesday night J had it and by Wed the sitter had it. Thurs took down the sitters husband and Thursday night Husband was down. It was a fast and furious ailment, in 2 hours you could go from being fine, to tossing your cookies for about 4 hours. Then you were just wiped out for another day. We are supposed to leave for my mother-in-laws property on Fri night to spend the weekend with family and cousins. At that point, I was the only one who hadn't gotten it. I did the math - if I got it, I was gonna be sick in a camper with 10 other people and not able to get home on Sunday. That did not sound fun and we didn't want to share our yukkiness, so we cancelled and stayed home. To soften the blow for J, who adores time with his cousins, I took the boys to the zoo on Saturday to see the dinosaur exhibit (super cool) and walk around a bit. On Sunday, I went to church and had a normal day, felt a little bad that we missed the weekend away and I was fine but.....on Monday I awoke to stomach issues. I never threw up, but at one point I asked Husband if I would feel better if I did. He said no, so I didn't. I watched sooooo much TV on Monday and Tuesday I totally caught up on my DVR. Pathetic, but I had no energy for anything else. <br />
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Tuesday was also the first day of 2nd Grade for J! Holy Cow, I have a 2nd grader! They have assignment notebooks and even change classrooms once a day to go to reading and literacy. I don't remember changing classrooms for that stuff till maybe 3rd grade, definitely 4th. Its crazy and he is doing great. The transition to 2nd has been so much easier than into 1st. Something has clicked with his reading and he is going to town! Math is easy as ever for him and he loves Art and gym class. I am so happy for him. <br />
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J has also started back to tap class and tae kwon do and is doing very well at both. We have been trying to teach him to ride his bike with out training wheels, but its hard and we don't have available time to be consistent with it. My parents have even dangled a new bike in front of him if he learns to ride his old one......not sure he cares....<br />
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Little Z, my sweet little Z. What can we say about him. He is a fun, frustrating, amazing, trying little person! He is slowly gaining words. If you listen and know what hes saying he says Brother (for J), Sponge Bob (eye roll - I hate it and I guess its on at the sitters), More, Ball, and babbles incessantly. He has also taken to making noises like EH!and angry faces at you when he is angry or displeased. That seems to be all the time lately. I have implemented corner time, to calm him down and let him know that mommy is displeased too. I put him in the corner and gently hold his head there and count to 10. I need to get a pic though because he holds both hand up over his head on either wall and his head is tucked into the corner. Its hilarious. Frustrating and hilarious. The Birth to Three social worker called and sent over an evaluation form to see if we need to evaluate him further for speech delay. I had to have him accomplish many things and note it on this 4 page questionnaire. He was at the top for Gross and Fine Motor skills, following directions and pointing to body parts and just in the gray area for his communication. I am awaiting a call back from her, but I expect that we will have some exercises to do with him for a bit and then reevaluate. But I am feeling better about the speech thing overall. <br />
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So, since tiny baby on, Z did not like to cuddle or snuggle, he just needed to be put in bed and he would cry it out for a few min or just roll over and go to sleep. If you tried to snuggle him, he would tolerate for a min or so and would actually reach for his crib. I was always proud about how easy I could put him down....until Sunday night. He cried and wailed himself into the hiccups and just wanted to be snuggled. Now I love the snuggles, I am happy to give them and rocked him to sleep on Sunday night, but was afraid that we were starting something bad at bedtime. We changed nothing as far as routine and again, last night it took until 10 to get him to sleep and it was only with major snuggles and staying with him. Husband didn't help at all in that I tried to just let him cry himself out (I hate it but ....) and he went in there and rocked him and then when he couldn't get him to go down, brought him out to me in the family room, TWICE. At which point the little schiester, grins at me from around his two fingers and reaches for a snuggle with me! Arrrrgh, back to frickin square one. So today, I am tired, frustrated with everyone and tired.....He EH'd at me all morning, fought me when I got him dressed and fussed in the car seat. Today, I was thankful for our sitter and that I had to get to work. <br />
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Last but not least, I have been called on for an emergency long term/part time sub at the dance studio. They had hired a new tap teacher who failed to show up on the first day of classes without calling, answering phone or text or email (classy hey?) so they called to see if I could help. I could. I went. It was fun! Lots of fun! So I did 2 weeks, then I couldn't for 2 weeks because of prior commitments. I taught last week and will again tonight, but cannot next week. I think they are close to hiring a new permanent teacher but I can continue like this for a bit. Its like dipping my toe in the pool, enjoying it a bit, but I don't actually have to jump in! I sorta suspect that I will teach again next year......<br />
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I have to run now. Besides this is almost an obnoxiously long post. I need to remember that posting makes me feel good. I love reading other peoples posts and seeing that I am not the only one out there with "stuff," that life is not always magical with children and that I'm not the only other one who is tired! <br />
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Have a great day friends. May life be good to you all.Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-26054984490747037842012-08-07T08:27:00.001-07:002012-08-07T08:27:45.428-07:00Summer 2012Oh my friends, I actually thought out loud that I was doing so well posting at least once a month....I said that in April....its now, gulp, August. No posts from me. Faithfully reading, occasionally commenting, but not writing. <br />
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Things are our house are crazy busy as usual. Summer is fun. I love all the activities, I even like the heat (as long as I have AC to retreat to). Summer is tiring, this is a tired mama posting today.<br />
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Since last update whats new? Well, we rode our gerbil wheel of life out till the end of school. J finished 1st grade, lost a tooth on the last day of school and another a week later. We have had a toothless wonder this summer - fun to watch him eat corn on the cob! J immediately plunged into summer activities. He does 2 field trips a week with his daycare and the other days are spent at the sitter where Z goes. She has a pool and an Xbox and other kids he has known since he was a baby. In July, he also got to spend 5 days with his cousins in IL, 4 kids aged 15-9. He is 7.5 and they love him and he them; he had a blast. So in short, J is tan, blonder than ever and having a great time this summer. <br />
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We have swimming lessons once a week at the local Y (we are not members but their lessons are great and its only a few extra $)- the rest of us swim in the family pool, it has zero entry and a baby slide for Z, during his lesson and stay for a bit after. It makes for a late night but its fun and swimming lessons at our house are non-negotiable. We skip other activities in the summer for swimming lessons as it is a skill that my children, all children NEED to have. I cant wait to put Z in next summer, he has no fear in the water and its frightening. He walks into that zero entry pool right up to his lips and wont hold hands without throwing a fit (see screeching below). <br />
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Speaking of my little Z, he is independent and getting into everything. He is following simple instructions and is just generally a fun little guy. HOWEVER, according to Dr S (pediatrician), he is slightly delayed in his speech. He will look at you and babble with intensity and facial expression, so he is saying something in his head that makes perfect sense - just not to us. This is so weird for me because J was talking right on track maybe even a little early and then zoomed ahead with huge words like "actually" and small sentences. Z, at 18 months, has about 4 words (Dr Goo-gle says 50 is average). Holy crud, when you hear it like that, he is really behind right? Then I remember he was an early walker - he was very concentrated on the mobility thing since he was 5 months old. So maybe he isn't behind, he just did it in the wrong order. I also have lots of people saying "my daughter didn't talk till she was 3 and she is just fine" - seriously, I cant do this for another 18 mos. He needs to learn to talk. This lack of communication is compounded by his frustration at not being able to tell us what he wants has led to an escalation of screeching - sometimes for attention and most times in utter frustration. In church and in public are the most fun displays of screeching - Dr advice, ignore it and it will stop. So don't I look awesome in the middle of the grocery store with a screeching Z in the cart and Im not supposed to look. My gut is to leave the store but we need things there like milk and dinner..... Dr S gave us 4 weeks for him to show us 2 new words, if he doesn't then we go for hearing test, and start down the road to a speech therapist. So, now we are paying close attention, and he has figured out how to nod yes and shake his head for no, but has now stopped some of his other sounds. I used to say "would you like more?" and he would smile and say "mohr" soft on the r sound but it was there. Now he smiles and nods.....its not a word, but it is communicating so I think I will take it. Sigh.<br />
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This last 4 weeks of summer is going to go super fast. This week a family my dad met and befriended while working in Peru, South America are here to visit. They have an 8 yr old boy and 7 yr old girl. We are doing tons of WI type, kid friendly activities. J gets to go along for the daytime stuff while Z stays at the sitter and Husband and I work. Until Friday, my mom is staying with Z and the rest of us are boarding an Am.trak train to Chicago for the day. Cant wait! This is such a great experience for us all, we all have a slight language barrier; they speak broken English, their kids speak some English, my dad speaks some Spanish, and my sister understands some Spanish....the rest of us, not so much. We got to meet them on Skype before they came and now I hope we can keep that up. <br />
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The Peru family leaves on Sunday and on Thursday, we leave for a long weekend at a friends cabin. A short, HA, 6+ hour drive away. I'm not sure I will be ready to go, oh well. There is a Wal.ma.rt in town, if I forget anything right? It will be nice to sit by the lake and the campfire and just chill. Well as much as I can with 4 kids 7.5yr-18 mos near the water, fishing, playing etc.... :) But we can get away as a family with close friends. Its an annual trip that we look forward to very much.<br />
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The following weekend is open so far, the next is Labor day already and we are headed out to Husbands moms property for 2 nights with the cousins etc, then we come home for the Monday off and J starts 2nd grade on Tues. 2nd grade? Holy Crud!<br />
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Ok, I really have to go now. I think I hit all the main points. I'm sure there is more and I'm hoping to post more on the rest of our summer adventures. <br />
<br />I hope all is well with you and summer is treating you well. <br />
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<br />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-89282242845547831172012-04-04T14:29:00.001-07:002012-04-04T14:29:28.868-07:00ugh!!!!<br />
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Hello Friends. I am going to apologize in advance. This may not be the funnest of posts to read. It may not even be well organized thoughts, I just have to get it out there. </div>
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I'm overweight. </div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I am. I don't consider myself fat. I don't look like those scary people waddling down the street. I don't have to wear a tent or a mu-mu, as a matter of fact, I wear around a 14-16 depending on the style and the fabric. I don't think that's atrocious. My norm used to be about a 12..... I do have a bit of a tummy pouch flap where my 9lb and almost 9lb babies grew. I'm obese on the BMI chart, have been for a few years. Really, obese? hmmmmm. I don't think so...most people don't think so. But something has to change. </span><br />
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We need a plan at our house. A plan to eat better. Because I am in a funk. The thought of this is mind numbing. I'm not sure I can take on one more thing. It might push me right over the edge. But by not doing anything, I'm in a funk and it sucks. Not necessarily gaining just not losing. Just hanging out at this weight creeping up a pound here dropping a pound there. Nothing fits quite right........you know the drill. Husband says it doesn't matter. I don't think it does, he has never shown a decreased interest. But then again, how could it not? I care....and then I get tired and then I just don't......and then I eat an Oreo, or 4. Ugh! </div>
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I need to start somewhere. I'm contemplating Weight Watchers online but it costs $......I'd rather hire a cleaning lady to alleviate some other stress....<br />
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I like food. I like good food. Husband cooks good food. I love chocolate. A lot. I eat it every day. Probably not the main reason for all this but a contributing factor of course. I wish I didn't enjoy it all soo much.<br />
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I have written before about our time management struggles. We are hanging in there. I quit teaching dance because it was not fitting into our current life and I knew my daytime job was going to intensify. And it has. I come home at night with enough energy to play with, feed, bathe, and put my boys to bed. But that's about it. I leave the cooking to Husband or we wouldn't eat until 10 every night. He likes to cook good food, serves it up in huge portions and by 8:30 at night, I'm hungry and tired and I just eat it. Yes I am a proud member of the clean plate club...UGH<br />
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Not sure how to wrap this up. Its not pretty. Its not fun. Its just...... UGH!<br />
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556250993596510799.post-42109944434354861162012-03-21T10:19:00.000-07:002012-03-21T10:19:53.072-07:00Early SpringHello Friends,<br />
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I cannot believe how long it has been since I posted. We have been super busy and and yet status quo all at the same time. The weather in Wisconsin has been unbelievably, unseasonably warm -around 80 for several days now. We have been playing outside- a lot. Husband has been grilling out just about anything he can think of and its yummy. This is March in Wisconsin people! This is weird! And I love it. I am a bit afraid that it will snow again, because this is just too good to be true, but in the meantime I am happily going out of the house in the morning with only a light jacket and coming home with out one.<br />
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Here are a few pics from the first evening we were able to play outside - about a week ago now. It seemed so nice that day but it was only about 65. (hahaha that sounds so funny.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ajNRuUGBJo/T2nzDSVkugI/AAAAAAAAAD0/WCOZooEqDlM/s1600/March+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ajNRuUGBJo/T2nzDSVkugI/AAAAAAAAAD0/WCOZooEqDlM/s320/March+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UX1ZT4A_Ay0/T2nzJMjpdxI/AAAAAAAAAD8/Ju9N3YN9xuc/s1600/March+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UX1ZT4A_Ay0/T2nzJMjpdxI/AAAAAAAAAD8/Ju9N3YN9xuc/s320/March+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mxi0aqHb1bE/T2nzQRluiJI/AAAAAAAAAEE/-LDYnhg48B8/s1600/March+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mxi0aqHb1bE/T2nzQRluiJI/AAAAAAAAAEE/-LDYnhg48B8/s320/March+006.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As many of you know, my dad has horses and is very generous with sharing them. One of them is much older and in the last two years had some knee issues so we stopped asking him to support adult weight but he is perfect for a small boy eager to learn, so he became J's horse. J was introduced to Bear when he was very young, 18 months I think. Here is my favorite pic from one of their first meetings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jn-K9zdBpvk/T2n3iZ51GHI/AAAAAAAAAEM/l8CbVWD4gUc/s1600/kissin+a+bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jn-K9zdBpvk/T2n3iZ51GHI/AAAAAAAAAEM/l8CbVWD4gUc/s320/kissin+a+bear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">J's first ride - 2006.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uaoa4RMlrJo/T2n5GX5aOGI/AAAAAAAAAEU/_XDxLzIxO9E/s1600/fun+with+mommy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uaoa4RMlrJo/T2n5GX5aOGI/AAAAAAAAAEU/_XDxLzIxO9E/s320/fun+with+mommy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of J's last rides - Sept 2011</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A-vU8pPMnxk/T2oLueZ56LI/AAAAAAAAAEc/wLl6V3e5sfY/s1600/220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A-vU8pPMnxk/T2oLueZ56LI/AAAAAAAAAEc/wLl6V3e5sfY/s320/220.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On St Patrick's day Bear was not eating and seemed lethargic on Saturday so the vet was called. It was determined that the 29 year old, former champion roping horse was in heart failure. My dad has always said he animals will never suffer so Bear was euthanized. And then, on Sunday morning, I had to tell J that his beautiful, amazing, horse had to go to Heaven. He cried immediately, then settled down and I explained a bit more about his heart and that we didn't want him to suffer. He had more tears, with beautiful innocent statements like, "he was so special, I want my Bear back. I know I can ride Cinnamon mom, but there won't ever be another horse as good as him" I think my heart broke a bit. Because he is right, and his sadness is so pure. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To give you an idea of how great he was, a friend of my dads wrote this in an em<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ail: "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I've worked with lots of horses over the years but there will only be one Bear. He surely was a wonderful animal and gently introduced lots of people to the world of horsemanship. How could you ask more from a good horse who always did his job? He became a family treasure and I know you will all miss him." </span>My dad put on Facebook, <span style="font-size: x-small;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bear had many good qualities like patience, obedience, and gentleness. That is what distinguished him and made him so special. He was the one horse that I could confidently put my 5 year old grandson on and be reasonably sure that everything would go well. That is saying a lot!"</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;">Enjoy the ride in the sky, Bear. You are already missed!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;">Now, anyone want to take bets on how fast my dad buys a new kid friendly horse? He really enjoyed riding with J and sharing that love of horsemanship with him. I would be shocked if we get to winter and the horse count is not back up to 3! </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 14px;">Fine with me! Its time to introduce Z to the sport.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div>Have a great day everyone!Motleymommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04266059947209318779noreply@blogger.com3