Mega Meltdown Madness!

Terrible Twos...

Who was the "genius" that coined that phrase?

Because all they did was cause parents to be completely and totally take by surprise when the "terrible two tantrums" started at 16 months.

We are a WAYS away from two.

But yet, here we are.  Right in the middle of a 16-month-old screaming fit.  Screaming because...
~  She wanted to brush her teeth.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She couldn't walk UP the slide.
~  She was hungry but didn't want...grapes, blueberries, cookies, crackers, sausage, eggs, cheese, or any other single thing we tried to feed her.
~  She wanted a fork.
~  A "big-person" fork not a "baby" fork.
~  She wanted mommy's big-person fork.
~  She wanted to stay in her chair and play with the tray.
~  She wanted to throw food.
~  She wanted to eat like a dog off of the table.
~  She wanted to STAY in the hot car and play in her car seat.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She wanted on the couch.
~  She wanted to sit on the arm of the couch and fall off.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She wanted in the bath tub.
~  She wanted to drink the bath water.
~  She wanted out of the bath tub.
~  She wanted ice cream.
~  She wanted in her crib.
~  She wanted out of her crib.
~  She wanted her BLACK puppy, NOT the yellow puppy.
~  She wanted to pick green tomatoes out of the garden.
~  She wanted the iPad.
~  She wanted the remote.
~  She wanted the phone.  NOT her play phone, mommy or daddy's touch-screen phone.
~  She wanted ice cream.

The list could go on...  But our sanity won't.

So I did whatever any good parent of the 21st century does...

I Googled it.

Apparently this is a VERY common thing. There were MANY suggestions out there on how to handle the screaming fits of a child who cannot TELL you what is wrong.

On a good note, I found that we are doing most of them.  Redirection, praise for stopping, love and hugs when she's being good, not giving in to her "wants" when she's acting like that, telling her "no" and walking away from her so she eventually finds something else to do.  On a bad note...we haven't had much success. Again, this seems to be common.  Something that she will "grow out of" and we will have to be patient and firm.

Great...

I will mention that it is not around-the-clock screaming at our house.  She does still have many many moments of sweetness, discovering of new cool tricks, learning to say new words, and cuddles.

And we are VERY fortunate that she hasn't tried the screaming trick in public.  Yet...

So patient and firm we will be.

Wanna Grape?

We have a new game around here.

It's called "Wanna Grape?"

You see... Jackie is at that age where she loves to play with her toys, loves to pull things out of drawers, and loves to read, look at, chew on books.

As long as mommy or daddy is sitting right beside her in the living room.

I am a multitasker.

I have to be.  In order to be a working mom and have some sort of order around the house (however small it may be), I have to multitask.

Jackie doesn't like it when I multitask.

In fact, she will cling to my legs screaming at the top of her lungs if I so much as attempt to wash a dish or cut up a veggie for dinner.

This doesn't work for me.

So, one day, while I was washing and cutting up my recent fruit purchase at the store, Jackie was loudly exclaiming that she wanted my full and undivided attention.  I needed to get this task done so I could move on to fixing dinner (or sweeping, or loading the dishwasher, or folding laundry).  So I very nicely asked her "Wanna grape?"

She did.  She reached up and I picked one off the bundle and handed it to her.  She popped it in her mouth, rolled it around a little bit, and walked off.

It worked!

She played with some noisy toy in the living room for a couple of minutes and then wondered back into the kitchen.

"Wanna grape?"

She signed "please."

Again, popped the grape in her mouth and walked off to find her toy.

This little game was repeated many times until daddy got home from work and dinner was ready.

I had stumbled on to the BEST GAME EVER.

It's a win. Win. WIN. Type of game.

I get to multitask - win

Jackie gets a snack - Win

Jackie gets a healthy snack that I'm OK with if it ruins her dinner - WIN!

Stupid Calendar

I lay here in bed tonight, almost an hour past my normal bedtime awake and thinking.

I can't stop thinking.

I have had an amazing day, spent with wonderful family celebrating the 50 year marriage of my in-laws.

Not going to lie...part of the reason I am still awake is that I ate WAY too much food and the baby inside my tummy didn't leave enough room for it all so I feel like the BBQ and cake are hanging around my throat somewhere.

But that's not the main reason I'm thinking.

I did something stupid.  Something I have been avoiding like the plague for the last month.

I looked at a calendar.

I have less than three weeks left before my summer officially ends and the school year begins.  I have known that this was coming.  I have known that school was just around the corner.  But somehow looking at the calendar makes it all seem much more REAL.

Now I am slightly stressing out and growing more and more panicked as I  think.

I have not done ANYTHING school related in many weeks.

I have avoided ANY educational articles.

I haven't even wanted to TALK about school stuff, unless it involved someway to move the start of the school year back, oh...maybe another two months.

And now, here I am three weeks away from reporting to school, and two weeks away from dropping Jackie off at daycare instead of enjoying our lovely days at the pool, park, or just out running errands.  

My school to-do list has barely even been looked at.  And there are MANY things on that list.

I thought last year was hard going back to work after having almost 5 months off.  This year is worse.

I am missing the desire.

It's just not there.

I am waiting for it to show up.  It always has before.

Unfortunately, this is the longest I have ever had to wait for the urge to get back in the classroom.  To get back to the work-day routine.

And now I'm worried it won't come.

This thought makes me sad.  I never wanted to be that kind of teacher.  I never lived for the summers.  Have I lost my passion?  Or have my priorities simply changed??

I just keep thinking over and over again...  I will be dropping MY CHILD off for SOMEONE ELSE to watch, while I go spend my days with OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN. The logic just doesn't make sense to me.

I know thousands of teachers and coaches do this every single day.

I just don't want to.

And maybe now that I've written it down and hit "publish" I will be able to sleep.

Sunday Chatter

Today is the last day of June...feels way too soon to say that tomorrow is July.  JULY???!!!  I always felt (and still do) that the 4th of July marks that speedy downhill slide of summer ending.  Before I know it (and before I'm ready, I'm sure) I will be back dropping off Jackie at daycare and heading to my classroom.

I have mentioned before that our dogs are escape artists.  This fact has cost us time and money trying to keep them contained.  I have always said that they would ignore pain just to escape out of a cage or fence.  (I have no doubt that they would run right through one of those "invisible fences.")  Well, this week Breck proved it once again.  While at the vet for her 6 month check-up, she attempted to escape from the metal kennel they were keeping her.  The ding dong ended up ripping off her dew-claw and needing antibiotics, pain killers, and a bandage for three days in order to keep it dry.  She never did get out of that cage.

It is a long-running joke that you'll have a nice workout after attending a Catholic Mass. Up. Down. Kneel.  Sit. Shake hands. Sit. Kneel.  You gotta be in shape for that kind of thing.  Now, just picture trying to do that with a VERY wiggly and mobile 15 month old, who not only doesn't understand why she can't run out into the middle of the isle, but also LOVES to hear her voice echo, or get in laughing competitions with kids sitting down the pew (even if they aren't laughing, all they have to do is look at her...Jackie will play).   Today I had to go fetch a plastic Easter egg out of the middle of the isle.  Don't ask.

Oh...and add to the list another baby girl who is even MORE active in my belly than Jackie was.  If there is a correlation between movement in womb and movement as a toddler, we could be in trouble...  

Totally had a pregnant mom afternoon.  Put Jackie down for her nap and enjoyed some yummy ice cream.  (Double Dunker from Turkey Hill.  Ohhhhhhhhh....sooooo goooood).  Then proclaimed to my husband that spaghetti sounded good.  No spaghetti in the house so I finished up the guacamole and chips from dinner last night. Spaghetti still sounds good.  Don't judge. 

Jackie has taken her love for all things babies even further.  Now if she even sees babies, she's making the sign for "please" and pointing at the baby with a loud grunt.  She wants to see the baby.  Pet the baby's head.   Attempt to give the baby a hug and kiss.  Now this is absolutely adorable when she does it around people we know, with other babies we know.  It can be a little embarrassing when she toddles over to a random family in a restaurant and tries to reach into their baby carrier to see the baby.  Still...we are hoping that this will make for a good and loving transition from only princess to older princess.

PS...I did try to take Jackie to the back of church when she was getting her loudest.  Guess what?  There was a baby back there too, who was sleeping.  That plan didn't work, back to the pew we went.

Ethan is off for the week from work.  We just love having daddy home with us.   A list of Honey-Do's and a trip to KC for our anniversary are on the list for the week.  Hoping with the drop in temperature we can get a fire or two in as well.  I could use a S'more :)

I could totally do the stay-at-home-mom thing.  The house always looks better, laundry isn't 6 loads behind, and I feel so much less stressed than when I'm trying to do all of the "at-home" things while working.  I love my summer routine.  I really could do it all year long.  

Let's Get Real: The Challenge

I am a realist.

Ok...maybe a dreamer with a realistic approach.

It has taken me a long time to add the "realist" title to describe myself.  Why?  Because it tends to sound pessimistic.

I am NOT a "Negative Nelly."

However, I do know myself.  I know what I am capable of and what I am willing to do, and probably more importantly I know what I am NOT capable of and what I am NOT willing to do.  (Half of the things I pin on Pinterest will NEVER get tried.  Hence, the dreamer part of me...)

So when I approach health and diet eating right, I do so realistically and knowing who I am.  (I think this is CRUCIAL to anyone wanting to make a lifestyle change and be healthy.  Not necessarily lose 15 lbs. for a trip, but to make LIFE LONG changes what will not only have a positive impact on you AND those who are closest to you.)

ME:  I like LOVE all kinds of food.  The good and the bad.  There's not much I don't like or won't eat.  My favorites include (but are not limited to), ice cream, bread, eggs, pancakes, salads w/ vinaigrette dressing, buffalo chicken, pizza, ice cream, veggies with dip, a medium-rare steak with baked potato, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and did I mention ice cream???  :o)

And I don't diet. I don't believe it in.

Any of the "diets" I have tried in the past restrict you from over half of those foods I just listed above, and realistically I am not going to stick to something for a LIFE LONG change that doesn't allow me to have each and every item on that list.  (Plus some...)

Therefore, those diets didn't work.  Or didn't last.

Which brings me to Advocare and the 24 Day Challenge.

Now, Advocare has a long line of products from everything to muscle building, weight loss, to skin care and chap-stick.  For me, the draw was the challenge.

Maybe it's the word "challenge" that got my attention at first.

I like a good challenge.  I am competitive.  I like to win.

The 24-Day Challenge is divided into two main parts.  A 10-Day cleanse and then a 14 day MAX phase.  I will be honest, before the challenge I had never done a cleanse and I wasn't a big believer in it.  I thought they were too restricting.  But the draw for me was the second half.  The MAX phase.  The last two weeks of the challenge are designed to bring LIFE LONG habits into your real life that you can stick to.  Making simple changes to everyday eating.

Like...
~  Protein for breakfast.  Always have protein with breakfast.
~  Drink water.  Lots of water.
~  100% whole wheat bread/tortillas.  A simple, but huge change.
~  Introduce your life to SPARK!  (The sugar free, energy drink that might just change your life...another post about that coming soon!)
~  Correct portion sizes.  (This one was big for me, for some reason I thought I had to feel very full after every meal...not true!)

And those are just a few of the simple changes to make to everyday life that will have LIFE LONG effects!  Plus they are changes that are easy to get family and picky eaters on board with.  Sometimes they won't even know.

For me, the real "challenge" part of The Challenge was the cleanse.  No dairy.  No wheat.

BUT...it was only for 10 days.

10 days.

That is doable.

That is realistic.

And it is good for you.  Someone once described it to me (in terms mom's can really understand) that it is like cleaning out the lent catcher after running laundry.  Or (for you guys) changing the oil in your car.  Something that helps get the "yuck" out and give you a fresh new start.  Reverse scenarios above if that applies to you :o)

Oh and BONUS! They have a 24-Day Challenge that is appropriate and modified for breast feeding moms. All my mommy friends should definitely check this out!

Now, the one thing that had me reluctant to get on board with Advocare.  Cost.

Not going to lie, the challenge can be a little pricey.  (Selling at 190.25 for a set.)

However, if there is ONE thing that is worth investing in, it is your health.  And if this can help jump-start a big change, that will continue to show the benefits well after it is completed.  It is WORTH. EVERY. PENNY.

Plus, if you are someone who eats out often, you will actually find that Advocare is cheaper!

Double-Plus, you will find yourself spending less money on things that aren't as healthy, like coffee and pop.

I still eat ice cream.  I still have bread (whole wheat!).  And I still have mashed potatoes.  But those items are portioned out appropriately.  Mostly I have acquired healthy habits that will be easy to follow throughout the rest of my life.  (Don't think I'm perfect, there are still areas I struggle...more on that later).

A challenge that is doable, attainable, and REALISTIC.

Enough said.  If you are interested, contact me and I can help you out!

Father's Day

I have started, and restarted, deleted and started again.

I'm just having a hard time putting in to words how wonderful, great, super, awesome and amazing Ethan is at being a Dad.  

So I thought this would be better.

Putting it all Out There

As a Senior in high school, I weighed 180 pounds.  To an 18 year-old young lady that number was mortifying.  I can't even begin to count the number of hours I spent in the locker room with other girls who were 60 lbs lighter (and complained about it...).

I didn't want ANYONE to know.

It was always on my mind.  

I even had a teacher one time say to me "great volleyball game last night, but wow, if you were 20 lbs. lighter, just think what you could do."  

Yeah, really.

I just couldn't escape it.  

And then I went off to college to play volleyball, and I was so excited. Not just for the volleyball, but because I KNEW that with the intense workout I would finally lose those 20 lbs. After the 14 days of incredibly intense 3-a-day practices, one devoted solely to conditioning, plus an extra hour of weight training, I was ready to get on the scale.  

178.

Seriously??  Ugh!

I decided then and there to stop looking at numbers.  I started noticing that other girls around me would be a smaller size with a smaller number, but they didn't look as good.  It may sound self-centered, but it worked.  My self-confidence started to rise. Rather than compare numbers, I compared people.

Fast-forward another five or six years.  Ignoring numbers and comparing people had brought on a whole other set of problems.  First of all, I was still comparing how other people looked to me, but now I think in my head I was still comparing the 178 lb. athlete from college. 

Which I definitely wasn't.

Ignoring the numbers had allowed for me to let the number get out of control.  All the way up to 240 before I  finally did something about it.

What did I do?  What life-changing moment would "wake me up" and get me going?

I started dating Ethan.

This was HUGE.

Two rules I had for myself when we first started dating.  

#1:  Don't eat more than him.

#2:  If he tried to lose weight, so would I

For the first rule, that helped big time.  Ethan, is not the typical guy eater, at least not what I was typically used to. He didn't completely load up his plate with food, devour it and go back for more.  He didn't eat a entire pizza. He had two pieces.  My rule meant that I had to either eat less than he did or the same amount.  For someone who grew up with some very skewed portion sizes, this was probably one of the most beneficial things in life.  Training myself to eat less. 

He started to lose weight, so did I.  

I took up golfing and swam at least a mile a day.  

These two new rules alone helped me to shed 50 lbs in less than one year!  I then adopted another rule.

Get on the scale.  Pay attention to numbers again.  Numbers don't lie.

I stopped comparing myself to other people and how they looked and started to just be happy with where I was and what I had accomplished.  And being REALISTIC.  As long as I stayed within a little 5 pound bubble of 190-195 I was happy.  

However.

What did the future hold?  The relationship progressed, we got married, kids were sure to come.  Ugh.  Looking into the future sure looked daunting.

Gain weight for baby.

lose weight.

Gain again for baby #2.

Lose weight again.

It sure sounded exhausting and scary.  (And it still does)

However, I now have a new tool in my back pocket to help.

A program that fits what I believe.  

Be realistic.  Make simple changes that have huge payoff.  And of course EAT.

I will talk a little more about this program another time, it deserves a post all to itself.

The point is.  12 years later, no longer 18 and I'm back to looking at numbers, but in a different way.  I keep track of the number just so I don't get out of control.  I no longer compare.  No longer do I look at someone and say "well her number is lower so she must be healthier" or "she's wearing a smaller size, but I still look better."  No more comparisons.  Just making sure that I feel good about myself and where I am.  How do I feel?  Am I setting a good, healthy, and realistic example for my kids?  

Because in the end if I am not happy with myself, only I can do something about it.