Myself, I am.

Me, myself, and I.

JULY 2008

Always a work in progress. I'm none too happy with the way I look, but isn't that how most people view themselves? A little less here, a little more there. Little time, and little motivation seems to be the common denominator. I'm going to be 31 this year, and I've spent quite some time on the number roller coaster on the scale. This pregnancy I would have all ready gained around 25-30 lbs. I'm 7 months tomorrow (27 weeks), and I just hit 20 lbs. For the first time, and last pregnancy, I'm staying aware of what I'm doing to myself. Lauren and Harlow I gained 45 lbs. Yeah...I have over 8 pound babies, and Lauren was 9 1/2 lbs. BUT. I shouldn't have gained that much. 

I attribute it to lack of movement starting around the time the belly gets pretty heavy. Like most women, my lower back just quits and gives up. And so do I. This time I am moving more since the beginning. I have to walk Lauren to school everyday, I have stairs in the house, and I have been stretching regularly every week. I think it all really helps with my lower back. Although in the next month he'll gain a solid 1- 1 1/2 lbs (we're at 2ish lbs now), and from then on...it'll be a constant buffet binge for him. In the 8th month with all the kids I gained 7-10 lbs. I'm trying to avoid such a spike, but I know I have good size babies...and lets face it. He's a boy, have you seen my husband?? I'll be LUCKY if Jason turns out to be less then 8 1/2-9. I'm not stressing about all of this by any means. He'll be what he is, and I'll feel good from light exercise and choosing better foods for most of the time. So if it turns out I gain a little more than I was aiming for, at least I know I FEEL good and not like a whale that moves as fast as a turtle! 

I can't wait for breast feeding to work me back down slowly, and to get back into running. I'll MAKE the time. This time I'll also buy better running shoes. Last pair didn't work too well. Here's to a healthy happy momma!

Git Er' Done!

Shooo! Time to relax. This weekend went by fast. The zoo animals that live here had to be reminded that when Mom and Dad say clean up or else...you DON'T want to find out what the or else is! But oh my goodness, the house is CLEAN. Sometimes in the chaos of producing and running a herd, things get messy. That's ok, as long as we can try to keep some order every once in a while ;o)

Saturday morning we treated the kids to breakfast at Chick- fil-A. They played while CJ and I figured the math on the amount of wood we needed to build this:

TODDLER BED

We'll paint it white, so Harlow and Jason will be able to both use it. We're adding another plank to the headboard, making the legs taller by 6 inches, and instead of those skinny cross planks- we bought wider wood so that it will be sturdier and less of them. All that took 2 hours to eat breakfast and plus figure out and buy the wood. Lauren said she would be soooo bored walking around HD, and wanted to know if she could go down the toy aisle at Target (right by Home Depot). I said I'd be soooo bored standing there while she looked at toys. You should have seen the look she gave me. Home Depot isn't a toy store, she said. I bet you know CJ's reply!

By the time we made it home, it was lunchtime and a light one at that. Then we told the girls to "Git Er' Done", so the girls worked on the play area in the basement after lunch. Seriously? Who grabbed the room and shook it? THAT took some time. While that was going on, CJ and I worked on the clutter and vacuuming. Wasn't too bad all around, because I've been following my clean/pick up/laundry schedule on my massive marker board all week long. I've changed a few bits and pieces over the past month, I noticed trends that weren't working on certain days. Plus..my belly is getting bigger and I'm picking up less and less that falls to the floor lol. 26 1/2 weeks people, this baby is starting to pack on the weight! No more cleaning bath tubs for a while.

We managed to get finished without breaking a sweat, then we had to go to the store for a few things. We were having our friends and their kids for dinner. I'm making Tanya's boy Christopher his 10th Birthday "Minecraft Cake" in March. So we had details to discuss. Dinner menu included: Atomic burgers (pico de gallo under the cheese), SOUTHERN baked beans (with molasses, bacon, and liquid smoke), and the usual culprit- french fries. Tanya and Mike were the ones that offered to help us unload our trucks when we moved to Colorado back in August. I had posted help wanted on the Buckley AFB page, and she saw it and wanted to help! If she hadn't done that, I would have never met her probably, and CJ would have just walked past Mike 15 times by now between the gym and other places. Ended a productive day with good food, good people, and good fun.

Continuing into Sunday, we cleaned up the garage. It really wasn't THAT bad. We've done worse ha ha. What can I say? You live and learn. We're much tidier with our garage/storage then we were 8 years ago. Next weekend we'll "Git Er' Done" and get the toddler bed made. I've got a few decor projects for Taylor and Harlow's room that I need to get done too. I want all the rooms and their "stuff" organized, clean, and tidy before spring break in 3ish weeks. That's when the big switcharoo is happening. Trying to avoid a headache (CJ..). Quick and easy me likey. Guess I better get off here and get my monthly menus done. We're entering our third month of doing it, and have done a pretty good job of sticking to it. Planning is a busy mom's best friend!