Just Say No

I have been practicing "Just Say No" at work. Sunday, I received 7 frantic emails and 1 voicemail from a client. Since this person is a headcase, nothing really was that urgent, and it was Sunday evening, I just said no and didn't respond to her. Granted, she made for a terrible start this Monday morning but I followed through with not caving and spending 2 hours working on her stuff last night. One of her requests was for me to conduct more training with her from 6-8pm ET tonight. Considering the countless hours I spent (including after 10pm one night) I said no.I also took my lunch hour today instead of trying to get an email out to her with all the things she needed.

Now, under most circumstances I would never treat a client this way but she's unique. Not to mention, I am headed into a month of late nights and drama. I won't get into it here but let's just say I am prepared for the storm that is approaching. I have given fair warning to Ryan so none of my late nights or crazy meltdowns should come as a surprise.

Working On My Fitness

I have successfully stuck to my workout plan for 4 weeks. I have had a day or two where I missed but made it up the next day. I would love to say that I am losing weight but that's not the case. I have tried to cut back my portions and be more conscious of the food I eat. I can tell that I am getting stronger and have more endurance than before. I guess the hardest part is making the lifestyle change.

It appears the next step to actually lose some weight will be increasing my cardio time and trying to cut back / make more changes on the eating. I have been doing better but I have a long ways to go. I feel like the changes I have been making are small and not rushed. Maybe that's why I am sticking to it better than from other attempts. Too bad the scale isn't reinforcing these changes. Maybe next month it will.

Weekend with Grandma

I had to remind Grandma Jean that since she's retired, she should come visit for longer than a weekend. Selfishly, I had a list of items I wanted to accomplish and having her here made it happen. Unselfishly, I knew the kids would enjoy having her here.

So, with no twisting of her arm, she came down Thursday night and stayed until Monday morning. She went with us to Mason's checkup. She picked Miller up from school early on Friday (they made a trip to Home Depot to get the makings for our terrarium). He was pumped to have time with Grandma and no one else along. She brought along "Dolphin Tale" which was a huge hit (I think the popcorn also added to the experience).

Saturday Miller had a birthday party so we took Mason with us shopping. We were on the hunt for curtains and some other household junk. We were successful with the curtains but unsuccessful with the rods until Sunday. Check out the final product:

We went to Brian and Crystal's going away party and had dinner. Then it was back home to finish Dolphin Tale.

Sunday we planted some plants and completed the terrarium (notice Sportsman is hiding in the pot):

We finished some more shopping that day too. Our biggest project was helping Miller with his homework. He had to "dress" a life size drawing of himself. We bought some camo material for pants, he helped cut out the boots, did all the gluing, colored his shirt and face (some bad help from mom), and added stars to his shirt. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

In addition to the little chores, I had a taste of a pseudo maid. Grandma must have done a million dishes throughout the weekend.

She spent time with both kids and was an extra set of hands around the house. It was fun and we even squeezed in a few minutes of adult time. She topped off her stay with a pot of homemade chicken soup for us to eat Monday night. Thanks Mom! Next time it's Grandpa Jeff's turn. (Grandma and Grandpa Froyd are planning a trip in March so Miller and Mason don't go too long without their grandparents around to spoil them).

Here are a couple shots of Mason. Drooling during tummy time and passed out in the swing after a hard day of playing/shopping.



Mason's 18 Week Stats

Mason had his 4 month check up on Friday. He's an eating machine and his stats prove it.

Height: 27 1/4 inches (97%)
Weight: 20 lbs 4 oz (97%)

He gained a little over 2.5 lbs since his last check up. I checked Miller's stats for the same checkup and Miller was a half inch taller but 3 lbs lighter. It's interesting to see how they both grow and what each was doing at the same time as far as milestones.

With Mason being so "beefy" it's hard to find "age" appropriate clothes. He could easily move into some 12 month clothes but some are made for babies who are more active. I couldn't imagine putting him in more "structured" pants right now. He needs to stick with his easy access, comforable cotton, elastic waistband pants.

I know he will thin out once he starts moving but it's insane to think my little baby was never little. At least it explains why I don't carry my kids like other parents. I am too wimpy to lug around a 20lb blob. It makes Jazzy cat seem like a feather when I pick her up.

Bakers and Artists

With the recent cold spells, I had a craving for chili. My batch is usually more than we can eat and honestly, I am not one for freezing and eating at a later date. It made perfect sense with Miller's plea to see Rylee and Norah that we have an impromptu dinner with the kids coming over for some playtime.

I was so proud of the kids. They each got to make a batch of corn muffins (well, Norah made some egg, flour, milk mixture and filled her tins with that).  They all listened and did a great job cracking eggs, pouring milk, emptying contents of package (hey, you know I consider making a box mix "homemade") and stirring it. They also put all of their own muffin liners in and filled them up.

After dinner when all of the adults sat down in one room (lasted 5 minutes but we all made note of it), the kids needed a quiet activity to wind down. Surprisingly, all wanted to color/draw. Out came the color books, crayons, stickers, colored paper, and funky scissors. They all made their own creations and had fun doing it. I was also pretty proud of the kids for sharing and playing quietly.

They are growing up so fast. I think our next major milestone with the older ones will be when they play without us being with them for longer periods of time. It won't be long (granted, we will still have the little ones to go through all the steps again but maybe the older ones will help babysit them).

Of course, now I wish I would have snapped some photos of them all lined up doing their thing. Oh well. Maybe the next gathering we can repeat some of the activities and capture it on film.