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. 

Growing Like Weeds

The picture on my work computer was taken in October at a pumpkin patch. I was thinking about how big Mason was at a little over a month old and then looked at Miller's shoes. He has gone through two more sizes since then! The kids are both growing like weeds.

Mason keeps outgrowing clothes faster than I can buy them. I think I might dressing him in 12 month clothes so he can wear them more than once. He has his pediatrician appointment next week. I am excited to see how much he has grown because I swear he's put on more than a lb since our last visit. He's heavy.

Development wise, Mason seems to be doing what babies are supposed to do. We have been spending more time on our tummies together. He can lift himself up pretty good. I was worried for a while that with his fat body, he would be slow to push himself up (chest/head, not crawling position). He's been super giggly and overall quite fun. He loves to know what everyone else is up to.

Miller has been a great big brother. He let's Mason watch him play. He reads to him and keeps him company. He also likes to help with whatever he can. He would love to lift him but he's about half his own weight.
I need to load some pictures. Maybe my next post will just be photos.

Failing at One Resolution

I knew the first two weeks of the new year would be busy at work and I may need to work a little extra. Never did I imagine it would be this much. The main culprit is one person who has sucked a ton of my time up (during and after work hours). I have tried to set limits. I have tried to let things go but the bottom line is my job is to make sure our clients have what they need.

The problem with this one person is that she is easily distracted by shiny objects, has overloaded her own plate, and has a holy than though attitude which makes helping her even more difficult. She has no concept of time zones or personal commitments. I have vowed that after tonight, I am not going out of my way to assist her anymore. If I get in trouble, so be it.

I missed dinner with the family tonight. I didn't even see Mason. I had time to read Miller two books and then he went to bed. Ryan was sick so he went to bed too. I had to reheat my dinner and eat alone. I was back to work to wrap up what I had left to see them in less than 45 minutes (that includes taking time to do the dishes).

I am publicly announcing that I will not do this except for dire emergencies. There is a line, it was crossed and I need to get back to keeping normal hours. It's too early to fail this resolution.

Shopping Spree

I wish I was bragging about a shopping spree for myself but this one was for Mason. The poor boy has had only a few new outfits of his own but since he's such a big dude, he didn't even get to wear some of them! Miller must have bypassed 9 month clothes because I can barely find any. After looking at my baby in clothes that would make a deep sea diver jealous, I decided he needed a new wardrobe (that and his teacher sent home several outfits that she said were too small).

I thought I had some money to burn on a gift card so I headed to Babies R Us. I found a few outfits on sale and paid full price for a few others. I bought him a couple new teething toys (Miller didn't like the ones we had and Mason is feeling the same way). When it came to checkout, my gift card only had $10 left on it. Oh well.

For $120 Mason got the following:
10 bibs
12 onesies
5 pants
2 sweatshirts
2 teething things
Nipples for his bottle

and Miller got a new pair of PJ's. Not too shabby. I wish I could leave a store with that much loot for that price.

Ryan and Miller went shoe shopping today (Miller's up to a 12.5 shoe!). They both came home with new tennis shoes. I went to Target and Miller ended up with a pair of camo pants. I left with eye liner for myself. Hmmmm....I seem to be the only one who didn't get any clothing related items today. Maybe I will make that up in a couple weeks with a spree for myself.

Resolution Tracking

I know people are usually good at sticking to their resolutions the first week or month which is why I normally don't make them. I figure if I really want to do them, I will do them on my own time. This year I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else and set goals early in a public forum. So, one thing I know is if I report an update once and a while, it will keep me motivated. Don't worry, they won't be once a week but I did have to share the following:

1) Vacation with Ryan: plans are under way with a few couples from MN. The destination is narrowing and it looks like it might be a trip to Vegas. Whoot woo! The babysitters are lined up and just waiting on a confirmation of dates.
2) Time with friends: I am going to a happy hour this evening with some work friends. If any of my non-work related friends want to join, let me know. It's not an exclusive group by any means. The more the merrier.
3) Exercise and nutrition: So far, I have "worked out" with strength training 2 days this week and one day of cardio. Not too bad considering Monday was a "holiday" and that meant no workout. As far as eating, back on a much more normal diet that excludes all of those holiday snacks and goodies. I even had a drink free night and one with only 1 glass of wine.

Work wise I knew I wouldn't be able to limit my time until at least mid-month. So, I am doing pretty well and feel like the resolutions/goals are obtainable this year. Now, if I can keep this up, 2012 might turn out to be a good year.

Back to Work

We had a nice Christmas and I enjoyed my forced vacation. Too bad it was filled with kids each day. They are adorable and I love them dearly but they are draining. I can't wait for a much need vacation. I have officially started looking for a March or April escape. Almost all of the "parents" at work had similar comments about loving their time at home but happy to send the kids back to school or daycare. We spent a good portion of the morning comparing cute stories from Christmas. They are loveable and those short moments of humor, love, and coolness make up for the hours of annoying, naughty or in general, bad behavior.

In the meantime, work will have to be my kid free zone. The next two weeks are going to be super busy and then I should get back to a normal pace. As busy as it is, it does feel good to flex my brain muscles again. Hopefully you have noticed but ever since I switched jobs a year ago, I have not really complained too much about work. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of hair pulling moments and under breath swear words each day but in general, I am lucky to have the position I do now. In fact, most of the annoyances and frustrations are laughable since they are caused by morons. I have either lost the ability to get super worked up or I have gained a saintly amount of patience. You pick. Either way, I hope 2012's work world continues on a mostly sane and manageable path.