What have I been doing?

So I haven't blogged for a litte while... been busy doing a lot of, well - busy stuff that is pretty boring and mainly involves running a home and raising 2 small children. Things you are all too familiar with yourselves so I won't bore you with the details. I'll just sum up what's been going on in and around our home the last week & more....

* My dog has been trying to kill me. Brian is her favorite and I firmly believe she wants him all to herself. Everytime I trudge my pregnant self down the hill to feed the goats she attacks my feet or lunges directly in front of me at the precise moment I step on a super icy, uneven spot.

* Speaking of feeding the goats.... the gate froze shut so I had to climb their rickety little fence to get into their pen and feed them the other day. It took two attempts, the first attempt failed because the dog tackled my legs just as I was about to make it over. Again, another example of her trying to kill me.

* I have been hauling the kids all over town to Brian's different school sporting events that he's obligated to be at... Because he's been gone almost every night and they'd barely get to see him otherwise.

* I have been watching Baby Sis perfect her two-ness.... see - she turns two next weekend. I'm thinking about re-naming her Baby Terrible.

* Brian and I have been debating baby names. I get a headache just thinking about it now. Why can't the perfect name just pop out of thin air?

* I have been fighting Brian for computer time. He has recently discovered Facebook and is a man addicted. He graduatated from a little High School and has been having a great time reconnecting with all his old buddies.

* I have been attending some awesome & insightful church services and Bible Studies lately..... really neat stuff. Plus - God has answered some very real prayers in my life this week!!!

* I have been eating lots and lots and lots of Popcorn. My only indulgence.

* I have been walking on my treadmill at least 4 days a week. Proud of myself, but amazed at how quickly ones fitness level drops. I got a sideache walking today.

There's more I'm sure but Lost is on and the kids are in bed and I have a large bowl of popcorn waiting.......

Poppin' Out

It seems like just in the last week or two I'm really starting to look pregnant. Which is so much nicer than just looking chubby.
I got on the scale this morning and I've officially reached the 10lb mark in weight gain. I usually have NO trouble gaining "enough" weight.
I'm hoping this diabetic diet will help keep me from becoming such a chubbo this pregnancy. My last 2 pregnancies I ate with a gusto and then paid for it for months following the birth of each child. I'm trying to stay active this time around (I got on the treadmill 5 days last week!!) in hopes that I can be healthier and feel better throughout.
Plus, I am usually plagued with vericose vein "issues" whenever I'm prego - hoping the excercise will help those symptoms.
It's actually weird, I am more motivated now than I've been in a long time. I think it's all the blogs out there I've been reading about the miles people are logging and their plans for spring & summer races. (So as envious that I am of all of you - you are also motivating me!) I've been re-reading all my old issues of Runner's World and planning and thinking ahead to after the birth of this little bambino.

BY THE WAY we have our ultrasound TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I AM SO, SO, SO EXCITED TO FIND OUT WHAT THE BABY IS. LIKE SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!

Ok -whew- going back to what I was saying I am already looking ahead to training after the babe is born - I'm pretty sure I'm going to plan on a half-marathon here in town in Oct - 4 months after I give birth. I talked to the coach of the women's running group I train with and she totally thought it was do-able.
OH AND I have been talking with her about forming a training group here in my part of town, ever since we moved up here to the mountain it is so hard to drive an hour & train with my group. That would be SO incredibly awesome to have a group here, in my neck of the woods. I'll blog more once I know more. Still in the baby stages of planning.
AND (I'm just so proud of myself so I have to tell everyone) I got on my bike (on the trainer in the shop) yesterday for the first time in ages - I was pathetically weak - but I'm hoping to ride a couple days a week just to keep my legs somewhat strong. AND in about 3 weeks I'm going to start swimming laps at the Y on Wed. evenings. So, if you need a laugh, head on over to the Y to check out the whale swimming laps on Wed. nights.
I know this is boring for all of you to read, I am just so excited to have something to look forward to and it really helps me feel more motivated about staying healthy this pregnancy.
So wish me luck for my ultrasound tomorrow. Did I mention that I AM SO EXCITED???!!!

Swim Lessons and more....

Little Man & Baby Sis started swim lessons again today. They had SO much fun. Little Man was absolutely giddy with excitement.

Baby Sis is still in the parent/child class and since GDaddy is out of town, my lovely and fantabulous mother offered to come along and swim with my little miss for her lesson. I would've done it myself..... but to be honest - I just don't want to. I used to take Little Man to parent/child swim lessons when I was preggers with Baby Sis and it completely exhausted me. It was like a half hour wresting match. I have no desire to go through that again.
And lucky for me Grandma loves to go swimming with our little angel so she was happy to oblige.



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Walking down our (very icy) driveway after swim lessons Little Man slipped and landed on his face - hard. I was worried his tooth had gone through his lip at first but he just cut it up good. Poor kiddo.

Then not more than 30 seconds later while holding Baby Sis and maneuvering my pregnant self down that same icy driveway I bit it. Luckily, I held on good to her and she just landed on top of me. I was fine but it knocked the wind out of me and shook me up a bit.

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We've had a lazy afternoon since. For some reason even though I wasn't the one in the pool the whole swimming lesson thing exhausted me. I think it's the combination of packing up a duffel bag, hauling 2 kids up an icy driveway and driving down our mountain into town. Changing 2 kids, finding the right class, dashing back and forth between the 2 classes to take pictures, hauling 2 wet kids back into the lockerroom, showering them, dressing them, hauling now tired & hungry kids back into the car that did me in. Granted my lovely mother was there to assist me otherwise I'd be asleep right now.

We're now chomping on popcorn and watching old cartoons.
Lazy, lazy Saturday. First it was Pebbles & Bam Bam, then Popeye, and now the Pink Panther. My kids love this stuff! Yes, you counted right. 3 cartoons.

I'm really hoping dinner magically appears on my doorstep so I don't have to cook.

I now have popcorn all over the livingroom floor and the kids are tackling eachother.


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Did anyone else read and love MckMama's post today? The one titled "Who are all these people and why are they calling me MckMama" - I really liked it. I love stuff like that. I thought for a half second about copying her, but I'm really not that interesting and it seems like it'd take a lot of work.

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UPDATE to "Popcorn, Splenda and Peanut Butter"

Ok. I am eliminating the Splenda (and much joy) from my diet. Evidently there's no way of cheating this. I can't have real sugar, and I can't eat fake sugar. Period. *sigh*


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I didn't do any laundry last night. I didn't take a bath and I most certainly didn't shave my legs. I didn't even watch TV.

I did lurk mindlessly through blogs of people I've never visited before. I think about commenting but then wonder if that's weird?

I also spent 45 minutes on the phone with my mom.

I didn't go to bed as early as I'd wanted.

There's always tonight!!

Laundry and a hot bath

Brian left this morning for Portland for a baseball coaches clinic. This is actually a thinly veiled cover for a boys weekend but I humor him and let him think I don't realize that. True, they will attend the clinic during the day, but then whoop it up come nightfall. He needs and deserves this though. He has had such a busy couple of weeks with all the plowing and shovelling he's done. We've all had a bad case of cabin fever and he hasn't had any buddy time for quite a long time so he'll enjoy it.
I am going to spend my weekend with the kiddos, of course. But am looking forward to that treasured time in the evenings after they go to bed.
I'll watch what I want to watch on TV (No sports!!!) and not have a messy man to clean up after... (is it only me, or does it sometimes seem like the hubby creates more work than the kids?).
I'll go to bed at a decent time (I have been soooooo tired). I don't know why I always stay up so late with him. I guess I like him or something and enjoy that child-free time with him. But he is such a night owl that sometimes his late bed-time does me in.
I'm going to catch up on my laundry. Without a very-large-laundry-producing-man to be here to add to it I should be able to accomplish that. Until he comes back Sunday and I get overloaded again.
And lastly, I plan on taking a very, very relaxing bath - AND I'm even going to shave my legs. Too bad he won't be here to enjoy that. I'm not even 18 weeks pregnant yet and it's already an adventure shaving my legs in the shower. So, unless I take a bath it doesn't seem to happen.
I'm going to miss my fella. I'm not a terribly independent wife-type..... I know that horrifies a lot of other women. But I really do like being with my guy. I love him more now than the day we were married, and I actually like him more now too. That being said, however, I am going to enjoy some ME time. Okay, rephrase that, "Once the kids are in bed, I am going to enjoy some ME time".

Popcorn, Splenda, and Peanut Butter

So even when I'm not pregnant have blood sugar "issues". As long as I can remember I've had to be careful when eating sugar, I "crash" super easy and really have to balance what I eat. I'm super careful to try and eat healthy carbs - if you look at my "recipe" posts you'll see that I'm a freak about trying to avoid white sugar & flour when I can.
GRANTED I have still been known to freak out and down a whole box of Oreos, and I do not have it in me to resist sugar cookies, the more frosting the better.
On top of all this, my dad is diabetic so it's in the genes.
Anyway, I noticed while pregnant with Baby Sis that these symptoms got much, much worse. However, against any internal voice of reason, I gave into any slight sugar craving that I had. Then, to counter the spike in sugar and subsequent crash, I would just pig out on protein and whatever else could make me feel better. SO...... I'd eat a dozen sugar cookies piled high with frosting - and THEN a cheeseburger and tall milk. Lotsa lotsa calories. Which might explain why my fanny was as big as my stomach....
I never had gestational diabetes with her pregnancy, but I was borderline and my numbers on the 2nd icky test were not normal. It was advised that I eat a mainly protein diet. Haha. My midwife doesn't test me for diabetes with this pregnancy for another 10 weeks or so, but she's already advised me to follow the diet as well.
Anyway - coming full circle to present day (have you picked up on the fact yet that I can't tell a short story?) - the blood sugar issues came back with a vengeance almost immediately with this pregnance. A little older, and wiser now I've determined I should maybe eat healthy and try to follow a typical gestational diabetic diet.
WHICH MEANS NO TREATS. NONE. NO SUGAR COOKIES AT CHRISTMAS. NOTHING.
(I did tell myself that I could have a small treat at my mom's Christmas Eve party and then paid for it by being sick all night and the next morning.)
I was advised that popcorn, however, was allowed. And of course, peanut butter.
So for a while I was obsessed with these Peanut Butter/Splenda cookies I found on Allrecipes.com. Literally they consist of 1cup PB, 1C Splenda, and 1 egg. Very little carbs. I was eating them day and night and pity the person who tried to touch MY cookies. THEY can all eat REAL cookies DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY COOKIES!!
Brian has become very, very familiar with this tirade.
After several weeks the PB Cookies started losing their appeal so my newest obsession is popcorn smothered in real butter (low carb, right?) and sprinkled with Splenda. If you close your eyes and are desperate enough it almost takes like kettle corn.
I am a very selfish mom, and don't like sharing my concoction with ANYBODY. This doesn't go over very well with small children so I don't indulge myself until they are sound asleep with their little heads on their little pillows. Only then can I sit at the table with a magazine or the paper and totally oink out on a full bowl of my dear concoction. Brian has gotten his hand slapped many times for reaching for a handful. Mine, mine mine mine MINE.
So thank you for letting me share my secret little dark world of Popcorn, Splenda, and peanut butter. I hope this peek into my obsessive little non-sharing oinking out world hasn't made you think less of me.
As I finish typing this Brian emerges from putting Little Man to bed and I need to wrap this up now so I can indulge myself.
Good night!!

My Beautiful Christmas Tree

Seriously. I love my Christmas tree. I think it's gorgeous. You may, however, look at the picture and think "really?" - but let me explain.
You won't find my tree in a magazine. Very few of the ornaments match. It's a little scrawny and raggedy looking (hey - we have a tiny livingroom and very few trees actually fit).
But to me it's beautiful. I love the old-school colored lights. They're the kind we had when I was a kid. I love the bead garlands strewn haphazardly around the tree - Baby Sis loves them too because she won't leave them alone. I love that just about every single one of my ornaments has a story behind it or a special meaning. Big Sis made this ornament 5 years ago, when she was 5.
And here's Little Man's "Baby's First Christmas" ornament...
I have ornaments on my tree that used to be on my parent's tree.
I love that it fits the rest of my home, not a fancy house, definitely not a show house. But a home where it is very obvious that children live here.
True, most of the ornaments are located in top 2/3 of the tree, to try and keep little hands off them (notice I have NO glass ornaments, those will be packed away for several more years) although Baby Sis still manages to get her little paws on a few of them...

To me, our tree is like our family. A little chaotic, certainly not neat and tidy, but it holds a lot of love on its branches. It's a colorful, "kid" tree that I love, and that I hope will hold a lof special memories for my kids someday. Someday when I pass our special ornaments on to our kids, I hope they fondly place them on their own special trees. To me, that thought is more beautiful than any "matching" and well-decorated tree could be.

The end of Hunting Season (!!!!!)

Do you hear that sound? That very, very happy sound? It's me, squealing with joy that as of TODAY - Hunting Season is Over!! Wooo Hoooo!!
(Sorry, honey)
You know, it's not that I don't support his hobby or how (incredibly) time-consuming and (incredibly) costly it is.... really. I'm glad he has a hobby that he enjoys. But I'm also REALLY glad when it's done & over with so that he might actually be home during daylight hours and weekends now!
I DO feel bad for him that he didn't get his trophy buck this year.... but we still have THIS hanging on the wall as a reminder of how successful he was last year.
He has, however, recently announced to me that in the near future he intends to switch to Bow hunting...... hmmmm.... Bow hunting has a longer season..... and there's that minor problem of him NOT OWNING a bow - and let's not forget the $$$$$$ we just LAST SEASON spent to purchase his snazzy new rifle, scope, and many accessories that accompany it.
But no, really, things like this come in especially handy when, for example, I wanted to buy a road bike last year. New rifle/scope for GDaddy = new road bike for GMomma. Incredible leverage there. Perfect!

Please tell me this isn't my living room....

Before I had 2 kids I had a clean house. Before I had 2 kids I was a perfect mom. I can remember saying to my mom regarding a family acquaintaince who has children and a messy house "you just don't let your children DO that to your house is all". UM OKAYYYY!! Funny how I was a perfect parent before I had kids.

Fast forward a few years and some major word eating. The ME before children would be disgusted by this living room that was evidently hit by a tornado of small children. Is it possible that only TWO small children are responsible for this damage? Unfortunately, yes.

Update To Crabby Mom

So GDaddy wanted me to make sure that I posted an update to my Crabby Me post.... as I predicted he didn't appreciate my griping very much. Yesterday he came home from hunting half-way through the day (while still light out) to eat lunch and give me a "run-break". (He took today off, too - let's see if he comes through for me again!)

It was awesome.... I ran 4.6 miles - not a lot, and certainly not very fast. But it worked it's magic on me.

This seems to be one of the only times I have to actually pray without interruption.... it really does seem like I have my best conversations with God when I'm out running. And it felt so good to use my body - to push up the hills and have tight legs when I finished. I wish I had a better camera to capture the amazing view that I have while running - I truly am so blessed to be able to run daily in such an amazing place.

It was exactly what I needed. As I reminded GDaddy "Happy Wife = Happy Life" but he just mumbled something about a mute wife equaling a happy husband.....

Anyway - I didn't take my camera with me while running, but Baby Sis and I went out for a ride on the 4-wheeler later while Little Man & Brian were hunting before sunset. Here are some pics of the view, and a self-portrait of Baby Sis & I on the 4-wheeler. I wish they would turn out as beautiful as what I see with my eyes.

Crabby Me

Ok - Just going to VENT here for a minute.... What does a stay at home mom have to do to get a day off?
I ask because - Brian's hobby is hunting - and mine is running. He wants to go hunting so he takes days off work and hunts from sun up to sun down. OR he goes all day on the weekend (like yesterday)- leaving the house about 4:45am and coming home at 8pm.
I - on the other hand - have been at home every day - ALL DAY - with a sick little boy. Stuck in the house, not going anywhere. Definitely NOT going running. Can't even go out to the treadmill because I want to be near him in case he pukes again or needs me. Now, I sound like an awful mom, I love my little boy and want to take care of him and feel so bad for him when he's sick. But I also need to go running. I have not exercised or ran since last Wed!!!
I can tell I'm getting really crabby. I am the type of person who needs an outlet for stress relef... I need to get out of the house and into the fresh air and let my mind wander for 45 minutes or so.
So when is this going to happen? I kept Little Man home from pre-school today because, although his fever is gone and he's not puking anymore, he's still not himself and pretty worn out. And, like I said earlier, Brian is hunting all day. Usually, on pre-school days Baby Sis and I go to the gym while Little Man is at school, not today.
I told Brian last night that it would be nice if he was home today before dark so I could go for a run and he said something along the lines of it would be nice if he came home with a big buck. Hmmm.... he doesn't have much sympathy for my running needs it appears.
So, my question is, when do I get to take a "day off" to spend away from the house with my friends, running and having fun? When do I get to spend a WHOLE weekend day doing exactly as I want?
Am I speaking to the choir out there other mothers?
Ok - just feeling a bit irritated (from the lack of running!!!) and needed to vent a bit.
Brian is going to be SO pleased with this post....

Election Day!!!! Did you vote?

This is so exciting! I am actually counting the hours until I can watch news coverage of the results coming in.
It is exciting to be part of such a historic election. Either way our country will have either elected a female vice-pres, or a minority president.
I have been discouraged by all the negativity going around - my hopes are that regardless of who wins we can support them and pray for their wisdom. Whoever wins is going to have a lot on his plate - the war & the economy being 2 big issues.
On another note, I will be so glad to not have to see another campaign ad for a while!

Good Morning - I'm cleaning the kitchen...

* I've noticed that my kitchen floor only gets mopped when one of my children spills something - therefore my kitchen floor is really clean.

* I love cleaning with baking soda & vinegar. I especially love that it reminds me of building volcanoes in 4th grade. Fizzzzz

* My toaster went kaput this morning - which means I need to go buy a new one - which really stinks. I hate spending money on things like toasters when I could instead buy something FUN.

* Since it seems like all I do is clean, why isn't my house cleaner than it is?

* I looked online at Linens N Things for toasters. Am I the only person that thinks a toaster for $129 is insane? Do people actually pay that much for a toaster?

My Love List

I thought about creating a list of irritations because that's the kind of mood I'm in at the moment, but decided that's not the person I want to be & I don't want to bring anyone else down with me.
So instead I'm going to creat a list of things I love and that I'm thankful fo- I'm focusing on the positive. So here goes:
#1 the Lord - I have to admit that I feel a little cheesy saying that, like it's so stereotypical - but what He has done for me in my life is amazing. And I know He's not finished.... I feel like he's cultivating me (that term was used in Bible study this week and it's so fitting). I feel like he's putting me through some hard times to open my eyes to some things I've been ignoring. Also, I can honestly say that every hard time I've been through in my life - while I would never want to repeat them - has spit me out for the better once it's all said and done. I have a thick skull. I have to learn things for myself by getting myself put through the wringer.
#2 My Family - of course. It's such a strong love that it sometimes overwhelms me. Every night right before I go to bed I go to check on the kids one last time. Brian just rolls his eyes at me now because at least once a week I tell him that I just stand over them as they sleep, and want to cry - I love them so much it makes my heart hurt. Having kids has made me a better person and has absolutely been a blessing. I feel like I have been so incredibly blessed with this family, our circle - my husband and kids. I could also go on and on about my extended family, and how they all mean so much to me.
#3 Our health. I have 2 beautiful, perfectly healthy kids. Brian & I are healthy. I read so many of the other blogs out there and it really makes me realize how lucky I am, and I don't want to ever forget that.
#4 Our home. I love that I don't have to worry about my kids playing near a busy street or strangers walking by. I love that I can go out to the car in my underwear and that at night when I look out at the lights it feels like we're on top of the world. I love that neighbors passing eachother out here on the road wave at eachother. I love that I can put the kids on the 4-wheeler and just go, right from our driveway - and within minutes be exploring the mountain. I love watching the kids play in the dirt and get absolutely filthy. And I love going for a run right before/during sunset (I got to do it again tonight!!!). I love that it feels like home even if it isn't fancy, or big, or clean.

Well - my list has worked and now I'm in a better mood. But now I want to go crawl into bed with Brian and cry because I love everything so much. Ok, so I totally realize that I am evidently quite hormonal and will probably be very embarassed about this post in the morning. And Brian will be mortified if anyone he knows reads this because he is anti-emotion. But once again, it's my blog - right? Goodnight.