These days, I'm really into these workout videos by fitnessblender.com. It is a husband and wife team (Daniel and Kelli) who are just adorable and they offer tons of free workouts and tips on healthy eating. The workouts are awesome and basic. This one is my favorite so far.
Kicks my hiney big time. Even Kelli struggles through it. I like them because they don't seem like they've bought into the fad workouts and fad diets. They are all about exercising and eating healthy. I've watched several videos on youtube and I just love their take on life. Kelli actually struggled with bulimia for over a decade and shares her story on the site.
They promote working out 20-30 minutes a day (totally doable), 5 or 6 times a week and eating real food. They stay away from anything processed and eat mostly fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, eggs and a small amount of dairy and lean meat. I strongly urge you to check them out if you haven't already. I was looking for workouts on YouTube and several of their videos came up so I tried them out and now I'm hooked.
https://www.fitnessblender.com/page/about-fitness-blender
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
challenge accepted
Each baby has provided Dan and I with their own set of challenges. And they were all different challenges. Every single baby challenged me in a different way.
Mya was not a fan of nursing. She cried when the milk came out too fast and cried when it came out to slow. She did not latch on well and I had no idea what I was doing so I quickly resorted to the bottle with milk that came out just right for my little Goldilocks. So I pumped for 10 months. No biggie. She was not a great traveler either. She usually cried in the car. But for the most part, she was an easy baby that didn't cry much and would let most people hold her. AND she slept for 10 hours at a time at just 2 months old. I'm not even exaggerating. She slept from 8PM to 6AM every single night. When Mya was about 10 months old my milk started to run out because I was pregnant with Winter. She refused any formula or water for weeks until I was completely out of milk and got desperate. I tasted the formula and it was awful so I didn't blame her. Breast milk is sweet and that's what she was used to. So I got the brilliant and slightly unhealthy idea to put strawberry quick powder in her formula to get her to take it. It totally worked. And we had her weaned off of the strawberry quick a few weeks later =)
Winter was an easy baby that would sit anywhere and just stare at everyone. She didn't cry much at all. Winter's challenge for mommy was that she had a very sensitive gag reflex along with what must have been reflux. She puked up her dinner (breastmilk) most nights all over the boppy and Mommy's jammies. After a while I learned and put down a towel before I would feed her. That lasted for what seemed like an eternity, probably about 2 months. Her sensitive gag reflex also kept her from wanting a bottle or paci in her mouth. But she latched on great right away so no breastfeeding problems with her. She was sensitive to loud noises too. I remember taking her to a Dodger game around 4 months old and she was not happy at all. All that cheering was far too much for my sensitive eared baby. She still doesn't like loud noises at 5 years old. I went through weeks of banging my head on the wall, trying to get her to take a bottle. One day when she was about 4 or 5 months old, she decided she liked the brown, lifelike nipple by Playtex. That was a happy day.
Adelyn took anything we put in her mouth like a little piranha. In fact she caused me quite a bit of pain the first few weeks of nursing until I got used to her strong little mouth. She took a paci right away and still has it in her mouth at all times. That was helpful in the car because she was NOT a good traveler. She cried everywhere we went unless there was someone in the backseat with her to put her paci in when it would fall out. Addie's challenge for me has been learning to deal with the volume and intensity that comes with her. Mya and Winter were very different in almost every way except that they were pretty quiet for the most part. I appreciated that. Addie yells everything, especially when she is annoyed. It started when she was a few months old. Probably because she is tiny and needs something to defend herself against her sisters. I'm trying to teach her to use words to get her point across rather than just the screechy whiny noise that she usually makes. When she was in the hospital after she was born, the nurses commented on how good she was, how little she cried. They assumed she would be an easy, quiet kind of baby. NOT. Oh and she used to bite me every single time she latched on. And lucky for me, she had teeth at 4 months old. I had to cut her off early because of it. And I got pregnant with Angus so my milk ran out anyway.
Angus, my fat little guy, I just love him! He's so perfectly sweet. I know, I'm totally playing favorites here. To be fair, I loved all my babies at this age. They were just so squishy and happy. And Angus just loves me so much. He smiles at me all day and just wants to be with me. He does this cute little giggle when I sit down to nurse him because he's so excited about it. As babies, the girls were not very attached to me. They would hang out with anyone who gave them attention. Anyway, so Angus, being the mama lovin' little guy that he is, has wanted nothing to do with anything like bottles, sippy cups, straws, etc. Nothing. He just wants to nurse. He is also prone to choking. I think his throat muscles may be underdeveloped or something because he chokes on his saliva all the time. He gags on anything with texture too. He's almost a year and he's still eating pureed baby food. I got him used to puffs (baby cereal) because they are just so handy. I had to start slowly with just a tiny piece, then a bit bigger and so on. They dissolve in his mouth so he can't really choke on them. Angus is probably my happiest baby. He falls asleep in the car and will let anyone hold him. And he will sit for like an hour in the stroller outside. He's not the greatest sleeper however. I have yet to get 8 hours of sleep.
Dan and I have a 3 day trip planned soon and I need to leave Angus with my mom so he HAS to take a bottle. There is no option. So for the past 2 weeks, every day I have tried to get him to drink something, anything. I tried cow milk, soy milk, breast milk, juice and water... at every temperature. I've offered him every single bottle and sippy cup in my arsenal. I even tried squirting juice in his mouth with a juicebox to see if he seemed to like it. He hated it. What kid hates juice??! I tried a big kid cup which was poured all over him and not a drop went in his mouth. I had other people try to feed him with me nowhere near him. I tried a medicine dropper which he didn't seem to mind but that could get really tedious for my mom to feed him 5 ML at a time... I had my entire bible study praying that Angus would take a bottle. I was yelling at Dan, yelling at the girls and just cranky for weeks. I was going crazy. Like nutty. I begged Angus to tell me what he needed, what he wanted. I would have given him milk in a wine glass if that's what it took.
So after exhausting every option mentioned on the internet, I cried. And after that, I pulled out the big guns. I went to Target and purchased some strawberry quick. I warmed up 4 oz of cow milk, put a teaspoon of strawberry quick in it and put it in the bottle with the most lifelike nipple with the fastest flow and wished Dan luck and walked in the other room and prayed. It was a very whiny prayer. I think it went something like, pleeeeeeese God pleeeeeeease heeeelp!! And low and behold he started to drink. He drank and drank and I felt all of the tension that was held hostage in my shoulders begin to ease up. He is now drinking strawberry quick flavored cow milk happily, even from me! I am ecstatic. I can now look forward to my mini vacay where I will sleep 8 hours straight for the first time in one year.
Four different babies with their own personalities.
(Mya - top left, Winter - top right, Addie - bottom left, Angus - well you know)
Mya was not a fan of nursing. She cried when the milk came out too fast and cried when it came out to slow. She did not latch on well and I had no idea what I was doing so I quickly resorted to the bottle with milk that came out just right for my little Goldilocks. So I pumped for 10 months. No biggie. She was not a great traveler either. She usually cried in the car. But for the most part, she was an easy baby that didn't cry much and would let most people hold her. AND she slept for 10 hours at a time at just 2 months old. I'm not even exaggerating. She slept from 8PM to 6AM every single night. When Mya was about 10 months old my milk started to run out because I was pregnant with Winter. She refused any formula or water for weeks until I was completely out of milk and got desperate. I tasted the formula and it was awful so I didn't blame her. Breast milk is sweet and that's what she was used to. So I got the brilliant and slightly unhealthy idea to put strawberry quick powder in her formula to get her to take it. It totally worked. And we had her weaned off of the strawberry quick a few weeks later =)
Winter was an easy baby that would sit anywhere and just stare at everyone. She didn't cry much at all. Winter's challenge for mommy was that she had a very sensitive gag reflex along with what must have been reflux. She puked up her dinner (breastmilk) most nights all over the boppy and Mommy's jammies. After a while I learned and put down a towel before I would feed her. That lasted for what seemed like an eternity, probably about 2 months. Her sensitive gag reflex also kept her from wanting a bottle or paci in her mouth. But she latched on great right away so no breastfeeding problems with her. She was sensitive to loud noises too. I remember taking her to a Dodger game around 4 months old and she was not happy at all. All that cheering was far too much for my sensitive eared baby. She still doesn't like loud noises at 5 years old. I went through weeks of banging my head on the wall, trying to get her to take a bottle. One day when she was about 4 or 5 months old, she decided she liked the brown, lifelike nipple by Playtex. That was a happy day.
Adelyn took anything we put in her mouth like a little piranha. In fact she caused me quite a bit of pain the first few weeks of nursing until I got used to her strong little mouth. She took a paci right away and still has it in her mouth at all times. That was helpful in the car because she was NOT a good traveler. She cried everywhere we went unless there was someone in the backseat with her to put her paci in when it would fall out. Addie's challenge for me has been learning to deal with the volume and intensity that comes with her. Mya and Winter were very different in almost every way except that they were pretty quiet for the most part. I appreciated that. Addie yells everything, especially when she is annoyed. It started when she was a few months old. Probably because she is tiny and needs something to defend herself against her sisters. I'm trying to teach her to use words to get her point across rather than just the screechy whiny noise that she usually makes. When she was in the hospital after she was born, the nurses commented on how good she was, how little she cried. They assumed she would be an easy, quiet kind of baby. NOT. Oh and she used to bite me every single time she latched on. And lucky for me, she had teeth at 4 months old. I had to cut her off early because of it. And I got pregnant with Angus so my milk ran out anyway.
Angus, my fat little guy, I just love him! He's so perfectly sweet. I know, I'm totally playing favorites here. To be fair, I loved all my babies at this age. They were just so squishy and happy. And Angus just loves me so much. He smiles at me all day and just wants to be with me. He does this cute little giggle when I sit down to nurse him because he's so excited about it. As babies, the girls were not very attached to me. They would hang out with anyone who gave them attention. Anyway, so Angus, being the mama lovin' little guy that he is, has wanted nothing to do with anything like bottles, sippy cups, straws, etc. Nothing. He just wants to nurse. He is also prone to choking. I think his throat muscles may be underdeveloped or something because he chokes on his saliva all the time. He gags on anything with texture too. He's almost a year and he's still eating pureed baby food. I got him used to puffs (baby cereal) because they are just so handy. I had to start slowly with just a tiny piece, then a bit bigger and so on. They dissolve in his mouth so he can't really choke on them. Angus is probably my happiest baby. He falls asleep in the car and will let anyone hold him. And he will sit for like an hour in the stroller outside. He's not the greatest sleeper however. I have yet to get 8 hours of sleep.
Dan and I have a 3 day trip planned soon and I need to leave Angus with my mom so he HAS to take a bottle. There is no option. So for the past 2 weeks, every day I have tried to get him to drink something, anything. I tried cow milk, soy milk, breast milk, juice and water... at every temperature. I've offered him every single bottle and sippy cup in my arsenal. I even tried squirting juice in his mouth with a juicebox to see if he seemed to like it. He hated it. What kid hates juice??! I tried a big kid cup which was poured all over him and not a drop went in his mouth. I had other people try to feed him with me nowhere near him. I tried a medicine dropper which he didn't seem to mind but that could get really tedious for my mom to feed him 5 ML at a time... I had my entire bible study praying that Angus would take a bottle. I was yelling at Dan, yelling at the girls and just cranky for weeks. I was going crazy. Like nutty. I begged Angus to tell me what he needed, what he wanted. I would have given him milk in a wine glass if that's what it took.
So after exhausting every option mentioned on the internet, I cried. And after that, I pulled out the big guns. I went to Target and purchased some strawberry quick. I warmed up 4 oz of cow milk, put a teaspoon of strawberry quick in it and put it in the bottle with the most lifelike nipple with the fastest flow and wished Dan luck and walked in the other room and prayed. It was a very whiny prayer. I think it went something like, pleeeeeeese God pleeeeeeease heeeelp!! And low and behold he started to drink. He drank and drank and I felt all of the tension that was held hostage in my shoulders begin to ease up. He is now drinking strawberry quick flavored cow milk happily, even from me! I am ecstatic. I can now look forward to my mini vacay where I will sleep 8 hours straight for the first time in one year.
Four different babies with their own personalities.
(Mya - top left, Winter - top right, Addie - bottom left, Angus - well you know)
Friday, April 22, 2016
too proud
I know, I already posted today. But my sister isn't a fan of my fitness friday posts so I thought I'd throw her a bone and post a regular one =)
So, they other day I was reading Romans 12. Don't be impressed. I happened to stumble upon it (on my phone) while nursing because that's what we were studying at our bible study the day before. Anyway, I began reading and was intrigued. The 12th chapter of Romans basically reminds us of what a Christian should look like. I was thinking that I probably was doing okay on a scale of 1 to 10. Boy was I wrong when I read each verse, especially Romans 12:3,16
So, they other day I was reading Romans 12. Don't be impressed. I happened to stumble upon it (on my phone) while nursing because that's what we were studying at our bible study the day before. Anyway, I began reading and was intrigued. The 12th chapter of Romans basically reminds us of what a Christian should look like. I was thinking that I probably was doing okay on a scale of 1 to 10. Boy was I wrong when I read each verse, especially Romans 12:3,16
3. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
16. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
These verses stood out to me. I thought to myself, perhaps I am guilty of this. The bible is funny that way. You forget things and you read them and realize you need to check yourself. I am totally guilty of thinking highly of myself, especially when it comes to Mya and Winter at school. They are both at the top of their class. Winter is doing well because she's been in preschool since she was 2 and most of the kids in her class only speak Spanish at home and have never been to school before. So she has a BIT of an advantage.
16. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
These verses stood out to me. I thought to myself, perhaps I am guilty of this. The bible is funny that way. You forget things and you read them and realize you need to check yourself. I am totally guilty of thinking highly of myself, especially when it comes to Mya and Winter at school. They are both at the top of their class. Winter is doing well because she's been in preschool since she was 2 and most of the kids in her class only speak Spanish at home and have never been to school before. So she has a BIT of an advantage.
Mya is just an overachiever, always will be. I quizzed her on her new spelling words and she nailed each one, no problem. She hadn't even practiced them yet. So we reviewed them daily and she was laughing because they were so easy. I thought, man this kid. She's just like her mom. Like I have anything to do with her intelligence.
And sometimes I get a little too proud of my ability to control my kids in public. While waiting for Winter's classroom to open every day, there is one mom with a very energetic child that is always running around causing havoc. Her mom is constantly yelling at her but she completely ignores her. I always think, man lady, she is walkin' all over you. You gotta put that foot down.
And sometimes I get a little too proud of my ability to control my kids in public. While waiting for Winter's classroom to open every day, there is one mom with a very energetic child that is always running around causing havoc. Her mom is constantly yelling at her but she completely ignores her. I always think, man lady, she is walkin' all over you. You gotta put that foot down.
Well the other day it was time for Amie to eat some humble pie.
First, Winter came home in tears because her teacher had to have a word with Dan about the fact that she kicked someone on the playground, then she punched someone else in the stomach. THEN she twisted someone's arm in class. All in the same morning! What is happening?! She was THAT kid. And we were THOSE parents. The ones with the violent kid that punches other kids in the stomach. She said they were trying to "get her." This was a 1st (and 2nd and 3rd) time offense, but still. I was shocked. Winter has come such a long way. She never does stuff like this anymore. It was like her 2-year-old self came back and took over. Oh well, she was punished and will hopefully never resort to violence again. (But at least I know I don't have to worry about her defending herself when needed. She's a tough cookie.)
THEN, the same day I got a text from Mya's amused teacher telling me that she misspelled the word or on her spelling test. OR! O R. She spelled it O R E what?! That was like the easiest word on the test! Oh well, so she's not perfect.
I was thinking, Okay God, I got it. I should never think of my kids or myself as better than any other kid or parent. Thanks for the reminder.
fitness friday - wait for it
It seems like everything these days is promoting instant gratification. All of these pictures, blogs and quotes on social media about 5 minute meals, 10 minute workouts, five minute abs etc. make me wonder if it's not better to wait.
Believe me no one understands the awesomeness and convenience of a 10 minute meal like this busy mama of four little ones. But I think in many circumstances it may be better to not have something right away.
I think if we work hard at something for a longer period of time, we will have more pride in what we've done. And a meal that takes 30 minutes versus five tastes better in my opinion.
I'm glad that changes to my body don't happen overnight because it teaches me patience, persistence, and appreciation for the hard work that I've done. I think working hard at something every day is so good for us. So maybe next time we work out we don't have to think about the changes we are not seeing in our body tomorrow but the feeling we have today, knowing that we are working at something consistently. And that feeling will quadruple in a couple months when we actually see the rewards of our hard work.
Believe me no one understands the awesomeness and convenience of a 10 minute meal like this busy mama of four little ones. But I think in many circumstances it may be better to not have something right away.
I think if we work hard at something for a longer period of time, we will have more pride in what we've done. And a meal that takes 30 minutes versus five tastes better in my opinion.
I'm glad that changes to my body don't happen overnight because it teaches me patience, persistence, and appreciation for the hard work that I've done. I think working hard at something every day is so good for us. So maybe next time we work out we don't have to think about the changes we are not seeing in our body tomorrow but the feeling we have today, knowing that we are working at something consistently. And that feeling will quadruple in a couple months when we actually see the rewards of our hard work.
Chubilicious working on his chair squats =)
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
feeding the animals
There are so many mouths to feed. So many. Four kids, 2 dogs and 7 fish. So when the girls were big enough to feed the dogs, Dan and I took advantage and haven't fed them since. The dogs have become a little fatter than we would like but it's totally worth it to have one less chore. Maybe I should walk them more.
Winter loved doing it for a while. Now Mya and Winter take turns. Winter recruited Addie when she was big enough to carry a dog bowl. It's pretty funny to watch. Winter opens the sliding glass door and pushes Addie out to get the bowls. The 60 lb dogs are jumping all around little 25 lb Addie and she's not even phased. She pushes them out of the way and comes back inside where Winter grabs one bowl and they head out to the garage to fill them up. They come back and open the slider and Addie yells about 8 times, SHIT DOGGIE SHIT! It's a combo of a paci and 2 year old talk but she can't say sit. They put the dog bowls down and they both yell OKAY! then Addie goes, "Whoa doggies!" and they come back inside. This happens every morning and every evening.
Winter loved doing it for a while. Now Mya and Winter take turns. Winter recruited Addie when she was big enough to carry a dog bowl. It's pretty funny to watch. Winter opens the sliding glass door and pushes Addie out to get the bowls. The 60 lb dogs are jumping all around little 25 lb Addie and she's not even phased. She pushes them out of the way and comes back inside where Winter grabs one bowl and they head out to the garage to fill them up. They come back and open the slider and Addie yells about 8 times, SHIT DOGGIE SHIT! It's a combo of a paci and 2 year old talk but she can't say sit. They put the dog bowls down and they both yell OKAY! then Addie goes, "Whoa doggies!" and they come back inside. This happens every morning and every evening.
Friday, April 15, 2016
fitness friday - eat what you already like
Sometimes when I'm really getting into the healthy living mindset I will go overboard and by a bunch of new healthy things to eat. Then, after a while I will notice that I'm not touching anything that I bought. That is probably because I'm not excited to eat any of it because there are other things I'd prefer to eat... things that are yummy that make me happy because they taste good to me.
I remember buying a package of precooked lentils at Trader Joe's thinking I would just add them to a salad or something. But when I got home, I laughed at myself because I don't like lentils. Not even a little bit. We are creatures of habit. And as adults, we already know what we like and what we don't.
That being said, making healthier choices can simply mean buying more of the healthy things we actually like and less of the unhealthy things we can live without. I love apples, bananas, avocados and tomatoes. I always have them in the house. I can live without sodas, chips and crackers. The more healthy foods you have in your kitchen, the less processed sugary foods you'll be likely to eat. Healthy eating starts at the grocery store.
It helps to make a list of my favorite healthy foods. That way I can see that there are actually a lot to chose from. Also, make a list with the kids. There may be healthy foods that they like that you didn't even know about. Maybe they had something at a friends house they would like to try again.
I remember buying a package of precooked lentils at Trader Joe's thinking I would just add them to a salad or something. But when I got home, I laughed at myself because I don't like lentils. Not even a little bit. We are creatures of habit. And as adults, we already know what we like and what we don't.
That being said, making healthier choices can simply mean buying more of the healthy things we actually like and less of the unhealthy things we can live without. I love apples, bananas, avocados and tomatoes. I always have them in the house. I can live without sodas, chips and crackers. The more healthy foods you have in your kitchen, the less processed sugary foods you'll be likely to eat. Healthy eating starts at the grocery store.
It helps to make a list of my favorite healthy foods. That way I can see that there are actually a lot to chose from. Also, make a list with the kids. There may be healthy foods that they like that you didn't even know about. Maybe they had something at a friends house they would like to try again.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
day 5
Dan is at work for the 5th day in a row. I haven't seen him since Friday morning when he kissed me goodbye. We need the money he says. He's suffering too he says.
It is not going well here. The kids and I are not on speaking terms. (kidding) I'm no good at this single parent thing. Big props to my mom. She had four and did it by herself. And I only remember her saying a bad word like twice... ever. And it wasn't even the F word. I need someone to pass the thingy to, like in a running race. I'm out of patience, energy, tact, love, you name it. I am out. Mya was crying on the couch yesterday. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Nothing. I'm just having a bad day." I melted a little. She said Winter was being mean to her and told her she wasn't going to be her sister anymore which she says most days but she was really hurt by it today for some reason. Poor girl.
I'm having a few bad days myself. Saturday was the worst. It rained so I didn't want to drive anywhere too far like my mom's house with all the kids and put them in danger with all the horrible LA drivers who think slick roads mean drive faster. And I didn't want to go anywhere indoors like Chucky Cheese or Rock 'n' Jump where everyone else would be with all of their children. So we just stayed inside and nearly killed each other. The babies took extra short naps of course and the day was like an eternity that ended with everyone in tears, including me. And I'm sure if the dogs could cry they would have too. I did take everyone for a walk in the rain because I was so desperate to get them out.
Yesterday was alright...ish. Last night was a circus. A bath circus. It was 6:30 and I decided that the children were way to dirty to skip another night without baths so I took the babies upstairs to the bathtub and told the big girls to take a shower in my bathroom. They are getting to that age where they can kind of be left unsupervised and won't do anything too horrible but left to their own devices they will misbehave as much as possible.
So I put the two babies in the bath and got them all clean with minimal crying. Then I pulled the plug and got baby #1 out and took him to his room with the changing pad and put a diaper on him and put him in the girls room to play. Then I took baby #2 out and took her to get her diaper and PJ's on. I got her changed and went to check on the girls in the shower. They were using my foot scrubber, my back loofa and Dan's hot pink loofa (sorry honey) to wash each other. They were singing and laughing and having a shower party. I told them to get out and get their PJs on. Then Mya got soap in her eye and started screaming. I got a towel for her to wipe her eyes and told her again to get out. In the mean time, Addie had managed to get back into the empty tub with her PJ's on so she was all wet. Angus was standing by the tub squealing at her. I changed Addie's PJ's AGAIN and grabbed Angus to get him dressed.
Then I heard the girls giggling and the water still running in the shower so I put Angus down. I walked in to find Winter sitting on my bathroom floor with her towel around her laughing hysterically to Mya (still in the shower) pressing her butt cheeks up against the shower door. I was too tired to laugh. I just turned off the shower and walked out of the room to get the babies in bed. I went downstairs to find Addie's blanket and paci. I located the paci. No blankie. When I got back upstairs, Mya commented that Angus's hair was soapy. It was. Very soapy. Addie had lathered him up while she was in the bathtub in her jammies. He was soapy all over. His tummy, back and hair were covered in soap. Back in the bath he went. I locked crying Addie out of the bathroom so she couldn't join us and rinsed happy Angus off, put another diaper on him and finally put him in his PJ's. The craziness continued when I couldn't find Addie's blanket for 30 minutes and she jumped up and down in her bed and yelled at me while she waited for me to find it. It was in the TV cabinet of course. They all fell asleep way past bedtime and so did I. I didn't even get to touch the mountain of clean unfolded laundry in my bed. I just moved it over to Dan's side where he would not be for another night.
Ugh, kids. I love them. They are blessings each one of them. Doesn't mean this mom thing is easy. I'm hoping we will all forget about these rough days when mommy goes a little psycho and yells things she doesn't mean. I'm hoping the neighbors will too.
It is not going well here. The kids and I are not on speaking terms. (kidding) I'm no good at this single parent thing. Big props to my mom. She had four and did it by herself. And I only remember her saying a bad word like twice... ever. And it wasn't even the F word. I need someone to pass the thingy to, like in a running race. I'm out of patience, energy, tact, love, you name it. I am out. Mya was crying on the couch yesterday. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Nothing. I'm just having a bad day." I melted a little. She said Winter was being mean to her and told her she wasn't going to be her sister anymore which she says most days but she was really hurt by it today for some reason. Poor girl.
I'm having a few bad days myself. Saturday was the worst. It rained so I didn't want to drive anywhere too far like my mom's house with all the kids and put them in danger with all the horrible LA drivers who think slick roads mean drive faster. And I didn't want to go anywhere indoors like Chucky Cheese or Rock 'n' Jump where everyone else would be with all of their children. So we just stayed inside and nearly killed each other. The babies took extra short naps of course and the day was like an eternity that ended with everyone in tears, including me. And I'm sure if the dogs could cry they would have too. I did take everyone for a walk in the rain because I was so desperate to get them out.
Yesterday was alright...ish. Last night was a circus. A bath circus. It was 6:30 and I decided that the children were way to dirty to skip another night without baths so I took the babies upstairs to the bathtub and told the big girls to take a shower in my bathroom. They are getting to that age where they can kind of be left unsupervised and won't do anything too horrible but left to their own devices they will misbehave as much as possible.
So I put the two babies in the bath and got them all clean with minimal crying. Then I pulled the plug and got baby #1 out and took him to his room with the changing pad and put a diaper on him and put him in the girls room to play. Then I took baby #2 out and took her to get her diaper and PJ's on. I got her changed and went to check on the girls in the shower. They were using my foot scrubber, my back loofa and Dan's hot pink loofa (sorry honey) to wash each other. They were singing and laughing and having a shower party. I told them to get out and get their PJs on. Then Mya got soap in her eye and started screaming. I got a towel for her to wipe her eyes and told her again to get out. In the mean time, Addie had managed to get back into the empty tub with her PJ's on so she was all wet. Angus was standing by the tub squealing at her. I changed Addie's PJ's AGAIN and grabbed Angus to get him dressed.
Then I heard the girls giggling and the water still running in the shower so I put Angus down. I walked in to find Winter sitting on my bathroom floor with her towel around her laughing hysterically to Mya (still in the shower) pressing her butt cheeks up against the shower door. I was too tired to laugh. I just turned off the shower and walked out of the room to get the babies in bed. I went downstairs to find Addie's blanket and paci. I located the paci. No blankie. When I got back upstairs, Mya commented that Angus's hair was soapy. It was. Very soapy. Addie had lathered him up while she was in the bathtub in her jammies. He was soapy all over. His tummy, back and hair were covered in soap. Back in the bath he went. I locked crying Addie out of the bathroom so she couldn't join us and rinsed happy Angus off, put another diaper on him and finally put him in his PJ's. The craziness continued when I couldn't find Addie's blanket for 30 minutes and she jumped up and down in her bed and yelled at me while she waited for me to find it. It was in the TV cabinet of course. They all fell asleep way past bedtime and so did I. I didn't even get to touch the mountain of clean unfolded laundry in my bed. I just moved it over to Dan's side where he would not be for another night.
Ugh, kids. I love them. They are blessings each one of them. Doesn't mean this mom thing is easy. I'm hoping we will all forget about these rough days when mommy goes a little psycho and yells things she doesn't mean. I'm hoping the neighbors will too.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Winter funnies
The other day, I pulled down Mya's pants to spank her. Addie was watching right next to me. After I spanked her, Winter started laughing. I told her to come over so I could talk to her about not being mean and Addie pulled down Winter's skirt, exposing her butt and looked at me =)
Winter: (driving home from school one day while talking to Mya about her day) I wish there was more unicorns 'round here.
Me: ugh it stinks over here. Did you fart?
Winter: no not yet
Winter: (driving home from school one day while talking to Mya about her day) I wish there was more unicorns 'round here.
Winter: Just so you know Myas not cleaning up. I'm not telling. I'm just saying...
Me: ugh it stinks over here. Did you fart?
Winter: no not yet
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Fitness Friday - 20 minutes
I used to think that 20 minutes of working out in the morning wasn't going to do much. But I've actually seen huge changes in my body after a few weeks. And a lot of the time, my workout buddies cancel and I go back to sleep so we're really only working out like 3 times a week for 20 minutes a day and I'm still noticing changes.
We usually do circuit training type workouts (one exercise after another in a circuit) like the 30 day shred (by Jillian Michaels) that work different muscle groups, sometimes at the same time like squats while lifting weights. I'm a huge fan of running and anything that strengthens my core like yoga. But I love circuit training because I'm building muscle and burning calories during my workout AND I'm burning calories throughout the day when I'm just doing laundry or something because that muscle continues to work. And it is shaping my body and making it leaner, firmer and stronger. And just 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week. That's nothing! So doable.
Happy Friday!! (Saturday morning)
We usually do circuit training type workouts (one exercise after another in a circuit) like the 30 day shred (by Jillian Michaels) that work different muscle groups, sometimes at the same time like squats while lifting weights. I'm a huge fan of running and anything that strengthens my core like yoga. But I love circuit training because I'm building muscle and burning calories during my workout AND I'm burning calories throughout the day when I'm just doing laundry or something because that muscle continues to work. And it is shaping my body and making it leaner, firmer and stronger. And just 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week. That's nothing! So doable.
Happy Friday!! (Saturday morning)
Monday, April 4, 2016
no filter
My sister Wendy shared this to my Facebook page. It's fitting for... well my life. And probably any mom who all of a sudden has a bunch of kids and is not quite sure how that happened.
I feel like nobody knows me better than my neighbors. Even though I don't talk to my next door neighbors much, just a hi, how ya doin' most days, they see parts of me I don't really like to show the outsider. Parts that are reserved for close friends and family... people I trust. Unfortunately, there's just no getting around it. They are there, every day, morning, noon and night and it is impossible for me to keep this crazy unkempt person hidden from them.
I love going to church because I usually have my hair and make-up somewhat done, even if it's on the way there. I'm always on time because my kids wake up at the crack of dawn and we have like 3 hours to get ready. I usually am wearing something flattering and I'm usually in a good mood because I'm dropping all four children off with someone else. Bless those Sunday School teachers. Yes, most Sundays I would say I seem like one of those ladies that usually has it together, and with four kids 6 and under. I'm sure there are moms (who don't know me) asking themselves how I do it.
They should talk to my neighbors. My neighbors get to see the Sunday morning Amie that's throwing shoes in the car along with the children. Someone is always crying. Someone is always tattling, and I usually have to run back in the house like 8 times because... well I don't know why. I forget stuff. And throughout the week, these people get to see me in my stained t-shirts, laundry day jeans and mismatched flip flops. They get to see my unwashed hair, my mascaraless eyelashes and my braless poopie diaper trips to the trash cans out front on trash day. They hear me yell at my kids, they see their naughty behavior and my lack of control. They see the crap falling out of my van when I open the doors sometimes.
Tonight was one of those evenings. Dan is at work of course. It started out nice. It was about 4:30 when Mari and I headed to the park with "dinner" because our children are like wild animals that cannot be caged in a house and expected to be tame. They need the wild outdoors. So off to a very close park we went. I've learned never to go to a park more than a few minutes away during the afternoon because there will be meltdowns while trying to leave and on the ride home. But that hour or so of sanity and fresh air and another mom's company is totally worth it. So we sat on our blanket and made fun of a lady who brought her toddler to the park in white slacks and $100 shoes. Just to clarify, the toddler was wearing white slacks and $100 shoes. A 2 year old. Yeah. Totally justified mocking. We snickered as she freaked out when our dirty little toddlers made dust clouds near her toddler's clean outfit as she continually dragged her kid away from ours. It was a nice late afternoon.
But it came to an end when Angus became too fussy to manage and 6:00 drew near. So I started to push now screaming Angus in his stroller to the car. Addie attached herself to my leg and cried to be carried because my blanket, purse, "dinner" bag and stroller with a screaming baby didn't look like enough for one person. I picked her up, gave her a kiss and told her she needed to walk so of course she tripped and fell and lost it so I had no choice but to pick her up. After getting the sad babies and annoyed big girls (who knows why) into the car, we made our way home. When I arrived, I opened the doors of the van to a sleeping Angus. He fell asleep literally a block from home. So I grabbed my sleeping baby and told the girls to unbuckle Addie and "help" her into the house. Usually she's like a sheep and needs a sheep dog or two to guide her where she needs to go.
So as I was walking up the stairs to Angus's room, I heard a happy squeal from Addie and a panicked yell from Mya and knew their sheepdogging had been unsuccessful. I walked out, still holding sleeping Angus and looked for the kids. Jason, my next door neighbor, was out front. Perfect. He pointed down the street with a half smile. I was like, thanks for your help dude. And there I saw Addie running down the middle of the street with Mya and Winter chasing after her. Mya was yelling at Winter not to chase her and Winter was yelling at me to come help. There was no time to do anything with Angus but set him down on the floor inside so that's what I did. He woke up of course and began to scream. I darted out the door after my escapee and grabbed her after she had rung the doorbell at the Anderson's. (They live about 5 houses down on the other side of the street)
Wow, this is a long story. I'm almost done. So I go to open the door to the house and Angus is right up against it and I can't open it more than a few inches. He begins crying louder and I realize there really isn't any other way in the house because everything is locked and I don't have keys. Eventually Winter was able to squeeze through and move my poor little chubster out of the way so I could get in. Ugh. One hour later, everyone is in bed and I'm freaking exhausted. And now I'm writing about it.
Yeah, I'm sure Jason is like, wow it's a wonder those kids are still alive. I feel the same way. He has two part-time kids ages 7 and 10. He will never understand.
I feel like nobody knows me better than my neighbors. Even though I don't talk to my next door neighbors much, just a hi, how ya doin' most days, they see parts of me I don't really like to show the outsider. Parts that are reserved for close friends and family... people I trust. Unfortunately, there's just no getting around it. They are there, every day, morning, noon and night and it is impossible for me to keep this crazy unkempt person hidden from them.
I love going to church because I usually have my hair and make-up somewhat done, even if it's on the way there. I'm always on time because my kids wake up at the crack of dawn and we have like 3 hours to get ready. I usually am wearing something flattering and I'm usually in a good mood because I'm dropping all four children off with someone else. Bless those Sunday School teachers. Yes, most Sundays I would say I seem like one of those ladies that usually has it together, and with four kids 6 and under. I'm sure there are moms (who don't know me) asking themselves how I do it.
They should talk to my neighbors. My neighbors get to see the Sunday morning Amie that's throwing shoes in the car along with the children. Someone is always crying. Someone is always tattling, and I usually have to run back in the house like 8 times because... well I don't know why. I forget stuff. And throughout the week, these people get to see me in my stained t-shirts, laundry day jeans and mismatched flip flops. They get to see my unwashed hair, my mascaraless eyelashes and my braless poopie diaper trips to the trash cans out front on trash day. They hear me yell at my kids, they see their naughty behavior and my lack of control. They see the crap falling out of my van when I open the doors sometimes.
Tonight was one of those evenings. Dan is at work of course. It started out nice. It was about 4:30 when Mari and I headed to the park with "dinner" because our children are like wild animals that cannot be caged in a house and expected to be tame. They need the wild outdoors. So off to a very close park we went. I've learned never to go to a park more than a few minutes away during the afternoon because there will be meltdowns while trying to leave and on the ride home. But that hour or so of sanity and fresh air and another mom's company is totally worth it. So we sat on our blanket and made fun of a lady who brought her toddler to the park in white slacks and $100 shoes. Just to clarify, the toddler was wearing white slacks and $100 shoes. A 2 year old. Yeah. Totally justified mocking. We snickered as she freaked out when our dirty little toddlers made dust clouds near her toddler's clean outfit as she continually dragged her kid away from ours. It was a nice late afternoon.
But it came to an end when Angus became too fussy to manage and 6:00 drew near. So I started to push now screaming Angus in his stroller to the car. Addie attached herself to my leg and cried to be carried because my blanket, purse, "dinner" bag and stroller with a screaming baby didn't look like enough for one person. I picked her up, gave her a kiss and told her she needed to walk so of course she tripped and fell and lost it so I had no choice but to pick her up. After getting the sad babies and annoyed big girls (who knows why) into the car, we made our way home. When I arrived, I opened the doors of the van to a sleeping Angus. He fell asleep literally a block from home. So I grabbed my sleeping baby and told the girls to unbuckle Addie and "help" her into the house. Usually she's like a sheep and needs a sheep dog or two to guide her where she needs to go.
So as I was walking up the stairs to Angus's room, I heard a happy squeal from Addie and a panicked yell from Mya and knew their sheepdogging had been unsuccessful. I walked out, still holding sleeping Angus and looked for the kids. Jason, my next door neighbor, was out front. Perfect. He pointed down the street with a half smile. I was like, thanks for your help dude. And there I saw Addie running down the middle of the street with Mya and Winter chasing after her. Mya was yelling at Winter not to chase her and Winter was yelling at me to come help. There was no time to do anything with Angus but set him down on the floor inside so that's what I did. He woke up of course and began to scream. I darted out the door after my escapee and grabbed her after she had rung the doorbell at the Anderson's. (They live about 5 houses down on the other side of the street)
Wow, this is a long story. I'm almost done. So I go to open the door to the house and Angus is right up against it and I can't open it more than a few inches. He begins crying louder and I realize there really isn't any other way in the house because everything is locked and I don't have keys. Eventually Winter was able to squeeze through and move my poor little chubster out of the way so I could get in. Ugh. One hour later, everyone is in bed and I'm freaking exhausted. And now I'm writing about it.
Yeah, I'm sure Jason is like, wow it's a wonder those kids are still alive. I feel the same way. He has two part-time kids ages 7 and 10. He will never understand.
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