Happenings

• We just got back from a family trip/vacation to Williamsburg. We had a great time visiting Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, the outlet mall (okay, I might have been the only one who enjoyed this), and visiting our condo’s indoor pool. My husband had a whole week off of work, and it was really very nice to just enjoy being a family together, uninterrupted, for such a stretch of time. Colton’s favorite part of the trip? Going to the playground with Daddy. He’s bummed Daddy has to go back to work now because who will play machines at the playground with him?

• I’ve been run/walking in preparation for a 5K on Thanksgiving. My church has a “Pew to 5K” group (like Couch to 5K, but we have a completely different training schedule). My run/walk group runs for two minutes, then walks one. With less than a month to go, I’m feeling good about where I am. I had a really hard time on our first, mile long run. Now, I’m running over two miles in our hilly neighborhood and not dying.

• My run won’t be in an actual race since a Thanksgiving Day race doesn’t work for us, but I signed up to run on my own, so I will still be an “official” part of the 5K, but won’t be running in a race setting. I really want that race experience, so I think I’m going to sign up for another 5K a few weeks later.

• I’m still pumping away, closing in on my 6 month goal. I have lots of thoughts/feelings surrounding making it this far, so I’ll probably post on that at some point.

• I’ve read a good bit about people who have done the Whole30, and I’ve always thought, “no way I would ever do that.” But I’m having a super hard time loosing my baby weight this time around, and have been feeling like I just can’t break some bad food habits I fell into at the end of my pregnancy and in the early stages of lactation. Claire’s posts and experiences with it gave me the push I needed to really consider doing a Whole30 of my own, and forcing my husband into with me. I ordered the book, and while we were on vacation, my copy of “It Starts with Food”  came. I’m only a few chapters in, and wholly cow! I never thought a book on nutrition would be fascinating (and a little scary), but it is so good. And its really motivating me, encouraging me, and making me feel like I CAN change the way I eat and see tons of benefits to it. I’m not planning on doing my Whole30 until after Christmas, but I’m already feeling motivated to start planning, making trial meals, and start feeling better.

• We went to my cousin’s wedding in the middle of October. It was a wonderful ceremony, and I really enjoyed getting to see my family. I was the only married cousin, and I think it will be fun to have another married cousin, and for my husband to have someone else who married into my crazy family to talk too. And, just last week, her little sister got engaged! I’m so excited for another family wedding!

 

• I bought red skinny jeans in Williamsburg! I was on the fence about them, but couldn’t get them out of my mind, and realized I had lots more than I originally thought that would work with them, so I went back to get them. They feel like a purchase I would make back at my pre-baby size. I really struggled with not feeling great about myself after C was born, mostly because I wore ill-fitting clothes or baggy t-shirts, and I really wanted to try to avoid that feeling this time. This purchase, while it makes for only my third pair of pants that fits, makes me feel like I’m not just waiting around to be smaller. And while loosing the weight is a struggle for me right now, having something that makes me feel more normal, is really great.

My Life In Numbers

5 – number of loads of laundry I did in two days (see number 3), also the number of months Colton will soon be (WHAT!?), also the dollar amount of the fines I have no doubt racked up at the library because I can’t finish my book in a reasonable amount of time with a baby.

4 – times I have caught spit-up using only my hand this morning alone.

3 – number of times I was pooped on over the course of 24 hours.

2 – cups of coffee, drunk in succession first thing in the morning.

1 – good craft ideas I have (the number I can successfuly complete in a reasonable time frame is probably less).

0 – number of times I have gone running since saying it was part of my monthly goals. Also, number of times I want to be pooped on for the rest of the day.

86 billion – photos I have taken in an attempt to find a photo for our Christmas card.

40 million and 1 – times I have made Colton practice sitting up since discovering that he can actually sit up by himself!

The Saga of the Possessed Microwave: Part 3

Remember by possessed microwave? The one that caused my pregnancy hormones to run amuck?

It recently had its last hurrah.

We have some friends who have two children, the youngest of whom was born a mere 6 days after Colton. Sadly, they live about an hour from us, but as they go to our church, we do see them about once a week.

A few Sundays ago, we were talking after the service. Our conversation carried us from the worship center, to the children’s building (even though their children attend worship with them), and into the parking lot. We were practically the only two cars in the lot, and since my friend mentioned they were going to Kroger to get some things to eat in the car on the way home, I suggested they just come to our house for leftovers.

We had chips and salsa chicken and salad, enough for four adults and one toddler. Perfect right?

That’s what I thought until Hubby, who was in charge of heating things up, said the microwave wouldn’t work. Thinking it was merely possessed I asked if he had unplugged it. “There’s no point. It, like, won’t turn on or anything.” And then he said something about electrical connections or something I didn’t understand.

What I did understand was that we needed a new microwave.

So, off we went to Target, armed with gift cards we received as gifts for Colton, to get a new microwave. I am now the proud owner of a stainless steel Emerson microwave that can hold our large dinner plates.

And has (yet) to be possessed.

What We’re Up To

Life has been keeping us busy lately!

I started a Bible Study a few weeks ago, and that really keeps me busy during naptime! The study is of Acts, and is pretty in depth (we’re in our third week, and still in Chapter 2). I’m a fan because most of what we do is interpret the scriptures for ourselves, so we focus on what God says to us. Its neat to hear how other women interpret the same passages and what God says to them. Colton goes to the nursery, which is great, but he falls asleep before I drop him off, and falls back asleep on the way home, so I really don’t see him from 8:30 until 2:30. I miss him!

The church down the street from us had a rummage sale last Friday and Saturday. I went and checked it out Saturday afternoon when everything was half-off. There were slim pickings, but I picked up a milk glass vase and three wooden frames, all with mats, for a total of two bucks. I’m painting the frames white and plan to use them on my family/Colton wall in the living room.

This past Thursday, Colton and I went to a local paint your own pottery place. They do free 4 x 4 tiles for children under one when you purchase another piece. I painted an ABC plate and did Colton’s footprints on his tile. Years ago, at least 10, I saw on TV a woman who’s children had painted a tile for her each year. When she built a house, she used the tiles in her laundry room. I love it, have remembered it, and have always wanted to do that! Thursday, my dream has finally started to take shape!

Also notable on our pottery painting trip, is that it was the site of Colton’s most major meltdown to date. worse even than the dreaded shots.

I took Colton for some photos today, and I think it will turn out well. We did the “standard, classic” shoot, but what baby doesn’t look cute with their head peeping out of a blanket?

Soon, we’ll be gearing up for Colton’s first trip to visit his SC family, and I’m trying to figure out how to bring enough for him but not bring the kitchen sink. It is not easy. Any tips?

I’m working on writing something for an e-mail blast for my dad. Its been a good while since I’ve legitimately wrote something, as in not blogging, so it good get dicey. Especially with limited time. But, at least for one of the mini-articles (there are three), I think I know where I’m going. In the words of Tim Gun, “make it work.”

Colton is enduring countless rolling sessions so he can learn to roll over. It has yet to pay off.

I made lasagna in the crockpot. It has revolutionized my life.

The Saga of the Possessed Microwave: Part 2

So, in Part 1 of this wonderful saga, we learned that my microwave would randomly stop working and flash “6666.” Fun times!

So, this temporary satanic presence occurred multiple times over the next couple of months. It wasn’t a really big deal; usually, we could simply unplug the microwave, leave it a few minutes, and it would work again. At the worst, it only needed to be left unplugged overnight.

Not a big deal until April, 2010. Hubby had left to drive to the next big town over to take his PE (read: big, giant, huge-deal 8 hour test). He had used the microwave before he left without any issue. I, being quite pregnant at the time, was excited to have a night with a bed to myself and the ability to eat a Warm Delight with cool whip in peace.

So, I settled in for a nice night of Bones with a side of Warm Delight. Mixed up the lovely chocolaty mix, set it in the microwave, and cue microwave possession. I tried unplugging the darn thing. Still possessed. Tried again, and nothing. So I did what any rational, very pregnant woman who NEEDED a warm brownie did, I called my husband.

And yelled.

“The microwave won’t work! It’s all your fault!” (In retrospect, I wonder how this could be his fault. At the time, it made perfect sense.) “The ONLY thing I wanted to do was eat a Warm Delight while watching Bones and it’s RUINED! I hate my life! My life is awful! I hate you! Why can’t you fix this microwave!? I’m going to buy a new one. Right. Now. I don’t care that it’s 8:30 at night. I am finding a new microwave and I am spending any amount of money necessary to get it!”

Um yeah. Absolutely the craziest hormone induced rant I had. I didn’t have many, but the ones I had, as you can tell, were doozies.

You will be glad to know, I’m sure, that after a lot of unplugging and plugging and holding down the reset button, I managed to get the microwave to work for the glorious 90 seconds required to cook my warm, gooey brownie.

I did, however, miss the rest of Bones. Rats.

Just Another Normal Day…

…here at Longbrake Living.

Colton’s freaking out because:

A. I changed his diaper (What, you don’t like sitting in your own pee and poo? Apparently it’s fun!)

B. I made him have tummy time.

C. I sucked his nose out with the boogie sucker. (Apparently not breathing is cool too.)

I’m laughing because, I mean really, do you not find this totally hysterical?

My meanness knows no bounds.