Halfway through the work week, a good day to check in. We actually had a delayed opening today (noon) on account of the snow. Kids had a full snow day, but I'm not looking a gift horse (relaxed morning at home) in the mouth.
I met up with Priya for drinks on Monday night. It was so good to catch up. We last saw each other in July, so twice in six months is pretty good for us, considering that before July, I hadn't seen her since before Eden was born. Anyway, we connected right away, as always, and had fun catching up and dishing on all of our former high school friends that we've suddenly been back in touch with a la Facebook. We're planning on heading to Maryland in March, and I'm definitely going to squeeze in a visit to them in VA this trip.
Yesterday, Sadie had a second playdate with her new friend, Victoria. It went well, as in she didn't want to leave when I came to pick her up. That was ok, though, as it gave me a chance to chat with her mom, who is really nice and to admire their spectacular home (stunning Victorian in Loch Arbour). I foresee more playdates in their future.
I wasn't able to work out yesterday, since I was one pickup duty, and I have to say, I actually missed it. Looking forward to a good one today right after work. I think it is a good sign that when the phone rang at 5:30 this morning, notifying me about the delayed opening, my second thought (after 'woohoo!' was 'oh cool, I can still get in a run after work now). I am, at least for the time being, hooked.
So anyway, I had a nice quiet morning with Eden today, while Evan worked and Sadie was at Abby's. I so rarely get time alone with E that it was such a treat. Sadie and Abby, after an aborted attempt at playing in the snow (it was pouring rain at this point) convinced Carolyn to take them out to lunch and the movies (Marley & Me).
The rest of the week looks pretty quiet. We are having a date night Friday night, which I'm looking forward to. We're going to dinner and then to see Slumdog Millionaire. Really looking forward to a night out!
Anyway, that's about all from here. I'm looking forward to stepping on the scale on Friday and hopefully seeing some more good results. I'll be back to post about it over the weekend, either way.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Monday
Indeed! It was a really good weekend and looks to be an equally good and busy week.
First up - my eating/exercising progress. The good news is, I'm sticking to it and it seems to be working.
First, the eating. It has gotten progressively easier each day to eat a bit less, and I don't feel nearly as hungry overall as I did a week ago. I've been journaling everything and it has been a great tool for looking and seeing how I'm doing. there is nothing like writing down "Chocolate Chip cookie - 220 calories" to make me realize that I could have made a better choice. I am definitely stopping to think (and calculate) before I eat and it has made a big difference.
Keeping healthy choices on hand at all times has been key. I've kept the kitchen stocked with fruit, nuts, yogurt, whole grain breads, brown rice...I even experimented with two new Weight Watchers recipes for dinner last night (Butternut Squash Risotto and Baked Zucchini Sticks w/marinara sauce) and they were really good. The kids even gobbled everything right up. so, I'm super happy with how that is going.
Next, the exercise. Good news there, too. I have been hitting the gym almost every day. I did even make it there both days of the weekend. I seem to have suddenly hit my stride (literally and figuratively) with running. I am now easily running 1.5 miles, and am eager--impatient, really--to push it further. I am staying true to the C25k program, though, and not rushing ahead. I've also been just casually doing arm work with my 3 lb. weights while I'm watching tv in the evening. Also, the kids are always up for a family competition of DDR, so that gets me moving, too.
So, food and activity are good...and the BEST part of all is that I stepped on the scale this morning to see that I am down 3.5 lbs from a week ago. Woohoo! I still need 3 more to go to get back to where I was before I got pregnant with Sadie, and about 8-10 more to get to where I really want to be, but I am encouraged and motivated.
Other weekend updates...lots of socializing for the kids this weekend. Eden had a birthday party to attend and Sadie had a friend from school over yesterday afternoon. In between we managed to do the usual weekend stuff - housecleaning, food shopping...I also brought the girls to visit my aunt yesterday. I think they were a little nervous and unsure about it, but I could tell Sadie was relieved to have done it and seen that although she is different in some ways, she's still Aunt Leila. She seemed really happy that I brought the kids, so I think I'll try to do that more often.
Oh, and Sadie and I had a movie date on Saturday - saw "Hotel for Dogs". It was cute. Wouldn't have been my first choice of a movie, but she liked it and it was nice to get out with just her.
Looking ahead at the week - I'm meeting Priya for coffee tonight. Can't wait to see her and catch up. Then, just lots of the usual running around for Sadie (lip sync rehearsal, another playdate with Victoria, Brownie meeting) and I'm sure it will be the weekend again before I know it.
Anyway, off to get some work done...
First up - my eating/exercising progress. The good news is, I'm sticking to it and it seems to be working.
First, the eating. It has gotten progressively easier each day to eat a bit less, and I don't feel nearly as hungry overall as I did a week ago. I've been journaling everything and it has been a great tool for looking and seeing how I'm doing. there is nothing like writing down "Chocolate Chip cookie - 220 calories" to make me realize that I could have made a better choice. I am definitely stopping to think (and calculate) before I eat and it has made a big difference.
Keeping healthy choices on hand at all times has been key. I've kept the kitchen stocked with fruit, nuts, yogurt, whole grain breads, brown rice...I even experimented with two new Weight Watchers recipes for dinner last night (Butternut Squash Risotto and Baked Zucchini Sticks w/marinara sauce) and they were really good. The kids even gobbled everything right up. so, I'm super happy with how that is going.
Next, the exercise. Good news there, too. I have been hitting the gym almost every day. I did even make it there both days of the weekend. I seem to have suddenly hit my stride (literally and figuratively) with running. I am now easily running 1.5 miles, and am eager--impatient, really--to push it further. I am staying true to the C25k program, though, and not rushing ahead. I've also been just casually doing arm work with my 3 lb. weights while I'm watching tv in the evening. Also, the kids are always up for a family competition of DDR, so that gets me moving, too.
So, food and activity are good...and the BEST part of all is that I stepped on the scale this morning to see that I am down 3.5 lbs from a week ago. Woohoo! I still need 3 more to go to get back to where I was before I got pregnant with Sadie, and about 8-10 more to get to where I really want to be, but I am encouraged and motivated.
Other weekend updates...lots of socializing for the kids this weekend. Eden had a birthday party to attend and Sadie had a friend from school over yesterday afternoon. In between we managed to do the usual weekend stuff - housecleaning, food shopping...I also brought the girls to visit my aunt yesterday. I think they were a little nervous and unsure about it, but I could tell Sadie was relieved to have done it and seen that although she is different in some ways, she's still Aunt Leila. She seemed really happy that I brought the kids, so I think I'll try to do that more often.
Oh, and Sadie and I had a movie date on Saturday - saw "Hotel for Dogs". It was cute. Wouldn't have been my first choice of a movie, but she liked it and it was nice to get out with just her.
Looking ahead at the week - I'm meeting Priya for coffee tonight. Can't wait to see her and catch up. Then, just lots of the usual running around for Sadie (lip sync rehearsal, another playdate with Victoria, Brownie meeting) and I'm sure it will be the weekend again before I know it.
Anyway, off to get some work done...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Nothing Profound
Today is a momentous day in history...and for about half a second, I considered blogging about it. But then I decided that this blog has never been about anything more profound than the daily lives of our family, and so today should be no different.
Eden's party was this weekend. It was definitely a success. She had a great time and when she woke up yesterday, she immediately said "I want to go back to my birthday again!". I also noticed a lot of reenactment play going on with her and Sadie yesterday ("Here, Eden...let me push you around in your birthday throne."). As for me, I'm just happy that it went off without a hitch and that it is over.
Birthday party worries a thing of the past, I am now free to focus on myself again (ha, like I ever stop doing that). Seriously, though. I posted a few days ago about my weight and how I'm not happy with it. So, I've really renewed my effort to do something about it. In the past few days, I've made a good effort towards getting back into a workout routine - hopefully, I'll stay motivated to stick to it. I actually sat down with my calendar and marked off the days and times that I am going to work out - I think this will help me feel more accountable. I've also just resigned myself to the fact that I will be running on the treadmill after work for a while, until the weather starts cooperating more consistently. Planning for this removes the 'bad weather excuse' that seems to have plagued me for much of December.
I was thrilled to see that I hadn't lost much ground with the running, in spite of my hiatus. That in itself is both motivating and a confidence booster.
So, I think (hope!) that the exercise part of getting back into shape is underway. But, I'm starting to realize that as I get older, being physically active isn't quite enough. I need to watch what I eat, at least a bit. In general, I think I eat pretty well, at least in that I generally eat whole foods, and lots of fruits and veggies. I'm not a junk food person, which is a good thing. But, regardless, I'm gaining weight, so healthy food or not, something isn't working. I decided to attack my eating in the same way I approach financial budgeting, and in doing so, I simply ate as I normally would for a few days and tracked the caloric intake, to get an idea of my 'norm.' I was surprised to see that I am routinely eating more than 2000 calories a day, which is more than I should be eating just to maintain my weight, let alone to lose any.
So, obviously, I need to make a change. For the past five days, I've started planning out my eating (to the best of my ability) and tracking what I've eaten (again, as best as I can). I'm trying to stick to 1800 calories per day. Planning out all of my food for the day definitely helps I've realized that the one meal that is out of my control is dinner. Evan makes dinner nightly and is, unfortunately, an amazing cook. I look forward to his meals each night, and he takes a lot of pleasure out of preparing them, so me not eating what he had made just isn't going to happen. Instead, I'm just trying to budget for that one. In keeping my breakfast to under 200 calories (hello, cottage cheese, strawberries and coffee), my lunch to about 400 calories (lots of options here, but so far I've been doing either a salad with turkey or tuna or a small sandwich) and a total of 300 calories worth of snacks per day (popcorn, nuts, fruit), I am able to leave 900 calories for dinner. That does seem like a ton, but for example, last night, we had roasted chicken, whole grain rice pilaf, sugar snap peas and homemade biscuits - amazing how fast those calories add up! So, I think it is realistic to plan for meals like that, and just be happy when it doesn't add up.
I know it probably goes against every weight loss tip in the book to have your heaviest meal at the end of the day, but so be it. This is my reality.
Anyway, I hope to blog about this on a semi-regular basis, to keep myself accountable. We'll see how it goes. I'm a true 'foodie' at heart, so I know this isn't going to be easy. I think if I could just start to see the scale move a little in the direction I want it to, it would be a great motivator.
Oh, and one final non-sequiter (sp?)....we got a bit of snow yesterday! Just enough to take the girls sledding again. It was so much fun! It is definitely getting me excited to go tubing - the girls are going to love it!
Eden's party was this weekend. It was definitely a success. She had a great time and when she woke up yesterday, she immediately said "I want to go back to my birthday again!". I also noticed a lot of reenactment play going on with her and Sadie yesterday ("Here, Eden...let me push you around in your birthday throne."). As for me, I'm just happy that it went off without a hitch and that it is over.
Birthday party worries a thing of the past, I am now free to focus on myself again (ha, like I ever stop doing that). Seriously, though. I posted a few days ago about my weight and how I'm not happy with it. So, I've really renewed my effort to do something about it. In the past few days, I've made a good effort towards getting back into a workout routine - hopefully, I'll stay motivated to stick to it. I actually sat down with my calendar and marked off the days and times that I am going to work out - I think this will help me feel more accountable. I've also just resigned myself to the fact that I will be running on the treadmill after work for a while, until the weather starts cooperating more consistently. Planning for this removes the 'bad weather excuse' that seems to have plagued me for much of December.
I was thrilled to see that I hadn't lost much ground with the running, in spite of my hiatus. That in itself is both motivating and a confidence booster.
So, I think (hope!) that the exercise part of getting back into shape is underway. But, I'm starting to realize that as I get older, being physically active isn't quite enough. I need to watch what I eat, at least a bit. In general, I think I eat pretty well, at least in that I generally eat whole foods, and lots of fruits and veggies. I'm not a junk food person, which is a good thing. But, regardless, I'm gaining weight, so healthy food or not, something isn't working. I decided to attack my eating in the same way I approach financial budgeting, and in doing so, I simply ate as I normally would for a few days and tracked the caloric intake, to get an idea of my 'norm.' I was surprised to see that I am routinely eating more than 2000 calories a day, which is more than I should be eating just to maintain my weight, let alone to lose any.
So, obviously, I need to make a change. For the past five days, I've started planning out my eating (to the best of my ability) and tracking what I've eaten (again, as best as I can). I'm trying to stick to 1800 calories per day. Planning out all of my food for the day definitely helps I've realized that the one meal that is out of my control is dinner. Evan makes dinner nightly and is, unfortunately, an amazing cook. I look forward to his meals each night, and he takes a lot of pleasure out of preparing them, so me not eating what he had made just isn't going to happen. Instead, I'm just trying to budget for that one. In keeping my breakfast to under 200 calories (hello, cottage cheese, strawberries and coffee), my lunch to about 400 calories (lots of options here, but so far I've been doing either a salad with turkey or tuna or a small sandwich) and a total of 300 calories worth of snacks per day (popcorn, nuts, fruit), I am able to leave 900 calories for dinner. That does seem like a ton, but for example, last night, we had roasted chicken, whole grain rice pilaf, sugar snap peas and homemade biscuits - amazing how fast those calories add up! So, I think it is realistic to plan for meals like that, and just be happy when it doesn't add up.
I know it probably goes against every weight loss tip in the book to have your heaviest meal at the end of the day, but so be it. This is my reality.
Anyway, I hope to blog about this on a semi-regular basis, to keep myself accountable. We'll see how it goes. I'm a true 'foodie' at heart, so I know this isn't going to be easy. I think if I could just start to see the scale move a little in the direction I want it to, it would be a great motivator.
Oh, and one final non-sequiter (sp?)....we got a bit of snow yesterday! Just enough to take the girls sledding again. It was so much fun! It is definitely getting me excited to go tubing - the girls are going to love it!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Three Years Old!
Happy Birthday, Eden Mae!!!!
Three years have passed so quickly. Eden was so excited to announce "I'm three now!" as soon as she woke up this morning. I just can't get over how big and grown up she is anymore. Where did my baby go? I told her that she had grown in the night and now she was so big. She examined her arms and legs and then nodded sagely and said, "I know. Cause I'm three now."
Today will be a low-key celebration (just the core four for dinner and cake). Eden got to choose tonight's menu and her birthday dinner will consist of the following: pork chops, corn and m&ms. She still can't really differentiate between a birthday and a birthday party (for that matter, neither can Sadie), and so as we were getting in the car to head out to Cindy's, she asked "are we going to my birthday? will my birthday be at Cindy's?" I tried to explain that her party would be on Sunday, but not sure that she got it.
I remember being so nervous about having a 2nd baby... Sadie's infancy had been 'difficult' and I was so braced for a similar experience the 2nd time around. What an utter and complete surprise Eden was - everything from the fact that she was a SHE (we were convinced I was having a boy) to how mellow she was, and how easily she fit right into our lives. Maybe that is why three years have passed so quickly - because they've been joy-filled ones. Happy Birthday, big girl! Can't wait to see what the next year brings us. Love, Mommy.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Minutia.
Weekend recap and then some.
We moved Eden to her big girl bed on Friday night, which was an interesting experience. She was pretty excited to sleep in it. So excited, in fact, that she barely slept! She roused every 90 minutes or so all. night. long. Wugh. I was actually almost considering reassembling the crib for her, but calmer heads (Evan) convinced me that it would take a night or two, and then she'd be fine. He reminded me that any time we've slept away, the first night is always a restless one for her, and by night two, she's good to go. Such a calm, sage parent, that Evan! Although I will give myself some props for convincing him that it wouldn't be a good idea to deprive her of a nap in order to 'make her more tired' for bedtime. I have had that one backfire on me before! So, we let her nap as long as she wanted on Saturday (2.5 hours), but early (11-1:30) and had no trouble putting her to bed Saturday night. I'm happy to report she slept all night and woke late on Sunday.
Sadie had a playdate with an old friend from PreK that we hadn't seen in ages. The two of them hit it off right away and had a great afternoon. I really need to make more of an effort to pair her up with other kids instead of just relying on Abby for companionship.
Saturday night we had Jeff and Anonda come down. They are so awesome. They had actually invited us up to the city for dinner at their place, and when we said we couldn't get a sitter, they offered to come down and make us dinner at our place. How fun! So, it was great to see them and they made a fabulous dinner. They decided to stay the night, since the weather was so iffy, so we had extra time with them.
Yesterday was a nice low-key day. We all woke up on the late side (thanks, Eden!) and enjoyed a yummy brunch. Jeff and Nonnie took off around noon and Sadie and Eden went out with their grandparents for the afternoon, so Evan and I had a rare afternoon to ourselves. We went to lunch at Sawa and then ran some errands - we're so crazy like that!
We ended the day with dinner at Evan's parents' house, so a good wrap up to the weekend.
The new week itself isn't starting out so swimmingly. First off, Eden woke up at 5:50 this morning - what's that about?!?!? I don't know if it is residual bed issues or if she is coming down with something. She was pretty sneezy, so I'm thinking she may be coming down with a cold just in time for her birthday. Super.
Speaking of her birthday, I'm a little bummed because I had assumed that all the grandparents would come for cake tomorrow night. Of course, I guess it would have been helpful if I'd expressed this wish before just the other day, as my parents sponateously decided to go away for a week to escape the weather and Evan's parents are babysitting my neice. So, no grandparents in attendence for her big day, which makes me a little sad. Ah well.
Plus, I'm realizing that every single night this week will be taken up with something, from shuttling Sadie to lip synch rehearsal to a wake for my friend's father and other stuff. I like to be busy all right, but not during the week. The good news is that Friday night is GNO, so I'm looking foward to that. Anyway, I guess there's nothing to do but just get through the week and stop complaining about it, so here goes.
We moved Eden to her big girl bed on Friday night, which was an interesting experience. She was pretty excited to sleep in it. So excited, in fact, that she barely slept! She roused every 90 minutes or so all. night. long. Wugh. I was actually almost considering reassembling the crib for her, but calmer heads (Evan) convinced me that it would take a night or two, and then she'd be fine. He reminded me that any time we've slept away, the first night is always a restless one for her, and by night two, she's good to go. Such a calm, sage parent, that Evan! Although I will give myself some props for convincing him that it wouldn't be a good idea to deprive her of a nap in order to 'make her more tired' for bedtime. I have had that one backfire on me before! So, we let her nap as long as she wanted on Saturday (2.5 hours), but early (11-1:30) and had no trouble putting her to bed Saturday night. I'm happy to report she slept all night and woke late on Sunday.
Sadie had a playdate with an old friend from PreK that we hadn't seen in ages. The two of them hit it off right away and had a great afternoon. I really need to make more of an effort to pair her up with other kids instead of just relying on Abby for companionship.
Saturday night we had Jeff and Anonda come down. They are so awesome. They had actually invited us up to the city for dinner at their place, and when we said we couldn't get a sitter, they offered to come down and make us dinner at our place. How fun! So, it was great to see them and they made a fabulous dinner. They decided to stay the night, since the weather was so iffy, so we had extra time with them.
Yesterday was a nice low-key day. We all woke up on the late side (thanks, Eden!) and enjoyed a yummy brunch. Jeff and Nonnie took off around noon and Sadie and Eden went out with their grandparents for the afternoon, so Evan and I had a rare afternoon to ourselves. We went to lunch at Sawa and then ran some errands - we're so crazy like that!
We ended the day with dinner at Evan's parents' house, so a good wrap up to the weekend.
The new week itself isn't starting out so swimmingly. First off, Eden woke up at 5:50 this morning - what's that about?!?!? I don't know if it is residual bed issues or if she is coming down with something. She was pretty sneezy, so I'm thinking she may be coming down with a cold just in time for her birthday. Super.
Speaking of her birthday, I'm a little bummed because I had assumed that all the grandparents would come for cake tomorrow night. Of course, I guess it would have been helpful if I'd expressed this wish before just the other day, as my parents sponateously decided to go away for a week to escape the weather and Evan's parents are babysitting my neice. So, no grandparents in attendence for her big day, which makes me a little sad. Ah well.
Plus, I'm realizing that every single night this week will be taken up with something, from shuttling Sadie to lip synch rehearsal to a wake for my friend's father and other stuff. I like to be busy all right, but not during the week. The good news is that Friday night is GNO, so I'm looking foward to that. Anyway, I guess there's nothing to do but just get through the week and stop complaining about it, so here goes.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Oh My.
I stepped on the scale this morning, just for fun (ha!) and discovered that I now weigh more than I've ever weighed in my life, outside of when I was pregnant. Holy Crap. I've got to fix this.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
January Musings
Things that have been on my mind recently...
I can't believe that Eden's birthday is next week. Three. Three! Already? How did that happen? It really seems like I was just pregnant with her. And now, she is so big and grown up. Sigh. She's moving to a big girl bed this weekend. It is definitely time - the other day she got angry at me and stormed out of the room and into hers, where she proceeded to use her shoulder weight to lean against the side of the crib and lower the rail, then climb in, pull the rail up and turn her back to me to face the wall. I guess if she is old enough to have melodramatic scenes like that, she deserves a bed to flop on angrily, no? Saying goodbye to her crib is her last vestige of babyhood, too. Well, unless you count her thumbsucking. She's really a big girl now.
In any event, I do feel a bit sad about saying goodbye to the crib. That thing has served us for six and a half years, and it does feel weird to know that when we disassemble it, it won't be to put in storage for another baby.
That's kind of nice segue to my next thought which is hopes/goals for 2009. Of course I have the usual laundry list of things I always hope to accomplish each year, but the biggie, this year, is that I'm really looking forward to cultivating the 'non-mom' part of myself, that I feel has kind of been buried for six years. With the kids being bigger and more independent, and no new ones on the horizon, I finally feel like I can start to have some time and space for myself again. I want to work on my friendships and make them a more central part of my life again, and make having fun sans kids a regular occurrence. MB, Kirsty, and I have committed to a standing GNO, the second Friday of each month, so I think that is a good start. And running, while I still haven't found that groove where I think I love it or anything, does offer me a nice guilt-free hour to myself on any day I choose to do it.
Ooh, another good segue. Running. It is going pretty well, I guess. I got a bit sidetracked at the end of the year, so I am repeating week four this week. I'd love to say that I love it, but I don't. I really, really don't. But, I keep at it. And, I am seeing results, in both my fitness level and my waistline, so it is all good, I suppose.
Final thought for the day: Sadie has signed on to be a part of a team for the school lip sync show. I'm pretty happy that she wanted to do it (being a group activity), but we got the rehearsal schedule yesterday, and .... oy. Lots of shuttling around for the next month or so. Oh well, if those 'soccer moms' can do it, I suppose we can, too.
I can't believe that Eden's birthday is next week. Three. Three! Already? How did that happen? It really seems like I was just pregnant with her. And now, she is so big and grown up. Sigh. She's moving to a big girl bed this weekend. It is definitely time - the other day she got angry at me and stormed out of the room and into hers, where she proceeded to use her shoulder weight to lean against the side of the crib and lower the rail, then climb in, pull the rail up and turn her back to me to face the wall. I guess if she is old enough to have melodramatic scenes like that, she deserves a bed to flop on angrily, no? Saying goodbye to her crib is her last vestige of babyhood, too. Well, unless you count her thumbsucking. She's really a big girl now.
In any event, I do feel a bit sad about saying goodbye to the crib. That thing has served us for six and a half years, and it does feel weird to know that when we disassemble it, it won't be to put in storage for another baby.
That's kind of nice segue to my next thought which is hopes/goals for 2009. Of course I have the usual laundry list of things I always hope to accomplish each year, but the biggie, this year, is that I'm really looking forward to cultivating the 'non-mom' part of myself, that I feel has kind of been buried for six years. With the kids being bigger and more independent, and no new ones on the horizon, I finally feel like I can start to have some time and space for myself again. I want to work on my friendships and make them a more central part of my life again, and make having fun sans kids a regular occurrence. MB, Kirsty, and I have committed to a standing GNO, the second Friday of each month, so I think that is a good start. And running, while I still haven't found that groove where I think I love it or anything, does offer me a nice guilt-free hour to myself on any day I choose to do it.
Ooh, another good segue. Running. It is going pretty well, I guess. I got a bit sidetracked at the end of the year, so I am repeating week four this week. I'd love to say that I love it, but I don't. I really, really don't. But, I keep at it. And, I am seeing results, in both my fitness level and my waistline, so it is all good, I suppose.
Final thought for the day: Sadie has signed on to be a part of a team for the school lip sync show. I'm pretty happy that she wanted to do it (being a group activity), but we got the rehearsal schedule yesterday, and .... oy. Lots of shuttling around for the next month or so. Oh well, if those 'soccer moms' can do it, I suppose we can, too.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy New Year!!
Did you (as in the six people who actually read this thing) miss me? LOL. I've been terrible about blogging, but the good news is that it is because I've been busy enjoying the holidays. In spite of not looking forward to them, they ended up being a lot of fun - maybe even the best we've had in a while.
Highlights:
--Seeing old friends. We enjoyed a bunch of visits and gatherings over the 2 weeks.
Our dear friend Paul, who we haven't seen in almost 10 years, and his new wife and baby came for a visit. It was so good to catch up with him, and meet Megan and Sophie. We reconnected immediately, and I really hope that we don't let another 10 years go by before getting together again.
We also hosted Heidi and Coley and family for a few days, which was a total blast. The kids hit is off right away, and what can I say about us and H & C? We have history. Lots of it, stretching all the way from Eugene, Oregon to Boston, MA, and we are just really lucky to have them in our lives. I think I laughed more in three days than I have in three months. We're already figuring out when we're going to go up to MA to visit them next.
New Year's Day we did a very scaled down version of our "We have young kids and can't get out on NYE so let's party on NYD Party." We hosted the Voehls, DiCostanzos, and Joneses for an afternoon of eating and drinking. It was up in the air until the last minute, but I'm glad we decided to go ahead with it.
--Seeing New Friends
We tried something new recently, and invited Jenn and Bart over for a late dinner, in lieu of going out. I withheld the nap from Eden so she was good to go as far as bed by 7:30 and told Sadie she had to entertain herself in her room after 8:15. It worked out beautifully, and it was nice to just sit and chat and eat and drink and not have to worry about rushing home to relieve a babysitter. It was also fun to see Jenn and Bart. We haven't really seen them since the summer, and we always seem to have lots to talk about. Seeing them got me looking forward to the summer already!
We also hosted a get together for Sadie's brownie troop. The girls enjoyed jewelry-making, Twister, Dance Dance Revolution, pizza and ice cream sundaes. I had a chance to meet/get to know some of the other brownie moms, and all in all in was a success.
--Relaxing
We fell into a nice routine of sleeping late, lounging about for the mornings, and then doing something 'fun' for the afternoons. I loved not worrying about packing lunches or homework or any of that stuff. It was hard rousing the girls at 7:30 this morning, and they were none to excited to be dressed, fed and rushed out the door.
Anyway, all in all, it was a great break, and a good start to the winter.
Highlights:
--Seeing old friends. We enjoyed a bunch of visits and gatherings over the 2 weeks.
Our dear friend Paul, who we haven't seen in almost 10 years, and his new wife and baby came for a visit. It was so good to catch up with him, and meet Megan and Sophie. We reconnected immediately, and I really hope that we don't let another 10 years go by before getting together again.
We also hosted Heidi and Coley and family for a few days, which was a total blast. The kids hit is off right away, and what can I say about us and H & C? We have history. Lots of it, stretching all the way from Eugene, Oregon to Boston, MA, and we are just really lucky to have them in our lives. I think I laughed more in three days than I have in three months. We're already figuring out when we're going to go up to MA to visit them next.
New Year's Day we did a very scaled down version of our "We have young kids and can't get out on NYE so let's party on NYD Party." We hosted the Voehls, DiCostanzos, and Joneses for an afternoon of eating and drinking. It was up in the air until the last minute, but I'm glad we decided to go ahead with it.
--Seeing New Friends
We tried something new recently, and invited Jenn and Bart over for a late dinner, in lieu of going out. I withheld the nap from Eden so she was good to go as far as bed by 7:30 and told Sadie she had to entertain herself in her room after 8:15. It worked out beautifully, and it was nice to just sit and chat and eat and drink and not have to worry about rushing home to relieve a babysitter. It was also fun to see Jenn and Bart. We haven't really seen them since the summer, and we always seem to have lots to talk about. Seeing them got me looking forward to the summer already!
We also hosted a get together for Sadie's brownie troop. The girls enjoyed jewelry-making, Twister, Dance Dance Revolution, pizza and ice cream sundaes. I had a chance to meet/get to know some of the other brownie moms, and all in all in was a success.
--Relaxing
We fell into a nice routine of sleeping late, lounging about for the mornings, and then doing something 'fun' for the afternoons. I loved not worrying about packing lunches or homework or any of that stuff. It was hard rousing the girls at 7:30 this morning, and they were none to excited to be dressed, fed and rushed out the door.
Anyway, all in all, it was a great break, and a good start to the winter.
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