Passing the Time

It's Wednesday!  We made it to the hump and still have smiles on our faces :-)  We're another day closer to life returning to "normal"...whatever that is haha.

After the last couple of days we've had, this lovely glass of wine was just what the doctor ordered last night...

The chicken and homemade bread I made last night made the night a little sweeter too...

That bread might not be much to look at, but it sure was yummy and devoured by the boys.  I used a tried and true recipe from Budget Bytes.  It's super simple and always comes out yummy.  I normally make it in my loaf pan but wanted to try out more of a baguette shape...I have some work to do :-)  

That chicken is the lovely BOGO chicken from Fresh Market--hormone and antibiotic free, dusted with a yummy bbq rub.  YUM!  That store has definitely spoiled me in the meat department.  

I tried to make the boys some flourless oatmeal cookies, but as I should have guessed, they didn't turn out so well...darn you chocolate covered katie.  You got my hopes up!

They turned into a crumbly mess when I took them off the pan. I used good ingredients and I'd hate to throw them away...I'm thinking they might be yummy sprinkled on top of some yogurt like granola.

This morning kicked off with a pretty lazy start before we motivated ourselves to get out the door and off to the gym.  I had to drag myself in there but once I got moving, I was glad I was there.  Today's workout looked like this...

I threw in some time on the elliptical for good measure.  

After the gym, we hit up the park with some friends.  I'm learning that we're all better off if we can just keep ourselves relatively busy with at least one kid-oriented outing a day.  It definitely helps to pass the time and keeps us all from getting to crabby.  The boys still aren't too excited about swimming...swimming lessons scarred them...but we did get them to warm up to playing on the "beach" with some toys...

Thankfully our friends brought some toys and were willing to share with us.  I've got to do a better job of remembering to pack "gear" for our outings.  I was pretty proud of myself for getting us home in just the knick of time.  We literally walked in the door as the torrential downpour hit our yard.  God was on our side this morning.  I'd say it was a successful morning!

Now the boys are sleeping soundly, exhausted from a busy morning of play.  It's haircut time when they wake up...they're way past due.  In the mean time, I think I'm gonna get some reading done.  The book of the moment is ....

...it's a super-easy read that's keeping me entertained...makes it a winner these days.  

Ups and Downs

I don't know what it is lately but it seems that life is just one big emotional roller coaster...both for me and the boys.  We go from having a great time one minute to losing our minds the next.  I'm at a loss for what to blame it on.  It could be the fact that they're two...people don't refer to this stage as the "terrible twos" for no reason.  Or maybe the weather is making us wacky?  Or are the teeth coming in really bothering them...darn 2 year old molars!?  Or do they feel crummy thanks to allergies?  Trying to figure it all out doesn't help me to feel any more sane.

I was complaining to Mickey this morning, since that's what I seem to do these days, and he reminded me of some good advice...when all else fails, give it up to God.  Why is that so darn hard for me to do? Why can't I just trust that he's got things under control??  I guess cause I feel like I don't.  Just trusting God seems to be a difficult thing for me these days...I'm not happy about that, and I'm working to fix it...

Last night, the boys had a lot of fun playing with the golf set from Uncle Aaron...

...I think they have bright futures as caddies since the golf bag is their favorite part of the whole set.  They would drag that thing around all night.  It was all fun and games until they got carried away and didn't want to listen and stay away from the cars in the driveway.  Our evening took a quick nose dive after that.  They pitched fits about everything for the rest of the night...didn't want to eat, didn't want to play, didn't want to take baths, you name it.  They did finally want to cuddle up with me as long as possible to avoid going to bed.  I sure am glad they at least ended the day on a happy note...until the storm started up.  That was a big one last night!  I'm just glad it wasn't as scary here as it was in Oklahoma.  Talk about a reality check of how bad your life really is and how bad things could be...I don't know why I let the little things get to me.  It's just not worth it.  I have to keep reminding myself of that...

This morning started off on the right foot...woke up early, drank coffee before the boys woke up, then hit the road for a run with a friend...

Other than a little humidity, the weather was great and the 6+ miles passed quickly since I had someone to chat with.  Love that!

Blue Door was closed today so I got the week off from Story Time.  We sure did miss seeing all our other buddies this morning though.  We filled our morning with some crabby time at home before we finally hit the jackpot with some playdough fun...

...and chocolate milk, of course.  That kept us busy for at least 45 minutes.  SCORE!!  When we got bored with the dough, we loaded into the car for a trip to the gym.  The boys got to see some friends and I got to get some stress out with a 30 minute, fast-paced upper body workout.  

After the gym, we hit up The Fresh Market for some BOGO chicken and pork chops.  I love their Tuesday specials.  Then, we headed home for lunch and naps...thankfully, they were worn out enough that they didn't put up a fight.  It's now 2 1/2 hours later and they're still sound asleep.  I'm thinking sleep was just what they needed...seems to usually be the case.  

So then...maybe the emotional ups and downs are the result of a growth spurt???!!!  Your guess is as good as mine.  Here's to hoping we have a smooth evening, despite the rain that seems to be headed this way.  If we can't get outside, maybe we'll go crazy and cuddle up on the couch with the boys for a little movie.  It would be a real treat since we never watch TV during the daytime.  

In case our afternoon doesn't go smoothly, or any other situation for that matter,  I have these verses tucked away in my back pocket now to remind me of how I should handle my frustrations...

source


AND...

source

AND...

source

I'm going to keep saying them to myself over and over and over again...hopefully the message will stick.  God is good!  Life is good!  I am blessed!

 

Feeling Like Ourselves Again

I got kinda carried away yesterday with my weekend update and forgot to tell you about the fantastic advice our pastor gave in his message yesterday.  He was talking about difficult conversations--how important they are and also how to be so careful when you have them.  I thought it was definitely worth sharing and remembering.  He gave us a sort of checklist for how to approach difficult conversations.  When handling difficult conversations, you need to:

• make sure you're the right person for the job.
• make sure the Lord sent you.
• only go if your heart is broken.
• speak the right language.

He then challenged us to start by asking our spouse this difficult question...

What can I do to be a better wife/husband??  Talk about a heavy question...but one that could really impact your marriage in a positive way if you allow it to.  Are you up for the challenge?  I sure am!

He had a couple of other zingers in there too in terms of treating others with grace and I know he told us who said them, but I was just trying to keep up and will have to paraphrase...something along the lines of "we treat others according to actions while judging ourselves according to our intentions." Ouch!  and "we're often blind to our own character"...another eye-opener.  A question we can ask of others is...What do you see when you see me?  Then reflect on it and decide if that's really what you want others to see.  And always remember to forgive and allow yourself to be forgiven.  Heavy stuff!!

Now for some more light-hearted topics...

Thankfully our evening went much more smoothly than our morning did yesterday. While the boys napped, I made a very yummy recipe inspired by this recipe for crispy quinoa sliders from Food and Wine.  I left out the chives and subbed sauteed mushrooms for the zucchini since that's what I had on hand.  They were PHENOMENAL.   I highly recommend you try them out.

We just ate them alongside some veggies but they would be great on little buns as well.

I also got in a good lower body workout while they were napping yesterday using these exercises and my tabata timer app...

...10 exercises, 4 minutes for each one, some rest in between...less than an hour for a good butt-kicking workout that got my heart pumping as well.  NICE!

We all felt better after our respective naps and workouts.  Thank goodness!! We also all managed to get a good night's sleep which always makes for happier Plankers.  I think we're all back to ourselves today...

I kicked off this morning with some peace and quiet along with a HOT cup of coffee.  Once the boys were up, we got in a quick run and were successful in beating the rain...

We quickly cleaned up, got some breakfast, and were off for the the morning.  I was on a to-do list tackling mission while the boys were at their play group.  Colton helped me load the chlorine containers into the car...what a good helper!!

Check out how strong he is :-)  He was SO proud of himself.  

Apparently Colton was more interested in the craft today...

I asked Mason about it and he said he didn't like the markers.  I asked him what he likes to color with and he said "I like pencils."  I doubt they'll be handing a bunch of sharp pencils to a group of toddlers any time soon so we'll just have to do our pencil "coloring" at home.  

He may not like markers, but he has no problem coloring his monkey with chalk, it seems...

The monkey looks like he has a sunburn :-)

While the boys played, I made some significant progress on my to-do list.  I think I got all of my non-kid-friendly errands out of the way for a while...always a good feeling.  Here's to hoping this stuff produces a good feeling in my neck as well...

I'm so OVER the knots in my neck.  Anyone got any other tips for getting rid of them??  A day floating around in this thing might help...

I told Mickey we need one...not sure he's convinced.  It looks fun to me!  The only thing it's missing is a drink holder.  I'm on the lookout for the perfect, affordable pool raft...since we all know I lounge all the time :-)  A girl can dream, right??  

Time to get cracking on some household chores I've been avoiding...or maybe I'll just keep avoiding them and paint my nails.  Happy Monday!

Ugh, Sunday.....

What is it about Sundays??  They seem to be the roughest days for us to get through.  Maybe my expectations of having a relaxed care-free day set me up for disappointment.  Who knows?!  I just know Sundays haven't seemed to go my way lately.

On the other hand, our our Friday evening and Saturday turned out to be pretty fantastic.  Friday night we made it to the park and had the run of the place.

Their favorite features of the park are the truck they can drive and the whale...

They also like to sit on the bench and wait for a train to come by...

As soon as they hear the whistle, the find a good spot to watch from.  While waiting, we snapped a happy photo...

...and at last the train came by.  SCORE!

On Saturday, we got a early morning chat in with the man in our lives and a little bit of coloring on the chalkboard which gave the boys messy hands...

...before hitting the pavement for a quick run to the gym where I tortured my upper body for quickly with this circuit...

I completed each superset 3 times and rested as little as possible.  I tried to go heavy with the weights too.  Afterwards, we hit the road to run back home.  It drizzled a bit on the way home which was a welcome relief from the heat.

We cleaned up quickly and headed to this guy's first birthday party...

The mustache-themed party was pretty funny and we're glad we got to be a part of it.  I always love a kid-friendly opportunity to catch up with my friends.

On the way home from the party, we stopped at another friend's house for some play time and lunch.  Thank God for all the wonderful friends we have in our lives.  It was so much fun to catch up with them and we had the BEST afternoon.  Needless to say, the boys passed out as soon as we got in the car to head home...

I drove around for over an hour, sipping on a frappuccino, before deciding to go for it and meet a friend to watch the Preakness and the helicopter ball drop at a golf tournament that is near and dear to our hearts.  I was glad we got to be a part of it for even just a little bit.  

The boys love the helicopter until it got close...

...then they decided to take refuge in our arms.  Thank goodness our good friend Maureen was there to help give cuddles...

We love her!!!

We all slept quite well after that busy day.  Maybe all the fun we had yesterday explains the craziness of today.  Perhaps the boys are going through full-time entertainment and cuddles withdrawal??  All while I just want some downtime...not a good combo!

After a rough start to the morning, we did manage to make it to the late service for church this morning.  Here's an example of how our morning was going...

Me: Colton, get down from that chair.
Colton: No.
Me: Mommy is in charge.  You don't say "no" to mommy.  You need to listen and obey, ok?
Colton: Yes.
Me: Who's in charge?
Colton: Jesus
Me: Silent...trying not to laugh while thinking, yes, you're right...but next in line is Mommy.  He gives me a run for my money.

Apparently, they continued their naughty streak in Sunday School class this morning too.  I NEVER get complaints about the boys but it turns out this morning they were wrestling each other in class, fighting over a toy.  It was not our morning!  

We usually run errands while we're already out and about so we hit up BJs for some replacement sunglasses since we crushed a pair with the stroller last week. We also got a couple of snacks while we there.  

Next, we swung by Target and scored some deals like these shirts for $2-$3 each...

...and the boys favorite fruit bars on clearance...

...and some almonds for me, also on clearance, that were too tempting to pass up.  We all know I love my coffee...

We were spent at the end of that trip and headed home to recharge.  We refueled with some leftovers and now the boys are napping and I'm zoning out with this blog for a bit, realizing that in the grand scheme of things, this day wasn't sooo terrible.  Nothing like getting a little perspective when you finally have the opportunity to.  Sometimes I just get so caught up in the moment.  Hey, I'm human...

Yeah, the boys might have fought A LOT this morning, and I may have lost my cool and yelled at them, but I still love them and I know they love me.  We have a God that loves us even more than we could ever imagine and forgives us when we mess up....phew!  We are blessed beyond measure and hopefully this nap will be just what the doctor ordered and the boys will wake up refreshed and less irritable while I will have recharged enough to be able to have patience with them.  

On another note, happy graduation to my littlest sister, Leah!  I'm bummed I'm not there with you today and am SO proud of you for following through on your goal.  I can't wait to see what your future has in store for you.  We love you!!!!!

Fun, Friends, Fresh Air, and A Fantastic Lower Body Workout

We've had a fun, low-key couple of days...ok by me! We kicked off our Thursday bright and early with our running buddies and covered 6 sluggish miles before calling it quits.  I'm always happy when I get my runs in, but that one was a little torturous.  We were both happy to get it over with.

We followed up the run with some food and play time at home.  The boys thought it was so funny to be eating cheese when I told them to say "cheese"...

Mason put a lot of effort into building a tall tower and protecting it from Colton's destructive tendencies...

He was very proud of his hard work.  Mason has some serious determination and kept at it despite Colton knocking it over several times...of course not without a few tears.  You can even see Colton's hand going for it in the picture at the left.  He was very determined too...to knock it down.

Yesterday was a produce day and we got another yummy pineapple to enjoy.  The peaches are PHENOMENAL too.  Lucky us!

The boys got to have a little play date yesterday afternoon while I got to indulge in some adult conversation while enjoying some decadent chocolate cake compliments of the kiddos mommy.  YUM!

How cute are they???

It was GORGEOUS outside yesterday so we finished up our day with a wagon walk and swung by the pond to see if any birds or ducks were enjoying the beautiful evening as well.  

I'm a lucky mommy to be able to call these two my own...even when they whine for most of the ride because they don't want to share the toys they brought along for the ride.  Lesson learne--next time we're not bringing toys along.  Instead, we'll let nature and passing vehicles be our entertainment. 

Today started off nice and early again with a FaceTime chat with the man in our lives before eating breakfast and heading off to the library for some fun with Miss Lisa and the Family Place.  The boys were really digging the coloring this morning...

When they got tired of coloring, the spent the rest of their time exploring the toys, mostly the baby ones, silly boys.  I guess they miss them...

Our next stop was the gym for a fabulous leg work-out.  I was due and it felt good to get it done.  My workout looked like this...

I rounded out my workout with 15 FAST minutes on the elliptical and a lesson on how to do turkish get-ups...my new challenge.  Check out what they look like...

If you go on you-tube, you can see some women lifting some SERIOUS weight with perfect form.  I'm not close to being there yet but it's pretty inspiring.  My next exercise to tackle is the pull-up.  I'm working my way there...I want to make sure I'm doing them properly so I'm taking my time and working on the negative action and also doing modified pull-ups on the smith machine.

Anyways...after the gym we ran a few errands, including a stop at the Fresh Market for natural rotisserie chickens that were 2 for $12, before settling in for lunch and nap time at home.  The to-do list is pretty much tackled and now we're hoping for some downtime and maybe a trip to the park before dinner.  

Happy Weekend!