Tidbits of Talk

Gosh darn this week just flew by and tomorrow it is going to be December. Are you kidding me? I just can’t even wrap my head around the fact that December is here and that Christmas is coming and New Years and spring and oh my gosh I am just getting ahead of myself. Anyways, here we are. Another week in the books. Lots of quick updates for you.

~My leg is in better shape this week. The recovery from my first procedure was really bad and painful and I think it was my vanity that got the best of me because on day 2 I thought I was “tough” and didn’t need the ugly compression stocking and the back of my leg is still sore.  This time around I wore them for two days and my leg feels pretty good… I even got a decent workout in Wednesday. Let’s hope my appointment Monday goes well.

~ So the Clickin Moms thing…gonna go out there and say I am really disappointed in the course. It was expensive, clearly not for beginners, and the material is poorly constructed. I don’t know what I was thinking but I was hoping that it was truly going to teach me how to start from the beginning and it has not done that for me.  I was thinking it was going to be a step by step and really walk me thru shooting in manual.  Plus, the people taking it are not beginners and have all kinds of crazy time I don't seem to have right now.  I am frustrated and about one click of my camera away from throwing in the towel all together. Kinda sucks…

~ I am obsessed with tying scarves.  Glenn caught me red-handed on Thanksgiving following step by step instructions from this pinterest post to doing a figure 8 knot.  I love it and love finding the ways to make scarves look full and fluffly.

~Speaking of scarves, have you seen these gorgeous cowls from Ann Taylor Loft. I love them… might need to go on my Christmas list. (Don’t worry a complete list is coming soon.)

~A trip Second City and dinner with good friends, the male happens to be Glenn’s business partner,  to celebrate their business this weekend.   Hotel room, good food, drinks and some laughs sounds like the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. I will probably be spamming your Instagram feeds with images from the city.

Happy Friday friends! Hope you are in the spirit! Have a great weekend!   

The Leg {Not The Turkey Type}

The entire time I was pregnant with sweet Cate I was in pain. My back and my right leg were in a constant state of pain.  Walking hurt, picking up Brady and even sitting at work hurt.  Throbbing, pulsing pain on a daily basis that literally brought me tears on occasion. Towards the end of my pregnancy I would fight tears in the car driving anywhere and usually let them fall at night when the day was over because I was just so sore.  I complained to no avail.  Everyone I saw in my OB practice kept telling me that once I delivered it would go away.  My OB said I could do physical therapy but she didn't think it would help.  And I thought I was tougher than the pain and just needed to get over it.   I swear I complained every day.  Ask Glenn.  He heard about it for 9 long months. And then I delivered my sweet girl.

All 8 pounds 12 ounces of her, which I thought was small since Brady was a whopping 9 pounds  7 ounces.  But, the pain did not go away. Not one bit. For her entire first year between ignoring it, exhaustion and life, I just never dealt with my right leg.  It hurt but so many things hurt,  mentally and physically,  that I just didn't have the strength to deal with my leg.  I thought it was me being out of shape and my body adjusting to no longer carrying a baby and maybe getting older.  

But this summer, I got to a point where playing at the park with Brady was becoming hard to do without pain.  So, I took the referral I had for over a year in my wallet and made an appointment. I met with a doctor who used to be in my OB practice and switched to vascular medicine after starting a family of her own.  The news was not great. Most of the valves in my large and small saphenous veins in my right leg were collapsed.  The blood was pooling around my knee causing the pain and the bulging in the back of my leg. The swelling was getting worse.  I was so sore that I wasn't sleeping through the night because my leg ached and I had to prop it up when I was cooking dinner or watching tv at night just to try to control the aching.  

I needed to have a series of procedures to remedy the pain with actually no guarantee that they would work.  I waited until it was cold to schedule them since I knew my leg would not look great and I would need to wear a compression stocking.  My fear got the best of me the first time I scheduled the appointments so I cancelled two days before they were supposed to happen.  And I rescheduled for November. I knew this needed to happen.  And two procedures later I am so hoping I am done because the thought of the needles and lasers haunt me.  The original pain is gone. That is good news.  The recovery has been far harder than I thought.  This is bad news. 

And my leg well it is not looking so good…but here’s to hoping I can play at the park, maybe run a half marathon and be pain free. 

Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving Family and Friends. May your day be filled with gratitude for all you have, contentment for where you are and the peace that comes with being surrounded by loved ones! 

Click It

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I joined Clickin Moms over a year ago. I read in the forums, I watch tutorials infrequently, and yet I still need some help.  If I am being honest, I need a lot of help.  

I received a gorgeous camera for Christmas, compliments of my husband, two years ago. And ever since then, I have wanted to master shooting in manual.   But, I haven’t.  I haven’t made time for myself, to learn about my camera, and take those pictures I am dying to have and truly master my Nikon.    I have learned some things but not enough to feel confident in my shooting.    But, I still shoot and find myself wanting more.  And, I am not sure what convinced me to sign up as fast as I did but when the registration opened, I did and I am ready.  So, today that all changes.  Today starts my first Clickin Moms class.  I am taking shooting 101: the best darn beginner course ever.  And, I am hoping it is just that. A beginning, to get me started, to motivate me to shoot more. 

Just in time for pictures in front of the Christmas tree…I hope. I will share my journey and hopefully you will see some pictures that are worth looking at that aren't from Instagram! 

5 Things I am Loving- November

Five Things I Am Loving- November

Well hello November. Fancy you making your entrance so quickly and being almost half over.  You know what though? I don’t mind you even though most people think you signify the beginning of winter, I tend to think November kicks off the holiday season which I find to be the most magical time of the year.

So, what am I loving right now? Let me tell you…

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

I don’t do scented soaps that overwhelm me.  Honestly, most of my life I used bar soap.  I used whatever we had in the house. And then recently, I got on the Philosopshy kick. I still love it. But, it doesn’t really make suds and I like that for some reason. So, I tried Aveeno at in-law’s house one time and I loved it. The smell is faint, it keeps my skin moist, the bottle lasts forever and there is oatmeal in the soap to help keep my skin soft. I love it and I am just now realizing it is my go to soap.

Flor Tiles

Have you heard of them? I hadn’t until my mama told me after she saw them on HGTV.  Their flagship store is in Chicago and so far I love the concept, the look and not to mention the cost.  You get to pick your color, your pattern, your size and your texture and with a few EASY assembly stickers you have a new rug. 

Heath Bars

I am on a true candy high from Halloween and the little mini Heath bars are hands down my favorite.  I don’t what it is about them but last week I picked up lunch and I got a heath bar as part of it. Clearly, I need some help but the toffee is so good. I found myself looking on pinterest for recipes that use Heath bars. Yesterday, I had a mini heath blizzard and I bought toffee at Costco on Sunday. Sounds like I have a problem right? 

Footed Jammies

It’s no secret if you follow me on instagram that I am love footed jammies and I love them on little boys even more. Maybe it’s because I feel like I am losing the “baby” in him but there is such innocence when they wear those jammies. He wouldn't wear them last winter but this winter he is all about them and I am not complaining.

Christmas Music

The Christmas music is already playing on the radio. I know I know respect the turkey in November but I just can’t help it.  It is loud and Brady exclaims every day when we get in the car “I hear Christmas” and that well that is enough to make me smile. What is it about the music that just makes me calmer, focused on family and ready to tackle the holidays and enjoy every ounce of them?

Bring it on December. I am ready for you because I love just almost everything about you! 

Under The Big Top

Glenn saw a commercial that the circus was in town. I was not excited. He was. Typical. He thought Brady would really love it and but we both agreed it would be a great reward to a good start on potty training.

We asked him if he wanted to go and he said yes to see the clowns.

He told us all week that he wanted to see the clowns with the funny faces.

I was more excited that we were going to get an afternoon with our first born because I think it is important to give him some individual attention and Cate was content to stay with her nana and papa (my in-laws).  So, off we went.

He insisted on holding our hands in to the arena

It was a quick trip from our house.

We bought a sword, two soft drinks, some popcorn, cotton candy and a slushy when all was said and done for $75. Criminal prices I tell you especially if you consider he didn't even like the cotton candy and the slushy was a nightmare to eat in its clown cup.

But it was worth it.

Using the afterglow app on my iphone

He was mesmerized.  And he danced in his seat. And he watched with anticipation, waiting, smiling and staring.  There were clowns and elephants and lions and tigers and guys on motorcycles on a wire.  That was plenty for him. And for me.

elephants in a terrible picture

Tidbits of Talk

Tidbits of Talk

Hi Friends and Family! Happy Friday! Another week has gone by. Seriously, this school year is flying by. Before you know it we will be signing up for summer camps and getting spring planting plans going. Hint hint dad…

 ~ Let’s talk about the age of the three. It is plain MADDENING. I mean really MADDENING. The highs, the lows, the screaming, the crying and oh the whining that comes along with being three. I may need to tap out for this year and come back when this phase has passed because it is for the birds.

~ Parent Teacher Conferences. 5 minutes each. I have over 100 kids on my roster this year. My mouth is dry from talking. Some five minutes sessions seem like 500 and others seem like 5 seconds. They are over and that is what matters.

~We are going to the circus on Saturday. We are going with just Brady. He deserves it and I think it is going to rock his world! Stay tuned.

~ I had a lunch date with my husband this week. How refreshing.  How nice to talk to him with no distractions besides ESPN on the TV.  How nice to just have some time with him even if it was only an hour. It’s true…I love him more now than I did a year ago.

~ I think I am pretty physically fit. I am by no means in great shape but I can hold my own. Until this week when I went to yoga sculpt. Have you tried it? I love it. It combines traditional yoga poses with sculpting moves using weights. Think Warrior 2 and lateral raises at the same time.  It is tough, sweaty, one hour and an awesome workout.  I usually do fine but today on two occasions, I found myself resorting to “resting” in child’s pose while these 40 something women in all their lululemon gear just kept going. Was it a tad embarrassing?  Yes,  but it is darn good motivation to get back at it and get stronger, leaner and healthier. 

Potty Training

Warning: If you don't want to read about potty training just close your browser. This post is only about using the potty and all of its glory...nothing more nothing less.  

Three years later we have never attempted potty training. Mostly because most of my friends encouraged me to wait until he showed signs of being ready or else it would backfire.  The only thing that I knew was that when we did it, I wanted it to work the first time with no looking back.  And frankly, Brady had shown zero signs of interest so we have been in diapers for the first three years of his life.  Honestly,  I WAS tired of people asking about it with clear judgment in their tone- people for the most part that didn't have kids- why he wasn't trained and why he still wearing diapers. But other than that, him being in diapers worked for us.

I wrote quickly one Friday about my love for my pediatrician so when had Brady’s three year well visit rolled around and she told me to at least give potty training a try, I knew it was time.  Let me preface this with we did nothing to prepare. We did not read any books, we did not do any planning and we only own a potty because my mother in law bought one a while back and brought it over.   I did talk to one of my good friends about it because her daughter is trained, even for naps and nighttime, so I got some good tips from her before starting but we really went in blind. 

Saturday morning we took his diaper off with no expectations. We did bribe him and even lure him by showing him a bowl full of new toys that he could have if he peed in the potty.  He could hold the toys but they couldn't be taken out of the wrapper until he peed in the potty. We watched him like a hawk.  We kept asking him if he needed to go.  We got a lot of nope, no, I don’t need to potty and more. We had a couple of small accidents. Not full blown pee in the pants. Just not getting to the potty in time.  And then it happened. The moment the light bulb went off and we had lots of pee in the potty and we caught it ahead of time.  We did this crazy dance and celebrated like it was New Years but it worked. He got it. 

{For the record the kid must have a bladder the size of Texas because he was holding it for hours and we were pumping him with liquid. We were setting the timer every 20 minutes and it turned in to every hour and he still wasn't going. }

He woke up dry from his nap on Saturday and dry the next morning. I was not about to tackle this part of potty training but I was encouraged.  We were making strides. He was telling us he needed to go potty and then he was going. On Sunday, he would tell us. He wouldn't always go but he would tell us he needed to potty and we would race to sit down.  He had an accident when he was busy playing, my fear all along, but it wasn't bad.  We had two pretty successful days.  Long days since the freaking time changed….what were we thinking by the way? 

Daycare and potty training has not been good. I don’t know who to be frustrated with- myself for working, my kid or the daycare. First day, Monday, we batted .500 and I was feeling okay but had an accident at night. Tuesday, we started off with a huge victory before we left for school but today as school has been horrible.  To the point that it is regression at its finest. Tuesday night, was awesome. Pee in the potty and poop in the potty. So, now I am troubled by what is causing him not to use the potty at school and why the accidents.  I know that this will be the hard part. 

{I should admit that after reflecting on this experience my biggest hesitation was the fear of failure. I was so scared that it wouldn't work, I would look like a failure as a mom and it would reflect poorly on me.  So, I told very few people that we were even tackling this.}

Why I am telling you all of this? To show I am human, scared to fail and so stinking proud of my kid.  To tell you that there is NO harm in waiting.  To tell you that my kid is growing up. And to show you a ridiculously cute photo of him. 

Halloween

I had no expectations for Halloween this year. Honestly, if you know me pretty well, you would know that Halloween is just not my favorite holiday. It's not that I hate it. It is just not my favorite. I don't get the obsession with dressing up and running around. Maybe it is because I am a teacher and it takes on a whole new meaning when you are dealing with high school kids and costumes.  Regardless, the past two years we have done very little because Brady was little and just didn't get it.  

Last year, he spent more time and had more fun handing out candy than actually trick or treating. This year started much the same. Yesterday morning he wanted nothing to do with wearing his costume to school. We got to school and then he wanted to put it on. And two minutes later he was screaming he wanted it off now.  So, I was convinced he would not wear it all day or for the parade his preschool had through our school. But he did...and he was even smiling. 

When we got home, once again the suburbs did not disappoint. Holy cow, our block was crazy. Full of kids running from house to house, parents drinking beer and warm coffee as they walked with kids or stood outside handing out candy, and every house was decorated to get in the spirit of Halloween. (Note: We need to decorate next year.)

Glenn got Brady excited and his costume went on. Our fireman was ready to trick or treat. And his "fire dog" well she was ready too. They set off and two houses in he ran back to our house to show me the candy he got.  He was so excited.  And I will be honest, I was proud and in that small moment Halloween started to mean so much more.

 The "fire dog" satyed with me for the rest of the night. It was cold...really cold. She stood at the door and elicited a lot of collective "ohs" and "ahs" and "shes so cute" comments as people came to our door. 

Our fireman made it up and down the entire block. And when he got home, he had just as much fun answering the door and handing out candy to the late trick or treaters like last year. 

Maybe, just maybe I can become a believer of this day...bring it on Christmas!