With Joy

*Last night Nick was getting Jackson ready for bed.  He said, “Hey J, let’s get your jammies on.” Jackson said, “Let’s not and say we did.” *

I heard a very inspiring piece of advice from a panel of mentor moms (literally a panel of mentor moms spoke at my Mom’s Morning large group at CPC.) I wanted to share my favorite word of wisdom for all you Hot Mamas out there feeling frazzled and overbooked this holiday season.

“If you can’t do it with Joy, then don’t do it at all.”

I had to remind myself of this today as I hurriedly stuffed Christmas cards into envelopes so as to meet my ‘goal’ of sending them out by Friday.  It wasn’t joyous.

Something to remember about Christmas is that its supposed to be this wonderful family centered time.  If there are too many Holiday parties, too many cards to send out, or too many cookies to bake- it loses it’s beauty and joy.

I hope that you will all take a breath with me right now, close your eyes, take TWO minutes to yourself, and get re focused on what really matters.  Are you spending your holiday the way you want to ? Are you shopping, addressing Christmas cards, baking cookies, and wrapping gifts with JOY?  I truly truly hope that you are.  And that you can take some time to yourself before 2010 begins!!!

The most amazing husband

* A couple of nights ago I was laying with Jackson to snuggle for a couple of minutes before bed.  He was drifting off and on the very verge of falling asleep.  Eyes closed and all, just before he was officially asleep, in a faint little voice, “D-d-d-d-d-d-d Dora.”*

I have, hands down, the most amazing husband in the world.  Last night he fed both kids, got them ready for bed, and put them to bed so I could go to my UMPTEENTH Christmas party. (This one was  a networking thing.)  My agency has a Christmas party for exclusive talent/ casting agents/ photographers/ producers… etc.  I have been so out of the loop because of being under contract, and then being pregnant, that I felt I needed to make an appearance and see some old friends and casting agents!

Anyway the point is- Nick such an awesome father and husband.  I thank God every day that I have him in my life. If you haven’t lately- tell your hubby how awesome he is!

John the Baptist

* Yesterday after Nick got home he asked Jackson how his weekly bible preschool went that morning.  Jackson said, “Dad, we learned about John the Baptist.”  Nick said, “Really? What did you learn about him.”  Jackson said, “He ate a lot of flies and bugs- BLECH!” *  I don’t know where he gets this stuff people. Honestly. And remember he is only two and a half.  I’m getting my moneys worth at that bible school huh!

Run was great this morning.  Hot tub was better.  21 day count down to Maui!!!!!

“Got your nose”

*Last night Jackson played “got your nose” with daddy.  He grabbed Nick’s nose and said, “Got your nose dad.”  Nick said, “Where are you taking it?” Jackson said, “To the North Pole… Santa is hungry.” *

Since it is absolutely freezing outside, Katy and I will be meeting at the gym to run tomorrow morning.  We’ve pushed back the time from 5:15 to 5:45am, and I think if there is time we will sit in the hot tub afterward!  I hope it’s a nice start to my morning tomorrow because I have to say, three kids this close in age is TOUGH!  I know I will get more used to it but for right now it seems like a lot to handle. Especially because Scarlett is starting solids now ( she’s almost 6 months! I can’t believe how fast she is growing up!)  Lunch time is a major process and then I never actually end up eating. Probably better since I’m still at the weight I would like to be before our big vacation.

At my husband’s holiday party one of his co-worker’s wife was saying she and all of her kids got H1N1.  She said she was so sick she couldn’t eat anything and lost 6 lbs.  I said, “Are you still contagious?  Give it to me!!!”  You know I’m kidding.

Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas parties and fun activities so far this Dec. I’ll check back in soon.

It’s December

*  Today Jackson called orange juice  “yellow juice.”  I sort of agree with him.  It’s more yellow than it is orange (even if it is made out of oranges.)*

* means: Anecdote for the day (this is something I might start doing because my adorable two and half-year old cracks me up on a regular basis.)

I feel overwhelmed by all of the holiday parties, organizing, and shopping to do.  To top it off I have just started taking care of my nephew and Godson Arjuna for three days a week.  Monday and Tuesday were our first days and Monday was quite an adjustment!  Arjun is almost 16 months and he is a go getter! Though Jackson had a hard time sharing some of his toys I think this will be great for the cousins.  They will get to spend so much time together and I love that. I know J is still adjusting to having a sister so getting a cousin at his house for three days a week will probably create a few more tantrum-like outbursts, but I’m confident things will all settle in good time.  It’s only until March so I hope they take advantage of getting to play together so much! In the mean-time I can get a glimpse into life with three (no I’m not pregnant again YET- Scarlett is only 5 months and I’m not insane.)

Thanksgiving was great (I ran the Turkey Day 5 k sponsored by Lifetime Fitness- it was fun and refreshing!)  Our tree is trimmed, and I’m just about to bake “Burnt Almond Bars” for a Christmas party I’m headed to tomorrow night. Speaking of that- those bars are yet another thing I have to stop myself from eating since I practically gained 8 lbs over Thanksgiving weekend and I STILL haven’t lost those last five lbs since being pregnant with Scarlett.  Hawaii is really coming up now and I have to start thinking seriously about how I will not have fun in a swimsuit if I still look semi-pregnant.

Nick’s holiday party for work is this weekend and so are our family pictures for Christmas cards.  Getting BUSY like I said! But I love Christmas, so I’m not complaining.

The laundry is “done”?

Within the last three years of my life laundry has become something totally different than I ever remember it being. ( Notice that this happened right around the time I had Jackson and became a stay at home mom.)  I used to feel like the laundry was done.  You know what  I mean right?  Had a bunch in the bin, washed, dried, folded, put away, didn’t have to think about it for a while.

Since the whole marriage/ having kids, and also being a stay at home mom which means your role involves doing your husbands laundry as well, I have had a tumultuous relationship with my never-ending laundry.  Stupidly I used to have separate laundry bins for Nick, me, and Jackson.  Jackson’s laundry was intense because he tended to be an explosion pooper.  I did not use cloth diapers like some of you crazys out there, but I had plenty of poop filled laundry.

Since having Scarlett I have a new system.  I realized that I don’t have to wash only Nick’s clothes, or only my clothes like I had been when Jackson was first born. And I have created a whites bin and a colors bin for Nick and I (combined) and Jackson and Scarlett (combined.)  Things have been a tad easier this way because the separating is already done.   But-  I will say that now that there are four of us I have to do laundry SO OFTEN! It drives me insane sometimes.

Here is my less than novel conclusion: The laundry never ends.  It is cyclical.  There is no, “I’m done with the laundry.”   After saying this to myself over and over again in the past couple of months, I have actually begun to feel a little better.  Surprisingly, admitting to myself and others that there is no “finished” when it comes to laundry, makes me feel pretty great.  I feel especially great when I have done quite a bit of laundry and there is little left in the bins.

But until each of us stands stark naked in our house until every last bit of clothing is washed, dried, folded and put away- the laundry is never done.

Quickly-

I just have to say that the homepage of Shopmama.com is so beautiful right now. There is a gorgeous picture of Beth and her son James reading a book with the caption:

“You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be–

I had a mother who read to me.”

-Strickland Gillilan

I actually cried when I first saw it.  I think I’m going to go read Jackson a book.   Have a beautiful day!

About waking up early…

Thursday morning “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP” the incessant noise of my alarm at 5 am caused me to grudgingly fling my body out of bed so as not to wake my three sleeping babes (I’m including hubby.)  Every single fiber of my being was against this.  I felt a rush of emotions: 1.) I’m going to vomit.  2.) Are we on crack? We can’t do this every Thursday. 3.) Run?  I can barely stand up.  4.)  I HATE waking up early.

Nonetheless I decided to follow through with the whole insane idea.  After all accountability to a friend is pretty powerful- especially if you want to be a good friend.  So I threw on layers of running clothes, my shoes, scarf, hat, gloves.  Katy arrives.  We run.  It’s short.  People who actually run run may have actually laughed at us- but we knew that and we were okay with it.  Like I said, we are starting slow. Then we did a cool down walk and went to get coffee!   We kept talking about how this is the “honeymoon” stage of training.  Soon it will be MUCH colder, the running will be MUCH longer, and we will probably not even get the chance to hang out and drink coffee before having to go back to our work/kids/lives.  So we are enjoying this while it lasts.

By the time I got home and showered I was feeling pretty great.  Maybe it won’t be so bad after all?  Except when I hit the largest hardest figurative brick wall ever at 2pm.   Me, the mother of the two and a half  year old that doesn’t nap, was pleading for some “close our eyes” quiet time. Not to mention- though I will mention it anyway- I have barely ever gotten Scarlett and Jackson to nap at the same time.  They are programmed to make my day go on and on. So I didn’t nap, got a second wind, and didn’t go to bed until almost 11pm.  I’m a glutton for punishment. I just have so much to do in my evenings that I can’t get my self to go to sleep!  I’ll learn.

Did I mention I HATE waking up early?

5 AM!!!

So, the day after I shamefully posted that I hadn’t started running yet- I ran.  I took the kids in the double jogger stroller and did a very short run around the block, the long way to the park,  and around the trail at the park before getting J out in the sun to run and swing and slide.  I felt pretty good afterward- like I said it was a short jog. And the weather has been so incredibly beautiful lately.  I was just thanking God for all of my blessings as I ran. My R.A. hasn’t been flaring to badly lately, which is so awesome, but my knees are going to be my biggest problem.  I am getting cortisone shots in early Dec. and hopefully they will settle down for quite some time.

Jackson was so fun to play with at the park too!  He is really getting into pretend play so he had an ice cream shop and I was buying and eating all sorts of desserts from him.  I asked him how much I owed him and he said, “Four.”  Ah, four dollars? “Yup.”  So I gobbled up my delicious $4 ice cream sundae and we kicked a ball around and rolled down the hill while Scarlett napped in the stroller.

Tomorrow my friend Katy (who has inspired me to run this dang half marathon) is coming to my house at 5:30 in the morning so we can officially start our training.  It will be a short jog once again until both of us have gotten our bodies back into a running type mode. I am admittedly NOT a morning person. At all. So this will be very tough for me.  But we have vowed to switch off whose house we meet at every other Thursday at 5:15/5:30 ish and run together at least once a week.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

Hey remember that “inspired to run” post?

Okay, waaayyyy back on Oct. 22nd I posted “Inspired To Run.”   Remember that? Well… I haven’t actually started training yet! BOOO. I mean it’s Nov. 4th people.  Double BOOOO.  I have gone to my trusty hip hop dance classes but I haven’t actually bundled up and gone for that first run.

SOMEONE INSPIRE ME TO GET UP AT 5AM!!!  I shouldn’t say “get up,” I should really say “stay up.”  Scarlett nurses at 5 or 5:30 every morning- and usually goes back to sleep until almost 7:30!  I have to drag my butt out of bed after I feed her.  It’s so hard when everyone (and I mean everyone- my husband, son, daughter, cat and me) is snuggled up in our bed.  It also doesn’t help that I am a night owl and I need to begin getting to bed at a MUCH earlier hour in order to be fresh for a jog.

And if someone is ready to inspire me, can you also inspire me not to eat the Halloween candy my son got trick-or-treating in Grandma’s neighborhood.  Please.