My left ring finger feels naked....

Last night I did my C25K (I switched my days this week to T/Th/Sat) and my fingers were really hot and swelling a little bit, so I took off my wedding rings and forgot to put them back on after my shower.... and left for work this morning with no rings. It feels very strange as I can't ever remember not wearing my rings. I always have them on unless I'm about to dip my hands in sticky lotion or getting a manicure or something. I also have no ring tan lines on my finger, which I find odd. I guess I don't get that much sun!

Good news about Baby S! He is no longer going to occupational therapy! The OT is thrilled (and completely amazed) by his development and since he is at the 9 month level as far as development, she won't see him again until our checkup at the end of June. He is crawling, and has just started pulling himself up. He'll be 6 months old on Easter Sunday. He is truly an amazing little boy, and I am just so darned proud of the little cutie. He endured all my therapy workouts for the first couple of months and it has paid off big time. We have an appointment with the neurologist next month to determine if we can start decreasing his anti-seizure medications. I really hope that two years from now, everything we went through is just a blip on the radar and it causes no further issues down the road. Above all else though, I'm just hugely grateful he's alive! God must have big plans for you on this earth, little fella. He sure has taught me a lot because of you.

I am expecting a bunch of packages today.... so exciting. I just love getting mail. I remember going to check the mailbox as a little girl and hoping one of my grandparents or my best friend had sent me a letter. When they did, I would read and re-read it and save it in my letter box and then carefully craft a reply. Now, most of the mail I get is bills (welcome to adulthood, right?) and junk mail... but sometimes a letter does come... and I enjoy it every bit as much as I did when I was a child. Anyway, the packages are from Old Navy, Polka Dot Designs, and Zappos. Old Navy is just a few more of the long-length shirts that I decided to stock up on since they were on sale and I needed them for summer. Polka Dot Designs are my invitations for a party I am throwing in June (it's a secret, so I won't be posting about it here until after said event). Zappos is not shoes this time around... it's a few pairs of jeans. I love Zappos because of their free overnight shipping AND free return shipping. Zero sales tax doesn't hurt either... and the privacy of my home as a dressing room cannot be beat.

My parents arrive tomorrow night.... I can't wait. Still trying to finalize the menu for when they're here but I think I may wait for mom and then come up with something. She is always fun in the kitchen, and so is dad. It's an excuse to take them to the international farmer's market too! I'm thinking mussels in white wine sauce, pork loin, rack of lamb, and steak will be on the menu (not all at once, on different nights of course!)... just have to make sure they like all that stuff!

And I'm out!

The end is in sight...

This morning I registered Ethan for his fall semester at GSU.... his last semester there before he graduates in December! Words cannot describe how happy I am that this is finally coming to an end. I am so incredibly proud of my husband for how hard he works. I don't know many people who could handle 6 classes, a full time job as a police officer, two extra side jobs, and being a devoted and loving husband all at the same time. It has required a lot of sacrifice from him since he hasn't had the time to do the things he loves. His fall semester only requires him to be in class on Monday evenings, and the rest of the time is his... I am so happy for him because he definitely deserves to have some time to himself after the hectic pace of the last three years! I am also happy that we'll be able to have a more "normal" existence in the fall (ie: have dinner together every night). Once he graduates... wow, there are just so many options and so much freedom I don't even know where to begin! Let's just say all the hard work will be worth it.

This week is a short 4 day week for me due to Friday being a paid holiday. My parents are coming to visit and arrive late Thursday night. I am so excited to have them here for a few days and to not have any other obligations whatsoever this weekend. It's a nice change in pace. Even if it will be short-lived. Things will return to their normal craziness until Memorial Day weekend. Such is my life!

One of the many reasons I love my job....

Baby S is ALWAYS laughing and smiling.

Party in my cabana....

I went to get a pedicure after getting off of work today and decided to pick a color that was a little brighter than I usually go for...hence the title of my post, which is the name of the OPI polish color I chose. Since I wouldn't want to see a photo of someone else's toes (unless said toes were in a pair of fabulous shoes they wanted me to see) I will not post a photo of mine. Rest assured that I think they're fabulous. I love my pedicure place... $16 for a great pedicure that lasts 3-4 weeks! The polish and topcoat they use is practically bulletproof. If you're ever visiting me in Atlanta and you want one....just say the word. :)

This weekend I don't have much going on. I'm working all day tomorrow as usual and spending the night, but my Saturday is pretty much free other than working 7:30-11:30 on Saturday night. So I am going to go to Old Navy to return the one dress that didn't work and catch "Alice in Wonderland". I've wanted to see it for a while, and while I think Tim Burton's films are rather weird, I really loved his "Big Fish". So I'm willing to give it a chance. I've really gotten into the going to movies by myself thing. I used to NEVER see movies alone. I would only go with Ethan or a friend, and as a result, I sometimes didn't get to see the movies I really wanted to see due to lack of interest of the other party. I can't remember when I finally sucked it up and went to go see a movie by myself, or which movie it was... but I do remember thinking "Hey, this wasn't so bad!" So, now I actually enjoy it. It's an escape for a couple of hours with my popcorn sprinkled with m&m's and some Coke to drink (yes, dad... I know it's highway robbery...) and nowhere else to be.

I know this was a short post, but I'm going to relax and enjoy this rainy and gray afternoon by snuggling up with a book, which has also been something I haven't been able to do in a while!

Clothes for tall people and other stuff....

So, I am enjoying a rare quiet moment with my hot cup of Earl Grey Twinings tea. I know I have never been a tea person, but I have a cough and the tea helps. So maybe I'm converting...we'll see if I still want to drink it once the cold/cough passes.

F is in school, and both little ones are napping...this hardly ever happens. I usually have at least one child that is awake the entire time I am here until around 7:30 PM if I stay later than that. This week I'm going home at 5:30 every day because our second nanny isn't in school so she has a more flexible schedule. It's definitely been a nice thing!

Anyway, the temperatures are getting warmer and I decided I "needed" some new summer and spring clothes. When you're a governess or a mom, you want clothes that (a) are comfortable, (b) don't ride up when you're chasing your munchkins, and (c) don't cost an arm and a leg because by the time summer is over they will most likely be worn out from the multiple washings due to baby spit-up, spilled juice, you fill in the blank. Oh, and (d) they must be cute. My biggest issue with clothing is finding clothes that are long enough for me! Jeans aren't such a problem anymore because even though I'm six feet tall without shoes, my inseam is just under 33 inches and they tend to make the leg length of jeans super long these days. My length is from my extremely long torso...which makes finding shirts quite the challenge! Well... no more! I was looking on Old Navy's website and noticed that they had tall sizes! I never knew this before because they don't carry the tall sizes in the stores. I immediately ordered a bunch of stuff and waited patiently for it to arrive.... and it came last night at 6:45 PM. I tried everything on and much to my delight, everything worked except one dress that literally looked like I had put on a paper bag. Can't win them all.... I will be stylin' this summer.... and I have declared this summer "the summer of the skirt". See sample outfit below and just imagine me in it with a pair of flip flops, dangly earrings, and some sort of bracelet. (the skirt is right above the knee, and I have it in three different colors: the color shown, black, and dark brown)

So voila, my summer wardrobe is finito! Oh, and here's a tip... if you want 20% off your online order, be sure to sign up on the mailing list and they'll email you a coupon code for 20% off. Can't really beat that, especially if they have a sale going on!

Couch to 5 K is still going well... I completed day one of week 4 yesterday. My legs and feet felt like lead by the end... but I gritted my teeth and refused to slow down to a walk and made it through. It probably didn't help that I'm not feeling so great with the cough/cold thing but it's not making me feel bad enough to cop out of exercising. I can't believe that after tomorrow I'll be past the halfway point to finishing the 9 weeks! I still have no idea how I am going to run for thirty minutes without stopping but I think I need to stop worrying about it and just trust the process.

And there's my update for now....

The one where the lock gets stuck...

This morning I left work at 10:30 AM when our babysitter arrived and headed straight to the YMCA for my workout. I went to the locker room and put my stuff in a locker, and for some reason I could not get my lock through the latch. I was puzzled because last night I had no problems at all with the lock going in through the latch. I decided to see if the lock would fit into the locker next to mine and it slipped right in. "Okay, I'll just move my stuff to this locker and my problems are solved."

Think again, Wilkie.

The lock would NOT come off of the latch. I was doing everything I could do to get the lock to unhook from the latch and nothing I was doing worked. To make matters worse, there was a locker room rush from all these ladies that had finished their workouts ... and every single one of them happened to have lockers in the same section as mine. Oh, and all of them were naked. Some of them were not exactly covered with a towel, and being 12 inches away from a naked stranger is a just a tiny bit disconcerting to me. Maybe other people are cool with that, but I am not. After THIRTY minutes of trying to get the lock out and coming close to kicking the locker and sobbing like an emotionally disturbed two year old, I snatched my stuff out of the other locker and just took it with me to the workout room. It could have been worse.... I could have put my things into that locker initially and been unable to get into it to get my keys, wallet, etc and been stuck there at the YMCA all day! I was annoyed and frustrated, but I just channeled it into my workout and finished week 3 of Couch to 5K.

I ran errands after the YMCA, and am now pretty tired... it's 9:51 PM and I don't get off of work until tomorrow at 11 PM, and I work Sunday from 9-3. One day at a time... I can make it through the weekend....

The answer is yes.

Yes, I woke up at 6:20 AM and worked out again.

No, I won't be doing that tomorrow because I'm spending the night here at work. I have a babysitter coming from 9-12 so I will be going and completing day 2 of week 3 during that timeframe.

The sitter came today from 3-5:30 and I ran some errands and then went home to do another workout (I am working out twice per day for the rest of the month). I decided to see how long I could run without stopping while catching up on Desperate Housewives. I am proud to report that I made it... ELEVEN MINUTES. I then walked for two minutes... and then ran for EIGHT.... walked for three minutes....and then ran for SEVEN... it was an awesome feeling to be able to run for more than sixty seconds without feeling like I was going to die.

Running for twenty-five minutes straight no longer seems like the impossible dream! I can't wait to get to that point and be able to be one of those girls I've always admired who hop on the treadmill and runs for forty-five minutes with ease.

I ordered new Mizunos since my current ones are getting worn out... can't wait for them to arrive sometime at the end of this week or early next!

Yes, I really did wake up this morning...

I ended up making a tweak and setting my alarm for 6:20 so that I could be on the treadmill at 6:30. Since I knew I only needed 45 minutes total, I didn't want to be twiddling my thumbs waiting to leave for work when I was finished. Oh, and yes... I wanted that extra 20 minutes. I admit it.

So, the alarm went off at 6:20 and my husband decided to "help" by flipping all the lights on. He had been up since before 6 getting ready to head to work since his day begins at 6:30. I groaned with my arm flung over my eyes but then remembered that people would want to know if I did what I said I would... so I wearily got out of the bed, got dressed, laced up the Mizunos, and got started. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I decided to use the time to catch up on "The Office", since I hadn't watched the baby episode yet. I actually managed to run for three minutes! I'm sure watching "The Office" helped distract me from feeling like I was dying...whatever works! After I finished 45 minutes (I ended up walking after finishing the 25 minutes that C25K took) I jumped in the shower, dressed, and then headed to work.

The burst of energy I was hoping for? Yep, definitely got it. I have been unbelievably productive at work today. I am always super productive, but I usually don't get this much done before 10 AM!

So, will I be doing this again tomorrow morning? You betcha. I'm going to try it for a full week and decide if I benefit enough to make it a habit!

Another week begins....

So here we are, it's Sunday night, and I'm sitting here at my computer thinking about the week ahead. This past week was a 97 hour week... and this coming week is something like 106 when all is said and done...but who's counting? Moms work 168 hours per week with no pay, and I get overtime. So I don't have much to complain about.

Anyway, in light of the week I have ahead of me and the fact that we've just "sprung forward" an hour, you may think what I'm about to say is crazy.

I..... have..... set.... my alarm.... for.....six o'clock. In the morning. Which will feel like five o'clock.

::crickets::

Yes, really.

::crickets::

I'm serious! Okay, anyone who knows me well knows that I loooooove to sleep. However, in order to keep my commitment to Couch to 5K, it's necessary for me to get the workout in before I head to work. Otherwise it may not get done, because F is not feeling well and may not be in school or going to swim lessons. I don't want to count on him going to swim lessons for my workout because if he doesn't, I will have a hard time getting myself on the treadmill when I get home from work. When I do the session when he's in swim lessons, I am re-energized so I am hoping that it will have the same effect at six AM. We'll find out. It may be a big mistake. I may fall asleep feeding S his bottle. Who knows? If the contestants on Biggest Loser can get up at 5:30 in the morning to work out for 2 hours before heading to a full day of work and then work out another 2 hours, I can certainly wake up early and work out for thirty minutes. That's how I'm rationalizing it to myself in order to motivate myself to just DO it.

So, this week is going to be busy...and challenging. The C25K week three consists of: running for 90 seconds, walking for 90 seconds, running for THREE MINUTES, walking for three minutes, and then repeating for a total of 20 minutes. Yesterday when I finished week 2 I decided to see how long I could run during the last running interval and I made it for 2 minutes and 15 seconds. I will not give up. Even if my running looks like I'm doing it in slow motion, I will at least be doing the motion of running. I may go back at the end of the 9 weeks and do the c25K again but increase my running speed each week to get it up to higher than the current 4.8-5 mph. I'm getting ahead of myself... for now, I'm going to go to bed and wake up in 8ish hours to get my workout in for the day.

I am the kitchen dervish...

So today I came into work and after sending F off to school and putting S&E down for their naps, I set to work mixing up three boxes of brownie mix. Finn's school is having a fundraising event, and I volunteered for us to send in baked goods. I didn't realize how hard it would be to stir three boxes of brownie mix... at least my right arm got a little workout! Once I had those baked and cooled, I cut them into pieces and put them each into an individual Ziploc bag (as per instructions from the event organizers). I "artfully" arranged them on a platter.... it's not easy to arrange brownies in Ziploc bags. I did the best I could. Hopefully people will be so blown away by their fudgy goodness that they won't notice....

F came home from school and had a friend over, so I shifted to short order cook mode and made F a quesadilla, his friend a grilled cheese sandwich, and a PBJ for E. They gave me rave reviews on my cooking.

After cleaning up from lunch, F asked to make "Granbetsy's Mac 'n Cheese" to have for dinner tonight. His grandmother made it for her kids, and continues to make it today. F loves it, and it's way better than the standard Kraft stuff... if you wanted to make it "organic" you could use all organic ingredients, and voila! It's seriously the easiest recipe ever for macaroni and cheese and it is some of the most delicious I've ever tried. If anyone wants to try it for themselves...here is the recipe!

In advance preparation, boil 2 cups of pasta - F likes small shells (he calls them "clams"), but rotini (if you like each noodle to have tons of the cheese sauce in it!) or elbow macaroni works great for this too! Steer clear of penne or farfalle pasta because they don't work so well.

Grate 2ish cups of mild to sharp cheddar cheese based on your preferences and set aside in a bowl.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 4 TBS butter in a square or round casserole dish. Use a whisk and stir in 1 tsp salt and 6 TBS flour. Pour in 2 cups of milk (you can use whole milk or skim milk, whatever you like), and stir with whisk. Place in microwave for 6 minutes, stopping to stir cream sauce every 2 minutes with whisk. After the sauce is completed, mix in the cheese with whisk - it will melt and you will have a very thick and creamy cheese sauce. After all the cheese is folded in and melted, mix in your drained pasta and then pop it in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Let stand for a little while and then serve! It also reheats VERY well, so don't be afraid to pre-bake it like I did today for serving later.

Just be careful. It's addictive. Ethan has polished off entire dishes of it many times.

F has swim lessons at the YMCA today so I'm ready to hit the treadmill for day 2 of this week of C25K! I think that knowing I only "have" to do it three times a week makes it easier for me... if I knew I had to do it every day I don't think I'd be able to stick with it! Hopefully when the 12 weeks are up, I'll want to run every day. We'll see....

Yep, I did it.... in case you were wondering...

Just reporting that....

I did it! And I ran the entire time. 90 seconds of running alternating with 2 minutes of walking. I just buckled down and DID it. Trying not to think about next week.... because it's 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking... THREE MINUTES OF RUNNING....and three minutes of walking. I've decided that since I am doing round one on the treadmill that I will take it outdoors in the fall. I know running outdoors is totally different (and much harder) than running on the treadmill. My reasoning is that the treadmill keeps me from slowing down or lagging off since I have to keep up my pace!

I want to brag on my husband a bit. He was sending me encouraging text messages while I was doing the session on the treadmill. He knows I don't consider myself a runner at all, and he knows I really want to be one. I married a good one. He's gone to Charlotte until Thursday night since this week is his spring break and he wanted to spend time with his family. I'll miss him but sometimes I enjoy having the house to myself!

This is a short post since I'm about to go and enjoy some dinner.... but just wanted to post and announce that I DID IT!

Lacing up the running shoes....

So, my promise to post tomorrow in my last entry never happened obviously.

However, here I am.

Annnnd the topic of the day will be.... exercise!

I fell out of the habit of exercising once I started my current job back in May since things were so crazy that I was "too tired" to work out when I returned home. As my husband can tell you, I can think of a legitimate excuse to weasel my way out of just about anything if I really want to. So that's why I am posting this... so those of you who know me who are WOMEN can check in with me and hold me accountable to the new exercise routine I started last week.

I must be crazy. I joined a running club last year and went to a couple of the meetings but wasn't very good at it... I think because most of the members were seasoned runners and I was not. I was left far behind in the dust of their dust. Yeah. Ethan also runs, and this girl has no chance of keeping up with him. So, after doing some research and talking to runners I know, I determined that Couch to 5 K would be the best way for me to start. It's a twelve week program and it builds you up to being able to run continuously for the entire 3.14 miles. There are two things I like about C25K: it only requires three sessions per week for about 30 minutes each, and my phone has an application on it that times everything for me so all I have to do is watch the screen and run when it says to run.

I completed the first week last week. F has swim lessons that last 30 minutes on Mondays and Wednesdays at the YMCA. We just joined the YMCA, and my employers put me on their membership so I now have a free YMCA pass! Works for me. Anyway, parents/caregivers are not allowed in the pool area during the swim session, so it works out perfectly. The third session I do sometime on Saturday since I always have at least thirty minutes I can devote to it on that day. This past week was 60 seconds of running alternating with 90 seconds of walking. It was tough, and it still is tough but I stuck it out for the entire workout all three times this week. I'm nervous about Monday because it is now going up to 90 seconds of running alternating with three minutes of walking. I feel like I can barely hold out 60 seconds running.... I'm just going to do my best. So anyway, if you happen to talk to me on a Monday, Wednesday, or Saturday.... ask me if I did my C25K session. (F's lessons are at 4:35 PM, so don't ask me if I've done it until after 5 PM on those days!) My husband (wisely) stays out of the holding me accountable for exercise business. He learned that even if I tell him I want him to, I really don't. Smart guy. Men should not meddle in the business of diets, exercise, or style. It's just not a good thing for the most part.

Tomorrow is Monday.... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

The sweet sound of silence....

Today was incredibly busy and filled with running around getting everything done, lunch at Chic-Fil-A with the kids and Ethan, a long trip up to the northern end of the Perimeter to get medical records from the old pediatrician's office for our appointment tomorrow so we can get the necessary immunization forms for summer camp and school registration in the fall, a stop at Michael's to properly equip our art room, swim lesson for Finn at the YMCA, dinner, baths, etc.....

But now they're all in bed and sleeping soundly. And the house, for once, is quiet. Three kids under the age of 5 make for a pretty crazy (albeit wonderful!) existence! I wouldn't have it any other way.

E went down first at 6:45, F went down at 8, and Baby S just went down 5 minutes ago after greedily sucking down 9 ounces. I'm hoping he sleeps until at least 4 AM.... but we shall see. I should go to bed but I'm waiting for Ethan to get here since he has class on Wednesdays until 9:45 PM. He won't be here until 10:15 or so.

Spoke too soon! Here he is!

Time for snuggles with my favorite person.

I'll post tomorrow.

Ch-ch-ch-anges....

I had a lot of fun with my husband this weekend.... we always have fun, but this weekend was especially memorable! I had the entire day Sunday off, and I went for a massage which was amazing. It really helped relax me since the last couple of months have been anything but. I came home, did the "housewifey" stuff and then when Ethan came home we went out to run errands... nothing too crazy. We ended up at IKEA and brought home a gigantic canvas art print of the Eiffel Tower to put on an empty wall in our house. Even though the loft is mostly furnished at this point, there are still some touches that are not yet done but we were just waiting to stumble upon that perfect thing...I will have to post some photos of it later! It's HUGE... taller than Ethan and I! We love it because Paris is one of our favorite places we've been and we can't wait to go back. There was also a really neat art print that was a map of the world... we're considering getting that as well and putting pushpins with red tops on all the places that we've been together! We'll see what happens. No rush. I'd like a kitchen backsplash first!

After IKEA we decided to head to Osteria for dinner since I wanted mussels in white wine sauce. We were seated and I placed my order, only to be told by the waitress they were out. I was disappointed and told Ethan I wanted to leave because staying there didn't appeal to me since there wasn't anything else on the menu that I wanted. As we were walking back to our car, we noticed this tiny little tequila bar tucked away behind the main strip of Virginia Highlands and we decided to go and eat there. We walked in and the hostess was someone we knew quite well, and the place was small and cute... so we stayed. Our hostess sent us over an appetizer of fundido and beef on the house which was DELICIOUS and we split an order of fajitas as well as an entire pitcher of sangria. It was one of the most fun evenings we've had out in a while since everything was completely spontaneous and unplanned, and it all worked out. When we returned home we put our canvas up on our wall and collapsed into bed.

Monday.... another workweek start. Ethan and I spent the night at my work and got up with Baby S during the night. Ethan is awesome with babies...he can diaper, feed, and comfort a newborn with the best of them. I could take the credit for training him, and I do somewhat, but he has a natural knack for it. We definitely have no rose-colored glasses syndrome when it comes to how the nights go with newborns and infants! He left around 7 this morning to go to the range to qualify with his weapons, and I worked until 6:30 and then left to get my hair cut. Now, I'm notorious for not cutting my hair for months. Once I went 8 months without getting so much as a trim. I have the good fortune of not suffering from split ends and my hair tends to grow out a cut pretty well so it doesn't look like it needs a cut. However, I was ready for a change as my hair was really long! I had 6 inches cut off, and am quite pleased with the result, as is Ethan. Ignore my workout outfit and iPod armband in this photo... I took the easy PhotoBooth way out. It was nice to do something for myself.

On Thursday I have a facial scheduled at BlueMed Spa, which is one of the top spas in the world apparently....I am excited to go! My boss gave me a gift certificate for one as one of my Christmas presents and as I've never had one before I thought I might as well use it! I also will be treating myself to a pedicure this weekend. I spend so much time taking care of everybody else that I sometimes let myself slip to the back burner... with my husband's encouragement and full support, I'm working on putting myself first from time to time. I swear I have "momitis" even though I'm not a mom!