September 7, 2011

A Rant and a Recap

This morning I woke up with a scratchy throat that has gradually gotten worse and I’ve been sneezing all day. Add to that a case of itchy watery eyes and neck pain. It’s miserable. I went to the weather website that tells you what the pollen/ragweed count is in your region. Apparently, we’re in the high (red) zone here in Sconnie.

I assumed I was just having an allergy attack and dragged myself to the grocery store on my lunch hour. I picked up some Allegra (using a $2 off coupon – YAY!) and thought this would at least make me feel better. It’s 10:30 and I feel like death.

Now I’m wondering if it’s a cold. But here’s the thing, everyone in this house suffers allergies and we’re all “sick” so maybe it’s just a bad attack.

End Whine.

I’ve been so busy since the first days of school. My semester began August 22nd, and Dawson’s first day was September 1st. He was so excited to go back and see his friends. He even has a real smile on his face:

His first grade teacher just so happens to be Mrs. S and all of my siblings as well as myself had her as a teacher. Mrs. S is retiring after this year so I feel super lucky we get to work with her. She is so kind and caring and loves her job so much. She’s been teaching almost 40 years. Isn’t that amazing? So many teachers are leaving the profession for various reasons so I feel it’s wonderful that she has been teaching and loving it for so long.

Owen truly misses Dawson during the day. When I dropped him off at daycare yesterday morning he looked around the room wondering where his big brother was. I reminded him that Dawson was at school but Owen still stuck his bottom lip out and that pout was adorable and sad all at once. I love that my boys love each other so much:

I can’t believe how much they’ve grown. Just yesterday they were my babies and I rocked them in my arms. I still try to hold them on my lap when we read each night but they’re limbs are stretched out over half my body. They are not babies anymore. They are big boys. Time sure goes by quickly.

June 29, 2011

We Interrupt This Studying to Blog

I’m taking a break from reading my Microeconomics text book to do some blogging.  I’ve been busting my ass trying to get through this semester and I really feel like summer is passing me by because I spend most of my time working, studying, parenting and cramming a whole lot of other crap into my days.  Frankly, I’m exhausted.  But I have to say I have twice the energy I did a month ago and that’s mostly because I’ve made some changes to my diet and exercise regime.

Flashback to last summer/fall when I successfully completed the Couch to 5K program and lost 25 pounds — I was feeling fit and healthy and then flippin’ winter threw me off.  I had never run in winter with snow and ice on the roads and was terrified to try it.  Being an amateur runner I didn’t know if I needed special winter running shoes/gear/gadgets so I just stopped running. I attempted to continue running on the treadmill but then I started school and switched jobs and basically got busy and lazy.  Life happens.

Now we’re in the last days of June and I finally got my act together enough to run and lift some weights at the gym.  That is when Owen isn’t crying his head off in Adventure Alley.  This afternoon I dropped the boys off and after changing into my workout attire and hopping on the bike for exactly 7 minutes, the YMCA child care worker hunted me down and told me that Owey Pie had been inconsolable for the last twenty minutes.  Let’s just say I didn’t get my work out today and no exercise makes for a very grouchy mama.  (Grouchy, because I need to shed those 25 pounds that magically reappeared – and the 10 extra that came with them! Ugh.)

So then we hit the grocery store, which is NEVER a good idea when I’m crabby and somewhat hungry.  I spent $112 and barely remember what I bought.  I know that most families spend double that on groceries but, people, I bought HUMMUS.  I don’t even know if I like hummus.  I tried it on a multigrain cracker.  The stuff is bland.  I know chickpeas (or garbanzo beans as some call them) are a pretty bland food, but this was the roasted garlic version and it was not very garlicky.  It didn’t spark my taste buds.  Perhaps I’ll doctor it up with more garlic and a touch of lemon.  Or salt!  Maybe it needs salt?

I’ve been spending more time on Twitter and I realized tonight that I’m shitty blogger.  I’ve missed a lot in between my blogging hiatuses (Is that a word? It looks weird.)  Take for example the fact that I HAD NO CLUE that CityMama had a beautiful baby 3 months ago.  Like, seriously.  I suck.  I clicked on her tweet about these brownies and then went to her blog and saw the most adorable boy with cheekers that remind of me of Owen’s at that age:

Oh, the cheeks.  Hard to believe “the baby” is going to be 2 in October!  When did he grow up into this cute little boy:

So, what was I saying?  Oh yeah, I’m a shitty blogging friend.  Dearest City Mama, I felt so awful for not knowing so I promptly attacked your archives.   Your bundle is just so precious! Congratulations! (I know…three months late.)

Just goes to show I need to revisit my old blog loves….

….

I know.  I’m procrastinating.  That damn Econ book is staring me down.  Here’s hoping I pass this test!

May 22, 2011

Two Little Birds

I have the cutest kids ever.  No really, I do.  They are the joy in my life and I have every right to brag about them, yes?

Here’s some recent photo goodness:

They are growing right before my eyes and every day is special.  It’s so difficult to watch them grow up and become their own personalities.  As much as I love them and understand that this is part of life, in these moments I truly understand what it must have been like for my own mother to “let go” of her four children.

Dawson will be 7 years old in just a few months.  SEVEN.  It seems like yesterday that I was holding him in my arms and rocking him to sleep.  His life is no longer an off-shoot of mine.  He has his own life, separate from me.  He has experiences at school that I know nothing about.  When he gets home he tells me about his friends, what he’s learned, the emotions he feels when things happen during his day.  He is making his own memories and some day this little boy will be a man.  How do I get over the immensity of this fact of life that is staring me in the face every day?  Oh how I wish I cold slow down time.

Owen is almost two years old and I’m now realizing that everything I’ve experienced with Dawson is coming down the pipe with my youngest child.  My baby wants to be like his big brother so much, and it seems like he’s growing up twice as fast as Dawson is.  I don’t know how this is possible.  Owen is so full of energy and is always smiling.  When I look at his face I see how much he loves life.  I see how much he loves Dawson.  He is ready to conquer the world.

I can help but shed some tears.  I’m sad these little birds have to leave the nest some day, but I’m so lucky to be their mother and to watch them take flight right before my eyes.

October 2, 2010

The Queen of Chaos

I’ve been trying to read a book for months.  This book to be exact (the authors are from my hometown.  You remember Mimi Bobeck, right?).  But with two boys who keep me insanely busy, I barely make it through a chapter before someone’s diaper needs changing or someone else needs to be fed.

When I’m Queen of My Own Life, I will rule that I be given two straight hours each day to read.  Considering I have a stack of books on my end table that I’d love to read, and magazines piling up in every corner of every room, I’ll probably need a full work day each week to catch up.  My husband will just have to deal with the diaper changing, the picking up of the toys, the constant yelling and craziness.

I just got the new issue of New York Magazine and haven’t had the chance to read about The Social Network, which is on the cover.  I’m not sure I want to watch this movie.  Anyone see it yet?  I love me some Facebook (hello, I’m on it every damn day), but do I really care about Mark Zuckerberg or whatever his name is?

It’s weird that Hollywood is making movies about social media.  I can’t wait for them to make a movie about Twitter.

Okay.  These kids of mine are whining.  The only think I’m queen of is chaos.  So much for blogging.