A Day in the Life

As most of you know, I am a stay at home mom to three precious boys: John who is 5, Matthew is 3, and Thomas is 1. I tried to document one of our days through pictures (and text!). I picked a random day since our schedules are pretty varied depending on the day being that John and Matthew are in preschool two days a week. So, this day in the glamorous life of Jen was on Wednesdy February 19, 2014.

...and here we go...

7:00
I got to sleep in today!! I try to wake up at 4:30 to hit the gym and shower before Brad leaves for work, but Wednesdays are my days to sleep in. Thankfully ALL sweet boys also slept until 7 which doesn't always happen. However I did wake up with a headache so I took care of that before getting T Bone.

John waited for me to change Thomas' diaper by reading one of the baby books. I am so proud of John because he is teaching himself to read so I don't doubt the could read that whole book by himself!

I often find Matthew at the top of the stairs when he wakes up. He takes a while to get moving when he wakes up so he is usually lounging for an extra couple minutes.

T Bone flipped through a book after a diaper change. He is now getting into books which I love! He will bring me books to read which is similar to John when he was a baby.

We head downstairs and the first place Thomas heads is the pantry. He knows where the good stuff is!

Our usual breakfast is french toast (the egg free kind since John is allergic to eggs) or a whole grain waffle with yogurt. Thomas also has fruit.

While the boys finish up breakfast I try to clean up the kitchen. Notice the word 'try'. Doesn't always happen especially on a day that they boys go to school and we are more rushed. One thing that never fails to baffle me is how many kid cups we go through in a day. Usually the top rack is full of kid cups!

Mr. Messy helps me switch out laundry after breakfast. He loves to help me but I am sure this will be short lived and he will follow in his brothers' footsteps in the laundry department.

8:30
A little play time before getting dressed. T Bone and John had 'races' on the donkey and a rocking horse while Matthew drove his car 'to Walmart to get a potato'. Haha!

9:00
Today is Aunt Allison's birthday so we call to say Happy Birthday (since she didn't answer her facetime call!). We decide Matthew is feeling well enough, and the weather is holding out, so we make plans to  meet her and my other sister at the park. We are so lucky that all three of us sisters are stay at home moms, have kids the same age AND live near each other. We try to meet up every Wednesday so the kids can play and the moms can try to have an adult conversation. Anywho, this means we actually have to get dressed so we can pack up and head out!

10:20
We make it to the park. Yes, it takes us about an hour to get 4 people dressed, pack up our bags and pack lunch for the park. Thomas is probably the easiest baby ever EXCEPT when it is time to get dressed. I think he gets jealous of the attention I am giving John and Matthew so he wants to be held or get in my lap the WHOLE TIME I am getting the boys dressed. Makes things a tad more difficult! But, we made it!

My dad is retiring next month and happened to be home from work. So he came along to play at the park with his favorite grandkids!

12:00
However, Grandpa did not pack his lunch (not surprising to me!) so we all went to Central Market for lunch instead. I hadn't been there before and they actually had good food and a big playset for the kids to play.

1:30
T Bone crashed in the car on the way home and stayed asleep as I put him in his crib. I really wanted to do some work on the computer so I broke my 'No iPad Wednesday' rule and let the boys play for a little while. They did not complain...and actually were a little surprised. John said it must be a special day. :)

2:30
I finally fold the crap load of laundry piling up in my dining room. The boys actually helped me sort and match socks which was a HUGE help!

4:00
T Bone wakes up so Matty B reads while I change yet another diaper. (Matty B got a little messy when he went to the bathroom thus the no-pants attire!)

We put away Thomas' laundry while we are in his room. And by 'we' I mean 'I'.

4:30
In the playroom and I think 'Ok, Brad will be home soon. This is the home stretch!'

5:15
Brad gets home right as Thomas is getting fussy from being bored, hungry, and thirsty all at the same time. Since we are having burgers for dinner, we hang out outside while Brad grills. Of course, this is the best time for some races and luckily Batman joined in for the fun!

Thomas learned how to climb the ladder to the playset and today was the first time he realized how fun it was to go down the slide...over and over and over again. Easy for Brad but I am too short to help Thomas at the top of the slide. Guess I need to get a stool for over there now!

6:00
We head inside for dinner and then go upstairs to put away laundry in John and Matthew's room. We also try to pick up their rooms a little but didn't quite get finished.

6:50
Bubble baths for all three boys!

See, Thomas is the sweetest baby ever! Always giving me hugs! (don't mind my crazy hair...it was SO humid outside and that really messes with my curly hair!)

This is Brad's fake smile because he is about to kill me at this point. Apparently I didn't fill him in on my picture documentation of our day so he thinks I am just taking pictures for the fun of it. :)

And my picture taking isn't helping in this situation: a squirmy upset baby who needs a diaper and pajamas!

7:30
T Bone is asleep. The boys watch a show with milk and a cookie.

8:30
John and Matthew are asleep and amazingly they didn't get out of bed once beforehand. They must have been worn out!

9:30
Brad and I finished up watching Jimmy Falon which we dvr'd. (I needed a break from Breaking Bad which I CAN NOT get into...and we are in the 3rd season!) So we head to bed. Before get comfy under the covers, I set out my gym clothes so I can wake up at 4:30 the next day to work out before I start another crazy day with the boys.

And there, in all its glory, is a somewhat typical day at home with the boys. I love these days even when we go through the spectrum of laid back to crazy all in one day (sometimes in a span of one hour!). Man, writing it all out makes me feel tired thinking about our day!

Please be a fan of lil Mop Top on facebook!! I link up to these parties!

Investing in ME

I have been wanting to write up a little post about my weight loss over the past year. Before I do so, I am going to share a piece of a conversation I had with my dad this past weekend. We were talking about my new photography 'skills' (or lack thereof) and he asked if I was going to take classes. I told him there was an online class I wanted to take but it was $300. I said that I am not trying to make photography my profession (EVER) and just wanted to take nice pictures of the boys. So it was hard to justify spending money like that 'just to take pictures of the boys and family'. He said 'Well, you are investing in yourself and that is always a good thing. Your art can always be improved'. 

Investing in myself. Hmm...isn't that always a hard thing to do? Doesn't it seem like sometimes you invest time, money, love into your kids, spouse, family, home, friends but you put yourself last in line? I always feel guilty for doing things for myself whether it be buying a new outfit, a new pair of shoes, or taking a photography class (which I did about 9 months ago and loved it!). Even when I started working out again after having Thomas I felt guilty for having to take the boys to the gym with me so I could work out. Shouldn't I be spending those hours with the boys? Not dumping them off somewhere so I could work out?

So I am glad my dad gave me that reminder of investing in myself. It doesn't have to always be by spending money, but it is nice to invest in myself in order to make me a better Jen, a better mom, an improved wife and daughter, and simply a happier person.

How does this relate to my weight loss? Well, let's back up about 12 months. I had my sweet T Bone on December 26. Here I am in my huge, swollen, and chubby glory the day before he was born. You can barely see my eyes because my cheeks were so chubby they swallowed up my eyeballs!

So while I didn't realize I was 'investing' in myself per se, I joined the gym last March. I finally could start working out after having Thomas and he was old enough for me to take him to the daycare room. For some reason something clicked with me and I decided to also eat better. I gave up Coke (I haven't had one since MARCH!) and for a couple months I only had a 'cheat' day on Saturday when I could have my sweets and desserts. The rest of the 6 days were limited to healthy snacks and healthier meals.



However, it was still hard to get myself to the gym. Between preschool, naps, nursing T Bone, have to make reservations in advance to get Thomas in the daycare room, and wanting to take the boys somewhere fun rather than the gym and ultimately not being happy with the service in the daycare room, I was only going about once a week. Through only diet did I lose the last of those pesky baby weight pounds.

The biggest change I made was in October. I was done nursing Thomas which meant I didn't have to be home when he woke up in the morning (or didn't have to pump when I woke up...I HATE pumping!). So I decided I would just try to work out at 5am so I could be back home and showered before Brad had to leave for work at 6:30. So that means I set my alarm for 4:30 am the next morning and as I fell asleep I thought 'Ha! Yeah right! I will never actually get up and make it to the gym'.

Well, folks, I made it to the gym by sheer miracle. I not only made it to the gym, but I enjoyed getting up early and getting my workout out of the way before anyone woke up. I enjoyed being showered before anyone woke up. And this routine stuck with me and I have been working out at 5am ever since...and making it to the gym on average of 3-4 times a week. There is a 5am core/ab class that I take twice a week that helps force me to get my butt to the gym...and my lovely c-section abs are trimming up!

Sure I want to fall asleep by 1:00 in the afternoon, but it is worth it. I feel so accomplished on those mornings when I workout before the sun is even up. And I can tell a huge difference in my body (duh) for adding in those workouts.

Since Thomas was born about a year ago I have lost about 55 pounds. I usually will blow it off saying 'well, most of that is just losing the weight from being pregnant' because I was one of those lucky pregnant people who gained a crap load of weight. But you know what, not everyone loses their baby weight. And not everyone loses their baby weight and then some. So for whatever reason I had those 55 pounds to lose, I lost them. I had to work hard to lose them, too. In case you didn't realize, having three c-sections take a toll on your midsection! Even though I lost the pounds, my body isn't the same and my stomach is one big gross flabby mess. So I am still working hard to fix that.  I am still working hard to lose those 'happily married' pounds I gained before the babies were born.

Bottom line is I am proud of how far I have come so far, I am committed to investing in myself to continue losing weight and know because I am investing in myself I will be healthier and happier (and the bonus being thinner too!) More importantly I found a way to invest in myself in a way that didn't take away time from being with my sweet babies before they are all in elementary school (and eventually get married and leave me forever, but that is jumping ahead a bit!). I can sacrifice a smidge of sleep for a couple years to fit in a workout without sacrificing the fun times I have with John, Matthew, and Thomas during the day. Changing my schedule to workout at the crack of down was the biggest and most impacting change I made last year and I am thankful I did it!

What are you doing to invest in yourself? What do you hope to change in your life to make that happen?


Please be a fan of lil Mop Top on facebook!! I link up to these parties!

Easy Thank You Cards

My sweet niece, Lilly, had her 1st birthday last month. If you recall, I made these invitations for her tea party and my sister did a fabulous job of throwing the party.

Well, I also made some super easy thank you cards. Here's how:

1. I used this sweet picture of Miss Lilly (take by Fancy Pants Fotos)



2. Using photoshop, I added the words 'Thank You' to the top corner. Genius, right?! You could also use Picnik which is a free site or any other editing program like Publisher.



3. Allison uploaded these to Vista Print when she had a coupon for 100 free postcards. Then she wrote the thank-you's on the back. Easy cheesy!

This takes a tiny bit of work, but probably not much more than driving to the store and buying a pack of thank you cards, and they are WAY cuter! This is one thank you card that won't be tossed in the trash immediately.


Please be a fan of lil Mop Top on facebook!! I link up to these parties!

Cleaning is Pointless with Kids Around!

I think of all the frustrations that come along with having children, cleaning the house is the WORST. I find this to be the most defeating thing...ever. I finished another month of my chore calendar, and I did pretty well. However, one day I was cleaning out the inside of my fridge (and doing an AMAZING job if I do say so myself. That thing was spotless, neat, and organized). I put away the last fast food ketchup (does anyone else save those?!), closed the door, and this is what I find next to me.



Hmmmm...that wasn't there when I started cleaning the fridge. Thanks, Matthew!



But surely the rest of the house stayed clean while I was knee deep in left-overs needing to be thrown out. I mean, I just folded a load of laundry and straightened up the living room.





Nope. Thanks, John!

But hey, if you come over to my house, it may look like a mess, BUT the inside of the fridge is PRISTINE. Soooooo, there's that.




source

Please be a fan of lil Mop Top on facebook!! I link up to these parties!