Sunny was running out into traffic the other day. I grabbed her by her pigtail in a last minute effort to save her life. She didnt appreciate it.
Lachy is eating whole jars of baby food. I dont know what to say about this.
On top of being a garbage disposal, Lachy is also a prodigy. More so than his sister. I wrote in her baby book that she wasnt rolling over both ways until 7mo. Lachy does it now (4 months). Guess she wont be getting into college.
My firstborn doesnt wear pajamas anymore. Before bed last night she wanted me to take them off of her. She slept perfectly in her diaper only. When I tucked her in I said, "Do not take off your diaper" and she didnt. Tonight we just put her in a t-shirt. This milestone makes me almost cry more than walking, talking, and hitting mommy combined. No more feetie jammies....
Thursday, August 4, 2011
My Next Phase
Since I've been pregnant and breastfeeding for seemingly the last 3 years, Saturday I opted for some me time. I joined the gym. And I changed my major. Changed my career. Changed.
I am working on becoming a certified lactation consultant. After 6 days of thorough research online, more phone calls than I've ever made to complete strangers, emails that now fill my inbox, and even meetings already, I can say I've networked my a$$ off, and to great personal benefit. There arent many certified consultants in the area. No more than 10 from Melbourne to St Lucie County. Zero in Sebastian. I'm kind of looking forward to being the only one! Monopoly!
This is what I'm up against for requirements:
The clinical hours are the challenge. Not only do I have to find my own mentors, they have to be recertified lactation consultants. That means they've been in the profession for at least 5 years and were certified then, and have been certified again. So I'm looking for old-lady LCs in the area, who are willing to do me a favor and help me out. I am at their disposal! Its proving difficult, but manageable.
The more mentors I have the more hours I can potentially get. The mentors also each have their own 'venue' (WIC offices, mother to mother support groups, hospitals, pedi office, etc) so I'd have a diverse knowledge of LC-ing in diff locations.
I have found the LC community to be very friendly, willing to help, and HUGE networkers as well. There isnt any hostile competition, I've been referred to this person and that all over Florida! Each person I contacted over the weekend has called me back or emailed. They've given me all the information they possess that will help me or they've agreed to be my mentor. I have roughly 4 mentors already.
My next step is to meet all the mentors in person (I've met one) and have them sign some things. Then I have to get my plan approved with all my mentors on paper. Once that plan is approved, my hours can start racking up.
Back in my 'college days' I took 4 of the health care pre-req courses I already need. Beginning Aug 23 I start the other 4; four nights a week. Luckily its in Vero, at IRSC. A major reason I went with this program!
When I finish at IRSC in December, I will be studying the home-study lactation specific courses (120 hours), taking the 6 medical courses, while getting clinical hours too. Once all that is complete (my goal is to finish by April 2013), I can apply to take the exam which is only held every July.
Basically... I'm going to be busy now. Monday-Thursday evenings are booked for me. Jason will be home with the kids doing dinner, bath, and bedtime. Weekends will be spent studying. Friday will hopefully be spent collecting clinical hours (Jason will be getting all his work done Mon-Thurs so I can have Friday). I am crossing my fingers that I will not need to look into any type of childcare, especially anything last minute. But whatev. We can deal with it.
Sunny does start preschool the same day I start school. She is going Tues/Thurs mornings to a church school on our street. I know, I know, but church preschools are damn good.... Monday and Wednesday is another moms-morning-out type program that all my friends here are enrolling their kids in to. This program is in the mornings as well and only costs $100 a YEAR. I hope to spend the time kid-less with these other moms walking and playing tennis. At least thats the plan.
I dont handle stress very well, thats why I like to play it safe and stay home a lot (I swear, I do stay home a LOT! My friends here in Sebastian call me "The Girl That Stays Home"... Ok, maybe I dont have a nickname but I was recently informed I am teased behind my back about this). I am unsure how I will handle this many activities and stress with babies. I imagine it will be like our recent Germany trip so I am quite nervous.
But, like I said, I am ready for something. I am going from zero activities to 1000. Wish the Gligs luck. We are all gonna need it.
I am working on becoming a certified lactation consultant. After 6 days of thorough research online, more phone calls than I've ever made to complete strangers, emails that now fill my inbox, and even meetings already, I can say I've networked my a$$ off, and to great personal benefit. There arent many certified consultants in the area. No more than 10 from Melbourne to St Lucie County. Zero in Sebastian. I'm kind of looking forward to being the only one! Monopoly!
This is what I'm up against for requirements:
- 8 college courses (if I'm not an RN already, which I'm not)
- 6 medical courses (like CPR, something I can do on one Saturday, not an entire semester)
- 90 hours of lactation specific education (the one I'm taking is Aussie, online, and 120 hours)
- 500 hours of mentor-supervised clinical hours.
The clinical hours are the challenge. Not only do I have to find my own mentors, they have to be recertified lactation consultants. That means they've been in the profession for at least 5 years and were certified then, and have been certified again. So I'm looking for old-lady LCs in the area, who are willing to do me a favor and help me out. I am at their disposal! Its proving difficult, but manageable.
The more mentors I have the more hours I can potentially get. The mentors also each have their own 'venue' (WIC offices, mother to mother support groups, hospitals, pedi office, etc) so I'd have a diverse knowledge of LC-ing in diff locations.
I have found the LC community to be very friendly, willing to help, and HUGE networkers as well. There isnt any hostile competition, I've been referred to this person and that all over Florida! Each person I contacted over the weekend has called me back or emailed. They've given me all the information they possess that will help me or they've agreed to be my mentor. I have roughly 4 mentors already.
My next step is to meet all the mentors in person (I've met one) and have them sign some things. Then I have to get my plan approved with all my mentors on paper. Once that plan is approved, my hours can start racking up.
Back in my 'college days' I took 4 of the health care pre-req courses I already need. Beginning Aug 23 I start the other 4; four nights a week. Luckily its in Vero, at IRSC. A major reason I went with this program!
When I finish at IRSC in December, I will be studying the home-study lactation specific courses (120 hours), taking the 6 medical courses, while getting clinical hours too. Once all that is complete (my goal is to finish by April 2013), I can apply to take the exam which is only held every July.
Basically... I'm going to be busy now. Monday-Thursday evenings are booked for me. Jason will be home with the kids doing dinner, bath, and bedtime. Weekends will be spent studying. Friday will hopefully be spent collecting clinical hours (Jason will be getting all his work done Mon-Thurs so I can have Friday). I am crossing my fingers that I will not need to look into any type of childcare, especially anything last minute. But whatev. We can deal with it.
Sunny does start preschool the same day I start school. She is going Tues/Thurs mornings to a church school on our street. I know, I know, but church preschools are damn good.... Monday and Wednesday is another moms-morning-out type program that all my friends here are enrolling their kids in to. This program is in the mornings as well and only costs $100 a YEAR. I hope to spend the time kid-less with these other moms walking and playing tennis. At least thats the plan.
I dont handle stress very well, thats why I like to play it safe and stay home a lot (I swear, I do stay home a LOT! My friends here in Sebastian call me "The Girl That Stays Home"... Ok, maybe I dont have a nickname but I was recently informed I am teased behind my back about this). I am unsure how I will handle this many activities and stress with babies. I imagine it will be like our recent Germany trip so I am quite nervous.
But, like I said, I am ready for something. I am going from zero activities to 1000. Wish the Gligs luck. We are all gonna need it.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Guess What I....
pulled out of Sunnys old clothes? Her small jammies. That will fit Lachlan now (size 6-9mo if you're wondering how large my second child has accumulated to). For some reason jammies are always in need for my kids; no matter how many jammies we own, its still not enough. They're super cute to shop for so I dont have many problems with this. I have a problem now though, because we do have enough jammies for Lachlan, only they look like this:
My mom made me promise I wouldnt take any photos of him in pink flowery butterfly-ery feetie pajamas; she said it was for my own good later in life. Since you never understand where your mother is coming from until you've been in her exact shoes, I probably wont listen to her more-than-likely great advice. Until then, I'll tell you that Lachy looks like a little boy in girls clothing. He is currently laying in my bed pretending to be my second daughter.
But as usual, I've saved money. At the cost of my son.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
How To...
Make a weekly meal plan.
Something I've stuck with since buying our own house and living on our own is a weekly meal plan. I go to the grocery store ONCE a week, do you?
The main reasons I do the plan is to save money (if I only buy whats on the list, those impulse buys go out the window), save time (I cant lug 2 babies to the store daily), and its fun- really, I enjoy the organization and planning for an entire week. Planning meals and writing them down is healthier- I get to see what each meal consists of and add veggies accordingly. If a meal looks too unhealthy, I can see right away since its written down- for example, I erase "gravy" and add "veg" instead.
To begin, I search online for the weekly flier from whichever store I am shopping at. We go to Publix and I think those fliers come out on Thursdays, as do most. To plan each meal, I first look to see what meat is on sale that week. If chicken breasts are on sale, I will get those to make a meal or two. Or if something weird is on sale, like ribs, then we have those that weekend or something. I just wouldnt buy a turkey, a meat that you just dont eat everyday and its more expensive, on a normal week. But if it were on sale that week... then we would! Remember, only buy whats on your list! You dont need reserves, you dont need a freezer full of crap in case WW3 breaks out, only buy enough meals for that week and thats it. I dont care whats on sale, if it didnt make the list, it didnt make the list.
Since meat is the most expensive item on our list, we do not eat it every meal. Thankfully Jason is not a meat and potatoes-guy. Sure, he looooves steak, but he's also happy eating his veggies. With that in mind, I begin with my recipes. I like to make family favorites, things that dont require recipes like meatloaf, pastas, or pot roasts. I'll add one of those to the weekly menu just so I dont have to think too hard one night! But I love to make new recipes. 4 nights out of the week are new recipes at our house. I find these online at foodnetwork.com or I find them in magazines I subscribe to, like Famiy Circle, Real Simple, BH&G, etc. Whatever we are eating, Sunny is also eating- so pasta and rice dishes are in right now, tomato and spicy dishes are out- I'm breastfeeding and Lachlan appreciates this. I keep a file folder full of magazine recipes or things I've printed online- if we like the recipe, I write "Good!" on it (thanks mom!). If we dont like the recipe, I THROW IT AWAY. That seems obvious...
If, for example, I roast a chicken for one nights' meal, the next day I will usually do some sort of soup for dinner where I can use the remaining chicken. I hate wasting food, and I really dont eat leftovers, so incorporating it into a meal works perfectly for us. Since I dont like leftovers (leftovers get sent to work with Jason for his lunch, he loves it) I also wont buy huge portions of anything. Two small chicken breasts, a handful of fresh green beans- this is all we need! You have to figure this out for your own family.
As I think about recipes, I double check the pantry. Any random item that is in there (there are only random items if a) my dad gave them to us since he loves to find anything on sale b) I caved at the buy-one-get-one section c) I skipped a meal a previous week and ordered pizza) I will try and use up, ultimately saving us money at the store. I do the same thing for a bag of frozen peas in the freezer or a jar of opened alfredo sauce in the fridge that needs to be used soon- I'll base an entire meal around peas if I need to use them! SAVE MONEY.
As usual, the reason I do a weekly meal plan is to save $$$$$ (this is my job as a stay at home mom, save the family money!)- by only buying whats on my list and only eating meat on average 3x per week, we save plenty of money. I hardly ever have buy-one-get-one's sitting around in my pantry just because. Something we use daily, like mayo, I do buy when they are BOGO. Something like peanuts or canned tomatoes (I see these 2 things all the time!) I do not buy because they are on sale. We just dont use them often enough so it is a waste. Even if they're on sale. So dont buy BOGO unless its needed! Got that?!
To make the weekends fun we try and grill Saturdays; I buy meat for the grill and also veggies that you can throw on there too. Or we just do something easy, something we can eat outside. Sundays I try and use the crockpot- also easy, as you all probably know. There are a zillion crockpot recipes online, it doesnt have to be just meat, potatoes, and carrots in there (thats actually our meal today!) Basically I free up the weekends so that we can spend more time with family, not slaving away in the kitchen.
Here is my meal plan for the week. Target has fun meal-planning lists like this one. I use it for shopping and then I stick it to the fridge so I know what meal to cook next. Its not my most amazing meal plan for the week, but I've got it down to this, simply. Everything not on the list to buy, I already have stocked up on at home... I wanted to make a stirfry on Monday because I have lots of rice. I wanted potato soup so that we dont need meat that night. And my "wedgeless" salad is a wedge salad! Only I have a bag of salad that I wanted to use up so now its wedgeless...
![]()
Buy enough of these main items to last you the week so you dont have to go back! Bread, eggs, milk, etc. We buy lunchmeat for sandwiches, but I am weird about how long I let lunchmeat sit in the fridge. We get 1/2lb and when its gone, 2-3 days, its gone. Then we eat tuna or whatever.
I think I've exhausted this subject. Email me with any questions!
Something I've stuck with since buying our own house and living on our own is a weekly meal plan. I go to the grocery store ONCE a week, do you?
The main reasons I do the plan is to save money (if I only buy whats on the list, those impulse buys go out the window), save time (I cant lug 2 babies to the store daily), and its fun- really, I enjoy the organization and planning for an entire week. Planning meals and writing them down is healthier- I get to see what each meal consists of and add veggies accordingly. If a meal looks too unhealthy, I can see right away since its written down- for example, I erase "gravy" and add "veg" instead.
To begin, I search online for the weekly flier from whichever store I am shopping at. We go to Publix and I think those fliers come out on Thursdays, as do most. To plan each meal, I first look to see what meat is on sale that week. If chicken breasts are on sale, I will get those to make a meal or two. Or if something weird is on sale, like ribs, then we have those that weekend or something. I just wouldnt buy a turkey, a meat that you just dont eat everyday and its more expensive, on a normal week. But if it were on sale that week... then we would! Remember, only buy whats on your list! You dont need reserves, you dont need a freezer full of crap in case WW3 breaks out, only buy enough meals for that week and thats it. I dont care whats on sale, if it didnt make the list, it didnt make the list.
Since meat is the most expensive item on our list, we do not eat it every meal. Thankfully Jason is not a meat and potatoes-guy. Sure, he looooves steak, but he's also happy eating his veggies. With that in mind, I begin with my recipes. I like to make family favorites, things that dont require recipes like meatloaf, pastas, or pot roasts. I'll add one of those to the weekly menu just so I dont have to think too hard one night! But I love to make new recipes. 4 nights out of the week are new recipes at our house. I find these online at foodnetwork.com or I find them in magazines I subscribe to, like Famiy Circle, Real Simple, BH&G, etc. Whatever we are eating, Sunny is also eating- so pasta and rice dishes are in right now, tomato and spicy dishes are out- I'm breastfeeding and Lachlan appreciates this. I keep a file folder full of magazine recipes or things I've printed online- if we like the recipe, I write "Good!" on it (thanks mom!). If we dont like the recipe, I THROW IT AWAY. That seems obvious...
If, for example, I roast a chicken for one nights' meal, the next day I will usually do some sort of soup for dinner where I can use the remaining chicken. I hate wasting food, and I really dont eat leftovers, so incorporating it into a meal works perfectly for us. Since I dont like leftovers (leftovers get sent to work with Jason for his lunch, he loves it) I also wont buy huge portions of anything. Two small chicken breasts, a handful of fresh green beans- this is all we need! You have to figure this out for your own family.
As I think about recipes, I double check the pantry. Any random item that is in there (there are only random items if a) my dad gave them to us since he loves to find anything on sale b) I caved at the buy-one-get-one section c) I skipped a meal a previous week and ordered pizza) I will try and use up, ultimately saving us money at the store. I do the same thing for a bag of frozen peas in the freezer or a jar of opened alfredo sauce in the fridge that needs to be used soon- I'll base an entire meal around peas if I need to use them! SAVE MONEY.
As usual, the reason I do a weekly meal plan is to save $$$$$ (this is my job as a stay at home mom, save the family money!)- by only buying whats on my list and only eating meat on average 3x per week, we save plenty of money. I hardly ever have buy-one-get-one's sitting around in my pantry just because. Something we use daily, like mayo, I do buy when they are BOGO. Something like peanuts or canned tomatoes (I see these 2 things all the time!) I do not buy because they are on sale. We just dont use them often enough so it is a waste. Even if they're on sale. So dont buy BOGO unless its needed! Got that?!
To make the weekends fun we try and grill Saturdays; I buy meat for the grill and also veggies that you can throw on there too. Or we just do something easy, something we can eat outside. Sundays I try and use the crockpot- also easy, as you all probably know. There are a zillion crockpot recipes online, it doesnt have to be just meat, potatoes, and carrots in there (thats actually our meal today!) Basically I free up the weekends so that we can spend more time with family, not slaving away in the kitchen.
Here is my meal plan for the week. Target has fun meal-planning lists like this one. I use it for shopping and then I stick it to the fridge so I know what meal to cook next. Its not my most amazing meal plan for the week, but I've got it down to this, simply. Everything not on the list to buy, I already have stocked up on at home... I wanted to make a stirfry on Monday because I have lots of rice. I wanted potato soup so that we dont need meat that night. And my "wedgeless" salad is a wedge salad! Only I have a bag of salad that I wanted to use up so now its wedgeless...
Buy enough of these main items to last you the week so you dont have to go back! Bread, eggs, milk, etc. We buy lunchmeat for sandwiches, but I am weird about how long I let lunchmeat sit in the fridge. We get 1/2lb and when its gone, 2-3 days, its gone. Then we eat tuna or whatever.
I think I've exhausted this subject. Email me with any questions!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Pedi's, and not the feet kind
I miss Dr Brown. Old fashioned and wise. He could take one look at Sunny and say, "Her eyes arent bright enough, somethings wrong." My kids' pedi here in Sebastian... ugh. They are nice enough. I semi-trust them. Ok, I dont trust them at all. I think theyre on Google while we're discussing things.
I have to know my shit when I go to the pedi's office. Since they dont really know theirs. I ask questions that I already know the answer to just to see what they'll say. They arent schooled in immunizations, the PA said today. Well... I wonder what she is schooled in?
I didnt get on here to talk crap about my kids' Drs. They are doing their job, by the book, no deviating. But each kid isnt by the book. They are individuals.
And I dont care about the Herd. She started on about the Herd today, I stopped her. Ive got my own agenda. Two of them.
Lachy is on day 3 of having a fever and I am going to take him to the Dr perhaps. The Dr I have in mind though is at the ER. Our ER is very clean and nice and we are usually in and out of there quickly. Those Drs know what they are doing. They arent trying to vax my kids, guilt me, or ask irrelevant questions. Our insurance covers these ER visits.
Since realizing I'd rather go to the ER than my kids own pediatrician, I've decided to leave our pediatrician for good. We are officially in the market for a new one.
I have to know my shit when I go to the pedi's office. Since they dont really know theirs. I ask questions that I already know the answer to just to see what they'll say. They arent schooled in immunizations, the PA said today. Well... I wonder what she is schooled in?
I didnt get on here to talk crap about my kids' Drs. They are doing their job, by the book, no deviating. But each kid isnt by the book. They are individuals.
And I dont care about the Herd. She started on about the Herd today, I stopped her. Ive got my own agenda. Two of them.
Lachy is on day 3 of having a fever and I am going to take him to the Dr perhaps. The Dr I have in mind though is at the ER. Our ER is very clean and nice and we are usually in and out of there quickly. Those Drs know what they are doing. They arent trying to vax my kids, guilt me, or ask irrelevant questions. Our insurance covers these ER visits.
Since realizing I'd rather go to the ER than my kids own pediatrician, I've decided to leave our pediatrician for good. We are officially in the market for a new one.
Hello World
Holy rollercoaster.
Can I summarize our last 3 months? It has something to do with having a baby, having in-laws, having a vacay, having jetlag, having sickness.
And today I woke up seeing the day a whole new way. Helllllloooooooo life. We are back to getting back on track. There is nothing planned in front of us for as far as the eye can see.
Lachy is fevery and sleepy and cranky all at the same time. But its ok. Cuz Im not sick anymore and I have the energy to take care of him. And Sunny's healthy. And Jason's Jason.
Can I summarize our last 3 months? It has something to do with having a baby, having in-laws, having a vacay, having jetlag, having sickness.
And today I woke up seeing the day a whole new way. Helllllloooooooo life. We are back to getting back on track. There is nothing planned in front of us for as far as the eye can see.
Lachy is fevery and sleepy and cranky all at the same time. But its ok. Cuz Im not sick anymore and I have the energy to take care of him. And Sunny's healthy. And Jason's Jason.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
A long tantrum. You are warned.
the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I blog about enough good in the glig life since its nice not to dwell on the bad and the ugly. Plus no one likes a complainer. But its not like the bad stuff isnt there.
I updated my Facebook this morning with some whining about potty training. We're not even potty training, I dont know why I even did what I did this morning. It will not continue though, and I am scared to read my FB now for it is surely full of comments about how "sunny must not be ready" and "hang in there momma!"s, or there is nothing at all about my update cuz no one cares.
Sunny did walk up to Jason this morning, with her potty chair, told him she wanted to go potty and attempted to take off her diaper and jammies. Well Jason didnt seem to get the gist of what was going on so she struggled with her clothes for a minute, then stood gazing off in the distance the next minute. She'd peed. And she knew she was going to so she told us. We lost a precious potty training moment.
I took that as a "Hey, lets catch the next one!" and let her walk around naked for a bit. A bit turned into 2 hours of staring at her butt, seriously, to see if she was gonna go #2 (she always does in the morning). She held it for 2 hours. Then peed on the floor, herself, and Lambie while I let 10 feet somehow get between us. I put a diaper on her and she went #2. I was so mad at myself. What was I trying to prove anyways, that my newly 2 toddler can be potty trained? I dont even care if she is! I want preschool to teach her that, lol, I just dont have the patience. I do A LOT of seemingly weird things to my kids that make me go out of my way and makes life a little tougher (strange to other people perhaps- cloth diapers, organic food, no candy, blah blah blah) but I do not have patience for potty training. I get too disappointed and I know Sunny can tell that. I dont want that.
End of the potty training saga... We had an appointment to see Sunnys new school. We are THINKING of enrolling her starting in August for 2 mornings a week. No huge deal. We went to check it out. I loved it. Cute, small, church preschool, sweet teachers. They know 2 year olds. We saw the room then went to the office to talk more. Sunny.. oh Sunny- she either clung to my leg or screamed that she wanted this baby that was in the classroom. In my quest to be consistent and firm when Sunny began the tantrum, which is fine in my own time or even at Publix because I dont know those people, I was embarrassed to have to talk over her, try and quietly tell her we were doing this now, we could see the baby later, etc. I dont even know what happened. Thankfully a teacher was holding Lachlan and loving it, showing him off to everyone else so i had no worries there. We left sooner than I wanted; i just couldnt concentrate any longer on anything the woman was saying, I had a 2 year old fussing in my ear. We saw the baby, said goodbye to the baby, then proceeded to really lay it on-- I took Lachy and we hauled ass outside to continue the tantrum. Sunny wouldnt come outside, I drug her out. Then she collapsed at the front doors. Screaming. I started walking down the sidewalk in one of those mommy tricks, she'll follow, and she did. I took her hand and she turned into jelly legs. She wanted to be held but I had Lachlan....
Ok, this just goes on and on. I dragged her through the parking lot kicking and screaming. Buckled her in kicking and screaming. Attempted to drive 2 miles to my house and didnt make it- I pulled over. A first for me since becoming a mom. She was just too much! I never heard such a shrill scream, I couldnt take it! And i swear we live on the same street as the damn school, I didnt have to go far. I pulled over, turned around and almost let her have it. I just said over and over to "Stop it!" She did. At least that worked, but who feels good about themselves after that? Oh, speaking of feeling good about themselves, before I left the preschool director asked if baby #3 was on its way. *sigh. I dont have much to say about this. Except I really almost drove straight to this gym Jason and i have been talking about, and I probably would have if I could drive 100 yards with Sunny in the car, but I couldnt. I took her straight home, left the car running as I grabbed her and we went straight to her room. Set her inside and said something about unacceptable screaming, time out, mommy needs a drink... no i didnt say that. Just thought it.
I took Lachy and soothed him since he wasnt into mommy pulling over either. He fell asleep. I went into Sunnys room to get her, since she obviously was pissed to be put on the back burner. She was laying on the floor cuddling Lambie. I got teary eyed and picked her up. We rocked and rocked and she fell asleep instantly. 30 minutes later she is still doing that "sniff sniff" breathing thing kids do after a hard cry? She's sleeping in my bed next to me. Wore herself out.
My kids are both sleeping and I can breath for one second. Having kids is hard. I dont like to talk the future on my blog, but... these 2 rascals might be the only mini Gligs. Dont hold me to it. Or hold me to having more, I'm just sayin....
Lessons learned from today:
1. leave potty training to the experts (the school said they'd do it!)
2. def enroll Sunny in preschool, she needs structure and time away from her parents (very clingy!)
3. Join gym.
I blog about enough good in the glig life since its nice not to dwell on the bad and the ugly. Plus no one likes a complainer. But its not like the bad stuff isnt there.
I updated my Facebook this morning with some whining about potty training. We're not even potty training, I dont know why I even did what I did this morning. It will not continue though, and I am scared to read my FB now for it is surely full of comments about how "sunny must not be ready" and "hang in there momma!"s, or there is nothing at all about my update cuz no one cares.
Sunny did walk up to Jason this morning, with her potty chair, told him she wanted to go potty and attempted to take off her diaper and jammies. Well Jason didnt seem to get the gist of what was going on so she struggled with her clothes for a minute, then stood gazing off in the distance the next minute. She'd peed. And she knew she was going to so she told us. We lost a precious potty training moment.
I took that as a "Hey, lets catch the next one!" and let her walk around naked for a bit. A bit turned into 2 hours of staring at her butt, seriously, to see if she was gonna go #2 (she always does in the morning). She held it for 2 hours. Then peed on the floor, herself, and Lambie while I let 10 feet somehow get between us. I put a diaper on her and she went #2. I was so mad at myself. What was I trying to prove anyways, that my newly 2 toddler can be potty trained? I dont even care if she is! I want preschool to teach her that, lol, I just dont have the patience. I do A LOT of seemingly weird things to my kids that make me go out of my way and makes life a little tougher (strange to other people perhaps- cloth diapers, organic food, no candy, blah blah blah) but I do not have patience for potty training. I get too disappointed and I know Sunny can tell that. I dont want that.
End of the potty training saga... We had an appointment to see Sunnys new school. We are THINKING of enrolling her starting in August for 2 mornings a week. No huge deal. We went to check it out. I loved it. Cute, small, church preschool, sweet teachers. They know 2 year olds. We saw the room then went to the office to talk more. Sunny.. oh Sunny- she either clung to my leg or screamed that she wanted this baby that was in the classroom. In my quest to be consistent and firm when Sunny began the tantrum, which is fine in my own time or even at Publix because I dont know those people, I was embarrassed to have to talk over her, try and quietly tell her we were doing this now, we could see the baby later, etc. I dont even know what happened. Thankfully a teacher was holding Lachlan and loving it, showing him off to everyone else so i had no worries there. We left sooner than I wanted; i just couldnt concentrate any longer on anything the woman was saying, I had a 2 year old fussing in my ear. We saw the baby, said goodbye to the baby, then proceeded to really lay it on-- I took Lachy and we hauled ass outside to continue the tantrum. Sunny wouldnt come outside, I drug her out. Then she collapsed at the front doors. Screaming. I started walking down the sidewalk in one of those mommy tricks, she'll follow, and she did. I took her hand and she turned into jelly legs. She wanted to be held but I had Lachlan....
Ok, this just goes on and on. I dragged her through the parking lot kicking and screaming. Buckled her in kicking and screaming. Attempted to drive 2 miles to my house and didnt make it- I pulled over. A first for me since becoming a mom. She was just too much! I never heard such a shrill scream, I couldnt take it! And i swear we live on the same street as the damn school, I didnt have to go far. I pulled over, turned around and almost let her have it. I just said over and over to "Stop it!" She did. At least that worked, but who feels good about themselves after that? Oh, speaking of feeling good about themselves, before I left the preschool director asked if baby #3 was on its way. *sigh. I dont have much to say about this. Except I really almost drove straight to this gym Jason and i have been talking about, and I probably would have if I could drive 100 yards with Sunny in the car, but I couldnt. I took her straight home, left the car running as I grabbed her and we went straight to her room. Set her inside and said something about unacceptable screaming, time out, mommy needs a drink... no i didnt say that. Just thought it.
I took Lachy and soothed him since he wasnt into mommy pulling over either. He fell asleep. I went into Sunnys room to get her, since she obviously was pissed to be put on the back burner. She was laying on the floor cuddling Lambie. I got teary eyed and picked her up. We rocked and rocked and she fell asleep instantly. 30 minutes later she is still doing that "sniff sniff" breathing thing kids do after a hard cry? She's sleeping in my bed next to me. Wore herself out.
My kids are both sleeping and I can breath for one second. Having kids is hard. I dont like to talk the future on my blog, but... these 2 rascals might be the only mini Gligs. Dont hold me to it. Or hold me to having more, I'm just sayin....
Lessons learned from today:
1. leave potty training to the experts (the school said they'd do it!)
2. def enroll Sunny in preschool, she needs structure and time away from her parents (very clingy!)
3. Join gym.
Monday, July 4, 2011
4th of July morning
My parents came over the day before a 5k race that my father and I were running together on the 4th along the river here in Sebastian. I was actually looking forward to the run, even as we drove there, something that doesnt always happen. I knew that in order to get me out of the mood I'd been in (it was a terrible mood, like a post-vacay blues mood, the "house is a mess" mood, etc) I would need to start running again. I havent ran in over 2 weeks and its depressing.
*On a side note, I did lose weight while in Germany, not something I contribute to a healthy diet or anything, but to walking through the city with a baby strapped to me and going up stairs a TON--- in Berlin our elevator only held 150kilos, a weight I'm not entirely sure about so I would take the stairs instead of hopping in this with Jason... And its also not thanks to German food or beer, which I ate and drank enough of to gain plenty of weight.
I was surprised that I finished the race without walking, which is always my only goal. Maybe one day my goals will change to trying to get better times... one day. I ran this race as fast as I ran the previous race in Vero a month ago- 12 minute miles. Slow, right? Well, at least I am fine with this number. I did just have a baby. 3 months ago, but still. People were staring at me some; sometimes I thought they must like my cool glasses, other times I think they thought I was still pregnant and running....
Running is all in your head. My body can do it, but my mind will scream to just stop and go lay in some shady grass. I keep motivated by listening to music I used to listen to in my prime, things like Crazy Game of Poker- I've ended many runs with this song helping me along the way. I also bore my eyes into the backs of 80 year old runners in front of me, saying to myself that there is no way that old codger will beat me. This time I'd passed most of the nursing home and instead focused in on another demographic that I just cant run behind- a 6 year old in front of me. When I passed him I told him I've been trying to catch up with him for miles. He beat me in the end. Next time, rugrat.
I didnt register to run. This was my first race as a bandit. Thats run-jargon for cheap loser.
My post-run endorphins have thankfully replaced my nausea- I left the race to pick up my kiddos at the house- they were still sleeping so I just left them there knowing they would be fine until I got back. Kidding, my mom was there... I took them in their red, white, and blue glory back to the river for a parade. Friends of ours are party planners so they always have the sweetest setup, complete with vodka even though its 8a. It was SO HOT though... I almost just left. The kids were fine but I was sweating, just as much as everyone else I'd realized, so I stuck around.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
*On a side note, I did lose weight while in Germany, not something I contribute to a healthy diet or anything, but to walking through the city with a baby strapped to me and going up stairs a TON--- in Berlin our elevator only held 150kilos, a weight I'm not entirely sure about so I would take the stairs instead of hopping in this with Jason... And its also not thanks to German food or beer, which I ate and drank enough of to gain plenty of weight.
I was surprised that I finished the race without walking, which is always my only goal. Maybe one day my goals will change to trying to get better times... one day. I ran this race as fast as I ran the previous race in Vero a month ago- 12 minute miles. Slow, right? Well, at least I am fine with this number. I did just have a baby. 3 months ago, but still. People were staring at me some; sometimes I thought they must like my cool glasses, other times I think they thought I was still pregnant and running....
Running is all in your head. My body can do it, but my mind will scream to just stop and go lay in some shady grass. I keep motivated by listening to music I used to listen to in my prime, things like Crazy Game of Poker- I've ended many runs with this song helping me along the way. I also bore my eyes into the backs of 80 year old runners in front of me, saying to myself that there is no way that old codger will beat me. This time I'd passed most of the nursing home and instead focused in on another demographic that I just cant run behind- a 6 year old in front of me. When I passed him I told him I've been trying to catch up with him for miles. He beat me in the end. Next time, rugrat.
I didnt register to run. This was my first race as a bandit. Thats run-jargon for cheap loser.
My post-run endorphins have thankfully replaced my nausea- I left the race to pick up my kiddos at the house- they were still sleeping so I just left them there knowing they would be fine until I got back. Kidding, my mom was there... I took them in their red, white, and blue glory back to the river for a parade. Friends of ours are party planners so they always have the sweetest setup, complete with vodka even though its 8a. It was SO HOT though... I almost just left. The kids were fine but I was sweating, just as much as everyone else I'd realized, so I stuck around.
Can you see Lachy sleeping in the chair above? Parades make him sleepy. He jumped practically out of that chair when the sirens of a firetruck went off right next to us. He screamed, was so scared :(
I lost my car keys before the parade, in the midst of feeding Lachy once I'd parked, changing diapers, getting the kids out of the car, into the stroller... My dad came and rescued me later, found my keys under the car. Figures...
Friday, July 1, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
the new gligs
the gligs have big plans for our home life now that we are back. it feels like a new chapter in our lives- yes i'm being dramatic but remember, we had a baby followed by jasons parents for a month and then this 2 week germany trip- life has been abnormal for a long time! sunny needs boot camp and jason and i need fat camp.
first thing i've done is take all the sippy/straw cups out of the house, we are finished! sunny turned 2 over our holiday so its time for some new big girl stuff. i threw these into the trash bin. they were gross anyways.
potty training is the next endeavor. after we are settled that chair is coming out and i will try it hardcore and see what happens. if she isnt interested then i've decided we dont have to be pushy. i just feel she's ready and if she's not, its not a big deal to keep changing her diaper right there next to her brothers'. they are in the same sized diaper now anyways, by the way.... hehehe
jason and i have begun the transformation! we are on diets, excersize regiments, and whatever else we need to do to get back in shape. we are eating healthier (to our defense, i cook mostly healthy meals anyways. now we're even more strict- maybe no ice cream before bed?). we plan to bike and run with the kids when jason gets home from work, play tennis and golf and softball. we have leagues already set up for those activities that we've been involved with in the past so its not a huge jump to commit to just attending more often. jason has vowed off beer during the week. baby steps.
i am back to black. coffee, that is. when i'm pregnant i like to give myself a break and have coffee creamer. no more.
sunny has been eating more junk food the last 2 months to keep her happy than she ever has in her entire life. and her tummy hurts to prove it. we are also done with that crap. she's already devoured 5 meals worth of healthier food since we've been home. granola cereal, peaches, cranberries, rice, yogurt... its amazing what a kid will eat when she's actually hungry, too. she scarfed dinner tonight that consisted of meatloaf, potatoes, green beans and mushrooms.
she's also in glig boot camp. she developed a high pitched scream that gets under your skin and makes grandparents give in to whatever it is she's screaming about. it makes us give in too sometimes. i havent heard it lately so i might not have to do anything about this.
basically we're happy to be home and are ready to settle into a normal pace. a healthier one.
first thing i've done is take all the sippy/straw cups out of the house, we are finished! sunny turned 2 over our holiday so its time for some new big girl stuff. i threw these into the trash bin. they were gross anyways.
potty training is the next endeavor. after we are settled that chair is coming out and i will try it hardcore and see what happens. if she isnt interested then i've decided we dont have to be pushy. i just feel she's ready and if she's not, its not a big deal to keep changing her diaper right there next to her brothers'. they are in the same sized diaper now anyways, by the way.... hehehe
jason and i have begun the transformation! we are on diets, excersize regiments, and whatever else we need to do to get back in shape. we are eating healthier (to our defense, i cook mostly healthy meals anyways. now we're even more strict- maybe no ice cream before bed?). we plan to bike and run with the kids when jason gets home from work, play tennis and golf and softball. we have leagues already set up for those activities that we've been involved with in the past so its not a huge jump to commit to just attending more often. jason has vowed off beer during the week. baby steps.
i am back to black. coffee, that is. when i'm pregnant i like to give myself a break and have coffee creamer. no more.
sunny has been eating more junk food the last 2 months to keep her happy than she ever has in her entire life. and her tummy hurts to prove it. we are also done with that crap. she's already devoured 5 meals worth of healthier food since we've been home. granola cereal, peaches, cranberries, rice, yogurt... its amazing what a kid will eat when she's actually hungry, too. she scarfed dinner tonight that consisted of meatloaf, potatoes, green beans and mushrooms.
she's also in glig boot camp. she developed a high pitched scream that gets under your skin and makes grandparents give in to whatever it is she's screaming about. it makes us give in too sometimes. i havent heard it lately so i might not have to do anything about this.
basically we're happy to be home and are ready to settle into a normal pace. a healthier one.
germany day 11
location: berlin/florida
sunny and lachys baby beds in berlin, so cute!
dad changes lachlan before heading to the berlin craphole airport:
a hasty retreat from the hotel room! i rearranged the contents of our luggage in the most haphazard way. it wasnt possible to be organized. things just had to fit somewhere. too many gifts and souvenirs. we got picked up. taken through the city the 'back way' since the highway was blocked with traffic. checked in and then started getting bitchy about how the flight attendants were attending to us first and foremost because we had small children. some of it was actually warranted.
jason and i had a discussion about what we would change about this trip. i mentioned going alone, just me and him so we only had to be concerned about each other. he said he'd change nothing but staying in that hostel. agreed. but i informed him he would worry about the children a lot more if only he wasnt a man (i edited this to tone it down a notch). moms worry- we are the ones who give birth, nurse the babies, become stay at home moms... in our family, i am the one who is MORE responsible for the kids; its like 60/40 here in our house. jason works, i mean, what else can we do to shift the balance? he's pretty damn good at being 1/2 of this parenting team, but there's no worrying going on. i wanted the kids to be warm, clean, happy, safe, well rested, fed, etc. he does too, but if they arent, then he's not too concerned about it... so, ya, i wish next time to leave those worries behind.
overall it was the best vacay we've had as a family. my parents agree! i like knowing i can drag my babies all over the city. checked that box. now i'm thinking about our next holiday together and i can already see us beside a lake, relaxing, fishing... not dodging traffic and fighting crowds. i need a holiday from our holiday.
overall it was the best vacay we've had as a family. my parents agree! i like knowing i can drag my babies all over the city. checked that box. now i'm thinking about our next holiday together and i can already see us beside a lake, relaxing, fishing... not dodging traffic and fighting crowds. i need a holiday from our holiday.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
germany day 10
location: munich/berlin
again, back to the big city. we were up early thanks to the littles and were packed and ready to go. the flight was fine (trying to recall what even happened, i have no idea. i think i nursed lachy the entire time while reading the dragon tattoo book on my nook).
let me just first say that we were dropped off at a gorgeous hotel called park hotel blub. i dont know what a blub is, but this place was luxury, but i think anything is luxury when youve come from what we came from. mom and dad had their own room, jase and the kids and i had ours. as soon as the luggage was dropped off in our room i told everyone to GET OUT! i needed peace. with jason and the kids, as much peace as that is! sunny raided the mini bar and found peanuts. she sat next to lachlan on the bed as she ate them. then i saw lachlan wallowing something around in his mouth then promptly spit out a whole peanut with his tongue. *sigh. poor kid. well, he doesnt have a peanut allergy. or problems with choking.
i took the longest shower ever, after the hostel showers, munich, and the flight i needed it. i was refreshed when we took the kids over to their ur oma and ur opa's place (that means great grandparents). i took all of lachys bottles, sunnys cups, and milk pumping things to their house so i could wash everything in a real sink, with real sponges, and real soap. pathetic, huh? its the little things, and when they arent there....
we walked to oma and opas place; it is small and cozy. coffee was served with cakes and cookies (sweet stuff here like cookies, cakes, cereal is NOT SWEET at all! we must be used to sickly sweet stuff....), etc. sunny wasnt aloud to have any of it! she's had an upset tummy from all the crap she'd eaten so sugar was off limits. i heard a chocolate bar was the first thing shoved into her grubby hand when we arrived and jason had to take it away! haha, she had little dry flavorless bickies... but had enough fun and candy in germany to last a long time.
the house is full of photos of my family and theirs. sunny and lachy and jason are plastered all over the walls. i think i took a photo of this somewhere! it is more shrine-like than anything; they call it their gallery. and there is a huge section roped off for lachlan. says "reserved for locki" in german. oh, that reminds me, jasons family that we met at the monastery beer garden only would call the baby aleksandar! it was written on their gifts to lachy, they said it aloud, and when a stranger said Was hiesen sie? or whatever "What is his name?" is in german, she replied Aleksandar! it cracked me up. i like that name as well, or it wouldnt be his middle name...
so, near the great grandparents place and our hotel is a greek restaurant. we sat and ate. and ate, and ate. many courses of meals, sat around a family style table where we were all staring at each other. there were lots of promises to visit us in florida and it was sad to say goodbye to jasons grandparents. opa said he'd fly to sunnys wedding, and they dont travel by flying anymore. he said many speeches, but one quote he mentioned was that "...god gave us the time but he didnt tell us to hurry". i dont entirely understand it but it think its deep and meaningful. to those who do understand it.
my dad said a very nice speech as well, surprised us all. as jason says, "when john speaks you better listen". he said something to do with not wanting to leave, will come back, anyones welcome to visit, and thanks for everything jasons family has done for us. it was better than what i just summarized thats for sure.
jason got through his first day in germany where he didnt have any alcohol. he ate first and quick then took sunny off to the hotel alone for bed. i followed an hour later with lachlan and fell asleep in my room with the windows open and street noise coming in-- my last night in germany.
ps. many many family and friends asked about my etsy.com business back home. i enjoyed everyones interest in it! thanks! here it is http://www.etsy.com/shop/oabby81?ref=si_shop
again, back to the big city. we were up early thanks to the littles and were packed and ready to go. the flight was fine (trying to recall what even happened, i have no idea. i think i nursed lachy the entire time while reading the dragon tattoo book on my nook).
let me just first say that we were dropped off at a gorgeous hotel called park hotel blub. i dont know what a blub is, but this place was luxury, but i think anything is luxury when youve come from what we came from. mom and dad had their own room, jase and the kids and i had ours. as soon as the luggage was dropped off in our room i told everyone to GET OUT! i needed peace. with jason and the kids, as much peace as that is! sunny raided the mini bar and found peanuts. she sat next to lachlan on the bed as she ate them. then i saw lachlan wallowing something around in his mouth then promptly spit out a whole peanut with his tongue. *sigh. poor kid. well, he doesnt have a peanut allergy. or problems with choking.
i took the longest shower ever, after the hostel showers, munich, and the flight i needed it. i was refreshed when we took the kids over to their ur oma and ur opa's place (that means great grandparents). i took all of lachys bottles, sunnys cups, and milk pumping things to their house so i could wash everything in a real sink, with real sponges, and real soap. pathetic, huh? its the little things, and when they arent there....
we walked to oma and opas place; it is small and cozy. coffee was served with cakes and cookies (sweet stuff here like cookies, cakes, cereal is NOT SWEET at all! we must be used to sickly sweet stuff....), etc. sunny wasnt aloud to have any of it! she's had an upset tummy from all the crap she'd eaten so sugar was off limits. i heard a chocolate bar was the first thing shoved into her grubby hand when we arrived and jason had to take it away! haha, she had little dry flavorless bickies... but had enough fun and candy in germany to last a long time.
the house is full of photos of my family and theirs. sunny and lachy and jason are plastered all over the walls. i think i took a photo of this somewhere! it is more shrine-like than anything; they call it their gallery. and there is a huge section roped off for lachlan. says "reserved for locki" in german. oh, that reminds me, jasons family that we met at the monastery beer garden only would call the baby aleksandar! it was written on their gifts to lachy, they said it aloud, and when a stranger said Was hiesen sie? or whatever "What is his name?" is in german, she replied Aleksandar! it cracked me up. i like that name as well, or it wouldnt be his middle name...
so, near the great grandparents place and our hotel is a greek restaurant. we sat and ate. and ate, and ate. many courses of meals, sat around a family style table where we were all staring at each other. there were lots of promises to visit us in florida and it was sad to say goodbye to jasons grandparents. opa said he'd fly to sunnys wedding, and they dont travel by flying anymore. he said many speeches, but one quote he mentioned was that "...god gave us the time but he didnt tell us to hurry". i dont entirely understand it but it think its deep and meaningful. to those who do understand it.
my dad said a very nice speech as well, surprised us all. as jason says, "when john speaks you better listen". he said something to do with not wanting to leave, will come back, anyones welcome to visit, and thanks for everything jasons family has done for us. it was better than what i just summarized thats for sure.
jason got through his first day in germany where he didnt have any alcohol. he ate first and quick then took sunny off to the hotel alone for bed. i followed an hour later with lachlan and fell asleep in my room with the windows open and street noise coming in-- my last night in germany.
ps. many many family and friends asked about my etsy.com business back home. i enjoyed everyones interest in it! thanks! here it is http://www.etsy.com/shop/oabby81?ref=si_shop
germany day 9
location: munich
my feet hurt. not like, ow i'm a wimp and the muscles are sore. but 'ow i've got cuts on my feet and somethings wrong with the bottom of leftie'. we went on this hike yesterday that was described as a nice walk beforehand. i wore jeans and flipflops and donned my children. wrong wrong wrong
thankfully before we began jason had the idea to send mom and sunny up the mountain on the bus, the other option to get to the top. but me and jason, lachlan, jasons mom and cousins trekked through mud and rocks and roots and 200 old rickety stairs and even some nice grass at one point for over an hour to reach a monastary on the top of a mountain. that has a beer garden of course.
i felt accomplished though. and it was in the shade of a forest. and lachlan slept the entire time. when we pulled him out of his ergo carrier that jason wore he was a sweaty hot mess. but still sleeping. and sunny had made it to the top with meme and was also sleeping when we arrived. sometimes it is easy with those two. but like jason and i discussed on the way up, the challenges you face traveling presently are no longer the same as the challenges you faced while backpacking when we were younger. now there are little things that you are responsible for, little people things. and challenges are now problems.... so we sat at the beer garden for HOURS. his family members just kept showing up! bearing gifts! that i am now lugging around, lol. his family is very generous, very family orientated, and im lucky to be apart of it. i ate a small portion of an embarrassingly huge meal. i waited in line with the rest of the beer gardeners for pork and sourkrout and potato salad and the thing theyre most famous for, a foot long pretzel with a weird delicious cream cheese dip....
we managed to take public transport back home and settle the kids before heading out to dinner once more, again, me and jason were alone. we didnt leave until about 9 when my parents got back from whatever they were doing. they like to go out early so we left and had a late dinner.
then it was all over. i went upstairs to crash, with michaela, with the kiddos. so so tired that night.
the home life day 1 of many
location: sebastian!!!
my kids are in heaven, home heaven!
we landed yesterday after a long 10 hour flight where sunny and lachlan were super flying-kids. no fussing, no breadowns, just totally dealt with it. dealt with it better than their parents! i was getting pushy with the flight attendants about the baby bassinet we are supposed to have (and got) and jason skipped 800 people in line at customs without a second thought, banging into them with our pushcarts full of luggage along the way. we were just done!
we battled the crowd at immigration, baggage, and customs only to make it outside and realize we forgot lachlans carseat in bulky luggage... my parents, kids and i left jason to figure it out while we went to the sheraton to pick up our cars. i was surprisingly calm as i sat in my car after a long day, after my parents settled me and the kids and headed home, alone and unsure when jason would make an appearence. we didnt have our cell phones on the trip so we were totally disconnected. i felt safe in the cocoon of my car.
he came, we strapped in lachy, and cruised into the traffic and rain; sunnylee sleeping since picking up the car- she snoozed the entire way home, a total of 3 hours.
![]()
once home i woke her, jason and i excidedly showed her the house, her toyroom, her comfy bed. she was so sweet and shy and also happy. jason and i were psyched about our nicely mowed lawn that was lush and green, our beautiful flowers, and the spotless house. we had house guests while we were gone, a total of 8 people had come and gone, and we were pleasently surprised with their respect to our home :)
sunny ate quietly, tolerated a bath, and layed in our bed in jammies to watch Sesame Street finally after 2 weeks. schedules and routines here we come! we also bathed the airplane/germany crud off lachy and tossed him in a gown next to his sister. life was back to normal for the gligs which was most apparent when i simply took sunny to bed and she gladly snuggled in, i swaddled lachy and he dozed off in his bed, and jason and i quietly layed in our bed. it was early, 9p, it was silent, we were alone, and we werent affecting anyones nightly plans but our own... we are home.
luckily sunny slept passed 4a, lachy passed 5a. pretty good for being jet lagged. naps will be early and we are shooting for 8p bedtimes. everyone is happy, clean, healthy, and traveled :)
remaining germany blogs comig soon! still typing one handed....!
my kids are in heaven, home heaven!
we landed yesterday after a long 10 hour flight where sunny and lachlan were super flying-kids. no fussing, no breadowns, just totally dealt with it. dealt with it better than their parents! i was getting pushy with the flight attendants about the baby bassinet we are supposed to have (and got) and jason skipped 800 people in line at customs without a second thought, banging into them with our pushcarts full of luggage along the way. we were just done!
we battled the crowd at immigration, baggage, and customs only to make it outside and realize we forgot lachlans carseat in bulky luggage... my parents, kids and i left jason to figure it out while we went to the sheraton to pick up our cars. i was surprisingly calm as i sat in my car after a long day, after my parents settled me and the kids and headed home, alone and unsure when jason would make an appearence. we didnt have our cell phones on the trip so we were totally disconnected. i felt safe in the cocoon of my car.
he came, we strapped in lachy, and cruised into the traffic and rain; sunnylee sleeping since picking up the car- she snoozed the entire way home, a total of 3 hours.
once home i woke her, jason and i excidedly showed her the house, her toyroom, her comfy bed. she was so sweet and shy and also happy. jason and i were psyched about our nicely mowed lawn that was lush and green, our beautiful flowers, and the spotless house. we had house guests while we were gone, a total of 8 people had come and gone, and we were pleasently surprised with their respect to our home :)
sunny ate quietly, tolerated a bath, and layed in our bed in jammies to watch Sesame Street finally after 2 weeks. schedules and routines here we come! we also bathed the airplane/germany crud off lachy and tossed him in a gown next to his sister. life was back to normal for the gligs which was most apparent when i simply took sunny to bed and she gladly snuggled in, i swaddled lachy and he dozed off in his bed, and jason and i quietly layed in our bed. it was early, 9p, it was silent, we were alone, and we werent affecting anyones nightly plans but our own... we are home.
luckily sunny slept passed 4a, lachy passed 5a. pretty good for being jet lagged. naps will be early and we are shooting for 8p bedtimes. everyone is happy, clean, healthy, and traveled :)
remaining germany blogs comig soon! still typing one handed....!
Monday, June 27, 2011
germany day 8
location munich, supposed to be austria
horrible start to the day. only good things were that i escaped to our attic room for a solid 6 hours of sleep (thats good for a night here ive realized) and the kids slept through everything happening in our hotel room. the boys stayed out too late, snored too loud, and kept my mom awake and worried all night long.
when momma aint happy....
![]()
jason ruined his entire day being hungover, im not sure his first day back in munich was worth it after that. we canceled our Austria train trip and instead walked the streets here. it was worth it, there are lots of boutiques and markets (but im sad to say i didnt buy the little things i wanted when i saw them and now i havent been back and we're leaving...). we stayed nearby so sunny even got her nap back in the room, it was 3 hours! even she's worn out.
lachlan took up rent in the ergo carrier brooke lent me. he sleeps there, plays there, sightsees... then he sat in sunnys umbrella stroller for 2 hours taking in the city. didnt sleep or make a noise. he is so good its creepy. it was cold, he was bundled:
![]()
my favorite store was a baby boutique. i couldve spent thousands in there. i bought a german scrapbook for photos. *just ordered close to 400 photos for this album- my meaningful special souvenir.
![]()
we went to the english garden with the chinese tower. something famous, you can google it. we sat in that beer garden with jasons cricket club mates. had a great time but we had to get the kids home for bed. a taxi home and back was the quickest way to move around. its usually the subway and trams, but there wasnt time for that. we splashed water on those kids in the hostel sink, threw them in jammies, and stuffed one full of milk before jumping back in a taxi to the beer garden. cruising fast through the city streets--- i felt a little bit rockstar-ish at that point.
it was our first night out alone, me and jase! loved it. didnt have to worry about who was tired or cranky or hungry or lost... just us two on the town. after the beer garden we took a mate of his to an irish pub, had mcdonalds on the way (it was getting late, needed refueling) and taxi'd home once more... and it was early, about 1a. i havent said a sentence like that in a long time. it doesnt get dark until 10p so 1a is different here.
![]()
i am hastely writing this while nursing, bouncing a baby on my leg, in a dingy hostel. the writing is bad, grammar is bad, and there arent posted photos to back up my stories, but this is what i can do right now.... when i get home, sleep for 8 days, then get back to normal, i'll fix things.
horrible start to the day. only good things were that i escaped to our attic room for a solid 6 hours of sleep (thats good for a night here ive realized) and the kids slept through everything happening in our hotel room. the boys stayed out too late, snored too loud, and kept my mom awake and worried all night long.
when momma aint happy....
lachlan took up rent in the ergo carrier brooke lent me. he sleeps there, plays there, sightsees... then he sat in sunnys umbrella stroller for 2 hours taking in the city. didnt sleep or make a noise. he is so good its creepy. it was cold, he was bundled:
my favorite store was a baby boutique. i couldve spent thousands in there. i bought a german scrapbook for photos. *just ordered close to 400 photos for this album- my meaningful special souvenir.
we went to the english garden with the chinese tower. something famous, you can google it. we sat in that beer garden with jasons cricket club mates. had a great time but we had to get the kids home for bed. a taxi home and back was the quickest way to move around. its usually the subway and trams, but there wasnt time for that. we splashed water on those kids in the hostel sink, threw them in jammies, and stuffed one full of milk before jumping back in a taxi to the beer garden. cruising fast through the city streets--- i felt a little bit rockstar-ish at that point.
it was our first night out alone, me and jase! loved it. didnt have to worry about who was tired or cranky or hungry or lost... just us two on the town. after the beer garden we took a mate of his to an irish pub, had mcdonalds on the way (it was getting late, needed refueling) and taxi'd home once more... and it was early, about 1a. i havent said a sentence like that in a long time. it doesnt get dark until 10p so 1a is different here.
i am hastely writing this while nursing, bouncing a baby on my leg, in a dingy hostel. the writing is bad, grammar is bad, and there arent posted photos to back up my stories, but this is what i can do right now.... when i get home, sleep for 8 days, then get back to normal, i'll fix things.
germany day 7
location: munich
so yah, sunny woke up crying at 330a for an hour. woke up her brother. we had to leave the apartment by 620a for a flight... i was shattered most of the day. but we were in munich, so i couldnt write myself off completely.
getting out of berlin was uneventful. taxi. plane. train. 3 hours. if you can do all that minus a nights sleep. i can, ive seen it this trip.
then the moment of truth, the hostel condition. a popular one in munich, euro youth hostel. jason was in charge of our accomodations here and he knows the owner. the place was free. i was scared and we talked about this a lot before we flew over. its a hole. nice enough for myself. while backpacking. alone. if i dont want to feel clean. or happy. not good enough for me with 2 babies. i could only give jason so much shit about it. done and dusted as he would say. pictures of this hovel later. *here's a shot of a nice flat bed we are supposed to sleep in. its broken.
![]()
![]()
![]()
so yah, sunny woke up crying at 330a for an hour. woke up her brother. we had to leave the apartment by 620a for a flight... i was shattered most of the day. but we were in munich, so i couldnt write myself off completely.
getting out of berlin was uneventful. taxi. plane. train. 3 hours. if you can do all that minus a nights sleep. i can, ive seen it this trip.
then the moment of truth, the hostel condition. a popular one in munich, euro youth hostel. jason was in charge of our accomodations here and he knows the owner. the place was free. i was scared and we talked about this a lot before we flew over. its a hole. nice enough for myself. while backpacking. alone. if i dont want to feel clean. or happy. not good enough for me with 2 babies. i could only give jason so much shit about it. done and dusted as he would say. pictures of this hovel later. *here's a shot of a nice flat bed we are supposed to sleep in. its broken.
we went to one of jasons favorite beer breweries, augustiner, had his favorite meal. the mood was amazing, atmosphere very fun and energetic. beer halls are loud and busy, huge heavy tables, everythings made of wood, liters of beer are sloshing all over the place, hearty meals are being devoured. each meal ive eaten i plan to recreate back home. it cant be too hard. meat and potatoes, gravy, schnizels, and other things that i cant spell correctly. or pronounce.
our first beer garden was awesome as well. there was an indoor play area for the kids! a ballpit and a crat table with glue and scissors and fuzzy poms to stick on their paper... sunny was in there for hours. there is also an outdoor playground. we had lots of sunny-free time, she just wanted to be alone and climb and try to talk to the little germans. i guess if you are trying to get the business of parents then play areas are the way to go! jason said he never noticed one playground in all his years living here....
sunnys trying out her german here with the locals:
that night me and jase and my parents went exploring downtown. we saw a lively street with old buildings that had heaps of character. i got good photos there (and at one point we thought dad lost that camera and i was devo'd. alls good though). we ate doner (sp?) kebabs and went to another beer garden. each of these places, all 3 days worth, we met jasons friends, mates from the cricket club he was in, or a family member.
that night was the first night in munich and couldve been my last if i had any say. obviously im glad i stuck around but never has the quote 'what happens in munich stays in munich' rang so true to me. that quote is not funny, theres a reason for it, and it means business. the boys had too much fun, my mom was up all night worried, and the kids had to listen to jason snore so loud i dont know how they slept through anything.... made for a stressful next day.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
germany day 6
location berlin
thursday shopping. we were city rats for the day. mom did this funny thing with sunny in her stroller in the subway... instead of smoothly gliding the stroller onto the escalator, which youre not aloud to do but we do it because its easy right, mom gets sunny on it, then procedes to NOT get on herself in a panic. while still holding sunny... made for a large scene of yelling Get On! in between the stroller hitting every step, sunny bouncing around. once she got on we all laughed and are still teasing her about it.
this bridge was covered with locks. i wish i had one to add to it.
![]()
traveling by tram. or train. or a subway. they were all the same to me. lachy liked to lay and have a stretch in between being Ergo-carried.
![]()
![]()
![]()
thursday shopping. we were city rats for the day. mom did this funny thing with sunny in her stroller in the subway... instead of smoothly gliding the stroller onto the escalator, which youre not aloud to do but we do it because its easy right, mom gets sunny on it, then procedes to NOT get on herself in a panic. while still holding sunny... made for a large scene of yelling Get On! in between the stroller hitting every step, sunny bouncing around. once she got on we all laughed and are still teasing her about it.
this bridge was covered with locks. i wish i had one to add to it.
traveling by tram. or train. or a subway. they were all the same to me. lachy liked to lay and have a stretch in between being Ergo-carried.
mom stayed home with kids that evening. i was sick of bringing them out. too much fussiness... im in need of a nanny. ![]()
went out at night with jason, dad and michaela. drank and traveled far and wide for thai food. ate a spicy spicy curry that i worried would bother lachlan, it was hot! he was fine. 
went to a mexican joint that night with the rest of his moms fam. that was interesting, mexican in berlin. we didnt eat, but the nachos looked normal. the drinks were strong. and the convo was in german, but hilarious all the same. you get it, when you're right in there...
had i known how the kids were gonna be that night i never wouldve gone out, opting to sleep instead....
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
some history
i saw my first city rat today.
my dad told jason that this is the best vacation he has ever been on. it is def unique and i agree it is up there. personally my best vacays are in australia. but this is good stuff.
i am embarrassed to say that i dont know much history about berlin. something i should have looked into perhaps before coming... too late now. i plan to do some research because being here makes me soooo curious. i dont need a history lecture, i will find out myself alright! ´
all throughout the city were bricks on the ground like in the photo below.
![]()
![]()
this memorial is awesome. the photo does it zero justice as it is a million times larger than this with more rolling hills and stone bricks. each stone represents 25000 people who died during the holocaust. the stones go on and on for an entire block, maybe even more. they are not uniform in height, some are inches and some are 15 feet high and zou can get lost in here like a labrynth....
![]()
my dad told jason that this is the best vacation he has ever been on. it is def unique and i agree it is up there. personally my best vacays are in australia. but this is good stuff.
i am embarrassed to say that i dont know much history about berlin. something i should have looked into perhaps before coming... too late now. i plan to do some research because being here makes me soooo curious. i dont need a history lecture, i will find out myself alright! ´
all throughout the city were bricks on the ground like in the photo below.
i know it runs paralell with the road, but it doesnt usually. it represents where the berlin wall was. it goes through parks, up to buildings where it picks up on the other side of them, wherever the wall was this is now there.
there is also a memorial to a few of the (hundreds of) people who got shot from the 60s to 1989 when the wall was around. they died trying to climb the wall and get back over to the west. there was barbed wire and land mines at the wall as well. the cross nearest the photo was for a man who was shot trzing to escape the east only months before the wall finally came down....
ok i looked some stuff up. 5000 ppl tried to escape east berlin, 100-200 actually were shot doing it.
this memorial is awesome. the photo does it zero justice as it is a million times larger than this with more rolling hills and stone bricks. each stone represents 25000 people who died during the holocaust. the stones go on and on for an entire block, maybe even more. they are not uniform in height, some are inches and some are 15 feet high and zou can get lost in here like a labrynth....
rico says there are not any names inscribed on the memorial because those names are too personal. there is not a description of the memorial because you are supposed to come up with zour own interpretation of what it all means. no one is aloud to lay out on the stones, but they just know this and respect it.
It consists of a 19,000 square metres (4.7 acres) site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. The slabs are 7 ft 10 in long, 3 ft 1 in wide and vary in height from 8 in to 15 ft 9 in.
more info about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe
a historical city, a once in a lifetime vacay...
germany day 5
location: berlin
Happy birthday to sunnylee! we had a fun time with our little girl, lunch at a very nice italian place followed by coffee and cake at the family garden.
sunny says- 'i went for a walk to start mz birthday with meme and papa. we went to a park that had a zoo. i pushed my stroller with my baby in it, if i poked my head through like this i could see!'
![]()
Happy birthday to sunnylee! we had a fun time with our little girl, lunch at a very nice italian place followed by coffee and cake at the family garden.
sunny says- 'i went for a walk to start mz birthday with meme and papa. we went to a park that had a zoo. i pushed my stroller with my baby in it, if i poked my head through like this i could see!'
'here i am stuffing my face. i did it all day long. cake and chocolate and sweets... i dirtied up my new birthday shirt real good!'
'at the Bernardos garden i swam in a pool. i was naked all afternoon. thats how birthdays should be is what my momma said.'
'my own cake! i didnt like the taste, didnt eat it. but i did blow out some candles on it'
'I know how old i am. we bought 3 of these balloons today. one flattened and one blew away once we got back to our flat. it was in papas hand and then it flew off. i screamed and cried, we watched it float over the city. my mom took me immediately to the mall to get another. she bought it specially for me and we needed another...'
mom bought her the cutest european shoes for her birthday, that double as hand me downs for lachlan, gotta think ahead....:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)