Glig Verbatim

JASON
“Lachlan was born this year? Really? So my first son was born on St Patrick’s Day… My parents visited Florida- Much needed maintenance on the house was fulfilled by my father who worked tirelessly and took one day off out of 14 to play golf with me. Our deck and home are amazing. We are still working on unspoiling Sunnylee who was on the brink of no return…. Then my wife, kids, in-laws, mother and I went to Munich and Berlin- I wanted to relive my past glories, which in hindsight became insignificant to today’s glories... My golf game- I got new clubs this year and shot my very first 79; I broke 80. I went to the belly putter as well- changed my game forever….”


ABBY
“Our first son was born this year, I remember that day clearly. We had a list of names at the hospital and Jason named him when he saw his little Lachlan face. Sunny called him ‘Sockie’ for months… Jason’s mum took us to Europe-- I dragged the kids all over Germany with my family, exhausting ourselves on trains and subways, eating spaetzle, and drinking Augustiner. We’ve decided to stay put in Sebastian for a while… I started school full-time again- now studying to become a nurse and an IBCLC (Lactation Consultant). I left my family for 5 days for my CLC certification-- one small step along my way. I am mentoring with an IBCLC/physician for 500 hours and I am LOVING it.”

SUNNYLEE
“La-la-la-Sockie was what I actually called him. My best friend and most favorite playmate was born this year. Our highest moment was when he learned to crawl; he can now chase me when I yell, ‘Yock-yan come here!’ My Oma and Opa from Australia came to see me for a few weeks- I loved the attention and grandparent-love I received while they were here. We still Skype at least once a week together. While in Germany I turned 2 and we had a few parties about it! I began preschool this year- it was a struggle to watch mom and Lachy leave the first few weeks, but I now run in without even looking back. I come home singing and talking about my friends. They love me there, of course.”

LACHLAN
“So I guess they told you I was born this year? My parents almost named me ‘Sam’ after Sam Champion so I should be grateful for the un-pronounceable ‘Lachlan’. They’ve guaranteed that I will move to Australia one day to be with my people who are familiar with my name…. I had a few big events this year, what with rolling over, sitting up, and crawling. I know, I know, thank you. I hope to follow it up shortly with something called ‘walking’… Recently 2 different people have asked if my sister and I were twins- I am pretty tall and we wear the same clothes. Luckily my friends don’t see me at night when I’m wearing my butterfly-hand-me-down jammies….”

Siblings

This is the reason I had kids, to capture moments like these:



Blowing bubbles for her brothers' entertainment

Take baths together for double the fun

They graze in the grass together like cows

They get into wires and cords together. She's teaching him the 'ropes.

On the 15th day of Christmas my true love gave to meeeeee

What! Only 15 days left until Christmas!??

I am thankful to have these 15 days to properly prepare for the holidays. 15 whooooole days of projects and cooking and gift wrapping and light decor...ating. I scrambled to do these things before my college finals were finished and everything was just rushed; I couldnt relax and shop for gifts when there was studying to be done. But now I've graduated as Jason says! I'm finished with the semester at least. I'd like to brag and say I got 3 A's and a B but it doesnt feel too brag-worthy.

I bought the CD called She & Him. Its Zooey Deschanel's Christmas CD. Jason is in love with her and I love Christmas music. Its nice.

I took a few pics of the kids the other morning before Sunny went to preschool. Then on a whim I ordered Christmas cards from the one hour photo lab with the impromtu photo. I am not thrilled about it all, but with my schedule lately there hasnt been time for a real photo of the 4 of us. I also feel guilty about the Christmas letter... Dont be surprised if its missing this year. Its def not printed yet or finished.

Unfortunetly I cant disguise any of it as a New Years thing and pretend I meant to send it late. This is what I deserve for making fun of everyone last year when I sent out the card the day after Thanksgiving....

The Gligs celebrated St Nicholas Day this week. I wont tell you what day we finally got around to doing it, but sometimes things get lost around here, including holidays. I love traditions, especially ones that matter to people close to me. Who am I kidding, I just happen to enjoy this one because it doesnt cost much of my money or time and it made my kid very happy. I posted the videos on my FB page of Sunny confused, wondering why I made her clean her shoes before bed, yet pleasantly surprised to have chocolate in the morning, or at all.

Besides all that- I made fudge tonight! Did Christmas shopping with my kids and husband! Did grocery shopping with my kids and husband! I unfurled 6 wreaths to decorate- wow, nothing worse than unfurling fake wreaths. I made a paper bow I saw from Pinterest- it sucked. Gonna put it on one of my brothers' gifts.

New Meal

Just made this delish dinner for my husband and me I'd like to call... Chevap' on Garlic Naan. The meat is my version of his family's famous chevapchichi, which I dont have privilages to the recipe so I made it up. I also dont make them into cute grilled meatballs because I like to cut corners. I could write more about the inspiration of my meal but I am even boring myself.

I usually [separately] mix the meat, bruschetta, and tzatziki throughout the day so that I'm not in the kitchen for too long at any one point in time. Then at meal time we just throw all of it together on warm naan bread and its quick and easy.


Ingredients for the Chevap':
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground turkey or chicken
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon of tube ginger (this is a key ingredient, found at Publix in the fresh fruit/veg cold section- in a tube like all good ingredients)
a few shakes of cumin, paprika, garlic salt, cayenne, and salt/pepper
4 green onions chopped
squeeze of fresh lemon

Sometimes I shape this mixture into patties and we grill them like burgers or tonight- a meatloaf! So easy... or you could grill baby meatballs. Also a good choice.

Toppings:
bruschetta (recipe below)
tzatziki (recipe below)
thick sliced cucumbers
Naan bread (we buy this one- its at Publix)

Grill the naan on a pan that is hot with some oil coating the bottom. Flip it; when it crisps the edges throw it on a plate. Layer tzatziki, Chivap', tzatziki, brushetta, cucumbers. OMG. Use one hand to contain the mess and provide the other hand with a spoon to shovel all the dropped tomatoes into your mouth. Its pretty tasty and not at all complicated like this blog post makes it out to be.

Bruschetta:
2 fresh tomatoes chopped in small 1/2 cubes
chopped sweet onion
basil and oregano (fresh from your mason jar herb garden!)
garlic salt, salt, and pepper
drizzle of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar
small drizzle of maple syrup. Yes, I promise.

Tzatziki:
1 cup of plain greek yogurt
1 cup of sour cream
1 large cucumber (peel, scrape the seeds out, and shave over a cheese grater onto paper towel, then squeeze all the excess water out....)
salt (lots of salt. Keep adding then tasting), pepper, garlic salt, DILL (a few sprigs or several shakes of the dried stuff)

This isnt a first date recipe, unless you define romance by how much food is dripping off your hands and face. And it isnt something you should eat with your rugrats hanging around; you wont want to put the "sandwich" down and chase a toddler. Or share with one and watch them sling the yummy-ness all over the floor.

My Mason Jar Experience

In an initial strong start to my DIY-something-off-Pinterest each weekend, Jason and I did this when the kids took a nap:

I saw something similar [on Pinterest] that screwed the jars into wood then hung it inside the house on a wall, but I am a fan of having my plants outside in the sun where I can see them when I sit on my front porch or deck. And I didnt feel like doing any carpendry. This project was screwed into our crappy fence that surrounds our backyard. Love the privacy, but the wood needs some sprucing up.

So, I bought the hose clamp rings at Hoem Depot, a bag of tiny river rock pebbles, herbs... and mason jars from Walmart that are quart size. Those were cheap, but I still would've rather had some from Goodwill. They were out, though.

Jason drilled holes into the metal rings so a screw would fit through. That was the hardest part! Then he screwed them into the fence.

He might not appreciate this picture and how unattractive his gut is. But in his defence he was sticking it out at weird angles in order to drill... lol

We didnt measure anything. After this step above I held the jars in place while he tightened the clamps CAREFULLY.

We did that times 6 since I bought that many clamps.

Then he said he was spent DIYing (20 minutes worth) and I finished up. I added pebbles.

Then dirt. Then the herbs. That was the hardest part, to me. I had to stuff those plants into it. I put the rocks in hopefully so the water will drain and the roots wont rot. We'll probably get a hard rain, they'll drown, then die. But they looked good to begin with, here's proof.

6 weeks later....

Ok. So I thought its been a month, but its been longer. I need to blog.

(ps. I dont actually want to. I wish I were sleeping right now)

The Gligs have been....
Going to preschool
Learning to stand
Jason- Being Mr. Mom each evening.
Me- Going to work for Dr Punger weekly if possible.
Finally agreeing to wear a smock while painting.
Screaming first syllables ("ah!")
Jason- Golfing. duh
Me- Leaving the family for 5 days for a CLC conference. Now certified as a CLC!
Staying at Meme's for a couple nights to give parents a break.
Sleeping through the night
Its hard to name things for Jason. It just hasnt been about him this month, lol.
Me again: studying. Doing projects. Studying. Taking tests. Studying. Going to class. 

I've wanted to be in the Fall mood but with so much going on we barely bought a pumpkin. We did, a small one, and only b/c Sunny's teacher told us to bring one to her class. We attended several fall festivals, did Trick or Treating Monday night which was AWESOME. We had mom's gator (golf cart) and rocked that neighborhood.
I have 2 A's and 2 B's in my 4 classes. One of those B's is HARD earned (Anatomy & Physiology) and I am proud of it.
Lachlan is learning to sleep in his crib in his room. Its working out well, except he wakes up often especially at nap times. We use Dr Ferber's method for sleep training... loosely. Whats really worked was not nursing him to sleep each night, instead we feed him, bathe him, then put him to bed. He's growing up so fast- crawling after Sunny, standing on anything he can grab.
My parents just came last weekend to install more baby-proofing items. My dad did all of our cabinets. Sunny never got into the cabinets much at his age. I need reassurance that they are safe when I'm not looking. Sunny can open all of our doors now, too. Ugh.

Well thats it. I didnt mention time-fillers like cooking on Sundays for the entire week, laundry, dishes, and cleaning every Saturday morning, but basically you are caught up. I wont count this as a decent blog post, just that I did one. Maybe something interesting will happen at the same time I have a moment to write about it...

Sunday Funday

I woke up at 6:15a to a shrill alarm clock. Hello new phone that my bro Matt gave me. Comes with an annoying time to wake up. After that, I was thinking too much to drift back off. Coffee time.
The family slept in- we'd had a "late night" at meme's then we drove home. Kids were knackered.

Finally Lachlan woke up and him and I played in the living room. A giant spider sat on the ceiling high above us and I didnt freak out. Assumed he'd leave the same way he came in. He had 7 legs.

I watched GMA and played with my new phone. I "wiped" it clean of Matts info and I have no ones numbers..... A lightening fast spider scurried across the floor between Lachlan and myself. It was missing a leg. I couldnt believe after deciding this spiders fate, being nice and all, he decided to taunt me! I smashed him with a Fisher Price book.

Sunny and Jase made their appearance. Since she's been up she's worn 3 outfits, is wearing her 3rd pair of panties, and has had 2 baths.... Its still morning.

Its New Toy Day! The kids all got new toys. From the attic. I switched our box of toys out with all the little toys laying around and put all the big things in the attic. Other big things came out of the attic. Its like Christmas around here. New Toy Day should be every weekend- it gave me and Jase a chance to clean.

We had a fun Saturday at moms house celebrating my dad and Aunt Janet's 60th birthdays. Jason and I felt so sick all week that we werent going to chance having a hangover Sunday morning. We didnt drink and we drove home to our comfy beds. It was worth it! One more weekend day of 'relaxing' at home (really we are cleaning, rearranging furniture, hanging things on the walls, baby proofing more, cleaning the windows and sills and screens, etcetcetc) and we should be good to go come Monday.

Lachlan turned 6mo old over the weekend. We lowered his crib mattress to the bottom to celebrate. I dont remember Sunny's Lowering of the Crib to be such a pain in the ass. Took some time. He can sit up now from laying down and its only a matter of time before he leaned over the crib railing and spilled out onto the floor. I wasnt taking chances this time. I am ahead of you, boy!

I'd Like to take Some Sick Days Now Please

My job refuses to give me sick days off. "Job" being Lachlan and Sunny. I went to class Monday night, skipped Tuesday, skipped Wednesday (my first test was that night...), and I guess I have to go tonight. I have my first test in there too, but luckily the prof. drops one test at the end of the semester. I have to go to figure out how his tests are like. But I plan to completely bomb it. I cant study. I cant keep my eyes open, hot sick tears are streaming out of them.

Jason had a weird 3 day flu as well. This house is still a wreck- all we did was sit on the couches and watch our little rascals play on the floor. Never have we needed more help, but didnt want my parents to come over or they'd get sick, too. Its my dad and his twin sisters 60th birthday today- Aunt Janet just flew into town so they were too busy to get sick! We just dealt with it. Sickily. And moaning to each other, "Will we ever feel normal again?"

I begged to feel normal, even insisting if I felt just an hour of normal I'd do the dishes or cook dinner happily. I still am sick. And Jason's off to work with some drugs in his pocket, hoping nothing gets in his way of a huge day of work. I have a huge day too. Speaking of... I have to get these screamers dressed. Ugh.

Hello Saturday!

Every blog I start to write updating you reader(s) on a Glig week, I think to start it "Its been a busy week!" Cliche and boring and unoriginal. But its the first think that comes to my mind. We are a busy family, finally!
We do things.

Sunny's 3rd week in school was a turning point. She was upset to leave Lachlan and me, but she took her tote over her shoulder, kissed and hugged us, then walked on her own through the door with the teacher. Usually the teacher carries her kicking and screaming. The teacher and I gave each other a silent smiley thumbs up and I left feeling weird. It was harder than leaving her the first day. She went willingly this time, not quite wanting to, but trusting me enough to do it anyways...

Lachlan made sure our morning was anything but boring; as soon as we started our 2minute drive to Sunny's school he $hit his pants. Fine, I've got a baby changing station in the back. In the parking lot of the school I began to change what I thought was a normal situation which quickly turned for the worse. All over me, his legs, his shirt, his pants, the car... get the point? We went into the school for a bath; he was only wearing a diaper. I didnt bring any clothes on this short trip. Everyone was staring at him: fat white 'naked' baby on my hip. Whatever, like they've never had a shitty baby...

Lachlan is on the move. He is never quite where I left him last (on the floor). He is loud. He plays with certain toys that he loves (Sunny's pots and pans). And if she takes anything from him he screams! He flaps his arms and yells until he gets it back. Sunny can make him laugh with funny faces and funny phrases he likes ("Ahhhh BUGGABOO!" is what had him in tears yesterday, tears of laughter!) He is only cranking when he is teething or when you put him down. He wants to be held! If I walk out of the room its an almost guarantee that he's silently crying, bottom lip out, face screwed up, then the wailing starts.  

Jason's home with the kids every evening while I go to school. Its 20 minutes away in Vero. Him and the kids swim on our deck, play at the park, and visit neighbors befre having dinner, bath, and bed. Most nights when I get home they are already in bed. Jason and I sometimes use this time to have dinner alone together and finally talk about our long day. Its been a long time since I ate dinner at 9p! One that Jason cook, as well  :)

Jase stayed home all day Friday with the kids while I went to get clinical hours at Dr Punger's office. I follow her around when she has mother/baby appointments and observe her until she asks for my 2 cents. I usually have at least 2 cents and I love it. I love that she asks and I love my sureness in my answers. Ultimate "job satisfaction".

Let the busy weekend continue, hello Saturday!

It's still an A, though

I got an A on my first quiz my first time "back in college"

& i found myself bitching to jason about the test i took next, the next night... I got a 90. It meant i got 5 wrong! i was pissed... he was like, "Its still an A though..."

the 2nd time around at college is different- I sit in the front row. I ask questions. I once asked a question that prompted a video-showing... I'm sure the class hates me.

Chomping Necklace

Chomping necklace- a cute fabric necklace worn around the

mom's neck for her baby to chew on while he's being held.

My first day wearing this out, three older ladies surrounded me gushing over my handmade necklace. Then when they found out it was for Lachlan, they thought I was so creative and "on to something"... Lol. Obviously these necklaces are all over ETSY and I wanted to make one for my little Teether since it is so simple. I made it in less than an hour. Maybe a 1/2 hour. The final product is at the bottom of this post if you'd like to scroll to it first to get an idea of what I'm making.

Instead of using one fabric for both sides I used 2 coordinating fabrics. Cut each one 5in x90in (I changed this number from 54 inches to 90 after some reflection. I'd seen tutorials that said 54, but I didnt have 54 when I cut my fabrics, I had 45. So I sewed two 45's together and ended up with 90. Which I liked since there was a lot of length for error and creativity....)  4 inches will work as well, if you dont have 5- there was lots of wastage there.  

I used my serger for this since it makes perfect non-bunched up seams. Sew RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER around 3 sides, leaving one of the 2 small ends open, unsewn. I sew'd off (wtf) a good inch on the final long side. I think it was too wide for my beads. It needs just enough room for a bead to go into...

Read on before sewing so you know what I'm talking about....

Finishing my  3rd side- see how nice the serger cuts and sews at the same time?

Now turn your necklace inside out. It looks like a tube snake!

It's time for your wooden beads. I found these on ETSY. 10 is all you need.

The necklace starts with a knot. Tie one around 10 inches (I just guessed this... no need to get your panties in a wad over it, just tie a knot somewhere) from the end with the sewn seam (leaving the open end of the snake OPEN to throw your wooden beads in to). Then add a bead. Then tie a knot. Then add a bead.... etc

The necklace ends with another knot after the last bead it put in. I made sure when tying the knots that the fabric was snug around the bead. I didnt lave any space for the bead to move up and down the necklace...

Now here is where you can get creative. I did not. On ETSY the chomping necklaces have cute matching ribbon to tie around your neck. I didnt have the time or the care to make it that pretty. I already have this length of fabric at the end so I used that:

I cut my fabric down the middle with no rhyme or reason.

Then chopped off one of the sides close to the knot.

I call the tied part around my neck shabby chic. Simple- Lachlan doesnt seem to mind, either:

I have another 10 beads that are cuboidal. Haha, thats a word from my Anatomy & Physiology class. I dont know if I can refer to beads that way or if its just a cellular term. But I figured the edges on the cubes would be nice to chomp on. My next necklace will probably have a black theme...

Can't Even Work Out

Not that I'm thrilled to go to the gym anyways, but now I cant even do that. Without feeling tremendous guilt. Not mommy-guilt. Nicotine baby absorption guilt.

I pranced into the gym today with Lachlan in my arms after just dropping his sister off at school. I was in charge of half of my usual amount of rugrats and feeling good. Until I opened the gym daycare door. I thought I just walked into a cheap bar. And the barmaid was sitting in the rocking chair, arms open to accept my child. It smelled like stale ciggie smoke! I thought a toddler was actually lighting one up it was so strong.

I set Lachlan in an Exersaucer as far away from last nights barmaid as possible. And I left, hoping the other girl in charge would take care of him... As I walked on my treadmill I could see in the windows of the daycare so I watched. And I watched Smokey pick him up! And he cried and cried. He snuggled his clean little baby face into her smelly clothes and fussed. I couldnt take it. I hopped right off the 'mill and went in there. Said, "Something came up." Grabbed him and bolted. I hadnt even walked a half mile....

I almost cried. I wanted to talk to the management but she was busy. I stood there awkwardly then left. But I am not through. I know the owner and my kids will never go when that lady is there again. Its called 3rd hand smoke (smoke that lingers on clothes, skin, and hair) and kids who are around it have nicotine in their little tiny developing baby bodies.

This is a daycare at a gym. Who goes to gyms? Health conscious people. Do you think we smoke? No. This to me in unbelievable. It makes me sick. I am doing something about it.

Other than that, I'm cool  :)

An August Update

We had one busy week to start our fall semester, end of summer, beginning of the seasons (yayayayayay!)- whatever you kids are calling it these days. To celebrate Jason and I opened a bottle of wine Friday evening. We hope having two sips then tossing it wasnt a sign of shitty things to come.

If you've tried texting and calling my cell phone lately, please dont think I'm ignoring you again.

Sunny lost my phone. I actually misplaced it, but toddlers are always stealing my things and hiding them in one of their zillion purses, play kitchen ovens, or in a general inaccessible small sticky place. My phone is gone, and I dont really care since it's not an EVO. How really has it enhanced my life? You're right, it hasnt. It only embarrasses me. I have no motivation to excavate my SUV and find it. Call my house.

I am studying to be a lactation consultant which means clinical hours during the days (at odd, unpredictable times), mother to mother support group meetings to attend (for more clinical hours) that are located in various points across Florida, nowhere near Sebastian so the kids and I are now gas guzzling road warriers. Each night of the week I have courses at IRSC. I enjoy the peace and quiet and my own radio stations (without a screamer in the backseat saying "No song! No song!" I think she hates my taste), talking with adults (actually they're all 19 its depressing. I think some of them were born in the 90s. I thought those kids were still in preschool), and having my oatmeal mushy brain stimulated. I dont even need parenthesis to emphasis this one. I sing ABCs all day. Point out colors. And wipe you know whats. Anything is considered stimulating outside this home. I'm reading, highlighting, and memorizing/learning things. I love it.

Jason's on dad-duty, which he's obviously on all the time, but this time it includes exclusive rights to the dishwasher and kitchen, kids meals, baths, and bedtimes. When I get home the house is clean and quiet. Its nice. He's working longer days but usually less days since I'm getting hours for my certification. "Work smarter, not harder" he says. I think thats relevant in this situation. He's training a new guy. He's still tweaking his golf swings ("How many tweaks do you have to go until you've got it?" He said it never ends. Now there's a sport that motivates you...). And he has something very exciting coming up that he's never done before over Labor Day weekend...

Sunny is in school. A 2 year old program with about 5 kids in it. So far the only thing I am sure that they do is serve goldfish for snack, as that is all she'll talk about. I did pick her up last week and she cried when she saw me. Not tears of happiness, they were "No go home!" tears. So she's gonna be a nerd. Sunny's potty training still. Her and Jason went to the store yesterday in panties. Yes, Jason, too. His exact words before leaving the house were "I dont care about a little piss." As if our baby girl does that. I bet you're thinking I have a good pee-in-the-aisle story. I dont. She came home dry.

Lachlan is adorable, of course. He cries when I leave the room. Cries when he's put down. Cries when Sunny looks left at him and def when she comes near him. But other than all that crying he's happy...happy to be in your eyesight and especially in your arms. Or on your boobs. And by "your" I mean "mine". He's had a stuffy nose for 2 weeks now, but he's not sick. He snores, snorts, sniffs, and sneezes (I wasnt going for alliteration but that worked out). I thought teething, then was told maybe allergies? A nurse today told me to stop feeding him any baby food, his body isnt ready. He was getting a half jar a day... That was for fun. But I guess we're done now. He weighs 17.01 pounds; I weighed him today. He was 16.08lbs last Monday, so I know if you can do simple math that it means he almost gained a pound in one week. He's no newborn, so this is quite an accomplishment. I'd like to thank my breastmilk (I dont consider a half jar of babyfood to be substantial enough for that weight gain). Here is a lovely picture I took of him today. I didnt even post it to FB; I kept it just for us on here:

Oh, and he's sitting up now. Until Sunny pushes him over ever so sneakily with her feet.

Tuesday

No longer will I have to make stories out of nothing, fill my blog with the hours of my day that were void of any activity where I'd write about a funny thing Sunnylee did to make it sound like my day was interesting. Now the Gligs are actually doing stuff! Everyone but Lachlan. Lachlan is still just chilling, being carted here and there and everywhere, just happy to be nursed in between it all.

I was that mom today. I dropped off my child, on her first day of preschool, late. And not 5 minutes late. 30 minutes late. As soon as I walked into her room I told her teacher that I wouldnt be late again. Why do we moms say these things? Of course I'll be late again. And why did I admit to her that I lived off the same street as the school, then she'll really think I'm a slacker the multiple times that I'm late? I will try not to be so late. Getting gas, attempting to get coffee, and the health department will no longer be apart of our Tues/Thurs morning routine like it was today.

An afterthought: I made a new years resolution to not procrastinate. And proving how non-procrastinating I can be, I will begin my new years resolution early. Now.

After dropping off Sunny I went straight to McDonalds for a hazelnut latte. I was out of coffee creamer today and remember thinking, "I will just get coffee on my way to do 3,000 errands before Sunny's school starts at 930a...." Dunkin Donuts must have been offering free 'holes; when I pulled into the lot people were punching and fighting at the doors, spilling out onto the sidewalk. I didnt bother, not even when my head said, "You deserve this coffee". Yes, I did deserve it. But that didnt mean this momma was gonna get it.

My McDonalds coffee and I [and Lachlan, damn sometimes its as if he's not even there, but he is, usually staring at you as well trying to get your attention so he can flash his gummy grin at you] went to the river where the old people park to die. I mean, to look at the water together as they hold hands. On all sides of me were Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs, full of the elderly. But I was happy in my serenity. I finally had coffee and peace. Lachlan was sleeping and I finally turned my brain off for an hour. Then we went for a walk in the stroller. Completely relaxed. Not once did I wonder what Sunny was doing [screaming]. Not my problem from 930-noon. On Tues/Thurs. I just thought of being on that water. On a boat. Alone. With Lachlan, obviously.

Later in the day....

I went to school. After coming home from picking up Sunny, having lunch, putting the babies to bed, followed by more peace in quiet, I just couldnt believe my good fortune when 15 minutes after the kids woke up and Jason returned home I was hopping into the car, a car riddled with goldfish and socks and diapers, alone once more. Really alone this time.

I got to talk on the phone without Twinkle Twinkle playing in the background or Sunny asking repeatedly who was on the phone. I drove non-dangerously because I wasnt scared that someone was gonna wake up and melt down that they were in the exact seat they fell sleep in. I went to class and stimulated my brain listening to a lecture on Nutrition. There were big words I didnt know. And I didnt have to sing a song to learn it. It was wonderful.

When I got home Jason and I scarfed down a meal at a decent adult hour, not 2 hours after lunch and snack when the kids get hungry. Jason mowed the lawn, I did baths, and then we were in bed. What seemed like a long day flew by and I am in the BEST mood about Tuesday. I like this being busy thing. For now. Until I dont wanna be busy anymore. Remind me of this most mid-semester. Or next week.

Best Din Din Ever

Maybe, but it was def one of our favorite salads. And I stole it from CPK where Jenalee and I eat the crap out of it. Dont deviate from the ingredients cuz I dont wanna hear how it didt turn out. You have to buy alllll the stuff for sauces... Its worth it every time. Ok- I do deviate. I dont add cilantro. I did brown sugar instead of white. I crisp up my own wontons by throwing the wrappers into a thin layer of hot canola oil. I use leftover chicken from tacos, which were leftover from a roasted chicken! Hmm.... I used cashews instead of peanuts. I use a salad bag of cabbage (usually for coleslaw) which knocks out the 2 cabbages and carrots that it calls for. And I didnt have all the right vinegars. I think I used apple cider and white. Dont let all this blabbing about ingredients deter you, its yummy and easy. Its a salad, a whole meal.

http://blog.al.com/scenesource/2009/02/california_pizza_kitchens_reci.html

UnLazy Sunday

Props to my husby Jason for weedwacking and mowing the lawn in the past without complaining as much as I did today when I weedwacked the yard. I thought I looked cool with our new [borrowed from mom and dad] gas weedwacker, tackling the grass like a man would. 20 minutes later, I set it down and I cant even lift my arms anymore. Much less a baby. Sorry Lachlan. I even gave several of my nice plants a haircut on accident and dammit! now I cant bitch at Jason when he does that, too.
I continued the whining about how sore I was for the remainder of my Sunday afternoon, even making the chore an excuse to kick the Gligs out of the house and snooze in the recliner like a man would as well. With my pants off. Watching golf. Ok, those last things were made up, but inspired by my husband.

Our Toddler

We are in the homestretch, perhaps!, with potty training. Actually there hasnt been much training on our part. Its more like wrestling with diapers and panties for Sunny's amusement. I've got a real baby to tend to who was in diapers, Sunny could pee on the floor. I didnt mind. This lack of discipline could be the reason our daughter decided she needed to take matters into her own hands. 

All week we were too busy for the potty chair. Then Thursday she would stop playing, run over to the potty, and pee all on her own! She didnt pee much until I captured this photo, right before daddy came home from work. We showed it to him. Then showed him Sunnys Potty Chart filled with potty stickers. lol.

All thats nice but check out what she did this morning... She sleeps without jammies, remember? I think this is so she has easier access to her diaper. She actually sleeps naked most nights. This morning she was crying so Jason went in to get her. She'd thrown her diaper and tee shirt on the floor. Her bed was dry (like most mornings- she's been night potty trained for months! It was time for us to move forward...!). And this is what she said between fussing, "Potty". So he sat a whiny little girl on the potty first thing when she woke up. She's sensitive when she wakes up. Princess-like, you know. She never wants to sit on the potty when she wakes up.

But she did. And she peed a whole nights' worth of pee! Its so exciting when your baby who's been in diapers since you met her is now waking up and asking to pee on a potty. Then puts on panties like you. Its a milestone that's hard to handle. Her whole life just flashes before your eyes.... sigh

A Day in our Current [Glig] Life

My day begins with nursing Lachlan and myself back to sleep in my bed whenever he decides he's tired of being a big boy in his own bed (between 3a-6a)
Jason leaves us by 730a to get Sunny out of bed; Lachlan and I get more sleep together.
I make my coffee and watch GMA.
I clean the kitchen and make Jasons lunch.
He leaves.

The kids and I play. Go to my gym. Or their gym. Or the library. Or have a mommy come over or vise versa.
We eat lunch at 1130.
Kids both go to sleep at noon.
I could do the following: clean. learn German. blog.
I do the following: sleep. surf internet. watch TV.

They wake up; we play and watch the clock and call daddy to find out exactly where he is.
He comes home.
We play with daddy while mommy does stuff.
I make dinner and I'm currently trying to push it back later in the day.
We eat dinner.
We now kill time because we ate dinner too early.
We hang out on the deck. Water plants. Talk about the grass.

We do bathtime.
They both bathe together.
We do jammie time.
We cuddle in mommys bed with Sesame Street.
Sunny drinks milk and clutches her 2 Lambies. They were a trio but we've weaned her to 2.
Sunny kisses and hugs everyone then asks to go to her bed by 8p. This is her new later bedtime.

I put her to bed. She doesnt make a peep. We are at least doing one thing right.
I warm up Lachlans bottle. A big one.
He eats it happily and falls asleep by 830.
If he is still awake after finishing the bottle, we nurse.
He goes to his crib in the living room at 9.

I notice Jason. We talk about our steam cleaner, money, weed eaters, and how the rain made us happier we've been in a long time since it will make our yard green and we dont have to manually water. We discuss our health insurance, the kids health insurance, the dogs health insurance, breastfeeding, college, the weekend, TiVo, America's Got Talent, his boss, gas prices, Wallstreet, and Lambie. We are sleeping before 11. And by that I mean at 9.

The Gym's Daycare and Me

I took my kids to the gym today for the first time. The one reason I joined the gym is because it had a free daycare (those 2 words should have immediately turned me off but somehow magically had the opposite effect). Whats cooler than passing one hour of a SAHM's boring day than spending it at the gym? With a babysitter? Who is freeeee!?

note: my kids havent ever been left with anyone other than family. Immediate family. Family they know and love and trust. Never have I disposed them upon a stranger. Until today. Complete abandonment. With me just on the other side of the door.

When it came down to it, I'd wait until Jason got home to go to the gym, wish I hadnt spent the entire day dreading about the gym, think about how I'd have to rush making dinner the entire time I'm at the gym, and of course, miss time with my husband because I'm hanging out at the gym.

I got there around 8 this morning, trying to head off the crowd and let my kids be the only neglected offspring there. By 9 the place was jammed packed. But thats fine, my work was done. I'd ran/walked for 3 miles right next to the childcare door. Not once did anyone come rushing out of it with a bleeding Glig, or one that had instantaneously contracted polio, or a screaming one, or... anything else traumatizing. I was traumatized the entire 3 miles tihnking of these scenerios. I almost cried when I saw [through a large window for parents] the daycare lady holding and bouncing Lachlan, my baby boy, in her arms. Why would I almost cry? I thought she was being motherly and this made me sad. It should've been me.

But then I get all, "I need my own space" since one child or another is usually hanging on me or attached to me, "...my own time" since this is a luxury my husband gets and doesnt know it, "me me me", when its always "them them them" and I'm happy that lady is bouncing Lachlan for FORTY FIVE minutes of my 12 hour childcare day shift.

When I picked up the kids they were happy and socialized. Sunny observed societys' youngest the entire time, pressed a few buttons on a toy, and tried other kids' shoes on. Lachy chilled in the Exersaucer and the lady's arms. I burned a few calories. Everybody wins.

Chardonnay in a Sippy Cup

I've started drinking coffee mid-afternoon.
& duct-taping Sunny's disposable diapers around and around the waistband.

These two events seemingly happened at once...

Coffee's just one step closer to Chardonnay in a Sippy Cup.

Milestones

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....

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:

• 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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

a german aussie??

Sunny is not a fan of her roots.

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.

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.