Running Fool!

i logged 9.5 miles over the weekend--not bad for a gal who was logging 3 to 6 in an entire week! and i am proud to say that 3.5 of those miles were pushing BOTH boys in a burley stroller! :) i have so LOVED the weather and sunshine--had to take advantage of it!

Menu for the Week

 Saturday:

Rice Krispie Chicken

Creamed Potatoes with Peas

Roasted Apparagus, Broccoli and Butternut Squash

Blueberry Muffins

Sunday:

Burgers

Chips

Fruit

Monday:

Popcorn Shrimp

Fries

Fresh Broccoli

Tuesday:

Lasagna

Bread

Broccoli and Fruit

Wednesday:

Tacos

Cilantro Rice

Thursday:

Eat Out :)

Friday:  Grad Class--Boys are on their own 

Saturday:

Kielbasa

Roasted Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes

Caprese Salad

Sunday: 

Chicken and Basil Stir Fry

Rice

Fruit 

Monday: 

Salads with Sliced Chicken

(bread for boys)

Fruit

 

Warmed my Heart

my boys make my heart sing! we get a lot of cds from the library and often get repeats over and over and over again. they love music and as they are getting older, they spend a lot of time singing along to the cds. our current cd from the library is by dan zanes and it is called catch that train (it is an awesome kids cd that we adults love as well)! on our way home last night from town, it was so wonderful to hear all four of us singing to a beautiful irish folk song called loch lomond. it truly warmed my heart :)

Getting Rid of the Crankies :D

i woke up on this beautiful saturday morning cranky cranky cranky! there was no coffee made (which i could have done the night before and didn't). my boys were playing but fighting as well. josh had been up for a few hours with the boys and taking time to himself  (rightfully so) and instead of being grateful for being able to sleep in, i was cranky! i hate when i wake up that way--it is not the norm for me.

i made a conscious decision to be happy and find a way to get the crankies out. i bundled up all four of us and we went out to enjoy the gorgeous february day! the sun is out and it is above 32 degrees--very rare for this time of year in michigan! we headed into town for our first real sledding expedition. we had a blast! jack started out pretty slow and needed quite a bit of mom/dad help or prompting when we got there but by the time we left, he was sledding down the hill, head first, on his tummy using his new "squishy" sled from aunt sarah and uncle aaron. luke was brave right away (with the help of mom or dad) but after a crash that resulted in "snow burn" to his face, he backed off for a while and did a lot of watching. by the time we decided to leave an hour later, luke was more than ready but jack wanted at least 16 more times down the hill! :D it was wonderful to experience this as a family.

from the sledding hill, we headed out for brunch! we have a local diner, margo's, that is fantastic! we were able to warm up and share good food :D i was even brave and tried something new--who knew that an omelet stuffed with hashbrowns and onions smothered with sausage gravy could be so heavenly!

the best part of the morning was that i got my crankies out and our boys had a memorable morning! we for sure will do this again! :D get out and enjoy some outdoor time!

KCTC and Memories of Tom

On Thursday, I took a group of students to KCTC (Kent County technical Center) and it brought back floods of memories--Tom LOVED Wexford County Tech Center. When he started there it was the first time in his life that he liked school and education. He had no plans then to go on to college...... he never ever thought he would be teaching at one. ...I am so proud of the choices Tom made for his education as he got older. WCTC really changed his life and gave him success!

A Mom of Boys :)

oh i am so the mom of boys! :D so many delightful, funny and crazy things happen around here..... here are a few i wanted to shared....... 

**luke LOVES footy pjs and wears them every night. tonight, he reached down and patted his leg and looked at me curiously asking, "what's that mom?". i patted his leg and felt a lump. i unzipped the pjs to find a chunk chocolate chip granola bar down in the leg---WHAT?!? how did that get there? 

**many times a day, i find myself saying things like, "please do not touch your penis" "no, we do not make our penis' fly" "jack, do not say butt or poopy again" "boys, that is enough--i do not want you to show your butts again"..... oh i never knew i would say those things :) 

**jack is at an age where he listens...very closely! this was apparent tonight as josh built frames for beds (from their cribs). as jack played in the basement, i heard him yell, "this is a piece of JUNK" (good thing daddy filtered tonight)  

**luke is obsessed with many things but his favorites are: gloves, grandpa gary and tractors. routinely, he rides his "tractor" (toy digger) while wearing socks ("gloves") on his hands and saying, "i'm grandpa gary" :) in fact, he is so obsessed with being grandpa gary that when we play other imaginative games, such as star wars or diego, luke insists on being grandpa gary for our game. i find it quite delightful that jack indulges him by allowing grandpa gary to be a character in our game. 

**we found a dead, dried up salamander  in luke's room (twice this has happened now....weird we know). josh, luke and i were pretty close to it checking it out when jack came in the room. josh asked luke to get some toilet paper so we could pick it up and throw it away. as luke left the room, jack reached down and picked it up! :D ewwwwww

**luke eats a lot of food--from anywhere! he often picks up a crumb from the floor, asks what it is and pops it in his mouth (EWWWWW). tonight he found a bowl of teddy grahams that jack left out last night from snack. luke looked in the bowl, and asked if he could eat them. i said, they are from last night. he replied, "i don't care" and proceeded to eat the entire bowl :)

Super Duper Tasty Rice

I made this amazing Cilantro Lime Rice Tonight--I used Jasmine Rice as the base. It was so easy and tasty! Try it for yourself! :)

Creative Day--Luke's Book

 

And the Aftermath......

Creative Day--Jack's Book

our little friend sade gave the boys make your own books for christmas (which we celebrated on valentine's day)--here is how they turned out :)

Our Valentine's for Daddy

 

We only have eyes for you Daddy!

My Thought Process

i have a hard time shutting my brain off--it runs constantly....while i sleep, while i eat, while i work....and even when i shower! we keep a bath crayon in the shower to leave notes for each other but i also use it to conviently lesson plan :) monday morning last week i had a huge brainstorm and was able to get it all written down! woo hooo for my busy brain!

Meals

Saturday: Steaks, Roasted Aparagus and Red Skin Mashers 

Sunday: Home Made Pizza, Chips and Apples 

Monday: Tacos, Cilantro Lime Rice 

Tuesday: Chicken Stir Fry, Egg Rolls, Rice

Wednesday: Marinaded Pork Loin Chops, Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Red Skins, Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Salad

Thursday: Spaghetti, Bread and Salad 

Friday: Burgers, Baked Fries, Fruit Salad 

A Delightful Date

A night to do whatever we wanted

Dinner with Jake after not seeing him for a year
everything tasted great at Grand Rapids Brewing Company
laughed until my stomach hurt and dimples were tired
ice hockey watching
got a tax refund
hung out at the furniture store for an hour
two mattresses ordered and paid for
found out my broken ipod was no longer broken....and then broken again
unusual valentine's day gifts of hair cut and ipod
loved holding hands and sitting close

Didn't have to pay to get into the hockey game
an entire night's sleep was gotten
thought about getting up early but slept until 10:00 am
energized and ready to get the kids the next day

Weight Loss

i am so excited! around Christmas time i was up in weight and not that thrilled about it. you see, i am not usually a weight watcher and i tend to eat fruits/veggies, etc. but i eat a LOT. when my bro in law john offered to start us a biggest loser family addition, josh and i hopped on board! we also joined the one at school for staff. our official weigh in was after New Year's but i was heavier before that so in my brain, i think of how much weight i have lost since Christmas. i am really proud of us! i have lost 12 pounds and since New Year's josh has lost 20! what changes we have made you ask? for starters, i have let go of emotional eating. i have always rewarded myself with food and also eaten when i was bored, stressed, tired, etc. emotional eating and i have quite a history. to let go of it, i have just acknolwedged it. that has helped me a ton. i am also more aware of what a portion actually looks like and how many calories are actually in certain foods. i am not counting the calories--just aware of them. i am also eating a bowl of cereal with milk for lunch daily with a chunk of fruit and/or light string cheese. both josh and i are getting exercise! he joined a gym and goes three times a week with our bro in law aaron. i am doing lots of things--stepping, running and walking. the coolest part to me is my improvement with sit ups! i started with 10 a day and now i am up to 50-60 a day! i have been able to make my belt smaller :)

i am so proud of us!!!!

He is a GREAT dad

josh is a great dad! this is not something new :) however, today i sat back and watched him interact with our boys and took it all in for myself. at bedtime, we always read books and tonight was no different. but after four books, i needed a break and the boys begged for more. josh, in his awesome way, told the boys a story "from his head" (as he likes to tell them). as he shared a story of batman and superman meeting up to do super hero things, the boys sat with their eyes glued to him. josh's arms zoomed around and the boys' eyes zoomed with them. i am not even sure what the story was about because i was so in awe of the captivity josh held on them. as he got to exciting parts, their eyes lit up and grins appeared. at "scary" parts, they looked concerned and then relieved when a super hero saved the day. i love to watch my husband be a daddy to our boys. he is so good at it. i am such a lucky woman to have a husband who is an amazing spouse and amazing daddy for our children. i know how much they love him and love his story telling-- it was evident tonight. as he ended the story, both boys flopped down and begged for more! i love my husband!

Snow Much Fun

tonight after supper we went out for snow much fun! we got a few inches of beautiful snow today and we rolled, raced, drove (with toy trucks), tromped, slid, shoveled, crawled and just had a wonderful time in it! what made the evening even more enjoyable was the fact that the days are getting longer and we were able to play in daylight for quite a while :) my day at work was stressful so this was the perfect way to relax with my boys!

Last Week--a Long Week

last week was a tough week. fair warning. i am processing and there are nitty gritty details involved....read at your own risk!

saturday last week we headed up to see my family and pick out tom's headstone. that enough caused anxiety, and brought out emotions. while we were there, josh discovered our coolant levels were down and icky gunk was back inside of the oil resevoir...after we had spent 1000 to fix it! so when my poor mom got sick (really sick), my anxiety level went sky high. we were able to get the stone picked out, have lunch and then we headed back home. before we left, i helped my mom get cleaned up (yes we had a mess)--i was really proud of myself--even with my phobia, i was able to get mom's clothes into the laundry, talk to her for a few minutes and not panic too much. mom noticed and thanked me for it:) it makes me feel so loved that even in the midst of mom being sick, she noticed and took the time to praise me for working through my anxiety and phobias.

sunday, jack woke up with a fever and was lethargic. poor guy laid on the couch all day, did not want to play, complained of a sore throat and didn't eat anything. josh made plans to "stay" home monday to care for him and hopefully get jack to the doctor. luke kept complaining of a tummy ache but luke has a tummy ache due to gas all the time...so i listened but did not think much of it. we got both boys to bed and had just sat down to watch a bit of tv for the night when luke came to the stairs crying (again not abnormal...remember luke is still NOT going to bed very well or sleeping at night)..... and as i leaned down to pick him up to carry him back to bed, he threw up all over me, the basement floor (thankfully still cement) and the bathroom as i got him there (sorry you have to read the nitty gritty details but hey it helps me process). we quickly decided that two parents at home would be best since luke cannot throw up by himself and is quite violent and who knows what jack was sick with. in the next two hours, i cleaned up myself, and luke, got teachers lined up to cover my classes, made makeshift sub plans, and helped luke throw up at least 10 more times! the poor baby was so sick! i felt anxious during some of this but really was just more worried about luke than anxious. we decided that luke should not sleep alone (worried about choking), so i volunteered to sleep with him (even though i was anxious). i covered the entire bed with towels and got us into my bed. luke actually only got sick once or twice, had dry heaves a few times and we got a couple hours of sleep.

monday jack woke up with the fever still and a sore throat. luke threw up most of the day. we took both boys to the doctor where we got medicine for strep throat for both boys (jack for sure strep; luke the start of strep AND the stomach flu). by monday night, the puking had slowed....stopped i think and jack had not thrown up yet. it was at this point, when i got both boys in bed, that my anxiety ramped back up! we had a plan for the boys for tuesday, grandpa gary was going to take them, so it was not that causing my anxiety. it was the fact that jack had not thrown up yet--crazy but true! that was causing me GREAT amounts of anxiety. all i could think of was waiting for him to vomit. this is kind of crazy for me to think of because the actual puke did not bother me just the thought of it. i think it has to do with the unknown, the sporadic-ness of it. i went to bed full of anxiety and a belly tied in knots.

tuesday i woke up with knots in my belly and a headache--anxiety does that to a girl. i was also so very angry with myself for feeling this way. i work so hard to keep it together and keep my anxiety under control and it bugged the heck out of me that it was bothering me so much. the boys were great with grandpa, played the day away and had an overall good day. tuesday at midnight, luke woke me up and threw up again..... ugghhhh :) this time i cleaned up, got a tiny bit of help from josh and then slept on luke's floor. again, it wasn't the puke making me anxious, it was the thought of someone else getting the flu....i just kept waiting for the rest of us to get sick. by this time, i had learned that my sister, and dad also caught the flu but mom was doing better :)

wednesday i stayed home. luke threw up his popsicles at lunch time (first thing to eat in 12 hours) but as soon as he got sick, he asked for real food. i was hesitant but gave him some cereal. that stayed in and he asked for a bit more. that was the last puke for the day :) jack continued to have a fever and both boys continued with their meds.

thursday jack stayed home once again with "the fever" as he called it--josh "stayed" home. luke went off to daycare and had a great day. that night for supper--everyone finally ate! it was so nice for everyone to feel well enough to actually eat a full supper :) but yet again, i was anxiously waiting for more to happen.

friday life was back to normal. all four of us went on to our normal schedules. i am less anxious but that makes me laugh. what is to say that one of us is not going to throw up tomorrow....why was so i so extra anxious last week (besides the fact that the germ was in our house for sure). anyone can catch anything at anytime and actually anyone can get sick at any time. i should stop worrying about the what ifs and just live in the moment. i really need to focus my energies on letting go of that anxiety. i cannot and must not worry about the things that i cannot control--such as one of us getting the stomach flu.

thanks for listening to my rambles :)

Sympathy for Others

i have always been an empathetic and compassionate person but since tom died, i find that my heart understands better and i have deeper emotion for others when tragedy hits. today i found out that a few of our students (several of whom i have in class) lost an uncle over the weekend when a migrant he employed shot and killed him. the farmer had laid off the man during december and when the farmer went to deliver payroll on friday, the laid off worker was waiting, and shot him. the farmer passed away on the spot. when these two students came to my class today, my heart ached for them. i know what it is like to lose a family member unexpectedly. today my prayers are not for me and my family in our healing process. today my prayers are for this family that lost this wonderful addition to their family.

A Bandaid

conversation that happened this evening after jack got a small cut on his thumb.

J: mom (whining) my bandaid fell off when i brushed my teeth

M: do you really need a new one?

J: yes....pllllleeaassse i need it!

I go up stairs, get a new bandaid and bring it down to his room where he is already in bed for the night. as i walked over, he said, mom you better turn on the light because i don't know which thumb is bloody and needs the bandaid (reminder friends--the thumb was "bloody" an hour before this)...... i chuckled a bit and asked him to come over to the lamp. as he showed me his thumb, he explained that he can see the bed at night to get in because it is big but he could not see his thumb because it was little.

did he truly need a bandaid? i think not! did it help him feel better--yes of course! luke also claimed to have a boo boo on his finger (ummmm so much of a boo boo that he could show me in the dark) and he got a bandaid too.

man do i miss the days when a bandaid solved all of your problems! :)

What's In a Name???

so quite a few on facebook these days are recommending you go to urbandictionary.com and look up the meaning of your name. i did just that and then compared it with a few other sites. here are my results:

urban dictionary:
An amazing girl, that will keep surprising you till the end. Smart, funny, caring, tuff, lovable, sexy, DOPE!
**Not sure about dope but i will take the rest :)

wikipedia:
meaning to harvest
**yeah..... i tend to be a collector of sorts

babyworldnames.com:
The exact meaning of Teresa is unknown, but it is likely to be from either the Greek word meaning "to harvest", the Greek word meaning "summer", or from the Greek island of Thera.
**i think i would like greek islands :)

all in all--i think to harvest or "harvest reaper" (as i have read in other locations) is not so bad, eh? it means i am a productive person! :)