Saturday, July 20, 2013

15 month Update!

Since I've been a serious slacker since heading back to work I figured I would do a 15 month update on the Peanut (that's right....15 months already!!)



Age: 15 months
Date of Appt.: June 14th, 2013
Weight: 24.9lbs
Height:  31.5 inches
Sleeping Patterns: Still sleeping through the night (about 7:30pm-6:30am) and you take one nap during the day which lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours depending on the day 

Eating Patterns: You still love food!  You do 3 meals a day plus at least one snack....you're daycare provider says that you always eat breakfast after being dropped off in the mornings....and that is AFTER mommy has already fed you.  I'm glad you enjoy eating and aren't too picky :)
Anything You'd Like to Add?: You now have 12 teeth with 4 more on the way.  Since heading back to work you enjoy going to daycare everyday and playing with your friends.  You have started to say A LOT of words for someone so little....Mommy and Daddy need to watch what we say because you repeat everything (last weekend you walked around saying "Oh Sh*t all weekend, after hearing Mommy say it...oops!).  I guess you take after Mommy with your speech.  You are also able to sign quite a few things and pick up on new signs fairly quickly.  I look forward to watching you continue to grow in the next few months!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Summer Bucket List

Ok...I admit it...I suck at keeping this thing up lately...but I've been enjoying my time and haven't been on the actual computer much lately.

Anyways...I'm a member of The Beautiful Mommy Club and every week there is a blog challenge.  I keep saying I will participate and have yet to do so....but this week I will :)

This week's topic is making a Summer bucket list!  So here is mine....

  • go swimming with Cole as often as possible
  • go to the African Lion Safari
  • have a date night at least once a month
  • spend some time on the patio
  • enjoy my backyard for once
  • have a cottage weekend with friends
  • go to a Jay's Game (even though they suck big time)
  • have lots of BBQs
  • maybe go to the zoo
It's not a huge list...but definitely one that I think is pretty achievable.  I'm looking forward to my week off in July and spending lots of time outside this Summer.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

MIA

So I've been a little MIA lately, but things have been a bit busy since returning to work and my blog has kind of taken a back seat to life.  I returned back to work in mid-March, Cole had his First Birthday and DH has been working his second job almost since I returned to work so like I said...things have been busy! 

Everyone is doing well here!  I promise to try and update more frequently than I have been.  Hope you are all doing well :)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

What A Day....

Ughhh...one of those posts where I just need to let out a huge *sigh*

It was seriously just one of those days today. It was supposed to be a fun and happy day but it all just went downhill fast and didn't get any better as the day went on.  Oh well I guess...for every bad day there will be a better one...right!?

It just kinda sucks that the day ended crappy on my "Friday" of the week.


ANYWAYSSSS....I still have to do the Peanut's Birthday Recap and 12 month update....I can't believe I have a one year old!!  Promise my next post will be a happier one :)

Friday, March 1, 2013

1 week...

...is all that is left of my mat. leave.  After next week I start the journey of being a working mom.  I'm excited and scared all at the same time!  Next week we have our trial runs at my cousin's house before I return to work...just to get C used to the idea of being with someone else. 

I'm kind of surprised that I'm not feeling as anxious as I thought I would.  It might be because...if I really truly admit it to myself...I kind of want to be back at work....OR....the anxiety attacks just haven't kicked in yet...one or the other!

I plan to do a little bit of back to work shopping next week while I have some alone time and C is at my cousin's house....get myself some pick me up back to work outfits :)

Not a long post...just a kind of had to get it out post...

...until next time!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

A Whole Week Without It!

I'm kind of a fast food junky.  If someone offers me a cheeseburger....I take it!  French Fries? Sure why not!!  I just love my fast food...as terrible as it is for me.  This year for Lent, I decided I would give up fast food...time to break the habit and I figured why not now?  Today is going on day 10 without having any fast food at all.  I haven't even really craved it, which is totally not like me.  I've even been surprisingly good with taking out food for dinner, which I think has been the key to my success so far!  I just wanted to have a quick celebration of my success so far...I'm proud of me :)

Monday, February 18, 2013

Back to Work Anxiety

I've noticed a couple of other bloggers link back to this blog as inspiration for their latest blog posts....and I checked it out and have been inspired to write about what has been on my mind lately. 

You can check out the blog here.

In exciting news...Cole is going to be a year old in 3 more weeks...which means that I will be returning to work in 3 more weeks.  His first birthday is bittersweet.  I'm so excited to throw his party and celebrate with all of our family and friends, but I am really anxious about going back to work and leaving him.  I have spent the last 11 months and some odd days not even thinking about work, just enjoying my time off on mat. leave.  Now the time has come to start prepping for the big return and to be completely honest...it is overwhelming.  I KNOW that everything is going to just fine.  It will be nice to be back at work, to have adult interaction on a daily basis.  It is just hard....hard to think about not spending everyday with my little man, hard to think about being away from him for 8+ hours a day, hard to think about someone else teaching him things.  I get that I am lucky to have had the last year off work...believe me, it is not something I have taken for granted...I can't imagine having to return to work when my little one is only a few weeks old...but that being said, it still won't be easy. 

Sometimes, when I think about it, I just want to cry.  I haven't talked to Mike about my anxiety because I feel like he will just think it is silly...and it kind of is.  I guess in the reality of it all...another maternity leave is just around the corner, as we plan to start TTC #2 later this year.  There will be another year off with Little Man and baby #2 when that day comes...and if all works out I may become a somewhat stay-at-home mom after the second baby....well open up a home daycare, which will allow me to be home with our children while looking after a few others as well. 

Well....I guess I am done my little pity party!  I'm glad I got to get that out :)


Thursday, February 14, 2013

11 Month Update

I'm a couple days late, but I'm having a hard time getting an 11 month picture!


Age: 11 months
Date of Appt.: no appointment this month
Weight: 23.2lbs
Height: 30 inches
Sleeping Patterns: You take one nap during the day for about 2 hours (if Mommy is lucky) and you have been sleeping about 12 hours at night  
Eating Patterns: You are still a great eater....you pretty much eat anything that I put in front of you, which makes me one very happy Mom!!
Anything You'd Like to Add?: You are up to 8 teeth now (all four front teeth on both the top and bottom) and your molars are starting to cut through on the top.  You are walking all over the place and are getting much better at it....you are nowhere near as wobbly as you were last month.  You have started signing more while eating when you want more to eat....and your sign for all done is to grab both sides of your head lol...not sure how that came to be!  We are gearing up for your First birthday...can't believe it is only a month away, it feels like just yesterday we were at the hospital waiting for you to arrive!  You love to play by yourself...I often find you by the toy shelf flipping through your books by yourself, I hope you grow up to enjoy reading as much as I do.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Labels

I was watching T.V. this week when I heard a quote that has kind of stuck with me since hearing it....I don't remember EXACTLY how the quote went...but it went something along the lines of...

"The important thing to remember about labels, is that they only matter if they stick." (Good Luck Charlie...yes you read that right :-P)

It got me thinking about all of the labels that have been placed on me over the years...growing up I was given many labels, even now I still have many labels.  Some of these labels I have embraced and made part of who I am....and other labels I have ripped off and refused to let them define me.

Some labels I had growing up included:
  • Quiet
  • Smart
  • Goody Two Shoes - this is something my sisters always called me, they hated that I always appeared to be the "good child" and were mean to me about it growing up....little did they know there were lots of things I did that weren't too "goody two shoes"esque....I just didn't get caught.  It bothered me that they called me this, but I knew they didn't REALLY know me so they just judged me for what they could see
  •  Sister - as a child, I can honestly say I wasn't the best sister.  My sisters and I never got along.  We fought ALL THE TIME.  The only good thing I did was try to leave a good example...and not rat my sisters out when they did something wrong....I always hated when they would rat me out.
  • Daughter - I honestly tried to be the best daughter I could be growing up.  I looked up to my mom and tried to help her out as much as possible.  It is the role of being a daughter that has taught me a lot about how to be a good Mom.
  • Granddaughter
  • Student
  • Cool Kid - being a cool kid is probably what every child wants to be...and I was...for a while.  The cool kids turned their back on me towards the end of elementary school because apparently I was "stealing boyfriends"....now I never actually had a boyfriend until I was 16, so I don't know what they were talking about.  Being a cool kid made me feel so good...becoming an uncool kid made me feel crushed.
  • Nerd
  • Loser - so after my reign as cool kid, came my reign as cool Loser.  After I got kicked out of the cool kid club, my so called friends started bullying me and I had to make new friends quickly.  It crushed me to be considered a loser and I actually went into a depression at 13....I didn't go to school for two weeks and never told anyone why...I played the "sick" card at home for as long as I could.  I dealt with this for the next two years....felt sick to my stomach going to school everyday for almost two years....but I survived...and it did get better!
  • Girlfriend- I had a couple of boyfriends in my younger days....and I learned a lot from them.  I learned what I didn't want...and what I did want in a relationship.  I had one other long term relationship before meeting my husband....it was a great relationship, we had a lot of good times, but in the end it really just wasn't meant to be and we crashed and burned.  That experience made me who I am today in a relationship though, so I won't ever forget it.
  • Child from a "Broken Home" - I honestly never thought my parents would be the ones to get divorced...it was something that just wouldn't happen to me, until it did.  To be honest, my Dad was never around growing up since he worked pipeline, which often took him away from home for work.  It still hurt like hell when he walked out on us though....I'm still dealing with emotions from it and it is almost 15 years later now.  I learned what I want in a partner and Father for my children and what I was willing to put up with in a relationship.  I also had to grow up fast....my mom needed someone to help her (even though she never once asked for help) and I knew that person had to be me. 
Some labels I have now as an adult:
  •  Sister - My adult role of sister has changed a lot from my childhood role.  My sisters and I now get along and have gotten a lot closer over the years.  I'm at a much different point in my life than my sisters are so sometimes it can be hard for them to relate to me, but they know I'm always there for them.
  • Daughter
  • Mother - this is probably my favourite label.  I enjoy being a mother SO much and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  It is one of the hardest and most challenging jobs I have ever had in my life....but it is so rewarding.  I truly hope that I do a great job as a mother and raise loving, intelligent, caring and respectable children.
  • Wife - another job I enjoy.  I have found a great partner to live my life with and look forward to our future together.
  • Employee
  • Boss
  • Friend - I think of myself as a good friend....I just find that the older I get the harder it is to keep those people close.  I get that life changes, people move on and grow up....it just kind of sucks when it happens to you.  I try to make a point of making appointments with my friends for dinner or just to hang out...but I find even that doesn't always get us together anymore.
  • Level Headed
  • Determined
  • Woman
  • Adult
What are some of the labels you, yourself have?  How have they impacted you and shaped the person you are today?

Thursday, January 31, 2013

The War Against Decluttering...an Update

So a couple of weeks ago I posted that I was going to start decluttering my house, it was time to purge myself of all the belongings I no longer needed!  Well, it went well for about a week and then life seemed to side track me, which is what always seems to happen when cleaning is involved :)

Don't get me wrong though....in that week I actually did more than one decluttering task a day...so realistically I am probably still on track to where I should be and I made a lot of headway in the fight to declutter.  I ended up doing my closet, dresser, bathroom and office anddddd some of one of the rooms in the basement. I took a bunch of the items I no longer wanted and listed them on yardsale groups on Facebook, which has given me quite a bit of pocket change over the last couple of weeks!  I still have a few things that haven't sold hanging around, which I will hopefully get rid of in the next little while.  I also intend to pick up the fight in the next couple of days now that things have calmed down a bit.  I need to buy a bunch of bins so I can organize as I go as well....lots of baby clothes to pack away and under the stairs needs to be tidied!

As for the rest of my life....it's been busy but going well.  Still in the process of pulling things together for little Man's First Birthday party....invites go out in the next few days, now I just need to pick up some of the basic supplies (streamers, party games, loot bags, plates and other items).  We are also in the process of slightly renovating our whole downstairs...which involves painting our 18ft high foyer and all of the halls upstairs and downstairs, as well as laying new floors in the entire downstairs...which hubby wants to have done before Little Man's First birthday. 

Wellll....until next time...I hope everyone is doing well :)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Liebster Award!!


I feel totally honoured to have been nominated twice for the Liebster Award :)  I want to send out a thank you to Megan (Life Lessons of a New Mommy) and Ryanne (A Method in the Madness) for nominating me for this award.  Basically the Liebster Award Nomination is for bloggers who have less than 200 followers, it helps promote their blogs and lets you get to know them a little bit better!  If you get nominated you cannot nominate the person who nominated you (No Tagbacks!). The point of the Liebster Award is to answer questions, tell 11 secrets about yourself, and nominate 11 other bloggers who fit the criteria.  Here it goes!


11 Things About Me:
  1. Growing up I always wanted to write and illustrate children's books.  Lately I've been thinking back to that and have contemplated the idea again...if I can find the patience to sit and finish one.
  2. I have a bad habit of growing my hair really long, then cutting it all off because I get "bored" and hating it....then starting the whole process all over again.
  3. I have 8 tattoos....all of them can be hidden if I want them to be.  I started getting them when I was 17 and have been addicted ever since.  Want to know what and where...just ask!
  4. I hate being late to anything....it is one of my biggest pet peeves!
  5. I had my appendix taken out 6 years ago...which believe it or not was comparable to childbirth lol
  6. I don't really like vegetables...I like more than I used to but I don't go out of my way to eat them
  7. When I was younger I competed in a "Jeopardy" style movie game show...I was only like 11 and I beat out all of the adults, what can I say...I love movies!
  8. I often go back and forth about opening my own childcare centre one day. 
  9. I would love to go back to school and get my Bachelor's Degree in Education, but probably never will.
  10. I would rather read a book than watch TV any day....I can get really lost in a good book...or even a not so good one for that matter.
  11. I apparently create cuddle monsters....I love cuddling...it started with the dog and has now moved on to cuddling with my son.
 11 Questions from Ryanne:
1. Why did you decide to start a blog?I decided to start a blog because I enjoy writing.  I've had quite a few blogs over the years, most have them have faded away and just been forgotten about.  This is probably the longest I have ever kept a blog.  When I started this one I wanted to track my 1001/101 project...which I never finished....and now it has turned into accounts of being a Mom and watching my son grow up.
2. How did you know that your spouse was THE ONE? (If single, what traits are you looking for in a future spouse?) It's hard to say.  I kind of just knew from day one.  We fell in love more quickly then I had ever fallen in love before and everything just seemed perfect for once, and continued to stay that way even as time went on. 
3. Name the 3 most important people in your life. Why are they so important? 1.My Mom - she is such a strong woman and has always been there for me no matter what.  She has taught me some of life's most valuable lessons and I look up to her so much.  2. My husband - he sticks by my side and helps me through all of the ups and downs in life.  He has helped me created a wonderful life for us and our family and he works so hard to keep us all happy.  3 - My Son.  He is my everything.  He is the one person in this world that I would do ANYTHING for.  I love have more than I could ever write here or anywhere else.
4. How do your personal beliefs (social/religious/philosophical) differ from your upbringing now that you are an adult? How have they stayed the same? A lot of them have stayed the same to be honest, overall they are much more mature beliefs that when I was growing up, as I take these things a lot more seriously then I did back then but the core principles of them all have stayed the same.
5. If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it? I would buy our "forever" home, get us some new vehicles and pay off any debts that we had at the time....just make life a little bit more comfortable. 
6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Enjoying my family, hopefully with one more member of it.  Not much will have changed I would imagine other than being older and the children being a bit more grown up.
7. What is one way you are seeking to improve yourself this year? We are looking to hopefully start adding to our family, I am trying to sort out the good friendships vs. the toxic ones and I am just trying to be a better person in general myself (helping others out when I can, keeping in touch with family and friends, being there when people need me, etc.)
8. What is the best book you have ever read?  I really like the book A Fraction of the Whole (hmmmm...where have we heard that before :P) by Steve Toltz.  It was a great book and one of the more grown up books I have read in a while.
9. What song describes your mood today?I honestly don't know....I've been so busy all day but in a pretty good mood.  The song stuck in my head today is "Stompa" by Serena Ryder
10. Do you have any pets? yes, we have one dog, Kairo.  She is a German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix
11. Do you have a bucket list? no I don't.  I'm bad at finishing things once I start them so I figured why bother?

11 Questions from Megan:

1) What is your favorite quote? Live, Love, Laugh....so simple but says a lot at the same time
2) What are 5 things your can't live without? Food, Family, Friends, Books and Music
3) Least favorite chore? Laundry and dishes...they tie for the worst chore
4) What is your favorite blog entry, you ever posted? Post it here: My Life Lessons Posts were probably two of my favourite posts. I could probably add to those now lol
5) What is the one song you could play over and over again, and not get sick of? Right now I love Hey Ho by the Lumineers and Red Hands by Walk off the Earth
6) What is your next vacation spot?  Anywhere....seriously I would take a vacation anywhere at this point!!  Most likely it will be to Disneyland when Cole gets older
7) If you had to live on one food for the rest of your life, what would that one food be?  Cheeseburgers....seriously....
8) What year was the best year of your life? Why?  My most memorable year was my second  year in College...I had a lot of good times that year and I also met Mike, which was the  beginning of this great new adventure.  Last year was pretty awesome too since I became a mom :)
9) Favorite blog of all time? That is not one that you nominated.  I love reading Parenting. Illustrated with Crappy Pictures.  She is hilarious!!
10) Biggest pet peeve?  People who are late!
11) What thing do you splurge on yourself? nothing really...sometimes clothes or shoes but that doesn't happen very often.

11 Questions for You:
  1. You write a blog...why?
  2. If you could be anyone else for just one day, who would you be and why?
  3. If you could go back in time and change anything, what would you change and why?
  4. What is one life lesson you learned the hard way?
  5. Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
  6. What is one piece of advice you would like to offer your readers?
  7. Top 3 moments in your life.  List Them:
  8. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  9. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be and why?
  10. Who are the three most important people in your life and why?
  11. You just won the lottery....what is the first thing you do?
The Nominees Are (in no particular order): 
....and I stop at 10 because most of the blogs I used to follow have been inactive for over a year...but please check out the above blogs.  They rock!!



 

 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Decluttering!!

So I have decide to start decluttering my house. I honestly hate cleaning and everything that goes along with it, which is why I think it is great that I came across this list to declutter in 30 minutes for 30 days.

I decided I was going to get started today since I want to be completely finished and still have time to go over anything that is missed before Cole's birthday in March. Today's task was to declutter my dresser. It honestly did only take me 30 minutes to go through everything and reorganize it . I still feel like I didn't get rid of enough stuff though so I may go back and look things over again tomorrow when I do the closet. Everything I don't want I am going to drop off at a charity box.

Hopefully I can stick to this!!

First Haircut!

Not much to write about Cole's first haircut. He did absolutely awesome though! He got to sit in a red car while he lady cut his hair...he didn't fuss and barely even moved the whole time :) Here are a couple of photos of the big day!



10 months!!



Age: 10 months
Date of Appt.: no appointment this month
Weight: TBA
Height: 29.5inches
Sleeping Patterns: You take one nap during the day for about 2 hours and you have been sleeping about 12 hours at night
Eating Patterns: You still eat like a champ. We are doing 3 big meals a day and some snacks with three 8-9oz bottles a day
Anything You'd Like to Add?: You now have 5 teeth with the 6th tooth on the way. You took your first steps on New Years Eve and are becoming better with the whole walking thing each day.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

A Quick Hello!

I feel bad that I don't update much lately but life is busy with a baby!

Our Christmas and New Years went well :)  Very busy as it always is during that time of the year.  Cole was spoiled by everyone for his first Christmas...but to be honest he had no interest in any of it lol....oh well!  I look forward to next year when he will understand a bit better.

Things that are new...
Cole took his first steps last week...each day he gets a little braver and takes a few more.  He has started launching himself off everything, but usually doesn't make it more than 4-5 steps before falling.

We start our Mother Goose program again this week....which I am very excited about.  This group is older than our last group and one of the requirements is that all of the children need to be crawling.  I'm looking forward to the social aspect of it for both Cole and I!

We also start swimming again this week.  This will be round 2 of swimming lessons for us.  We want Cole to enjoy swimming as much as we do, so we want to keep him in swimming as long as he wants to do it!

I've started planning Cole's First Birthday party already.  I know how I get and it will creep up on me before I know it!  I found the invites that I am going to order, have his Cake Smash Photos booked and have started to prep. some decorations!  Looking forward to the celebration!

Tomorrow Cole goes for his first haircut.  I'm kind of nervous about it...but my thought process is that if the haircut sucks, he has a couple of months for it to grow out a bit before his birthday!

Hopefully I can update with pictures tomorrow of his new haircut!!