He tried!

Liam begged and begged to stay up for the UK game last night. Here he was with about 8 minutes left in the game (aka 10:30).

Curly Man

The warmer weather is really bringing out Grady's curls!!

Genetically nerdy

Liam to Mark: Dad, do you want to come to my school this week and read a story to my class at circle time? And maybe do a little math?

Oatmeal of the day

Toward the middle of each month, I get cheap and decide to see how long I can go before I need to go grocery shopping. Obviously I always have to get milk and bananas, seeing as how we eat 12-16 bananas A WEEK around here, but that is usually just a quick mid-week trip to Whole Foods. For anything else, I dig into the freezer or pantry and see what I can come up with.

We eat a lot of oatmeal for this reason. Long ago I published my recipe for baked oatmeal, which is so easy and awesome that I'll do it again. And I've since learned of some fun substitutions to keep it new and fresh and therefore avoid having it thrown at my head with Liam yelling, Oatmeal? Again??

Regular Recipe

Dry: 2 cups oats, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 cup brown sugar
Wet: 1 cup milk, 1 beaten egg, 2 tbsp. oil, 1/2 cup applesauce

Mix each separately, then together. Add raisins or another fruit. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Easy peasy.

Ways I shake it up...use mashed banana instead of applesauce. Oh my, they love that, especially with blueberries. Use any fruit, really. Today I added some almond extract to my wet mix and threw in frozen raspberries at the end. I plan to garnish with sliced almonds.

The possibilities? Endless.

Zoo trip

It was crisp and clear on Monday of this week, so we headed to the zoo. It was awesome because we were some of the only people there, therefore the animals were excited to see us. Here is Grady making friends with a gorilla. Also pictured is Allie, Liam's best bud from preschool.

, Mom

Grady has taken to calling me "Mom" rather than "Mommy". This is likely because Liam has made the shift. But when G is tired, he can't help but saying Mom over and over. He attaches it to every single sentence. Example from this evening:

Grady, can you go pick out your book for bedtime?

No, mom, I can't, mom.

Why not?

I have to wash my hands, mom. After I brush my teeth, mom.

You don't need to wash your hands.

Yes I do, mom. I won't waste water, mom. I'll be nice to the fishies, mom.


Sometimes, if he's excited rather than tired, he'll revert to Mommy, but just in the beginning of the sentence with a bit of a stutter. Mo..mm..mmm..mom...mommy, I want to wash my hands, mom. (He loves washing his hands...have I mentioned that?).

Hang Out Thursdays

Things seem to have gotten more hectic around here. Most days we're out the door by 8:30 (which I realize sounds ridiculous to those of you that go to work every day) and it seems like we just go until bedtime. A new membership to the Y has added to this, as I've been trying to get in a couple workouts a week while the boys play in the kid's area there.

Last week by Thursday I was tired out. I was packing my bag to head to the Y and Grady was crying, "I don't want to go to the YMCA!", Liam's eyes were "watering" (his new excuse when he's tearing up), and I was feeling bad. So I decided that we would just hang out together for the day, take it easy, watch too much TV and bake something. We also took a nap. It was a lovely day.

This week we went to the Y on Tuesday and Liam was determined that he tell the ladies at the kid's area why we hadn't been there last week. In his cute little voice he strides up confidently to Ms. Pam, the manager on duty, and says, "We didn't come on Thursday because it was a hang out day. Mom, are we hanging out again this Thursday?" His eyes were big and a little "watery", so I said that I would think about it.

And then this morning I was beat again, so I decided to have another hang out day. We baked muffins for Liam's snack tomorrow at school, snuggled on the couch and watched Disney Junior, and as I write this, the kids are still napping after 2.5 hours! I even got a 2 hour nap myself! Clearly we need hang out Thursdays.

I think they might become my favorite day of the week.

I wonder...

If I were to follow up on the email I got about obtaining a Russian bride, would she do all the laundry??

among other things

I haven't smoked a cigarette in almost two months, since my birthday extravaganza where I was with my gals...when I can't resist a cigarette. Before that it was numerous months. I used to be a regular ol' chimney, before I had the kids. I'll admit, after Liam I went back to smoking a few cigs a day, but after G, I never found my love for it again. And there's a part of me that's obviously glad about that (my lungs) but another part that's not (my ass). You see, since Grady came into the world, I've had a host of situations that have caused me to gain weight. Some of which can be attributed to my inability to stick to any diet I have tried, but some of which can be blamed on the following:
1) no more smoking . Smoking is bad, it's not glamourous, but it does help you stay thinner.
2) medication. Grady's arrival into this world was a blessing, but it also came with a whole host of issues, including postpartum anxiety and depression, both of which I am still being treated for. I know, he's over 2, but it's still here and I am working on it.
3) I am old. The mid-30's have made a considerable dent in my metabolism, and I'm still reeling from the after-effects.

Is it wrong of me to think that if I just started smoking cigarettes, drinking keg beer and eating cheese fries on a regular basis that I could get back into the jeans I wore in my mid-twenties? I wonder. I really do.

Quiet Mornings

One of my favorite things about my new dog walking career is when I return home to a quiet house. Mark leaves shortly after I get home, and then I have 45 to 60 minutes to just be before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Having this time makes me feel so much more together, even if I don't do anything productive. But most days, I'm able to fold a load of laundry, unload the dishwasher, or something that makes me feel like I'm on my game. Yesterday I made blueberry muffins. On a weekday! Sure, they were from a mix but I added real blueberries. Grady was stunned when I told him we were having muffins. He literally jumped up and down in his crib and said "blueberry muffins for breakfast! Blueberry muffins! With butter and jam??" Doesn't take much to please that kid.

Another item for my resume

Dog Walker. It would fall under the volunteer or community service section rather than employment, but it is a new gig for me. No, we didn't get a dog, although jealousy over my new nephew Bowser led me to think about getting one for about 10 seconds.

Here's the thing. I don't get much time to myself, so I was trying to figure out a way that I could get a walk into my day before Mark leaves for school...at 6:20. Since it's dark, I don't necessarily feel safe walking by myself. Enter a pooch. But I only want to walk the dog in the morning, not take care of it and deal with it's hair all over my house (or it's slobber. I despise dog slobber). So, enter Lucy, my good pals and neighbors' dog. She's high energy and loves walking, and her parents just can't walk her enough. For instance, I walked her Sunday after she had completed a 7 mile run with her mommy and you would have thought she's been sitting on her butt on the couch all day. She's awesome.

And she's my new walking buddy. We spend a half an hour each morning together, and I'm loving it. So far I haven't even had to pick up any poop! It's similar to how Lucy's parents feel about Liam and Grady...they like spending time with them, but love giving them back.

Awww...

Mark got me some of my favorite flowers today, Gerbera daisies. They are so pretty and looked even better before I put them in a vase! :) There are nine flowers, one for each Valentine's Day we've spent together. Hard to believe!

Workshop

I led a Restorative Yoga workshop this afternoon and it was a blast! There were 21 people at the studio I teach at, and it was literally wall to wall mats. I think everyone felt "restored" when it was through. I really enjoy teaching all types of yoga, but Restorative is one of my favorites. People are always so happy when you can help them relax and relieve tension. A great way for a roomful of people to begin their Valentine's week!

No bird

I have failed at keeping everyone abreast (no pun intended) of the bird situation in the house. Apparently it's been driving my readers (all two of them) crazy not knowing the outcome. We determined that the bird was likely coming in through the chimney, which is really weird because there is very little space to enter, but we think that is what happened. Mark shoved a towel in the crack that might be an entry way, and we haven't seen the bird again.

Although there have been a lot of look alikes in the front yard, so I don't know why our house is suddenly the hot spot for birds (Mark looked up the name of the bird online, but it's escaping me right now, and he's asleep on the living room floor because I was practicing my restorative yoga postures with him...so I can't ask). I'm wondering if we did something to piss off a neighbor and they've decided to sprinkle bird seed all over the yard. Hmm...

The bird is back

Seriously. The bird came back today. I'm assuming it's the same bird, it looked exactly the same. I ran around the house for a half an hour trying to catch it in the soup pot but then finally opened a bunch of windows and took the screen out, and he flew right out.

Liam thinks he likes it here and we should just keep him.

Why and how is a bird getting into our house????

Bye Bye Birdie

Tonight we came home after picking Mark up from school and I headed upstairs to grab something out of the office. I noticed at the landing that the nightlight that is usually sitting on the window sill had been knocked on the ground. Then I heard a strange noise coming from the office. Olivia, our cat, was sitting on the floor in the office gazing longingly at the window, where there was a bird trapped behind our curtains.

I wish I would have taped the hilarity that ensued as Mark and I attempted to round up the bird. It flew from room to room as we tried to snare it with a blanket. Then we thought better of ourselves and went to a large soup pot. We finally caught it and were able to release it outside.

It was actually a pretty funny situation. But it certainly begs the question...how the f+$k did a bird get in the house?

New Friend

This is Bowie. His mommy is a friend of mine and she is going back to work part-time, so he's going to hang with us on Mondays.

He's 11 months, and I have already forgotten what it means to have a crawler in the house! I turn my back for just a second and he's off, making a mad dash for the stairs. But he sure is a cutie!

A baby

was born this morning at 4:03, and I was lucky enough to see it. I still cry every single time. Such a powerful and amazing experience!

Achy

Poor Liam woke up around 10 this evening in a sleepy stupor, crying and moaning. It took almost an hour of me laying with him to realize that he has an ear infection. Doubling up on Tylenol and Motrin, a strawberry popsicle, and an episode of Cupcake Wars with some cuddling made it all better (it was obviously the pain relievers, but he thinks it's the popsicle), at least for a few hours.

He is, of course, destroyed that he has to go to the doctor tomorrow instead of school.

And now I am surfing the web and enjoying a (very large) glass of Chardonnay to get over the trauma of a sick and whiny child. For the fifth day in a row.

If we get the stomach flu, I think I might have to leave town.

Little Drummer Boy

For those of you have heard about (or if you are our neighbors, just plain heard) the drums Liam got for Christmas...here he is in full drumming glory.

Planning

I remember the Fall semester of 2002...Mark was in Germany, I had no kids, but I had just started grad school part-time while working at UK full-time. I wanted to keep myself organized, so I created an Excel spreadsheet that outlined my schedule for the week...work, exercise, class, studying, talking to Mark on the phone, cleaning my house (which took like an hour a week because it was just me living in a one bedroom apartment). I thought that I had SO much to do that I needed to schedule it all. Ha! I had more free time that semester than I've ever had since.

Today I am sitting down with my computer and my planner, trying to fit in client appointments, teaching, going to yoga, trying to get some workouts at the Y, book club, cleaning, laundry, cooking, shopping...and trying to sync this up with Mark's crazy schedule, plus whatever the boys are up/in to this week.

Time is like money. We never thought we had any of either until we had kids and realized that we had SO much money and ridiculous amounts of time. I'm sure that one day this will come full circle and we'll have lots of time when the kids are gone (but still no money, of course!).

My day so far

eight. loads. of laundry.

I think that about sums it up.

Time for bed

It has been a super busy weekend, and it's not even over yet. I have attended multiple yoga classes and trainings and met with two clients, went to two birthday parties and even made it to Mass this morning! And to the Home Remodeling and Building Expo. Tomorrow it's yoga, client meeting, play date, private yoga lesson, then a trip to Lexington for dinner with some of my favorite ladies and a doula workshop. The boys are having serious Mommy withdrawal, so when I have been with them this weekend, they are clinging and grabbing and climbing all over me like I'm fleece and they are static-laden socks.

My good friend Jessica sent me a new cookbook for my birthday, so I'm going to take it upstairs, snuggle under the covers and think about cooking for the week. It may sound like things are crazy, but I do love it. I really am a lucky gal.

Night night, everybody.

Nope, I'm not clean

I missed yesterday. It's been a rough week, of sorts, but it's been self inflicted. I began a cleanse this week, specifically the Master Cleanse, which involves drinking an elixir of water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper multiple times a day to cleanse your colon. Laxative tea is also a big part of this. And did I mention that food is not? Yes, it's true. I haven't eaten solid food since Monday morning.

Why was I attempting this crazy cleanse? I was really looking for a "reset" button of sorts. Like many people, I felt gross after too much holiday eating and drinking, and I'm simply tired of the extra weight I've put on since I've had the kids. Plus, I'd like to have another kid at some point in the future, so I wanted to get rid of some of the excess before I attempt to get pregnant again.

So I started drinking the lemonade on Tuesday afternoon after juicing for 24 hours...Tuesday and Wednesday went fine. And yesterday was okay, too, but the lemon juice started to burn my throat a little bit. This morning, it burned like crazy when I drank it and I started to notice some open sores on my tongue...so I bailed on the cleanse. Part of me feels like a failure for not completing the 10 day process, but I also didn't want to be so stubborn as to continue on when it wasn't good for my health. Plus my dad called this morning and talked me into quitting. He's not a big fan of liquid diets.

So I continue this journey of attempting to lose weight and eat healthier, although I eat pretty healthy (except when I'm in Celina...then it's a free for all, right Ellen?). It's part of my overall goal of focusing more on myself.

Which probably means I shouldn't eat whatever food the kids leave on their plate.

Addiction

Liam is super into the Wii, particularly our new Wii Sports Resort game. So much so that he actually peed his pants today while playing it. I saw the ring of wetness around his crotch and asked him if he peed himself. He says, "Yes, but I was playing the Wii. I got distracted".

Twice.

Snow Day!

Mark had a snow day today, along with the rest of the city. It was actually fairly snowy, for Louisville standards. It's still snowing and supposed to get cooler tonight, so I bet there's no school tomorrow. Which means that the kids will be home instead of at school.

I think mommies are the only ones who hate snow days.

Mean Girls...the preschool years

Grady got his first invitation to a birthday party that wasn't for people that count as honorary cousins. It's a little boy in his class at Mom's Day Out, and they're going to tumble at Gymboree for an hour and a half next weekend. Good times.

This leads me to another birthday party, one that a girl in Liam's class had before the holidays. A friend, whose daughter is also in Liam's class, told me about the party--a gymnastics theme where leotards would be provided (really?!?)--and we figured since Liam hadn't been invited, it was a girl's only thing. So I totally forgot about it. In the meantime, we saw the birthday girl and her grandpa one day at Chick-fil-A, and she seemed shy and didn't really want anything to do with Liam or A, his friend from class that was invited to the party. Again, didn't really think much of it.

So last night we had A and her family over for dinner. Her mom and I are becoming better friends and the kids just love one another. Over margaritas, I remembered that I had never asked her how the birthday party went. She said it was fun, though there were a bunch of "yummy mummies" (thanks to my friend with British roots for the term) that were discussing where the kids should head to kindergarten. Then she said, "have you ever met (insert boy from Liam's class)'s mom? And she proceeded to tell me about her. Immediately, my mind starts going. That's a boy. A BOY from Liam's class. And he was at the party. I don't want to think this way, but I automatically do...why wasn't Liam invited to the party? Why doesn't birthday girl like my amazingly awesome son?

Of course I can't bring myself to ask if there were other boys there. I don't think that my face registered any shock or upset, so I just rolled along with it. I mean, I'm ridiculous to even give a shit, but I do.

So today I pick Liam up from school and birthday girl is there (acting a little sassy to her mother, in my opinion)...naturally, I ask him about her while walking to the car. So, do you ever play with birthday girl? Is she nice? Who does she play with? Meanwhile, I'm horrified that I'm even asking these questions. What the hell is my problem? Who cares if my 4 year old is part of the "popular" crowd in preschool?

I don't want to care and I've started to wean myself off caring...but evidently there's a little bit of that insecure 7th grade girl in me. I just need to take care that I don't project her on my little boys, who are perfectly imperfect just the way they are. Leotards or not.

Carnitas

We haven't been eating a whole lot of meat the last year or so, but when we do, I do it right. Today we're having some friends over for dinner, and I'm making Carnitas. Traditionally, Carnitas is pork shoulder that is slow roasted and then deep fried (delicious, of course), usually in lard. Since that is a bit out of my league, I have found a (somewhat) healthier alternative...slow roast the meat and then broil it in the oven to create the crispiness that usually comes from the fryer.

First I cut the meat into fist-sized pieces. Then I create a dry rub with brown sugar, dry mustard, coriander, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Rub this in to all sides of each piece of meat, and then brown the pork in a dutch oven. I used a little bacon fat today, since I had it in the fridge...you could use olive or veggie oil as an alternative. So brown all the meat, perhaps in batches, and then set on a plate. Use a couple cups of chicken stock to deglaze the pan, drop in a couple bay leaves and then place the pork back in the dutch oven. Put in the oven at 300 degrees for at least 3 hours, if not 4-5.

Once the pork is fall-apart tender, use a slotted spoon to pull the pork out of the pan and onto a cookie sheet. Mix some of the juices in the with meat, but leave most of it in the pan. It's really fatty and you don't need it...the flavor is there, believe me.

Broil the meat for a couple minutes in the oven and serve with rice, beans, tortillas...whatever you choose. I like to make a corn and black bean salad to serve with mine.

This is my last date with meat for a while. You'll hear more about it in the upcoming days, tomorrow I am beginning the three day phase in for the Master Cleanse, which I am doing with a fellow yoga teacher buddy starting Thursday. Good times.

Until then, Carnitas and margaritas for me! Ole!

Amick vs. Amick

Mark and his dad squared off in the finals for the Academic Team District Cup today, with Mark's team coming out on top. I imagine a movie based on the struggles of the father-son coaches, meeting in a match to determine who has the "quicker" team. Imagine the Chariots of Fire theme song as the match plays out in slow motion, the winning question read with anticipation. Mark's team is quick to buzz in, but not without consequence...an arm is flailed about in excitement and one of the kid's glasses are smashed against their face, a la Lucas. So there is elation over the win, but it's tinged with the tragedy of broken glasses. Meanwhile, Paul's team is devastated in the corner. Paul is sad to lose, but at the same time proud of his son's accomplishments. This has Golden Globe potential.

So are you guys gonna call Steven Spielberg or should I?

Day Six (should be Seven)

I realized this morning that I had already failed my challenge to myself to blog daily in 2011...and it's only day 7. However, rather than beat myself up about my mistakes, I will jump back on the horse and blog again. It's not like anyone's reading, anyway.

I visited with a client this afternoon who is two weeks postpartum. She is, of course, super overwhelmed with healing her own body from a very fast, unmedicated birth; nursing her growing daughter every 2-3 hours around the clock; dealing with the ups and downs of hormone levels; fighting extreme exhaustion; and still attempting to make her house and herself look like no baby has come across it's path. She is a typical American woman and she is doing relatively well, but she's on the verge of losing her shit. And I see so many women like this, day in and day out.

I was one of them. Vacuuming underneath Liam's swing when he was 5 days old. Reorganizing my bedroom to fit the co-sleeper and deciding hey! this would be a great time to wash the windows inside and out. In January. Of course, I wanted to make the most of my "time off" on maternity leave, as so many women do. We feel so much pressure to keep it all together, to do it "by the book", and to make it all look effortless.

Meanwhile, across the pond, in nations as developed as ours, new moms get 6 month to a year PAID leave to raise their infants. They have government sponsored postpartum doulas that come in twice a week and help them get adjusted for the first three months. They live in cultures where it is the norm for mom and baby to stay in bed for a month while friends and family care for the house and the other children. I know I am not alone when I say that I was doing laundry the day that I brought Grady home from the hospital...two days after his birth.

When I was leaving my client's house tonight, after going through the list of questions she had accumulated for me in the past two weeks, she said that she was so glad to have me...that I was her security blanket. Which made me feel awesome for being there for her, but kind of sad that we don't live in a culture where she could have asked her neighbor breastfeeding questions. Or felt comfortable enough to talk with friends about breast milk squirting and postpartum sex and all the other issues that plague women in the months (and potentially years) following the birth of a child.

I don't have all the answers, and as much as I wish I could, I can't solve these problems. I can just take it one mommy at a time. And that is what I'll do.

Birthday musings

Looking over my older posts, I realized that the last time I wrote anything on this blog was St. Patrick's Day, almost a year ago. I mentioned that the boys were wearing their matching t-shirts and that we were headed over to see Mark's grandma later that day. Looking back, it was a blessing that we visited her, as she died less than 2 weeks later. Mom Amick, as she was called by many, was 94 and one of the most fiesty women I've ever encountered. I was thinking of her tonight, at the dinner table with Mark's parents, the kids, and her baby sister, Aunt Anne (age 88).

Today I was on the way to Liam's school with a cake to celebrate his birthday with his classmates and there was a moment when I was in total disbelief...is this my life? Am I really 35? Am I really enough of a "grown-up" to be taking treats to my child's school? I swear just yesterday I was 22. Some of this might have come from spending the weekend with old friends, who somehow make it seem like no time has passed. But some days I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I am grown, that I am responsible for other lives. It seems surreal. Everyone always says it goes so fast, that you never feel your age. And I can't help think about Mom Amick again, wondering if at 94, she looked around at all of us and wondered how the hell she got to be there. I'll bet she still felt 22, too.

Liam graduates to an advanced sleeping arena

Today I took Liam's "rail" off the side of his bed. We've been discussing this for several weeks, ever since we learned that his friend Will was sleeping in a rail-free big boy bed. After much thought, he decided that today, his 4th birthday, would be the best day to liberate him from sleeping in a "little boy bed".

It was fairly routine. Tuesdays I usually wash the sheets so when I took them off the bed, he helped me slide the little legs out from under the mattress, and voila! A real bed. All the while, he's looking at me kind of funny. I ask him if he's okay, is this too soon, too much to handle, etc. And he says that no, he's fine; so I move onto the next room to strip the beds. A few minutes later he follows me in and says, "Mom, I thought you might cry when we took the rails off. Are you handling it okay?"

Seriously. They say the darnedest things.

Birthdays!

This picture is dated (Halloween 2009), but it shows the birthday duo...Liam and his buddy Savannah, who turned 4 today (Liam's big day is tomorrow). Happy Birthday, S! We love you!

Pain in the neck.

Wow. I just had a whirlwind, dreamlike weekend that included two well-orchestrated birthday surprises bringing a bunch of my gals from all over this country to Louisville to celebrate with my friends here. Words can not describe how impressed I am with Mark for planning and executing with such precision...I had no idea. And those of you who know me well know how hard it is to keep anything from me. It has been a wacky weekend!

Before all of the festivities on Friday, Allison and I were trying out my new Jade yoga mat and messing around. I was trying to be a show off and demonstrating head stand when Liam decided it would be a good time to come over and tackle me, causing me to dismount in a very unhealthy way. I felt fine at the time, but on Saturday morning I awoke to a stiffness in my trapezius that continues to radiate down my back and into my arm. After a trip to Urgent Care this morning, I'm now on muscle relaxers, which sound a lot cooler than they actually are. Hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow morning and it will all be better. Until then, I guess I'll be avoiding headstand...

Neck and back pain aside, 2011 is beginning with a bang. I am so blessed with a loving husband, family, kids, and friends. And Liam will be 4 this week, so the fun continues!

Day One

So my resolution for this 2011 is to spend more time thinking about my own well-being. I take care of other people for the majority of my waking hours, so I want to explore taking care of myself for a change.

And this begins with having a voice that doesn't talk about clearing dishes, putting away laundry, PICK UP YOUR TOYS!!! etc. One outlet for this voice is here, in the blogosphere.

So my biggest commitment to myself this year is to blog. Every day. For the whole year.

Okay, you can stop laughing now. But I'll prove you wrong.

See you tomorrow.