Monday, January 31, 2011

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!


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

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!

Monday, January 24, 2011

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.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

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!).

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

My day so far

eight. loads. of laundry.

I think that about sums it up.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

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.

Friday, January 14, 2011

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.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

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.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

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.

Monday, January 10, 2011

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.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

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!

Saturday, January 08, 2011

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?

Friday, January 07, 2011

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.

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

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.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

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.

Monday, January 03, 2011

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!




Sunday, January 02, 2011

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!

Saturday, January 01, 2011

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.