So my Organizing Project Of The Week this week is our entertainment center. I'm trying to make some sense of all the random DVD's, CD's, empty DVD boxes, etc in there (basically, Gunnar has wreaked havoc on the entire thing). Anyway, I came across the DVD that Nason's mom made us to show at our wedding shower. Unfortunately, I could NOT figure out how to get the entire DVD on here, which is what I really wanted to do. Also unfortunately, the two clips I MOST wanted (the one where Nason proposed to me, and the the slide show with pictures of all our friends) will NOT show up either. Grrrrrrr. I did manage to get these three clips to work though, and they're kind of fun. Well at least for me, a lover of walks down memory lane. In the event that I get the clip to work with pictures of all our friends back in the day...watch out! I WILL link it to Facebook, and you WILL be tagged : )
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Capitol 10K
This weekend was the Capitol 10K. My mom and I ran it together, and can I just say...I am SO.PROUD.OF.HER. She went from saying (not so long ago) "there's no way I could ever even run a mile", to running in three different 5K's with me, to this weekend, running a 10K. And when I say "run", I do mean "run". No little walking breaks here and there. Just solid running, for a solid six miles. Make that 6.2 miles. Now, my mom is young...pretty much a spring chicken still...but she IS still my mom...which means we at least know she's not in her 30's, and she's not in her 40's. So I think that makes it even that much more of an accomplishment. Grandma my arse. This "mimi" has still got it going on :)
Anyway, I'm a huge fan of the Capitol 10K, and will definitely be running in it again next year. Great route. Great weather. Great city.
Here's a few pictures for your viewing pleasure...
Nason and Gunnar, waiting to watch us cross the finish line
My cute boy, pretending he's running in the race
We're almost done!!
Dad is so proud of his woman :)
All I can say is "gross" regarding my appearance here, but I couldn't NOT include an end-of-race pic of me and my mom
Gunnar and Uncle Josh
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Weekly Musings
Had a Lovely..
Little playdate at Beth's house this week, with The Gang (Gunnar, Noah, Camp, Enock, Joey, Addison, and Lucy). However, watching the kids run wild in Beth's backyard, while us grown-ups got to sit on the patio and hang out, is making me (once again) seriously re-think the "beauty" of living on a greenbelt (aka snake-infested) lot, where kids CANNOT run wild in the backyard. Rather grow-ups have to follow behind their every step, constantly scanning the yard for snakes. Or, at least, in my head that's what has to be done. Possibly I'm a bit paranoid, and city-mousish, but neverthless, Gunnar's only experience at backyard play happens at other people's houses, mostly the Losurdo's. Don't mean to sound unappreciative of our house, and our awesome yard...I really do love it, and am very grateful for it, but if I were to do it over again, I'm not sure I would have bought this house/lot until we had older kids (who can watch out for snakes by themselves)
On Wednesday...
I kept Beth's kids for her for a few hours, while she ran some errands, and I made two discoveries:
1) I'm capable of taking care of 4 kids at one time, and all of them made it through the morning unscathed! (To be honest, my friend Michelle ended up coming over for a good chunk of the time, and so technically I had help, but there were at least 2 hours where I was all alone, and I did just fine, thank you very much!)
2) I soooooo want a little girl one day. I got to do some girly things with Addison while I was sitting for her, and it made me realize that as much as I LOVE my boy, I just seriously NEED a girl at some point. I mean, I got to color girly pictures with Addison..like, she WANTED me to draw rainbows and hearts for her....and she has a little pretend vanity in her room, that were it not for the fact that I also had two rambuncious boys to entertain, I would have LOVED to play with. Oh, and we read a book called, "Pinkalicious"...I was actually disappointed when we got interrupted by the boys, and weren't able to keep reading it. Nevermind Nason's opinion on the topic...I am too girly to NOT have a girl of my own.
I am involved in..
Three different Bible studies right now, and I am loving all three of them (I'm really not trying to be a "spiritual overachiever" or something. It's just kind of worked out that way)
1) Biblical Womanhood
If you are not attending this, or AT LEAST listening to it online, you are seriously missing out. You really are. Just go to this link, and get caught up:
http://www.hcbc.com/women/gracepath-online-resources/
2) Reading "The Prodigal God" with a group of people.
Really like it. Thanks for the recommendation, Box's.
3) Reading "Radical" with our small group.
I've already shared some thoughts on this book, but I'm due to share some more. So some day, when there are no good shows on TV, and your significant other is elsewhere, andl hanging out with them isn't an option, and your kids are in bed, and you don't have any good books to read, so therefore you have nothing better to do, feel free to jump on here and read my long and rambling post, most likely to be titled "More Thoughts on Radical".
"Stellar"...
Is how I'd describe our weekend. It consisted of a date night at a baseball game, a doughnut breakfast with our boy, a fun morning at Play for All Abilities park, a MUCH NEEDED haircut, a party with our dear Magee cousins, a succesful 10K ( I am so incredibly proud of my mom by the way, but I will have another blog post about the race soon), lunch at Chuy's with family and friends, a shopping trip, and a fun date night with my little man.
Little playdate at Beth's house this week, with The Gang (Gunnar, Noah, Camp, Enock, Joey, Addison, and Lucy). However, watching the kids run wild in Beth's backyard, while us grown-ups got to sit on the patio and hang out, is making me (once again) seriously re-think the "beauty" of living on a greenbelt (aka snake-infested) lot, where kids CANNOT run wild in the backyard. Rather grow-ups have to follow behind their every step, constantly scanning the yard for snakes. Or, at least, in my head that's what has to be done. Possibly I'm a bit paranoid, and city-mousish, but neverthless, Gunnar's only experience at backyard play happens at other people's houses, mostly the Losurdo's. Don't mean to sound unappreciative of our house, and our awesome yard...I really do love it, and am very grateful for it, but if I were to do it over again, I'm not sure I would have bought this house/lot until we had older kids (who can watch out for snakes by themselves)
On Wednesday...
I kept Beth's kids for her for a few hours, while she ran some errands, and I made two discoveries:
1) I'm capable of taking care of 4 kids at one time, and all of them made it through the morning unscathed! (To be honest, my friend Michelle ended up coming over for a good chunk of the time, and so technically I had help, but there were at least 2 hours where I was all alone, and I did just fine, thank you very much!)
2) I soooooo want a little girl one day. I got to do some girly things with Addison while I was sitting for her, and it made me realize that as much as I LOVE my boy, I just seriously NEED a girl at some point. I mean, I got to color girly pictures with Addison..like, she WANTED me to draw rainbows and hearts for her....and she has a little pretend vanity in her room, that were it not for the fact that I also had two rambuncious boys to entertain, I would have LOVED to play with. Oh, and we read a book called, "Pinkalicious"...I was actually disappointed when we got interrupted by the boys, and weren't able to keep reading it. Nevermind Nason's opinion on the topic...I am too girly to NOT have a girl of my own.
I am involved in..
Three different Bible studies right now, and I am loving all three of them (I'm really not trying to be a "spiritual overachiever" or something. It's just kind of worked out that way)
1) Biblical Womanhood
If you are not attending this, or AT LEAST listening to it online, you are seriously missing out. You really are. Just go to this link, and get caught up:
http://www.hcbc.com/women/gracepath-online-resources/
2) Reading "The Prodigal God" with a group of people.
Really like it. Thanks for the recommendation, Box's.
3) Reading "Radical" with our small group.
I've already shared some thoughts on this book, but I'm due to share some more. So some day, when there are no good shows on TV, and your significant other is elsewhere, andl hanging out with them isn't an option, and your kids are in bed, and you don't have any good books to read, so therefore you have nothing better to do, feel free to jump on here and read my long and rambling post, most likely to be titled "More Thoughts on Radical".
"Stellar"...
Is how I'd describe our weekend. It consisted of a date night at a baseball game, a doughnut breakfast with our boy, a fun morning at Play for All Abilities park, a MUCH NEEDED haircut, a party with our dear Magee cousins, a succesful 10K ( I am so incredibly proud of my mom by the way, but I will have another blog post about the race soon), lunch at Chuy's with family and friends, a shopping trip, and a fun date night with my little man.
L&L
Focus points, from "Love and Logic" this week:
1) "Responsible behavior has a direct correlation to the number of decisions children are forced to make. The more they make, the more responsible they become"
2) "When we intrude into our children's problems with either a rescue mission, OR with anger, we make their problems our problems. And children who know their problems are the concern of their parents, don't worry about them.
3) "Kids who deal directly with their own problems, are moved to solve them. They know if they don't, nobody will. Not their parents, not their teachers-nobody. And on a subconscious level, they feel a lot better about themselves when they handle their own problems.
4) "Remember: Everything we fix for our kids, our kid will be unable to fix for themselves".
I LOVED and HATED all four of these. Loved, because I know they are SO true, and they are all SUCH good reminders for me. Hated, because they're hard for me sometimes. Granted, they're not THAT hard yet, because the "problems" a two year old faces just really aren't all that big. In fact, it's a bit hard to even start implementing some of these things yet, at a toddler level. However, I'm at least trying to do so, whenever the opportunities present themselves. I'm also trying to get into the mindset of operating this way, so that the older he gets, and the bigger and more complicated his problems become, the more skilled I'll be at being able to step back, and let him solve issues for himself, AND deal with the natural consequences that come from NOT solving them.
1) "Responsible behavior has a direct correlation to the number of decisions children are forced to make. The more they make, the more responsible they become"
2) "When we intrude into our children's problems with either a rescue mission, OR with anger, we make their problems our problems. And children who know their problems are the concern of their parents, don't worry about them.
3) "Kids who deal directly with their own problems, are moved to solve them. They know if they don't, nobody will. Not their parents, not their teachers-nobody. And on a subconscious level, they feel a lot better about themselves when they handle their own problems.
4) "Remember: Everything we fix for our kids, our kid will be unable to fix for themselves".
I LOVED and HATED all four of these. Loved, because I know they are SO true, and they are all SUCH good reminders for me. Hated, because they're hard for me sometimes. Granted, they're not THAT hard yet, because the "problems" a two year old faces just really aren't all that big. In fact, it's a bit hard to even start implementing some of these things yet, at a toddler level. However, I'm at least trying to do so, whenever the opportunities present themselves. I'm also trying to get into the mindset of operating this way, so that the older he gets, and the bigger and more complicated his problems become, the more skilled I'll be at being able to step back, and let him solve issues for himself, AND deal with the natural consequences that come from NOT solving them.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Weekly Musings
Nutella....I can honestly say, I have never bought it before. In fact, I ate it ONCE when Nason and I were in Europe like 8 years ago, and I'm pretty sure at the time, we just referred to it as "chocolate spread". Anyway, I bought some this week, and OH MY GOSH....have I ever been missing out?? Is this stuff supposed to be healthy? I'm thinking "surely not", but if I were to find out that, in fact, it is....well that may be the best thing since.....I don't even know what.
Our Usual Little Gang....visited the "Play for All Abilities" park in Round Rock this week, and I think it could POSSIBLY be an even cooler discovery than Nutella. It is the best park EVER. It's huge. It's awesome. There is no way your kids could ever get bored there. They could, however, get lost. Mine did. Only for about 2 minutes, but I discovered that when you lose your kid, two minutes is equivalent to at least twenty. Good news is, the entire park has a huge fence around it, so short of someone actually kidnapping your child (which is where my mind instantly went) chances are, they're at least NOT going to wander out into the parking lot and get hit by a car. So that's something. Here's the best picture we got, and as you can see, it's not awesome:
Other girls.... at the gym, do not look slutty in shorts like these:
Our Usual Little Gang....visited the "Play for All Abilities" park in Round Rock this week, and I think it could POSSIBLY be an even cooler discovery than Nutella. It is the best park EVER. It's huge. It's awesome. There is no way your kids could ever get bored there. They could, however, get lost. Mine did. Only for about 2 minutes, but I discovered that when you lose your kid, two minutes is equivalent to at least twenty. Good news is, the entire park has a huge fence around it, so short of someone actually kidnapping your child (which is where my mind instantly went) chances are, they're at least NOT going to wander out into the parking lot and get hit by a car. So that's something. Here's the best picture we got, and as you can see, it's not awesome:
Other girls.... at the gym, do not look slutty in shorts like these:
but I'm pretty sure I do. I NEED a pair of shorts like this. They're good for running. They're good for doing leg machines/squats, because I don't have to worry about people seeing up my shorts, BUT when I tried a pair on at Sports Authority this week, I instantly felt like a skeezer. A skeezer with love handles, at that : (
Putting Four Little Boys Down For Bed....all in the same house is no easy feat, but is so worth it, to be able to have a nice dinner, and good conversation, with your best friends. We do this somewhat regularly with the Hunt's and the Box's, and although it's a chaotic 20 minutes or so putting them all down, I think overall, we have some pretty awesome, flexible, go-with-the-flow little boys, and we are most appreciative to them for being such good sports! Nevermind that two got in a screaming match, one ended up pooping through his PJ's, and one (mine) summoned me into his bedroom no less than 20 times to ask me "what's that noise mama?". We also got to spend some time with a couple we DON'T hang out with as much, The Self's. Their blog is a good one, if you want to check it out. They are currently in the process of adopting from Haiti, if you'd like to follow their story!
That's all for this week! More exciting, keep-you-on-the-edge of your seat stories to come next week!
Love and Logic (again)
Here are the three "nuggets" from Love and Logic that I focused on this week. Stick with me, and you won't even have to read the book yourself! Consider me your own personal Cliffs Notes.
1) "Don't get too uptight if our children don't always listen to us-but tremble in fear that they see what we do"
I spend lots and lots of time harping on Gunnar about being patient, about "staying calm, and not getting so unecessarily worked up", about not fussing and not whining. Unfortunately though, at my worst, I am impatient, uneccesarily worked up, and fussy. And whiny. So this week, I really tried to be mindful to focus at least as much, if not more, on MODELING good behavior to Gunnar, and not just TALKING to him about it.
2) "Parents who routinely focus on the end result, rather than on the learning taking place wind up with kids who have a negative self-concept about their skills".
So....Gunnar, you can use your broom to help me, even though all you are really doing is destroying my nicely swept little piles. It's ok. Your future wife better thank me though, when you regularly offer to help her clean the kitchen.
3) "Although children are born with great courage to take control of their own lives and make decisions, they have little experience on which to base their decisions. So they often make poor choices. But they can learn from those mistakes, provided parents don't get too involved."
And.....purely for the sake of trying to appease the pressure I feel, to have more pictures on my blog, here is a picture of my Very Loved, Oh-So-Logical Child :)
1) "Don't get too uptight if our children don't always listen to us-but tremble in fear that they see what we do"
I spend lots and lots of time harping on Gunnar about being patient, about "staying calm, and not getting so unecessarily worked up", about not fussing and not whining. Unfortunately though, at my worst, I am impatient, uneccesarily worked up, and fussy. And whiny. So this week, I really tried to be mindful to focus at least as much, if not more, on MODELING good behavior to Gunnar, and not just TALKING to him about it.
2) "Parents who routinely focus on the end result, rather than on the learning taking place wind up with kids who have a negative self-concept about their skills".
So....Gunnar, you can use your broom to help me, even though all you are really doing is destroying my nicely swept little piles. It's ok. Your future wife better thank me though, when you regularly offer to help her clean the kitchen.
3) "Although children are born with great courage to take control of their own lives and make decisions, they have little experience on which to base their decisions. So they often make poor choices. But they can learn from those mistakes, provided parents don't get too involved."
And.....purely for the sake of trying to appease the pressure I feel, to have more pictures on my blog, here is a picture of my Very Loved, Oh-So-Logical Child :)
Tried It, Liked It
Have you ever heard of Music with Mar? My friend Leah told me about it this week. It's a music class, for kids of all ages, that meets in various places around town. You don't have to register, or commit to any kind of monthly payment plan. You just show up, pay your $7, and you're good to go! Gunnar LOVED it, and so did I. We have been on a quest to find a fun music class, that does not cost more than mine and Nason's gym membership combined.
A while ago, we tried out Kindermusik, and I'm not sure if we were to cool for it, or not cool enough, but whatever it was, Gunnar and I both gave it a "thumbs down" and a "this is beyond dorky, let's get outta here ASAP". We tried music classes at Gymboree, but not only were they incredibly boring, they cost us an arm and a leg. $72 a month to watch Gunnar run circles around and around the room, while the teacher droned on and on about "gaining an appreciation for classical music" and other such in-one-ear and out-the-other nonsense...no thanks! I'm all about Gunnar gaining an appreciation for music, but can we DO something to accomplish that, versus just listening to the teacher TALK about it? See my kid? He's the one standing on the table picking his nose. Is there a drum he can bang on or something?? He actually prefers to dance to "I'm Sexy and I Know It", than songs from the Nutcracker.
Anyway, Music with Mar is AWESOME, and I think you should try it, too! Here's the link the to their website:
http://musicwithmar.com/
A while ago, we tried out Kindermusik, and I'm not sure if we were to cool for it, or not cool enough, but whatever it was, Gunnar and I both gave it a "thumbs down" and a "this is beyond dorky, let's get outta here ASAP". We tried music classes at Gymboree, but not only were they incredibly boring, they cost us an arm and a leg. $72 a month to watch Gunnar run circles around and around the room, while the teacher droned on and on about "gaining an appreciation for classical music" and other such in-one-ear and out-the-other nonsense...no thanks! I'm all about Gunnar gaining an appreciation for music, but can we DO something to accomplish that, versus just listening to the teacher TALK about it? See my kid? He's the one standing on the table picking his nose. Is there a drum he can bang on or something?? He actually prefers to dance to "I'm Sexy and I Know It", than songs from the Nutcracker.
Anyway, Music with Mar is AWESOME, and I think you should try it, too! Here's the link the to their website:
http://musicwithmar.com/
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