One Lucky Momma

Sunday is Mother's Day {as if you didn't know!}, and it's "my day" only due to this awesome little dude:

Being Silly in Target with sexy-arms Daddy

A few Saturdays ago, while we were still sleeping, he stamped himself 22 times

Yep, he's mine :-)

Freestylin'

This boy is at such a fun an interesting age. His personality is blossoming, and we've really started to see how he thinks and functions. I feel so amazingly lucky and blessed to have this little person in my life. He is smart as a whip, funny, thoughtful, kind, assertive when he needs to be, polite, and creative. He is the perfect blend of his parents' best qualities, and I can't believe that he's ours :-)

Lately we've been enjoying: endless games of "post office" (he makes mail, then delivers it to Vic and me); making Mother's Day paintings and cards for his grandmas; tricks on his bike; huge, proud grins as he rides his new, geared mountain bike; willingness to try new foods - including vegetables {he LIKES carrots!!! I still hate them.}; planning another possible summer trip to MI; picking the perfect blue for his bedroom; using big boy words like "eventually" and "possibly" in the correct context.

On a personal level - I've been having a great week, if I do say so myself! I've booked 5 workouts {9-mile bike ride, 2 spins on the trainer, a run, and a lifting session for the arms} so far {4 of which occured prior to 6:30AM}, and I've been critically watching what I eat and getting down a lot more veggies. The scale is rewarding me with -2 since Monday :-) I like that! SELF: Let's keep it up over the weekend...

A Friday "Cheer Up" Post

I’ve been in a hard-core slump this week for some reason, and I’ve totally felt like that limp wind-up doll from that Pristiq commercial. I was even sitting at my desk yesterday bent forward, head on my wristrest, looking just like that doll {I was stretching my back, not imitating the doll.}.

From Google Image Search

Basically, I’m just having a hard time getting my heart to catch up with my head. I know I have SO much to be happy and thankful for, but the sadness in my heart is often paralyzing, and then I feel like a schmuck for having a wonderful life but still feeling sad when there are so many others dealing with things that are so much worse. I’m sure it will shake off and pass soon, but for now this is what I live with.

It’s also been such a heavy, sad and confusing newsweek - my heart and thoughts go out to everyone affected in every which way and in every place this week. What a reminder that life is so fragile and precious; nothing is guaranteed – not our safety, not our freedom {scary thought!}.

From Pinterest

 In light of this, and because it’s Friday and the “end is in sight” for this week, I’ve composed a list of things that make me happy:

1.       Hearing my husband and son play together while I cook and/or clean up dinner.

2.       Making dinners that my boys actually like {a rarity in our house – a cook, I am not!}.

3.       Warm, perfect spring days filled with bright green leaves, fresh-cut-grass smell, and endless Carolina-blue skies and sunshine.  It’s hard to be down with such perfection surrounding you!

4.     Admiring my cleaned-out flower beds and the flowers that Valentino and I planted together last weekend.

5.       The intense happiness and excitement Valentino gets from taking packages to the Post Office. I’m currently selling a lot of stuff on ebay, which means we make weekly trips – he loves every second of it {probably because right now, his favorite thing to do is play “delivery man”}.

6.       Iced coffee! I’m going to make Pioneer Woman’s recipe this weekend. I made it last year {or the year before?} and I think I remember it turning out decent… I’m going to give it a whirl again, to save some $ and time in the mornings.

7.       Super sore muscles. I’ve been getting out there more – running, lifting, and doing workouts in our “gym” {aka: garage}. My hamstrings and hips are still worked over from a killer leg workout I did on Wednesday night (thanks Fitnessista! )… I’ve also cut out the nighttime snacking and I’ve been super conscientious about what I eat. A few pounds down, many more to go! By the way, I will be treating myself to a hair chop-off once I reach a certain goal. I’m really over having this super-long hair and I desperately want my hair {okay, and BODY!} to look like this:

Pinterest via johannarogersrff.blogspot.com

 

8.       Valentino’s Rainbow Tea – the preschool is putting on a little “show” for us today {the kids will be singing songs about springtime and the colors of the rainbow, then they are serving rainbow-themed refreshments afterwards}. Valentino has a small speaking part, and he is totally geeked about it. He and I assembled rainbow fruit skewers {strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, green grapes, blueberries, red grapes} to share with the kids and their parents.

"Mom, we're like real chefs putting these together for people to eat!"
{Idea via Pinterest - OF COURSE!}

 

Side note: If you’ve seen “This is 40,” do you have the urge to say “fruits” like the Indian doctor all the time, too? I pretty much can’t say “fruit” without wanting to say it his way… I’m a nut.

9.       Lunchtime walks {minus the silkworms}. Bright, refreshing moments for me during long, seemingly never-ending days.

 

Here's to a restorative, happy, and relaxing weekend! Please take your time, Monday.

May Goal Re-cap/Life update extravaganza!

I know you've all been dying for an update on my super-exciting life ;-)

I'll start by stating that I've decided not to run the 1/2 marathon tomorrow morning, and it's not for a lack of training or desire to do. Basically, it boils down to not wanting to spend the money for the entry fee when we've got a trip at the end of the month to pay for {on top of a car to maintain, a dog to take to the vet, etc.}. It just didn't seem like a wise financial choice. Also, I didn't like the fact that this particular race didn't donate to a specific charity, nor did all runners receive a medal! I want a medal for my first race, darn it! I'm still doing my training though, and I do plan on participating in a half marathon sometime this summer/fall.

Workouts for the week:

Saturday morning - 8 mile run
Monday morning - "strongest man" workout
Wednesday morning - 20 minutes stair stepper/12 minutes elliptical
Wednesday evening - "strongest man" workout

I ran 6 miles this morning, plus we went on ~1.5 mile hike today. I'm planning on riding my bike tomorrow morning. In fact, my plan is to ride my bike a lot more now that I'm not actively training for the 1/2, though I will definitely be keeping up with longish-distance runs.

I cannot believe that May is already over. Time to recap my May Goals:

 1. Stick to my training plan. SUCCESS! Aside from the planned 10-mile ride last Saturday {I dropped it after realizing that I wasn't going to do the 1/2, plus I got a late start and was very sore from early-week workouts}, I kept to at least 2 short distance {at least 4mi} runs during the week and a long run on Saturday mornings. It felt GREAT!

2. Lose at least 10 lbs. MOSTLY FAIL. I lost about 5 lbs, although we just got a new scale yesterday which weighs in 7 pounds heavier than the one I was using {talk about a blow to the ego!}. I need to start hardcore counting calories and sticking to my mindful eating plan better.

3. Complete the Photo-a-day Challenge. FAIL. I fell off before the first week.

4. Plan a cookout at our house! FAIL. Well, unless you consider an impromptu Memorial Day cookout with our neighbors and their kids.

So all in all, I didn't do so hot with those goals. However, the first two were most important to me, and I mostly succeed at them, so I'm good with that.
Four things I love about this week:

1. Long weekend/Short work-week. We didn't do much for Memorial Day (hung around the house and with our neighbors), but it was glorious. The weather was so nice and having an extra day off from work was well-deserved.

2. Having an inquisitive child. Valentino has been asking questions about everything. "How do the clouds get full of water {and cause rain}?" "How did someone get up there {on the water tower} to do that {graffiti}?" "How do binoculars work?"

He loves his binoculars! They were his Nonno's

3. Being busy at work! Call me crazy, but even though it was nuts for me at work this week, I was sort of enjoying it. Each day seemed to fly by!

4. Fresh fruit. I loaded up on watermelon, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries when I went grocery shopping. We've been enjoying all our favorite fresh fruit all week long. Can't wait for those summertime Carolina peaches - they are like candy! SO sweet and delicious!

We had a great day today, and I hope to be back early next week with a weekend update and June's goals.

The Best and Most Rewarding Job in the World

What a weekend!

I had a lovely half day off on Friday, which began with an intense four hours of work in the morning. Once I got home, Vic and I grabbed a quick lunch then took off an intense {for me!} 25 mile bike ride. It felt great to be out there on the bike, working {sweating} hard, and enjoying one of my favorite activities with one of my favorite people. As a bonus, the weather was spectacular - perfect temperature, amazingly crisp, blue skies, and not a cloud to be seen. Truly a perfect-weather day.

Side note: From the time Valentino was about 7 months old until he was almost 3, we used to ride our bikes together a couple times/week {Valentino was in the trailer behind Vic}. Last summer, when Valentino was 3, the time finally came - it became a struggle to get him in the trailer, and alas, our "family rides" came to an end {and consequently, the lbs started creeping back on my body...}. Now, most of our riding is done individually or when we have a week-day off together.

Saturday was pretty close to a "perfect" day for me. The weather was pretty amazing once again, and I started the morning with a 6 mile run around the lake. It was pretty cool {about 53*}, so there was some fog on the lake:

Early morning fog on Shelley Lake

After I finished {1:06... not too horrible for me, especially since I walked a bit due to sore legs from the bike ride the day before}, Vic took off for a mountain bike ride and Valentino and I hung out at home. Valentino was very cranky, so I set him up for some "quiet time" in our bed with cartoons on. This gave me a chance to peter around the house a bit, cleaning and straightening up. Vic came home and surprised me with an early Mother's Day gift {he works Sundays, so we were celebrating the day on Saturday}:

A Nathan hydration belt!
{Now I don't have to run w/a bottle or stash a bottle someplace while I run!}

Then it was off to Porter Farms for strawberry picking! We had a great time, and the berries are SO delicious. NOTHING beats fresh picked NC strawberries! They are better than candy, I swear!

Vic and Valentino in the strawberry field

Our bounty - they are truly that red and shiny in person!

After dropping the berries off at home, we headed over to one of our favorite parks, where Valentino played and we went on a hike {side note: I was wearing flip flops, since the hike was not planned whatsoever... I will now be sure that I always stash shoes in the car on the weekends!}.

Hiking!

There was a birthday party going on at the park and this stormtrooper was there.
{Ignore my closed eyes... I love this picture because Valentino is clinging to me for dear life - he is usually very outgoing and loves costumed things. Although, those things have always been animals, now that I think about it. This guy was a little intimidating!}

Sunday {Mother's Day} was much like any other Sunday - Valentino and I mopped the kitchen and bathroom floors, did laundry, vacuumed, ate lunch outside at Panera, then went grocery shopping and to the library. I had big plans to bake some strawberry muffins and to make kabobs for dinner, but the impending rain put a damper on my mood and ambition... so once Vic came home from work, we headed to Five Guys for dinner {mmm... health food!}.

 Now that I type all of this out, I realize that it was truly a non-stop weekend, full of activity - just like we like it!

Since Friday was a whirlwind of a day, I didn't get to post my usual "Friday Love." Instead, in honor of my fifth Mother's Day, I bring you four reasons I love being a mom:

1. Experiencing a tiny miracle every day. That little miracle grew inside of me, and now I get to watch him grow, learn, and experience this world on a daily basis. I ask myself all the time what I did to deserve such an amazing child, who, despite his faults, is absolutely perfect in all of his being.

2. Bringing childhood back. Not only do I get to act goofy, watch cartoons, and play with toys, but I get to see birthdays, holidays, and new experiences through the eyes of my child. His excitement and innocence about these events brings me as much, if not more, enjoyment as he gets out of it. It brings a whole new meaning and love for special events.

3. Getting to do things my way: This only partially applies to being able to be "the boss" ;-) Mostly though, I love being able to create new traditions for our family and to do things that, as a kid, I would've wanted my parents to do {which pertains to everything from how we eat, how we speak in front of him, discipline, and how we talk about certain subjects, to traditions and letting him do certain things}. I grew up in a pretty "open" environment {meaning, I had minimal supervision at any given time}, and Vic grew up in a very rigid, old-fashioned environment. We're trying to raise our children in a traditional home {so somewhat in-between to conservative}, so it will be interesting to see how our kids turn out.

4. Feeling complete and full of purpose. In my young twenties, I wasn't sure I wanted children ever... I wanted to do whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. Now, I can't imagine not having a child. Sure, there are times when it would be nice to have the extra money, time, and energy {and to not have the responsibility!}. In reality though, all of that seriously pales in comparison to having this little person in my life who reminds me of my purpose on this Earth and who makes my heart feel so completely full and thankful.

Better late than never...?

Workouts since last post:

Friday = 9.5 miles of hills on my bike after work
Saturday = 8 mile (!!!) run first thing in the morning

Totally dropped the ball on my Friday Love post... so here it is... LATE {aka, story of my life}:

4 Things I love{d} about the {last} week:

1. Sticking to it! I'm happy to announce that I did, indeed, complete Hal's training plan last week! I didn't necessarily follow the correct order nor do the exact mileages, but I did the right number of runs vs. cross-training. I also stuck with my mindful eating plan all week, and I didn't have any nighttime snacks in front of the TV, even when I could've consumed my arm due to hunger.

2. Sore muscles. I love the feeling of sore muscles to remind you of an effective workout {note: I'm not talking about the "you obviously have an injury" type of sore/pain}. Due to #1, I spent most of the week with a nice reminder that I was workin' it ;-) It's addicting!

3. Having plans. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that having plans to do something - whether it's big {a trip! a baby! a half marathon!} or small {plant flowers! de-clutter! take a day off!} - really keeps me going. I've felt very apathetic lately, but between training for this half marathon and dreaming up plans for the summer {a la my summer to-do list}, I've been able to keep somewhat focused.

4. Return of the warm evening. It was so hot all week {90* +}, which meant steamy, balmy evenings. Aside from the skeeters {and accompanying bug spray stench}, I LOVE that time of night. It's so comforting, and it reminds me of summertime when I was a kid. Fun. Limitless. Carefree. :-)


And just for fun, 4 things you probably don't want to know about me:

1. I'm wearing a dress today, but I totally forgot to shave my legs. I realized this fact after getting dressed, and frankly, I could care less. Thankfully, I have light-colored, fine hair, so I don't think anyone can tell. Plus, I hardly see anyone all day, so - SO WHAT.

2. Since we're talking about shaving, I'll confess that I don't remember the last time I changed the razor in my shower. I will tell you that I've had the same 12-pack bag of razors for years, and there are several new ones in the bag. I'm guessing it was last summer when I last changed that razor{?}. It works though, and does a fine job - my legs are always smooth afterwards! I'm pretty sure that whole razor life-span thing is made up for marketers anyway... right?!

3. I don't wear makeup, nor do I dye my hair {probably no shock to those who personally know me}. On makeup: I don't know how/care to know how to do it properly, I don't want to spend money on it, and, I'm not saying I'm just naturally gorgeous or anything, but I don't feel that I need to wear it. Yes, I'll admit that I probably look more tired and plain than I would if I wore makeup, but it doesn't bother me enough to start doing so. I have fairly healthy/even skin {albeit oily at times}, so I guess that helps.  On hair dye: I like my natural color {caramel-y brown? light brown? some-have-called-me-blonde?}, and frankly, I don't want to have to maintain the dying cycle.

4. I'm kind of a creeper/on-line voyeur. If I meet you out and about, I will probably later google you/find you on FB/find your blog. Embarassing, but true. I did this once to the wife of a guy Vic started riding with, and Vic mentioned a fact that I found online to the guy... the guy was like "how did you know that?" Errr... needless to say, I hope to never have to explain this!

Progress on my challenges:
Smoothie A Day in May fell apart over the weekend. This morning I hopped back on, and I made one with almond milk, a scoop of Optimum Nutrition 100% whey protein, 7 fresh strawberries, a small handful of spinach(!), and some ice. This was the first time I used spinach in a smoothie, and I have to say that I DID NOT taste it. Hooray!

Photo A Day:

Day four: Fun!
{LATE - Taken during my 8 mile run on Saturday morning}

Day five: bird.
{A charm from a broken necklace - I didn't want to throw this guy away!}

Day six: you.
{Taken by my son on the carousel at Pullen Park on Sunday}

I had plans to get up and run this morning, but I couldn't get out of bed this morning. My legs are still sore from Saturday, and I wanted to sleep. Hoping to squeeze in a run or bike ride after work.

Friday Love!

Four things I'm loving this week:

1. Strawberry pickin' season is here! Strawberries are my favorite fruit, and NC strawberries are some of the best berries I've ever had! If it doesn't rain tomorrow, I'm hoping to head out the fields and pick a bucket full. I've pinned several strawberry-based recipes, and I'm planning on freezing berries to use in smoothies and w/yogurt. YUM!

2. Planting season is also here! Well, it has been for a couple weeks now... but I'm planning on getting in on it this weekend. I have a flat of impatiens that need to be planted out front, and I'm contemplating planting some vegetables in containers. Valentino also has the planting bug - he asked me to clean out one of his yogurt cups last week so that he could plant a flower in it! Then we picked out a packet of yellow zinnia seeds to plant in it. I love that he's so interested in such a wide array of things. Vic and I are also planning on adding some edging to our front garden bed, which should be an fun task. Not.

3.  IKEA inspirations. I have a deep aching to go to IKEA. It killed me last weekend that we were within an hour drive of IKEA, but we couldn't go {no space to bring anything home - boo!}. I have been pining over some shelving and a new entertainment center solution to spruce up a very empty wall in our living room. I'm hoping that we can go to the Charlotte IKEA soon... it's only a 2.5 hour drive {ha}. Until then, I will keep preparing a mental list of things I want to buy...

4. A new found interest in saving money. In my last post, I stated that my coffee habit was costing too much $. I'm embarrassed at the amount of money that I've spent on coffee when it could be going towards something more useful and fun, like our upcoming vacation or our savings fund. I feel the same way when we eat out (which we do a lot). Like I said, I plan on cutting out the coffee and soda, and planning/cooking meals at home more often. Why waste money on silly things? I also want to seek out online coupons more, and try to shop our local supermarket sales when they have good specials {like Harris Teeter's double coupon sale this past week - they doubled coupons up to $1.98!}.

Speaking of spending money, I actually purchased a few clothing items for myself yesterday - a dress, cardigan, tank, and a shirt, all for less than $45 {thanks, Target!}. I also picked up a cute throw pillow for our couch {$10} and some $1 mother's day cards {score!}. I LOVE Target {don't we all?!}, and I feel that I was frugal with my purchases - everything was on sale, and each was something that was *somewhat* needed.

4 mile run {43:19} last night, and a 7 mile run scheduled for tomorrow. Last night I also started my mypublisher photo books! So easy and fun, and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Looking forward to a lovely weekend!

Late Friday Love Post

My little family and I were on the road this past Friday (headed to Southern MD to visit family), so I didn't get a chance to post my "Friday Love." Without further adieu:

Four things I (was) loving this (past) Friday:

1. Visiting Family. Valentino has three cousins - 2 older boy cousins (8 and 11 years old) who live in Maryland from Vic's side, and 1 girl cousin (3), who lives in Michigan and is from my side. He doesn't get to see any of them very often, so it's always exciting when the opportunity to get them together presents itself. We were invited up to Vic's brother's house in Maryland, so we spent the weekend hanging out with family. Valentino was a shadow to the boys (as well as his Uncle John!), and he was spoiled with attention and gifts. We all had nice time catching up and Valentino was not at all ready to come home.

Valentino riding his cousin's Gator

2. Keepin' on. After a successful start to the week, Wednesday-Friday were a bust. I'll admit it. BUT I was committed to completing this week's weekend run on Hal's plan. Thankfully, it called for me to enter a 5k... since we were away at my BIL's house, I didn't do that, but I did run just slightly over the 5k race distance on Saturday morning (~3.74miles). It felt great to get the run in and not use being on "vacation" as an excuse.

3. Enthusiasm for menu planning. I've read several great ideas for menu planning, and I've decided to take the plunge into long-term menu planning. I feel that I'm in tune with our schedule and what we like to eat, so I'm going to use some fore-thought to shop smarter and plan better, which I'm hoping will slim down our food expeditures. I'll start by purchasing a dry-erase calendar for the kitchen, and writing down our meals so that I have a clear visual of my planning (and Vic can easily look at the board to see what we're having and how he can help).

4. My love runneth over. Sometimes I look at my sweet, thoughtful, beautiful son and I can't believe he even exists. He is truly the most perfect thing I've ever encountered in my life. His love of learning, his creativity and zest for music, and the way he can make us laugh and smile is amazing. I feel so lucky that I've been blessed with this little man.

Rockin' out with a microphone

Today I'm feeling glum, and I'm not sure why. I'm pretty sure this post (which I read first thing this morning) is to blame. I really wish there was some way to make it work for us, but at this point in our lives, it just wouldn't. The drive to get to that point is strong, and my wheels are always turning to figure out how to make it work, though :-)

Friday LOVE!

TGIF.

Four things I'm loving about this week:

1. The return of busy-ness at work. Call me crazy, but I definitely prefer to be busy at work. To me, sitting at a desk in a cubicle all day with nothing but "busy work" to do is so mentally draining and discouraging. In the past two weeks, my workload has significantly increased to include the tasks I most enjoy, which in turn has made my days fly by!

2. Feeling better. See #1. Add in sunshine, work-out endorphins, and better eating and you get a better-feeling me. Hoping this upswing continues!

3. Planning a summer trip. I started getting really excited for our upcoming summer trip to Michigan and Buffalo. At the end of June, we'll be hitting the road for a week of traveling! We're going to spend about 4-5 days in MI with my family (whom we haven't seen since December 2009), then head east to the other side of Lake Erie (Buffalo, NY) to visit the area for the first time since Vic's mom passed in March 2010. Valentino is at such a fun age, so I know he's going to soak up everything we do, and I can't wait for him to meet some of his family, as well as see where his mommy and daddy grew up. This will be our first week-long trip since he was 2 years old (when we spent a week in VA Beach). Even though we're not doing anything extra-ordinary, I think it's going to be fun :)

4. Pinterest. Ah, pinterest. You inspire me so. I have so many ideas and inspirations for things I want to do in every aspect of my life (clothes, hair, exercise, cooking, decorating, creating). It's so fun! "It's not wasting time if you had fun doing it." <---- That's my motto for pinterest-ing. Vic is going over to a friend's house tonight, and I already have visions of putting Valentino to bed, putting on a chick flick, and pinterest-ing to my heart's content (so productive, right?!).

So now it's the weekend. We don't have any plans, but I'm sure we'll be doing something outside - it's going to be a gorgeous weekend here in NC! I'll be hopping on my bike later this afternoon for a nice ride, then tomorrow calls for a 6-mile run - is it crazy that I'm looking forward to it?!

Friday Love!

Although I despise and cringe and shutter when I hear (or read) "Happy Friday!" I feel it necessary to say "Happy Friday before Easter!" (somehow, "Happy Good Friday" just doesn't seem right - I secretly want to post this someecard that I saw today, but it is highly inappropriate!).

Everyone's always giving three or five reasons why they love something. Well, my favorite and lucky number is 4, so I bring you my top FOUR favorite things this week!

1. Coming to terms with renting. We've gone back and forth since our lease contract expired last February (we're now month-to-month). Our rental now is affordable and in a wondeful area, but our neighborhood is, well... interesting. It can get a little wild at times, and it's not always pleasant. However, the rental market in Raleigh is so tight and competitive - as soon as a rental is listed, it's snatched right up. Plus, rent is going up. This is due to 2 facts: a. Raleigh is the 5th fastest growing metro area in the country b. with lending rules tightened, people can't/aren't buying homes as much as they used to and they end up renting instead. We've come to terms with the fact that, until we are able to buy a house, we'll be staying put and saving up. This has been good for me, as I now wish to make our little home as comfortable and ours as possible.
2. Springtime is here, which means more activities! Egg hunt last weekend. Birthday party and Easter this weekend. Cycling will be in full effect in no time. Soon there will be strawberry and blueberry picking, trips to the beach/MD/MI, and SUMMER! I absolutely love April-November in NC! I've started compiling our "Summer 2012 List" (of things we want to do over the summer) and I'm getting so excited!
3. My Grandma. My Grandma and I have always been close. I spent a ton of time with her when I was younger, and she and I have always kept in touch since I've become an adult. She has been the most constant person in my life, and we have a deep connection and bond. I'm always amazed at how she immediately knows if something's wrong, just by the tone of my voice. Now that I have my own child, she has been an amazing Great Grandma too! Valentino calls her several times a week, and she happily chatters with him about his day and all kinds of other silly things (sometimes I feel bad because he's being a little pest to her on the phone, but she insists that she just loves hearing his voice). She frequently sends him cards and small gifts in the mail, which is always ecstatic to receive - just yesterday she sent him a box stuffed with books and fun Easter things, including a sweet little Easter bunny that he slept with last night :-) Even though they haven't seen each other since he was 2 (which I'm sure he doesn't remember) they too have an amazing bond already. It really makes feel so blessed to have her in our lives.
4. My awesome husband and son. Valentino practically begged Vic to buzz his hair on Monday, and I finally gave in. I just didn't want to let go of my baby's beautiful blonde locks. Once the buzz was complete, Vic and I just stared (and continue to stare even now) at our beautiful son. With the mop of hair gone, we can see all his features so clearly and we are both amazed by his perfect skin and features. He is one good looking boy! It makes me feel so proud to know that the two of us have created and molded this child who is so beautiful inside and out, and I am so excited to someday hopefully create another sweet little being with Vic. We may have our differences, but in the end, we are a great team and we balance each other wonderfully.

And as a bonus, you get my FOUR goals for the rest of April. I plan to re-cap on 5/1, to fill you in on my progress.

1. Lose at least 5lbs. Enough said. Summer is so close (since it basically starts in early May here in NC), and I'm in no shape to be seen in anything put long sleeves and jeans. Fudge.That brings me to #2...
2. Keep to the 1/2 marathon training schedule. This week was a bust. 5 miles on Saturday, 3.5 miles on Tuesday. The rest of the days? Couldn't get myself out of bed (except Thursday - I had all intentions of going to the gym, but Valentino got me up at 4 and I fell asleep in his bed until 6). SO embarassing and shameful. However, I have been doing more pushups and arm exercises at home (and my arms feel it bigtime), so there has been some improvement in my work. But not much, nor enough. Tomorrow calls for another 5 miles. I WILL be out there pounding the pavement, you can count on that.
3. Add money to savings. We have so many things that we want (like a bike rack/hitch for the car so that we can haul our bikes) and so many places we want to go this summer (MI trip in June, beach weekends, trip to the mountains), so it's really important that we start socking away some cash to make these things possible.
4. Get stuff DONE. Procrastination is my middle name, so I'm resolving to actually take care of things. First on the list - meal and budget planning. For meals, I want to create a theme for each day (pasta, mexican, grill, etc...), and then get groups of recipes for each theme and rotate them out. For the budget, I'm going to take some advice from this lady, who has a family of six that lives on $28,000/year! AMAZING and so inspiring! If they can do it on so little, I'm sure we can figure out ways to shave our spending. I also need to get my front end fixed, which I screwed up by having a stupid accident in February (where I re-ended someone.. time to kiss $500 goodbye!). I know getting these things done and off the "to-do" list will make me feel so much better.

Happy Easter!