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...

Today I am thankful.

Things I’m thankful for lately:

1.       Warmer weather – hallelujah! Although, as mentioned in my previous post, I am not *physically* ready for it yet! It is nice to get out in the mornings for a run, or at lunchtime for a walk. I’ve been trying to be outside as much as possible. I’m pretty sure I was sick so much this past winter from the lack of sun and fresh air {not to mention the stress!}.

2.       An amazing husband who is also a stellar dad – he’s always been great with Valentino, but lately I’ve been very pre-occupied with side projects in the evening, so he’s been keeping the boy occupied with bike rides, bike tricks in the street, and other fun projects. Even when the man is exhausted after his very physically-demanding job, he gets out there with our son. My heart is so full of love when I hear them together J

3.      Being mostly done with vehicle maintenance that has been looming for the past few months… I hated knowing that we needed new tires {so. much. $$!!) and some other normal maintenance things. Car maintenance is an annoying necessity, and I’m glad to have the big $ stuff done and off my mind. Plus, my new tires are snazzy! Big thanks to the aforementioned super-husband for spending one of his days off getting most of this done!

4.       New paint in my kitchen! The transformation is pretty amazing, and I’m so glad it’s {almost} done. The original, builder-white paint was filthy and BLAH. Pictures and details soon!

 

Painting is dangerous business!
{He was headed out with Super Daddy to ride bikes}

 

An Update and some "Sick-Day" Activities

Two-weeks since my last post? Oi. Sorry, but I've really had a case of the "don't really cares," especially when it came to this blog. Just been in a FUNK. I got hit hard with 2 weeks of PMS {WTF?!} that left me feeling physically blah - cramps, fatigue, bloat, and the blues included. Add to that the fact that I was just getting really into swimming laps at the pool and they decide to close it for TWO weeks for cleaning and maintenance {double WTF?! I want the pool back!}.

Last week, I only worked out once. One single, solitary time - a 40-minute spin class. The rest of the week, I was a bum. This seems to happen once every couple months - I need a break from it all to just be lazy and sleep a little more than usual {which I totally did last week}. Since yesterday, I've felt more energized, rested, and very "go-getter!" Perhaps I needed a lazy week to re-energize and get myself back in the right place? Last night I rode 10 miles on my bike and it felt GREAT. Had Valentino not woken up from 2:30-3:30am this morning, I had a 4-mile run planned {I obviously slept until 7:15 instead}... hopefully I'll be able to squeeze that run {or another workout} in this evening. Tomorrow morning will be spin, and we'll see what the rest of the week has in store. I sense an active long weekend in our future!

Valentino is sick right now - poor guy! I can usually tell when he's going to get sick because he gets really grumpy and acts "not himself." This was not the case this time - he was an angel all day Sunday, but then as I was putting him to bed, his nose started getting stuffy. At 11:30pm, he started screaming and bawling his eyes out {plus vomiting mucus} because he was so stuffed up that he couldn't sleep. I gave him some Mucinex, which seemed to help and let him fall back asleep. He woke up so pathetic on Monday morning that we just couldn't send him to school... so home we stayed. There was lots of TV watching, cuddling on the couch, and computer games played, but I also wanted to *do* something as to not totally rot his brain for the day.

I've been really wanting to do some activities/crafts from my Pinterest boards. Enter my inspiration from this pin, originally from a bird and a bean's blog:

White cardstock with a bike made out of painter's tape and a sick boy

 

{Notice all his sweeping aparatai to the right - the boy loves to clean!}.

Let 'em go wild with the watercolors - Valentino was very methodical with his paint application.
Remove the painter's tape once the paint has dried {to avoid smudges}.

The finished product, framed in our sad "gallery" wall.

The longest part of this project was creating the bike out of tape - that took way longer than I expected! It was worth it though, since we now have an interesting and personal piece of art for our walls :-)

Now, I'm not the type of mom who would ban her kid from the outdoors when they're sick - afterall, sunshine {Vitamin D!} can cure so much! It was a warm, sunny day yesterday, so I allowed Valentino to ride his bike for about 10 minutes {I didn't want him to overexert himself or get too tired}. He and I also did some side walk painting, a la Katie's post {and my pin}:

The recipe from Katie:

1/4 C corn starch

1/4 C water

4 drops food coloring

The product:

He loved it {and I found a great use for those Easter egg dying cups!}

Welcome Home message for Daddy {Valentino wrote the "HI!"}

Yeah, I know - I made staying at home sick a little too FUN. However, the thing he wanted to do most {play with his friends down the street} was OFF LIMITS. So trust me, it was not all that fun for him ;-)

July Goals {a lot late} and June Goals Review

To break up all the vacation posts, I thought I'd throw in a normal{ish} post, too. I'm really trying to become a more regular blogger, regardless of who/how many people actually read it. I kind of enjoy having a written record of everything going on in our lives.

A quick review of June's goals:

1. Lose at least 10lbs. FAIL. Big, FAT F-A-I-L. We bought a new scale and Vic and I began weighing ourselves daily. We shared a chuckle when we both realized that we are almost exactly {within tenths of a pound} the same weight as we were at this time last month. As in, zero pounds lost. There were ups and downs all month {we went on vacation, afterall!}, but we ended where we started. I will say that the daily weighing is helpful - it really keeps me accountable and motivated. I'm totally ashamed that June went by without any loss, so I am really going to make July count!

2. Cut the junk. Mildly successful. We don't really have junk food in the house, and I'd say that on the whole, we cut out some of it... but there's a lot of room for improvement. Work in progress.

3. Fill the frames/get working on our family photo album. FAIL. So bad. Nothing was accomplished in this arena. After our vacation, I now have even more photos to sift through and pick from... will this ever get done?

4. Have a great vacation! SUCCESS! Good family memories, beautiful weather everywhere, and minimal strife = successful vacation. We tried to make the best of where we were and we were all able to relax, bond, and spend time together.

June went by in the blink of an eye, especially with all the planning and preparations for the vacation {and the vacation itself!}. It's so hard to believe that July 4th has come and gone, and we are truly in the depths of the dog days of summer {how 'bout that heat, right?!}. We've crossed several things off of our Summer To-do List, but there are still several things we're looking forward to :-)

With that said, I give you my July goals (so late, once again...):

1. Lose at least 10lbs. Like I said, this will be on the list until further notice, although hopefully not much longer!

2. De-clutter the house/our life. Valentino was spoiled on vacation, of course - he came back with a keyboard {it used to be mine when I was a [not so] musical kid} and a box full of trucks and cars, plus all the things I bought him to occupy him on the trip. Needless to say, the kid's stuff is everywhere. Our house is bulging at the seams {although, when I see houses on Hoarders, it doesn't look quite so bad...}, and we've GOT to get rid of some of it. We're planning on getting a storage unit for some of the things we want to keep but don't immediately need, but I don't want anything going into storage that is JUNK. What's the sense in that?!

Valentino and his keyboard - he puts on shows for us hourly.

3. Seek guidance. I have several personality and intrapersonal issues that need to be dealt with. I can't seem to figure them out on my own {nor can I even understand what exactly they are}, so I'm going to get some therapy. I've heard good things about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy {CBT}, so I'll be looking into something in that realm. We've also been talking about attending church on Saturday evenings, which I'm hoping we can do one of these weekends... perhaps some spiritual teaching would be good for me? We shall see...

4. ENJOY SUMMER! As I said, we've done several things on our Summer List - a road trip, swimming, days at the beach {3 so far!}, hiking, fireworks, playing in the sprinkler... we LOVE summer in this household! We're hoping to continue to make the most of every warm, sunny day. We're also hoping to keep as up-to-date as possible with the TOUR! Vive le Tour! {We're on Stage 5 as of now... I think the riders are on Stage 9. We'll get there... eventually!}

Edited to add: I've also taken up dry brushing my skin before showering. I've done it twice now, and my skin feels so much softer. A small side goal I have is to keep that up as well as become a better flosser :-)

A little factoid to end on:

There are 940 Saturdays between when a child is born, and when he turns 18.

I read this last week, and it really hit home for me. I often feel like, with the hustle and bustle and rush of everyday, I run out of time to *be* with Valentino and really listen to what he's saying and give him my undivided attention. I'm working on being more aware of this and totally plugging into him when I can. I've also started keeping a notebook of funny things he does/says, because sometimes {although I hate to say it}, I completely forget.

Something I really hate to say to him:

"We don't have time for that."

I'm going to make time for that instead.

I'll definitely be making more time to build sweet Lego houses with him!
{Check out the guard! He has a shovel!}

Review: Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD Nature Preserve in Raleigh

This family {myself in particular} really enjoys getting out and doing things on the weekend. We try to experience everything that we can - mostly free festivals, inexpensive family outings, and whatever else we can find that entertains us as well as Valentino. I'm going to incorporate a few "reviews" of things that we do.

This past weekend the weather was absolutely, positively GORGEOUS. No humidity, slight breeze, mid-70s. Simply amazing for early June in NC {I told my co-workers that it compared to a nice July day in Buffalo, NY - the only nice thing about B'lo}. On our bike rides, we've passed by Wilkerson Nature Preserve many times, and in keeping with our vow to be healthy and teach healthy behavior to our son, we thought Saturday would be a good day to check it out and take a hike. We had a GREAT time! Valentino loves hiking, and the amenities at this park are perfect for kids!

First, we popped our heads into the Welcome Center to grab a map. As Vic grabbed one and got the low-down on the best trail to take, Valentino and I perused the bookshelves that were full of "nature" items perfect for a kid to explore - molds of animal prints/teeth/eggs/poop, fossils, books, and diagrams. Then, Marty {who, as it turns out, is the manager of the park} informed us that they had trail packs that we can check out. The kid-sized trail packs were donated by REI and contained a bug box, magnifying glass, compass, maps, guides, a journal, and binoculars, and Marty also had a large net that we could use. Valentino's eyes were huge as he was being handed all this stuff - he couldn't wait to get going!

Valentino modeling his pack and net

I'm a sucker for little kids in backpacks!

After applying copious amounts of bug spray {there were "watch for ticks" signs everywhere}, we took off on the "Hidden Rocks" trail. It took us through the woods, past some huge boulders:

Vic and Valentino on top of the "Hidden Rocks"

In all, the hike was just about 1.5 miles, which was plenty for Valentino. I highly recommend long pants - we pulled several ticks off our legs {thankfully, none had latched on} - or lots of bug spray w/DEET and vigilant awareness of what's on your legs.

Ranger Valentino, scoping out the route

We will definitely be returning to the park for future hikes! The easy terrain, relatively "short" paths, and amenities from the Welcome Center make this an absolute must-do for any family who enjoys the outdoors! I can't recommend this park enough!

COST: Free

BRING: Bug spray, water, snacks/picnic {there's a picnic shelter}, camera, kite if it's windy {although they have some to borrow as well}, well-behaved dog
Annie Louise Wilkerson, MD Nature Preserve is located at 11408 Raven Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27614

Weight of the Nation - Encouraging good habits for kids

Vic and I have almost finished HBO's 4-part series "Weight of the Nation." I've found a lot of it very informative and encouraging, but I will admit that Part 3, which was about childhood obesity, bothered me a bit. A lot of blame for this epidemic was put on the advertisements that children are exposed to, as well as the cafeteria meals they are served in school.  The experts in the documentary seemed to think the only way to protect children from ads and bad cafeteria meals was government regulation. I'll spare you the rant about government regulations and simply offer a better and cheaper alternative -- education and encouragement.

Both parents and our schools should educate our youth from day 1 of kindergarten through the last day of high school about the importance of making healthy choices and the health consequences of making bad choices. Encourage activity throughout the day - again, both parents and educators should be doing this. Take stretching or walking breaks during the school day. Make PE mandatory more than once/week. Go on family bike rides, evening walks, and weekend hikes.

I realize there's the argument about low-income and single mothers who have a hard time making ends meet, much less encouraging/enforcing a healthy lifestyle. I feel for those children - they're going to have a hard enough time rising above what they were born into. This is an area where, instead of the government telling anyone what they can or cannot watch or eat, the government {or whomever is in charge of curriculum and education} should be pushing more healthy living education to these kids. Eventually, the hope is that the lack of "customers" {children} purchasing unhealthy foods will lessen the advertising and poor cafeteria foods.

I speak from my own experiences, both with the way I was raised and now how I raise my child. Someday I plan on elaborating on my whole life of weight struggles, but I'll give you a little synopsis here to support where I'm coming from:

Growing up in my middle-class family with two working parents, we always had the sugary-sweet cartoon character cereals and we ate a lot of processed foods, especially because that was what was on sale and was quick to cook, or what my parents had coupons for {and my mom wasn't exactly an awesome cook - sorry mom!}. I often ate school lunches {pizza, hamburgers, pancake day!}, and of course I never chose the vegetables! To top it off, we drank diet soda - yes, "better" than sugar-filled regular soda, but horrible for a child! I cringe when I think of what went into my young body. Exercise wasn't really emphasized in our house either... it was sporadic and never anything we did as a family. Neither of my parents were heavy, but they were both unhealthy in their own ways. Needless to say, my outlook on nutrition and exercise started out pretty badly. I didn't begin to turn my bad habits around until my teen/young adult years when I began to read and become interested in diet and exercise. I educated myself on what I should/shouldn't be eating and doing... and I continue to do that daily, because I still have a lot of nature and nurture to fight!

As a parent, I struggle with feeding my very picky child healthy foods. I feel that I've done well enough - he loves almost all varieties of fresh fruit and yogurt, and he has never had soda nor a lot of juice - but I know I've fallen victim to convenience foods for him, and that I haven't pushed vegetables on him enough {Vic and I are working on that}. We also limit not only the amount of TV that he watches, but also what channels he watches. We stick with Nick Jr. because they do not have any advertising. I know as he gets older, this will change, but hopefully we will have instilled some good habits in him.

One area where I feel we do an excellent job is with exercise. We are both very active, and Valentino has caught the bug for sure.

About 7 months old and riding in our bike trailer!

He sees us ride our bikes. He sees us go running and lift weights. He loves to do all three and wants to participate in everything we do, and we encourage it. It makes me a proud mama :-)

Doing push-ups on the lawn at North Hills.

Edited to add: I in no way think I'm perfect at this subject with my child, nor do I think I know it all about this topic. These are simply my opinions and experiences with it.

I hope to update tomorrow with what I've been up to lately. Until then... your thoughts on childhood obesity?

The pictures sum it up -

These were from a couple weeks ago - I was curious to see how a maxi-dress looked on me {since I'm short and stout!}, so I tried one on at Target. I took these pictures to show Vic, to get his opinion... what resulted was hilarious to me {later of course}.

This is what happens when you take a 4-year old boy into a dressing room with you {don't mind the ugly dress and pale chubbiness - the point is to see my silly boy!}:

First, he'll entertain himself with faces in the mirror

Then, he'll try desperately to block your view while saying "Are you done yet!!"

And finally, he'll attempt to escape {I would too if I saw this prairie/hippie lookin' lady!}

Yes, he's a rascal. And no, I haven't found a maxi-dress that I'd want to wear. Does anyone else think they're hot tents? Man, I was roasting by the time I took this off... though it could've been the child wrangling that did it for me...

PS: I ran 9 miles on Saturday. YES - NINE. Holy cow. I was in a "spot of bother" both Saturday and Sunday, and I'm only just now starting to feel okay again. Next Saturday is a 10-miler...

PPS: Since Saturday night, I've had this mystery sunburn-ish pain on the back of my thigh, but there's nothing visible. WTH? Shingles? Allergic reaction? Fybormyalgia {courtesy of WebMD of course}? I just want it to go away.

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.

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 :-)