Five Thing About Me Friday

1. I LOVE yoga.  I started doing it 3 years ago when I was running habitually.  I would usually run my 3 miles and then come home and do my favorite yoga show on Fit TV, Namaste Yoga.  Sadly, it has since gone off the air and I recently got the 2nd season on DVD.  I promise it is the best instructional yoga around! It also has amazing reviews on Amazon.

2. I am a previous tanorexic.  I lived in a tanning bed during college. When I look back at pictures I was so ridiculously dark (but still felt pale) that I looked sick! Now I slather on SPF every time I am out in the sun.  So many women are developing skin cancer that can possibly lead to death. I might be next!  Even though my legs look less damaged by hail when I'm dark, I am choosing the sunless tanning route to prolong my life a little longer. It will be definitely worth it in the end!

3. Number 2 led to number 3.  I am crazy about my skin care regimen.  Because of all the sun damage I have done to my face, I am developing premature wrinkles and sun spots.  I clean my face every morning and every night and apply an SPF moisturizer each time.  In the shower I use a facial scrub and I use a peel twice a week. On top of that, I have super dry skin. Great for pimple less skin but bad for the production of wrinkles. My favorite two products ever are St. Ives Apricot Scrub and So Moist (discontinued) moisturizing mask by Estee Lauder. Currently I am using Time Zone moisturizer by E.L. and a peel by Juice Beauty called Apple Peel. 

4. I am obsessed with reality T.V.  I watch ALL of the Housewives shows, Bethany Ever After, anything Kardashian, and then The Soup to tie it all up for me just in case I missed something. I tivo all of them and watch them in 15 minute increments when  I get a break here and there. I love these dang shows. But in my defense, Swamp People and Gold Rush are my husband's favorite shows. These shows are exact duplicates of mine except with men and a few less teeth.

5.  In high school I was called Tree Trunks Tanner (maiden name) by the boys in my P.E. classes. I could out leg press 90% of them. Between walking on my tip toes the majority of my life and several years of dance, I had calves the size of a California Redwood.  Lauren now walks on her tip toes now. Although I think it's so dang cute, I am silently cringing thinking she might get them too! Even when I was running regularly they didn't shrink a inch. I swear I could be 65lbs and still have them. If you ever need your car pulled out of a ditch, call me. LOL!

Do you Bento?

I have been crazy about Bento Boxes for about a year now. It was just until a month ago that Wren was old enough and had the need for one. She goes to a in home daycare two days a week for the social interaction and just as important, a break for my mom! Since she is currently a vegetarian and non-dairy drinker, I recognize that her diet is not as easy as the other kids at the daycare.  So I started packing her lunches for her much to Mrs. Tina's delight. Now, I don't consider myself a Bento-ist.  I don't go all out like most of them do mainly because I know Wren could care less what her food looks like. Maybe when she gets a little older, I will pull out all the stops.  For now, I will stick to my simple Bentos. I get so excited to make them and I'm constantly thinking about new things to place in them. Do you Bento for your kids? If so do you have any sites you just love? My favorite is Wendolonia.  I love her simple lunches and all her fun ideas. Check it out if you pack your little ones lunches.

Here are my Bentos.(Man, my camera work stinks!)

This is her morning snack. Peach soy yogurt, clementines, and blueberries. 

 

Peas, tofu bologna & cheese roll ups, blackberries, blueberries, and grapes.  

 

Wendolonia

 

La Jolla Mom

  Wendolonia

Some days........

Some days we are all put together, the house is clean, our hair is done, and my homework is complete.

 Other days look like this! I thought this picture was so pitiful it was precious. It's true. Not everyday is made beds, clean dishes, and bows in hair.  On these days she gets to pick out her own clothes, she wears her breakfast a little longer on her cheeks, and I forgo the bow torture. Thank goodness. Every once in a while we all need a break.

Potty in training..............

We introduced the potty chair about a month ago. Wren is doing fantastic with it! Most days when we are around the house she wears her big girl panties and her baby legs to keep her legs warm.  Her reward is M&Ms and a potty sticker that her Auntie Sami got her. We are so proud of her and our transition from diapers to big girl underwear. It's amazing how excited you get when you see poo poo and pee pee in a little pink potty. It's true what they say, "It's the little things that make life grand!"

These are my confessions............

Several of my blogging girlfriends have really been open about themselves on their blogs.  They write about their marriages, motherhood, themselves, and most of all their not so great moments.  One of my girlfriends Stephanie is so eloquent at writing about her neurotic Type A self and makes it sound oh  so beautifully hilarious.  So I thought I would take a moment, since this blog has been hijacked by my daughter, to write about myself. Since tomorrow is Friday, I will uncreatively call this, Five things about me Friday.   In the words of Usher, these are my confessions.

1.  I am a major control addict.  If I don't know what time it's happening, ending, all the details in between, I am likely to bail out before I even give it a second thought. I would be the worst person to throw a surprise party for. I would probably end up locking myself in the bathroom writing out an itinerary for the rest of the evening for the host/hostess.

2.  I have ADD.  Seriously, medication prescribed, full blown losing everything, starting new tasks before finishing current ones, constantly interrupting conversations, closet is a FEMA wreck, ADD.  My house is usually picked up and neat as a whistle (whatever that means), walk into my bedroom and it looks like what I imagine a episode of Hoarders depicts.  Ask my parents, this has been a life long battle. I know as an adult, it is my job to keep my house clean enough so that the city can't condemn it but my bedroom is like my own personal rebellion space, where I can throw clothes in untidy piles and leave my bed unmade if I chose.

3. I love to sing.  Now, I didn't say I was a great singer, but I love to sing.  I make it a point to make sure that I sing to Lauren at least once a day.  Our favorite tunes are, "Rise and Shine" and "You are My Sunshine".

4.  I pray at least 20 times a day.  These aren't 10 minute fully reflective prayers but simple givings of thanks.  Last night at 3:30 in the morning Lauren would NOT go to sleep.  I sat there rocking her and I kept thanking God that I could share this quiet moment with her.  Things like these are the little prayers I send up to God all through the day and night. 

5.  I'm a tad bit emotional.  Alright, I am a full fledged nut bag, cry at everything crazy person.  But, I come by it honestly.  My mother and I cry at parades and ridiculous television shows. Here's the icing on the cake, once at Sea World, I believe I was 22, we were watching an orka and dolphin show.  I looked over at my mom, lowered my sunglasses at her and we both realized we were crying!! What about a dolphin show makes anyone cry??? NOTHING! Who knows, but if it's a tad bit amazing, you can bet I will be sobbing. I just watched on You Tube baby sloths getting baths at the zoo and I cried.  Seriously? Maybe that's why God chose me to be a social worker.  Believe me, I am empathetic, even to sloths and dolphins.

Super Bowl Half time show

My dad just posted this photo on his Facebook page and I had to grab it and post it too.  Here was my half-time show.  Actually, this show went on through the whole game. These two are ridiculous together, which I absolutely love..........

How precious is this?! I laughed and then cried!

Life's wam and fuzzy moments

Wren is lucky enough to have 7 great-grandmas and great-grandpas who think she hung the moon.  We call them over so she can "entertain" them.  Here is a classic shot of my grandparents.  My grandpa who doesn't always feel that great doesn't even hesitate when she yells over to him and pats the floor, signalling that she wants him to sit beside her or to come in to her playhouse, or in this case jump with her in her bounce house.  If she only knew now, just how lucky she is.  These are the little moments that make my life fulfilled. 

The ponytail

Lauren's hair is finally growing and it's long enough that I was able to do a ponytail the other day..  Yes, I'm blogging about a boring baby ponytail, but this is a mommy milestone! I love that little bird's smile!

 

She is sort of getting the hang of "cheese"!

 Close up shot of the said ponytail. She loves her thermometer  She is always making sure that all of us are fever free. . 

Snow day

We had our first snow day about a month ago. It was the first time that Lauren could go out and play in it. I'm not sure how much "playtime" she actually got, but she sure loved being pulled in the snow by her Auntie and I. 

 

Poor Cat

Besides cooking in her kitchen and cleaning her playhouse, Lauren's favorite thing to do is make Little Kitty lay still so she can lay on him and kiss him. It is pretty cute but we feel sorry for him, although he doesn't seem to mind much. 

Whats the stats?

 Lauren was recently checking her Fantasy Football stats and making a few changes to her Sunday line up.  How about the giraffe print pants and her ILLINI cheer dress? She is starting to dress her self.  Loved this combination.

Success!

Our fast and furious trip to Indiana went off without a hitch.  Lauren faired well on her 4.5 hour car trip both there and back.  I packed her a lot of snacks and muppet-ish DVDs.  The kids played while we tried to catch up in between diaper changes, feedings, meal preparations, cleaning up, bathtime, naptime, bedtime.  Sadly, we didn't get to talk as much as we wanted to.  We kept saying, well it's reality! Life goes at warp speed right now, especially with two.  Our college nights spent talking for 4 hours about nothing is a thing of the past.  Even though it was quick, we had a wonderful time with our babies and each other.  We miss you Mich, Mia, and Brecken!

Michele, Brecken, and Lauren cooking our dinner.

 

This child did this the whole time!

 

She really got a kick out of him. She kept walking around saying "Shhhh....." when he was asleep. 

 

Us and our babies. I wished I would have gotten a better picture of Mia. But little girls don't have time for picture taking. 

 

I had to include this shot.  It is of my front seat while driving home. Note the babies in my lap. 

And were off!!! Pray for us!

This morning we are leaving for Lauren's first long trip.  We are traveling to visit my best friend from college, Michele.  We are traveling 4.5 hours in the car!!  Since she has become fascinated with the Muppets, I hope that the movies I have packed and the 30 snacks will keep her pacified.  I can't wait to see Michele and her babies Mia and Brecken! Wish us luck!

Babies and Buddies

Today was my first day back to work.  I love love my practicum so I was totally happy to go back.  During my 2 week holiday break, Lauren and I did lots of playing.  Lauren and her buddy Chase have had a few play dates.  Bouncing is always involved.  They are so cute together! They play well together for a while and they argue about a baby doll that the other one has. 

She has also grown quite accustom to being a little mother to her babies.  I am fully open to her playing with balls, planes, trains, and tools.  But she seems to be drawn to her babies.  She is constantly "shhhhing" us so that her babies can sleep.  Here are a few shots from our two week break.

Waiting for their cupcakes to bake.  

 

Bouncing, as usual...

 Lauren and her Baby Alive baby

 

Her water baby

 

On an outing with her baby.  

Our Christmas recap.....(longest post ever)

This post is pretty much for memories sake. Warning, there are a few hundred photos of Wren with her presents. 

Oh, the depressing feeling of Christmas's end.  Our 48 hour Christmas festivities have finally come to a halt.  When she woke up, we sang Happy Birthday to her baby Jesus along with some major clapping on her part.  I had to pack away her nativity scene while she was gone because she loves her baby Jesus! He slept with her many nights in December.  This was the second year that I hosted Christmas morning breakfast.  It's a nice way for both sides of our families to come together before we start the 3 stop home hopping.  We all ate and watched Lauren play with her new kitchen and babies.

We didn't buy much for her this year, because one, we are on a super tight budget and two because she loves to play with plastic cups, keys, and golf balls.  She got from Santa two baby dolls, Cabbage Patch and Baby Alive, a baby stroller, and a Disney Princess Tent.  All together we had four get togethers not including our own.  Lauren's 7pm bedtime was shot both nights and stretched into 10:30ish. 

The best part about Christmas this year was to see our families fall in love with Christmas all over again as they watched Lauren. They say that Christmas is a child's holiday, but I can argue that several adults could say this was their best one yet.  I hope that everyone found joy in whatever holiday or tradition they celebrated this December.  I hope that you all rekindled the spirit that many of us had as children.  I also hope that it inspired you to reach out and do something for someone else.  As we head into the new year, my wish is that we all become a little more cognoscente of those around us and to give a little more of ourselves to those in need.  As 2011 draws to a close, I hope that we all can say we made wonderful memories with those we love. In the end, that's all we really have anyway, right? On with the pictures!

Christmas Eve Morning in her new Elmo jammies 

 Christmas Eve at her Great Grandparents house

 My grandpa gave Lauren a baby doll and this beautiful 85 year old baby bed of my grandmothers.  Although we told her it was for her babies, she still wanted in it.  As always, my grandpa gives such thoughtful gifts.

 Whew! A nap before mass at 5:30. I even drove around for an extra 30 mins so she could get in some extra sleep.  Note the hair bow is out and thrown about the car.

 Right before church. 

 Way.......past bedtime and she was so delirious she posed for a picture.

 Chasing the mouse with Nanny and Great Grandma

 

Brushing Daddy's teeth with Baby's Alive's toothbrush.

 

 Her new kitchen

With Nanny and Grandpa

Grandpa and Papa on Christmas Morning

Her new bounce house that she now lives in

Her first play house

Playing with Great Grandpa who bought the above items and already has her birthday gift planned.

Her first bicycle

Wren and I, Christmas night. 

Lauren and her aunties