Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Little Gym
Today I took Caleb to his first Little Gym class and it was a HUGE HUGE hit!!! This was Caleb's big present from my mom and my dad/Christy and it will definitely be the gift that keeps on giving, all the way to May! :) I don't have any pics because we were too busy running around having fun to take any pictures! The class today was super small, just Caleb and 2 other little girls. The teacher was super nice and friendly and helpful. Caleb LOVED the rings and learning to do a forward roll (somersault). He was definitely in his element, running around and getting his energy out and was just so happy to be there and not shy at ALL. I can't wait to see how much he learns and grows this semester!!!
Progress on those resolutions!
Well, I am so happy to say that I have already made some progress in some of those resolutions! Bryan and I had a "deep clean the whole house day" last weekend and WOW, that was an undertaking!! We literally worked non-stop from 9-dinner, not even stopping for lunch...and get this...Bryan was in the kitchen the WHOLE ENTIRE TIME!!!! We managed to get every room good and clean except for our bedroom, Caleb's bedroom and the office (which I later cleaned for Bryan as a surprise!). The thing is...not only were we cleaning, we were organizing...so that took a LONG time. But WOW, the difference it makes!! And this week I have been using my "chore chart" each day to clean a room a day, and I have honestly really enjoyed it. I love knowing I won't have to devote an entire Saturday to cleaning the house, since I'll be cleaning a little each day.
The BIG thing that I'm excited about is the new shelves in Caleb's playroom and his bedroom. Bryan and Caleb worked very hard putting them together and they look awesome and hold so much! I LOVE organization so my heart is happy just walking in those rooms. (I'm a dork, I know it!) His playroom is actually a functional playroom now. I bought him a play tent for his playroom and he loves it. We're ready for some playdates now! I love that everything has a place...when things are just thrown places it stresses me out to the point that I just avoid it...so I feel like a million pounds have been lifted off my shoulders.
Next in resolution land, Bryan and I have been following the 4 day anti-bloat plan from "The Flat Belly Diet" this week and it's gone pretty well. The first few days I was SUPER hungry and cranky, but it's gotten better as the week went on. Starting next week, we'll just be eating sensibly and choosing to not eat out nearly as much...that is so key I think. I have been feeling yucky with a cold or something all week, so I've slacked on working out, but my plan is to get back on that next week when I'm feeling better.
Here are some pics of the boys putting together the shelves for the playroom. Caleb got to use his new tools from Santa, which he loved. Daddy also let him help hold the "big" drill, which he got a huge kick out of.
The BIG thing that I'm excited about is the new shelves in Caleb's playroom and his bedroom. Bryan and Caleb worked very hard putting them together and they look awesome and hold so much! I LOVE organization so my heart is happy just walking in those rooms. (I'm a dork, I know it!) His playroom is actually a functional playroom now. I bought him a play tent for his playroom and he loves it. We're ready for some playdates now! I love that everything has a place...when things are just thrown places it stresses me out to the point that I just avoid it...so I feel like a million pounds have been lifted off my shoulders.
Next in resolution land, Bryan and I have been following the 4 day anti-bloat plan from "The Flat Belly Diet" this week and it's gone pretty well. The first few days I was SUPER hungry and cranky, but it's gotten better as the week went on. Starting next week, we'll just be eating sensibly and choosing to not eat out nearly as much...that is so key I think. I have been feeling yucky with a cold or something all week, so I've slacked on working out, but my plan is to get back on that next week when I'm feeling better.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
So many resolutions...
So, as 2011 arrives, I have a list of resolutions a mile long. I wanted to list a few here so anyone who reads this can keep me accountable!
1. Eat healthier/exercise more. Already started this right after Christmas, but it needs to continue. Getting back on the Shred (finished day 3 yesterday, did 3 hours of yard work today) is the only way to do this at the moment. I've had some pretty crazy stress the past couple of months and I am a stress eater for SURE...and that is NO good.
2. Get a handle on menu planning for our family. I want to make a list of everything we need for the week on Sun. night and go shopping Mon. morning, since we don't usually have anything going on on Mon. mornings. I think this will save us lots of money and hassle and stress...AND we'll eat healthier and eat out less.
3. Create a "chore chart" for myself. I need to remember that I am a HOUSE wife, so I need to take good care of the house God has given us! I love when the house is clean, and I'm always picking up at nap time and bedtime (well, ok, not ALWAYS) but some things I just leave until I can't take it anymore, and I end up cleaning for like, 6 hours into the wee hours of the morning because I've had ENOUGH. Not good. Bryan works SO hard at the hospital and school, he deserves to not have a house with clutter and mess...and I know that when the house is clean, I feel SO much better about life in general!!! SO, all that to say, I want to create a list that would be like: Mon: Vacuum all rooms and dust living room, Tues: Sweep downstairs and wipe down bathroom countertops, etc. Maybe I'll even give myself a sticker if I complete them, hahahahaha.
4. Have a daily quiet time where I read the Bible and pray/journal. I've fallen out of this habit over the past little bit and I need to get back into it, it does wonders for my emotional and spiritual health. I also need to not wait till the last minute to do my Bible study for Moms-n-More.
5. Read more. Fiction, non-fiction, whatever. So many times we have on the TV when I could be reading a good book. Also, read more to Caleb.
6. Stick to our budget and use only cash...no credit card. We have one for "emergencies" that sometimes gets used when it shouldn't...and it snowballs...and that is the last thing we want. I may have a TEENY bit of a Target addiction...haha. We only have Bryan's student loan and the house as our debt, and I want/need to keep it that way.
7. Play more music in the house. All kinds.
8. Take more pictures of the "small" stuff in our day. Time goes so quickly, I want to capture these memories.
9. Blog more.
10. Get on the floor with Caleb more and play what he wants to play. Turn off the DVDs and interact with him one-on-one. I NEVER wanted to be the mommy who put in a DVD to "babysit" her kid, but find myself doing that from time to time when I'm trying to clean or whatever...not good. It's especially hard with the weather being cold and not being able to be outside like we usually are. I think if I get a handle on the "chore chart" and meal planning, I'll feel freer to not be cleaning or stressing about making dinner when he's up.
11. Be more proactive about doing nice things for others. Sometimes I think, "I should send them a card!" and I forget and don't do it. I want to buy a bunch of "thinking of you/praying for you" cards in bulk and that way I'll have them to send out when I need them.
12. Be the kind of friend a friend would like to have.
13. Be a better, more patient, loving, humble wife. Look to the interests of my husband instead of to myself all the time.
14. Be a better, more patient, loving, humble mommy. I've been so excited about reading everything I have about "gentle Christian mothering" and "grace based parenting"...I was so insecure when I first had Caleb that I just thought we'd end up disciplining like most of our friends (punitively), but it never felt right...in fact, it felt WRONG. I've found there is a much better way to parent...with grace, love, and humility...treating our children/parenting our children the way God parents us. I'm still learning, but aren't we all? I'm also growing more secure in our choices, which is empowering. I hope to rub off on some of my other mommy friends who long for something different than demanding first time obedience, spanking, yelling, shaming, etc...
15. Take the dogs to the dog park more, as soon as it gets warm out. They love it so much, and sometimes we forget how they were our babies before Caleb. And they still are our sweet furbabies!
16. Don't worry so much about what other people think. In all areas. I want to say "so long, insecurity!" and throw it out the window for good.
17. Get more involved at church. I already do several things there, but I would like to do more. Not sure what yet, praying about that one...
18. Give generously to the church and to the poor in our city and the world...send Bryan back to Haiti at least once this year, regardless of the stress it is to parent alone...do random acts of kindness daily.
19. Try not to stress about the things in life I can't control. God has a plan, and I need to rest in that, knowing He knows best, in all circumstances.
20. Find friends who help me look more like Jesus. I had a "discipler" in college who helped me grow in so many ways in my faith...kept me accountable...loved me regardless. We memorized Scripture together, prayed together, read deep spiritual books, etc. I long for someone to come into my life this year who could help me in that once more.
Ok, I could go on and on. This has helped me wrap my mind around where I want to go this year, although I'm sure I left a million things out-but it's 1 am and my eyes are getting blurry and it's time to go to bed! Happy 2011! May it be the best year yet!
1. Eat healthier/exercise more. Already started this right after Christmas, but it needs to continue. Getting back on the Shred (finished day 3 yesterday, did 3 hours of yard work today) is the only way to do this at the moment. I've had some pretty crazy stress the past couple of months and I am a stress eater for SURE...and that is NO good.
2. Get a handle on menu planning for our family. I want to make a list of everything we need for the week on Sun. night and go shopping Mon. morning, since we don't usually have anything going on on Mon. mornings. I think this will save us lots of money and hassle and stress...AND we'll eat healthier and eat out less.
3. Create a "chore chart" for myself. I need to remember that I am a HOUSE wife, so I need to take good care of the house God has given us! I love when the house is clean, and I'm always picking up at nap time and bedtime (well, ok, not ALWAYS) but some things I just leave until I can't take it anymore, and I end up cleaning for like, 6 hours into the wee hours of the morning because I've had ENOUGH. Not good. Bryan works SO hard at the hospital and school, he deserves to not have a house with clutter and mess...and I know that when the house is clean, I feel SO much better about life in general!!! SO, all that to say, I want to create a list that would be like: Mon: Vacuum all rooms and dust living room, Tues: Sweep downstairs and wipe down bathroom countertops, etc. Maybe I'll even give myself a sticker if I complete them, hahahahaha.
4. Have a daily quiet time where I read the Bible and pray/journal. I've fallen out of this habit over the past little bit and I need to get back into it, it does wonders for my emotional and spiritual health. I also need to not wait till the last minute to do my Bible study for Moms-n-More.
5. Read more. Fiction, non-fiction, whatever. So many times we have on the TV when I could be reading a good book. Also, read more to Caleb.
6. Stick to our budget and use only cash...no credit card. We have one for "emergencies" that sometimes gets used when it shouldn't...and it snowballs...and that is the last thing we want. I may have a TEENY bit of a Target addiction...haha. We only have Bryan's student loan and the house as our debt, and I want/need to keep it that way.
7. Play more music in the house. All kinds.
8. Take more pictures of the "small" stuff in our day. Time goes so quickly, I want to capture these memories.
9. Blog more.
10. Get on the floor with Caleb more and play what he wants to play. Turn off the DVDs and interact with him one-on-one. I NEVER wanted to be the mommy who put in a DVD to "babysit" her kid, but find myself doing that from time to time when I'm trying to clean or whatever...not good. It's especially hard with the weather being cold and not being able to be outside like we usually are. I think if I get a handle on the "chore chart" and meal planning, I'll feel freer to not be cleaning or stressing about making dinner when he's up.
11. Be more proactive about doing nice things for others. Sometimes I think, "I should send them a card!" and I forget and don't do it. I want to buy a bunch of "thinking of you/praying for you" cards in bulk and that way I'll have them to send out when I need them.
12. Be the kind of friend a friend would like to have.
13. Be a better, more patient, loving, humble wife. Look to the interests of my husband instead of to myself all the time.
14. Be a better, more patient, loving, humble mommy. I've been so excited about reading everything I have about "gentle Christian mothering" and "grace based parenting"...I was so insecure when I first had Caleb that I just thought we'd end up disciplining like most of our friends (punitively), but it never felt right...in fact, it felt WRONG. I've found there is a much better way to parent...with grace, love, and humility...treating our children/parenting our children the way God parents us. I'm still learning, but aren't we all? I'm also growing more secure in our choices, which is empowering. I hope to rub off on some of my other mommy friends who long for something different than demanding first time obedience, spanking, yelling, shaming, etc...
15. Take the dogs to the dog park more, as soon as it gets warm out. They love it so much, and sometimes we forget how they were our babies before Caleb. And they still are our sweet furbabies!
16. Don't worry so much about what other people think. In all areas. I want to say "so long, insecurity!" and throw it out the window for good.
17. Get more involved at church. I already do several things there, but I would like to do more. Not sure what yet, praying about that one...
18. Give generously to the church and to the poor in our city and the world...send Bryan back to Haiti at least once this year, regardless of the stress it is to parent alone...do random acts of kindness daily.
19. Try not to stress about the things in life I can't control. God has a plan, and I need to rest in that, knowing He knows best, in all circumstances.
20. Find friends who help me look more like Jesus. I had a "discipler" in college who helped me grow in so many ways in my faith...kept me accountable...loved me regardless. We memorized Scripture together, prayed together, read deep spiritual books, etc. I long for someone to come into my life this year who could help me in that once more.
Ok, I could go on and on. This has helped me wrap my mind around where I want to go this year, although I'm sure I left a million things out-but it's 1 am and my eyes are getting blurry and it's time to go to bed! Happy 2011! May it be the best year yet!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)