Initially, he was super nervous because he claimed that he didn’t know how to play.  However, I strongly suspect he was the Ringer because he.did.awesome.

Chickety-check it out!

Dirty before we even got to the field ↓

He looks like he’s about the get into a fight with the ump over a bad call:

The princess got bored and stole one of the little boy’s trucks and was loading them up with dirt. 

In her new dress.

And then she got mad because her fingernail polish got chipped.

It’s hard to simultaneously be a princess and a tomboy.

Le sigh.

At first she wanted me to take a picture of her smiling but then changed her mind at the last-minute and wanted to “pwetend to be mad”.

Two and Four are awesome.

Mixed with frustration.

Blended with hilarious.

Topped with WTF.

Basically?  Kids are weird, man.

We celebrated the fact that, despite all of the hurdles and temporary set-backs, my husband graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Elementary Education.

We celebrated and how much he has grown as a student in the past two years.  When he first began talking about going back to school after a 10-year break, he wasn’t sure how he could manage taking one online class at a time.  This semester, he student taught 40ish hours/week, had an evening class and still managed to get some honey-dos taken care of.

We sat in the very same auditorium where I sat exactly 5 years ago as I graduated from nursing school and I felt a surge of nostalgia and pride as we watched and waited.

I laughed as my daughter shot dirty looks at the people behind us with the air horn and silently praised my husband for remembering to pack the hand-held fans to keep our children somewhat cooled off.

I was grateful for my parents, in-laws & grandparents for coming along to, not only support Greg, but also to support me (2 little kids have to go to the bathroom exactly 1,235,864,579 times when it’s inconvenient for their mother to take them).

The past two years have not been easy but they have been worth it.

I’m so proud and honored to have been a part of this journey!

Congratulations, babe!  We love you!

Last night was the dress rehearsal for my daughter’s dance recital.  Somehow, one of my cousins suckered me into being a “parent-helper” with her.

Basically, the 2 of us are in charge of 16 2-4 year olds.  Our only job? 

Keep them quiet.

For the 2 hour recital.

Ha.

Haha.

Bwahahahahahahahaha!

I love their dance teacher but I’m pretty sure that she is on crack if she thinks that 2 adults can keep 16 teeny little girls quiet for more than 2 seconds.

I will be sure to let you know if I survive the recital this weekend.

But last night went mostly okay-ish.  We had our share of meltdowns amongst the girls but we all survived.

As I was rounding up girls after their final number, trying to ensure that they each had the right costume piece (they did) and that they went home with the correct parent (I think most of them did), one of the girls tugged on my scrub top.

I look down and, as sweetly as I can muster say, “Yes?”

“Is there a baby in there?” as she pointed to my stomach.

And in that moment, I realized that no matter how hard I work and how much of a bad ass I think I am, the painful truth comes leaping out of the mouth of a 4-year-old because I wore a scrub top that had a tie in the back, so it made me look pregnant.

::sigh::

I mostly just laughed her off and said, “Oh, no.  There’s no baby in there right now!”

“Huh.  It sure looks like it to me!”

Salt.  Into.  The.  Wound.

Clearly I’m burning that scrub top and going to double my run today.

{source}

Kate Moss may have been onto something when she says, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love nomming on some delicious treats but since I’ve lost 35 pounds (Whoop whoop!!) since January 1, these are the things I’ve been called:

• You are positively twiggy
• ZOMG!!!  You.  Are.  TINY!!!!!
• too skinny (this one made me literally LOL because, hai, I’m still in the overweight category according to my BMI)
• svelt
• and even one “Daaaaammmmmnnnn, giiiiiirrrrlll!”

So, yeah.  I kinda see what Kate was talking about.

I’m still doing the same things that I’ve been doing all along and it’s definitely slowed down over the past month, but I’m still moving in the right direction!

One of my goals (other than lose weight) was to run a 5K.  I did mostly run it (I walked less than 3/10ths of a mile) but it was my best 5K time ever (out of 4, but still!) at 27:42!  I’m going to run another 5K at the end of May and my goal is to beat that time so we will see.  I’ve also started to couch to 10K app on my phone and it’s . . . . well, it’s different.  I’m about back to where I was at the end of the C25K app but within the next few weeks, the training program switches over to running 40-60 minutes (in intervals for the first little bit).  Honestly?  It’s not so much the running that bothers me but more the time committment.  It’s sometimes hard enough to get away for 30 minutes 4-5 days/week but an hour?  I dunno.  I’m going to work really hard to make it work but I’m also not blind to the fact that, ‘ello!!  Running isn’t the only thing in mah life.

So, quick recap.

I’m “twiggy”.

I’m still running.

I’m still taking my It Works supplements.

I’m eating healthier.

I’m down 35 pounds in 4ish months!

If you need encouragement, please don’t hesitate to holla at me!  Several girls I know are running the 5K with me at the end of May (and we are all in various levels of shape)(I’m not at the top of that list, by the way) and we would love a few more!

Normally, it drives me bat-shit crazy and Greg just goes with the flow.  It must have been significantly worse than normal because Greg put his hands on Brock’s shoulders and said, “Buddy?  Will you please calm down?!”

Brock’s response:

“Daddy?  I’m not sure that I know how!”

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Of course, reality was quick to crash into my daydream by throwing this little gem at me:

Brock: Mom?  Does it hurt when a baby comes out of your vagina?

Me:   . . .

Brock: Mooooommmm?  I asked you a question!

Me: Um, I know but I’m trying to think about how to answer it without scaring you for life.

Brock/Me: long pause

Me: Well, yes.  It does hurt when a baby comes out of a mommy’s vagina.  But, where did you hear that babies come from vaginas?

Brock: Well.  I’m a pretty smart little guy.  Do you want to know what I think happened?

Me: (cautiously) Sure?

Brock: Well, I didn’t want to hurt your tummy by cutting you open and coming out that way so God opened up your vagina and I came out that way!

Me: That was nice of you to not want to hurt my tummy!

Brock: Yeah.  But I still hurt your vagina.  Right, Mom?

I guess the upshot is that he already knows where babies “come from” so we can cross that uncomfortable topic off the list.

Unrelated side note: Harper? ZOMG with the cuteness. Your ovaries will ache when you see her. You have been warned.

Anywho, Mandy posted a recipe for homemade humus that she and her husband whipped up one night and guess what? I got inspired and decided to do my own version! One huge difference was that I eliminated the cilantro all together because cilantro? Is disgusting. But don’t tell Mandy that because she LOVES it and said she can’t be friends with people who don’t like it. And even though we aren’t technically friends she doesn’t know I exist, I like to pretend, m’kay?

Click here for Mandy & Scot’s version of Cilantro and Lemon Humus.

Keep reading for my version.

But Mandy’s version has better pictures.

But mine explains what Tahini is.

And Sriracha.

And mine tastes a wee bit better. Possibly. Unless you love cilantro.

Starting Line-Up:

• 1 can of chick peas/garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic (I buy the pre-minced garlic in a jar so I just eye-balled it)
• 1/3 C of tahini
• 4-5 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil (I think this was a bit too much. Next time I’m going to half it)
• 1/2 TBSP sriracha
• salt and pepper to taste
• modes of transportation to get the humus into your mouth (tortilla chips, pita bread or chips, carrots, sliced bell peppers, etc.)

Before we begin with the instructions, let’s revisit a few items on that list, shall we??

Tahini:

It’s basically sesame seed paste and it looks kinda gross but it’s oh-so-yummy! Another important note about tahini: at Hy-Vee (where I bought it) they keep it with the dressings (Aisle 6!), not with the ethnic food or the organic food where I wasted 15 minutes looking.

Sriracha:

This little baby IS in the ethnic food aisle.  Just look for the big cock on the red bottle and you will be good to go!

To-Do List:

• Dump all of the ingredients into your food processor and blend until your heart is content!  I used our Ninja and it was all said and done in under a minute!
• Shovel as much of the hummus, using your choice of vehicle (I like extra salty tortilla chips) into your face-hole as you can.

Enjoy!

I did a post a few weeks ago about my progress and, at 7 weeks in, I had lost 20 pounds!

I’m still doing the same things as I posted about before (ProFit shakes, counting calories via My Fitness Pal, & exercising at least 3-4 days/week).  Feel free to browse through that post and read about what I did/am doing along this weight-loss journey.  And, as always, feel free to ask my any questions about anything!

I do want to expand a bit more on exercising.  Trust me, I still hate it.  I still have to force myself to change into my running clothes and I still have to force myself to take every step.

But?

I have found a few things to be helpful and I want to share them with you.

• For the love of Neil Patrick Harris, invest in a good pair of running shoes. 

I always thought that a shoe is a shoe is a shoe (well, as far as tennis shoes go.  I mean, I am a girl and I do love me some shoes).  But when I was picking out athletic shoes in the past, it was based on cuteness rather than functionality.  If you are really serious about starting to workout (in any form), please do yourself a favor and spend the extra cash.

With my old running shoes, I would get shin splints like cah-razy after the first few days.  Now, I’m not talking a little painful, I’m talking they would be so bad that I could barely walk for several days afterward.  However, for Valentine’s Day, Greg took me to a local store that carries running shoes and clothes (It’s The Starting Block for my local peeps).  They put me on the treadmill and analyzed my run (recorded) to check my arches, to check for pronation/supination and to see if I run “straight” or “cross midline”.  Then they gave me a couple of recommendations for shoes.  I went with the Lady Issac’s (by Newton) and I adore them.  They have a padded ball so it forces you to run toe-heel (rather than flat-footed like I usually run) and it has all-but eliminated my shin splints.  Don’t get me wrong, I still feel it when I push myself, but I’m not hurting so badly that I can’t walk the next day.

My only complaint about Newton’s is that they don’t come in wide sizes and I have a *ahem* chubby right foot (but not the left.  Weird, no?)  So I just lace the right one up just a smidge looser than the left and I’m good to go.

• Find some kind of a training program that works for you

Especially if you are new to running.  One of the problems that I faced in the past was that I would just run until I got tired/bored and then quit.  I had no real goal in mind (other than Run, Forest!) and it was ineffective for building endurance as well as shaving time from my runs.

I know that I’ve said it before, but I’m saying it again.  I love love love the Couch to 5K app on my phone.  (There is a free version that will get you through Week 2, Day 1, I believe)  The very first day, there is a 5 minute warm up followed by 15 minutes of 1 minute run/1.5 minute walk intervals then a 5 minute cool down.  Week 1, Day 2 is the same as Day 1 but the run/walk period extends from 15 minutes to 20 minutes.

The changes are so subtle that you can barely tell!

Okay, that’s not entirely true.  I can tell every single day when I’m pushing harder.

But that’s the point!  When left to my own devices, I got nowhere!  And yesterday I did Week 6, Day 2 (5 minute warm up, 10 minute run, 3 minute walk, 10 minute run, 5 minute cool down).  I’m not sure that you read that correctly so I’m going to say it again.  I ran for TWO 10-minute intervals and lived to tell the tale!  By Friday, I’m supposed to be running a 15-minute interval so I might be singing a different tune but you get the idea.

Here’s the thing.  If it doesn’t scare me a little bit, I know that I won’t be nearly as proud of myself when I finish.  When I phone-in a workout, I always feel like kicking my own ass afterward because I put in the time but I know I didn’t get as much out of it as I could have.

• Listen to your body, not your head

Your head will tell you to quit.  Your head will tell you that you’ve had enough.  You can quit and be disappointed or you can show that little voice that you are a beast and keep pushing through.

However, if you can’t breathe, you might want to listen to your body.  If you stop sweating (*ahem* this would be directed at my husband), etc. take a break, slow down, do whatever your body is telling you that it needs.  But be persistent.  When your body is revolting against you, that’s when it’s changing the most.

• Set a goal

Be specific about it.  Not just, “I want to lose weight.”  Um, hello!  We all want to lose weight.  (Well, everyone except the freaks of nature that have incredibly high metabolism and complain about how hard it is to gain weight.  Ugh.)  Make your goal specific enough that you know when you are getting close and once you’ve reached it!  And don’t be afraid to change those goals.  It’s a goal, not a legally binding contract.

My initial goal was to lose 30 pounds before Greg graduates in May.  Not for any particular reason.  I just thought that it sounded like a good target that was attainable without killing myself.  As I got closer and closer to my goal, I realized that I was going to hit the 30 pound mark well before May 5th so I changed it up a little.  My new goal was to drop 30 pounds before April 1st.  Celebratory side note:  As of this morning, I’m down 29.9 pounds!  Hooray!  Only 0.1 pounds to go and I have 3 days to get there!!

My next goal is more exercise related.

As of yesterday, I sent off the paperwork to get registered for a 5K.  Since I’m doing the C25K program anyway, I figured it was time to put it to the test.  I’m nearing the end of the endurance training for a 5K (but I know I’m not there yet) and the 5K that I signed up for is in 3.5 weeks.  I figure, that will give me enough time to get to the point where I can run for 30 straight minutes and a little time to work on improving my time.

Plus, I really want another t-shirt.

If you need some encouragement with getting started or re-started or just the motivation to keep going, holla at me!  I’m all about helping out my friends!

The radio wasn’t on and we weren’t talking.

Just enjoying each other’s quiet company and reflecting on our days.

All of a sudden, Brock says, “BALLS!”

When I look in the back seat, he is holding up a bag of tennis balls that I keep forgetting to drop off at the babysitter’s house (that’s another story that I don’t entirely understand myself so I’m just going to leave that part out).

I sigh a small sigh of relief and he says, “Mom?  Did you hear me?  I said balls!  Haha, that’s funny!  It sounds like the balls that are in my pee pee.”

And honestly?  How do I argue with that?

There were always the old standbys: Tag, Red Rover, etc. but I never came up with anything on my own. If I got bored (which, thanks to my parents and their never-ending to-do lists rarely happened) I would curl up with a good book and get lost.

Even as a child, I was nerdy.

My children on the other hand, have more creativity in their baby fingers than I’ve ever had in my entire life.

That’s not to say that some days I’m not inundated with the, “She’s looking at me!” or “Can we puh-lease go somewhere today?!” But for the most part, they have pretty active imaginations. Adrianna usually plays “The Momma” and bosses her babies around, makes them cry (I assume because she is so mean to them) and then picks them up and soothes them while saying, “Iss okay. Momma’s here, baybee.”

For the record? I have no idea why she is so bossy.

Ahem.

Brock likes to make his animals fight with each other.

Or sometimes, he and Daddy set up a “jungle” and they go “hunting”.

In the hallway.

With Nerf Guns.

And my kid may or may not be nekkid.

Again.

But one of their newest games is simply called Smack Fight.

They invented it while they were in the tub because apparently we don’t supply them with enough bath toys (That’s a total lie.  They have 10x the amount of bath toys they need).

The rules are simple.

1) Each kid gets a washcloth.

2) The supervising parent has to pull the bath curtain closed.

3) There is no hitting in the face.

4) Once your washcloth is completely soaked, you smack the other person.

Approximately every 45 seconds, one of them breaks Rule #3 so there are usually a few tears involved in Smack Fighting.

But, hey.  If we wanted us a couple of wussies, we would’ve named them Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman!

So there you have it.

The next time your kids are driving you bat-shit crazy, throw ‘em in the tub, give them each a washcloth, be sure to shut the curtain (but please stay in the bathroom & peek your head around the curtain every 30 seconds or if they get the slightest bit quiet, okay?  I don’t want to hear about any babies drowning because of Smack Fight.) and let them Smack Fight it out!

You might need a glass or five of wine by the end of the bath, but it will totally be worth it!