Random things on my mind

Must move the fruit basket to a higher place as Edith now knows how to peel oranges.

I can't believe Dylan let me cut his fingernails and toenails last night without kicking up a fuss.

Why are the keys on my laptop keyboard sticking again???

Haven't seen any snowdrops yet.  Odd.

Heehee, Amy noticed that Martin has gained weight.  On his waist.  And she called it "a lot of weight."

7 lbs. isn't that much...

Can't wait to get my hair done on Thursday.  Hope the stupid receptionist isn't there so I can ask Sarah if that girl has been given a job out of pity or what.

Ugh, church tomorrow.  Can't wait for toddler wrestling.

Wonder if they'll give me a new calling.

Last night's lasagna was so good.  Would have been even better if I'd had icecream afterwards.  Being "good" really sucks.

Glee is repeated on a Saturday night, and I've got it set to record now.  Whew, can't wait to watch it on Sunday night.

Oooh, and play Guitar Hero with Martin, too. 

I wish it was 7pm Sunday already!

Told Dylan we could go to the Deep today--wonder if I can get out of it or if he remembers??  Guess I should take them anyway.  Blast!

That laundry's not going to do itself.

Sure would be nice if I wasnt' the only person in the house who knew how to work the washing machine and dryer.

Dorothy and Danny Rushton are both on Facebook.  And Danny's MARRIED now!

It sure is hard to get out of bed in the mornings when all my last dreams seem to be about family members.  I just want to hang out with the fam in dreamland!

Time to go get my husband out of bed!

Growing up...

So yesterday Edith did something amazing.  For the first time she put two words together to form a simple sentence.  Want to hear what it was?

"Nanna's eyes."

Ok, so it was actually a fragment.  But still...

She calls glasses "eyes," so it only makes sense if you speak her little language, but it was still really exciting.  This is such a major language development milestone, and she is hitting it at about the same age that Dylan did.  So even though she doesn't know as many words and speak as well as he did at this age, she is developing at about the same pace. 

Did that make any sense?  I don't know--I'm so tired!

Regardless, I'm thrilled that she's developing normally and is getting so much better at talking.  And her singing, well, she's miles ahead of Dylan in that department.

Funny story, actually.  Last Sunday when we were singing the opening hymn in church, Edith climbed up onto the pew between me and Martin, pinched his hymnal, and started singing her heart out.  Heads were turning. 

She loves to sing, and she loves to do "grown-up" things.  She's not going to be my little baby for much longer.

That was totally "Wicked"...

So my birthday was pretty much amazing.  My saintly mother-in-law spent two days and one night at my house, playing guardian to my beautiful children, while Martin whisked me away to London.  We spent the night and saw Wicked at the ApolloVictoria theatre in the West End.  It was amazing--loved every second!

I got some very nice gifts--a new handbag, my favorite shade of lipstick, an adorable ring that Dylan picked out all by himself, and a pizza stone.  Oh, and did  mention that I got to go see Wicked in the West End?

So here I am, 32 years old.  Where has the time gone?  I feel absolutely ancient, but this damp and gray English climate means that I still don't have any wrinkles.  That's pretty good news, at least.  And my kids keep me young.

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes.  We've all settled back down to normalcy now, and it is strangely nice and comforting. I love going away, but I love coming home even more.  I missed the kids terribly while we were away, and was in heaven when we got back and Martin and I were practically smothered in cuddles and kisses.

In routine news, I have been released from my church calling teaching the youth.  I'm sad that I won't be teaching them any more, but am looking forward to a new calling soon.  Martin is working different hours now--a split shift every day but Saturday, when he's there all day long.  It's not any more hours at work, really.  Just different.  Edith is now picking up the pace with learning to speak and has a vocabulary of approximately 30 words.  She's not been as quick as Dylan at learning to talk, but she is a great communicator all the same.  Dylan has started drawing pictures for me while he's at school and is becoming a really good helper around the house.

Anyway, I'm exhausted and it's bath then bed over here.  Just wanted to do a quick update for the fam.

Nighty night!

Heartbreaking...

Apparently, there are some kids from church who don't like playing with Dylan.

A friend told me this the other day, and it's been bothering me ever since then.  She said that they don't like playing with him because he hits them. Admittedly, he DID go through a rather prolonged hitting phase. He's grown out of it now, but they haven't played together very much since then because of Martin's job and all of them being in school now.  So the boys think that Dylan still hits a lot, I guess.

Anyway, when she told me this I had the most irrational response in the world.  I immediately jumped to the defense of my child, and though knowing that they don't like to play with him doesn't bother Dylan at all, I got all hurt and offended for him. I had to stop myself from mentioning all the things that are "wrong" with her children, even though I actually think they are really good kids.  In fact, that is probably why this bothers me so much.

I pride myself on being rational (most of the time), so you can imagine my surprise when I reacted this way.  I guess it's just more proof that having kids makes me crazy.

I just want everyone in the world to think my child is perfect and see how wonderful he is.  If I'm honest with myself, I can see his flaws and faults.  In fact, I'm perfectly willing to discuss them with Martin.  We know he's high maintenance.  He likes attention.  He's demanding and bossy.  But to hear someone else mention his negative qualities and suggest he wasn't an angel really hurt me.

So stupid!

I just need to get over it. 

And I will.

Best girlie day ever!

Yesterday was my friend Noelle's "hen do."  She is getting married in just 4 weeks, and I am so excited for her and her fiance, Richard.  They are such nice people, and such a great couple.  Since Noelle is Mormon (just like me)she doesn't drink and didn't want a boozy night out on the town.  So she organized her own hen day and we went to Harrogate to the Turkish baths and then to Betty's for tea.

Can I just say that the baths were frickin' AMAZING?!  Totally Google harrogate turkish baths and look at their website.  We showered, steamed, went in the plunge pool (which was truly icy) and then into a series of hot rooms.  There were 10 of us in our party at the baths, and we all got sweaty and purified our skin together while we shared a good gossip.  Then the gossip continued at Betty's where we were joined by 4 more women.  Very civilized and posh!

There was only one downside, and it was that I got home so much later than anticipated--about 2 hours later.  But Martin was home, and I kept him updated (with Emma's phone, since I left mine home.  Thanks, Emma!) and he was pretty cool with it.  I missed bed time, which made me kind of sad.  But not enough so to ruin my euphoria.

Seriously, mom you need to come over for another visit so we can go to the baths in Harrogate.  I think you'd really enjoy them!  Or any of my friends or sisters, as well.  Really good time, and I'd like to share it with everyone I know.

von Willebrand's...

Lightening quick update in which I will make a long story short:

Neither Martin nor I have von Willebrand's disease.  Dylan's condition wasn't passed down by either one of us--it just happened all on it's own.  Not common, but notthat unusual.

Either that or Martin isn't really his father.

You decide.

: )

Weird...

I had my induction at the gym last night, and it was enlightening.

First of all, I don't think the fitness instructor really believed me when I said I used to work out all the time, until we got to the machines and she was making sure I knew how to use all of them.  Then, she told me that my technique was perfect.  Ha--told you so!

I have a very quick program on weights to do, and I flew through it after the induction so that I could get home in time for dinner. I figured out my own weight limits on all the machines, and it was really interesting. I haven't worked out in a gym for about 5 years now, butI still remember what I was lifting before.  My cardiovascular fitness is pretty pants.  I managed about 5 minutes on the cross-trainer and 3 minutes rowing, and I was shattered.  I'll have to work my way up on those machines.  My core strength is pretty good, even after two kids and not enough crunches.  My lower body is still pretty strong.  Seriously, I was pleasantly surprised. But my upper body--woah!  Bicep curls were pathetic!  I kept having to decrease my weight, and felt like a total weakling.  So when I moved to triceps, I started at the same weight.  But, strangely enough, my triceps are really quite strong.  I guess it must have something to do with the way I pick up and carry the kids.

The strangest thing is how much I enjoyed being at the gym.  I used to go 5 times a week when I was in college, and I went quite a bit when I lived in Cedar City and worked out 3 times a week when we lived in Grimsby.  It never felt like anything but hard work. But I've missed being nicely sore, and I've missed the body that results from lots of work at the gym.  Last night at the gym was a real pleasure though, and I think it's because I was there doing something for myself.

I spend all of my time taking care of my children and my family.  I take care of all their physical needs, and once the kids are in bed I am on my own and spend that time taking care of the house.  Everybody is cared for, except for me.  It's past time that I started taking care of myself as well.  And going to the gym to work out is totally self-indulgent.  It benefits nobody but me--totally selfish, but in a good way.  It gives me 45 minutes to an hour with no kids and nobody to think about but myself.  It's a treat, because it's "me time."  I could seriously become a gym junkie again!

On a completely unrelated note:

Yesterday, when we were picking Dylan up from school, I was thinking about when Edith first started walking.  She was desperate to walk everywhere, because she had been watching Dylan run around for ages.  The first time she walked up to Stables to see Martin, she was so excited!  Dylan has a wall that he balances on and stairs and a ramp he walks up (and down) every time we go, and Edith was squealing with excitement the first time she got to go up those stairs.  She is always so anxious to do the things that Dylan does.  I have a feeling that it could pose a problem later in life.  She seems to be in a real hurry to grow up.  But it's so adorable right now!

Success...or at leastthe startof it!

In regards to my non-resolution this year, I have drastically changed my diet (but in a nice and manageable way) and have exercised every day for the last week.  At least 30 minutes of cardio every night and, for the past few days, a pretty gruelling 20 minutes on my exercise ball.  Result?  A loss of, giveor take a few ounces, 2 lbs.

That's pretty good for 1 week. Of course, the real challenge is sustainability.  Is my will to get healthy strong enough to overcome my desire for a night parked out on the sofa eating crisps and drinking non-diet Dr. Pepper?

I've joined the gym, so hopefully that will help.  I'll be exercising in the morning, which is something I've never done before, because that's when Martin is home and can watch the kids.  There are a few classes I'm interested in, but I think I'll mostly be doing elliptical machine and free weights for my upper body.  Lower body is covered with my home workout of step aerobics and gym ball.

I'm chasing the burn, and have caught it.  You only know it's working if you're in pain, right?  But it's good pain--muscle soreness that only comes from a good workout.  Tightness that is temporary because of overworked muscles, but could become permanent if I work hard enough.

So here's to having better muscle tone and less baby-belly fat.

Oh, and the kids and Martin are doing fine.  Martin really enjoyed sitting on the sofa eating chocolate cream cake and stollen, drinking his Dr. Pepper, checking his e-mails, and watching me work out last night.  Stables is closed for  refurbishment and he's going to have some extra days off because of it.  But yesterday he went golfing and tonight he's going out with the people from work for their belated Christmas party.  I'm still not going to be seeing him!  But he'll be here for the kids' bath and bed time tonight, and we'll have a few nights together after that. 

Dylan keeps saying the most adorable things, like the other night when we dessert.  He said, "I love bananas and custard.  They are really special to me."  He started "big boy" Primary at the new year, and is doing really well.  He comes home and tells us the stuff that he's learned, and it always makes me smile. I'm so proud of my smart little man!

And Edith, well, it looks like she is finally growing out of some of her clothes.  She's not getting any bigger around the middle, of course.  Just taller.  She's going to be built a lot like her daddy, lucky girl!  She's a very girly girl, and loves doing her hair and make-up.  We moisturize our faces together every morning and she loves wearing perfume.  She has also started taking a real interest in drawing, which is something Dylan never did.  She has been coloring on everything, including my walls.

Well, time to wake Martin up.  I hope you all have a good day.  I'm sure I will.  Healthy food, brisk walking (to CV Day Spas for a free blow dry, to take Dylan to school and pick him up again), Martin's company, Edith's 2 hour nap, and lashings of peppermint tea.

My little pixie...

I took Edith to Frenchy's to get her hair cut today.

She sat up on the kids' booster chair like a little princess.

She watched Sara cut her hair in the mirror, and didn't make a peep.

And here is the finished result.  She has very short bangs and the back of her hair has been tidied up.  It actually curls a little bit more now, and she looks so beautiful.

I am looking forward to many happy hours spent together at the beauty salon with my baby girl.

And, by golly, isn't she a stunner?

That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...

This evening I used Wii Fit for the first time in, gulp, 73 days!

Let me just say, I did the workout before I did the body test.  I even considered working out every night and going on an all-liquids diet for a week before doing the body test.  But I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and weighed myself.

I have gained 3 lbs. over Christmas with no exercising.

I know, weight gain is never a good thing.  But still, I thought it would be so much worse than that.  And I have totally re-committed to a healthy lifestyle.  Swimming yesterday, aerobics tonight, and all home cooked meals with loads of fresh steamed veggies.  I'm going to be better.

I wouldn't exactly call this a new year's resolution.  Just a decision.

Scaredy cat...

I remember being afraid of absolutely everything when I was a little girl.  My mom would tell us horror stories about children disappearing and never being seen again--not even their bodies (obviously, a lesson not to go anywhere on our own if we could help it).  She told us about people drowning and their bodies finally floating to the surface of the lake/river/ocean, but only AFTER the fish had eaten their eyes out (obviously, this one was accompanied by a reminder to wear a life jacket).  You know--things like that.  I spent years looking over my shoulder if I was walking alone at night and freaking out if my feet touched anything other than a totally flat surface underwater, convinced that I was going to be kidnapped or drown because I got tangled in some underwater foliage.

It's probably a good thing my mom did that to us.  Seriously, I have 4 sisters and one brother, and she could never have kept an eye on all of us at once when we went places as a family.  I have to wonder, do my siblings share the same fears?  At any rate, we all survived a pretty chaotic childhood.

I'm only mentioning it because my daughter is absolutely fearless!

We took the kids to the Doncaster Dome today (google it--it's cool and I can't be bothered to put in a link) to go swimming.  It is an amazing facility.  There are water slides and fountains and hot tubs all over the place, with little nooks and crannies to hide in and shelves to sit on.  We had so much fun!  And Edith was, quite literally, squealing with excitement.  She was climbing up on the little islands in the middle of the pool and just launching herself off them into our arms.  She went down the slides on her own, and didn't even look to make sure we were waiting to catch her first.  It was quite terrifying as a parent.

I'm starting to wonder if I should try to drum some fear into her!

Martin is back at work tomorrow and Dylan is back at school later this week.  I wish we could all just hang out together and do fun things every day.  This makes me pretty excited for the next school holidays.

The only downside to the day (well, the weekend, really) is that Martin kept having to sort out work stuff.  Strangely enough, everybody called in sick on the bank holiday weekend.  Suspicious much?  So even though he was supposed to have 3 days off, he ended up spending quite a lot of time covering the "sick" employees and stressing about work cover.  Honestly, people!  Do you NOT realize that he has a life outside of work and that his family might want him around and paying attention to them, not on the phone with employees?

I am very jealous of the time the kids and I have to spend with Martin.  And fiercely protective of it.

Rant completed.

Good night!