Not a fluke. I did it again!

So I chickened out on the morning run.

I got out this evening and found yet another route.  Let's call it Dark Side II since it's an off-shoot of Dark Side and it's longer.  I managed to conquer that route, despite my fantabulous decision to have second helpings at dinner. 

Let's talk about what you shouldn't eat before going off on a run.  An alien stole my brain for a moment and I made the yummiest mexican hot dish.  It's one of those dishes that you only eat if you're trying to gain weight.  Take seconds if you need to gain weight faster.  Corn bread and sour cream are the biggest offenders in the dish.  But seriously, you have to live sometimes.  Only you should be smart about it and take a small portion.  My tummy is still stuffed and I ate 3 hours ago....and took a run. 

I had an excellent run, which makes me wonder....am I not eating enough before my runs?  Obviously a double dose of a Mexican dish is not the answer, but maybe I need to re-evaluate how I'm fueling up.

HMMM  Lots to think about. 

Now to take the last for minutes of my day to relax and prep for bed. 

Good night everyone!

What a great day

It was a scorcher today in Minnesota!  Hot and humid is not a good combination.  I believe it was in the 90s (F) with 71% humidity.  We're lucky to have central air!

This morning we biked to a park nearby.  Even at 10:00 am it was sticky hot.  Super mom saved the day and got the Burley changed from a jogger to a pull-behind for the bike.  Dripping sweat I braced cab with my feet and pulled with ultra super strength on the tire and POP it came off.  Whew!  The kids were a bit nervous that mom wouldn't be able to do it and then the ride would be cancelled.  Mom couldn't let that happen.  Putting the trailer piece on was much easier.  So got that ready, hop on the bike and the chain falls off.  Twice.  ARGH.  Needless to say, I got it fixed.  We had a good time riding bikes together.  I think that's the first time we all hopped on a bike and rode off. 

One of the kids' new friends spent the first part of the afternoon playing.  It is so much fun to have friends close to keep us busy.

Like a normal kid, Larson informs me when we get to the pool that he doesn't have his shoes.  He was embarrassed and said he was sorry so I really couldn't get angry.  We've all been there.  But OMG.  Seriously.  We have an agenda after lessons!  Took this time as an opportunity for some Love & Logic.  "Well honey, the pavement is really hot.  You're going to have to run to the door.  Watch for cars!"  He tries to pin it on me..."mom, you forgot to remind me."  Nope, not working.  My come-back...."sorry buddy, your shoes are your responsibility.  You know you need to put shoes on when we go somewhere.  Remember next time."  So yes, I got about 30 minutes behind running errands because we had to go back home and get the shoes, but he learned a lesson and I kept my head about me.  Yay mom!

So after Larson's lessons, I pick up a take-n-bake pizza at a place in Savage called Woodland Take-N-Bake Pizza Company.  Dare I say it's better than Papa Murphy's?  So many toppings! Yummy crust!  Anyway, we just sit down and the door bell rings.  The neighbor kids are inviting the kids to a pool party.  Yep, eat and hurry off, kids.  Ali's swim lessons are in 45 minutes.  Ali and Jeff soon take off and Larson stays out.  All the kids are pool hopping and running through various sprinklers.  They were out until 8:30 pm!  Good times. 

On to tomorrow.  Dare I take a run in the morning?  I've been a slacker the last few days and it should be nice and mugging tomorrow morning.  Well, my punishment for procrastinating.  Wish me luck!

There's only one of me!!!!!!

I'm pulled in so many directions today.  Kind of feeling like Elastagirl.  Or at least wishing I was.  ARGH! Everyone needs help, and usually at the same time.  In fact, it's amazing I'm blogging right now. 

One mommy and three kiddos is overwhelming.  I can't count how many times I've said "I'm one person taking care of three of you....you need to wait."  Wondering if Target sells those ticket dispensers.  "Take a number!"  It's summer break and there's no break for this mom.  Fighting for attention is never ending in this household and I need a break.  Sorry, not going to happen, but one can dream....can't she? 

Many of you know what I'm talking about.  Coffee??  Oh ya, I made some.  Didn't quite get around to drinking it.  Ever start the washing machine without putting clothes in it.  Come on, admit it. Projects 1/2 done sitting around because you start something, get distracted, start something else, get distracted, etc.  Eventually they must go to sleep, right?  Oh ya, and I got that coffee last night at 10:00 when I finally had time to sit down and enjoy it.  Thankfully I drink decaf.

3 Miles Feels Good!

I've decided to name my routes the Lite Side and the Dark Side.  The Lite Side is the less steep side where the hill isn't quite so long.  The Dark Side is the route with the ridiculously long steep hill.

So today I took a 3 mile run down the Lite Side.  It felt SO good to get back into it.

Today we will be making a hot dish for a family with a new baby on our cul de sac.  Also taking the van in for some repairs.  Right before we moved, we had new tires put on and now there's a horrible rattle.  We're hoping it's just something loose.  Whatever the outcome it will be nice to have a quiet vehicle again.  It's so irritating to drive around with a loud banging noise following you everywhere.  Increases the blood pressure instantly. 

Lars and Ali start swimming lessons today.  Larson has private lessons at 2:50, so I'm hoping Ty gets down for an early nap so we don't have to cut his nap too short.  Ali's is at 6:55 because daddy wanted to take her.  Also gives mom a little break.  I never thought I'd hear myself say it's easier with only 2 kids.  It's all relative, isn't it?

Almost forgot....down 1 more pound!

Hope everyone has a nice Monday!

I did it!!

Yes!  This morning I ran down and up that steep hill without stopping.  What a great feeling!  I have to admit, I had to give myself the "just do it" talk this morning.  I stretched a little longer and lingered around the house for a while.  I knew I had to get it done today.  I have to keep moving forward.

What's next?  I'm going to do it again (in a few days).  I always like to conquer something twice just to make sure it wasn't a fluke the first time.  Then I'll probably add a mile.

Thank you everyone for your positive thoughts and comments.

We have been in our house for two weeks now.  Everyone is adjusting.  The kids seemed to slip into the new routine with ease.  We discovered this morning that the sprinklers wake up Larson so we'll have to set those to start at a later time.  He's been getting up at 5:30 am and that's just not OK. 

Even Emily is good with her new digs.  According to all the information on the internet, we can start letting Emmy out a few minutes at a time so she can explore her outside world.

Yesterday we attended the Beach Party held at Prior Lake's Lakefront Park.  We're rookies so we didn't realize it's an actual beach party with swimming involved, so we'll have to bring swim suits next time.  They had super cheap lunch, face painting, hair coloring, and other crafts to keep the kids busy.  After Jeff got home from work, we went to Valleyfair for some rides and another picnic.  Apparently Ty LOVES picnics because both meals he chowed down.  It was cute. 

Today we are off to check out the parade route for Dan Patch parade in Savage.  Ali will be in the parade with the P.L.A.Y. Cheerleaders.  I have no idea where anything is located, so we're doing a little family road trip to find the drop off and pick up spots.  Also on the agenda, checking out Costco (thanks for the advice FB friends!) to see if we want to join.  Food is a little more spendy here than Hutch (of course) and a family of 5 eats way too much!  :-)  We need to start buying in bulk.

Happy Saturday my friends, and I'll keep you posted on my running success!

Gotta...conquer....that....hill

So intellectually we all know that it's harder to run up hill than on a flat surface.  So actually facing that situation really brings it home.

Just outside our development you can go left or right.  Both ways you start off down hill.  To the right, it's a more gradual decline and less than a mile.  I can run this route the whole way with some trouble, but I can run the whole thing. 

To the left is a steeper hill that goes a mile or more, depending on how far you run.  It's a continuous slope too.  I have not been able to run the whole 2 miles yet.  I say YET because I WILL eventually do it. 

The good news is that it's getting easier all the way around.  The flat part in our development, the declines and even the inclines are getting easier.  I know it sounds funny to say the declines are getting easier because, well duh, they should be.  But you still exert energy even though it's an easier run.

You know it's funny.  I could go a good 3-5 miles before and now I'm struggling to go 2!  Very frustrating, but I have to remind myself that running up hill for a mile or more is hard. 

Get up and DO IT

I know I've posted this before, but I struggle with it too.  We all want to be size 4.  It's just not going to happen for everyone, but I can be had healthy as I can be, no matter what the size.  My problem is getting off my duff and doing it!  I can be a healthy weight.  My trouble is maintaining it.  It feels like the minute I sit down the pounds pile on.  Seriously, why does it take one weekend to gain 4 pounds and 2 weeks to take it off?  We create our own misery, don't we.  But again, we can live our own dreams too. 

As I was running -- up hill -- lungs and legs burning, I remember what it takes to be at my best performance.  Burning lungs and legs.  If you do it right the abs and arms will hurt too.

As I encourage myself to get out of bed every morning and continue to live healthy, I want to encourage everyone else who struggles.  Just get up and do it.  (You don't have to run 5 miles every day...do what works for you.)  Knock it out one day at a time and over a few weeks you'll see success!

Got it done AND down 2 pounds!

I'm happy to report, this momto3monkies is 2 pounds lighter!  Back on the down swing.  How'd I do it?  I took advantage of the tracking on Weight Watchers (ya, it helps to actually use the program especially if you're paying for it!) and ran or walked every day.  Sometimes taking an extra walk in the evening.

The unpacking is DONE!!  The garage is cleared!!  All furniture is built!!  The walls have been touched up with fresh paint.  I think we're ready to party.  It will be fun to celebrate Ty's birthday and Father's Day with our family in our new house.  Now to hit the grocery store so we have food for this party.

Ty is 2!

Today my littlest monkey is 2!  Our little party will be tomorrow.  Big THANK YOU to Dora for making his cake.  Isn't it cute?!

It's been pretty non-eventful the last few days.  I'm been a good girl watching what I eat and getting out for a run every day. 

Unpacking is going well.  Everything is out of the garage and we need to rearrange a few things so we can get Jeff's car in the garage.  The only things we have left is building the cubie for the entryway and doing some touch-up painting after the movers mucked up the walls.

Yesterday was an unusually weird day.  In the morning we had Direct TV come out and install satellite TV.  Yep, we lost our mind and tried to bundle with Mediacom.  What a joke.  Not only was the service less than satisfactory, the tech was completely rude.  He didn't even want to turn the TVs on to make sure they worked.  He rolled his eyes when I made him wait until I logged on to the internet to make sure it worked.  Then he told Larson to back off when he was showing us how to use the remotes.  Excuse me!!!  Larson needs to know how to use the remotes just as much was Jeff and I do.  Geez!!  In any event, the TV is back to Direct.  Even better, the shows we previously recorded were still on the boxes so the kids have all their shows.  Just as the Direct tech was getting done, the Warnier Stellian tech came to look at our dryer.  The display isn't lighting up like it should.  Talk about another episode of "duh!"  I had to call 3 times to try to explain the problem and get someone out.  Apparently the display not working isn't enough for a repair run.  ARGH.  So anyway, he got here to diagnose the problem only to tell me he needed to order a part.  By the way, he knew what the problem was before coming out, but didn't order a part and wait for it to come in before coming out.  Now he needs to make another stop.  Well, whatever, we're not paying for it, and it wasn't too much of an inconvenience, but still!  (Side note, we LOVE Warner Stellian.  They've been awesome to work with so far.  Just a little amazed at how some systems work. Systems should not reflect the kindness of the people who are forced to use them.)

Just as we think the end of the day was upon us last night, Larson appeared to have pink eye.  We find the nearest Urgent Care and run him out.  Jeff and Larson waited 1 1/2 hours to get diagnosed.  A Walgreens nearby was open 24/7 so they were able to get the prescription filled.  They got home by 10:30, eye drops in, and off to bed. 

You know, every day we think we're going to get stuff done around the house and almost every evening something comes up.  I think God is telling me something.  Slow down and take it as it comes. 

On to the next big adventure....Saturday!  Ty is 2!  Ali has her first cheerleading camp, and it's our last day to organize/clean/paint before the big birthday party tomorrow.  This will be an interesting day.  Will we get it all done?  Stay tuned.....

Getting it done one box at a time.

We are slowly clearing the boxes out of the garage.  I think we may get Jeff's car in the garage by the weekend....and it's a 3 car garage!  Uffda!  We've never taken this long to unpack and organize.  We've never moved with 3 kids either!  Our goal was to unpack at least 4 boxes every day.  I must say, it was a good goal because I think it'll work.  Our huge hurry is Ty's 2nd birthday party is scheduled for Sunday.  If not for that we wouldn't be so stressed out about it.  However, I'm thankful we have a goal pushing us.

So my past post I fessed up to a weight gain.  Good news.  This morning I got up and ran about 2-3 miles (not exactly sure how far because I haven't mapped it yet), and this afternoon we took 2 walks.  Yay!  Feeling much better now.  Back on the bandwagon.

We had a bit of drama this afternoon.  Larson slammed his hand in the door.  As I was trying to get Ty off my lap so I could help Larson, Ali lets out a blood curling scream.  Larson had blood on his forehead.  At this point I have no idea what's going on other than Larson is bleeding and Ali is freaking out.  After some investigating, the blood on his forehead came from his finger and it appeared that his appendage was fine.  We got it washed up and bandaged and he's good to go.

Whew!  Starting this summer break off with a bang!

Moving weight gain...bluck!

Ugh, with all that work moving boxes and climbing stairs in 90 degree heat, I still gained weight!  Guess all that eating out didn't help.  Only 4 pounds isn't so bad.  Jeff and I are going to have to set a schedule so I can exercise.  We don't have so many errands to run today so I'm planning to get out for a walk with the kids to explore the neighborhood.  Maybe we'll hit the park too. 

On the up side, the kids have already spent one hour reading for their Booka-wocky challenge!  They click it off 10 minutes at a time.  So proud of their hard work. 

The house is coming together nicely.  The living room is pretty much set up.  Last night we built the new end tables and found the lamps....including their shades AND light bulbs.  It was a productive night.

Valleyfair break!

Since I was able to unpack our goal of at least 4 boxes today, we treated the kids to Valleyfair this evening.  What a perfect evening!  Coolish Monday evening = no lines!

Also, Mondays kids eat free at Dickey's in the park.  On our way, we had to take pics with Snoopy.

What a great day!

Do we have a babysitter?

Very busy day today!  Jeff's back at work.  It's all mom today.  Our goal is to unpack 4-10 boxes each day.  Ty's 2 yr birthday party is on Sunday and we would like to have things as organized as possible. 

We stopped at the library, got cards for the kids and signed up for Bookawocky.  Bookawocky is the library's summer program to keep kids reading.  Every 5 hours they read, they get a prize.  It's a great incentive to get them reading and keep them quiet during nap time.  :-) 

The kids got a tour of the new school.  They'll be attending Five Hawks Elementary.  Ms. Dawn was a very good tour guide and I think the kids will really like their school.  It's much smaller with only 3-4 classrooms per grade.  Of course there are something like 7 elementary schools in the area so each school can be small.

Ali's really thinking about stuff today.  In the car she asked if we had a babysitter.  The conversation goes like this:

Ali: Mom, do we have a babysitter yet?
Mom: No.
Ali: Well, I saw something on TV about babysitters online.  You should go on the computer and get one.  I don't know the address, and the commercial will never be on again, so you won't be able to do it.
Mom:  OK, well was it care.com?
Ali: How did you know!
Mom:  Would you like a babysitter from the internet that we've never met before and we don't know?
Ali:  Ya mom, that would be fun!

Oh gosh.  Advertising works!

Still no coffee!

For the love of Pete!  I finally dig out the coffee maker and buy coffee, and I can't find the filters.  Doh!

Day 2 is O.V.E.R!  Almost everything is moved.  It turns out we left one or two things at the other house, but we have to go back in a few weeks to clean up.  No biggie.

Bedrooms are pretty much set up.  We have TV and internet access.  There are a bunch of boxes in the garage, in which are Ty's clothes....somewhere.  We've done nothing in the kitchen so that's my big project for tomorrow. 

The kids were VERY well behaved today.  After the moving truck took off, some kids came over to invite Lars and Ali to go swimming at a neighbor's house.  They were only gone for 30 minutes, but they had fun meeting new kids.  A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door for the kids to play.  Yay!  I had a nice conversation with the people across the street.  Most of the people in this area have young families.  This couple is more toward retirement age.  Also, they are originally from Brazil.  I had met the wife when we were first looking at the area and the layout of our house.  She let us tour their house.  When we saw each other today, she waived big and said "you're finally here!"  We exchanged hugs and had a long conversation.  What a nice couple.  Actually everyone around here is nice, and of course they all have dogs.  Emily has her work cut out for her. 

Oh yes, and the water heater.  It's fixed!  When we were loading the truck in Hutch the builder ran out and fixed it.  Not a biggie.  Apparently something happened when they added the water softner.  All he had to do was turn it off and on again.  SO looking forward to a nice shower.

Ty seems to have settled in nicely.  He took a nap with very little problems and he went to bed nicely too.  Ali and Larson love their rooms.  They enjoy having a bathroom to share and a family room mostly just for them.  It's nice for mom and dad too.  Our living room isn't cluttered and noisy, and we get to watch whatever WE want.  Yay us!

Not without some bumps.

So I've had 5 hours of sleep.  As I sit here in my empty living room with no breakfast nor coffee, I reflect on yesterday.  We had a pretty good day yesterday.  We're disappointed that we didn't get more done, but we got the minimum completed.  Got the beds up!  Lots of boxes in the garage and kitchen.  Also managed to buy a new TV for the family room downstairs.  Since the cable is being installed this afternoon, we thought it appropriate to have all the right appliances.  The TV we were going to use is ancient and we weren't sure we would be able to hook it up!  The kids will be surprised!

At closing the builders told us we'd find things the need some extra work or need to be replaced.  YEP!  As I sit here (cross legged on the floor) we don't have hot water.  Not sure how the shower thing is going to go today.  Waiting to hear back from someone on who to call about that.  Also, the dryer will need to be replaced.  The display appears to be broken.  The dryer, we can live with for a while because it actually works.  Hot water is another story. 

Met many many neighbors.  We were happy to hear that there are about 27 kids on this block!  One family even has an 8 yr old, 6 yr old, and expecting any day.  Perfect match!  We'll have to try to find them today.  However, in this heat, I'm sure the very pregnant mom will be in the house today....I should bring something over for them.  Oh ya, we're busy unpacking and I have no idea which house they live in!  But that's just how I roll.

Today we will bring home load 2 and the kids.  Yikes!  Moving stuff in with the kids helping.  This will be interesting.

Moving Day 1

Yay!  It was a long night of packing and putting boxes in the garage.  The kids were at my parents' house yesterday evening so we could pack.  We made the mistake of leaving them there too long and they became over tired.  The big kids went to bed OK, not without a few tears from Ali.  (girl drama)  Ty was up crying in his crib for an hour.  I broke down and sat in his room until he fell asleep.  Didn't take long, but it felt like forever in the moment.  He was so cute....he would stand up and I'd say "nigh night, nigh night." He'd pop back down.  Toddlers are adorable.  I should have been annoyed that I had to sit in his room when I had so much to do, but I enjoyed the quiet time in the dark for a few minutes.

So we're up eating breakfast waiting for the kids to wake up. Breakfast consists of a piece of cheese and an apple.  We forgot to buy milk yesterday and the toaster's packed.  The milk we do have is being saved for the kids to use today.

Huge day ahead of us.  Our plan: closing at 11, drop off a small load at the new house, and head home to load the moving van.  (From new house to old house is about an hour drive.)  The kids are staying home with a sitter this morning/afternoon. After we get the van loaded we head out to unload and start unpacking, setting up beds, etc.  The kids are staying at mom's for the night we can concentrate on preparing the house for them.  I feel bad leaving them all day, but in the end it'll be easier and less stressful on all of us.

Also tricky, we have to keep the cat in the house so we can get her moved with us.  She's normally outside all day. This will definitely be an interesting day for everyone.

Day 2 will involve professional movers for the big stuff, more loading, unloading, unpacking, and bringing the kids to the new house. 

Will continue to blog progress as I have time.

So what's it like to build?

You know, all the chaos the past 2 months, I forgot to blog about the joys of building a new house.  Actually, it's been relatively easy.  There have been a few bumps but for the most part, we've have very little issues.  In fact, the house is completely finished and yesterday was my first trip to Menards....to get a mailbox of all things!  The builder pretty much did it all.  Painted, installed floor covering, cabinets, and appliances.  Even siding, sod, and a sprinkler system.  Not without cost of course.

We did pick out our paint, cabinets, flooring, appliances, lights, directed where to put the plug-ins, trees and rocks.  Everyone we worked with were very nice.  If anyone needs referrals, I have tons! 

Bumps: We didn't do our homework.  We had NO idea how much things cost.  When it came to our allowances, we were pretty clueless.  My advice, do your homework and find out how much things cost BEFORE you sign the Purchase Agreement.  You may be able to negotiate allowances up front.  For example, we asked when we signed the Purchase Agreement if the "landscaping allowance" would cover the sod and two trees that were required by the city.  Of course they said "yes."  Nothing was put in writing other than the amount we were given.  We get the estimate from the landscaper and, no, the cost doesn't cover everything that's required by the city.  By over $800.  This was NOT OK.  After some finagling, the builder agreed to pay for it.  Of course we're paying a little more for some extras, but not much. 

Another bump, financing.  Not that we couldn't afford it, or that we had to jump through loop holes.  Have LOTS of patience and be ready to find all sorts of proof and paperwork.  It's a hassle for sure, but once you get it all done, it's done.  We had to proove funds in our savings were coming from a paycheck, every deposit had to be explained.  Even our IRS tax credit needed proof.  Seriously annoying.  Also annoying, but for good reason, we had to proove we have 6 months of mortgage payments available to us before even being accepted.  I know this isn't always the case, but for some reason that's what happened to us.

Smooth Sailing:  Everything else.  When we met with the decorator to pick colors, siding, carpet, vinyl (yes, we went vinyl because of having young kids), cabinets, drawer pulls, etc., our realtor was there to give suggestions, and the decorator was excellent at giving us ideas.  Half way through I wanted to give up and let someone else do it, but we made it through.  LOTS of decisions.  Very hard to pick things out for a house that hasn't even broken ground yet.  Lighting was pretty easy to pick out to.  We did have to go back and make some changes (buyer's remorse), but even that was easy to do.  The sales person was excellent about it.  Even got a hug.  :-)  We tried to run out to the house once a week to check on progress and it seemed to click along once the walls were framed.

Compromise:  We went into this with a laundry list of must haves.  Ya right.  We compromised on a few things (soak tub, granite, hard wood floors, 2 story) to get what was most important.  A completely finished house.  Because we were willing to give up a few things, we could put that money into completing the entire house.  Everyone has their own room and there are plenty of bathrooms.  There's lots of living and playing space.  For us, it's more important to have the house finished than to have granite countertops.  In reality, we can more easily put in countertops and wood flooring than to finish a basement.  Seriously, plumbing, electric, drywall....ick!  We opted for a split level with a large entryway versus a 2-story and in the end, we actually like it better.  We're currently in a 2-story and it really stinks that when one person wakes up, everyone wakes up.  The way we placed family members and their rooms will help in that aspect.  It's great to walk in with a wish list and must haves, but it's super important to be willing to compromise based on the reality of your situation.

Anything else?  I think that's all for now.  We are very excited about his new adventure.  We will miss our friends for sure.

Moving weekend

The long awaited date is coming.  The house is done and we're moving this weekend.  Closing tomorrow, and we're doing this move in two days.  Day 1 is tomorrow after close, we'll run home, finish packing the truck, grab the kids and head out.  Day 2 is Saturday when the movers come to get the big stuff. 

This week has been completely nuts.  Getting last minute errands run between nap schedules and big kid schedules has been tricky. 

Today hasn't been much different.  Errands are run and boxes are mostly packed.  MOSTLY.  Still have the odds and ends stuff.  We are so thankful for my parents to watch the kids tonight so we can get the last minute stuff done.  Also, we don't have many toys out and there's nothing to eat, so it's not place for kids right now. 

The cat has a big surprise coming.  Emily is an inside/outside cat.  She LOVES to be outside all day in the summer.  She's going to be very bummed when she can't get out tomorrow and will need to be caged.  Not sure how that's going to go, but what I hear from others who've moved with cats, it's going to be fine. 

The other thing that's been a bit of a surprise for us is the challenge of moving a whole family of 5!  Last time we moved, Lars and Ali were little.  Wasn't much to moving them.  Now we have beds, dressers, toys, books, etc.  Great way to clean out though!  It's also teaching the kids how to live with less.  Making the tough decisions about what to keep, trash, or donate. 

Enough blogging for now.  I'll try to keep everyone posted as our moving days progress.