40 Days- Day 10.

 today I was going to have a *gorgeous* outfit pic to show you, and *fantastic* exercise update, and an *unbelievable* sleep and nutrition stat - you know, a post worthy of it's historic spot at 1/4th of the way through the 40 day program.  WHOA! a program, you say??? what program??? yeah... exactly.  up to this point my real life has pretty much derailed my planned life- still snotty and sick and have edema in my leg and numbness and bruising and..... yada yada yada.  

you can already see where this is going.... straight to the couch with a cup of hot tea, wool socks, pajama pants and an enormous sweatshirt! 

So to distract you,  let me show you some things- nothing earth shattering, no need to pull over sit down or remove the cup of coffee (blech) from your hand. Just, you know, some things :-)  things that will make you smile... for real! 

Every year (for the past 2... and one in 2003) we have a catchphrase tournament for NYE- what's that, you ask?? it's awesomeness and competitive nerdness all rolled up into one-  See more about catchphrase  <----- there.  

my good friend Tricia and I... in real life she's a Mom to 3, wife to a SF suit, and math teacher.  Not last NYE! 

Last year we decided we needed to dress up... as someone famous..... Here you see our hosts, Alan and Tricia- aka Slash and his friendly groupie. yes, she did have crimped hair.  for real!! 

Bj and I were will and Kate... I got this amazing wedding dress for $10 at our thrift store uptown, shocking, no?? no. but awesome :-)

look at that part!! we worked HARD for that hair!

Larry the cable guy and Flo

 Frankie and Annette

 Macho man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth ( our winners!)

Doc and Marty McFly- how many shirts does he have on??

Gilligan and Ginger

Dr. Grey and McDreamy

We did have a few others that came un-costumed- we had a GREAT time :-) 

so- fun stuff, huh?  And this year we have a new and equally exciting theme... that I'll tell you about when I post pics on January 1st, 2013 <------- Aye YI YI!!!! 

I'd love to tell you we're all better... How about 'we're hoping to be all better soon'.  

xo

for real???

i write stuff like this and I get all itchy... withdrawal.... 30 seconds in..... gonna be a long month.

40 Days- Day 9.

Today was a very good day- we welcomed our brand new nephew into the world!  

Colin Jacob- isn't he gorgeous??? Thankful beyond measure for a safe delivery and healthy baby #5 for my brother and sister-in-law!  

We also received our disc of pictures from our family session with the amazing Lacey from Lacey Howard Photography- she does such a great job capturing the spirit of my babies and I'm so, so, thankful that we'll have these pictures to enjoy and look back on.  

these are the pictures she took in 2010- they are still some of my very favorite, favorite pictures of my babies.  

this is our family picture from this year.  I love it.   I love the colors and the setting and smiles and the lines and every single thing about it.  

have you ever, ever in your life seen eyes so blue?  this sweet love amazes me every single day.  his courage and determination and utter Grace show me how close he is to  God.  My Heart. 

this precious boy, with his to die for lashes and perfect smile, and just a little bit of baby left in the cheeks- every single day he teaches me manners and enthusiasm and unbridled passion and curiosity for the world around us. My Soul.  

baby love- with her galaxy eyes and perfect lips.  determined and strong willed and amazingly fierce in her love of cowboys and family.  Caught mid 'oooo'.  My Sunshine.  

My heart, my soul, my sunshine.    I hope and pray that I can be the momma they need, the momma they deserve. at night I whisper to them, when they are in the space between sleep and awake- I tell them how much i love them, how proud I am of them, how thankful I am for their very being and the amazingness they carry in their hearts.  I tell them that i know they'll grow into strong, courageous men and women, full of the light of God.  

and because we can't be sappy 24/7 - here's my gorgeous, fit husband's bowl of ice-cream, complete with delicious peppermint on top of his vanilla with added chocolate chips.  for real.  

happy almost 1/4 th of the 40 day challenge :-)  here's my plan for the next 3/4ths- 

and, to make it even more fun- I'm on a shopping hiatus.  nothing for myself.  gifts for my family for birthdays, Christmas... done with the deluge of shopping as a sedative.  moving on.  

xo

40 Days- Day 8.

If it was 'oy' before, it is 'OY A VEY!!' today.  Back to work then home with my sweet, snotty babies.

This kid has apparently forgotten that he was supposed to be the sickest one of all... and is back to his happy, scoundrel self. - Note the decorations... we are bit by bit putting our snowmen out, and after the weather today it feels very, very appropriate.  

1. sleep- I'm writing this now so i can go to bed earlier... so. tired. 

2. nutrition- fine.  except for the plethora of oreos.  whatever

3. exercise- i don't really need to tell you that i did NOT exercise today... oy.

4. outfit-

stylin- i do love the top- from loft, and the sweet sleepy boy on my left and the baby love grabbing my nose. 

5. I'm thankful that i have rainbows and unicorns flying out my arse- mostly, this optimism serves me well and helps me focus on the happy.   It helps me find the positive (and keep from kicking people) at work, at home, and inside my brain.  

here's to another day.  hope you all escape this virus.  it's not much fun. 

 Please remember to pray for those around you.  

xo

40 Days- Day7

no exercise for 7 days.  and still a few more to wait for this leg to heal enough for 'strenuous cardio and/or lifting of weights'... 12 hours til i can shower.  what a day.
Aurelia and I don't have strep... just 'something viral'. good to know.  Abe- 1ml at a time, getting some medicine, Bo- rowdy, rowdy, rowdy... doesn't this kid have STREP??? Aur- coughing, cuddling, fever.

 No school for the boys tomorrow which will put them home bound for 72 hours- let me just tell you that we don't do 'stay inside and rest' very well.  What with my mom under the weather as well, my amazing Father has been a HUGE HELP!! In the picture above he's hanging out with his 2 granddaughters  ( compared to 6 grandsons) on the Carousel this summer- I do believe he rode it 4 times with Aurelia before his equilibrium couldn't take it any more :-)

Here he is with Abe at Thanksgiving- Grandpa gives the best squeezes!

I found this super sweet one from a while ago- grandpa teaching Bodie how to fish- WORMS!!!

1. sleep- let's not talk about it.  between the hacking and the cramps in the arch of my foot and the babies with coughs and strep and yadayadayada... it's minimal.

2. nutrition- fair.  no real gains made here either.

3. exercise- see above. 

4. outfit- i changed!! today I have my own sweatpants and sweatshirt on vs. Bj's- very attractive, let me tell you... especially with the snot wiped all over it.  No matter how much kleenex I carry in my pockets, those little noses seem to find momma's shirt first... not that I'm complaining, we pretty much stay wrapped up in a ball of cuddles and blankets when we're sick.

5. I'm thankful for the men in my life- 

ignore the blur, focus on the lesson.  

I have an amazing father.  I have an amazing husband.  I'm so, so, so thankful for both of them.  

He is wonderful. for real

coffee cup firmly attached to his hand, tired eyes from taking his turn with the babies.  love.  a million times, love.  

alright, peeps- tomorrow is a brand new day.  Let's hope for good health and happiness all around. 

xo

40 Days- Day 6.

oy.... as my amazing friend Paula likes to say.  Strep throat has hit the Z house... Bo's swab came back positive- no way on God's green earth we were going to get a  swab from Abe so we are treating him as if he has strep also- as his symptoms are the same... oy.   My mom has a fever/possible strep.  Baby girl still not 100%- fell fast asleep at 6 pm tonight in my arms.  Me?  Well- I went for a vein ablation at Bella Vein Laser Spa (note how they throw the spa in there to make you think your  relaaaaaaxing- not having needles and lasers and scalpels shoved into your legs)... any way, as they were taking my vitals before the procedure the tech said 'Hey.... you know you have a fever?' well no, I did NOT know but i sure feel like crap- chills, aches, sore throat... and am going to have my culture done in the a.m.  oy.

yep- and I wasn't crazy after all, was I?? strep.  slightly tired/sick eyes/face/all over.  but still gorgeous babies. 

Thankful I live in a place with easily accessible medical care.  Go take a gander at nbc news or fox news, whichever way you happen to lean, and you'll see awful awful awfulness in our world- which made me think of this- 

goodness- we must.  

1. sleep- sort of.  Abe has strep- he's not drinking anything, much less his medicine juice.  really, really dislike attempting to hold my sweet baby down and syringe meds down his throat- goes against EVERYTHING i believe in regarding PO/feeding/slp practice- doesn't matter, he totally spit them all back out. and cuddled me afterwords.  talk about love.  

2. nutrition- I had ramen noodles because they sounded good.  yep.

3. exercise- none. again. 

4. outfit-  my husbands sweat pants to fit over my compression stocking/ace bandaged post ablation leg.

Pardon the grossness- almost funny medical mishap here- for my 3rd appointment, Dr outlined all the spots he was going to do... then realized he was still working on the other leg- yep.  speak up.  :P

5. I'm so thankful for the flip of the coin that landed me here- born at this time, in this town, to these parents.  Go back a look at the news- flip of the coin.  Fragile X- flip of the coin.  

  Continue to pray for Baby Grant's family.  Pray for  Baby Carter's family. Just pray.  

40 Days- Day 5.

Pray for the family of sweet Baby Grant who earned his Angel Wings tonight.  let go of 'what if' and 'could be' and 'shoulda been' and focus on right now.  wrap your babies up with love, those here with us and those we carry in our hearts.  

1.  sleeeeeeeeeeep.  I don't know what is going on... my kiddo is not drinking his sleep meds and IS falling asleep... and while very restless, he is sleeping through the night.  must have someone with him <---- not new, always, always. yes we've tried to change it. yes we've read that book. and that one... yes. who knows but i'm getting a little bit worried- AM I  CRAZY?? yes. but that doesn't pertain to this exact conversation. Abe has n.e.v.e.r. slept without medicine. never.  so I'm calling the dr. tomorrow. 

And the above pic was clearly not written by the parent of a Child with fragile X. it's only in the last month that i no longer count my compete nights sleeps of the last 7.5 years on one hand.  

2. Nutrition- Aurelia enjoyed the mint moose tracks ice cream ... and I did SO WELL til 530- then i ate chocolate.  and more chocolate.... and a little more.

3. exercise- none. nada. zilch. for the 5th day.  and tomorrow I have my 6th vein surgery/procedure and no serious cardio for 1 week post.  siiiiiiiiiigggghhhhhhhh. i have to have to have to get my nutrition under control. 

4. outfit- casual scrubs at work- nothing exciting to see here.


5.  I'm thankful for life. and color. and sound and smells.

These are my cranberries cooking away on the stove. love the tangy tart zing of them and the aroma... and the colors.  gorgeous. 

I love Now Smell This- a blog about perfumes and scented products.  Currently wearing 'embraceable' from Soma, smells cuddly.  

 later gator. 

40 days- day 4.

1. sleep- we SLEPT last night!! this is a BIG DEAL!! and I'm hoping we sleep tonight... but don't want to disrupt the karma train by getting all excited about it so *whispering* here's hoping for 2 nights in a row!

2. Nutrition- thanksgiving meal with the furlow side of the family

this is just the cousins and our kids- no spouses or aunts/uncles- we had a wonderful time and we ate wonderful food... so what I'm saying is that while i only had 1 plate of food, it was a very full plate of food :-) and some pizelles.  

our small motley crew- even some smiles!!

3. exercise- I hot-footed it around the outlet mall for 1 hour- 5 stores, 5 coupons, serious shopping... would have been sweating but it was a frigid 32 degrees outside, so I made the most of my time and will get back on the real exercise track tomorrow. 

4.  LOOK! hair is done- outfit with belt and leggings is ON!! Pictures were taken- ok, ok, it was thanksgiving otherwise i'm sure this never would have happened but!! 

as my brother and sister in law are expecting baby #5 any day, this was our family pic this year! Next year we'll have 6 adults and 8 kids :-)

5. Thankful for so much and at this moment- for these reminders: 

and last but not least-

um hmmmm :-P

40 Days, Day 3.

Right, so I had BIG plans for this next 40 days... and here we are on day 3 and I've yet to lay out the PLAN...  and I need to because  A goal without a deadline is not a goal, it’s a dream.  <<<<-----  that's from one of my favorite blogs written by Liz (yes, yes, it was probably from someone else famous, maybe different words, whatever)... you should go read it :-)  and it's ok if you get side tracked and forget to come back for a while, because that's what good blogs do, they suuuuuucccckkkk you in.  

Wait- I was talking about a plan but then I got side tracked on a goal  and a quote... where were we?  something shiny??? yes.  

Anyway.  I have a GOAL or a PLAN or both.  The 12 day challenge was good for me- I wrote every day.  I worked out EVERY DAY. and I ate like i was running a MARATHON  instead of around the block- EVERY DAY.  Oy.  

SO- heres my plan.  I am going to focus on SLEEP and NUTRITION and EXERCISE all together... and clothes, lets be real, I'm most likely gonna talk about clothes, and my kids, and my gorgeous husband, and books...breathe in, breathe out.... focus, focus, dominocus. 

1.  For the next 38 37 days ( too late to start today), I'm going to attempt to sleep for 8 hours a night.
2. For the next 37 days I will make healthy, reasonable food choices (why not start during the holidays?!?  makes perfect sense...).
3. For the next 37 days I will exercise as often as I can- for health and mental fitness reasons all rolled up together. 
4.  For the next 37 days I will try and fix my hair and pull together an 'outfit' and, possibly, take a picture... 
5.  For the next 37 days I will write down what I am thankful for.... because i'm thankful alllll the time and the writing helps me remember it.   


1. Sleep-  It's already 11pm and Abe did not drink his sleep meds and we are in a hotel... we'll see about 8 hours.

2. Nutrition-I only ate 2 Pizzelles when I could have easily eaten 20. not kidding.  

3. Exercise.... erm... nothing..... again..... BUT I did laugh with my sweet friend KIM!! Here's her son Aidan in the pack and play with Bo and Aur... cozy :-)

big kid crashed- too much car time today and gone from home yesterday = overload.  bless his amazing heart, he did so, so, so well.  

isn't she GORGEOUS!! and she's a warrior momma... raising her sweet son on her own and doing it WELL! I admire the her like crazy.  

Bo has decided he 'doesn't like pictures'... clearly because I'm trying to take so many of him... rotten baby. 

4. outfit- you like that panther sweatshirt??? you can't see the polka dot pajama pants i'm sporting, but let me assure you *theydon'tmatchatall*  :-)  

5. so, so thankful to be here. with my family and friends and FOOD.  

Friends- keep praying for  baby Grant.  Real life is good and bad and hard and soft and tears and laughter all rolled up into one big swerving mess of a roller coaster.   You take the good and the bad and you ride it out.  you cherish it. you find the amazing in every hour. 

I'll be here tomorrow.  See you then.