Manic Friday.

Emphasis on the MANIC. 

Let me start off by saying, I love my children. So much it hurts. And I am so blessed in so many ways.

But.

Today is one of those days where I honestly wonder if my three year old is possessed.

One minute she's happy, joyful, bubbly, ecstatic!!! Puppies and rainbows and rah rah, YAY!!!!!! And then BAM! She's a screaming, crying, flailing banshee from the depths of the underworld.

Ok, that may or may not be an exaggeration. Leanings towards NOT.

The logical, level headed, intelligent side of me knows this behavior is very typical of a three year old. I get that. Really, I do. Testing boundaries, asserting independence, learning to express emotions, yada yada yada. yada.  Roger that.

But the emotional, human, tired side of me JUST WANTS YOU TO PUT YOUR PANTS/LEGGINGS/DRESS/SHOES ON/BRUSH YOUR TEETH/TALK IN A QUIET VOICE/ STOP LICKING YOUR SISTER/*Insert perfectly reasonable request here*! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!

And you know what really gets me? She is an exact carbon copy of.....me. Stubborn? Check. Emotional? Check. Quick temper? Check.  Except I am the adult here. I *should* be able to regulate my emotions. I know how to express my feelings in ways that do not involve kicking/screaming/throwing. But yet that's where I end up 95% of the time. Arguing with an emotionally charged preschooler about something that is not worth arguing about. Throwing the adult version of a three year old tantrum. Issuing empty threats that I KNOW I won't follow through on. And the super stellar part of that? She knows it too. So we end up screaming at each other, crying and stomping around until one of us ends up in our room for some quiet time.

SO. MUCH. FUN.

Once the storm blows over, we're back to love fest 2011.  She tells me things like "Mama I love you as much as a rainbow!" And I feel horrible for yelling and threatening to sell her to the gypsies*. And we hug and cuddle and love and go on with our day. Until...BAM!

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Until she goes away to college. And then we can do this all via text.














*Note: I don't actually tell her I am going to sell her to the gypsies. I only dream about it during quiet time.

Eleven in '11. The Update.

Someone asked me today how I was doing  on my Eleven in '11 goals. And I realized I never got around to posting an update. I meant to update on my progress back in June. Oops. Better late than never.

I have to say, I haven't done too shabby.

I give you Eleven in '11. The Update. 

1. Learn to sew. Yeah, haven't done this. I have been knitting more, does that count? No? Crap.

2. Run a half marathon. If my back/knees/feet will allow it. If not, then a 10K or two. Heck, 2 miles might be pushing it. We'll see. Maybe I should just say start running again. Have not a half marathon. BUT I did TRY to get into one. Just didn't happen. This year. I did however, run a 5k. I am calling this a success. I would really like to run on a regular basis so I am going to continue working on that.

3.  Eat clean/less processed food. We don't eat much as it is, but I would like to cut it out as much as possible. This is definitely a success. I still enjoy a bag of Frito's as much as the next person, but we have definitely cut back on our processed food intake. Feels so much better to eat fresh/homemade food. More work but worth it. 

4. Learn to drive a stick shift. Negatory. Still time.

5. Exercise DAILY (pretty sad that this is even on my "to-do" list) Mostly yes. Sometimes it's something little like push ups and sit ups while my computer is spazzing and sometimes it's bigger like a workout dvd or walk/run. We re-joined the gym, so hopefully i will be getting my sweat on more regularly. 

6. More positive, less negative. Thoughts, actions, people, feelings, etc. Check. Feels good. And not only am I trying to be more positive in general, I am more accepting of the negative/crappy. It is what it is and nothing more. Sometimes you just have a crap day.

7. Spend less, save more. Done. We have never been huge spenders but we're more conscious of our spending habits now. We also set up an automatic daily deduction from our checking to our savings account. It's not much but it adds up quickly. And to be honest, we don't even miss it from the checking account.

8. Volunteer. Work in progress. I am on my MOPS Steering Comittee and plan on volunteering at Olive's preschool. I would also like to do some sort of volunteering around the holidays.  

 

9. More meal plans. Less grocery shopping. This is hit or miss. We go in stretches of being really organized and well stocked to total chaos and scraping the bottom of the barrel (or fridge) to throw something together. Could be better.

10. Take golf lessons. Maybe. Still undecided about this one. This got the boot. See below.

11. Enjoy the crap out of each and every day. Life is too short not to. You betchya. Life is good.

So all in all, I'm not doing too bad. And there is still time to work on some these. 

How are you doing on your goals/resolutions? 

Bah Humbug.

I have Christmas on the brain. In a huge way. Visions of stockings, presents and reindeer dance through my head. I found myself singing Christmas carols in the shower this morning.

I don't know what my problem is. Forgive me Fall, for I have skipped over you completely and wished for snow and Christmas cookies.

To combat this problem and get myself in the Fall spirit, I am now going to post a few fall items that caught my eye recently. Because I can't be posting Christmas stuff yet. yet...

Fabulous Fall Finds
(you can find all of these and more on my Pintrest boards.)

pumpkin pie cocoa.

spiced pumpkin cider.

scarf wearing 101.

colorful napkins.

fun (if somewhat confusing) scarf diy.

ahem.

pumpkins.

Weekly CSA Love

I didn't post our CSA love last week because I forgot to take a picture before I divvied it up (we split with another person). Well guess what? I forgot this week too!

But I will forge ahead without a picture. I hope you'll forgive me.

This week's delivery included:

Tomatoes-will definitely be making more of this soup. holy yum.
Peppers-hot and sweet. green and purple.
Carrots-HUGE carrots. HUGE!
Beets-itty bitty tiny beets. adorable.
BLUE potatoes-awesome
Cabbage
Salad Greens

Last week's delivery was pretty much the same. With the addition of a giant jar of beautiful, glorious, amazing HONEY. So good. So, so good.

Weekly CSA Love

Remember the first few weeks of our CSA delivery when the box was pretty sparse?

Yeah, those days are behind us. This week's box was chock full of goodness. 

This week's delivery included:
Tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes. Red, yellow, orange and green. Lots of salsa and tomato soup in our future (and freezer!).
Peppers. Sweet and hot. 
Beans. Green, purple and the creepy purple stripey ones.
Cucumbers. Mmmm....pickles.
Carrots.  Fresh carrots are the bees knees.
Swiss Chard. The rainbow variety. So good. I will be making a giant pot of Sausage and Greens Soup tomorrow. Can't wait!
Summer squash. We've been tossing these bad boys on the grill with a splash of olive oil and S&P. yum.
 And last but not least....BEETS!!! For a girl who used to hate beets, I am so excited to see them this week! I LOVE BEETS! (I should get myself a bumper sticker)

Olive, looking for the perfect "Olive sized tomato"

Me + Heely's = Recipe for disaster

Or is it? 

A month or so ago I was hooked up with a free pair of Heely's thanks to a blogging campaign via Business 2 Blogger. They were looking for bloggers who were interested in trying Heely's and I thought, what the heck, why not make an absolute fool out of myself on the internet! Woo hoo!

I don't know about you, but when I think of Heely's, I think of tweens zooming around the mall (aka "heeling"), not adults. But lo and behold, Heely's come in Men's and Women's sizes too. Just think of all the family skating you could do! Your kids will LOVE it! Or not. They might be mortally embarrassed but at least you'll have fun in the process.

The shoe I received is tan canvas with a dark brown accent. You can pop the wheel in and out making the shoes very versatile. And remember, there is a time to heel and there is a time not to heel. Playing outside with the fam? Time to heel. Dashing through Target while wearing your baby in the Ergo? Not the time to heel. Although it would make those shopping trips so much quicker. But, not so safe. Basically, use common sense as to when the appropriate time to heel is.

Once I received my Heely's I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive. I was having second thoughts. I am about as graceful as a giraffe on a slip slide (why a giraffe would be on a slip and slide, I don't know). But really, I had no choice. I had said I would do it, so there was no turning back now. So I slipped them on and away I went!

 (A shout out to Moms RUN This Town!) (And yes, I am skating on my porch. It was raining!)

Well kind of. It took quite a bit of practice and almost falling on my face before I was able to skate a short distance. And I only made a minimal fool of myself. Ok, a big fool. Not gonna lie, it's harder than it looks. But once I got comfortable with rocking back onto my heel to skate it was a lot of fun! My husband only laughed at me once. Or twice. Or maybe I told him to go inside and leave me alone (I think he's jealous). The how-to videos on the Heely's website were a big help in getting me started.

The Heely's website has some great info on safe skating as well as instructional videos for basic skating and trick skating. If I were a tad more coordinated, I would so try some of the tricks. But alas, I am not, so I will stick to basic skating. Still very fun!

All in all, I had a lot of fun playing around with my Heely's. I never would have thought they had options for adults, so it was great to try them out first hand. They would make a great gift for the budding skater or skater wanna-be in your life.

Check out the Heely's website, Facebook,Twitter or YouTube to learn more.

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Heelys Wheeled Shoes for free in conjunction with Business2Blogger for the purposes of trying them out for this review. That being said, this review is my 100% honest opinion of this product - I  was not paid for my reviews or opinions.

Then and Now.

Ten years ago I was in my second year of college. Staying up all night and rarely going to class. Living in the first of many rental houses. Sleeping off hangovers and eating frozen pizza on the kitchen floor with my roommates.

Today, I am married with two children. We own a house, a dog and a mini van. I am up all night with a baby who thinks sleeping through the night is overrated.


Ten years ago I woke up late and ran out the door for class, American Lit II.


Today, I woke up early, got myself ready and then the girls, and raced out the door for the first day of Sunday school.

Ten years ago I heard a guy on the radio say that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. I thought he was joking.


Today, I didn't hear the guy on the radio talking because I was too busy answering the million questions a three year old can throw at you in a 9 minute car ride.


Ten years ago I walked into my classroom and the buzz of conversation. Plane crash, attack, New York City, terrorist were all I could make out. Chaos ensued as we gathered around the nearest TV.



Today, I walked into a classroom and the buzz of preschoolers, singing and snack. A different kind of chaos ensued.


Ten years ago my heart raced and my stomach sank as I watched the footage of the plane crashes and realized it was not a joke.


Today, my heart swelled with pride as I watched my girls play with their friends and sing songs of love.



Ten years ago I started to panic as I realized my mom was in New York City. And there was a plane crash. An attack. And I didn't know where she was.


Today, I calmed my panicking three year old and told her that yes, Grandma would love to walk to the coffee shop with us later this week and no, she won't be at the cabin forever.



Ten years ago I hit redial over and over and over again, willing my mom to answer her cell phone. Panicking a little more whenever my phone rang and it wasn't her. When she finally called me later that morning to tell me she was ok (and across the river in Newark for business training), I sat down and cried tears of relief. 

Today, I plan on calling my mom to tell her I am thinking of her but first I have to put someone down for nap,start a load of laundry and make lunch. If I don't get to it today, I know I can tomorrow.


I cry tears of sadness as I think back on that horrific day. But I also cry tears of gratitude. I was lucky. I received an "I'm ok" phone call. Thinking of all the people who didn't and never would, breaks my heart.

While I am different person now than I was ten years ago, I will never forget the thoughts, feelings and horror of September 11, 2001.