Quick Takes - Vol 18

--- 1 ---

I started listening to audio books recently, and have been enjoying it quite a bit. My library uses Overdrive to lend books and audio books, so I downloaded the app and use it to listen to the audiobooks. I'm "reading" things that I had never read before, and I'm having to do it a bit more thoroughly than normal. I'm a skimmer, but with this, obviously, I can't really skim.

--- 2 ---

The boys and I went to the local community building where, on Thursday mornings, they have a free parent and tot play time. They throw out some toys and balls in the gym and the kids can run and play. We were the only ones there yesterday, but it was still a lot of fun.

--- 3 ---

Dominic came in yesterday while I was trying to make the bed and fold laundry. He was less than helpful.

--- 4 ---

We did not get the major cold that everyone else did, I mean it got colder than it has so far this Winter, but nothing like they were getting in the Polar Vortex. Nonetheless, the boys and I have been spending a good part of the days (read: all.day.long) inside. Primarily this is because they hate to wear coats or anything, and so they can't really handle being outside for very long. Today though, the sun was shining this morning and I took the boys out for a while. I was trying to teach Dominic how to throw snowballs.

--- 5 ---

I decided not to buy Diet Mtn Dew for the house anymore. I need to drink a lot more water, so if I don't have any pop in the house I figure I will do a bit better with regards to that. It's only the first day, but i miss it already. This will be hard.

--- 6 ---

I decided to make Jason start the Insanity program again with me. My plan is to still get up in the morning and do my cardio at the gym, then in the evening, after the boys are in bed, doing the Insanity workout. So far this week I have not made it up at all to go to the gym. I'm not sure why, I barely notice my alarm going off in the morning. Tomorrow is a new day right? Anyway, Jason and I were both cursing my "bright" idea of doing Insanity last night. It definitely kicked our butts. In a good way. I think???

--- 7 ---

Jason and I have been playing Chess in the evenings too. I haven't beaten Jason yet, but I'm certain it's just a matter of time. ;-) I have managed to put him in Check a few times and the other night I even tricked him into letting me get my queen back! That was a good moment for me!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Quick Takes - Vol 17

--- 1 ---

Christopher did really well in speech therapy yesterday. He made eye contact various times throughout his appointment and he even made some different sounds. Like, he was trying to mimic the therapist. It was great! Today, when Jason's mom came over to visit she brought him part of his book that he had left at their house and he kept coming over and touching her with it. It was really cute!

--- 2 ---

The therapist made some more suggestions for things to do for Christopher. One of the things she suggested is that he might be getting over stimulated by so many different things to play with and suggested putting away some toys. I put up 3 bins of toys and left out some of the things the boys play with the most frequently. He seemed excited by all the room in the playroom anyway.

--- 3 ---

I made an attempt at putting Dominic in underwear today with a couple trips to the potty. I'll let you guess how that went.

--- 4 ---

I was thinking that I wasn't going to do naps this for the boys today because they've been sleeping pretty poorly lately. But the boys had different plans...

 

--- 5 ---

Dominic really likes Monsters University and Monsters Inc and there is this part in Monsters University where they are at a party and dancing. Dominic loves it and he really gets into the dancing part. It is pretty adorable.

--- 6 ---

I mentioned yesterday about my workout routine, I've been really enjoying the water aerobics this week. But let me tell you, that is HARD. I was so sore yesterday morning that I couldn't get up for my cardio. Yikes. And this is done in a therapy pool, so it is very warm and I am always sweating at the end of running laps.

--- 7 ---

A friend of mine sent me a text message today asking me to pray for her friend's daughter who is spending some time in Children's hospital because she has developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome. If you've never heard of it, don't worry, I hadn't either. She had bronchitis and was given an antibiotic, and she had this severe reaction to it. She was told at their local hospital that they thought it was chicken pox (in her mouth) and sent her home. The poor girl has been put on a feeding tube and already undergone surgery. Please pray for her and her family. There are 6 little ones and now another kiddo has bronchitis.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Quick Takes - Vol 16

--- 1 ---

Since Christopher was sick Wednesday into Thursday, we missed his speech therapy appointment yesterday because the person that comes has small children at home, and she was definitely not interested in passing along whatever it was he had. Thankfully, after getting sick again yesterday afternoon, he seems to be on the mend.

--- 2 ---

 I'm still really struggling to get Dominic to wear his glasses. I am at a complete loss. And deep down, I'm wondering if maybe the reason that he doesn't want to wear them is because they aren't a good fit but he can't verbalize that? The reason I say this is because he is supposedly extremely far-sighted (that's the one where he can't see up close right?!), but one of the things we've been trying to use as "glasses time" is when he's on the tablet. But it struck me last night, that he shouldn't be able to see it or do much with it except with his glasses on. But he's putting together puzzles and all sorts of things on that thing. Now, the eye doctor told me last week that he can self-correct, and that is actually what is causing his left eye to turn in, because he is straining it. So last week they put in an eye drop that basically numbed his eye muscles so that he could not self correct, but he still won't wear the glasses. Not during that whole time, not while looking at things up close or far away. So, it doesn't seem to me that he's struggling with that? But what do I know?!

--- 3 ---

Have I mentioned I know a lot of pregnant women right now? A lot! One of the ladies that I know that is pregnant is a good friend of mine and she is pregnant with #3. She is the one who gave us the boys' entire wardrobes practically. She had a boy first and then a girl and they thought they wouldn't have any more kids after that, but God turned their hearts a bit and now they are excited to welcome another boy! So, now I need to get organized and put together all the clothes and take them back to her! Good excuse to see her new house!

--- 4 ---

Speaking of Christopher's speech therapy; I took a bunch of pictures to make a flash card book with vocabulary and also to help with communication, so he can "tell" us what he wants. But we went to pick up the pictures earlier this week and they are awful. Like really bad, I don't even know if he would know the slice of cheese is a slice of cheese. So, I guess I better use the real camera to do it...

--- 5 ---

Dominic is pretty much obsessed with beef jerky lately. I've been making it a lot because it is a good snack for me (hello protein!) and Dominic has been asking for it a lot. Sometimes he says "want jerky" and other times he says "want a piece" and other times he just steals mine...

--- 6 ---

Dominic's speech is getting a bit better, but he still doesn't seem to have actual conversations. If anyone has any tips on getting him away from just repeating and actually responding appropriately, I'll take them. Of course, if you just want to tell me that this comes with time, I'll take that too. :)

--- 7 ---

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes - Vol 14

--- 1 ---

I'm still struggling when I hear about people having babies, or getting pregnant.  I'm so happy for new life, of course, and so happy for everyone who is getting blessed. But, I'm struggling because we aren't pregnant yet. In order to work through this a bit more, I'm trying to do something tangible, to show my happiness for others. Because, hey--BABIES! So, our friend that Jason works with just had a baby this week and I chatted with her a bit last night and she's struggling to get her milk in and feeling like she's not feeding her baby. So I baked her some "lactation cookies" today and we're visiting them tonight!

Also, delivering those old fashioned oats because they likely won't get eaten fast enough here. :)

--- 2 ---

Since my weight and measurements went up and I was feeling so sorry for myself, Jason volunteered to do my diet with me. I'm sure he'll drop 20 pounds in a week and I'll be forced to hate him. ;-)

--- 3 ---

We took Dominic for his speech evaluation this morning and he wouldn't participate very much. The SLP wants us to come back a few days next week to kind of get him used to hanging out with her and re-try the evaluation at the end of next week. She said that she only understood about 3 of his phrases, and she was a little concerned that he tended to fixate on things. For example, she brought out a jar of bugs (which he called Mr. Krabs and Gary), but when the timer went off after 5 minutes, she seemed to think he should be able to switch to a new task (that did not involve toys) without being upset. That does not seem to be the case with Dominic, and it isn't my experience in general. But, my experience is limited. Is this something your 3yo do? Can they switch to new tasks without getting upset?

--- 4 ---

Speaking of speech therapy, Christopher seems to be participating less with the lady that comes to work with him, but he also seems to be getting new sounds, and trying to communicate a bit more. Hopefully with time, we'll be getting a lot more words.

--- 5 ---

As I read those last two takes, I'm still feeling guilt. That maybe it's my fault, that I'm not doing enough to challenge them daily, that maybe I'm not engaging them enough. I know that this is likely not the case, but it's hard to see both of my boys needing some help and not feeling like it must be my fault. 

--- 6 ---

This weekend we are doing a Color Run in Las Animas. Well, I guess technically we're doing a color walk, because we are doing the 2 mile walk. Then, when we get back, Jason is going to do our local breast cancer fundraising run. I'd list the name, but it bothers me because it seems to be making light of an important issue.

--- 7 ---

Fridays are so hard for me with my diet because we don't usually eat meat but it's hard to get protein in on Friday if the only fish you like is tuna salad. So generally I eat meat on Friday but it makes me a bit sad. Any suggestions for high protein, low calorie/carb Friday meals I'm all ears!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes (Vol 13)

--- 1 ---

This has been a rough week of workouts. I haven't managed to get up at 5AM to go to the gym most days to get in my cardio. I'm bumped up to 60 minutes daily and she wants me to split that morning and evening, which we thought would be perfect. I could do 1/2 hour on the elliptical in the gym in the morning, then we could do a long bike ride in the evenings. Well, we've managed to do 60 minute bike rides this week anyway.

--- 2 ---

For Christopher's speech therapy appointment on Tuesday the Speech Therapist was here to kind of check in. His normal appointments are with a developmental aide (I think that's what her title is) and then the SLP would come ever 6 visits or something. So, this week she came, and he really seemed to open up. We got several new sounds and he played with her. Today we had our normal appointment but it was early and we hadn't had breakfast yet, so needless to say, he didn't participate that well with her today. I'm hopeful though because it does seem like he is starting to respond and trying to make new sounds more frequently.

--- 3 ---

I know so many people who are pregnant or just had babies. I love it because I love babies, but I'm noticing a little catch, a little bit of pain with every announcement and that is fairly new for me. It's weird, it doesn't diminish my happiness for the couple, or happiness to see that new life...it's almost like a longing. I'm still trying to think less about GETTING pregnant this month so that it is not in my head every day, but it's hard when you want something so bad to not think about it.

--- 4 ---

Jason and I played Cribbage last night and I missed skunking him by like 6 points. It was simultaneously the best hands I've ever had in Cribbage while he had the worst he's ever had. It was a great night! ;-) We used to play a card game almost every night but we've gotten out of the habit, and it's been fun. 

--- 5 ---

Our town has 2 parks locally and one of them is really nice, but the other has seen better days. Well, our town got a grant to get some new, better playground equipment and we are so excited! They will have volunteers putting it together, which kind of makes it more exciting and more "ours". This is the equipment that was chosen.

--- 6 ---

I'm in a food slump. Since my diet is so strict, I'm struggling to find things that I can eat that I want to eat. Mostly I'm eating veggies and meat. The real problem is that I'm not a big veggie fan. Suggestions are welcome!

--- 7 ---

Since we signed up with the state and the city and are now an official business, we needed to organize things a bit better. So we set up a scheduling calendar using Google Apps, and let's just say, it was insane to get it so that I could set up the appointments from my phone and Jason would get a notification on his phone. We got it...but it was not easy!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Quick Takes - Vol 12

--- 1 ---

How lame that the only time I've posted recently has been to do a link-up. Don't judge...I'm just a lame-o. Did you catch Jen's 7 posts in 7 days challenge? Clearly I didn't take her up on it. ;-) But, I'm really glad that she made the challenge because it was so awesome to see one of my favorite blogger, Anne, posting daily this week. We originally e-met on Catholic Answers Forums and later got to know each other better in a Facebook group. She is an awesome mom, so fun to read, and she's a great e-friend! (I'm sure she's a super awesome friend in real life too, but alas, I haven't met her yet) .

--- 2 ---

I haven't done a real update on my weight loss journey for a while, so I'm just going to do a mini-update here. I got to 267.5 last week. This is so amazing! I haven't seen lower than 270 since before I hit that when I was pregnant with Christopher on my way up. I'm really feeling great! My diet is kind of hard to stick to, but the trainer gives me one day a week to "cheat". I use Sunday generally and whether it's a breakfast that I don't normally eat, or we go out I splurge a little. But, I still try to keep it in moderation. A couple weeks ago we went out for our favorite breakfast, a breakfast burrito with hashbrowns and chocolate milk. Before I would have eaten all of my food plus 2 cups of milk. This time I didn't finish my food and only one cup of chocolate milk. I'm incredibly impressed with the changes that I've made and am still making. Oh, and the best moment of my work-out life happened last night. We were bike riding and Jason said that I was giving him a run for his money! I mean granted, he's pulling the boys in trailers on his bike, but still impressive if you ask me.

--- 3 ---

So my workout schedule is getting a bit more intense, but I also feel like I'm handling more. I do 45 minutes of cardio 6 days a week now and then I do weight lifting with the trainer 2 days a week. On top of that we've been riding our bikes to Mass this week in the morning. It's only 10 minutes one way, but it feels nice to be doing something more active. And this weekend I think we're going to drive to Garden City and ride their really nice trail through the city and maybe go to the (FREE!!!) zoo after. It's just so much more activity than I've ever done before, and I'm just really feeling so great about my progress. Don't get me wrong, I know I still have so much work to do, but I know that I'm on the right path and that's positive.

--- 4 ---

OK, enough of the bragging. ;-) At the risk of this being seen by tons of people who disagree, I'm going for it. This was NFP Awareness week and I'm soooo glad it's almost over. Lots of people did some great posts about NFP and you can check them out at Katie's because she had a link-up. Tons of great information. So why am I glad it's over? Well, if you follow my blog you might know that we don't use NFP. We have chosen to not try to avoid except for some certain, very extreme reasons (that haven't happened for us, but obviously could at some point); and you know that I think that in general we as a society are not as open to life as we could be. Yet, I really appreciate NFP and the knowledge that is available for people whether they want to use it to conceive or to avoid because they, as a couple, have prayerfully discerned that they need to avoid at this time in their lives. (I inserted that "as a couple" because it is a decision that couples make together and I make no judgements on why or if they should, in general I don't even think about it.) I'm mostly glad that NFP week is almost over because I'm so over this current trend to just prove that NFP is "as good, or better" than forms of contraception. Because what that does, and I even almost typed it, is present NFP as another form of contraception. This is how those posts come across and I think that it unfairly makes it seem to non-Catholics that NFP is just Catholic birth control. Also, I'm super sick of the implications that because I don't use NFP I don't understand my body and that my husband and I must not communicate as well or as often because we aren't charting together. I'm hopeful that is not the intention of most posts, because I know a lot of these women from online interactions and I don't believe them to think in that way; but it still rubs me the wrong way and has the tendency to make me feel defensive. For this reason I've avoided commenting on any tweets I've seen. So, anyway, NFP awareness week, definitely check out Katie's blog and look at some of the links and posts because they've been full of useful information.

--- 5 ---

The boys' birthdays are fast approaching! They are only 18 days apart but I'm going to do my best to keep them separate until and if they decide they would rather have their birthdays celebrated together (but really...birthday cake twice a month? who's going to argue with that?), so I'm working on plans. For Dominic, who has been obsessed with fish lately, I'm thinking I am going to make this cake. We'll get some ice cream and I think we'll have the family all come to the park where the kids can all play and everyone else can hang out comfortably. Christopher seems to just really like candy and frosting right now so I think I'm going to make cupcakes with mounds of frosting for him to eat and maybe some smarties or giant sprinkles.

--- 6 ---

Christopher's speech therapy is....progressing. It seems like we're getting a few more sounds, but nothing major. His sedated auditory exam is scheduled for August 14th which is smack dab in the middle of Jason's vacation. :-/

--- 7 ---

Yes! We have vacation scheduled! We aren't going anywhere major, as obviously Christopher has surgery scheduled for the middle of it. But we are going to do a couple days in the Denver area doing some things that we haven't done at all or in a while. We'll be visiting the museum with the boys' cousins and hopefully make a trip to one of Denver's Little Monkey Bizness. The boys had a blast the last time! And the rest of the time we hope to just enjoy being together as a family. Maybe some trips to the swimming pool and lots of playing!
 

For more Quick Takes, head over to Jen's!

Quick Takes - Vol 11

--- 1 ---

Jason bought a new Surface that came with Windows 8 and the new Office. Because he works on computers and teaches Windows programs he has to have hands on knowledge of the equipment. I have to say it's pretty nice, I'm not using it right now, but I've used it a few times and I like it. It works as a tablet and you can connect the keyboard, it is basically a laptop. It uses the full operating system not just a tablet OS. My biggest complaint is that Google isn't going to support any Windows tablets :( so using some of my favorite Google apps is a pain.
 

--- 2 ---

Christopher's Speech Therapy seems to be going well, except that he seems to be getting even more frustrated with his lack of communication. The past few days he's been pinching and biting a ton when I can't figure out what he wants. I'm seriously anxious about getting this stupid hearing test done so we can figure out if he's hearing us well enough.

--- 3 ---

What time do your toddlers take naps? I'm pushing for late morning, early afternoon because otherwise they are up so late and I just can't take it. Also, do you ever wake them up? I've always left sleeping babies alone, but I'm starting to think maybe I should only let them nap an hour or so. What do you think? Begging for trouble?

--- 4 ---

Lately Dominic hasn't been too interested in eating when we sit down at the table. But, I've found that if we sit at the table with his food in front of him for a while (he might get up and run around or something), he will eventually pick up whatever it was we were eating and finish almost all of his food. He ate 3 whole pancakes this morning, which is a big deal around here lately.

--- 5 ---

I discussed with my trainer this week what my biggest struggle with eating appropriately is. When I'm trying to get snacks or food for the boys, I have something in my mouth before I even realize it. She suggested chewing gum throughout the whole day, so that I can stop to think about it before sticking something in my mouth. And also suggested getting the boys' snacks made up ahead of time so that I don't have to worry about it at the time.
 

--- 6 ---

I'm going to try to get my mom to the water aerobics class. She's so scared of water, but she has weight problems, circulation problems, and some neuropathy so I really think that doing some water aerobics will be the best for her. We made the attempt twice this week, but couldn't get our act together. Next week hopefully!
 

--- 7 ---

Our Friday night meal has become soft pretzels. It is so yummy! Not that I'm getting to eat it lately of course...it is definitely not a part of my regularly scheduled diet.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Quick Takes (Vol 10)

--- 1 ---

This week I talked about how I am trying to not let being bad at something discourage me from trying. Not letting what is hard for me kind of rule my life and what I attempt. I'm seriously taking this to heart with as many aspects of my life as I can. I'm working hard when I workout with the Insanity video; I'm doing dishes and sweeping multiple times; I'm keeping SpongeBob off (I didn't mention that in my post, but when it's hot outside and we can't go outside it has been so hard not to succumb to movie watching) as much as I can. I feel like this is really positive and I'm pretty proud of myself.

--- 2 ---

Speaking of being hot outside, this is what our week was like:

--- 3 ---

Speaking with my friend Krista today we were discussing some homeschooling information (she's pretty much my hero with regards to homeschooling, and cooking; I'm planning on moving to Canada and moving in next door to her. Look out Krista!!), and she gave me this great link to Charlotte Mason info and I bought a new book! (Krista, Jason might be contacting you regarding your influence ;-)) I am really excited to get into it and get the book, because this is the kind of learning that I want to do with the boys.

--- 4 ---

We had Christopher's early intervention meeting this week. We met with the Speech therapist and the developmental...I don't know what her title is but she's the one that will come in most of the time to work with us. We will start with 2 times a week and then that may go down once the school year starts again, depending on how he's doing and their schedule. I was a little put off by the speech therapist because she seemed to be judging some of our parenting choices like homeschooling (apparently early intervention cuts off at 3yo if your child is not enrolled in school) and the fact that we don't do playgroups. I did speak to a friend of mine who works with this therapist and she told me that the therapist is just really blunt and she comes off sounding harsh often, but to not take it personally. Anyway, we still haven't gotten a good hearing test and the early intervention test people are telling us our next option is for him to be sedated, which I'm really not feeling. So I called the ENT that did his tubes and asked them, the MA suggested we get him in to be seen since his right tube has already fallen out. It might all be related to fluid in the ears, so wish me luck with regards to that, I'm sure he'll love being held down so they can check his ears.

--- 5 ---

I'll be working every Sunday for a semi-local (40 miles away) nursing home starting next week on top of the helping out I do in KS and I'm excited. I enjoy working in KS but sometimes that 2 hour trip is a lot. But, I will still be able to help them out at least one day a week, so that's good. I enjoy working, but when I come home exhausted and hug the boys, I have serious doubts that I could do it every day. I mean, I could if I had to, or if it was the best choice for our family, but I probably wouldn't want to. :)

--- 6 ---

Also when talking to Krista, we discussed some good books for the kids and she made this suggestion. I probably would have been unconvinced that the boys would like something like this because it does not contain what you would consider typically kid images; but, the boys' favorite Mass book, which they fight over, is very similar in art. You should totally click on that link and take a look inside...the pictures are beautiful!

--- 7 ---

I'm still trying to come up with a good idea for a vacation. The boys are too young to get much enjoyment out of something like Disneyland so I think that's off the list for a few years; and I'm trying to come up with something that won't cost an arm and a leg. I'm also trying to talk Jason into a road trip! Suggestions welcomed and appreciated!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 1)

--- 1 ---

We were spoiled with Dominic's sleeping habits. OK, I was spoiled. With both Dominic's sleeping habits and the fact that since I was pumping and not breastfeeding Jason could (and did!) get up and help with nighttime feedings. It is hard to be the person who does that. Alone. For every mom that is the sole taker-carer of children at night you deserve a hug. And chocolate. Loooooots of chocolate.

--- 2 ---

I mention the chocolate because I want some. I am calorie counting dieting so I have had some chocolate don't get me wrong. But what I really want to do is bake a batch of homemade brownies with Reese's PB chips in it and eat the whole pan. But I won't.

--- 3 ---

Also, I want chips and salsa and guacamole and I don't want to measure it out.

--- 4 ---

Food is on my mind for sure, it always is when dieting right? I should not think of this as dieting, I am trying really hard to make a complete change in myself. So that in a year or two I can have a brownie and know that it's OK. I just won't eat the whole thing.

Probably.

--- 5 ---

Our tax information is slowly starting to come in. I'm excited. Obviously because I want all that money that the government is sure to give me (haha!) but also because I'm a nerd and I like doing the taxes. (do you still like me??)

--- 6 ---

Did you know that in Canada the government PAYS you to have babies??? I have it on good authority from a good friend that they do. Come on US, if we're going to try to copy their healthcare, can we at least copy that as well??

--- 7 ---

This Winter has been really mild. I mean it's Colorado so you never know what's going to happen, it could blizzard and May or we might not get any more snow until next year. Oh, they're getting snow in some parts (mountains, foothills) of Colorado, but us on the plains? Nope. (Secretly you thought that all of Colorado was in the mountains or foothills didn't you?)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!