It doesn’t happen very often (usually in the dog days of summer and depths of winter) that I get grumpy, cranky and mad. This week’s weather has gotten me there and the only way to sum it up is bah humbug and to hell with everything. Wait, I feel like I’m already there. At 7:30pm it was 105*F and smokey. It’s been smokey for the last 3 days. Bleh! So, to try and get myself in a happier and more content place, I’m going to think of all the places I’d rather be than where I am right now. Not very zen, but I’m no Buddhist, just bitter.
5. Somewhere air conditioned, cause we certainly don’t have it. 4. Nevada City at the Alton Ranch swinging in a hammock watching the wind in the trees. 3. Capitola on a foggy summer morning wearing jeans and a sweatshirt with a warm latte. 2. Maui, floating in the ocean on a pink plastic floaty without a care in the world. 1. In a better frame of mind.
It’s been 9 days of vacation and fun in the California sun. Now we’re back to sleep training, HURRAY! Not. What better time to blog than now? Here’s proof that babies don’t have long term memory. A month ago, we would do Porter’s night routine, he would give me a hug and then asked to be put down to sleep (for 10-11 hours). Now he is crying like he’s being held hostage against his will. Let me assure everyone that this sucks for all of us, but there’s no comparison to the agony felt when no one gets a solid nights sleep. Alas, this too shall pass.
Onto the July challenge! I hope you enjoyed June’s Bucket List challenge. It was my favorite so far and I highly recommend everyone come up with at least a few items to put on your own bucket list. Since we were vacationing for the beginning of July I decided to take a mid-year break from the 30 day challenge. July will be a short month.
What I really wanted to do was run/be active for July, but obviously that’s not happening. About 10 days ago I twisted my ankle while running. It became clear that the only people made for falling are toddlers. When mama falls, she falls hard. My chiropractor had a serious look of concern on her face after adjusting my back, neck, wrists, knees and ankles. She prescribed an extra appointment, which will be happening on Wednesday. Hopefully I’ll be back in action by the end of this week.
Another hindrance to my idea of a physical challenge is that the temperatures in Boise have reach inferno levels. This is the climate part of Idaho that I have yet to fall in love with. So July is going to be frivolous and fun and I’m still going to post daily. Yay for you! Since I liked making a list in June, everyday for the rest of July I’m going to do a Top 5 list. If you have an idea for a Top 5, drop me a comment here or on Facebook. Here’s the first:
TOP 5 SUPER POWERS I WISH I HAD 5. Super hearing 4. Speed reading, and I don’t mean the kind you can learn in a course. 3. Photographic memory 2. Super strength 1. Flight
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Feeding Big Baby
Playing with the trains and the Boise Airport, probably picking up another disease.
We each got our own seats on the airplane!
Sleeping at Tutu and Grandad’s house.
My mom working her magical Tutu powers to put Porter down for a nap so I could go get a massage and hot tub at the Well Within. Ahhh.
At my parents house riding a mini tractor. It was love at first sight…with the tractor.
We went to the Sacramento Train Museum on the 4th of July and it was AWESOME!
Growing up, my brother and I were so close that sometimes our parents worried we wouldn’t have friends of our own. Of course that wasn’t how it turned out, but that’s how well we got along. We had friends who were a brother and sister pair, the exact same age as us. They fought like cats and dogs, but they still shared the special sibling relationship.
After having Porter around for almost 18 months I have considered not having more children. I can totally understand why parents chose to have 1 child and then stick. Our friends had one child and then when she turned 4 they had their second. I believe the quote went something to the effect of, “once you have two you might as well have more, because any more than one is craziness.” This probably isn’t true for some families, but without having more kids I’ll never know.
It has always been part of our plan to have more than one child. I have my brother and Luke has his two sisters. We both believe that siblings are important because we know from experience that there is absolutely no relationship like the one you have with your sibling. In life, there are things that happen which you can’t share with anyone, except your sibling. Not your parents, cousins or friends. More often then not I find it’s the implicit knowledge about familial and life situations that only my brother really truly understands, that has brought me comfort, peace of mind, happiness and sanity. That is why I picked it for #30.
Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.
Be in supreme physical shape.
Go to bed when I want and wake when I want. Everyday.
Take a trip using Sunset Magazine itinerary. Eat at their recommended food stops, stay at their recommended accommodations, and do their recommended activities.
Give Porter a sibling. Conversations will start in 2014.
~If you need to catch up on any of my bucket list items, find the corresponding post # in the June 2012 list at the right hand side of this page.
Wanna know how to get to Sesame Street? Go to the Ann Morrison Park fountain in Boise on a 96* day. You can’t miss it.
Are you familiar with Sunset Magazine? If you live in the Western US then you’ve probably heard of it, know someone who subscribes to it, or get the monthly edition in your mailbox. A couple years ago my mom gifted me with a subscription and it is one of the most tender highlights of my life. It inspires me to cook more, and better. To garden with confidence, inspires me to see the part of the country that I’ve lived in all my life, and to be creative in my home. There is so much to enjoy and learn from this one magazine. I love it and I’m hooked. #29 is inspired by Sunset (as was #14).
Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
Treat common colds/illnesses/ailments holistically, before resorting to pharmaceutical drugs.
Live next to a body of water (ocean, lake, pond, river, whatever).
Visit, meet and learn from the Amish.
Be in supreme physical shape.
Go to bed when I want and wake when I want. Everyday.
Take a trip using Sunset Magazine itinerary. Eat at their recommended food stops, stay at their recommended accommodations, and do their recommended activities.
~If you need to catch up on any of my bucket list items, find the corresponding post # in the June 2012 list at the right hand side of this page.
What is it about pool and bath water that makes it so much more appetizing than the fresh drinking water provided in a nice clean water bottle? Seriously.
Breakfast date with mama and the dump trunk. Mmm, carrots and broccoli and the very acceptable water in a big kid cup with a straw. NOT in a water bottle.
#28 can only be reasoned by the fact that I have a child who was recently teething and then immediately ill (he is better now and has 4 shiny new molars to show for it). This has led to more sleep deprivation for everyone, except the kitties. In the last 18 months I’ve gotten about 3-4 months of regular sleep. Those sweet times always came after we did some sleep training, will it ever end? It can’t all be blamed on the baby though. We travel a lot, which throws off the regular schedule. And I’m a night owl and that just doesn’t jive with a child who wakes between 6-7am everyday. Even Saturdays! Alas, I signed on for this sleeplessness, but I can still dream.
Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
After running the Bay To Breakers with my dad. What a good example he was.
Finish line of the Spudman Triathlon.
In Idaho with my dad the day after finishing the Spudman Triathlon.
It’s the body image post, hurray! There are two types of body builds (in my opinion), heavy and light. Have you ever picked up a child and then practically thrown them in the air because they weight almost nothing, like they have hollow bird bones. Or picked up that child’s friend, or Porter, and felt like you were lifting a sack of bricks. I don’t know the science of it, but according to my mother, picking me up as a child was on the brick side of things. I’m pretty confident that it runs in the genes, because Porter is no little birdy to carry around. I don’t think that’s such a big deal, but add to that some full hips and frizzy hair and it’s a recipe for a skewed body image. That was me in 5-7th grade. Then my dance teacher added the real cherry on top by asking me to lose 5 pounds before our upcoming recital. A word of advice, NEVER tell a 12 year old to lose 5 pounds. It was confirmed, I felt like a fatty.
Looking back on it, I was crazy to have been down on myself. In pictures I was perfectly normal and healthy, just not knobby kneed like my girl friends. Luckily, I was an active child and did sports through high school. So even though I wasn’t lithe and delicate, I was in great physical shape. Oh how beauty is wasted in youth! Then I went to college and started what has been a long decent to the where I am now. Very overweight and working my ass off to get back to “normal”. Let me tell you, that’s a long way to go from here.
Thankfully, I’ve been physically active most of my adult life by doing yoga, dancing, personal training, masters swimming, training for triathlons, teaching young children, currently running (not all at the same time). It turns out that the key to being healthy is eating right. And for someone who has a colossally huge sweet tooth it’s been hard to curb. I’m working at it and slowly but surly the weight is coming off. I also have the added bonus of having birthed my son naturally, which gives me confidence in my mind and body to accomplish just about anything. So, #27 may take awhile and I’m already working on it, but I’m excited to share when it’s complete.
Travel to 6 of the 7 continents. Let’s be honest, Antarctica is a long shot. So far I’ve been to North America (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica) and Europe (France).
