Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!

Strike up the chorus! I don't know how it is happening, because I've not really been exercising except for the craziness of running around at work, but my numbers on the scale are dropping to numbers that I haven't seen in probably a year and a half, since my 5K. Honestly, I think I've just been eating less, portion-wise. I'm going to try really hard to keep it up over the next few days, but with chocolate chip cookies, truffles, peanut clusters, peanut butter balls, sausage balls and ranch oyster crackers around, it's going to be TOUGH!! So my thought for the day (even though it's been a couple months since I had one): Be TOUGHER!!!!!

Blessed

Walked yesterday, not today, went to MOPS so I wouldn't have had time to walk back home and shower before going. MOPS got me thinking about parenting and ways of thinking and how I want my children to remember me, and I don't think the way I've been acting lately is it. So we'll see how things change, especially since the reward for reaching goals could happen by the end of next year maybe. And I definitely need to get with my chores around here!

Thought for the Day: Think of everything as a blessing, even when you are walking your child back to bed for the 10th time that night, it's a blessing because he (or she) just wants more time with you.

Foiled

"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down!" And the combination of the two is even worse! Waking up this morning, hearing the pitter-patter of rain drops outside my window, knowing that I wouldn't be walking. But that's okay, because I was able to get up and make Mark's breakfast and pack his lunch for him. Now we still have 30 minutes before we have to leave!

Off

Fell off the wagon...er...stroller for the rest of the week. It ended up too late on Thursday to walk, and Zack was home sick on Friday. My parents skills were definitely put to the test this weekend, but I don't know that they passed. Zack has been a very tired, grumpy, stubborn, sick boy since Friday, and it's like beating my head against a wall trying to reason with him to TAKE A STINKING NAP!!!!! We've been tired, too, so that doesn't really help. He was really good in church this morning, though, so that's good. Getting back into walking tomorrow morning, hopefully, with the boys bundled up tight with quilts. Sorry, don't have a thought for today.

Decided to skip the park this morning on the way home from school, it's just a little too cool. I had one blanket covering the boys in the stroller, and one blanket covering the whole stroller to keep the wind off their faces. I also wanted to get home a little quicker (since story time is today) so I can get more work done. That's about it, I guess.

Anyhow

Walked Zack to school again this morning: do you know how light a stroller feels after your ~45 lb. kid gets out!?!? A lot less productive today than yesterday, but still feeling motivated. Yesterday I tried to buff scratches off my car, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, washed the dishes that needed to be washed, got two loads of laundry done (though not folded or put away), cleaned up and vacuumed in the playroom, cleaned the kitchen, packed away sippy cups and reorganized some cabinets. All that and I still somehow found time to watch an episode and a half of Bones on the computer, get lots of my cross-stitch done, play on Facebook and write a blog. Right now, I'm going to let Xander finish his pretzels from lunch, probably let him watch a few more minutes of Curious George while I work on their bathroom.

My cross-stitch is a Precious Moments picture, and as I was looking at the other designs again last night, one of them struck me. It was a little boy holding a ice cream cone, with the ice cream part on the floor with the dog licking it. So my thought for the day: Praise the Lord anyhow!

Again

Too long since I've posted on here, kind of slacked off for a while, don't really know why, though. Sunday night, Mark revealed to me that he is "on board" with having another baby, but there are still things that need to work better.

Maybe this will help: I revised my daily schedule (which had which days the boys would play with what and which movies they would watch and what cleaning or chores I would do and even which boy would pick a book for naptime) to this...
Monday: dishes/kitchen, laundry, alternate cleaning boys' bedroom and playroom, and include play-doh for playtime with Xander.
Tuesday: dishes/kitchen, laundry, alternate cleaning tub and toilet in boys' bathroom with cleaning sink and floor, and include pouring activity with solids (thanks, Karen, again!).
Wednesday: dishes/kitchen, laundry (towels), clean our room, and include painting (that wil be interesting).
Thursday: dishes/kitchen, laundry (clean sheets every other week), our bathroom (alternate as above), and include play-doh again.
Friday: dishes/kitchen (I put that on everyday because, in our house, it probably gets the messiest the fastest, and I need to be better about keeping it clean), laundry, alternate cleaning living and dining room, and pouring liquids with Xander.

Here's where my two followers come in: I need help sticking to this, at least for about a month. i can usually stick to my plans for week, maybe two, but then they just fall apart. So just ask me now and then what I've done that day, probably on Facebook, since I check that more often, but that will remind me that someone is watching out for what I'm doing. I would be glad to do the same thing, too: Susan, what's the FLY lady's idea for day 2?? And my other follower, Sydney's mom, I think you are Renee, but I can't be sure.

Thought for the Day: Get support...or a watchdog!

Happy Monday, Ladies!

Determined...

...that the number will stay under *** (no, I'm not going to put my real weight on here!)
...that the dishes and laundry will get clean and put away...in a timely manner.
...that the floor will not get littered by books, crayons, toys, junk mail, food piece, napkin scraps, shoes, dirty socks, coloring sheets, stickers, etc., etc., etc.

It's a busy day ahead of us, so my thought for the day: Try to avoid the situations that trigger poor behavior! Including lack of naps!

Little bit

Making a little progress with the weight thing. Not that my clothes are fitting yet, it would just be a fluctuation (sp?). Yesterday and today, been better about drinking water while at home at least. Wish there was a way to drink more at work, but we can't have drinks with us on the floor. Right now, shouldn't be typing, should be folding and putting away laundry (two loads) or washing pots and pans or loading the dishwasher. Especially since Xander could be awake any time now and I only have a little over an hour before getting Zack from school.

Motivation

After dinner tonight (something new, thanks to Karen!), the boys went out to play, Mark was off to his meeting, and I stayed inside and did something amazing. Something that should become a habit, something that should already be a habit. I washed the dishes! Well, first I loaded some of them into the dishwasher, but then I washed what was left over. I feel really accomplished that I got it done. Now I just need to have dinner ready 10-15 minutes earlier than I usually do on the nights I work, and I can take care of dishes before I leave. That should work, right?

New rule for the boys, instated tonight, after Xander was (God forbid!) trying to play with Zack's Diego blocks and Zack pinned his brother on the bean bag chair. Whatever toy, object, movie, game, whatever is involved when someone is yelling or screaming at someone else, whatever they argue over, gets taken away. So neither one can have it! I know it makes perfect sense, and we've been doing that, but verbalizing it to them tonight seemed to make it real.

Thought for the day: Stay motivated long enough to make these things habits! 5 days down, 16 more days to go!

WooHoo

Walking Zack to school this morning was not as frustrating as last week's test run. We walked straight up Smithfield and turned onto Maple, making the trip slightly shorter. Then Fayetteville wasn't as busy because the carpool lane hadn't started yet. We even had to wait outside the front doors for a few minutes. A dad that was dropping off his kids recognized me because he passed me as I was walking. I told him that I would love it if other parents walked with me. Maybe the word will start to get around!

Mark said that putting the boys to bed last night went a little easier. He had to be stern at first, but they went down pretty easily. Which they should have, because Zack was tired from not having a nap at school. Maybe I can get him to lay down for a little bit when he gets home today. I was able to deal with his grumpiness yesterday and this morning calmly. Yesterday he really wqanted to complete a puzzle, but he was getting so frustrated. I sent him to his room to read a book for a while, and I put the puzzle away (without breaking it apart). When Daddy got home, Zack admitted to him that he was grumpy because he didn't have a nap.

Thought for the day: (as I was walking to the school, realizing how easy it was seeming to be) You can do this!

Quiet in the House

Zack started kindergarten today! In his real classroom, with his real teacher. On the way home, I was wondering if I could reteach Xander how to play nicely with his toys, or if his brother's rough and tumble methods would stick with him. I'm already amazed at how well Xander played by himself on Friday and allowed me to get the house clean(er). Now I just have to work on the disaster area that the playroom has become, but not during naptime.

I feel really bad that I haven't exercised since last Thursday! But I'm walking Zack to school in the morning, shoulder or no shoulder on Fayetteville Rd! (By the way, if you have Facebook and haven't joined my group "Safe Routes to School (Knightdale)", please do. I would love for them to put sidewalks in to make it safer and easier to walk.) Maybe later in the week, I'll walk up to pick him up, too, since it's supposed to be mild temperatures.

After story time today, I had to stop at Lowes for couple things (replace the chain lock on our front door since Xander figured out how to unlock the deadbolt!!). Xander didn't want to hold my hand in the parking lot, so I had him count the yellow poles (with handicap parking signs on them) as we walked into the store. Later, he was fighting me about getting in the car. He said he wanted to eat at Gramma's house or Stacy's house today, then he wanted to sit in my seat. I picked up a book and read it to him real quick, right there in the parking lot. So my thought for the day: Learn the Art of Distraction: it works wonders!

Swan Family Rules

These rules have been posted in the kitchen for a little over a week, though we came up with them several months ago. I'm hoping to use them as a reference for the boys when they are acting up.
1. Be nice to each other. (which includes Share, Respect, Help, Use kind words, Use nice manners)
2. Listen and obey Mommy and Daddy all the time.
3. Clean up after yourself.
4. Focus!
5. Talk about it, without arguing.

I made some rules/guidelines for myself, too, to help me make better choices as a parent. I got the ideas from MckMama over at mycharmingkids.net. I wrote them down, and I've been meaning to put them up where I will see them each day.

It's a start

Started the morning by cooking breakfast for me and the boys. Should have gotten up earlier but was feeling lazy with the rain pouring outside. After breakfast, interspersed GMA/Regis and Kelly with loading the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen. I figure if it's probably easier to keep a house clean than cleaning it up, so it's a start. Last night we cleaned up all the toys in the living room, and the dining room table has stayed mostly clutter-free since Friday. My next stop this morning is laundry and cleaning/vacuuming the boys' rooms.

Last night as Mark and I were working on dinner, we heard the boys screaming no way and yes way at each other. I brought them both into the kitchen and had Zack read the two rules that apply to that situation: use kind words and talk about it, without arguing. For bedtime, we read "How to Dinosaurs Say Good-night?" to (hopefully) demonstrate how we do/do not want them to go to bed. I kept asking them to go to bed like dinosaurs do, but Xander still ended up in the hallway several times. Now they are playing mostly nicely with the Geo Trax set. Since Gramma got them more track, it's a little easier to share.

Thought for the day: get work done early, so you can play or relax later.