40 FOR 40

So you know Monica on Friends? You know how she's like mega competitive? I'm like her - times a million. It's really proven to be mostly detrimental rather than helpful as a trait to possess. I can't just do things - I have to be the best at what I do. So I make almost everything in my life some sort of a challenge that can be won or lost. In other words, I have the need to make everything measurable for myself so that I tell myself how awesome I did at it. But mostly it's not like that, it's more like me telling myself I should have done better and that I failed. Like I said before, it's really not a positive attribute. 

BUT for the sake of making myself feel better when trying to lose weight - I make up challenges so I can feel like I'm succeeding on days (or months) that the scale doesn't move. So for this purpose I created the 40 for 40 challenge! It started after a friend and I had a conversation at the park. After disclosing to her how discouraged I was with my weight loss, she suggested incorporating an effort to increase my exercise routine. She said "Shan - just do 10 minutes. Even if it's just 10 minutes of yoga." 

I pondered what she said and I got real with myself. I KNEW I could do more, a lot more than 10 minutes, even though I didn't want to admit it. It was a legit moment in time to stop making excuses. I spent a few days mulling over numbers in my head and decided 30 minutes and 30 days seemed doable. Then I thought about bumping it up to 45 minutes so that the challenge so it could end on Thanksgiving. But 45 felt overwhelming. I sat on the idea of 45 for 45 for a few more days and it still felt like "I know I'll never do that...." So I settled on FORTY MINUTES OF EXERCISE FOR FORTY DAYS. A challenge with the perfect amount of "challenge" to it. 

I asked people to join me but it was really just a way for me to make a measurable goal that didn't relate to the scale. I'm taking steps to regaining my healthy lifestyle that I once fell in love with from 2008-2011. 

The rules were:

1: No "banking" or "making up" time. 40 continuous minutes of activity, each day. You miss a day - you start over. 

2: The 40 minutes has to be more than what you would normally do - so 40 minutes of mowing the lawn doesn't count. But 40 minutes of mowing the lawn with a push mower when you usually do it on the riding lawn mower counts. 

3: Have fun and get moving

It's simple and it has made a big difference in how I feel about myself when I go to bed at night. It has totally motivated me to do things out of my comfort zone like working out at a hotel gym while on vacation in Vegas! It has also started a habit of getting up before the family and walking our dog around the neighborhood each morning. I've been craving movement now instead of dreading it. I crave a treadmill work out now and I find myself looking for chances to be more physically engaged including adding a few weight routines to the end of my workouts. I can't say I've seen a change on the scale as the numbers are still very very slow to drop. But I can say I FEEL better, my body has been happier, my mind clearer, and I go to bed a night feeling proud of another day I refused to fail. Today is  day 20. Join my challenge and by the time I'm done you'll be where I am today - enjoying the benefits I'm telling you about. Get moving, thank your body for all it does for you on a daily basis and give it the gift of health. A tiny bit more health than you gave it yesterday - that's all it takes. 

SEVEN - PLUS 999

Seven plus about nine hundred and ninety nine, is the number of draft posts I've written and the number of times I think about things each week to write about. I fear I've neglected my little space on the inter-web and that makes me sad. It's not a matter of not having totally super awesome topics to write about - it's been a matter of discipline.

I am a very disciplined person - some might not think so by the looks of my outward appearance. But the focus of my so called skill depends on the season of life I'm in. Pre-kids, I was a really disciplined blogger and in total control of my diet and exercise. Then with Layla I maintained my writing focus and geared it toward the topic of parenting. The boys surprised me and all discipline for writing and heath sorta flew the coup, but flew right back in - just into a different location.

Over the past two years I've been very disciplined in keeping a tidy home, feeding balanced meals to the children, spending time with the kids outside, teaching them important skills, and loving them for their individuality. And lets be honest - posting a picture to 1nstagram or writing a quick post on FB really IS more convenient doable for a busy mom. But lately I don't feel like it's enough for me. I want to think hard again, I want to dig through my feelings and sort out my thoughts - now that I actually HAVE thoughts again :) Not sure I had many variable thoughts with a 2 yr old and 2 newborns, but again, now the desire to write is tugging at my brain cells. I feel like there is room now for me to add a few more areas of discipline back into my own self care routine. Over the past year I've been trying to learn about healthier, "cleaner" ways to prepare food for my family and beginning to find more discipline in my own diet. I started my 40 for 40 Challenge that I'll post more about tomorrow. It's time to crack down and make time in the day for my space here again and become a more present person each day in order to turn those drafted posts into published words. I forgot how good it feels to focus some of the control on myself instead of just on my environment.

Living It Up 2014

Part way through the year I somehow decided to modify my 2014 yearly "intention" to "Live It Up." It's basically the same idea of "Living up to my potential," it's just fell into place and seemed to fit the feel of this year. It's now that time of year where I find myself needing to clean the nooks and crannies of the house and car. All I can focus on is the need to deep clean the stroller, jogger, and diaper bags. The energy that pulsates through the air at the beginning of a new academic year is tangeable. August always brings a sense of relief as our lives begin to find rhythm and structure after a fun summer of spontaneity has whirled around us. I absolutely adore the pace that summer brings to our home, late nights, slumbering children until late in the morning, chaotic trips to fun places, days filled with vitamin D and kids looking like ragamuffins. Summer is so fun. We've lived it up to the max this summer and it's mostly due to the age of the kids allowing us to be more flexible and less stressed.

We started the summer in Disneyland... and it was MAGICAL

There were ballet recitals

I completed a 30 day "Clean Eating Challenge" lost 18 lbs and started my second Challenge yesterday. 

 Learned how to take life a little less seriously and laugh at myself. Not all trunks will fit a large human inside. But it was worth a try... and I almost peed myself laughing so hard. 

Many trips to the grocery store... and thank heavens for these "minivan carts" 

A lot of hiking... almost to the point of not needing to pack the boys anymore! 

Annual Camping trip at Jackson Lake

Girls trip to California to soak up the sun and laugh ourselves silly

I remodeled Kday's office in our basement as a surprise while he was at a 4 day High Adventure camp.

7 hours of work to frame his team jerseys (3 more not pictured) and 5 minutes before he arrived one of the frames fell off the wall and knocked 3 more down and shattered - not so awesome. 

So. many. park days. So. Many

A few bike races were thrown in there and I re-learned how to haul 4 kids up a mountain solo. 

We discovered food allergies were the culprit to this little mans poor bowel issues. He hasn't stopped smiling since. 

Every morning consisted of diapered boys in the sandbox while I tried feverishly to catch up on laundry

Mornings sleeping in and watching cartoons are a summer staple

Layla turned 5 and Elsa came to celebrate. 

Zoo trips

And more zoo trips

And somewhere in the middle of it all this kid potty trained himself. Literally, I give myself 0% credit. He decided to use the potty and in 24 hours he was accident and diaper free. 

And now we're tired... and strollers, car seats, and diaper bags need to be washed and prepared for the next season--- school and a few more trips. 

Unplugged - In the Car

Remember the old days when you would climb into the back seat of a tiny plane and fly across the country for 13 hours at a time? Oh no? Just me? Eh, well, that happened... every summer of my childhood. My family would pile into a Cessna 210 and fight over the 1 walkman tape cassette player and hope we didn't fill the "sick sack." I vaguely remember my mom packing us each a few bags of special snacks and reminding us that our snacks had to last us the whole flight. I always polished mine off before we crossed state lines. I remember coloring books. A lot of coloring books. Other than my snack pack, a coloring book, and a turn with the walkman every few hours - staying entertained was a matter of looking out the window and using my imagination. 

Today I can hardly pick up Layla's friends to hit the nearest pool when they ask "What movie do you have in your car today?" I don't get it. Well, actually I do. I get that it's way easier to tune your kids out with electronics so you don't have to engage with them. I get it because I know it can feel exhausting constantly carrying on the conversation of a toddler. But despite that.... I still don't get it. Being in the car seems like a perfect place for family interaction seeing that it's one of the only times parents aren't on their electronic devices! 

Anyway, since we travel sans ipads and DVD players - our trip to Disneyland a few months ago made me nervous as it was the longest car trip our kids had been on before. But with a little pre-drive prep and planning our 14 hour drive went amazingly. As we leave for a road tip tomorrow I figured a 5 hour trip will be a snap. But I wanted to share our tips and tricks to surviving a road trip without electronics... and not only how to survive - but how to actually enjoy your "unplugged" time with your kids. 

1. I found these awesome free printables at I Heart Organizing. this is an eye spy game and age appropriate for kids as young as two. I also printed the license plate version and we had fun working together to spot as many states as possible before we got home. Mom and Dad had to offer help but it was a good way to teach the kids how to look out the window and be excited about all the new things they see. 

2. I packed each child their own "entertainment bag." Layla had a coloring book, two eye spy books (keep them busy for at least a good 30 minutes), a sticker book, and a read a long book from Usborne. I found a little water toy for each of the kids that looks like a video game but it's like water basketball and you try to shoot the little rings into the basket. 

3. Ring pops are a MUST for car trips. I feel like they're safer than suckers because I don't have to worry about the kids choking on the stick and they last a long time. Another sucker option are the giant round suckers you can find at most gas stations - they take hours to eat and it keeps the kids mouths quiet. 

4. Hit up the local library and pick up some books on CD. I stumbled upon this trick when Layla was gifted a book on CD and I was shocked at how much she loves to listen to it in the car. The boys loved listening to the different voices of each character in the stories. 

 5. Magnedoodles: Since the boys are still in the "crayon eating" phase, the magnedoodle is a perfect alternative. They are mesmorized by their ability to erase their scribbles over and over. We also had fun with a game where Kday would draw a picture and the kids would guess what it is.

6. Rider is obsessed with Fish so I found some flash cards with fish on them at the dollar store. I hole punched the corner of each card and put them on a key ring so he could flip through and study is favorite pictures.

7. I found two Disney character fan toys. These were a big hit, they still play with them on a daily basis. Just be on the lookout when you're at the store for any cheep toy that has moving parts or a button for little kids and it really keeps their attention.

8. Look around your house for little figurines or games you already have. I pulled an Eye Spy game out of our church bag that Owen always really enjoys playing. Anything with wheels like tiny bike or monster trucks keep boys busy when stuck in a car seat. 

9. I also try to pack exciting snacks that the kids don't usually eat and use them as rewards for making mile markers without crying or getting bored. 

The kids didn't know what was in their bag and I tried my best to only give them one thing at a time to hold them off for as long as possible. I don't think we even used all their books before getting to California! It was a lot of work for Kday and I to engage with the kids and we didn't get to have our own private conversations unless all the kids were sleeping... but we really feel like it was a great way to connect with our kids instead of connecting them to electronics. I hope my kids look back on their childhood trips with fondness the way I do. I hope that when they're parents they will appreciate the work we put into being present in moment on road trips. Maybe they won't, maybe they'll curse us for being "those parents" who wouldn't let them just watch a movie on the drive.... either way I know how much I love being in the car with them and really focusing on them without electronic distractions. And I love fostering their ability to use their imagination and appreciate the beautiful scenery God has surrounded us with. 

What's you're favorite road trip tip?

AHEM.... IS THIS THING ON?

I have so much to write about. I've been wanting to write for months and yet I've undeniably found something to do with my time other than sit down, tap the keys, and spew out my enormous amounts of thoughts. So many great and wonderful things have been happening over here; vacations, graduations, remodels, rapidly growing humans, lifestyle and eating changes, discoveries, and opinions and a few soap boxes have been consuming my daily routines.
I want to share, I'm ready to share and I miss the awareness that writing in this space gave me. I miss the way writing here helped me pay more attention to the details of my day and it reminded me to process my emotions.

I'm so finding the sday that existed back in 2008-20011 - pre chaos. I want to share it. But I think there is a part of me that has been too chicken, because the more I realize that people actually started reading my written thoughts, the more they would judge me. And the more they would know my crazy. But hey, since when have I ever been one to hide my crazy? Never. Thats when.

So screw the judgment, screw the worries, I'm going to write and although I was well below average of every English class I ever took - I was always above average on daily word count, excitement for life, and awesomeness. And that's fun to read about... regardless of my tendency to I use too many commas.

Because every post deserves a picture

BROTHER BEARS

An amazing friend of mine, who also happens to be part of the Flying V's Club commissioned this darling illustration of my baby bears. Can you tell which one is which? She captured their personality perfectly!

You know how I'm all about "signs", horoscopes and hippy, psychic stuff like that? Well did you know that I KNEW this was the house for us when I saw the super random statue of two brother bears in the front yard?! It was as if the universe couldn't have made it any more obvious that this little Bears Den was meant for our growing family.

Here we are two years later and although I had plans to get rid of the "Brother Bears Statue," because it's not really our "thing" to have yard art.... the bears have stayed and it's where the nick name for my babies originated.

These two boys are gaining momentum when it comes to their love and favoritism for one another. They stay up late at night laughing with each other in the same crib. They wake up in the morning with inside jokes as they hide under Otis's crib and giggle until mom or dad finds them. The boys gang up on their sister and they are discovering how to play together in a way I had always imagined. As of late I've noticed their special vocabulary that they share. It's every day words that I hardly even notice until I leave them with a babysitter and I find myself having to give the sitter a "vocab" list with definitions!

Seer-Dots = Cereal

Bun-Tips = Buttons

Billy-Bun-Tips = Belly Buttons

Em-oh-nem-nems = M&M's

Stwaw-bah-bee-bee's = Strawberries

Ash-you-wah-wee = Actually

Ouw-gah-gore = Aligator

The Farm = Rider's Blankey

Poon = Spoon

Even Layla finds herself using their language or providing translation when she's around them. In fact Kday and I now call cereal Seer-Dots. While big sis is at school these boys have really figured out how to play together and it's so fun to listen to them giggle as I fold laundry or wash countertops. They fight as emphatically as they love and my heart swells when I think of how lucky they are to have each other. They are twins at heart, they knew they needed to find two people to get them from Heaven to Earth as close as possible. I'm quite certain they were in on Heavenly Father's plan and they giggled the same way then, as they do now at their inside joke to come to our family 4 months apart. I can't imagine one without the other. They are The Brother Bears. 

NINJA SKILLS

I'm no career woman, my 8-10 hours a month of professional work at the fanciest rehab in town really doesn't qualify me as such. I don't have a PHD in anything or an MBA, the degree I do hold is hardly anything exciting. But I'll tell you what I do have... mad ninja mom skills. And although said ninja skills won't open any doors into an Ivey League school or a New York sky-rise office... they have earned me a few badges of honor that no one can argue with, not to mention an office with the best view in town.

Although these might seem like totally useless skills, they are the details of parenting that remind me that I'm so lucky to be my kids' mom. I'm the only person who can tell you how close #2 is to falling asleep by the way he twiddles his fingers around the binding of his blanky. The smell of #1's morning breath would hardly make anyone else smile, but it does it to me every time. I know where every creaky spot of flooring is in every room of our house - so as not to wake #3, the lightest sleeper of them all. I know who likes honey on their lunch nuggets and who likes raisins instead of fruit snacks. I can tell by the look in their eyes if they're in the perfect window to be laid down for a nap or if we've missed the window and need to press on with the day. I can buckle car seats faster than most and I can tell what kind of day it will be by the way Layla makes her bed or by the cry in which owen lets out a 7am.

It's so crazy when Kday and I have moments of realization that we're grown ups, real live grown ups who are responsible for the lives of the three littles that live under this roof. We all know our kids in great detail and I love that as a mom I get to hone in on my skills every day. There are no promotions in parenting, no bonus checks come Christmas time. To the outside world it seems there's hardly even proof at the end of each day of our success or failure. But in my world, as long as I'm the one that knows the all be it small but significant details and desires of my babies lives... I consider my day a success.