Conversations with my 2 year old...

Yesterday I gave Allie a slice of apple for lunch, I had the other slice for myself...here was our conversations.

A: I need your piece of apple mommy.

V: You have your own piece of apple Allie.

A: But I need yours now mommy.

V: Why Allie?

A: Because it's probably mine...

V: {hands her the apple slice}... What just happened...

A: mommy you want my pretzels? K...

 {hands me a few pretzels}

V: No thank you, mommy is not hungry right now.

A: NO, KEEP THEM MOMMY!!! I have plenty. 

V: o...k...

Allie walking around...toots... "Somebody stinky on me" 

Mimicking daddy...

A: "What the Hell..." {insert creepy smile/smirk} 

Oh there are so many more I can not think of right now... She's a riot... When she's being good :-) 

5 on Friday

Since I don't have an AWESOME computer to blog on I can't link up...so I'm going to do my own "5 on Friday" blog post.  It's 5 random things about my life that you get to know ('cause I'm gonna tell ya).

1) I had a total geek out moment earlier this week when 3 of my best friends; I mean bloggers that I stalk; started following me on Instagram! I feel so popular! They have a podcast that I've started listening to as well as blogs. My only thing is that it covers a lot of current TV shows and I don't watch much TV :-( 

2) Tomorrow we are going to talk to an interior designer to help us pick out paint colors for our house! Eekkk! I can't wait! I hope we find some good ones, and then a good painter who can have this done ASAP :-)

3)  I feel like ALL.MY.FRIENDS.ARE.KNOCKED.UP...enough said (imaybealittlejealousjustalittlebit) 

4) I am loving my 2nd part time job! Getting back into the swing of things, and getting to know all the clients! It is so much fun! I missed working in the water, it is helping me to see OT activities in a different way than I have been for the past 5 school years! And we get to play with a pumpkin 'cause its Halloween time, and they float...and they are heavy, so it is good for strengthening too! 

5) I'm nervous for Halloween...I think Allie is going to hate her costume (pink bunny outfit- it was $4 at Goodwill- new with tags on!) Last year was bad, Allie ran around the street crying and finally we figured out it was because she wanted a lollipop. There's no telling how this year is going to go, but at least we will be in our own neighborhood!

Two weeks in!

We have been in our new house for 2 weeks now! That's crazy to think! We have done so much, but still have so much to do.  We love taking a walk around the block after dinner with Allie. She can pull her wagon, ride her bike, or just run with us. We attempted to try a stroller walk a few days ago, but that ended with Allie pushing the stroller :-) {in reality the walks get a little frustrating when Allie stops every foot to pick up leaves, or 5000000000 acorns...but i have to just take a deep breath and softy push her along} The street is so quiet, I've almost forgot how loud the old street was...almost. 

We are finding the little quirks of the house, popping water pipes with temperature change, the sound of the sprinkler system, and where the few creeks are in the floor. I'm settling into my new space, cleaning this much space with a 2 year old is a little crazy, but I will get used to it over time.  We have changed out the old curtains in the dining room and  formal living room finally! But still have a slew of vertical blinds to get rid of in the kitchen, eat in area, bathrooms, and family room (and on a door! Who puts vertical blinds on a door?! That's cray! We also need to get on the painting bandwagon and get this bad boy in tip top shape! All in good time. 

Speaking of good time, I was able to start another part time job as an Aquatic OT! This was a job I previously had before moving to the schools, and it was so good to get back and see some of my old clients! A lot has changed in about 4 1/2 years! It is such a fun job, very physical, as I am swimming back and forth and physically assisting individuals to maintain good body positions in the pool for about 9 hours. (I don't workout on that day right now :-) ) I'm so glad I can help the company, and it was perfect timing with buying a new house and having to find rented for our old house. I'm hopeful that soon everything will fall into place. 

Hope you all have a wonderful week! 

We're here!

It's official! We now own two houses, and live in the BURBS! I always thought I would live in a cute little "city" home...then I had a kid and everything changed. Needless to say here we are today! I feel so lucky that my husband and I both have amazing jobs (with of course the college degrees and loan debt) that allowed us to, without selling our old house, go out and buy our "dream home".  I'm not saying we're rolling in the dough...but we are comfortable, and will hopefully be more comfortable once we can rent our old house.

Without further a-do lets talk about moving...I.NEVER.WANT.TO.DO.IT.AGAIN!! Seriously I don't know how you all do it...it sucks! We have so much stuff! (Including quite a bit that we need to get rid of...that we had to move to the new house to go through) We hired movers, thank God! But man that was an ordeal! We have had such great support from our parents, helping watch Allie, and our friend Liz helping me paint Allie's room! It turned out so cute! 

So far we have replaced about 1000 sqft of carpet and the flooring in the master bath, had the jacuzzi tub and surrounding wall tile removed (cue my first panic attack...but that's a story for another time), fixed all 3 toilets, 2 shower heads replaced, bought a new fridge (with crazy stupid dimensions), had electric "things" brought up to code (evidently 3 inspectors over looked something that an electrician saw as soon as he walked into our garage), electric outlets added, plumbing added for fridge/utility table, replaced 2 light fixtures, replaced 3 ceiling fans, and began working in the backyard. Whew! This is on top of just cleaning the heck out of EVERYTHING! The house was a little more "dirty" than I expected. We cleaned all the windows, cabinets, pantries, got the carpets cleaned, scrubbed shower tiles, walls wiped down, and just a basic overall disinfect. My fingers were raw from all the vinegar and dawn dish soap! However I was glad we could be fairly "clean" with our cleaners. No scrubbing bubbles or comet over here! 

I've been out walking around the block with Allie multiple times a day and it is amazing and fun! (Until she stops for 30 minutes and collects everything that's on the ground) She enjoys the freedom of being able to walk "on the sidewalk" like a big girl. I went on a run, but got a little lost...and my phone wasn't turned up so I couldn't hear how far I had run.  When I thought I had gone far enough I headed home (it was 2.75 miles...so not bad!) if I would have known I would have went the extra .25 to round out 3 miles.  I haven't been working out like I was...but hopefully now that we are settling in a little I can get some more workouts in...my alarm is set for 5am...wish me luck! 

Allie is learning about the new house, but she is pretty much a crazy girl trying to get into everything and test her limits. On top of the move and everything being different she had been with "babysitters" and grandparents a lot lately, so Scott and I could work in the new house. Now it is up to Scott and I to do some "behavior cleanup".  I can see us entering the phase of terrible 2's (I thought it was starting like a year ago...but this is getting tough!!) And I hear 3 is even more difficult...yay...

But anyway...I will stop boring you and show you some pics :-) Allie's new room, our spread at "closing" on our new house, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary somewhere in there..., and a cute pic of my scrumpy-roo (wearing a handmade outfit from her grandma L). 

Woah there...

Slow down! 2 blog entries in 1 month! That just doesn't happen! ... Well lets face it the house is destroyed and I need a break while the toddler naps. 

It is "mostly" official! We will be closing on our new house in 1 week! This process has taken wayyyy tooooo long to get here! But it's almost go time! I just wanted to share with you today some things that I will miss and not miss about my current home (which we still own because we could not sell...we are going to rent it), and things I am looking forward to at my new home.

Going to miss: 

*My great neighbors - except that motorcycle guy across the street, you might have big muscles but the fact that you get your motorcycle out for the night right after we put the baby down makes me hate you. 

* My gym- J you have helped me loose 40 pounds, you have awesome amenities (I have barely had to wash towels in 3 years), and your child care is far superior to anywhere I have ever seen.

* My cute little old brick house- so many little quirks, original stained glass pocket windows, and a great backyard. 

Things I will NOT miss:

* Busy street! Between motorcycles, stupid orange Mustangs, metro busses, and everyone else I am so tired of being scared to walk out to my car because A might run out into the street.

* Squeaky floor...o.m.g...enough said.

* Crazy steep indoor stairs...really we should say we have a ladder to get up stairs and down stairs.

* One car driveway/garage- ever heard of musical cars...we play it often and I hate that game...the other option would be to park in that street...until you park your new car in the street and it gets hit and towed while you are out of town for the weekend...but that's another story. 

* Lack of good floor plan/space 

Things I am looking forward to:

* Chopping 54 miles off of my daily commute, and 40 off my husbands!

* Being in a good school district!

* Having a neighborhood clubhouse, tennis courts, workout room, and pools! 

* Living on a quiet street!

* Having closets! Seriously! There are 2 "coat" closets and a pantry on the main floor!

* Adding 1 1/2 more bathrooms...more to clean maybe...but I can't wait! 

* Having the feeling that this house is "mine" - I have always felt like I am living at my husbands house...I know it sounds weird, but he had been here before me, bought all the furniture, painted all the walls, and designated areas for certain things. Sure I came along and "helped" shape the house into what it is today, but I am looking forward to having more of a say in the decorating/organizing of the new house.

* Having more space!

I will say my biggest fears with moving is that my family will not come see my as often, 15 extra minutes in the car, and that we will have a 2 story house. I know that's a weird fear, but I've not really ever been in a 2 story house! 

Our new house is younger than me, and has only had the original owners since being built. It needs a little updating but with some new carpet and paint I just know it will look great! 

Enjoy some pics...old house vs new. We're movin' to the burbs! 

GYSTS...IT'S GO TIME!

Ok friends! I follow quite a few bloggers these days. I like it so much more than watch TV or reading magazines, and I feel like I have gained lots of new BFF's. 'Cause let's face it, if I read your blog it's like we hang out every day! (Really they don't know me from Jane, but I can pretend!) 

A few of the bloggers I follow are starting a GYSTS (get your $h¡t together September), and I am in! This month is going to be crazy for us! Closing on our new house, cleaning, moving, renting, on top of working and caring for a 2 year old. I need to have my life in order so I don't loose it this month. I might not sleep, but I hope to have dinner on the table most nights, and workout as much as possible (mainly for my own sanity). I want to have a happy and fun fall, and a happy family through all this chaos. Also, if I could loose these last 6 pounds I would be a happy camper!

So, here are my goals:

Meal plan- and make extras for lunches

Limit soda to 1x/week

Stay close to my calorie allotment for the day

Utilize the gym as much as possible, because come October I will be working out in our new basement and new clubhouse, no more gym membership :-( 

Keep up at work, and keep work at work- plan hard and work efficiently  

BE PRODUCTIVE, YET CALM!!!! (Is it possible to be calm when you buy a 2nd house and have to move?!) 

Hope everyone has a wonderful September! Why not work on getting your self together too!?

Oh, and if you want to meet my blogger friends check them out:

Amber- mother of twins who's lost over 100#- http://www.craftyhealthymommy.com/

NerkyMeg- single mom who has lost a ton of weight also- http://www.nerkyblog.com/

Holly and Hubby Jack- my local bloggers that are hilarious- 

http://www.thestanfieldclan.com/

http://hubbyjacksblogattack.blogspot.com/

My journey this past year...

I'm not sure if I can write everything I want to say in 1 blog post, but this last year has been life changing for me. On the surface I may seem like I have most things together, but inside I used to feel like chaos. Like there was some control missing in my life, and having a baby only magnified it. I had to re-learn my new "norm" adding mom to my list of duties. My house was out of control, because 1/2 of our stuff was packed up and moved to storage to try and sell, we had no schedule, and lack of sleep. At any time my house had to be staged and we had to leave for a showing, which disrupted naps and most dinner times. Needless to say nothing could be planned, I was tired, angry, and not in a good place emotionally. My number 1 issue with myself was my weight. Yea, I had a baby just a year prior, and I had lost all the baby weight, but everything looked and felt different.

On August 1, 2012 I downloaded the LoseIt! App and by tracking my food intake and limiting the amount of calories I ate each day I began loosing weight. I never knew where this journey would take me, but I slowly lost the weight by limiting calories (1500-1700/day, and having a cheat day each week) and working out. I lost an average of 1# per week, and hit a couple plateaus, some mental some more physical. I kept hitting my "goal weight", and my final goal was my lowest high school weight. Today I am happy to say I am 5 pounds lighter than I was in high school! (I'm middle school weight) talk about nuts! I am 37.2 pounds lighter then when I got pregnant back in 2010, and 15 pounds lighter then when I got married in 2008.

I'm not sure where I'm going from here...of course I feel like there is always room to improve. I already plan my meals a little better, continue to track daily calorie intake with MyFitnessPal, and workout daily. I wish I could curb my sugar addiction, and eat more "clean"... But those things will come over time. I recently started to use the HIIT workouts like 30 day shred, and Insanity on my "off" days (days I can't make it to the gym). I lift heavy weights, and am able to run a 5K without blinking an eye. My core feels strong, and I feel comfortable in clothes- and I can shop at any store! 

I have had a lot of support and motivation this past year and it has helped tremendously! Thank you to everyone who has sent me positive notes and messages you all know who you are. Lets keep up

 this healthy lifestyle and see where we are in another year! Until then, I'm going to apologize in advance for all the "selfies" on IG 😁 enjoy some selfie pics of me from over the past few years 😉