A very homemade Christmas

I am so impressed by my sister in law Jen's craftiness. She made all homemade gifts for Xander this year and I couldn't be more thrilled with each of them! Some people would think - ugh, homemade gifts are so boring. Not true! The things she made are so awesome and I am very thankful for each of them!

Here are the pictures of the things she made.

Curious George blanket
I realize this isn't as hard to make as some things- she just sewed down the edges of fleece fabric. But it was still such a kind thought because we like Curious George stuff for Xander since he loves his stuffed George so much. Plus it was homemade and a better deal than buying a blanket pre-made. I just love it and Xander is already sleeping with it at night!




Adorable little brown shoes
These are similar to Robeez but with the benefit of not being so expensive! I guess in my case they were free but she has told me they don't cost much to make either - just time!

Homemade letter book

This is seriously one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. It is a beautiful book and has the letters a-z with something representing each letter on each page. This had to have been so time consuming! It is something I know we will treasure forever!

This adorable long sleeved shirt with a sewn on fabric tie

Jen's son Sam was wearing one of these on Christmas and I thought it was so cute and then we opened Xander's gifts and there was one for Xander! So cute!

How fun are these gifts? I am so thankful for each and every one! What fun gifts to get!

Let it snow....again!!!

Oh man. My last post was about the ridiculous amount of snow we got and here I am again writing about the snow! We were so lucky to come home to all of this snow on Christmas day. When we came home the snow was so deep in our driveway that we wouldn't have even made it in with the Jeep! We had to park in our neighbors driveway until we could scoop out the driveway enough to get the car in the garage. When we knocked on our neighbors door to ask if it was ok to park there, he offered to help us clear our driveway with his snowblower. We would have spent hours scooping but were able to avoid it because of our neighbors generosity! Here are some more pictures of what we were dealing with!

Let it snow!

This last week, we got about 10 inches here in Omaha. Some areas got a little more around here but needless to say we were up to our ears in snow! We also had some huge drifts as you can see in some of the pictures. Also, check out our crazy dog loving the snow in some of the pictures.

I didn't go to work on Wednesday so we had a family day and Todd and I spent a good part of the day shoveling snow. It was pretty but a pain to deal with! I had to leave super early for work the next two days after it snowed because the driving was so slow!

We took lots of pictures of the snow and here they are!

Cousins

Last week for Thanksgiving, we went to my mom's house in Lincoln where we had the whole family together. My mom wanted a picture of her 4 grandchildren for her Christmas card so we took a few. Here are a few of the ones that turned out ok. None of them are great, but that is what happens when you have 4 little kids, all under 2 1/2. Enjoy!

living the dream.....or not

Oh man. I have no free time anymore since I started my job and it totally sucks! I used to have all the time in the world every day and loved it. I could do what I wanted when I wanted and had no one to answer to but my husband. And even then, he wasn't very demanding.

Now, I live and die by the clock and a very strict schedule. I hate it. I hate working and there is no nice way to say it. It is probably because of the type of job I am doing. I know I enjoy working in the financial industry, even if the stock market tanked last year and everybody is mad they lost so much money. I love the technical aspect of it and the numbers and rules and such.

I know already that the job I am doing right now is something I won't last long in. If I have to stay in the position I am in now, I will quit or get fired. I am going to do my best in the job I am in and try to get promoted to a different job within the company. I think I am going to try to get more licenses so I look more attractive to other departments so they will hire me. Or, heaven forbid, I could end up looking elsewhere for a job once I get my Series 24. I am just certain that if I have to do this job any longer than 5-6 months, I am literally going to go crazy.

I'll be honest. Customer service type jobs are just not my thing. Too bad the last few years that I have worked have ALL been in a customer service job in one form or another. I am done with it. I just can't handle it anymore. I know I shouldn't complain because I just spent the last 11 months not working and staying home with my son. But unfortunately for me, 11 months was not long enough of a break!

It is so odd to me because I have read several random blogs where the women talk about how boring their job is - how they never have anything to do or nothing worthwhile and they get bored so easily. If only I had that type of job! I am the kind of girl that could fill a lot of free time. I can waste time with the best of them and I would always find something to do. I wish I had that kind of time on my hands! I just wonder how much these women get paid. Surely it can not be that much to literally do nothing all day. I have so much to do each day that I can barely get it all done! I would kill to have a job where I had the chance to get bored!

It is just strange to me how people end up in the jobs they do. Obviously, a lot of people end up in a job because that is what they went to school for. But sometimes, people who have a college degree don't even do a job in the field they have a degree in. Also, people like me who don't have a degree just find whatever they can that pays decent and try to build on that. I got into the financial industry just by luck at the beginning and I realized I liked it ended up being good at it too. If I had gone to college, I doubt finance would have been what I wanted to major in. I think it would have been something more like the medical field. Too bad I made the poor choice of not going to college. Although I will say one last thing. Even without a college degree, I was making more at my age then my husband who has a college degree was at the same age. And I am even a female and females tend to get paid less! My last job before having Xander spoiled me in the salary field because anything less than what I made there seems like nothing.

Whatever.

Xander is 1!

Gosh, I think if you ever read my blog, you can tell I haven't been on here much at all. I have had no time to write since I started my job. I just finished my fifth week of work and I am just still not used to it and I haven't settled into a good schedule yet. I think my schedule will be changing once training is over so I didn't want to get too used to my schedule. Anyway, this is going to be a long one since it has been so long so just fair warning.

Xander's first birthday was yesterday! I cannot believe my baby is 1 already! It is so fun to see him change but it is a little sad too that the first year seemed to go by so fast. I am excited though to see how much he changes this next year. He isn't walking yet but can stand for a few seconds, walks behind his push toy and cruises along the furniture with ease. He can't say many words yet but he can imitate us when we say 'mama' and 'dada'. The other fun thing he just started doing is waving. I am hoping he will be walking by Christmas so the family can see him doing it. If not, oh well - he will do it eventually!

His party went really well and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. The theme was 'Curious George' since he has a stuffed George that he loves so much. We had the party at noon and served lunch. We got a really yummy cake and Xander had his own little smash cake with a '1' on it. We ordered the cake from The Cake Gallery here in Omaha after a few recommendations from my co-workers. I told them I needed to order a cake and several people said they have the best cakes in town. We ordered a cake with Curious George on it and when we ordered the cake, they gave us a free smash cake with our order since it was his first birthday. I will definitely get a cake from there again in the future.

Xander got some fun toys for his birthday and he has already played with several of them. He got some fun bath toys too which I know he will love. The kid already likes to take baths so the toys will make it even more fun for him!

I can't believe his party came and went so fast. It seems like I was planning the party for a long time and it seemed like it was far off for a long time then suddenly it was here! It's weird that he is now 1 and no longer my little baby. I guess now it is time to write the thank you notes!

On to another subject - my new job. I don't know any nice way to say this - I don't really like it. I think part of it is the fact that I don't want to have to work full time at all and I resent it. Part of it is that I don't enjoy answering phone calls at all. I am so over any job in customer service and though this isn't directly customer service, it is pretty similar since it requires I answer the phone all day and help the caller with whatever they need. The nice thing is, it is not the end customer that I am talking to.

I guess this would be a good time to explain what I do exactly. I work at a Broker/Dealer firm. If you don't know anything about the financial industry then you may not get it but we are the middle man between a financial advisor and a clearing firm. Again, those are terms you may not get if you don't work in the financial industry. My company basically makes it possible to do the everyday stuff you need to do to be a financial advisor and help your clients with their accounts. Anyway, I don't have to talk to clients about their accounts (or at least not very often) but I talk to the advisors when they have procedural questions. I have my 7 and 63 so technically I can place trades but I don't at my current job. I already know that after I have been there a while and hopefully gotten my series 24 then I am going to apply for a job in compliance/anti-money laundering. I know I would enjoy a job like that a lot more than the one I have now. I will need to get a few more licenses but you don't have to have them before you get the job, you just have to be able to get them soon after you start the job. I know after taking my 7 that those tests are hard, but doable if you study enough. I am just counting down the days until I can move on to another job within the company. I figure a good goal is to be out of my current job within 6 months. I am not sure I will be able to stand it much longer than that.

I rejoined weight watchers about a month ago and though I lost a total of about 7 pounds since I started, I feel like I have either gained most or at least some of it back by now. I really haven't been following the plan and I am not sure why. This coming week, I decided I am getting back on track, even with Thanksgiving. I look at it this way - it is only one day and even if I eat what I want, I can get right back to it once it is over. I also know that the food you eat at Thanksgiving doesn't have to be that bad if you don't make it. I know turkey is lean and having a small portion of potatoes and maybe some corn isn't so bad. I just have to limit how much I eat and not eat dessert at all or have a very small serving. Even if I give in a little more than I should, it won't ruin my diet forever. I know it is going to be harder to eat well since the holidays are coming, but I think it is a choice and I have to choose to eat well period. I know I am the only one who can decide for myself what and how much I am going to eat. I also decided it is time to start working out again. I just want to feel strong and fit even if I am not skinny. I feel like I have no muscle anymore and lifting heavy stuff is a lot harder than it used to be. My kiddo is not getting any smaller and lifting him is becoming harder so I want to be able to lift him without it being so difficult.

I have already started Christmas shopping and I even wrapped a few gifts last night. I have a lot more shopping to do, but most of it will have to wait until next weekend when we get our paychecks. I am going to try to be at least 75% done after next weekend so I won't have much left and have to feel stressed about it. I wanted to get some of the Christmas stuff out this weekend so we can start getting it put up, but Todd works later tonight so I don't know if he will be in any mood to get up into the attic and get stuff out for me. I might just have to wait until this week or next weekend. I am excited to get the Christmas stuff out and put up since I love, love, love Christmas! I can't wait to decorate but I am going to have to be more careful this year since Xander is into everything. I think I am going to try to decorate pretty close to how I normally do it and just try to teach him not to touch, but I do have to think about safety also. We will just have to see what happens. I also don't know what to get for the kiddo for Christmas. He is still too young to remember what we get him and he already has so many toys that I am thinking about either getting him nothing or getting him something small or even something practical like clothes.

I have a bunch of stuff to do today and it is already 11 and I have gotten nothing done. I need to get in the shower since I have several errands to run. It sucks because the weekends always seem so short and go by so fast that I am never able to get everything done that I want to get done. I know I am the one who sets my own standards for my house and my life and what I want to get done, but I feel like I never do everything I want to do. I just hate having only 2 days to get everything done that I want to get done. I guess most of the world is in that same boat so I should quit complaining.

Here are some pictures from Xander's birthday. I wish that we would have taken more pictures. I basically did everything at the party so Todd had to take pictures and he didn't take as may as I would have. Here are a few that we did get. He is getting to be so big!

The new job

Man, I haven't been writing much on here at all because I have been so busy, or at least have felt like I am so busy. I swear I have no time to do anything in the evenings anymore since getting a job.

I guess I will start there. I got a job and started two weeks ago. The job is similar to my old job, but they pay is a lot less. That is ok though because the job is easier too with less stress. The other thing is, there is a chance to get a couple of raises in the next year anyway with passing some tests. I think I am going to go for any raises I can since I don't want to work forever, especially if we have another baby and the more money I make, the faster we get to our financial goals. Anyway, so far it's going ok. I met a girl who started at the same time as me that I really like. I get along with her really well and it is fun to have someone to talk to so the days go by faster. She is the best thing about the job so far - I don't think I am going to love the actual job I do that much but I have a plan.

My last job was on the phones all the time and this one is too. My plan is to work in this job only as long as I have to, no longer. I want to get more licenses (24 and 65) and pass their own testing they have for employees and then move on to compliance. That is my ultimate goal - did I mention I work at a financial institution? Anyway, the job I am doing is pretty much the only one at the company that is a phone job. There is a whole department of the same job I do, but I want to move on to something that is not on the phones. Customer service is not my passion - my passion would be something more analytical. I like policies and rules and enforcing them and I think a compliance job would be awesome.

Xander started going to daycare last week and he seems to be doing well with it so far. He is going to our neighbors so that is reassuring for us. I know lots of people take their kids to a daycare center, but in some ways they seem like kid factories. I just don't want to have to use a daycare center if I don't have to. I may have to at some point in the future but would like to avoid it as long as possible.

My birthday was last week and Todd and I went to dinner and brought Xander along. He did really well and we enjoyed a nice meal. Todd's birthday is this weekend and we also have Halloween tomorrow night. It will be fun this year since Xander is almost a year and we are going to dress him up and also get together with the neighbors after trick or treating for some dinner. Also, my side of the family is coming up on Sunday for lunch to celebrate Todd's and my birthday. It should be a fun weekend, but I am sure like every weekend, it is going to go by super fast now that I am working. Booo.

Nothing else new with us overall. We are amazed that Xander's first birthday is in three weeks! I am not even done planning his party yet so I need to work on that for real!

Busy busy

Man, has it really been that long since my last post? It's not like my life is that interesting but since getting a job, I feel like I haven't had any time to do anything! My house is a mess, I haven't worked out this week and Xander's room is even getting messy and I always clean it! I haven't folded his laundry that has been clean for four days and my own clothes are piling up on my dresser.

It doesn't really feel real yet that I have a job. Probably because I am just in training now and that isn't really work. It is also a horrible feeling in general because I am not with my kiddo every day now. The nice thing is, this week my kiddo is only at daycare 2 1/2 of the 5 days. We actually found just about the ideal daycare setup. My neighbor right across the street asked if she could watch our son. She has three kids, one of which was born about a month ago. She wanted to stay at home, but needed a little income to justify it, so she asked to watch our son since she knew I was going back to work. It was perfect for us since we were looking for daycare and it's also cheaper than a center. We also really like them so we trust them with our son. So far it has gone well and she said he has been pretty good.

I am not sure how I feel about working in general, but I know that it is something I don't want to do forever if I don't have to, especially if we have another baby. If we don't end up having another kid, then I will probably end up working long term. I am glad I got to stay home with Xander as long as I did, but I am still so sad about not being home with him anymore. I wish I could have found a work at home job, but nothing really seemed to be out there so for now I am working full time.

I am just hoping this weekend I can get caught up on everything and even get stuff planned for next week so my life isn't so chaotic and disorganized. We'll see how it goes.

Growing so fast!

Just thought I would share a video of my kiddo climbing the steps. I have no idea if he is fast learning for his age as far as steps go but it amazes me that he can already do this becuase it seems like he was just born! He is getting close to his first birthday! Crazy!

The Huskers, a job and a few other things.

Well, I have been lazy about writing anything recently and I also feel like NOTHING interesting is going on in my life other than crappy stuff and day to day boring stuff.

That is, nothing has been interesting until the last few days.

I had an interview on Wednesday. The Huskers came from behind for an awesome win last night. Today I got offered the job I interviewed for on Wednesday.

There you have it. The only things interesting going on right now.

I don't want to get too into the job thing since technically it isn't final yet. If it does work out, I have probably one week to find daycare for Xander. That makes me a little nervous, but I am sure it can be done. I also need to get just a few new articles of clothing to wear to work so I don't end up wearing the same thing every day to work!

I also feel weird about probably having only a little over a week left to do whatever I want to do. It is weird to have such a freedom to do whatever you want most of the time (within reason of course since I have the kiddo to take care of and watch). I can no longer run to the store any time during the day, wear pajamas half of the day and not shower until 3 pm. I can't sleep in anymore or not put on makeup and not do my hair. It is weird how everything I do every day is going to change. I am very, very sad to put my child in daycare. I know people do it every day, but I still feel very guilty about it.

I don't think I have a lot more to say about the issue right now, so I guess that's it.

Well, except this picture. I think it says it all!

Monthly check up

Alrighty, it's that time again. I am going to list my goals for the month and update my previous goals and note how I did with them. I don't think I did very well last month, but let's take a look.



1. Lose 8 pounds. Lofty I know but I really need to lose more and Todd and I both want to work on this more so if we do it together, we will be more likely to succeed. Ha! Yeah right. Not even close. I haven't been on the scale in a while but I know I haven't lost any. I am pretty sure I didn't gain any though so I guess that is good, right?

2. Find a job. Full time, part time, doesn't matter at this point. I just need one! Not yet, but I have interviewed a few places and have another interview this week, so I guess I am on the right track.

3. Organize the family room once and for all. It is always a mess and there are many things sitting around that I need to find a permanent home for. It won't always be perfectly clean because we have all of Xander's toys there but it could be a lot cleaner around the edges. Nope, didn't get this one done either, but I am actually working on it and it is better right now than it has been. Still need to work on this one.

4. Run 25 minutes in a row without stopping at least 5 times. I am in week 6 of couch to 5k and tomorrow I am supposed to do my first 25 minute run. After that, every workout is pretty much a minimum of 25 minutes of running (in a row with no stopping). I don't know how well I will do with this but I sure am going to try! I ended up giving up the running in favor of walking because I can walk a lot longer and walk every day instead of every other day and therefore burn more calories. It was a well intentioned plan, but hasn't panned out because I started out walking and then quit and haven't walked in over a week. Ack! I have to get back to it!

5. Order some stuff for Xander's birthday party. I think I am going to order napkins and a few other decorations. We are going to do a Curious George theme so I am going to get a few items from the collection of party supplies. I actually have ordered invitations, napkins, thank you notes and balloons! I will probably get some more stuff but it is a start!

6. Make a practice cake. I am going to try and make a very complicated cake for X's party and I need to buy some cake and frosting to make a practice cake. I am doing this so I can figure out what works and what doesn't so I don't mess it all up the day before his party. Not yet, but I did buy a few cake mixes and some frosting, so I am getting there. I am planning on doing it in the next few weeks for sure.

7. Scrapbook more. I am SOOOOO far behind right now on X's scrapbook - I am not even done with month 5 yet and he is in his 10th month right now! Yikes! I need to order pictures to catch up. I would like to be to month 8 by the end of this month. I did a little bit on this too, but not as much as I needed to. I have ordered pics recently so if I keep at it, I could get a lot done in a short amount of time.

8. Have a rough layout for our Christmas card. I want to make our own Christmas cards this year. We are going to get a family picture taken for X's 1 year pictures (some family and some of just him) and we are going to order enough of the 4.5x5 pictures so I can use them for a Christmas card. I have a few ideas for this already but I want to get a better idea. Nope, haven't even thought about this one really. I think since it is like 2 1/2 months until Christmas, I am going to start thinking about this a lot more now.


Ok, now for this months' goals!

1. Practice cake for X's birthday. That is a big priority this month.

2. Get a job. Also a big priority this month. I am closer to the goal, but not there yet.

3. Organize the family room. I got a start on it but need to finish it.

4. Lose some weight. I won't set an actual number since I haven't been doing so well with this. If I get a job, I told Todd one of the first things I am going to do is go back and join Weight Watchers again. I lost 12 pounds in just over a month back in June so I know it can be done!

5. Have plans for X's party finalized or close to it. I need to decide on the rest of the decorations and the menu for lunch.

6. Scrapbooking. This is something I still want to work on since I am so far behind.

7. Clean out my closet. This will be especially important if I get a job. I need to figure out what I have for work clothes and fall/winter clothes and make a list of what I really need. This list will also depend on if I end up losing weight too. Bleh.

8. Get Christmas lists together for me, Todd and Xander and start buying a few gifts for family so it doesn't all have to be bought at once. Also, work on an idea for our Christmas card.

I think that will do it for now! Wish me luck - I think I need it this month!

October Photo Hunt

I couldn't get the picture from the website to post here, but if you want to see all about this photo hunt, you can see it here. I am really going to try to do better this time with the photos. The last few times I did these I didn't do very good and I had to take a couple of crappy pictures to finish it up so I am going to try to get all good pictures this time.

Here are the items to photograph this time:


1. A Fall Activity

2. A Fall Treat

3. A Harvest

4. Leaves

5. Fall Colors

6. Something Orange

7. Something Spooky

8. A Cemetery

9. A Costume

10. A Black & White Photo

11. A Critter

12. Symmetry

13. Contrast

14. Texture

15. A Logo/ Mascot

16. Something Neon

17. Something Inspiring

18. Something Entertaining

19. Something Fast

20. Something Slow

Isn't this sweet?

I received not one, but two emails from family members today regarding the same subject.

To say I am a Husker fan is an understatement. To say my husband is a Husker fan is the understatement of the century! My husband can spend hours a day reading about football and following recruiting. He is a little crazy about it - but it is cute. Husker football is his thing.

Anyway, I am just copying this but I thought it was so cool! I am proud to say I am from Nebraska and I hope we are always known for our hospitality and kindness.






----- This says it all......Go BIG Red!!!!

jaywalker blog by Jay Walker

This is my 18th season covering Cajuns' football. And, for eight years before that, I had the opportunity to broadcast selected games on TV as well.
I've been to nine SEC stadiums. (I'll go to a 10th next season at Georgia). I've seen the Grove at Ole Miss, experienced the Gator Chomp, the Mississippi State cowbells, been a part of Alabama football in both Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. I've been called "Tigerbait" in Baton Rouge and experienced some pretty good hospitality in South Carolina.
I've said hello to the folks at Illinois and Minnesota. Felt September heat in Tempe, Arizona.
Been to Manhattan, Lubbock, Austin, Stillwater and College Station. College Station was probably the best. Folks say "Howdy" when they see you. And they say "welcome."
Haven't been to the Horseshoe, the Big House or Happy Valley. Nor have I seen Touchdown Jesus.
But I've been to College Football Nirvana.
It's located in Lincoln, Nebraska.
From the time we touched down ("Welcome to Lincoln," the police officers doing the escort said) to the time we left the stadium ("Thanks so much for coming. Have a safe trip home. We hope you'll come back again"), every Cajun fan felt like a guest.
That's right. A guest. Not the opposition ... not the enemy ... a guest.
Check into the Cornhusker Marriott, not far from campus. Fans of Big Red Nation are already there. Smiles, handshakes ... Welcome to Lincoln. Good luck tomorrow.
Board the bus for dinner. Arrive at Misty's, Lincoln's famous steakhouse (I mean, you gotta eat a steak, right?). There were about 25 in our party. We had to wait about 20 minutes for them to get everything ready. No problem. As soon as the patrons saw the Cajun gear, they wanted to talk ... introduce themselves ...welcome to Lincoln ... thanks so much for coming. Hope you enjoy the game ...
Is this for real??
And, it continued throughout the evening and into the night. We made lots of friends. We Cajun people make friends pretty easily, but it's even easier when folks want to be friends.
In Lincoln, they all want to be your friend.
Game day is different in Lincoln. They tailgate, sure, but it's tougher because, well, there's just not a lot of tailgaiting spots. But they do open the soccer field next to the stadium. Families can let the kids roam free. Nebraska radio does a pregame show there. And, a band plays during the commercial breaks.
I did an interview at the soccer field wi th the Nebraska radio folks. And then, had a pretty good trek to the media entrance. At each gate, the sight was the same. Hundreds lined up, waiting for the gates to open so they could get into the stadium and watch their team warm up.
By the time Nebraska came out, about 45 minutes before kickoff, the stadium was about 65 percent full. There was no "hey, let's stay outside and pound a few more beers."
Because it was game day. And they came to see football.
By the time the band was ready to come out, 86,000 strong were in their seats. They stood and clapped along when the Cornhusker Band played "Fight on Cajuns" to honor their guests. And when the band played "There is no Place Like Nebraska," I knew that the statement was true.
For the first time ever in my years covering the Cajuns, I did not hear a single boo when the Cajuns came out of their tunnel onto their sidelines; in fact, I heard a smattering of applause.
During the game, 86,000 cheered as Nebraska rolled. They didn't leave at halftime to go out and start drinking (and remember it was 34-0 at the half). Some were outside, but they had passes to get back in, and by the time the second half was ready to kick off, they were all back in their seats.
In the fourth quarter there were STILL over 80,000 in the stands. Security keeps an eye out for the sign of alcohol in the stands, which is20how trouble starts. If they see alcohol they don't turn a blind eye. After all, college football is about a FAMILY atmosphere.
And when it ended, the fans stayed for another Cornhusker tradition. They applauded the Cajuns as they left the field.
Now you might say, sure, it's easy to clap for someone when you just beat them, 55-0. But they do that when their team LOSES. The newspaper on Saturday morning reprinted a handwritten letter from Florida State coach Bobby Bowden after the Seminoles got a hard-fought 18-14 win years ago. Yep, the Nebraska fans cheered them as they left.
More of the same post-game. There was a young man in a wheelchair where the Cajun players were getting their postgame meal. As each player came out, the young man thanked them for coming and wished them safe travels home. Many of the players stopped to chat for a minute.
Then it was over. And, as the buses left for the airport, the fans that were still there waved and applauded. No one-finger salutes. No "you suck" chants. Simply, safe travels, my friends.
If the two teams should play again in the future, plan ahead, Cajun Fans. Make the long drive or the relatively short flight. Come in Friday. Leave Sunday. And, you will learn what REAL college football atmosphere is about.
Because, trust me ... there is no place like Nebraska.

Hilarious!

I recently changed the name of my blog. I originally thought 'a day in the life' was clever, cute and fitting for me. Then I realized there was as least one or two other blogs with the same name. I realize there are probably millions of blogs out there so I shouldn't have been so surprised when I realized this.

So tonight, I am looking around at other blogs and I found at least 3 more with the same name or almost the same name - crazy!

So if you really care, here a few more blogs with the same name (they have the same name, I changed mine). They say great minds think alike right......?

http://journalingjules.blogspot.com/

http://www.the-life-of-lisa.com/

http://rxbambi.blogspot.com/

http://sarahpuglisi.blogspot.com/

http://sorenson.blogspot.com/

http://krgreenlee.blogspot.com/

There you have it. A lot of people thought the same thing I did about the name (although they had the idea earlier than me I fear). I am still trying to come up with a better name for mine. Ideas?

Fun stuff.

ahhh, memories

I was walking on the treadmill today and I was listening to 'Eye of the Tiger' and it brought back one vivid and powerful memory for me.

You see, back in the day I was a swimmer. A terrible one, but still. I was a swimmer off and on for about 7 years. I started when I was 8 and quit after my sophomore year of high school. I actually quit just because I wasn't very good, but I would have had to quit anyway because I ended up getting mono my junior year.

I have some fond memories of swimming - even though I was probably one of the worst on the team. I still liked the people I swam with and made some friends.

So anyway, the memory is of the song - the boys team would always listen to that song in their locker room before the swim meets started. We could always hear it echoing out into the pool area and it was a bit comical. I thought it was silly at the time and I don't know how seriously the guys took themselves, but it seemed it was pretty serious. The girls didn't have a song like the boys but we did have a few of our own rituals.

This post isn't really about that song either, even though I just talked about. This is about my coach. I had a few things I would have liked to say to him if I would have had the chance. When you are an awkward high school student, it is harder to say the things you want to say and also you get smarter as you get older and know what to say better than you would have in the past. So here is what I would say to him - I guess I will phrase it like a letter.

Dear Coach Fleming,

I wanted to say thank you for being a great coach when I swam for you in high school. You were an awesome coach because you were level headed (most of the time) and fair. You didn't treat me like crap because I wasn't a great swimmer. You still tried to help me get better even though you knew deep down, there wasn't much hope for me to ever be very good.

You made swimming fun for us and let us have our time to joke around while still making sure we got our practices done and done well. You didn't put up with a lot of crap but you weren't mean either. When we had get togethers out side of the pool, you were fun to be around. I was proud to say you were my coach. The cool thing was, you were also cool outside of the swimming realm. You were an administrator at our school and I always enjoyed seeing you in the halls and your presence was calming and encouraging. You didn't smile a whole lot but when you did, we knew you were really happy.

I have great memories of swimming and though I never went down in school history for breaking any records, I can still look back with fond memories and a smile on my face, not feeling like swimming was a bad experience for me.

Thanks for everything you did.

Me

Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time....

-I was skinny!

-I wore a size 4/6!

-I wasn't embarrassed of my size every time I walked out the door.

-I worked out 6 days a week.

-I did cardio for an hour at a time.

-I did a full weight workout after each cardio session.

-I wore fitted clothes when I went to the gym and looked pretty good in them.

-I had so many choices of what to wear since everything looked pretty good on me.

-I was skinny but still thought I was fat then - I had no idea.

-My sister told me while I was wearing a bikini that I had nothing to be embarrassed about (since I was insecure wearing it).

-I ate very carefully and didn't indulge very often.

-I actually was at a weight some people might have been jealous of.

-I was called 'hot' by more than one guy. I know I shouldn't have cared about this then and still shouldn't now, but it was flattering.



Gone are those days. But oh, how I wish they were back. There are many things about my life at the time that I wouldn't want back, but the skinny body is something I would take. All I want is to feel good about myself - there hasn't been one day in the last 2-3 years that I looked in the mirror and liked everything I saw. Every once in a while, I will think my hair looks ok or my outfit is ok, but never the whole package.

Anyway, it is up to me to change how I look - no one else can do it for me. I have been doing good off and on with eating right and exercising, but I haven't been consistent since about June. My goals are as follows:
Lose 10 lbs by my birthday, 20 by Xander's birthday and 30 by Christmas. I guess if I even get to half of the 30 by Christmas I will be happy but I want to get all the way there. If I am going to get there, I had better get going!

Ode to 5 years

I cannot believe my husband and I have been married for 5 years! We celebrated our 5th anniversary on Friday, September 18th. We were able to celebrate on our actual anniversary which was nice.

We went to dinner and a movie. For dinner, we went to our favorite restaurant - Lazlo's. We have gone there since we were dating. The funny thing is, when we met, we lived in Lincoln and that is where we went to eat. When we moved to Omaha a month after getting married, we would have to drive to Lincoln to eat at Lazlo's. They opened one here in Omaha 2 years ago so now, we can go to eat at our favorite restaurant here in town! That is awesome for us!

We went and saw the movie "The Hangover". It was pretty funny. We don't go to movies hardly at all so it was fun to get to one. In fact, this is only the second movie we have been to since our son was born - partially to save money and partially for convenience sake.

Looking back, I can't really remember what we did for each anniversary except for our third. I got a crazy idea a few months before our anniversary that year that we should take a trip. I started researching ideas and we ended up taking a trip to San Francisco/Napa Valley. Now, I haven't been a whole ton of places in my life, but that was by far my favorite vacation! We had so much fun and loved Napa so much!

I would say the best thing to happen to us in the last 5 years (besides just being married to each other) is having our little boy, Xander! We cannot imagine life without him and love him so much!

Here is a picture of us on our anniversary! Here's to many, many more! Or, as my husband put it in his card to me - "Happy 5th Anniversary! Let's go for 50!" I couldn't agree more! :)

No way!!!!

Has this ever happened to you?

Here is the story - I have been looking for a Halloween costume for Xander for a couple of months now. It's not because I love Halloween so much like some people but because this is his first Halloween, he will be 11 months old and I thought it would be fun to dress him up! I don't even know if we will go trick or treating but we are probably going to get together with the neighbors so I can at least take him over in his costume and take lots of pictures! Anyway, I have been trying to decide what to do, going back and forth from wanting to do a monkey to not really caring what we do. The monkey is the only idea I really had and I have seen other things I liked, but really only had the monkey in mind at first. So the one I liked the most is the Old Navy monkey costume. A close second would be a Curious George monkey costume.

So....today I am cleaning out Xander's closet, thinking that I have to make more room for the clothes we just got from my sister-in-law. I started with the hanging stuff - I took out some stuff that is too small and found a few things that he will fit in soon to wash. I remember my sister-in-law, Amy, had given us a couple of costumes and I just wanted to look at them again to see what they were. So I open the bag and there is this cute little dog/dalmatian costume that says it fits size 2-4. Cute, but a little too big for this year!

No, the story doesn't end there. I look at the other costume and realize it is the OLD NAVY MONKEY COSTUME! In a size 12-24 months! I cannot believe the monkey costume that I wanted was right in Xander's closet! That is so weird and I am so excited! My only concern is that it might be a little big, but I looked at it and I think we can make it work! Yay for us! No spending money - that is one of the best parts! I am so thankful for hand-me-downs and that we don't have to step foot outside our house or spend a penny to have a costume for Xander!

No cable and some other things.

- We haven't had cable for several months now. I think we get enough programs on the basic channels that we get for free. Recently, our NBC station hasn't been coming through. We tried everything, switching the channels on the antenna, switching out antennas with the one in the basement and trying to add metal objects near the antenna to see if it would help with reception. We did finally get it working again and I am so pleased! I thought I was going to die without NBC (not really)! Even if we suddenly had a lot more money, I am not sure we would get cable again right away as I kind of like not having 500 options for what to watch - it just confuses things!

- Xander is getting so good at standing and pulling himself up to his knees. I expect him to pull himself to standing any day now - although it could still be weeks, but it seems like he is so close!

- I have applied for jobs off and on for the last few months, but never got a phone call on any of them. The weird thing is, all of a sudden, I heard from 4 jobs at once! I already went in for some testing and a preliminary interview for one job and I am in the process of setting up an interview for the second job. I don't want to get a job, but feel like I have to at this point and at least I finally have something in the works.

- I did my first hour long walk on the treadmill on Tuesday and am going to do another one today. Even though it seems to go on forever, it is a lot easier for me and I am able to burn a lot of calories since I can stick with it for so long!

- I chopped off my hair recently. Did I already mention that? I had let it grow quite a bit and it was getting pretty damaged on the ends and I knew I needed a cut but didn't know if I wanted to trim it or just chop it off. I have had mostly short hair for the last 7 years or so and was trying to grow my hair out. The problem was, because I am a mom, I didn't care too much about doing my hair and I ended up pulling it back everyday. Now that it is short again, I have to do it more and I think it looks pretty cute! I am happy with my cut and also, I started going to a new girl and I love the way she cut my hair!

- Some people have way too much time on their hands. That was my facebook status update recently and it is so true. The way some people live their lives just amazes me. Have you ever noticed that some people will do or say anything to get attention or sympathy? What is wrong with these people? Why do they feel so attention starved? What happened to them as children? Were they neglected? I just don't get it. Don't get me wrong, from time to time I want attention or don't mind when people make me feel better about what is going on with my life, but I don't constantly seek out attention.

- My kiddo has become even more mobile recently (though he doesn't walk yet) and he is now finding it fun to get stuck in ridiculous places. We have our printer under our end table in our family room (don't ask) and he thinks it is fun to crawl back there and get stuck. He has actually started to crawl over the printer and has gotten stuck on his belly on it. It is like he 'bottoms out' like a car getting stuck on something under the middle of it. It is comical to see but he usually ends up screaming to get help to get out of his predicament! Ah, the joys of a mobile child!

- The second child debate is still ongoing for us. I am still not sure I want another child and my child is almost 10 months old. My sister and sister in law both knew they wanted another baby by the time their kid was 10 months and in fact, I think they both started trying around then. HA! I can't even IMAGINE trying for another kid right now! I think one of the major reasons is that we are feeling pretty poor right now. We still have to pay off the hospital bills from our first kid (which will be pretty soon) before I would even consider having a second baby. Also, I think even if we did have another baby, we would end up spacing them a little farther apart anyway. If everything in life goes the way we want, I imagine the soonest we would try to have another baby is around Xander's second birthday, possibly a little later. We will just have to see what the future brings.

- Tomorrow is our 5th anniversary! Has it really been 5 years already? I think that is crazy but am excited for our date tomorrow night! I love my hubby! :)

Executive decision made.

So today I made the decision to stop my couch to 5k workouts. No, I am not really quitting in the normal sense of the word. I have come to a few conclusions with following this whole plan and here is what I figured out:

- When I run, I get really sore and need to take the next day off from working out. This doesn't really fit with my plan to lose weight because I feel like I need to work out at least 5 days a week to really have it make enough difference to lose weight.
- I burn out a lot faster in my workouts if I run than if I walk. I know with most walking workouts, you would have to walk a lot longer to get the same benefits as running and also to burn as many calories. I like to do my walks at a really steep incline on the treadmill and also at a fast pace to burn a lot more calories than regular walking.
- I want to add in more weights to my workouts and I wanted to start doing some leg exercises but I always felt like my legs were so sore after my runs that I couldn't do the weights the next day. If I did a weight workout when my legs were already sore, I would be so sore the next day that I would probably be able to run about 2 minutes and then have to stop!

Based on the above findings, I decided to temporarily halt my running. I think I would be able to do this program so much better if I was about 30 pounds lighter and that is exactly what I intend to be - lighter and thinner than I am now. It will take a little while, but I know my body will have to work less hard to run when I am lighter and I really do feel like I would be able to run longer and faster then. So for now, I am giving up the running in favor of walking and more frequent workouts, including weights. I hope this doesn't sound crazy. In some ways, I feel like a failure but I am proud of myself that I got through 6 out of 9 weeks of the program. I want to lose weight and in a way I feel like this program is holding me back. Todd and I have talked about changing our habits including diet and exercise and we are starting to make changes. By Christmas, my goal is be down 25-30 pounds from where I am now. I know I can do it!

4/5 success 1/5 failure.....sorta

- My workout today was ok, not great, not terrible. I was supposed to do 25 minutes of running without stopping. As the title of my post suggests, I was able to 20 of the 25 and then I just had to stop. I ran for 20, walked for 2 then decided to do a couple of sprints. I ran at a much faster speed than normal for 1 minute, walked for 1 minute, ran for 45 seconds, walked for 1 minute and 15 seconds then ran again for 1 minute and 15 seconds then I did a cool down. I feel good that I ran 20 minutes, but bad that I couldn't do all 25. Hopefully I will get there someday!

- Xander's third tooth is just about to come in and the funny thing is, it is the other top tooth, not the other bottom tooth! I have a feeling this kid is always going to do things different than other kids. His first tooth was the top one! His second was on the bottom and now the third will be on the top! Silly boy!

- We got Xander's pictures taken on Wednesday night and I think they are going to turn out great! He looks so much different than the 3 and 6 month pictures (of course) but it still amazes me how fast he is changing. This first year of his life is going way too fast!

- Yesterday, I woke up earlier than normal and had this strange urge to start cleaning. I put away all the laundry in our room, cleaned the clothes up off the floor and the dresser in our room, did dishes, cleaned up Xander's room and a few other things. I am not sure why but somehow I lost my motivation midway through the day and haven't done much since. I mean I ran today and gave X a bath, but there really are some other cleaning things I need to get done. I guess there is always something to be done. Bleh.

- I have been applying for more jobs again so I am starting to think about what it would be like to go back to work. I am just so unsure what to expect when it comes to daycare! I don't know what a good price is, if they should charge by day or hour or week and if it matters where in town it is. Do you provide diapers and food or do they? Do you bring extra clothes for the kiddo in case they get dirty? What all do you have to send with your kid each day? What do they do all day? Do the kids have set nap times? Do they get one on one attention? So many questions. I guess if I find a job, I can find all of this stuff out then.

- I need to paint my toenails. That is such a dumb thing to comment on but I have only painted them once this summer and I feel a lot more girly when I do. Maybe tomorrow.

- I decided to start adding weights to my workouts - I want to do weights on the days I don't run. We have quite a bit of weights and a weight bench in our basement so I have all of the equipment, I just need to get started on it. Waaaaaayyyy back in the day when I used to work out 6 days a week, I did weights and cardio almost every day. I was super strong and loved the way it felt to have muscles. I don't have much muscle anymore so I would like to get some again. More than anything, I just like feeling stronger and I want to feel like I can continue to lift my son as he gets bigger without it being a huge struggle!

- I have been really into buying stuff for X secondhand. Maybe that sounds terrible to buy your kid a bunch of used stuff, but especially with clothes, they go through them so fast that it almost seems silly to buy him brand new stuff and spend all that money for him to wear it three times and then outgrow it. With toys, as long as it's not broken or really dirty, he will never know the difference! I'm just not into buying stuff secondhand like car seats that expire or could have been in an accident without you knowing. Anyway, I have found some great footed sleepers, some nice winter clothes and a few pairs of shoes for X. The shoes are in great shape and cost about 1/4 or less of what you would pay brand new. I found a few cute sweaters for $2 or less, a few long sleeved shirts for $1 each and a winter coat for $5! I also found some snow bibs for $3!!! Yay! He will use them like 10 times maybe so I would much rather pay $3 than $15 or more! I am so excited about my secondhand finds for him - plus I am able to buy more for him with buying used than I would be able to buying new.

- Todd and I will have been married 5 years a week from today - can you belive that? It has gone so fast in some ways and slow in others. Mostly fast. We are going to go out to dinner and maybe to a movie. Todd's mom is going to babysit for us so that is great! I guess I should think of buying the hubs something, but I have no idea what to get him! Also, it's not like we have a lot of money right now so it will have to be something small.

- I better finish up here and make a to do list for tomorrow. I always tend to get more done when I make a to do list. I think I forget about so many things otherwise. Good night!

Family Picture

I never post pictures of myself, mostly because I think I am one of the least photogenic people ever. Anyway, this is a picture from last Saturday when we went to Todd's parents' house to watch the Nebraska football game. A rare picture of all of us together!

NEW BLOG TITLE

I decided to change the name of my blog because I found another blog with the same name. If you want, you can read that blog here. It is called a day in the life and that is what I named my blog. I know two blogs can have the same name but I would prefer to have a name no one else has. The problem is, I haven't checked to see if the new title is taken either so I may be changing it again - haha!

Oh and one other note. The weirdest part of having the same blog name as someone else is the fact that her name is Sarah too. No joke.

Monthly check up

Ok, so I am a little late (or a lot late if you want to say that) on this post.

My previous post here stated that I wanted to make goals each month, try to achieve them and then post about them after the month is over. I am just now getting around to my check up for the previous month and I also am late on posting my goals for this month.

Ok let's start with the previous goals. I will post the goals and the results first.

1. Lose 5 pounds. I have lost about 12 and need to lose a lot more but 5 is possible. I didn't lose 5, more like 1-2. I didn't weigh myself a ton the last month, but overall, I am down about 1-2 consistently. Not goal, but better than nothing, right?

2. Be to week 5 of couch to 5k by the end of the month. This shouldn't be too hard if I just stick with it. Made it! Yay! I am currently in week 6 - the last workout of week 6 is tomorrow.

3. Organize the hall closet. Sheets and blankets and pillowcases - oh my! So much stuff and so unorganized! Oh YEAH!!!! I totally did this too! The reason I needed to do this so bad is because due to my coupon obsession, we have a huge stockpile of razors, shampoo, toothpaste, shampoo shaving cream, etc. It looks great!

4. Apply for jobs. It is looking like I HAVE to get one so I need to work on this now. I have applied for more jobs but not as many as I should have. I applied for 6 last night and plan on applying for more soon.

5. Get Xander's 9 month pictures taken. Whew! Just got in under the wire on this one. We got these taken just a few days ago. Not in August, but they are done so that is good.

6. Start planning X's birthday party - it may seem like a ways off, but it will come SO fast! Oh, gosh. I haven't gotten very far yet. I have lots of thoughts and ideas swirling around in my head and I know for the most part what I am going to do but need to start writing down some ideas and ordering a few items online (since I can't get them locally).


Ok, now onto my goals for this month!

1. Lose 8 pounds. Lofty I know but I really need to lose more and Todd and I both want to work on this more so if we do it together, we will be more likely to succeed.

2. Find a job. Full time, part time, doesn't matter at this point. I just need one!

3. Organize the family room once and for all. It is always a mess and there are many things sitting around that I need to find a permanent home for. It won't always be perfectly clean because we have all of Xander's toys there but it could be a lot cleaner around the edges.

4. Run 25 minutes in a row without stopping at least 5 times. I am in week 6 of couch to 5k and tomorrow I am supposed to do my first 25 minute run. After that, every workout is pretty much a minimum of 25 minutes of running (in a row with no stopping). I don't know how well I will do with this but I sure am going to try!

5. Order some stuff for Xander's birthday party. I think I am going to order napkins and a few other decorations. We are going to do a Curious George theme so I am going to get a few items from the collection of party supplies.

6. Make a practice cake. I am going to try and make a very complicated cake for X's party and I need to buy some cake and frosting to make a practice cake. I am doing this so I can figure out what works and what doesn't so I don't mess it all up the day before his party.

7. Scrapbook more. I am SOOOOO far behind right now on X's scrapbook - I am not even done with month 5 yet and he is in his 10th month right now! Yikes! I need to order pictures to catch up. I would like to be to month 8 by the end of this month.

8. Have a rough layout for our Christmas card. I want to make our own Christmas cards this year. We are going to get a family picture taken for X's 1 year pictures (some family and some of just him) and we are going to order enough of the 4.5x5 pictures so I can use them for a Christmas card. I have a few ideas for this already but I want to get a better idea.

Another great Target trip!

I am amazed at some of the deals I can get at Target. I know they can be picky about some of the coupons they will accept, but if I keep my eyes peeled and my coupons at the ready, I am almost always able to come away from Target with some amazing deals! Here is my most recent trip - I am so excited since I love Fiber One cereal! Overall, I paid $8.87 oop and got back a $5 gift card!





Here is the breakdown of what I got:

5 boxes of Fiber One cereal
2 boxes of Cheerios
1 box of Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal
2 Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers (I already ate one - yum!)
3 bags of dog treats
3 boxes of Cinnabon bars (I took them all out of the box and just put a few in the pic)
7 Glade candle refills (4 candles in each pack)
7 Glade candle tins

I had a coupon for a free box of Kashi cereal, 2 $1/1 Cheerios coupons, 3 $2/1 dog treat coupons, 7 free candle refill coupons when you buy the tin, 7 $1.50/1 candle tin coupons, 3 $1/1 Cinnabon bar coupons, 2 $2/1 Healthy Choice coupons and 5 $0.75/1 Fiber One coupons. I then combined those with a bunch of Target coupons to get some amazing deals.


Here is the receipt that shows my savings! I didn't really have any coupons beep or not work. I left all of the coupons that the cashier had to enter a price for until the end so they were all together. She allowed me to use a bunch of the Target coupons together so that made all the difference in my total.