Constant Beginnings

I do alot of online shopping. When you live overseas, you have to. The BX is thrilling, yes, but it changes out the merchandise only so often ;) When it comes to clothing, if you shop at the BX (which I do as well), you can be guaranteed that at least 3 other people will be seen in the same item. Take for example this little gray vest that I bought. The other day, 2 other teachers showed up in the same one. Thankfully, I hadn't worn mine that day, but you get the point. Anyway, several places do not ship overseas. That's where my Mom comes in. I typically have the stuff mailed to her house and she graciously mails it to us. Readdressing the boxes, running to the post office and mailing our stuff is a major pain. I know this, but she's been so great about it. Priority mail is the way to go. She generally mails it priority and we recieve it in a week to ten days. However, I ordered a "jumpy jump" as Claire calls it, well before Christmas. Since it was so heavy and s...

It looks as though potty training days are here again. Mya has successfully initiated and completed two attempts to use the toilet. This is an awesome feat for sure, but I am a bit irritated. Selfishly, yes. The issue is this--I have been thinking about when we potty trained Claire. She was fully trained at 24 months, but there were numerous "accidents" to follow and several failed attempts along the way. At 25 months, Mya, Claire and I will be flying across the world. Have you ever flown alone (on an international trip, which means a suuupppeerr long flight) with 1 potty trained child and one that is barely trained? I envision chaos and a whole lot of unnecessary stress ;) Even if Mya becomes "trained" this month, I'll still be contending with accidents, a whole lot of "I think I have to go," but no go as well as Claire. It doesn't sound like much fun to me. I guess I have to let go of my control issues, choose seats close to the toilet and let th...

Every parent has hopes and dreams for their child. Writing down and keeping track of every positive sign that their child is destined to be something big---learned their letters and sounds at 2, potty trained at 2, spoke in sentences at 1, fixed the tv, discovered a cure for cancer...you know. I've been just as guilty. It is really hard not to be crazy. Really. Hard. Anyway, after ferocious smells were escaping our temporarily broken dish washer for 2 weeks, Chris took action. He called the rental office (odd, they act like far more than rental agents, but are not managers; however, they schedule all repairs, etc.) and out the little dude came. It was then that we got a glimpse into Mya's future. Can you guess? The guy was here for an hour or so and Mya never left his side. She watched intently his every move. Oh, I would be so proud if I had a child I could call on to fix all the broken appliances in my house. I can't tell you how irritating it is when...

Yes, indeeedy do. 0.0 is exactly the amount of weight I lost this week. Irritating! Here's the breakdown: number of times I cheated on my diet--ZERO! number of times I worked out--FIVE!! (running, no less). Now that is a mean, mean slap in the face. After I picked myself off the floor and resisted the urge to throw the scale through my window, I've come to realize that it is time to call in the big guns. There will be no messing around. Through a very valuable (HA!--sense the sarcasm) inservice this year, I've learned that I am "Green," meaning logical, research based, problem solver, mathmatical thinker. I am applying the same thought and strategy to my 'get fit' adventure. There will be no relying on the treadmill to tell me how much I've burned. That thing lies, LIES, LIES!! Take for example, the fact that each time I worked out, I burned at least 300 calories--most often 350, my pulse was around 87 (which is pretty much a near death resting ...

mya hoarding her balls. they had this great ball area complete with launchers, air blowers, etc. it was very similar to the children's museum in boston, but BETTER! claire next to a cute little guy. it really was such a cute place. perfect for all ages. mya checking out the huge keyboard. they even had drums and a guitar that worked. so sweet. this kiddo is drawn to music. she dances all the time. claire and mya catching a ride on the rotating flowers. they actually had little rides that constant moved. you just hop on and off. so awesome. the best part is that everything in the area is made of that soft plasticy stuff, so it is completely safe. claire and daddy catching a ride up the wall and around in their sweet ride. claire and mya riding their pumpkin stagecoach. daddy jammin on keyboard with claire on the guitar.  here is a ball launcher. you fill up the table and push a button--the balls fly out. so fun and soft. here is...

I never dreamed I'd be listening/watching this when I worked out, but it is true. Here it is: photo courtesty of Laurieberkner.com I wouldn't have it any other way. My little healthy lifestyle journey is going well. I have exercised 7 days thus far which consists of treadmill activity and an ab workout every other day. I don't pressure myself to run everyday, but I have run 4 of the 7 days. I am quite proud of that. I have never been a runner or enjoyed running, but I have grown to like it. I used to say that I had exercise induced asthma! I think I did, but maybe I outgrew it? ha. Whatever the reason, I am finding it pretty easy to run and maintain a steady pace for no less than 20 minutes each time. Pretty impressive feat for a girl like me. Interestingly, I had planned to take today off, but didn't. I actually had the desire to run. Chris and I are both sticking to the eating plan as well. So far I am down about 4 pounds. Although 4 pounds is plenty, it ...

A few years ago one of Chris' friends was telling us that he got his girlfriend a wiifit for Christmas. I couldn't help but laugh and told him that I'd be so insulted. Supposedly she wanted it, so for her it was the perfect gift. He got her other things as well that were much more meaningful--cooking school and a massage or something. Anyway, fast forward to this Christmas. I had a list of items that I wanted, but ended up buying most of them for myself prior to Christmas. I am definitely not one to wait until Christmas or birthdays to buy things--for me or anyone else. Needless to say, Chris was kind of left hanging. I wanted a $1300 lense for my camera, but as you can imagine, that wasn't an option. Hmmm. This is what I received. Very generous, but do you think my wonderful husband is subtle? Ha.   Out of fear of making Chris seem like a total jerk, I should add some necessary details--only because I am nice. I had been talking about losing weight, working ...

Look closely. Very closely... Korea is frequently and lovingly referred to as the "land of not quite right," but this little gem was not a Korean concoction. It is a Kara concoction. "Shave and Skate Barbie" complete with hairy legs, underarms and a brand, spanking new razor! Doesn't this just scream "WHITE ELEPHANT?" Our other white elephant gift was an already completed sudoku book, which by the way, took me HOURS of valuable time to do and an itunes gift card. Wouldn't you just love for us to come to your party?? With sick humored guests like us, who could go wrong? Ha!

We made it to the 12:00 hour. It was an impressive feat. In all actuality it was pretty easy...did you read that, Lisa?? 12:00 at night or in the morning, whichever. Me. Yippee!! All four of us actually made it until the new year to ring it in as a family. It was a first and it was wonderful. We were invited to a couple of New Year's parties, but could only attend one. We ended up going to across the street to our friends, the Ives' home. This is the same family with whom we embarked to the southern coast of South Korea in November. It was great. There were only about 4 other families there, but a lot of kiddos. Our girls were delighted. They played, conversed and BEHAVED for nearly 7 straight hours. It was glorious. The adults ate delicious food, played games and laughed. It was really fun. After staying up all night, yesterday was a bit challenging. Our kiddos were TIRED and CRABBY. I guess that was the trade off of such a good night. Oh well. It was well worth it. With a n...