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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Plank

I follow a blog (http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com). The guy held plank position for more than 2 minutes yesterday. I thought I'd give it a try. I have a long way to go. Before I started, I told myself I'd make it more than 30 seconds. It's a good thing I had a goal in mind--I'd have stopped after 20 second. I thought I was going to puke. My competitive side demands I add this to my regimen so I can beat this so I can beat this guy.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Favorite Christmas Music

I think I love all Christmas music. I have almost 400 Christmas songs in my iTunes. But I'm always looking for more diversity in my collection. Last year, I added John Denver & the Muppets and Kari Jobe and Josh Grobin.

I'd like to find some more lively music. Any recommendations?

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thankfulness #1

1. Thanksgiving Day: I am thankful for my family and traditions and a whole day to celebrate both.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thankfulness #3

3. I asked the kids what they are thankful for.
Ivy said, "going to the mall."
Jamey said, "Dada. Arm. Book."

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Thankfulness #5

5. Today I'm thankful for fun times with family this weekend. We did normal weekend stuff--nothing special--but we were together, and it was fun. Our kids are hilarious!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Thankfulness #6

6. I'm so thankful that Jeremy got up with the kids at 6 am and let me sleep until I woke up at 8:30 am. It's the latest I've slept since Ivy was born. It was glorious to know the kids were up doing things and I wasn't. And they're so much cuter when someone else gets them dressed.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Thankfulness #7

7. I'm thankful for the holiday season, the anticipation of Christmas, and making lefse (which does scare me just a little). We're putting up the Christmas tree in a week!

Finding a purpose

I was emailing with a friend today about a few things, one of which was making a difference at work.

My favorite paid job was working at Boston Scientific, because I really felt like we were all working together to make a product that saves lives. I was making a difference.

It hit me as I was typing that, that my job now gives me that same purpose, but in a different way. I am making a difference and changing lives.

I have purpose!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Thankfulness #8

8. I'm thankful for being able to stay home with my kids. I love playing with them, reading to them, teaching them funny things, and watching them play together.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Thankfulness #10

10. Oh, I'm very thankful for Kindle for the iPhone. I'm quite a ways into Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, and I'm loving it. In fact, the kids are lucky I managed to get dinner made. If my husband wasn't such an encourager, I'd skip my run tonight to read. But he won't let me.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Finding Friends

I need help. We've been in Florida for 8 months and still haven't found any friends (aside from Jeremy's sister & her family).



  1. The Hollywood Mom's Meetup group was a bust. We went to several play dates. The moms yelled at Ivy & Jamey and I just didn't feel like I was welcome.

  2. The local MOPS group has never responded to my phone calls or emails.

  3. The local API group doesn't do anything. No play dates, no lunches, nothing. In fact, there's only about five active members, and only one of those stays home with her kids.

  4. We've visited several churches and settled on one (Oasis Church in Pembroke Pines). However, they don't have a MOPS group. The lady I emailed with about mid-week Women's Bible study was rude and unhelpful. I feel like I'm having to drag information out of anyone about small groups. (Maybe this isn't the church for us--but I don't know where else to go.)

  5. So far, we haven't put Ivy in preschool, but it may be an option to at least meet some other moms with preschoolers.

  6. I haven't been able to identify any stay-at-home moms in our apt building. There is one down the hall, but ....



Where else can I find friends?

Thankfulness #11

11. Today, I'm thankful for Coke and Peanut Butter M&Ms. It's that kind of morning.

Doctors

I do not know if my experience with doctors in Florida is the norm. If so, I'm sorry for all the people who live here and put up with poor customer service and cranky workers.

I've been to a family practice doc, the orthopedist (3 times), and now a pediatrician. I've had to wait more than an hour past my appointment time to see the doctor, who said no more than 12 words to me, didn't answer any questions, and bolted from the room before I could even clarify any instructions.

I miss arriving at my appointment 10 minutes early, getting called in 2 minutes before my appointment time, having a nice conversation with the nurse, seeing the doctor who asks questions, listens to answers, and then waits around for me to process the info. And then I get out of the clinic in less than an hour, feeling like I was listened to, respected, and actually treated.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Thankfulness #12

12. I'm thankful for a day to myself. Jeremy & the kids are spending the day with his mom. I went for a run, took a long hot shower, and am now stitching and watching Anne of Green Gables. I might nap later.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Thankfulness #13

13. Today, I am thankful for a really great run this morning. We did the 33rd Annual Key Biscayne Lighthouse Run. Jeremy and Amy did the 10k in 1:01. I did the 5k in 38 min--pushing the kids in the jogger. I felt great for the first two miles, and then Ivy kicked her shoe about 25 yards to the left, so I had to stop to pick it up, totally ruining my pace. That last mile was tough. But I thought I'd finish in 45 minutes, so 38 isn't too bad.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thankfulness #14

14. I'm thankful for Handel, Chopin, Strauss, Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, and the 20 hours of classical music on my computer. It's perfect morning music.

And I'm thankful for Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees, because that's perfect running music.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Thankfulness #15

15. I'm thankful for encouraging phone conversations with friends and family far away.

Thankfulness #16

16. I am thankful for parks and the kids there who have fun toys and love playing with my kids. It's so great to see Ivy & Jamey make new friends and play together.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Thankfulness #17

17. I am thankful my mom taught me to write things down. I have a fun book of her memories and my milestones from when I was a kid. Now I'm writing them for my kids. I'm thankful for this idea to jot down funny things they say and do, my feelings about them getting bigger, and every once in a while we trace their hands. Not only does this preserve these memories for them & their kids, it helps me remember all the reasons I love staying at home with them.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Thankfulness #18

18. I'm thankful for Ebb & Flow. Ups & Downs. Good & Bad. Better & Worse. Like I was recently reminded, "it came to pass" not "it came to stay."

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Thankfulness #19

19. I'm thankful that we attended a church we like. Jamey lasted about 5 minutes in the nursery, so we sat in the crying room. Ivy loved the Sunday school class.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Thankfulness #20

20. Today I am so very thankful that it's 52 degrees. Sorry to everyone in South Florida, but I've been praying and hoping for cooler weather for about two months now. All this heat is more than this MN girl can handle. I love pulling out sweatshirts and long sleeves and pants. I love it! I hope this lasts until March!

Thankfulness #21

21. I am thankful for my very flexible schedule. For the last several days, Ivy has resisted any "out of the apartment" activity. No beach, no park, no mall, nothing. She just wants to stay put. So we are. Maybe she's fighting off a bug, maybe she just wants to stay home and color. Who knows? But I'm thankful that I don't have to force her out the door for anything and that I'm getting a lot of stitching done while she lays low.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Thankfulness #22

22. Today, I am thankful for a full night's sleep for all four of us. For kids and adults who wake up happy. For cuddling with Jamey while Ivy eats breakfast with Jeremy. For homemade mocha and peanut butter toast. For steroids for my aching ankle. And for the exciting anticipation of 1/2 marathon training--starts next week!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Thankfulness #23

23. I was going to be thankful for financial security today, but Ally is, so I'll save that one for another day.

I'm thankful for the parenting community I have that encourages me to be the best parent I can be. Thank you, Mom & Amy, for sound advice three years running on how to help Ivy sleep and eat.

Thank you to the Twin Cities API group for advice and encouragement about everything related to pregnancy, birth, babyhood, and the toddler years.

And a special thank you to all my girlfriends who listen to me cry after sleepless nights, worry that time outs are going to put my kids in therapy, and laugh when Ivy rolls all the toilet paper into the toilet.

I'm a better parent because of these great people.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Thankfulness #24

24. Today, I am thankful for Jeremy as a parent. He is a great dad. The kids can be tired, crabby, and fighting, and the instant he walks through the door, they're laughing, playing, and excited. They love when he comes home. And then he plays with them for three hours--helping jam 3 bites into Ivy who never wants to eat, hiding and seeking, doing baths, and then reading to the kids before bedtime.

And he helps me figure out solutions and think up new ideas on whatever happens to be stressing me out. He enforces the same rules and sends the kids to give me kisses on really long days.

He's a good dad, and I'm glad my kids have him.

Monday, November 1, 2010

25 Days of Thankfulness

I'm stealing this wonderful idea from my sister-in-law and will be blogging every day in November about one thing I'm thankful for. These are in no particular order.

25. I recently wrote an email to my mom listing the top 17 reasons I hate Florida (there were more, but the kids were crying), so I'm going to take this opportunity to be thankful for this opportunity. I'm thankful we can be closer to Jeremy's sister and her family. I really love getting to know her better and watching the kids play together. I'm glad they have cousins their age to play with. We always have so much fun when we're with them. I'm glad we can be here.