What's My Age Again?

Hubby is an extreme extrovert, social butterfly type. 

I'm an extreme introvert. I like being around other people, but I like being by myself or with my Hubby only. After all this vacation was about spending time just us. 

Our first night at the resort, we got a drink at a piano bar and hung around for awhile. We met some nice couples and Hubby kept saying we needed to make friends with one of them so we could hang out while we were there. 

After the initial round of singing, introductions were made all around the room and we quickly learned 90% of the couples at the resort were on their honeymoon. There were a handful of others celebrating their 10th like us, their 30th or just taking a trip together. 

The next day on the beach we saw a few of the couples from the piano bar. Each one said hello politely but they had no idea who we were. They'd been too drunk the night before to remember they'd met us. 

Hubby wondered why we couldn't make a connection with anyone. (Let me point out that we weren't introducing ourselves to every couple at the resort. We'd smile at people at the bar or pool and then chit chat.) 

After about 2 days I figured it out. How do I usually connect with someone? My kids. They are a great confidence booster and my number one way of meeting new people. Especially when I have them with me. They're a nice way to break the ice. 

When a good 3/4 of the couples we introduced ourselves to were on their honeymoon, we couldn't very well bond over our children. I was at a loss for conversation beyond "Where are you from?" and "How long are you here for?" 

It was at this time I started to feel old. Sometimes I still think I'm in my mid 20's and then it hits me I'm 32. 

I wasn't scared when I turned 30 and I'm not afraid of getting older. It can just be a rude awakening when the crowd you're with isn't moving at the same speed as you. 

Back to Reality

Well we had an amazing time in Jamaica. As much as we missed the kids, we still didn't want to come home. It was so nice to have down time and be relax the whole day. We swam in the ocean every day, laid on the beach, ate at amazing buffets and restaurants and drank to our hearts content.

It should have been just what we needed to reset ourselves. We talked about how we wanted to change our attitudes, how we wanted to handle the demands of our children from now on.

Hubby needs to work on keeping his cool and not snap as quickly. I need to work on not being irritated/annoyed by the little things. (Please tell me other parents experience these faults as well??)

Our flight landed in Denver at 11 PM Mountain time Tues. night. By the time we got our luggage and called the hotel shuttle where we'd left our car, it was 12:30 AM. Every hotel in the Denver/Aurora/Limon area was booked. We drove and drove until finally stopping in Burlington at 3 AM.

To say we were exhausted was an understatement. We stopped at the first hotel we came to in Burlington and it wasn't pretty. I think it was America's Best Inn or something similar. It smelled like smoke w/ cigarette burns on the tables and bedspreads, the shower curtain had mildew all over the bottom and the pillows were flat as a pancake.

The room had two double beds which meant Hubby and I didn't have to share. After traveling all afternoon and driving late into the night the last thing I wanted was to cuddle.

We got up early Wed. morning and were back in HC by 12:30. Just in time for lunch.

We left again at 3 PM for another 4 hours in the car. This time w/ our 3 lovely children. Baby C was ready for a nap so she didn't make a peep and the big kids were content to watch a show.

After about 2 hours, Ainsley had fallen asleep so both the girls were snoozing when Carsen started whining about his foot hurting. He made so much noise he woke Charlotte up and she could not be consoled. We had to pull over to change her diaper and give her a snack. After that she was just gonna have to tough it out.

Surprisingly we made it home before dark and got everyone into bed w/ little effort.

It's been 2 days and I'm not 100% on my "resolution" but it's there in the back of my mind. The little voice saying, "Don't get mad, laugh instead, turn it around."

Maybe I'll be better once I get caught up on all the laundry.

T Minus 7 Days and Counting

We are flying to Jamaica in one week to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Our anniversary isn't until Sept. but it worked better with our schedules to go in the summer. We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon to Montego Bay. This time we're going to Negril. 

I can't wait to spend time away from my kids. Is that bad? Do I sound like a bad mom? 

The past month I've been grouchy, snapping at my kids, annoyed for no reason, and just plain tired. Now with summer starting and Carsen home all day every day, I need a break, to recharge and relax without being a Mom. To read as often and as long as I want, to sleep as late as I want and 5 days where I won't have to listen to demands by small children. 

I've got 3 books to take with me and plan to take full advantage of my down time. Sure there will be plenty of beach activities, excursions and sightseeing but I'm really excited about sitting on the beach doing nothing but reading my book. 

I love to travel. Never been afraid of flying. I like the busyness of the airport, people watching is fun. I don't play that game of trying to create a character for each person. 

We looked into switching our seats to the emergency exit row where the rows are wider and it's an additional $85 per person, or something like that. Our seats are located in the rear, not all the way in the back but according to Hubby we're in the most dangerous part of the plane. 

This doesn't scare me all it does is annoy me b/c we'll be one of the last groups to board and have to stand in the aisle while everyone already on the plane are trying to shove their bags into the overhead bins. And we'll have to put our bag in one of the front bins b/c the others are full. This is my least favorite part of flying. 

I'm also terrified of losing my luggage so I always have a carry on. 

The next few days will be full of laundry, packing and crossing things off my to do list. 

Things That Drive Me Crazy on a Daily Basis

1. Charlotte waking up before 7 AM. 

2. My kids indecisiveness about breakfast. 

3. Ainsley asking, "Where are we going today?" 

4. Making Carsen's lunch b/c I forgot the night before. (Yep every day.) 

5. School drop off. 

6. Finding time to unload the dishwasher. 

7. Tryîng to figure out what to feed the girls for lunch. 

8. Listening to Carsen whine he's hungry at 4:30 even though he had a snack after school. 

9. Making supper while Charlotte cries/explores around the kitchen. 

10. The incessant, "Is supper ready?" 

11. The clean up. (Enough said.) 

12. The fact that it's the end of the day and I've crossed very little off my to do list. 

13. My kitchen is full of piles. 

14. Being completely exhausted at the end of the day yet feel like I've accomplished nothing. 

Let's Try this Again

Tomorrow is my first day starting the Whole30 lifestyle. This is my second round and I didn't make it the full 30 days the last time. I lasted 20 days before traveling and poor planning caused me to cheat.

Hubby and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year by going to Jamaica the first week in June. I'm running out of time to feel good (and look halfway decent) in my swimsuit! I've been a little out of control the past few weeks. 

When I started this journey the first time, on March 1st, I was completely committed. I had little signs of encouragement posted in the kitchen and bathroom, I had the book, It Starts with Food, and I had a friend who had already completed a Whole30 I could call for advice. 

This time around I'm not as motivated. Even with visions of the beach and summer dresses I still can't get my ass in gear. I wanted to go shopping for cute new dresses in a smaller size rather than larger. 

I should mention I'm not doing this Whole30 strictly for the weight loss. I have been out of control in other areas as well. I've been short with the kids, snapping at them even, I'm lazy and neglecting my house, not working out as much as I used to, just feeling overall unhappy. Something needs to change in a big way. 

I ask that you all send me good thoughts this week as the first 2 weeks are the hardest. Stay tuned! 

The Perfect Neighborhood

When we moved here 3 years ago one of the things we were looking for in a house was a nice neighborhood. A neighborhood where our children could play and be safe and have other kids to play with.

We were lucky and found such a house. We live on a cul de sac which at first one would think is a great idea b/c there's not much traffic. I can tell you that is a myth. Our cul de sac is very busy for many reasons:

1) One house at the end of street has multiple families living in it. This means there are cars coming and going constantly.

2) People turn down the street thinking it's a through street and then must turn around when they get to the end of it. This happens a lot.

3) You'd think people would drive slow down a cul de sac but no they speed down it doing at least 30 mph. Especially the people who live at the end. I guess they think they don't need to slow down until they get closer to their house. 

There are a lot of kids that live on this street and for that we feel our kids are lucky to have playmates so close.

I should say that we live in the middle of the cul de sac and the houses w/ the other kids (at least the ones our children play with) are toward the end of the street.

There are 3 boys Carsen's age that like to come over and play. Every time we pull into the garage one of them rides in just behind us on their bike or scooter. I want to say right away all 3 boys are very nice, sweet, and  for the most part well behaved. Their manners are a bit lacking but what kid has perfect manners?

At the beginning of the school year is when they first started coming over to play w/ Carsen and Ainsley. But what they really wanted we found out pretty quickly, was to play w/ all the things we had in our garage. Ainsley's new trike was too tempting and one boy hopped on it and took off down the street.

Nothing was safe. Bubbles spilled and dumped out, sidewalk chalk broken, random golf balls we had collected on walks thrown into the yard, and every bike, trike, and scooter we owned was pulled out and discarded on the grass.

When everything had been played with, they would grab their own bikes and ride off down the street to their own homes.

Our neighbors told us they had to make the rule that no one but the owners are allowed in the garage. We quickly put that rule into action at our house along w/ no leaving our yard and stay out of the street. I still don't feel comfortable leaving them all alone outside though.

 So far we haven't allowed these boys to come in the house to play. It's only happened once when Ainsley asked and I quickly said no. Seeing their behavior toward our outside toys, I definitely don't want them inside roaming free.

Some nights after seeing us pull into the garage one of them will ring the doorbell and ask if the kids can play. This is around 8:00 at night! Call me a "mean mommy" but that's almost bedtime in this house. 

How do you find the balance between being the house everyone wants to play at and being the house no one wants to play at?

I'm dreading this summer when I want to try all the ideas I've been pinning on Pinterest like homemade sidewalk paint and chalk and other games for fear these boys will want to join in. We may be playing in the backyard for most of the summer.

Poop, Pee, and Laundry

Charlotte has had some crazy poopy diapers lately. One morning last week she woke up and had thrown up all over her crib and herself. She was in a very pleasant mood and happily splashed in the bath.

The next morning her poop had escaped from her diaper and was all over her sheet, blankets, pajamas, and herself. Again into the bath she went.

These were not how I wanted to spend my first minutes after waking up. Both mornings I piled the poopy/puked on clothes and blankets and threw them in the washer. Luckily we have several crib sheets and at least 3 mattress covers. This isn't my first baby.

That would be one of my first pieces of advice. Get yourself more than 2 crib mattress pads. When baby pees outside their diaper or spits up in the middle of the night, you don't have time to run a load before making the bed again and if it happens in the middle of the night you might not feel like starting a load.

Hubby was gone all last week coming home Thursday evening. Saturday we had 2 soccer games and Charlotte woke up about 7 AM. Hubby went in to get her and called for me over the baby monitor. She had pooped through her diaper, up her back and all over her crib.

And b/c that wasn't enough Carsen came out of his room to tell us he'd peed the bed. What was going on?? I was upset b/c his mattress is missing the waterproof mattress pad b/c a few weeks ago Ainsley was peeing the bed a few times a week and it was nice to have a backup to put on in the middle of the night. Again, not my first time.

Hubby soaked up as much pee as he could w/ paper towels and we let it dry all day before putting sheets back on that evening.

Today brought no such accidents thankfully. Hubby is gone overnight and if I wake to find a new pile of stinky laundry to do I'll think the two are connected and that's not funny.