I'm baaack!

In honor of the one year anniversary of my last blog (almost one year, but who's counting) I have decided to take it up again. Life is just moving too fast and blogging allows me the opportunity to reflect. And it's just so nice to have this record of my life, as boring as it is sometimes. So, here's what I've been up to lately.

I have the winter sads. As in Seasonal Affective Disorder. I've gone head and diagnosed myself and saved my trip to the doctors office. For the past month I've been telling myself "Wow, this is the worst PMS ever" except that PMS doesn't last for 45 days right? Everything is making me cry lately. I pretty much want to shank anyone who gets in my way (Target runs have been real fun) and I have visions of sending my kids to military boot camp until they turn 25. I need some sunshine STAT. Thank god spring is just around the corner. This winter has been BLEAK!

I am on a spending diet. No more purchases that aren't a NEED! And yes, wine is a need. So, no more trips through the makeup/mail polish aisle at Target. No more browsing Gap.com or Sephora, and I cancelled my "Buy Now" account at Barnes and Noble. Because NO GOOD CAN COME FROM IT. So far, it has been a real eye opener. I have no self control. This is a work in progress.

Eva has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. This was not news to me, but it was sure nice to get someone from the medical community to tell me I'm not crazy. We are working in therapy with her right now and have seen lots of wonderful changes. She's still out of control and naughty as ever, but way better than before! I'm also happy to report that she is mostly sleeping through the night (usually on our floor but I will take what I can get!) We are waiting for the special education team at her school to get back to us with their evaluation. If they find that her ADHD will affect her learning in a general education classroom then she will qualify for services. However, since she's in a preschool setting twice a week for only a couple hours, I don't think she'll really need any additional services. Because how much attention is a 3 year old required to have to paint, sing and play?

My chiropractor told me that I shouldn't be running anymore. Or yoga. Turns out I have almost no disc left between the vertebrae in my lower back. So no more high impact activities. And bending over is no bueno too. Which leaves me with not a lot to do. BOOOORING. I hate swimming so that's out, and I have a knee that rewards me with days of pain if I so much as think riding a bike. That leaves me with walking and the elliptical. So, it's safe to assume that I have ignored some of his advice and gone ahead and ran anyhow. Nothing more than 3 miles. How is a girl supposed to keep her girlish figure without running? In any case, I am bored with working out and have chosen to take the last couple of weeks off. I need some motivation and I need it now. Bathing suit season is almost here! I told myself on January 1 (after I told myself I was never drinking again of course) that I was

I spent the last several days with the flu. It only makes sense because Declan had it, then Eva had it, then Declan again. It was my turn. One thinks that it would be wonderful to spend several days on the couch with nothing to do but watch TV until that option is thrust upon you due to THE SICK. Fortunately for me, Thomas was home and took care of the kids. During this 72 hour marathon TV session, I was (un)fortunate enough to catch the latest Twilight release. What a waste of 2 hours that was and I even went into it knowing it was going to be bad! Are they serious with that (or lack there of) special effects? What was up with the baby Renesmee (oh god, that name alone makes me hurl)? How creepy was that baby anyhow? Oy.

Anyhow, signing off now. See you soon blog!

Heavy Loads

So I think we can just go ahead and scratch "Blog More Frequently" off my new year's "To Do" list because, obviously, that ain't happenin'. Yes, I said ain't.

I don't feel like my life has been blog worthy lately and I just haven't been feeling very inspired. I'm also a little lazy. OK, a lot lazy. I can't even remember I took a real picture of the kids. The kind you take with a real camera and not a phone or Ipod. Fail.

Our lives have been tickin' along lately with no major events happening. Declan is registered for Kindergarten, which, I can't even speak of. I will be a mess the day I have to put him on that bus. On the other hand, I am counting down the seconds until Eva starts preschool Not that I won't miss her, but that little girl needs some new outlets. And that would be an understatement.

I know that God is not supposed to give you more than you can handle, or at least that's the saying, but I can confidently say that, that phrase is bullshit. Because I cannot handle Eva. She is just too much for me. I didn't think it was possible for a 32 lb human being to have so much energy and persistence. We have finally worked through some of the sleep issues we were having with Miss Eva. She still gets up 1-2 times a night but now will (usually) go back to bed without too much of a fight. Getting her to bed is another story. Last night I spent almost 2 hours getting her to bed. And trust me, I've tried it all. We have a routine that we follow. I keep the lights dimmed and the TV off after dinner. We do bathtime, teeth, story and cuddle. Once in awhile it's a success. Most of the time? Not at all. I walked that little devil child back into her bedroom at least 15 times last night. Each time she would scream for 3 minutes and then walk right back downstairs. By 9 pm, I was in tears and halfway through a bottle of wine praying to every God I knew to please HELP ME! Those evenings are typical for us, and usually follow a late afternoon of Eva slowly dismantling the house one closet and/or cupboard at a time. I clean up one mess, she makes 3 more. And with Thomas working evenings you can imagine how much fun it is for me.

So, in the interest of my mental health, I am installing locks on her door this evening. She needs somewhere safe to be when I have reached the end. I don't care if she spends hours kicking the door, screaming bloody murder or jumping on her bed, she will be in LOCK DOWN.  Wish us luck.

What else has been happening? I have been working my tail off doing this, in addition to workouts at the gym. It's been a great way for me to deal with the stress Eva has been causing me and right now I am feeling really motivated. The workouts are killer tough, but only 12 minutes long so super easy to do on a busy day. In addition, I've been doing lots of running and elliptical work. The only setback is the fact that I am now dealing with tendonitis in my shoulder. It's always something with me. Right now my goal is to complete a 5k in under 30 min. I am currently at 32:23. And if I could rock a bikini this summer then even better.

We are also super excited for an upcoming trip to NYC. My cousin is getting married and we decided that we just couldn't miss the big event. It's being held at a castle on the Hudson River and promises to be very swanky. We will be flying out with my parents and brother Jeff while my sis babysits the kids. We are spending one night in NYC and then heading up to Westchester County for the big event. It's a short trip, but I am so looking forward to going! Now I just have to figure out what to wear. Yay for shopping!

Five

My little monkey turned 5 last week. It's the oldest cliche in the world, but time really does fly. We've celebrated the big "5" several times over and have yet another party planned for this Saturday. Declan finally got his first "Friend Party" as we took some of his besties out for bowling, arcade games and pizza.  I was pretty proud of myself for pulling off a party with 3 days notice!

Here's a little bit about my favorite little guy at "5":

• His favorite food is cheerios with a banana and honey (just like Lily almost!)
• He loves broccoli! And I have no idea where that comes from
• His favorite "toy" currently is either Mario Kart or Angry Birds (As a mother I am horribly embarassed to admit that, but there it is). He also loves his bouncy ball (the one you sit and bounce around the house on), his remote control "monster truck" and his Transformers.
• He is both very protective and loving towards his little sister as well as her worst enemy.
• He doesn't want to be 5, he wants to be 6 so he can ride the bus to big kid school.
• His favorite snack is pretzels.
• He LOVES Scooby Do. Or, as he calls it "Spooky Doo".
• He insists that mommy lay in bed with him before he goes to sleep and rub his back and "cuddle".
• He is learning to ice skate.
• He wants to drive a bus or a monster truck when he grows up.
• He loves to tell mommy that he loves her "More than...." and we go back and forth until someone gives up. Currently, he loves me more than eightyhundredhundredeightyeightyninetymillion earths....
• His favorite song is "Pumped Up Kicks".

Happy Birthday little stinky! Mommy and Daddy love you SO, SO MUCH!