Christmas is only 9 days away, and while that would normally be a very exciting thing for me this year I am having trouble really getting into the spirit. Most likely it's due to lack of snow. How can there not be snow in Minnesota for Christmas? It's like Hawaii without Mai Tai's or Mexico with the sunburn. This is hugely disappointing to me. I also know what I am getting for Christmas this year. I know because I went to Target at midnight on Black Friday, stood in line for an hour, brought it home, handed it to Thomas and said "Here, this is what you bought me for Christmas" just to make sure he got it right this year. And then I sent the web link of the exact purse I wanted (in grey), sent it to Santa Mom and was at her house when it arrived. I actually really wanted this one that cost closer to $1K but Santa Mom wasn't hearing that so I had to compromise. I really have no one but myself to blame but I like to make sure I get what I want.

And just to make Christmas extra fun this year, my mother-in-law decided to come for a visit. And when I say "decided" I don't mean that as a joint decision. Nope. MIL decided LAST TUESDAY that she was coming for Christmas and also that since she didn't want to pony up for airfare she would save herself $60 and buy a train ticket instead even though that means a 14 hour train ride, with a 3.5 hr layover in Chicago and a 10:30 PM ARRIVAL TIME on Christmas Eve. Because, obviously, Thomas and I have nothing better going on at 10:30 pm on xmas eve. I mean, it's not like we're celebrating with my family that night? Or wait, we are. And if she would have checked with us first she would have known that. And did I mention that Thomas has to work Christmas day from 10 am till 9 pm? So, I'm on my own. All day.

I am trying really hard to be excited and gracious and, in the spirit of Christmas, loving, hospitable and joyful but I cannot muster any of these. I am straight-up annoyed. I must say though, that she ahs graciously told us that she would be just perfectly fine with us sending someone else to get her. Because we know so many people who want to drive to the Amtrak station downtown St. Paul on Christmas Eve? Suurrre. I explained to my dear hubs that I would be more than happy to send Mohammed the Cabbie to pick her up. If only because it would make me feel so giddy that she'd have to spend 30 minutes in a confined space with a Muslim. It would probably be good for her. She could use some multi-culturalism in her life. Thomas didn't think that was too funny. So, it will be his ass who gets to head out and pick her up. I will be fueling myself up with wine.

Having my MIL in town over Christmas is not the only exciting thing happening in my life. My pain the ass sister-in-law is pregnant! And while I'm super excited to be an aunt of kids I'll never be allowed near, I am already tired of the incessant emails about pregnancy. That girl is going to drive herself crazy with all the "what ifs" and things that could go wrong. She's got an U/S scheduled for Tuesday and I think she's already convinced herself that she will get a false positive for some unknown genetic disorder.  I told her the only thing she needed to worry about was the baby inheriting the Dahlen head and ripping her from hole to hole. Lol. What? Does that make me mean? She deserves it.

My big project that I decided to start a week before Christmas is the "Remodel" of my bedroom. And by remodel, I mean paint. So, I'm painting. Sherwin Williams "Silvermist". And one day when I actually come in to some money (so, pretty much never) I am going buy some rods to put up the curtains I bought a year ago. I also need to paint the bedroom furniture since ours is from Tom's bachelor days and uber-ugly and new furniture is not in budget.

Merry Christmas to all!

Parenting Challenges

I am nothing if not the mother by which all others can draw comparisons. I am THAT mom that sits on the LEFT side of the motherhood spectrum. June Cleaver is on the right side. Are you following me?

I've resorted to all of the following to get though tough parenting moments. And always in combination. I never rely on just one.

Apple juice, chocolate milk, pop, gummy bears, lollipops, candy corn, goldfish crackers, cookies, m&ms, french fries, benadryl, wine, beer, vodka, etc, etc.

Just to name a few.

I like to think that all parents have had those moments where they will do whatever it takes to just get to the end of the day. Most day seem to be like that for me. Does this make me a bad mom? It probably doesn't make me a great mom but I'm not always trying to achieve gold medal status. I'll settle for third place.

I know this is a recurring theme in my blog but it seems to keep popping up in my life. Bad parenting that is. I think that's because I choose to be (overly?) honest about my experiences. And not just my experiences related to parenting. I tend to be too open and honest when it comes to just about everything.

I love to surround myself with other moms, and women in general, who just tell it like it is. Haven't we all spent time with that mom who talks of nothing but how wonderful motherhood and her kids are? Does she make you throw up in your mouth a little too? Don't get me wrong, I love talking about my kids! Good and bad stories! But like any mom, I just want to hear that I'm not alone in the day-to-day (for lack of a better word) shit of parenthood. I hate sharing one of those truly horrible mom stories (like losing your kid in the mall or admitting that you've used benadryl to induce sleepiness) and getting the judgy mom response. Which is what happened to me recently. Fortunately, I've become better at just letting it go and not letting it get to me. Parenting is just a series of choices. Sometimes we make the right ones and sometimes we make the wrong ones. The challenge is recognizing the difference and hoping you don't screw them up too bad.

Get It Girl

So I've embarked on a fitness and nutrition challenge for the month of October and I am currently 8 days into it. A college friend of mine is a Beachbody coach and asked for 5 volunteers to join her on this journey. She agrees to coach and mentor us and we agree to follow her rules.

• No processed foods. This was easy. I rarely eat them anyway.
• We must drink one Shakeology drink a day as either a meal or a snack.
• 5-6 workouts a week. Preferably P90X or Insanity.

Prior to this challenge I was exercising about 3x/week and adding 2-3 days has proven to be a challenge. I've opted out of the P90X or Insanity workouts as these are just too intense for my back right now and I can't exercise in front of the TV unless it is 10 pm or 5 am (no thanks to my children) and that just ain't going to happen. And who wants to work out in their living room anyway? I'd rather people watch at the gym. Instead I am just doing self-designed workouts at the gym including circuit training, yoga, running, elliptical and core work. Between a very PT job, 2 small kids and general life interruptions I've found it difficult to get to the gym so frequently. Perhaps I'm just making excuses. The other women participating will do their workouts at midnight if they have to. Nothankyouverymuch.  So, I'm not so sure I will see the level of results they are seeing but I am OK with that. Maybe that means I will wear a size 10 instead of an 8. Whatever.I'm not working out at midnight. I am sleep deprived enough as it is.

As for diet. I have been rocking it. Mostly. Not including this past weekend.  I'M ONLY HUMAN PEOPLE. I figure if I eat like a rockstar Mon-Fri and fail miserably Sat and Sun then I am still ahead of the game right? Let's go with that.

I was initially skeptical of the shakes as I think it's just a big marketing ploy and that you can get everything you need from your diet. Which I still believe, but honestly, how many of us are eating 12 servings of fruit and veggies a day? Certainly not me. Unless you count the grapes in my wine. So I agreed to go ahead and fork over the mega moola to purchase it. And I can honestly say that those shakes have made a huge difference. Within 3 days I was a whole new person. I used to spend all day feeling sluggish and tired and now I have so much more energy. Which kind of sucks, because this stuff is expensive and I really don't want to keep buying it.

Yesterday I did a weight lifting class at the gym and today I can barely walk. Why do they insist on doing 500 squats followed by 250 lunges is beyond me but now I have to muster the energy for a 5 mile walk/jog/run. Kill me now.