From November 2011: Today I Am Thankful For…

A recap of my month of gratitude in November (in Facebook posts):

11/1 – Today I am thankful for my crazy Coach Cutch on his birthday! ♥ ♥ ♥

11/2 – Today I am thankful for the 5am class at Crossfit TBC for challenging me to dig deeper, work harder, master new skills, and get it done by 6am even though it crushes me! I have never hated and loved working out so much in my life since those first seven minutes of hell… :)

11/3 – Today I am thankful to be a part of the University of Tulsa football family. It’s not easy being a “coach’s wife”, but it’s awesome watching our guys get after it every day, pursuing their goals and dreams! FYI – TU plays UCF tonight in the Bounce House — game is on at 7pm CST on CBS College Sports Network! Let’s go, TU!

11/4 – Today I am thankful for lunch with Maggie… because sometimes you need to talk about work and other times you need to talk about life. And there were no tears about either today, I swear. ;)

11/5 – Today I am thankful for a no-travel weekend… we have been watching college football on TV while cleaning & organizing, catching up on everything that hasn’t gotten done in a month! Just wish we could be with R, who has a rare day off in-season, but we’ll see him next weekend!!!

11/6 – Today I am thankful for my Bubba. He woke up asking about LSU and college conferences (but not realignments). He cleaned his room and voluntarily boxed up half his toys for donation because he doesn’t play with them. Now we’re ending the day with Troy and the Steelers… love my sweet, funny, energetic little buddy!!!

11/7 – Today I am thankful that my day ended better than it started. And I discovered raw coconut butter… it’s the perfect Paleo alternative to an Almond Joy. :)

11/8 – Today I am thankful for my smart, creative, beautiful daughter, Moco. She is wise beyond her years and more talented than she realizes. She plays sports, shoots guns, loves to bike, reads voraciously, spent this past weekend making dollhouse furniture from recyclables, and already borrows my shoes and clothes!

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. ~Author Unknown

11/9 – Today I am thankful that my pants are loose and sagging… it’s evidence and motivation and a reason to go shopping for new clothes!

11/10 – Today I am thankful for Skype. Almost every night R gets to be a part of the kids’ bedtime routine despite the 557 mile separation… seeing each other when we’re talking makes a huge difference!!!

11/11 – Today I am thankful for the men and women who have served, currently serve or will serve our country and for their families.

11/12 – Today I am thankful for another TU win! 11am kickoff, 11th straight conference win since last year!

11/13 – Today I am thankful for another safe return home!

11/14 – Today I am thankful that my meatloaf magic is appreciated. But it will be put to the test, as Mariah wants to know if this can be my next creation. My response? Never say never.

11/15 – Today I am thankful for another cute haircut by Lori T. at Sole!

11/16 - Today I am thankful that I’m not the only one who measures muffin top shrinkage using good ol’ finger calipers…

11/17 - Today I am thankful for my brothers. We’ve shared a lot of great memories over the years, and even though we don’t talk as often as we should and don’t see each other as often as we’d like… I know they’re always there for me, and I hope they know that I’m always there for them too!

11/18 - Today I am thankful for Gayle and Matthew’s help getting to/from work!

11/19 - Today I am thankful for a good, productive Saturday… a TU win… and still watching college football, still studying… :)

11/20 - Today I am thankful that this week will be a short work week!

11/21 - Today I am thankful for my parents, who still make each other laugh… and make us laugh too (at them, of course)!

11/22 - Today I am thankful for new tires & a realignment.

11/23 - Today I am thankful to just hang out with the 3 loves of my life this weekend – family of four, food, & football!!!

11/24 - Today I am just thankful… thankful for R, Moco and Bubba, for my parents and my brothers, R’s mom and his sisters, our aunts, uncles, cousins and their families, our grandparents, and our extended family… for friends, near and far… for our jobs… our home… our dog… and for the lessons that we learn daily on how to be grateful for the things we have and the ones who love us, and how to forge forward despite setbacks, disappointments and mistakes, and to live life to the fullest every day. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

11/25 - Today I am thankful that this will not be our last game of the 2011 season!!! We’re looking forward to a bowl game in a few weeks!

11/26 – Today I am thankful for a full day with my family + Jim.

11/27 – Today I am thankful for a safe drive home (too many accidents out there)!

11/28 – Today I am thankful to wake up in my own bed (not complaining about the bachelor pad, just prefer our bed here)!

11/29 – Today I am thankful for the long, long spiritual journey that I have been on… it’s hard to talk about or explain, but I’m on the right path!

11/30 – Today I am thankful that I came home to pork chops & apples in the crock pot (Paleo Comfort Foods recipe) and Mariah’s mashed sweet potatoes!  Definitely a perfect way to close out a chilly November evening!

Let the Insanity Begin

For the past couple weeks, I feel like time just keeps speeding up and flying by, but I’m moving like molasses.  I’m getting plenty of things done, but my “to do” list feels forever long between work and home.

Tonight I sat down to try to really wrap my head around the next few weeks of my life — aka, the amount of stuff that fills my planner.

Between now and the end of November we have:

• 5 planned trips to Tulsa for 5 football games (and some Daddy time when he’s available)
• 1 gazillion soccer practices plus a few missed games for Bubba because of our chaotic scheduling (poor Bubs!)
• 4 late start Wednesdays
• 1 work trip (5 days) to Denver which requires Gamma to fly here to help out (10 days)
• 1 weekend soccer tournament in Madison, WI (Gamma will be joining us… and maybe Daddy if we are so very lucky!)
• 2 days of no school for Moco & Bubba in consecutive weeks, beginning the week after I’m in Denver (OF COURSE!) which means three straight short work weeks (I’d like to say I like this, but I don’t.)
• 2 parent-teacher conferences (2 teachers, 1 parent)
• 3 Sundays of double-header soccer games in October (2 of those 3 are out-of-town.  OF COURSE!)
• Halloween parties at school on a Monday after we traveled all weekend (I volunteered to assist with snacks because apparently I have nothing better to do in the month of October.  OF COURSE!)

I’m not sure when I’m going to eat, sleep or even breathe.  There is something going on EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. in October that requires that planning and coordination of schedules.  I like to be busy, but this is a little ridiculous… any bets on how long it will be before I get really super sick or lose my shiznit for realz?!?!

August 1

It’s hard to believe that it’s already August!  Moco and Bubba will be home in 16 days.  Auntie Mariah will be home in 17 days — the same day that Moco and Bubba start school!   Mariah starts classes the following Monday (8/22).  This is peak time at work as well, so August will feel like it’s dragging but at the same time, it will be over before we know it!

Life hasn’t changed much for me… it’s mostly work and hanging out at home with Deacon.

The kids, however, have had a great time with Gamma and Papa.  They spent part of their first week in Durango, CO, visiting our friends Linda and Richard — better known as MeeMaw and HoHoHo.  They returned to NM just in time for Daddy’s arrival to spend this past weekend with them.  I wish I could have been there, too!!!  They did a lot of biking and put up a zip line in the backyard.  They ate at Rancho de Chimayo, which made me a wee bit jealous, but I’m glad they had the chance to experience one of my favorite places in NM.  I know that I can’t be in 100% of the memories that they will have in life… but I’m glad that there is a little piece of me in those particular memories from this weekend.

Also, in typical Gamma and Papa style, they are returning Bubba as a training-wheel-free-biking-riding-machine.  Well, okay, except for the fact that he doesn’t really know how to slow down or use his brakes, so he is a little prone to “wipeouts” right now.  First potty training, now two-wheel training… they make parenting so much easier for me and Daddy!  ;)

Daddy is now back in Tulsa, and the new football players report tomorrow.  We’re looking forward to traveling to Tulsa about once a month to see Daddy and to watch some Golden Hurricane football, but this is when reality starts to kick in with this whole long-distance thing!

It’s a good thing, then, that my new ErinCondren.com life planner arrived this weekend, so I can start to organize and plan our weekends between Moco’s travel soccer, Bubba’s rec soccer, trips to Tulsa, and everything else that we have going on!  I agonized over the cover design, but finally settled on the “favorite things” cover:

I haven’t used it much yet, so only time will tell how much I love it — but I have a good feeling about it.  I absolutely love how the cover looks, and I’m probably going to wear this thing out!   I also have to put in a plug for Zulily — which is where I discovered ErinCondren.com when I bought three $50 gift certificates for $20 each (but paid only $45 because I had $15 in referral credit).  This planner was quite a deal — but that shouldn’t surprise anyone since I’m always on the hunt for a good bargains!

Anyhow… I’m going to settle in for the evening with the iPad.  I downloaded my first real e-book, Catching Fire, which is the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy.  It has taken a bit to get used to swiping to turn the pages, but I have to admit, I’m enjoying the Kindle App for the iPad, so there will be plenty more e-books in my future!!

It’s That Time Again

…when Moco and the Bubs head to NM for a month with Gamma and Papa.

There have been moments over the past few weeks where I pray for a sanity break from their bickering or the attitude that one has developed over the past year and the other has since copied (I’ll let you guess which is which), but whenever I get that break (as in, going to work), I miss them and would rather be with them than doing anything else.  Funny how that works, eh?!

Papa will be here at the end of the week to spend the weekend with us before he heads to St. Louis for work and then he will return to fly back with them to NM.  A return date has not yet been confirmed, but they start school August 18th, so I expect them to be home around that time — plus or minus a day or two, given that school starts on a Thursday.

Normally Daddy heads home every couple weekends, so he’ll be home this weekend, but then he will head to NM at the end of the month.  I have to admit, I’m jealous, and I have debated if I could find my way there on that same weekend.  I miss NM terribly, and I’m incredibly grateful that the kids have a place to go after the week-long direct threat of  the Las Conchas wildfire.  (Okay, let’s be honest, I’m really just craving a ChiliWorks breakfast burrito… but I digress.)

So… what am I to do while the munchkins are in the Land of Enchantment, breathing in hopefully-not-smoky mountain air, biking, playing in their castle, and keeping an eye out for bears?  Funny I should ask:

1. Work.  Surprise, surprise.

2. Exercise.  Is it possible to catch up on 6 months of workouts in 1 month?  I will attempt this feat and report back.

3. Pampering myself.  The equation I’m aiming for is: “signature pedicure with paraffin treatment” + “spa manicure with French tips” + “60 minute deep tissue massage” = $152 total (before tips) – $140 in gift certificates = one happy, polished mama.

4. Cleaning, organizing and staging the house… because it’s no secret that we’re putting our house on the market as we get ready to transition to Tulsa.  This may include a garage sale, which I’ve never actually done before.  Suggestions?  Advice?

5. Reconfiguring recipes to feed one.  It’s going to be incredibly hard to grocery shop for just me!

6. Talking to Deacon.  And myself.  Because it will be *that* quiet around here.

7. Trip to IKEA.  I need to replace our duvet because I might have fallen asleep with an uncapped pen in my hand one night.  If I can walk out of that store with just a duvet and a belly full of Swedish meatballs, that would be amazing… but let’s be real, folks, because we know that’s not going to happen.

8. Order a new Erin Condren planner.  I have been a devoted family_time.mine user, but I saw these, and I had to have one.  I bought several gift certificates for this company via Zulily, and I’m just waiting for July 20th, when I can begin to put together my custom order for the newest version.  All this excitement for a planner?  You wish you lived my life.

9. Miss my man.  Football pre-season is fast approaching.  He won’t be home until December at the earliest, January if it’s a really good season.  Of course, we want them to have a great season, but that’s just a really loooooooong time…

10. Miss my kids.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it… they are my life, and I will miss them every minute that they are gone!

Texting with Bubba

Bubba has learned to text and does so nearly daily on my phone, mostly to Papa, but Auntie Mariah and Daddy round out the top three recipients.

Here are some excerpts straight from my phone, with my commentary in italics:

Me (7:36pm): PAPA

Dad (7:36pm): GRAYSON

Me (7:37pm): (Cancel)

Me (7:38pm): I  love  you

Dad (7:39pm): I love you so so so much more

Me (7:41pm): Hahahaha [This reminds me of when Gamma thought LOL stood for "Lots of Love"... as in "Congratulations on your wedding!  LOL!"]

Dad (7:43pm): How is Memphis?

Me (7:44pm): Good

Me (8:41pm): Papapap

Dad (8:43pm): I love you, gamma. [Gamma tells me she's a little jealous that she doesn't get texts, so she had to get into the mix.]

Me (8:51pm): Papa [Apparently Bubba didn't like her interruption.]

Dad (8:52pm): Ok this is papa now. I love you.

Wednesday

Me (8:05am): What kind of berry can you color with? A crayon-berry! (cranberry) From Memphis and grayson [Moco helps out with a joke.]

Me (8:18am): Pooop [Bubba.  All Bubba.]

Thursday

Me (7:40am): Papa

Dad (7:41am): G I love you buddy

Me (7:43am): I  love  you

Dad (7:43am): Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Me (7:45am): Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Dad (7:46am): Muffins? [Huh?]

Me (7:59am): Ah, good morning texts from Grayson.  The child needs his own cell phone… [Me, discovering the early morning texts -- and Papa and Gamma are an hour behind us.]

Dad (8:10am): Yup

Me (8:26am): I read there is a texting app for the iPad.  I might look into that. [I haven't found anything decent yet.  Any suggestions?]

Dad (8:48am): Let us know

Me (2:47pm): Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox [The Bubs returns.]

Getting Back to Normal…

After about 10 days of traveling, I finally got home on Wednesday night — the plane touched down at 11:55pm.  By the time I retrieved my suitcase, it was about 12:15am, then I found Gamma waiting for me outside of the baggage claim area, and it was about 12:25am  by the time we arrived home.  And, yes, I had to be at work at 8am that same morning!  I was definitely dragging on Thursday and Friday from almost 10 days of being out of our normal routine, between traveling, and having Gamma here.  Moco also started soccer practice with her new team on Thursday, and we had originally planned to go out to eat on Friday night for her birthday, but opted to stay in instead with chicken & shrimp lo mein and chantilly birthday cake.

On Saturday morning we dropped Gamma off at the train station, and pretty much went straight into our regular weekend routine: running errands.  Drive-thru teller, post office, Walgreens… and Chuck E. Cheese.  Okay, okay — Chuck E. Cheese is not part of our regular weekend routine, but we had a great time!  One large sausage pizza, four soft drinks, and over 200 tokens.  Bubba liked the action video games (fighter pilots, shoot ‘em up) but played a little Skee-ball.  Moco tried out most of the games, too, but really liked this haunted house game and had some pretty long strands of tickets before we knew it.  Auntie Mariah and I found the real-life Coin Dozer game (we both have the app on our iPod/iPad), and it didn’t take long before we were like addicts — cashing in $20 for more tokens and stealing requesting others from the kids to launch tokens into the machine to make the big piles of coins fall.  We earned over 300 tickets on that game alone, which pretty much “paid” for Moco’s prizes, so I suppose they can’t complain.  ;)  By the end of our two hours, we had well over 3000 tickets, which included about 1500 left over from Chuck E. Cheese trips in 2007 and 2008!  I think my favorite parts of the day were seeing Moco and Bubba’s “sketched” picture — two smiling kiddos squished together in the booth (note to self: scan and upload that pic) — and playing air hockey with Bubba (he won, 7-5) while Justin Bieber’s “Baby” played in the background.  And, yes, we were singing and dancing to it while whacking the puck at each other!

Today (Sunday) we spent half the day in Champaign for festival games for Moco’s new soccer team.  She only went to one practice with this team before this weekend.  Their team won the first game, but then lost the second game.  It was in the 70s, but incredibly windy, which made for less than ideal playing (and spectating, and driving) conditions!  Moco had one assist, at least one really sweet move in her footwork, and a couple good plays on the ball, shielding it and making some good turns.  She is a little rusty, as it has been a good five months since she has played (basketball season was in the middle of that break, too), so we’ve got some work to do to build her confidence, sharpen her skills, and create some momentum.  Moco is a good soccer player; on her rec team, she is one of the better players in terms of skills and knowledge of the game.  Having her with the competitive team — especially one that is co-ed — is a challenge for her.  She’s out of her comfort zone playing with boys and with players who are at the same level as her or better, but this gives her the opportunity to learn a lot about herself, soccer, and competition.  Additionally, she’ll be playing up to five days a week between practices and games!  It’s going to be busy around here, shuttling kids to and from activities!!!

In any event, we’re back to our regular schedule this week, with the addition of soccer practices.  April is going to be a busy month, and we’ll be doing a lot of our summer scheduling in the next few weeks… let’s hope we can get everything squared away sooner than later!!!

Mitchell Trail

Tio Gabi, Kitty Cat, and Louie left for Grand Junction on Sunday morning, so the rest of us headed out for a hike on Mitchell Trail to the Natural Arch.  I enjoyed playing photojournalist with Papa and Gamma’s new digital camera!

The clear blue skies and sunshine allowed for great views of Los Alamos, Pajarito Mountain, and the Sangre de Cristos.  It has been years since I hiked this trail, and it looks quite different from the last time I was there — well before the Cerro Grande fire.  It still breaks my heart to see the burnt trees and bare landscape, more than 10 years later, but I miss it, love it, and appreciate the beauty of northern NM more each time we visit!

Gamma and Papa

Fallen log by the arch

Playing around on logs on the trail — Tio Javi the Sloth, Moco pointing out Crazy Gamma the Tree Hugger, our very own Cousin Itt and Papa posing for an awkward family photo, and a cute shot of Moco.

The lack of snow in Northern NM means that we won’t get any skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing in during this visit, unless we head to Wolf Creek this week.  Looks like we’ll be doing lots of hiking instead… we don’t mind, as we’re soaking up the rays and the fresh air while we can!!!

Xmas 2010

Xmas Morning 2010:

Tio Gabi (“Moose-tache”) & Kitty Cat, Papa & Gamma, Tio Javi, Moco & Bubba, and Louis Armstrong

Opening presents:

Bubba got a Spanish National Team soccer uniform… Tio Gabi and Kitty Cat got tea.

Tio Javi got his annual pear.  Moco got SmartWool socks and the American Girl Feel Better Kit (as modeled by Emilee).

Louie got a new ball.

Festivities:

We had Belgian waffles for breakfast and a beautiful crown roast for supper with the Iowa State gang.

We spent a good portion of the day preparing for the festivities, and it was well worth it.

The highlight of the evening was Trivial Pursuit — “kids” vs. parents.  We “kids” are 18 to 32 years old.  Almost all of the parents have PhDs in Chemistry.  There is a physician among them, and after all the ob/gyn questions that he missed, we’re glad he’s a podiatrist.  The parents blew a couple chances at winning, which allowed us to catch up, but in the end, their combined years of experience gave them the edge. There was no shortage of jokes, cheesecake, coffee, laughter, and pumpkin pie this evening.  (Well, maybe there was a shortage of cheesecake — Bubba ate three slices all by himself!!!)

Another wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends, food, and fun!!!

Xmas Eve 2010

Gamma brought the kids to NM from IL last Sunday.  Tio Gabi and Kitty Cat arrived on Monday from CO, and Tio Javi and I both arrived on Xmas Eve (he drove from CA, I flew from IL).  The kids helped put up farolitos around the house.  (This Southwestern tradition symbolizes the journey of Mary and Joseph from house to house looking for shelter in Bethlehem before Jesus was born.)  We had a late supper (lobster tails, jamón serrano, chorizo, manchego, and olives) before the kids left Rice Krispies treats and milk for Santa an a couple of carrots for the reindeer.

The weather in NM is beautiful — clear skies, sunshine, and high 30s/low 40s.  We wish there was more snow for skiing and snowboarding, but we’re thrilled to be visiting and spending time with family.  Just wish Daddy could have joined us.  He spent two days in IA before heading back to IL to work!

Why I Love Bubba: Bribes

Tonight Moco and I had a Girl Scouts troop event — bell-ringing for the Salvation Army at our local Kmart.

Bubba was incredibly upset that he couldn’t go to Girl Scouts, too, so he was acting up in protest.  He didn’t want to stay with Auntie Mariah, and he was raising hell.  So, I did what any good mother would do: I bribed him.

Before you gasp at the horror of my mad parenting skillz, hear me out.

I think I’ve posted about this before, but Bubba loves, loves, LOVES mail.  He loves to write “letters”, stuff them in envelopes, seal them, address them, add a return label, and (most of all) stamp them.  He could spend all day writing “letters” to Gamma, Grandma, Great Grandma, Sherry, and especially Papa.  The letter content is consistent: recipient’s name, I LOVE YOU, Bubba’s name, and an occasional Mommy, Daddy, Moco, Mariah, or Deacon.  I don’t usually get to see what he writes because he does it all so quickly, and usually I catch him at the envelope-licking part of the process.

Earlier this week, my box of (FREE!) holiday cards from Shutterfly arrived in the mail, so Bubba has been a *wee* bit jealous.  He has begged me every day to let him send one to Sherry, but I just haven’t gotten around to working on them yet — and I really don’t want him messing with them right now.  Once he starts, he won’t be able to stop.  So I keep putting him off, encouraging him to make his own or draw a picture.  He huffs and puffs and sighs and retreats from his request for a few minutes before starting all over again, but I have been able to keep his grubby fingers off my cards thus far.

Enter the bribe.

Bubba was flailing around, telling me I’m mean, and pouting about not getting to go to Girl Scouts.  (I think there might have been a few statements about denying him access to opening Christmas presents as well.)  So, I told him I would bring him back something from Kmart.  He paused.

“If you are good for Mariah, I will bring you back your own box of Christmas cards.  But if Mariah calls me or texts me to let me know that you are misbehaving, I will not bring you anything.”

I didn’t have to say any more.  It was a deal — and he was on his best behavior for Auntie Mariah, who confirmed it when I called home after the meeting.  Moco and I picked out a box for each of them (my kids are all about justice, equal opportunity, and equitable distribution of all purchases — as in, “How come SHE gets something, and I don’t?!?!”), and we headed home.

Bubba ripped into his box immediately.  If only you could see the instant gratification on that child’s face as he set to work on his mailings for Great Grandma and Papa, complete with free, shiny holiday return address labels from one of those charitable organizations that sends you address labels and wants a donation in return.  He was poking around for stamps, but I caught him before he could add enough postage to send it around the world a few times.

Please feel free to write a letter to Bubba.  I can almost guarantee you can expect a prompt yet brief response from him!