Motherhood Is...{15}

The many adventures of Eden and Hunter! Check them out. They love to do things. Anything, really. Laying around watching a movie together. Strawberry picking. Even climbing a gigantic stair way up to a zip line. If it even seems like it might be fun, these two are going to want to do it. And odds are, they're going to want to do it together. I love that they want to experience the life of a preschooler together.

Signs of Deployment

So, Lane has been gone for a month now. I started to notice trends over time in the past that show that he's gone. Gone can be for a trip that lasts a few days or weeks, but it can also be for a few months in a deployment. One of the tell tale signs that a family is enduring a deployment is the dishwasher...

Check it out:

~ kid *plastic* plates

~ kid *plastic* bowls

~ coffee cups {a must!}

~ pizza cutter

~ wine glass{es}

~ cereal bowls {used for any and all meals!}

~ condiment bowls {the baking sheets from making chicken nuggets don't get washed each time they're used because I put aluminum foil on the baking sheet and just toss it after each use. Don't judge, at least we're getting a hot meal or 2!!!}

~ water bottles for the kids and/or myself

~ kid forks/spoons

What you probably won't find:

~ real plates - we use paper plates or paper towels

~ pots

~ pans

~ baking pans

~ mixing bowls - no need to mix anything if you aren't cooking real meals.

We won't get into the other signs of deployment...

* Kitchen table used as storage space

* Laundry clean, but not folded {and for sure not put away}

* Hubby clothes on his side of the bed

* Heavy {but healthy - most of the time} snacks for dinner

* The back of hubby's car makes for more garage storage space

* Grass as tall as your 2 year old {and hopefully not as tall as your 4 year old}

Month One, Done!

We've conquered the first month! I'll be the first to admit that in the beginning, time was dragging. I thought we were prepping for our ice cream date, but we were only 2 weeks in! I couldn't believe it...how...was...time...standing...still?! After that first little bit it wasn't so bad. Now we're a month in and we're going strong! We only have 2 more months - maybe. Here's to the remaining months {no matter how many are left!}

La Jolla

Well, I did it. I swore I wouldn't, but I did! I ran the La Jolla Half Marathon this past weekend. It wasn't as terrible as last year. I mean, it was, but I knew what to expect, so it wasn't. The hill up into Torrey Pines State Park was still there, and so were the smaller inclines, but I had better expectations for them this year. I knew that I'd try my best for as much of the hill, but I wouldn't beat myself up to get up the hill running.

My time was better this year by 4.5 minutes, which is about 20 seconds/mile! I didn't get to do many long runs, and for the 2 weeks that we were doing family stuff before Lane left I only ran a few times. I'd say I definitely came out on top this year! I felt stronger and more confident when I was running. I also feel better after my run this year. I'm not limping up and down the stairs because of sore muscles. I am limping everywhere I take a step, though. Check this beauty out!

She started out as a hot spot right around mile 5 or 6 and progressively got less and less comfortable. I found her when I took my shoes off in the beer garden after the race. Because of the blister {and since BOTH of my kids napped today} I took advantage and pampered myself a bit.

I found a foot soak recipe on pinterest and figured I'd give it a go after I took a shower. It was nice to just sit in silence and taking care of myself. After my soak I took a sweet nap! It was a blissful afternoon, which was great after a hard morning!

Motherhood Is...{14}

Monkey See, Monkey Do. That is the story of their friendship right now! If she does something - even if she gets in trouble for doing it - he does it too! I have a love/hate relationship with this new finding. I mean, I knew it was only a matter of time, but I sound like a broken record! I usually sound like one anyways, but now that I say the same thing to each kid within 60 seconds. But how can I complain? Look how cute they are when it isn't monkey see, monkey do in a bad way. They're almost too cute!

Motherhood Is...{13}

I love that my kids want to help! They help switch laundry over, unload the dishwasher and do some other chores around the house. I love when they want to help! Occasionally...ok, quite often...they put up a fight about helping, so when they both wanted to help at the same time I knew I needed to document it!

21 Day Fix Conclusion

So check this out...I lost 6 pounds and 7.75 inches! Not to mention the strength that I gained!!! I couldn't be happier with the results from this program. I've enjoyed the nutrition portion of it and it's helped me start thinking outside the box, but kept us healthy. My kids love brussel sprouts! Who would have known!!! And I enjoy a cup of black coffee. Who would have known!!! My favorite realization was that when I go to grab a snack, there's nothing in the pantry for me. Most everything I eat now needs to come from the refrigerator - fresh!

And I haven't given up! I'm still going strong and working out every day. I've had to alter the meal plan this week because I have a half marathon tomorrow, so I've eaten more "good" carbs than the plan allows for at the end of the week. I've also not pushed myself as much when it's come to the lower body workouts because I didn't want to burn out my legs. I'm happy with how far I came within the 21 days and I'm excited to be able to keep it up.

I love how I'm feeling stronger because of the workouts! I truly feel better about myself simply because I feel stronger. I don't get as tired when I'm carrying my kids around. This was us leaving a Padres game one night. We move faster when they aren't walking, so I carried both kids out. {Hunter is in a carrier, but I was bearing his weight along with Eden's AND the backpack that we had too.}

I can, on a whim, swoop up Hunter and carry him for decent amounts of time. Eden is a bit more difficult to just swoop up, but I can still lift and carry her! I'll be buff before this is all said and done!