Weekly Weigh-In!!

The Week: Started off with a puking kid...and ended with a puking kid. Or two. We left for "home" (PA) on Wednesday, and we got home about 35 minutes ago. We had a great visit, and the kids were very good. We got to spend time with both sides of our family, and it was actually very relaxing (I didn't go with Jon to see his family. I opted to stay home with my Mommy and the sleeping girls.). Relaxing until yesterday. When Gabriel started puking. He was fine by the end of the day, but he's still wiped out. And Janna has decided to join in on the fun. She's so little...and pathetic...it breaks my heart. So, I'm going to cut this short and put my little girly to bed.

The Weight: I managed to lose 1.8 pounds this week (despite the fact that I gorged myself on spinach casserole, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, chex mix, wine, and Andrea's pumpkin roll - which I am going to figure out how to make low calorie and low fat). Total loss: 47.4 pounds.

Good Times.

So instead of going to PA today, we're staying home. With a puking Elliott. I love kids.

Weekly Weigh-In!!

The Week: Went by really fast. Aside from general misbehavior from all three kids, nothing terrible happened. The Big Hosers had a great week at school. Gabriel made some very festive Thanksgiving crafts and learned about Squanto. Elliott showed off her Daddy on Tuesday and helped to prepare a Thanksgiving feast on Thursday (turkey noodle soup, chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, popcorn, and apple pies). Janna had a good week toddling around and making messes everywhere she could. Friday was Elliott's birthday. She had a great time at her party...and so did everyone else. Yesterday was pretty quiet. While the kids "napped", Jon and I rearranged our bedroom. It looks huge now!! And I have a ton more space (for Vera Bradley stuff). Today we're going to PA to see Jon's grandmother and some other family. As soon as the Hosers are dressed, we're leaving.

The Weight: 2.8 pounds lost. Total loss: 45.6!!

3 Years Ago...

...I was sitting (or probably laying) in the hospital marvelling at the beauty of this:

My little (or not so little in this case - the girl weighed in at 9lbs, 2oz) Elliott Jane. My daughter. The sweetest, most precious baby girl in the world.

The first year went by quickly. Elliott grew and grew:

The second year flew by, too:

Where the last year has gone, I have no clue.

My Big Little Girl is three today. And I can't believe it. Where has the time gone?

Lovely!

I have used the above word many times this morning. Sometimes sarcastically, sometimes not.

Sarcastic Courtney: "Oh good. There is a bunch of friggin' snow on the ground. Lovely. And I have to go out in this mess. Lovely. Just f****ing lovely. Why does the Weather Channel have to lie? Bastards." If you haven't already guessed, I hate snow. It's a nuisance. While it's fun to see the kids' faces when they look out the door and see all the fluffy stuff, I don't actually enjoy the fluffy stuff itself. I'm a "lazy Mom" - I hate playing outside with the kids in winter, and that's all they want to do. And since I live in Upstate NY, I have 5 more months of the stuff.

My front yard this morning.

Sentimentally Serious Courtney: While I was driving Gabriel to school this morning, we were listening to "The Polar Express" soundtrack. With the snow clinging to the naked trees (the kids say the trees are naked so they can have a blanket of snow to keep them warm) and the sky a perfect shade of bluish-gray, all I kept thinking was, "Wow. This is lovely. It feels like Christmas. What a perfect morning." Listening to Gabriel sing along with Tom Hanks made my morning. He was so happy.

My handsome little man.

Elliott liked the snow, too, but she was far too busy prancing around declaring that she looked like a princess. Today is Daddy's helping-out day at preschool, and she was very excited to show him off!

Janna was content to plop herself on a bin full of blocks and snack on animal crackers and hot chocolate with Mommy.

Weekly Weigh-In!!

The Week: Was so-so. The early part of the week wasn't bad, but Friday was horrible. I won't go into detail, just know that it was miserable, and that I wanted to sell my kids. All three of them. But I lived - and so did they.

This weekend has been nice...aside from the weather. Yesterday was warm, but rainy. It's been snowing off and on today. And I hate snow. But it's November. I live in upstate NY. It's bound to snow sooner or later, though I would prefer later. Much later.

This week is going to be pretty busy. Tomorrow is Monday - and I hate Mondays. Almost as much as I hate snow and mayonnaise. We're doing nothing. Tuesday Jon is helping out at Elliott's pre-school (It's her birthday treat day. I refuse to make cupcakes because I want her to have something just a little more healthy. Couple that with the fact that she's had cupcakes almost every single days she's been in school - sorry, no cupcakes sweety!! So instead, she's getting rice krispy treats. While they aren't terribly healthy, they're much easier to make. And I won't eat all the leftovers!!), so Janna and I are going to hang out and do nothing. Friends of ours are coming over for dinner in the evening, and I can't wait!! Wednesday we have a MOMS Club event, Thursday is Elliott's Thanksgiving Feast Day at school, and Friday is her third birthday (she's having a smallish party with her friends, then Jon and I are going to take the hosers to Build-a-Bear in the later afternoon). She has already requested her favorite foods for her birthday meals - chocolate Pop-Tarts and pink yogurt for breakfast, nuggets and fries for lunch, and Cheeseburger Macaroni Hamburger Helper and broccoli for dinner. Doesn't sound overly tasty to me, but it's not my third birthday.

The Weight: I lost another pound this week!! My total loss thus far is 42.8 pounds. I'm pretty shocked and excited about my progress. I have been doing Weight Watchers for 16 weeks, and so much weight has come off. My friend, Katie was here on Friday and she was amazed at how "narrow" I am. I don't really see it, but it's good to know that it's noticeable!! It's an actual possibility that by Christmas I will be 50 pounds lighter. That's pretty amazing to me!

Crafty Courtney

That's what I call myself. Well, not really - but I am pretty damned crafty. Family members and friends get some sort of handmade gift for their birthdays or Christmas. I love creating something different for everyone - though my skills are pretty much limited to cross-stitch and crochet. I honestly think that everyone appreciates my efforts, and the things that I make are "tailored" to the individual. I love seeing people's faces when they open something that I have spent a lot of time and energy making.

Most of my craftiness go to my Mom. She loves the stuff. Her house is decorated with a slightly eclectic taste, and my random stitchings and paintings and creations-gone-wrong fit right in. Most of the things I make are Christmasy in nature, but she leaves them out all year round anyway. When I'm not crafting for my Mom, I'm making things for the kids. Each kid has at least one afghan, and I cross-stitched each child's birth announcement (Gabriel's is Raggedy Andy, Elliott's is the bunny from "Guess How Much I Love You", and Janna's is a Care Bear). I also made each kid a plastic canvas wind chime, and I'm working on stockings for next year. Crafty Courtney. That's me.

All of my nieces and nephews have had blankets made for them, and last year everyone got scarves to match their winter coats. My Dad and brothers haven't received many handmade gifties from me, but that's only because I haven't got a clue what to make them. Last year I made my Dad and Beth a Christmasy striped granny square afghan (they loved it), and Devin got a huge granny-rectangle afghan in Penn State colors (also loved by the recipient). I haven't got a clue what to make for Zak, but I made his son, Connor, a blankie to match his diaper bag. Again...Crafty Girl!!

I've received a few handmade gifts here and there, mostly handmade Raggedy Ann dolls that my Mom has found in her travels. My friend, Jennifer made me an adorable purse last year, and Erin made me a cute little cross-stitch magnet - just because. The kids color me pictures and make drawings, but I haven't gotten anything actually handmade by them as a gift yet. Jon has, though. The kids make him all kinds of cute things for his birthday, Father's Day, and Christmas. They like to craft as much as I do, and the Big Hosers have already asked when they can start trying to "croo-chet" and make "plastic square things (plastic canvas)".

I have a few handmade gifts for this Christmas, but the three kids have been keeping me pretty busy. But if you're extra-special nice to me, maybe you'll get something handmade by me this year, too! Until then, enjoy the lovely slide below - it's comprised of my favorite gifts...mostly afghans.

This post is brought to you by the Parent Bloggers Network and Klutz.

Holiday Specialness

I love the holidays. Love them. I am overly excited for them this year for some unknown reason. Maybe because Janna might get something out of them. Maybe because the weather has been so nice. Maybe because the kids are getting awesome gifts this year. I'm not sure why I'm so excited, but I am!!

Debby's curiosity about holiday stuff is the reason for this post. Since I didn't want to hog up her entire comments section, I decided to post my responses here. So...here goes! (I hope Cousin Jim doesn't mind that I am totally copying from his blog!!)

When is it okay to start listening to Christmas music? Personally, I listen to it all year long. I love it. And so do the kids. They sing their own little bastardized versions of Rudolph and Jingle Bells all year round. My husband? Hates it. He thinks that you should only start playing it the day after Thanksgiving at the very earliest. If I have to actually pick a time to start listening, my date would be November 1.

What's your all-time favorite "it's not Christmas til I hear it" Christmas cd? For me it would be Harry Connick Jr.'s "When My Heart Finds Christmas". I also love any Christmas song by Doris Day and Johnny Mathis.

When is it okay to break out those Christmas specials and start watching them? We start in July. They get to pick one a week. Starting in November, they get to pick as many as they want. "Rudolph" is the family favorite!

What's your favorite Christmas movie AND Christmas special? "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is my all-time favorite Christmas anything. I love it. I can't get enough of it. It's always been my favorite. I let the kids watch the video, but seeing it on TV is just so much more special. I waited for it every year, and I still do. The other specials that make me giddy with holiday excitement are "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas". For me, Christmas isn't Christmas without those specials. An actual movie is a bit harder to choose. I'm not a big fan of most of them. Call me a Scrooge, but I don't like "It's a Wonderful Life". I think mine might just be the 1996 version of "Little Women". While not a traditional Christmas movie, it puts me in the Christmas spirit. I also adore "The Polar Express".

What is your favorite Christmas tradition from when you were younger that you try to do today? Advent calendars! I have over 50 of them. I hang, stand, stick, or sit them on any and every available surface in my house. My Mom always had them around the house when I was little, and I always liked them. Most of mine are over 50 years old. The kids have their own (from the 70s), and this year I also bought them the ones that have chocolate hiding behind each door. Bribing them into liking advent calendars is going to be great!! My other favorite tradition is Christmas pjs. We always got a new set on Christmas Eve, and now my hosers do, too.

What is your new favorite Christmas tradition? Something started AFTER you left home? I think the hanging of the pickle on the tree is my favorite new tradition. Jon's Mom always hung a pickle on their tree, and after we got married she shared the idea. So I bought a beautiful hand blown pickle, and it's the last ornament that gets hung. Each kid has their own mini-gherkin, too.

We also started a tradition of watching the 24-hour TBS showing of "A Christmas Story". For all 24 hours. The TV does not get turned off of TBS until the movie stops playing.

After I had kids, I started a Christmas book tradition. On December 1, the kids get a new book and a small Christmas gift.

What do you hope Santa brings this year? In a perfect world, a nice box of patience would be sitting under the tree for me on Christmas morning. But I suppose I'll settle for some new Vera Bradley. And while I have absolutely no qualms about admitting that I love presents, I am also very excited about giving them. I spent the morning sorting and organizing all the stuff I have for family and friends, and I am so excited!! The kids are going to be in heaven. And for me, that's what's most important. The look on their faces Christmas morning is what I look forward to most.

I'm passing the holiday torch. It's your turn to blog abour your holiday specialness.

Weekly Weigh-In!!

The Week: All things considered, last week was a pretty good week. The kids were only mildly insane, and I got a bunch accomplished. Gabriel seems to be evening out a bit at school. He's 4. And as hard as it is, I need to remember that. Because he acts so much older than he is, I tend to forget that he's so young. He's my little freak of nature, and I need to work harder on embracing that about him. He had a great week - and he gets to be the "Sea Star Helper of the Day" on Monday! (I'll add pictures of him with the SS bag tomorrow!!)

Elliott is still being a giant pain in the ass. Every day gets a little worse. When she's by herself, she's fine. But if you add a sibling, all hell breaks loose. She's 2, and I know that's how 2-year-olds are. But it's getting old. I'm trying my hardest to be patient with her, but by the end of the day (5:30 is the end of our day - that's when Daddy gets home) I find myself completely frazzled. It's frustrating - for all of us. When she wasn't on her naughty rug, she was being the cutest and sweetest girl in the world. Which is also frustrating!! When she's good, she's awesome. When she's bad, she's horrible! She had a great week of school, though. And she's been extremely good this weekend. (Miss Thang has her 3 year check-up tomorrow. I have a number of issues to discuss with her pediatrician.)

Janna is becoming quite the PITA herself. She's fully mobile (she's almost running), and she refuses to stay still. Or off the stairs. We have gates or other blockades all around the house, but she manages to get around them. She likes to hang out on the steps, yell for me, and then when I come looking for her - she goes up the steps as fast as she can. Giggling the entire way. She's started throwing and hitting, too, which I can't stand. Jon has started making her stand in the corner when she's naughty. She hates it!! But we figure that she's not too young to start having to go to Time-Out for her behavior. Janna learned a bunch of new words/phrases this week. She now very clearly says up, down, baby, push, block, and throw. She's also discovered that trains are quite possibly the best thing in the world. She pushes them (or cars or empty cereal boxes) around the floor saying, "Choo choo!! Chugga chugga!!" She loves Thomas, too, though she can't say his name. She calls him "Nim-nim" - which is very similar to Elliott's 1-year-old version, "Numinah".

So, such is life in our household. The kids are a never-ending source of amusement and aggravation. But they're cute. So I guess we'll keep them!

The Weight: I had a little trouble at the beginning of the week regulating my WW points. I lost 2 last week, and I was finding it hard to get to my goal - I was either 2 above, or 2 below. I finally got my groove back, and I managed to lose another 2.6 pounds. That brings the total to 41.8!!

Zip-a-dee-do-dah...

...zip-a-dee-ay! Time to put our toys away! Plenty of fun is headed our way. Zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!!

That? Is the song that Gabriel's UPK class sings when it's time to clean up for snack/going home. And it works. All the kids clean up, and all is calm in the land of pre-school. The song also works at home. Kind of. The kids will clean up...eventually. Usually with the offer of spankin' hands to go along with the song.

The reason I bring up cleaning is because I have been cleaning my ass off. Jon started the cleaning buzz (and I am grateful to him for helping out) a few weeks ago. And though his efforts have lessened, mine haven't. With birthdays and Christmas approaching, I need to create a calmer home. By calmer, I mean cleaner. And by cleaner, I mean less like a toy store. I live in a town house, and while it's not tiny (I have three full floors and stuff), it's also not large. I'm very happy here, and I actually like my home - with the exception of one fact. There are toys in every single room of this house. I honestly do try to keep some semblance of order - we have toy boxes, bins, shelves, baskets - all kinds of toy-holding items. Nothing seems to work. Except the purging of toys. Which I hate doing. I buy (or give hints to family/friends as to what I want purchased) most of the random crap that the kids have, and I hate knowing that I am wasting my money. Do I think about that when I buy the stuff? Yep. Does it stop me? Obviously not. When I do purge, I give the stuff to the Salvo, but it still seems wasteful.

This week the toy disorganization has been worse than usual. I think partly because it's been so nice out - the sun is shining in on the chaos that is my house. I decided last night that since I only had Janna this morning, I was going to get some purging/cleaning done. And I succeeded!! With the help of my pal Erin, I managed to get rid of 2+ garbage bags of stuff - lots of it garbage, the rest toys that we don't need. My living room is still full of toys, but they all have a home! The toy box actually shuts, the Little People are in a basket with a lid (thanks, Erin!!), and the bin system that I try to keep organized is actually that - organized! There isn't a single toy on the floor!!

I also "cleaned" off my desk. I hate that it is in the living room (I spend waaaaaaaay too much time internet-ing). I throw everything on top of it, and it looks like crap. I neatened a bunch of the random piles this morning, and I can actually use the desk as it is intended to be used. I cleared off our dining room table (also a holding place for junk), too. The bathrooms are also cleaned (ok, they've been tidied - bathroom cleaning is NOT my job), and the kids' rooms aren't bad, either. Our room is a gigantic disaster. But that's gonna have to wait until after Christmas (my closet happens to be this year's present hiding place)!

I was starting to feel like I was slipping into some sort of depressing funk due to the disorganization of my living quarters. But today's accomplishments have alleviated a lot of the sinking sensation. I'm able to enjoy being in my living room (for the time being) again!

Weekly Weigh-In!!

The Week: Aside from the snow, the week wasn't terrible. Once again Gabriel had a few issues at school, but after thinking about it, I'm going to chalk all of it up to the fact that he's 4. The weather went nuts, the pre-school Halloween party was mentioned every 5 minutes, and crafts were the only thing that the kids completed all week - my son was bored. His cure to boredom? Back talk. Does it piss me off? Yes. But again, he's 4. Whatdya do? So aside from his mouthiness, The Boy had a good week. His writing is improving daily, and so are his manners. He's still not really napping, but I can live with that.

The Girls had a pretty good week, too. Elliott had a great week at pre-school, and she seems to be getting a little more involved with it as the weeks go by. She loves her teachers, and she's made some new friends. She's still testing my patience at every turn, but I am trying to spend a little more one-on-one time with her. Hopefully, that'll help!!

Janna had her 15 month check-up, and she's growing...kind of. She's kinda little: 21 pounds (fully dressed - coat, shoes, multiple layers of clothing) and 31.5 inches tall. Quite a bit smaller than Gabriel was at this age, but about the same size as Elliott was. She hated her shots, but she loved the attention of the nurses and doctor. She learned how to jump off the couch during the week...and Mommy wasn't happy. I don't like it when kids stand/walk/run/jump on my couch. Missy Toddle Pants just might get to enjoy my spankin' hands this week.

Halloween was great, but I'm glad it's over. I'm not a big fan of the "holiday", and I am sick of seeing really ugly/tacky yard clutter. However, with Halloween over, November is here. And it doesn't seem possible. Summer flew by, and Fall is doing the same. I can't believe Elliott's birthday and Thanksgiving are right around the corner.

The Weight: I'm down 3.2 pounds this week, bringing my total weight loss to 39.2 pounds. HOLY CRAP!