Savvy Toddler Mom

That is what I’m doing today — leaping from one place/project to another as fast as I can!  Visiting teaching (YES, on the last day of the month…), Cookie Cutters for the toot’s haircut (LOVE them…), Grandma’s for a quick lunch (thanks again for feeding us hungry people!), home for a nap and now to the “other” grandma’s house to see my sister-in-law and her family that just arrived in town.  Hurrah for cousins!

I will write more later…

I know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged!  I’ve had a rough couple of weeks… exhausting, frustrating, busy and expensive.  Among everything else, this was my car last Friday afternoon in the Westminster College parking garage.  Shot is from the rear left of my car:

Talk about “stuck in a tight spot.” 

It was not a good day.

The harder I tried to get AWAY from that concrete pole, the CLOSER I got to it, until I was right up against it.  Finally deciding that my driving abilities were beyond being able to get my car out of this precarious position without scratching it all the way down the side, I called SavvyDad.  Poor guy.  He had just gotten a wisdom tooth pulled and was half an hour away.  He had me call his uncle, who was there in under five minutes (hero of the day!!!) and was kind enough to back my car out without further damage.  It is a little scratched, but nothing a little buffing won’t take care of.  UGH.

The next day, my windshield got cracked by a flying rock.

See where the “expensive” bit is coming in?

Well, anyway… amidst the insane schedule I’ve had lately and all the ludicrous set-backs, I do have some good news!  Both my sister-in-law and SavvyDad’s cousin announced on Valentine’s Day that they are pregnant.  I’m so thrilled for both of them!  I’ll admit, though, that both announcements made me sad.  It’s hard for me to see time passing and the people around me having children and yet… I’m… not.  And it’s hard for me to explain — and be convincing — that while I’m sad for me, I’m so happy for them.

I think I’ve convinced CTM that there cannot be weirdness!  She’s six months along now (remember, we were supposed to be due the same day?) and since we see each other every other day, how awkward would it be to ignore the fact that she is having a baby? LOL  I am so grateful to her and her little boy on the way for helping me cope in a comfortable environment: with a close friend.  I’ve told her she’s not allowed to hold back — gotta tell me about the doctor’s appointments and nursery plans and baby kicks — and it’s my job to tell her when I can’t take it that day.  She is the absolute best.

Also good news… (I think…) I was called to the Relief Society presidency last week as the secretary.  I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to do it all.  Isn’t that the biggest question, though?  How do we do all the things we want to do with the time we are given?  I remember someone talking about Michelangelo and how many incredible things he did… but that he had the same amount of time given to him as the rest of us: one lifetime.

I was talking to a dear friend of mine two weeks ago and she said that she had a shift of perspective recently when she realized that life isn’t supposed to be easy.  It just isn’t.  If things were easy, how would we learn?  I get so hung up on the trials that I have… that life isn’t fair, or why me?  But really, that’s why we are here.  We need to learn to cope; to overcome and endure.

So here’s what I am doing: the absolute best coping, overcoming, and enduring that I can.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention… Amazon.com is having a Britax sale (best brand in convertible car seats) now through March 2nd.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  SavvyDad gave me a sweet red track suit this morning.  I’m loving it!

I have chosen today to kick my Diet Coke bucket.  Yes, I am going to have one more Diet Coke and then call it quits.  I’ve given myself a few weeks to adjust and I think I’m doing pretty well.  It’s time to throw the crutch away. 

I’m happy and sad.  Happy because I have been able to exercise enough self control to actually rid myself of an addiction (and yes, I’m afraid it was an addiction), but sad because I LOVE DIET COKE!!  I love the taste, I love the smell, I love the sound it makes when you pour it over ice.  I love the pick-me-up that I get from it. (Hence the need to quit…)  Caffeine-free has never done much for me and after the article that came out last week about diet soda, I think even Fresca won’t be a regular in my fridge anymore.

So, here’s to doing everything I can to have a successful next pregnancy and here’s to doing something else that will make me healthier throughout my life.  Goodbye, Diet Coke.  I will miss you, but it is time for us to go our separate paths.  I know Valentine’s Day is kind of a strange day to do this, but it will help me remember exactly when we broke up.  It’s not an end, it’s a new beginning.

Plus, now have a superstar red track suit.

Hello again… sorry I’ve been AWOL for a bit.  Things have been a bit crazy.  Lots of work, doctors appointments (ugh - I waited TWO HOURS at my OB’s today… just shoot me…), and driving from one end of the valley to the other, I’ve hardly had any time at my computer in the last week.  I’m going into withdrawal!

So, just really quickly, since it’s getting late and I have to get up and going in the morning (to my internist’s… hopefully a shorter wait!), I did want to leave a quick post about Valentine’s Day.

Since I believe most of my readers are women (SavvyDad rarely even reads… and that’s okay!), we are all keenly aware that Valentine’s Day is Thursday.  Putting ourselves aside for a minute, though, I think Valentine’s Day is a great time to bring out the sweetest in our little toddlers.  I had such a good time with the toot tonight having him “write” (scribble with many colors of crayons) valentines to his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.  We just bought a box of Disney (read: “Cars”) valentines at the store and he went to town.  He really got into it, choosing for each person if they would like “Cars,” “Finding Nemo,” or “Toy Story” more.  Then we had to put stickers on!

He’s so excited about helping me take them to the post office tomorrow (early in the morning - straight to the post office, of course, since I procrastinated…) and dropping them in the box.  Oh, how he loves boxes!  He’s so enamoured with the one at the video store too — he has to drop the DVDs in himself now.  It’s so adorable!

Anyway, a really fun, inexpensive thing to do with your kids… not to mention score points with the grandparents!  They love that kind of stuff, you know.

Alright, time for me to be off.  G’night!

Have a headache. Am tired. Miss my diet coke.

Will write tomorrow.

-STM

I was very sad to hear that Mitt Romney suspended his campaign yesterday. (SavvyDad texted me the update while CTM and I were at the gym!)  90% of Utah Republicans voted for him in the primary.  WOW. 

In his honor, I would like to share the following video that has had me smiling all morning… (Thanks, IRF, for sharing with me!)

Actual toddler-related info to follow later today…

It’s Super Tuesday!  SavvyDad has been keeping me VERY aware of the presidential campaign and since it’s Super Tuesday (that means it’s the primary today, Utahns), I feel an obligation to remind you to vote.  The primary is closed for Republicans (meaning you have to be a registered Republican to vote in the Republican race), but open for the Democratic ticket.

SavvyDad grabbed this great shot of the Bountiful City Library this morning.  He says, “It looks like they want me to vote right there on the sign.”

CTM and I are headed to the gym tonight — I really need it!  We haven’t been since Saturday (LOL - I am laughing that I just wrote that sentence), and I’m going into withdrawal.  I have been desperately missing my Diet Coke lately… I was dragging SO badly yesterday, but I made it through.  Today has been better.  It helps that the sun is shining and I can actually see blue sky — the streets aren’t totally buried in snow, and the toot and I went to Target today.  I love Target.

Also, as a true Utah native in the middle of the winter doldrums (and what a winter it has been!), I have given up wearing a coat unless I know I will be outside for longer than five minutes.  I am so sick of wearing a coat.  Yes, it’s, like, 26 degrees out there, but I don’t care.  I’ve acclimated.  I’m rebelling.  I keep one in the car for emergencies, but I ran around doing errands, etc. this morning in a hoodie with 3/4 sleeves.

Don’t worry, the toot absolutely wore his coat.

Whew!  I’m finally coming back up for air.  The last week of the month is a killer for me… between trying to get my final work hours in, invoicing, the ward newsletter, and other random things that happened last week, it took a whole weekend to feel like myself again!  Not to mention President Hinckley’s funeral on Saturday and the Superbowl yesterday… I didn’t get anything done over the weekend either!

This is one of the reasons I love Mondays: total fresh start.  Today’s fresh start included about six inches of new snow, but who’s counting, right?  Supposedly, we will have one more storm Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and then that’s it for about a week.  Maybe we can get unburied finally!

Some quick updates…

SavvyTodderMomFitness
CTM and I have been kicking-butt at the gym.  We have kept to our goal of going three times a week and it feels awesome!!  (Especially considering all the junk I ate yesterday during the football game… ugh.)  I think I am going to try and sneak in another cardio session or two in-between my cardio/weight sessions with CTM.  She is being SO good about keeping her heartrate under 140 since she’s pregnant, but I am SUPER gung-ho about getting in shape!  Some more cardio would be good for me.

SavvyToddlerMomQuitsCaffeine
Doing SO well on this front!  I went almost 4 days last week without a Diet Coke: Tuesday am to Saturday pm.  It was awesome.  I feel good; no headaches.  I think I’ve got it kicked, except for the fact that I totally miss the taste (caffeine-free just doesn’t cut it) and for those mornings when I’m SO tired and wish I had that little pick-me-up.  But that is SO the point, right?!?!  It’s a drug, an addictive one, and I just shouldn’t be having so much that it has that affect on me.  Enough said.

SavvyToddlerMomBabySaga
So, I talked to the doctor last week and apparently, I still have two tests that need to be done… another one having to do with blood clotting and a maternal thyroid test.  They are supposed to be calling me back today to get that scheduled.  If both come back negative, I think that’ll be all they can really do for now. Stay tuned…

I did some scrapbooking over the weekend — did two of my three new nieces births!  I wasn’t at the third niece’s birth, so I don’t have any pics… not sure what to do about that… hmmm…  Anyway, they turned out so cute!  I’ll have to see if I can somehow scan them and post them.  They are 12×12, so I might have to take a photo instead, since my scanner isn’t that wide!  I did little Grace’s in pink and brown with polkadots (her mom’s fav) and Emma’s in white, pink, and yellow with flowers.  My favorite touch was swanky silver glitter letters for both!  (From Making Memories - hotcha!)

I wanted to give a shout-out to my adorable friend Emily who, among other amazing acts of kindness, watched the toot on Saturday so that SavvyDad and I could attend the temple.  Emily, you are wonderful.  Thank you again.

My goal for this week is… well, I have several.  One of my goals for this week is work towards the concept: ”simplify.”  There was a great talk given by Dallin H. Oaks in the October 2007 LDS General Conference where he talks about “good, better and best.”  There are good choices, better choices, and best choices.  There are lots of good things to do with our time… there are even better things yet.  The ones we want to focus on, though, are the best things to do with our time.

Often the “best” choices are the simplest ones.  Uncluttering our lives does a lot to help us focus on what is most important.  Having too much to do gives us little time for quiet, loving moments with our families.  I struggle with this so much.  I want to do everything and be everything and not miss out on a single opportunity for growth, fun, education, etc.  I want it all!  But in wanting it all, I am spread thin and am so completely crazed that I can’t really enjoy it.

So, goals for this week:

• Gym three times with CTM
• One extra cardio session
• No Diet Coke until Wednesday (we are down to every fourth day)
• Complete one scrapbook spread (if I can do one a week this year, I will have completed 104 pages by the end of the year!)
• Simplify: identify at least one thing that I can do differently or get rid of to make my life less cluttered

I am also going to post at least one book review this week — I am so behind!  Look for that in the next couple of days.

Happy Monday!