Land that I love

We had a very busy and exciting weekend.  Babysitting children of local performers has it's perks I must say.  We were given free tickets to go see a Friday night performance of  Noah the Musical.  The theater was AMAZING.  The acting and music was great.  I have seen quite a few performances in Branson, and this one was right up there with Vegas quality.  A must see, in my opinion.  Our favorite part was after intermission.  Suddenly the walls on the sides of the theater open up and you feel as though you are actually on the ark.  You are surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of animals.  Some were stuffed, some were robotic, and some were real.  They even took live animals through the audience.  The girls were really excited and thoroughly entertained.  A perfect way to spend a Friday night.  We are now very pumped and excited to see the Christmas show on Bren's birthday.

Saturday I got to go off by myself to the Rec and get my run in before the big date night.  It was the first time since I started exercising a month ago that I actually got to do my routine on flat ground and in the day light.  I thought it would be a nice break from the hills and be kind of nice to get it out of the way during the day hours, so I could enjoy my evening. I was actually kind of surprised that I didn't like it at all.  I had trouble getting through my run.  It was not because it was too hard.  On the contrary.  It was too easy.  My mind began to get very bored.  Since it was during the day, it was much warmer than what I was used too as well.  I guess I didn't realize, but running up and down those hills has required quite a bit of focus. I spend my time in my mind coaching myself through them.  It makes the time go much faster.  Every time I get up one hill without stopping, I spend the next 5 minutes praising my accomplishment. It is much more rewarding than going in circles on flat land in the middle of the day. 

After my workout it was back home to get ready for date night (a rare luxury for us).  Our kind neighbors have been telling us for a year that they want to babysit the children for us.  We decided it was time to take them up on that offer.  They are a wonderful Christian couple and the kids enjoy them.  Since Brennan is older I don't feel as bad about leaving her for awhile.  About 4:30 we set out to go on the first part of our date, a helicopter tour of Branson.  Jeff had won a gift certificate for a helicoptor ride at a silent auction. It was a fund raiser for the Boys and Girls club here in Branson. So we thought the cost would be very minimal.  The gift certificate was unclear as to which ride were were getting.  When we showed up it was confirimed that the ride was for one person only.  The cost of this ride was 60$ and the ride would only last 10 minutes.  In order for me to go we would have to dish out 60$ for one more ticket.  They were unwilling to let us cash our gift certificate in for 2 cheaper tickets for the 5 minute ride which would have totaled the same amount as the one ticket for the 10 minute ride.  I offered to just stay behind and let Jeff go by himself, but it was our date night.  He insisted on us going together.

The ride was fun but WAY too short.  I swear it didn't seem like 10 minutes, more like 5.  We had to snap photos quickly and didn't get nearly the amount we wanted.  I thought the colors would be better, but the leaves were barely starting to change.  Bummer.  Here are a few.

After our helicopter ride we decided to really treat ourselves and go to Olive Garden.  We RARELY go out to eat so this was a big treat for us.

After the Olive Garden, we headed out to catch a show called Shephard of the Hills.  Jeff, once again, scored free tickets to this (he always seems to score free stuff).  The show was a love story that I believe was based on a true story.  It was supposed to give it's audience an idea of what Ozark Mountain life was like years ago.  There were live horses, donkeys, sheep, wagons, rifles, and an old Ford car.  They also lit a cabin on fire (we spent much of the show wondering how they pulled that off).  The entire show was outdoors.  The language was very relative to the time, so it was hard to understand at times for Jeff and I.  Neither of us are big fans of cowboy shows, but we felt like it would be a waste to let the free tickets expire, and one can't really complain when it's free.  I didn't get any pics of the show, but I did get a pretty picture of the sunset on our way to see the show.

Sunday we woke and just lounged around in our PJs most of the day and watched football.  We were scheduled to have our family pics taken by my nieghbor at a park by the Branson Belle boat.  I knew Brennan wouldn't get a full nap in if we went to church, and I thought it was important for her to get that nap in so she was good for the pictures and so she wasn't run down.  Both daycare kids have been showing up sick lately, and I know from experience that run down kids are more prone to illness.  I really don't want a repeat of last winter.  Needless to say, I'm hoping God can forgive us for not going to church Sunday morning.  The picture shoot went as good as to be expected for two children younger than 5.  There were a ton of different backgrounds to take pictures by.  It will be hard to pic just a few to print out and hang up on our walls.  I'll be posting these later.  Afterwards we treated the girls to icecream for trying hard to be good during the photo shoot.

All in all, it was a fun and exciting weekend.  I am so happy we moved to Branson.  It seems ever since our move, there is never a lack of fun things to go do.  Sometimes I feel like I am on a nonstop vacation.  This is the land that I love. 

Exercise update

As you know I've started running as of lately.  I have made huge progress and in such a short time.  There are things that are very satistying about it all, and things that have been disappointments too.  When I first started, I was lucky to run half a mile without stopping.  Then, without really knowing it, I ran an entire mile without stopping.  To me that was a HUGE accomplishment.  I think running a whole mile really boosted my confidence and allowed me to push for that as a goal every night I worked out.  The most I've ever been able to do in the past is two miles without stopping. I've always aimed to have 4 miles logged every workout regardless of whether it was spent running or walking.


I was surprised how sore I was the first two weeks and it was difficult to push through it and also to stay motivated to go out and do it again.  I was forced to take some days off due to other obligations.  I think it was probably a blessing that I was forced to take days off as my body needed to recover and it mentally prepared me for the next run.  I started noticing some soreness in my left knee, and knew that it was probably a bad idea to continue to run in circles in our culdesac.  I knew that running a straight line would be much easier on my joints, but I was scared that running up hills would be too hard.  But....if I was going to keep going I had to get over my fear of the hills and just do it. 

While I was in OKC, my friend Sarah gave me some tips for running up a hill.  I tried to remember those tips the first time I decided to give it a go.  I kept using positive self talk and telling myself that it didn't matter how slow I was going, just as long as I didn't stop jogging I could chalk it up to a success.  The first two hills were KILLER!  I wanted to give up, but encouraged myself to give it my all.  Before I knew it, they seemed to get easier and easier as the run went on.  In fact, going down was like not running at all.  I would recover my breath and then going up the next hill didn't seem like as much work..  Usually I run for a set number a songs (instead of a set distance).  However, this time I forgot about the music and just kept going because I felt like I could. I haven't a clue how many songs went by.  It was a lot.  Since I wasn't running in circles it seemed to go by so much more quickly.  When I finished, I clocked in at 4.25 miles.  I wasn't quite sure how much of that I had ran because I forgot to check my mileage when I started runnning (I always walk for awhile at the beginning to warm up).  I was pretty sure I ran further than a mile this time. 

So....the next day I was determined to see how far I actually ran without stopping. I did the same run again.  I was blown away when I discovered I ran 3.25 miles without stopping.  I walked 1.25 miles  Suddenly, those hills didn't seem like much of a problem at all (if you saw them you'd know why they are intimidating, they are MONSTERS).  I walked in the house so proud of myself and announced my accomplishment to Jeff.  He was impressed and made the comment I was ready for a 5K.  WOW! I didn't even think about that.  Just last week I was telling him I probably wouldn't be ready in time.  I guess I underestimated my body.

When I first started I wanted to work out 6 days a week.  Now I realize that may have been a tad ambitious.  My body does need recover time and life happens which prevents me from always getting those days in.  Now I'm thinking that 4 days is good for now.  I suppose the dissppointment for me has been that I have gained 2 pounds and seem to be holding that steady.  I know it's probably muscle, but it is a bit discouraging to see numbers go up on the scale when you are working out regularly. 

The one area of my body that I store fat in the most is my thighs and butt.  I am really hoping this helps me to slim down those areas and tone.  So far I have noticed little difference.  Perhaps, I'm not giving it enough time to see a difference there, but that has been discouraging too.

Despite my few let downs, the main reason I started doing this was to alleviate stress.  I think it is working.  I am finding it easier to remain calm when I am in the midst of a power struggle with any of the kids.  Before I could feel my blood pressure spike very quickly when I was challenged.  The more I run, the more I am able to remain calm and think myself through discipline without acting on impulse or irrationally.  I'm by no means perfect and I still slip up occcasionally, but I think a combo of the stress relief and reading parenting books has helped me cope better with the stress of my job.

In conclusion I wonder.  Wonder if I can keep this up when the weather gets REALLY cold.  Wonder if I will have the motivation to do this when it is wretched hot outside during the summer months.  Wonder if I will just loose my motivation all together when the newness wears off.  I am a phase person.  I give things 100% when I am excited about it, then when it no longer stimulates me the way it used to, I move onto the next new and exciting phase.  I don't want for this to be another one of those, but I know me.  I want for this to be a lifelong habit.  It is important for my health and I know it.  We shall see.  Only time will tell.  I'm not making any promises.

OKC with the Madgwicks

One of Jeff's bucket list items has always been to see the band Muse.  One day he made a post on facebook asking if anyone wanted to see the show with him.  Daniel Madgwick, a good friend of ours, chimed in.  The guys decided to make a quick family vacation of it.  It started last Friday in OKC.  After we met up the guys went off to the concert, and Sarah and I took the kiddos down the street to grab some dinner at a great Mexican food restaurant. Jeff said the light show at the concert was amazing.  Later we took the kids swimming.  Kadyn was very nervous at first about swimming but got over her fear very quickly when she saw how easy her buddies Phin and Gigi made it look.  Before I knew it, she was jumping in over and over again without the slightest hesitation. Needless to say, she didn't really want to leave the pool and made the comment, "I want to stay here forever. I want to live here."

Saturday late morning we all headed off to the OKC zoo.  It was a nice zoo with lots to do.  So much in fact, that we never really made it to everything.  The kids didn't get into it as much as much as I thought they would, but perhaps that was because we didn't engage them as much as we could've.  I think we were all a little tired and also enjoying catching up with each other.  Kadyn said her favorite part was getting wet in the misters and the giraffes.  Jeff's favorite part was the ostrich that tried to eat his camera (which we have a pic of). My favorite part was the aquarium.  Bren's favorite part was probably the petting zoo.  After the zoo, we headed back to the hotel for more pool time, and then we had one last nice visit with pizza in one of the hotel rooms.  It was a quick, but good visit.  We'll have to do it again sometime.

Here are a few pics.

 

Attack of the wild ostrich.

 

Look guys, a turtle!

 

Cooling off in the misters

 

Bren really liked the petting zoo.

  

Very tired girl after the zoo.  Thought this was sweet.

 

Girls eating in bed the day we had to leave.

                                                      Hope we get to do this again Mom!

Another glimpse of preschool lessons

This is more more my documentation and memory than anything, but perhaps others enjoy it too?  Anyhoo...I did a unit on shapes for little man (review for Kadyn), and we did a unit on Fall. 

First up is a city in the dark.  Wanted to emphasize squares and rectangles in this one.

Then we have a rainbow of squares. This one took forever!

Then we have a Van Gough that focused on the used of rectangles and circles.

Then we have a fall wreath made from the tracing the kids' hands, cutting them out, and gluing them together.

Then a fall leaf with typical colors associated with fall time.  This was also a good lacing practice.  I was surprised how hard lacing is to a child who has never had experience with it. It's almost comical how crazy it looked when I turned my back for 1 minute.  I didn't realize how far Kadyn has come with this until I watched a beginner do it for the first time.  Should've took pictures of that one before we fixed it.  Oh well.

Next up we learned what it means if something is "in season" and we learned that apples are "in season" in the fall time.  So we made a "peekaboo apple"  There are real apple seeds glued to the inside of the paper plates as you can see.  The other apple was simply a rock that was painted with a stem and leaf glued on top.  We like to use it as a paper weight for when they color.

Lastly, we have a picture of two crazy kids I found snuggled up on a couch one morning watching some cartoons.  I thought they slept in because the house was so quiet.  Turns out they got up at their usual times, but Dada got them some entertainment so Mama could sleep.  They were so cute.  They really do love each other. 

Toodles!

Love and Logic in action

The following took place this morning.  As you know I have been reading the Parenting with Love and Logic books to try to get new ideas for dealing with the children.  All of what happened was me trying out the new techniques I learned.  Still needs a little tweeking as it is really hard for me to not let my emotions show through my voice, but overall it worked very well.  Sorry it's kind of long. 

Me:  Kadyn it's time to make your bed now.
Kadyn:  But Mom I haven't gotten to watch a show (she woke late and missed her usual show time, all daycare kids were here so it wasn't an option anymore)
Me:  Well, you'll get to watch another show during quiet time.
Kadyn: (very sour look just crosses her hands across her chest and refuses to move)
Me:  Well if you don't want to do it that's fine. I'll do it, but you'll have to pay me because it's not something I usually do, and I need to be getting ready for our trip tomorrow.  You can think about how you want to pay me.  Don't worry I'll do it since you won't.
Kadyn:  (half way through me making the bed)  OK I'll do it.
Me:  Too late now, I've already started.  You're going to need to pay me. How are you going to pay me?
Kadyn: (no answer)
Me:  Would you like some ideas?
Kadyn:  (no answer)
Me:  Well since you don't have any money you can give me a toy, or you can do another chore that I need to get done.  That would help me since I have less time to do those chores now that I had to do one of yours.
Kadyn:  (no answer)
Me:  OK since you're going to ignore me, I choose baby.  You can give me baby.  Please go find that now.
Kadyn:  I'm going to go brush my teeth now.
Me:  No, I asked you to get your baby.
Kadyn:  No, I'm going to go brush my teeth
Me:  How sad.  Look's like you need a little time in your bedroom.
Kadyn:  (starts crying) "No!" runs to the door.  (I take her by the hand and make her go to her bed.)
Me: You can come out when you're sweet.
Kadyn:  Waaaaaa! I am going to brush my teeth !!!!! (repeats that several times while by herself in her room.
Me:  (a couple minutes later it gets quiet and I pop my head in) Are you ready to be sweet?
Kadyn:  (Glares at me and ignores me)
Me:  OK then, I guess not.  I can wait.  I've got all day.  Take your time. 
Kadyn:  No!!!!!!! Waaaa!(these exchanges happen a couple more times. 10 minutes later I pop in again and ask again.  She nods yes.)
Me:  AWESOME!  So glad to hear that.  Now because I love you so much I want to give you another chance to decide how you're going to pay me.  You can give me baby or do a chore for me since I had to do a chore for you.  What do you want to do?
Kadyn: (Slight pause)  A chore.
Me.  Do you want to decide?
Kadyn:  Yes.
Me:  OK then. I'll give you 10 seconds to decide, or I can give you some options.
Kadyn:  10 seconds go by. 
Me:  OK you can clean your toothpaste from the sink or dust the entertainment center with a sock.  I need to get those things done before we leave tomorrow.
Kadyn:  Almost to cry but regains her composure quickly when I ask her if she needs more time to be sweet because crying isn't sweet.  She says Dust.
Me:  Great! Come here and I'll show you how to do it.
Kadyn:  (She finishes it) I'm ready to watch watch my show. 
Me:  Remember you can watch it during quiet time, you understand that right?
Kadyn: (Starts to give me a dirty look again.)
Me:  Hey if you need some more time in your room to think about that.....
Kadyn:  (Starts to say it in a nasty tone but catches herself)  O.K.
Me:  OK do you want to brush your teeth now or right before snack time?
Kadyn:  Now.
Me:  Great decision.

A few minutes later I peek in her bathroom to check on her progress, and she proclaims she wants to clean out the sink for me.  She then asks if there is anything more she can do to help me.  Now we're off to a much better rest of our day.

Just wanted to share.  Love and Logic is all about giving choices, keeping your cool, hoping the kids screw up so they can learn to behave before it really counts later in life, offering no nonsense consequences, never nagging or reminding, and showing lots of empathy when they do screw up so they feel you are on their side.  The hardest part for me is showing empathy when they disobey and not letting my frustration show though my voice by having a sarcastic tone.  I'm going to keep working on it, but I really do like this approach. 

Awesome books

I just finished my second Parenting with Love and Logic book.  I'm telling you folks, it has some AWESOME ideas.  I knew it had to be good when there was a huge waiting list to check this one out at the library.  The first one I read was more geared towards school aged children through the teenage years.  I wanted to own that one, so I would have it on hand a reference whenever I needed a refresher.  The second book dealt more with the ages of the children I currently have.  Since the early years go by so quickly, I felt that it would be better to just check it out from the library and take some notes to use as a reference. Both books lived up to their hype, I must say.  If you haven't read it and want some no nonsense parenting tips, ideas, and encouragement, you must read these.  If you don't have time to read it, I would be happy to send you the notes I took from Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood that I typed up which basically summarize the primary concepts.  Just send me an email and I'd be glad to send it as an attachment. I wanted to attach it to this post, but it seems I can't attach documents, only pictures and links.  Bummer!

Finding time for it all

As you know, I was on quite a sewing streak this summer.  That seems to have slowed down.  It's not that my list has gotten any shorter.  In fact I still have a long one that I need to get done before Christmas.  However, my days seems to fly by with little or no time for it since I started working out again.  I set out to just get moving.  I thought a nice stroll through the neighborhood after the kids went down sounded like a nice workout I could keep up with.  Next thing I know, I'm telling myself that it isn't enough.  I needed to up the intensity.  After 1.5 miles thoughout the neighborhood up and down the hills, I find myself running in circles around our culdesac by our house.  Running up up the hills is KILLER!  Our culdesac has a slight incline, but much more manageable at a jog than going up and down the hills, and there's something very comforting about being a few steps away from my porch when I'm doing it in the dark (granted there are street lights).

Jeff would like to sign us up for a 3K this November sponsored by the YMCA.  That sounds so exciting for me. He is a board member at our Y.  I have always wanted to be a runner but NEVER liked running. I gave it a short go before kids, but gave up quickly as running on a treadmill like a rodent quickly lost it's appeal.  Somehow running outside has been so invigorating.  I started doing this a little over two weeks ago as a way to relieve stress. With all the new behavior problems I have been dealing with at daycare, I could feel my blood pressure spike everyday.  Now I feel much more in control again.  There is something so peaceful and serene about walking/running on a brisk fall night underneath the stars.  The neighborhood is quiet and nestled in their homes.  My shadow made from the nearby lamposts is my running partner.  Nothing but me, my legs, and some good pumping tunes to take my cares away.

The feeling after a run is so great!  Your body just feels.....happy.  Hopping in a hot shower after a good run, OH!  Last night I even increased my reward filling my tub with hot water and some bath salts.  Then I put on my fuzzy PJs snuggled up in bed with a cup of hot tea, and an episode of Grey's Anatomy.  Sigh!  Yes, I hope to keep this up.

I know running in the winter is going to be difficult.  So I have started investing in the proper clothing to make that possible.  I hope I can keep up the motivation.  I have never been able to keep up a workout routine yet.  I started out doing probably two miles.  Last night I worked my way up to 4 miles.  Half of it was walking and half was running.  I think this is where I would like to stay for awhile.  I used to walk 4 miles practically everyday when I first started college.  I look back on that time with great fondness for my body.  My "prime" if you will.  What baffles me though is that I used to walk 4 miles in one hour.  I was able to do the same last night, but only with the combo of running and walking.  How in the world was I making 4 hours at only a walk before?  It must be the hills slowing me down.  Weird.

Needless to say, I am onto a new phase.  Sewing is on the backburner for now.  I miss it a little, but the break will be nice.  Come November I'll have to pick it up again or I'll never be ready for Christmas.  Wonder what my body will look like then after all this working out?  Can't wait to find out.