one day

my friend, maria, told me about this really cool app.  the app gives you themes and question prompts and all you do is ask the question and record the person.  it compiles it together with some tear-jerking music, and voila!  you have a video of your sweet little someone.

i've made it another goal (i know, i know, so many goals) of mine this year to organize our videos and keep more memories of the girls voices and personalities.  so, here, we begin.  i uploaded these to our private youtube page so we can watch them anywhere, even on the television in our family room.

enjoy.

my healthy new year

it seems everyone has resolutions to improve health...lose weight.  tone up.  look better.  mine are along the same lines, but instead, i want to feel better.  at the beginning of last year, i felt awful.  i was 2 surgeries down, 1 radioactive treatment to go, and a whole lot of hypothyroid thrown in for good measure.  i was bloated, i was losing my hair, i was cold, i was cranky, i was exhausted.  post-radiaoactive treatment, i cleaned up my act.  i was put on thyroid medication, i adjusted my eating habits to help give me energy and not weigh me down, i started training for a half-marathon.  the end of the year was a complete 180* from the beginning.

i knew i wanted this healthy feeling to continue.  so i set a few january goals for myself.  i have several, and writing them all down in one place is going to seem a bit lofty.  but taking it one. day. at. a. time. is beneficial and by making little baby steps, it can add up to a whole bunch of great change.  and i'm hopeful that by documenting it all on paper, i'm more committed and held accountable.

my goals for this month...

• to oil pull every morning for 20 minutes, adding a drop of essential oil for additional benefit, in hopes of improved dental health
• to reduce the kids' overall sugar intake, hopefully leading to better moods around here
• to complete a full whole30 program.  all 30 days.  no cheats.  no excuses.  no dairy, sugar, grains, alcohol, soy, or processed.  no amaretto creamer in my morning coffee.  i've recruited michael and 7 friends to do it with me.  i did 2 whole30s last year, but never was 100% committed or stuck with it the entire 30 days.  this time, it's real.
• drink 75 ounces of water a day, adding essential oils in for benefit, and no coffee after noon
• go to bed by 9:30 during the week
• not watch television during the week
• relax in 1 detox bath per week- epson salts, baking soda, essential oils and the hottest water you can stand
• challenge myself with 1 hot vinyasa yoga class/week, and exercise 3 times/week
• take a photo class during this month (started december 29th)
• blog 3 times/week to catch up, and finally print my 2013 blog book

whew.  does that leave time for being a mom and a wife and a friend and a full-time slp?  it's all about balance and asking for help.  so far, it's been a week and i'm managing pretty well.  bedtime hasn't been 9:30 yet, but it's not past 10:30.  some days, i don't intake my full amount of water i'd like, but i'm not drinking anything else more than 1 cup of joe in the morning and the occasional sparkling water or kombucha.  the exercise 3 times/week thing hasn't happened yet, but i did teach spin and yoga it up.  i'm taking a photography class, and enjoying the challenge.  my consistent items so far are whole30 and oil pulling.  and i'm going to keep rocking it.  cheers to the next 23 days.  but who's counting??

taking stock

on the early morning of the second day back to school after our Christmas vacation, i reflect back at what a relaxing, enjoyable time we have had.  michael was able to take the entire 2 weeks off with us, and it was so amazing having him home.  while i didn't check off everything i had on my to-do list, we certainly got several things accomplished and had loads of snuggly, family time as well.  

our break in a nutshell...greenfield village holiday nights with michael, me and harper.  michael's family christmas and his parents birthday celebrations.  michael had a golf lesson while we had a playdate with friends to decorate sugar cookies for santa.  i taught many, many spin classes.  the imax polar express with nana and papa.  christmas eve mass.  christmas day gifts.  i was able to sneak in a relaxing facial and a haircut.  michael and i took a private yoga class with my mom and dad, to see how they would like it.  i, for one, crave it, and i was also able to fit in a couple additional yoga classes on my own.  new years eve celebrations with neighbors and friends staying up way too late and waking up way too early the next morning, but having so much fun.  grocery store runs.  ice skating.  a going away party for college friends.  tons and tons of reading, watching movies and shows, playing new games from christmas and old ones we've had, laughing and chatting.  and on sunday night, a snowy, chilly, windy walk for all of us and the pups after a long day of lounging in our jammies.  

it was a wonderful, amazing, relaxing break and so needed.  we're all a little bit sad to get back to the grind.  but we have goals and aspirations to work on and look forward to in 2015, and we all have to make that first step forward to get where we want to go.  

i liked this idea my friend, kellie, posted a while back about taking stock on what's currently going on in your life.  (she was inspired from her cousin who posted this, who was inspired from another blogger.)  so, here's my take on what is currently on my mind.  i'd like to continue this on a monthly basis, another goal of mine for 2015.

making : my mouth healthier by oil pulling for 20 minutes 
hoping:  for a snow day sometime this week

cooking : tons of healthy food for michael's and my whole30 food challenge this month
drinking : nothing but water, tea, coffee with canned full-fat coconut milk
reading:  where'd you go, bernadette? for book club
wanting:  my basement organized and cubbies built in our hallway
playing:  lots of board games with harper
deciding:  where to vacation this year- somewhere warm over spring break or london in the summer
wishing:  for summer vacation 
enjoying:  watching my girls learning daily
waiting:  for my 1-year post cancer treatment scans in february
liking:  the feedback i am receiving on my photos i'm posting in my 2nd online photography class
wondering:  what life will be like if we have a third baby
loving:  my family right where we are
watching: the new season of downton abbey

marveling:  at how beautiful the snow is
needing:  a warm vacation
smelling:  the diffuser with essential oils
wearing:  my new winter hat, a christmas gift from michael
following:  harper's newest loose tooth- her third and one of the top middle ones  
noticing:  how much better i feel since starting up whole30 again january 2nd
knowing: i have to go upstairs to shower in 5 minutes and get ready for work
thinking: about last night's hot vinyasa yoga class and how much i crave it
feeling:  overall happy and peaceful
admiring:  my friend maria's positive attitude and photo/video organization, always!
sorting:  my papers in the office
buying:  coconut milk, goji berries and vanilla bean powder on amazon for our whole30 program
getting:  anxious about all the personal things i want to accomplish
bookmarking:  recipes
disliking:  being back to work after a wonderful 2 weeks off
giggling:  while listening to my girls talk- their words are so big out of their tiny mouths
feeling:  healthy
snacking:  on nothing while on the whole30- 3 meals only
coveting:  a vacation somewhere this year
wishing:  for a healthy, cancer-free year
hearing:  the shower running upstairs as i click on my computer and swish coconut oil in my mouth

on the ice

yesterday, we took the girls ice skating.  after 2 solid weeks at home with only a little bit of running around, we were itching to get out.  both girls were excited to go, and so were michael and i.  last year when we took them, we ended up having a great time.  i don't know why we don't go more often.

crosby relied on the support of the "walker" and delighted in the speed with which she could be pushed around in it.  

harper was a bit hesitant at first, but slowly stretched her wings and gathered the confidence she needed to take bitty baby steps along without holding on to anything.  her pride soared.

the girls have already been talking about when to go again.  this is definitely something that needs to stay on our winter bucket list.

nye and the final petrous project

i cannot even believe that 2014 is over and gone.  what a crazy, busy, at times overwhelming, emotional year.  we went through illnesses i never imagined or hoped we'd have to deal with, let alone so early on in our lives.  but i think in the end, we came out stronger.  we appreciate our time together more.  we laugh more.  we search for the joy in every single day.

we spent our new years this year completely different from typical.  usually, we like to put on jammies early, make a yummy dinner, toast with sparkling juice and champagne and then snuggle up to watch a movie with popcorn and sweets.  this year, we were invited to a friend's house in our neighborhood for the festivities, and i'm really glad we went.  the kids played games, the adults played games.  there was yummy food and drink.  and there was a lot of noise making and celebration come midnight.  harper actually managed to stay up, but crosby crashed on the couch around 11.  

before we left for the neighbors house, i made sure to capture our annual new years eve family photo with the camera timer and tripod.  i enjoy looking back on the last 4 years i've done this and seeing the differences.

we ate a pizza dinner before we ventured to the neighbor's house, complete with sparkling juice and champagne toasts.  something new i started at the beginning of 2014 was the happy jar.  i wrote down good things that happened to our family over the year, and over dinner, we opened it up and read them.  i teared up reminiscing about all the good, way outweighing any bad we experienced if i thought about it.  harper read all of the slips and was excited to do this again in 2015.  she keeps talking about the things that might happen that she'll be able to write down.

a few highlights:  harper lost 2 teeth- her first in march, and second in may.  crosby got a big girl bed (january).  harper is star student of the week at school (february).  daddy got a promotion (november).  harper is reading at a 2nd grade level in november of 1st grade.  mommy and daddy ran a half-marathon (october).  crosby is potty trained, during the day (july) and night (october).  harper learned to snap her fingers (july).  crosby got a toddler bike (august).  harper is star student of the month at swimming (january).  mama had clean thyroid scans (april).  the girls tennis camp, sports camp, art camp, swim camps.  harper gets her art chosen for a downtown banner (spring).  crosby can identify the letters in her name (november) and write c, h, t, o (october).  harper has a ballet recital in may.  both girls move up in swimming- crosby in april, harper to pro in february and rec team in august.  harper learns to tie her shoes (august).  

and here is our final instagram monthly installment for 2014, our daily december photos.  sometimes this project is a bit stressful, especially when i either take too many photos on one day or none at all, and then have to get creative, but overall, i love it and am taking it on again in 2015.  a picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a thousand feelings to go with it.  capturing one small moment in that day might lead us to remember a whole lots more about what we were doing, how we were feeling, words we said, things that made us laugh or cry, memories we were creating.  and that's what i hope to pass along to my girls.

a very happy 2015 to all of you!  thanks for clicking along with us.  we are hopeful for good things to come this year, and i hope you continue to tag along.

red and rosie shenanigans

our 2 elves, red and rosie, returned this year with a whole bunch of shenanigans up their sleeves.  here they are, captured in their most creative year yet.  those two keep my two on their toes the entire month, reminding each other that "red and rosie are watching," "red and rosie are going to tell santa," and "don't touch red and rosie!"  harper wrote notes to them, took pictures of them with her camera, and loved to find them each morning.  we love these elves and look forward to their return each year!

 

the petrous project november

our november was busy.  enjoying some rare mild (for november) weather, eating up halloween candy, family and cousin and underwater photos, bronner's christmas wonderland, celebrating max's 10th birthday, reading, relaxing and enjoying family time, hosting thanksgiving, cutting down our tree, and the brave knight benefit dinner.  it always amazes me to look back at these snippets of our month to see all that we managed to cram in.  enjoy.