Summer!!

Okay, y’all. I admit it. As the end of the school year neared, I was super nervous. Like, what on earth was I gonna do with these kids for the next three months? All day long.  Were we gonna make it without driving each other batty? Or without doling out consequence after consequence for misbehavior, disobedience, disrespect. Or oh, I don’t know, getting caught eating chocolate chips before breakfast (today) or maybe for eating the top layer of the last three pieces of cake (yesterday)?

I was stressed.

I had already had a plan to take them to the gym in the mornings. There is an awesome Kid Zone up there and they love going. So we’ve been there a bunch. Which has been great for me physically and mentally.  It’s the best of both worlds, really. They get to spend some energy running around and playing in the ball pit and sliding down the slide, and I get to sweat in the gym. I’ve also recently started lap swimming in the pool there. And I am in LOVE with it. OMG. I wish I had done it months ago. I wear a Speedo, a cap and goggles. Yes, I look all official. Like a real swimmer. Ha!

And then, my friend told me about beach bum Mondays. That was a plan she and another girl came up with to make this summer fun for the kids and for mommy to get a little tan in the process. And I admit, although it sounded fun, I was seriously trepidatious. My kids are so little. And they don’t know how to swim. So to say I was worried about my ability to watch them and keep them both alive, would be an understatement. But, knowing there would be lots of mommies there, I decided to try it and see how we did.

And guess what? We did great!!!

I guess I underestimated my kids. Aubin pretty much was afraid of the water, so she was content to stay on the sand with the adults. And I put this puddle jumper on Eli and he had a blast playing with friends. He kept saying, “that was so much fun, mommy!” We’ll definitely be going back again this summer.

In July, he will take swim lessons at the Rec Center (aka, the gym) and then Aubin will take lessons the last week of July and first week of August.

During the day, we’ve been watching movies. Playing games. Putting puzzles together.

Climbing into chairs and getting stuck. (She’s so proud of herself.)

And playing in the wading pool. Today was the first day she actually let me put her in there and stayed in there. I think she liked it.

That poor boy doesn’t tan very well. He burns. And burns. And burns. She, on the other hand, has the best baby tan I’ve ever seen. She has yet to get pink. She just gets brown. I’m so jealous! When I took that little swim diaper off today, she looked like the little Coppertone kid. Her little booty is all white, while the rest of her is brown. I even slathered them both in sunscreen. (He finally didn’t burn though. Thankfully.)

We’ve gone to the pool a couple of times, too. Which was super fun. I can leave Aubin in the Kid Zone and take Eli down to the leisure pool at the Rec. And then we went as a family to the outdoor pool one day last week.

We also went to our first Astros game as a family. We had such a good time. And even though it doesn’t look like it in this picture, the kids did, too. Eli kept saying on the way home that he liked “watching those baseballs.”

We realized while we were there, that it was like coming full circle for us, since that’s where we went on our first date.

So, I know there’s plenty of summer days left ahead of us, but so far we’ve managed to have a ton of fun, in spite of doling out consequences and mommy going batty a few times.  But mostly because I decided to lighten up a bit. I’m still cooking and doing laundry and disciplining, but I’m not nearly as worried about the state of the house. It’s clean enough.

And these two are pretty good little buddies. They love playing together. Often I’ll find her playing in his room at his table. Or they’ll play on the little slide in the living room. I love it.

So I guess I did all that worrying for nothing. Oh sure, there have been consequences for poor choices, but all told, we’ve had some pretty good days. I’m looking forward to what the rest of summer brings!

Happy summer, y’all.  And have fun!

Shrinking

It’s been kind of depressing around here in the weight loss department since my last big reveal. I’ve been up and down but pretty much stayed consistent in the 180′s since that awesome day.

That being said, I’m still losing. Just not as fast as I was. Which is what’s depressing. But it’s still progress, so I’ll take it. And I’m still exercising which is also good.

I noticed the other day that my jeans are starting to loosen up. And then I went shopping for a bra. I went to Lane Bryant because that’s just where I’ve always gone for bras (except when I was nursing.) Anyway, the coolest thing happened.

I was having difficulty because I wasn’t really sure what size I would need. So they measured me and wouldn’t you know it, I now need a size that they don’t even carry.

On the one hand I was floored with glee and excitement. And on the other, I’m like, well crap, now where do I shop? Anyway, we were able to find some bras that fit by adjusting the cup size to compensate for the little bit larger band size. And I love them. They’ll work great for now.

And then, yesterday, I went shopping for a top to wear to an event I have this weekend. I went to Maurice’s. This is one of those stores that carries sizes in 0 to 24 with the plus sizes all on one side and the regular sizes on the other. It was soooooo hard not to automatically walk over to the plus sizes, but I forced myself to at least try to find something in the regular section of the store.

So I picked out several tops I liked in a size XL. And when the clerk came to check on me in the dressing room, she was like, “those are cute, but they’re too big. Let me see if we have them in a smaller size.” So the really sweet clerk went and found them for me and I purchased a new shirt, in a size L.

Again, I’m floored.

So yeah. The scale may have decided to quit moving as quickly but that’s okay with me. Because obviously, I’m still doing something right. Or maybe my body is just playing catch up.

Either way, I’ll totally take it.

A Tale of Two Jens: The Update

So remember when I posted this blog here, about how lazy, SAHM Jen met Career Jen and she was gonna take over the world and become super organized and keep a clean, tidy house with two children under 3 and have everything all planned out from cooking to cleaning to laundry?

Well, they met and got along pretty well the first week.

Then, the next week, SAHM Jen punched Career Jen in the face.

And all was right with the world again.

My house is still a mess, and I’m totally okay with that.

Oh, and bonus: I’ve decided it doesn’t make me lazy. It makes me the very busy, often weary, mom of a three year old who has decided that napping is for wimps not strong enough to outwit their mothers, and a one year old who thinks it’s okay to climb everything in sight like a cat to see JUST HOW HIGH she can go before it really hurts when she falls.

So yeah. I’d say it was pretty much a no contest, first round TKO.

But we’re all still alive, so at least there’s that.

Worship on the Treadmill

Now that preschool is out for the summer, I finally got back to the gym. Today was my first time back there in a looooonnngg time. I could write up a laundry list of reasons why I haven’t been, but really, they’re just excuses. And who wants to read my excuses?

Anyway, so there I am on the treadmill. Just walking along, working up a moderate sweat and about 17 minutes left on my 30 minute walk, the urge to pee is strong enough that I decide it might be prudent to actually stop the machine and find the toilet before I, you know, have an accident.

Until that point, I had been listening to an old Brad Paisley album. It was good and fun and upbeat and kept me going. But when I returned from my little pit stop, I decided to find something else.

That’s when I saw it. I didn’t even know it was on my phone. So I hit play. And then something crazy happened. On the treadmill. With people around.

I worshiped.

The moment the words started, I closed my eyes and imagined myself singing to Jesus.

Do you ever do that when you worship? That’s how I do it. I imagine myself in various situations, usually really close to Him. Like I’m sitting on his lap. Or dancing before the throne. Either way, it’s always an experience I can’t fully describe. It’s supernatural. It’s completely spiritual. It’s absolutely authentic. It’s how I worship. It’s a place I love to be: completely and utterly lost in His presence.

Sadly, I probably don’t go there enough.

But not today. I went there today.  On the treadmill.

And I bet I looked like a fool. I just kept playing that song over and over and over again. I was mouthing the words. (Soooo hard not to belt it out!) And closing my eyes and occasionally lifting one hand. (Alright, maybe both hands, at times. But I kept walking, so I had to keep some sense about me.) I even had tears at some point. (Or the whole time. Because how can you not cry from gratefulness in the presence of the King?)

As the lyrics played and the music swelled to a crescendo I just praised Him. I praised Him for His goodness. I thanked Him for my body. For my health. For the fact that I am physically fit enough to walk on a treadmill. To pick up and carry my children. To lift my hands in praise.

I praised Him for what He’s done for us. For the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. For the grace He bestowed upon us through His blood. For the eternal life He’s promised us through His resurrection.

And I kept walking. And praising. And crying. And lip-syncing.

Because He loves little old me in His big old infinite universe.

Little old me.

And every single day, He makes me new.

He makes me beautiful.

He makes me like Him.

Thank you, Jesus, for your incredible, matchless, infinite love. For making me a new creation. For loving me. And for the honor of worshiping you. Even in the gym. I love you.

Now it’s your turn. Volume and hands up!

Beautiful Things, by Gungor

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

Told you last week was crazy…(The graduation post)

May 11, 2013

Saturday, my husband walked across the stage a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Brazosport College with his AAS in Emergency Medical Services.  (Ironically, I also graduated on May 11, but in 2001. But this post is not about me.)

Here are some things I want to remember about that day:

• I was so proud to watch him march in to Pomp and Circumstance. (That song makes everybody cry, right?)
• The look on his face as he entered the auditorium. You could see his eyes beaming with pride as he surveyed the crowd and the room. Taking it all in.
• He shook his son’s hand as he passed us during the processional.
• My son yelling, “there’s my daddy!” over and over again.
• Watching him walk across the stage after his name was called and him moving his tassel over.
• Walking with Aubin in the back of the auditorium during the speeches. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back. And. Forth.
• Sitting with my parents and his parents. And our children. Who jumped and walked and moved and climbed from lap to lap to lap and back again. The entire time.
• The moment at the end of the ceremony when I realized that it was actually my iPod playing music the whole time. (I brought it for Eli to play a game and he must have turned it on. I kept thinking somebody needs to turn the music down. Until I heard Shane and Shane. Oops.)
• The overwhelming sense of joy and pride I felt as a wife whose husband had completed something he’d worked so hard for, for such a long time.

My dear, sweet Marcus, as I reflect upon your accomplishment, let me tell you why I’m so proud. And the memories I’ll cherish:

• All the nights you missed supper after mowing 10 or 12 yards knowing you wouldn’t be home until the news started, and rushing off to class without a shower. (Your poor classmates.)
• The nights you couldn’t tuck your kids in bed.
• Emailing your A&P instructor that you might miss the first day of class, since your daughter is due to be born that week.
• Finishing microbiology and getting it confused with A&P. All with a newborn in the house and Downton Abbey on Netflix marathon play.
• The fun we had learning to appreciate music together.
• The forced date nights we had during that same class. So you could get credit for going to a couple of concerts. (Let’s do that one again!)
• The lectures I got on the lymphatic system, and any number of other systems or organs or cells, for that matter. Zero of which I remember in any detail whatsoever.
• The joy you got from teaching your lab partners (and your professor) all about the heart and how it works and why. And how to treat it in which situation.

I’m so proud of how hard you worked. Getting a B was not good enough. Your work ethic. Your leadership ability. Your tireless effort. These did not go unnoticed.  But mostly, I’m just so glad to have you home again.

I’m so proud of you, my love.

So, so, immensely proud.

Congratulations!!!!!

I love you. xoxo

Always.