Summer? Are you there?

I just don’t know if I can make it!!  These last few weeks of school are stressing me out!  I know, I know, you are thinking…JANET…you don’t teach anymore…you are a stay at home mom…that’s the easy life.  Well…yes it’s easier in the fact that I don’t have to wake up at 5:30 am and shower and get the kids off to daycare and I get to see them everyday.  BUT…it’s still stressful and some days I wish I could be teaching so I could appreciate my kids more and WANT to come home to them…rather than run away all the time.  I love them so much, but I get so run down!  So this little peek at my day is for me to remember this craziness and laugh at how stressed I am now…because I’m sure it will get crazier.  :)

Typical Janet Day

6:30 am:  Wake up (If I’m feeling grand, I take a shower, if not…I snooze till 7am)

7am:  proceed to the living room and wake up to the news or most likely Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Cole and Katy.

7:30am:  Chisum Girls arrive and breakfast begins

8:00am:  Natalie wakes up (watch out world…)

10am:  Put Katy down for a nap and shower (If I didn’t already)

10:45am:  throw fishsticks in the oven or make sandwiches for 5-6 kids, feed them,

11:30:  get them all dressed, attempt to fix Chandler’s hair if I remember, as well as wash her face, race to brush cole’s teeth and fix hair

11:50am:  Get the kids in the car after I wake katy up from her nap…and she ALWAYS has a poopy diaper…NEVER FAILS.  (Natalie and brynn fight over who goes in which carseat…they both want in a booster seat though, Cole & Chandler decide which carseat to get in…I realize the back row is down…have to fix it, I wince at my destroyed interior of my car…heart races)

11:57am:  Arrive at Charla’s house to get Kate.  I always say I’m not going to talk, but I do because I love Charla and she loves me :)

12:05pm:  After hitting every little red light and getting behind old farmers, I arrive at Ms. Angie’s flustered. 

12:08pm:  The girls and I drive around and look for old artsy crafty ideas.

12:15pm:  Feed Katy who screams at me until I get enough food on her plate

1:00pm:  I make myself a shake or quick meal….and try to eat.

2pm:  Katy goes down for a nap

2:42pm:  OH CRAP…I forgot to wake up katy and have to rush and wake her and change her never ending poop diaper, throw the girls in the car and rush to Angie’s to get the other kids (yes…another fight over who gets in first, which seat, etc)

2:48:  Drive home and listen to all the wonders the kids learned at Angie’s.

3:00pm:  Try to calm down 5 kids who didn’t get a nap and need one, but don’t think they do.  Try to get them to clean their mess (ha!)

3:45pm:  Wave goodbye to the Chisum Girls. 

5:00pm:  Wave goodbye to Kade

6:00pm:  Hope Daddy gets home soon because the kids have been crazy since 3pm.

6:30pm:  If daddy’s home, I hide out for an hour or ride my bike.  If he’s not, i make supper and STEW about why he’s not home.

7:30pm:  Get the kids ready for bed, brush teeth, read books, etc

8:00pm:  PUt them to bed for the first time

8:03pm:  Natalie walks out, “I need to tell you sumfin’.  I want water”.  Cole, “I want water too”.

8:07pm:  Cole walks into room, “I love you, i want a hug”, Natalie does the same.

8:10pm:  rush to wash dishes, clean the kitchen & bathroom & pick up the floor in the living room

9:00pm:  Natalie, “I want to sleep on the couch”.  (back to bed for the last time)

9:10pm:  Collapse on the bed and look at my messy room that i swear I will clean every day…and instead pick up my ipad and chill and read.  SIGH

12:00am…hopefully i’m asleep.  :)

May is BUSY!

Hello all!  I can NOT believe it’s May already!  This means my baby is almost one, and my big boy is graduating from Preschool!  Where does the time go?! 

 

It is a VERY busy month!  We have lots of t-ball games (2 per week), end of school parties, 2 graduations (2 preschools), Danielle’s Graduation, Katy’s birthday party and all month with my crazy kiddos that I keep during school (Kade, Chandler & Brynn…all of whom we love very much!)  In fact…this will be the last month with Kade and Chandler…since they go to Kindergarten with Cole in the fall.  Wow!  It’s ok, us girls (natalie, brynn & katy) will have FUN next school year!  Natalie Ann & Brynnie Boo will be in preschool 3 days a week!  What am I going to do with just ONE kid!  It’s been almost 4 years since I have been with just one child!  haha! 

 

Today Justin and I are joining a great group of friends on a bike ride!  It’s so neat that so many of our friends have bicycles or have recently gotten them.  There are now more girls with bikes I think!  I’m planning on the Hotter ‘n Hell 100 mile race on my birthday…I’m a bit nervous because I’ve never ridden more than 20 miles! 

 

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo and we celebrated with our friend Danielle Patton (who took the girls’ photos) and her son, Joseph.  Danielle made the best chicken & rice & queso.  I provided the salsa, cheese, and some cookies.  What a great host I am…right?  I owe you a nice dinner Danielle!  I think steaks a la Justin are due!  If you don’t hear from me often, just know that it’s because we have a CRAZY month ahead and in a little over a month Justin and I will be off to Las Vegas (road trip style) for Beachbody Summit!  We are VERY excited!!! 

 

Oh…and Amy, I FINALLY added your blog to my list!  I love your blog and now I don’t have to type it in all the time! haha!  Can’t wait to see that new baby!!

Tootles all (yes…quite the dork today!)

~Janet

Katy Beth is 11 months!

Oh my baby girl!!  Where has the time gone?!  It has flown by and I can’t believe she is almost walking!!!!

Let’s see, what is my baby up to?

 

• Crawling EVERYWHERE (and has been since about 7 months)
• Climbing EVERYTHING.  Even more than Natalie…reminds me a bit of Addie!!
• She climbs on small tables, the kids pottery barn chairs, anything she can get a leg up on! 
• Walking---ALMOST!  She is starting to let go and has actually taken a few wobbly/fall over steps.  Nothing official or steady yet!
• Eating---Oh Katy Beth…you love some food!  She is HILARIOUS eating!  First of all, she eats mostly whole foods.  Sooo…a typical meal is avocado, strawberries, bananas, grilled chicken or some kind of protein (egg/beef/ham/turkey) and I usually try to get a bit of cheese in there too.  For breakfast she eats 1 egg scrambled in the microwave, some cheerios or Baby Mum Mums and 1/2 banana.  That’s a LOT of food!  haha!  For lunch today she had 1/3 of an avocado, 1/4 mango and a slice of ham…and a baby mum mum.  The funny part is watching her eat.  She slaps that table and grabs a fist and shoves it all in her mouth (including the fist).  It’s so cute!  She makes a huge mess but thinks she’s sooo big!  haha!  She can use a spoon…but not really good yet. 
• Milk---She’s getting 2 bottles a day (around 10 am and 8pm).  The rest is water.  She LOVES “AGUA”!  It took a LONG time to get used to a sippy, but she LOVES it now!  The other day I gave her morning formula to her in a sippy and she did fine.  I think the morning bottle will be easy to get rid of…the night one will be hard!  No juice for her.  She eats at least 3-4 whole pieces of fruit a day so she has no need for it.
• Teeth—Well…lets see, She has 5 up top and 1 molar and 5 on the bottom and I think a molar about to break through.  Do NOT stick your finger in her mouth…she will try to eat it!
• Talking—she says Mama, Dada, Bubba, “duh” for done and “ma” for more (of course she can say more at lunch time!  girl loves her food!).  She likes to babble and has baby talk convos with bubba & sissy all the time!
• Because the girl eats so much…she’s a bit chubby…but it is PRECIOUS!!!  Her arms & legs are so cuddly.  I could hold her in just a diaper all day long and smother her with kisses.  :)
• Personality—she seems to be a perfect mix between Cole and Natalie.  She smiles a LOT and giggles and is pretty happy most of the time (Nat was a bit grumpy the first year of life, and Cole was very shy).  She CAN get shy, and she is FEARLESS…so she is like them in those ways.  She is starting to get headstrong and when she wants food…she lets everyone know!  So…I’m anxious to see the girl she turns out to be!  My guess is…a LOT like me.  Oh dear!!!!  (Being younger than Natalie, though…I think she will be seen as an angel…lol!)
• Clothing—Size 12 months.  She still fits into some 9 month onesies…but not pants.  She wears a size 3 diaper…but I think she could do 4.  Size 2 shoes…her feet are fat and short.  haha!

Now for the pic!  Courtesy of my friend Danielle!

and Natalie Ann

Egg Drop

Every year at Ms. Angie’s preschool, there is Humpty Dumpty day.  This is the day that the kids drop an egg from the “fort” at her school and see if their egg survives.  The kids have to pack their plastic baggy with things to help the egg survive.  Some parents do all the planning for the kids (understandable…they are 3 & 4), but we like for our kids to plan it out on their own!  Last year Cole wanted to use bread.  He & Justin planned it out and ended up using hamburger buns & carving out a spot for the egg.  It worked!  This year he has said paper towels from day one.  SO…since Justin has been out of town, we did it on our own! 

We actually tried it out 2 days ago with just paper towels.  It survived the first drop, but died on the 2nd.  SO…we decided to improvise.

 

The Egg

 

First we taped cotton balls on the egg.

 

Then we wrapped the egg in paper towels and filled the baggie with cotton balls.  (Forgot the plain old paper towel pic!  oops!)  

 

And this just in…HIS EGG SURVIVED!!!!!!!  :) 

Catching up!

Hello family and friends!  It’s been…well…7 months!  A lot has happened and we have been very busy!  Where to begin???

Since September, Katy has changed a lot!  She is crawling, ALMOST walking (ok..she’s getting close…betting by 1 year she is), she “talks” a little and other fun things I will save for her 11 month post! 

Cole has started t-ball again and is on the Cardinals.  This makes Uncle Matt VERY happy since he LOVES the St. Louis Cardinals!  He is almost done with Preschool also!  We go to register him for Preschool on May 5th!  I’m excited and nervous for him!  This also means that in the fall I will only take care of 1 kiddo other than my girls!  Brynn.  She is the sweetest thing and I have kept her since she was a baby.  I thought about maybe keeping no kids, but she is so easy and she and Natalie have grown up together.  I can’t separate them, and I don't’ want her to have to go to someone else!  So, hopefully Brynnie Boo will be in our household for the next 2 school years before they go to kindergarten!

Natalie Ann is still sassy, BUT….we’ve noticed more and more days of just the sweetest behavior.  She is VERY helpful and SO smart.  She doesn’t like to upset me and is GREAT with her baby sister.  She goes to time out less and less these days (ha!).  We did go through a hitting phase, but I think its slowly ending.  Her hair is still very curly and beautiful!  I think she’s going to be the shortest of the three though!

Justin is doing well at United!  He just recently won a competition on increasing sales in Big Red.  The prize was 2 tickets to the Texas Motor Speedway race, with pit passes, etc.  He knew my dad would enjoy it, so he busted his bottom and won it!  It never ceases to amaze me how awesome he is at his job!  He’s gone for a few interviews in other areas, but we are very happy here!  No rush to leave Childress!   

Me…hmmm.  Lets see…since September I’ve lost about 22 lbs and about 5 pants sizes.  haha!  Crazy!  I also developed a stress fracture in my left tibia at my knee joint.  I’m able to do everyday activities, just no jumping, running, or any impact activities.  SOOOO…I wanted to make sure I didn’t gain weight (I had about 10 lbs left to lose to be at my goal).  I focused on cleaning up my diet (ie…no more tortilla chips!  haha!) and working out my arms and abs.  I’ve lost about 14 lbs since my injury!  Some was muscle…I don’t even recognize my flat butt and chicken legs, but the rest was stuff that needed to go!  I’m now teaching just arms & abs classes at the gym 1 day a week.  I think this is good because exercise was becoming EVERYTHING for me.  I kind of forgot I’m a mommy and wife first.  I ALSO got a BICYCLE!!  I love it!  Justin and I have ridden together ONCE, but we hope to do it more often!!  It’s so much fun for me since I can’t run or do aerobics.  I hope to do some races soon!!

My best friend from high school and college also passed away.  I hadn’t seen Diane much since we’ve been married and had kids, but I have thought about her often.  I last saw her at Christmas time 2010.  I think it was actually black friday?  Anyway, it’s been almost 3 months since she passed and it still sucks.  (for lack of a better word).  I never realized how much of who I am revolves around things that we experienced together.  So much of my inside jokes with songs, work, people…haha…I laugh just thinking about it all!  EVERY DAY for probably 2 years I either saw her or talked to her.  I have always felt so blessed that Diane chose me as a friend.  It breaks my heart when I think of something funny and impulse tells me that Di would crack up at that…and then I realize she’s gone.  I don’t know how to explain it, we weren’t close lately, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t think about her often.  I think we all have friends like that.  It has all made me realize how important it is to let those friends know when I’m thinking about them.  Love her and miss her…always will.

There’s so much more that’s happened and I can’t even begin to explain.  How about I just start all over with today!  The blog is resurrected!!  :)

Here are some fun pictures of the kiddos.  :)

Katy Beth is 4 months!

 

I can’t believe my baby girl is already 4 months!  It has gone by SO fast!  I feel like it was so hard at first…but the past 2 months have been a breeze!  We had her appointment today so I will do stats and updates!

Height:  26 inches (95%)

Weight:  15 lbs 4oz (75%)

Got 2 shots…handled them MUCH better than last time!  She is a little congested so I am expecting a long day/night.  We are going to start her on rice cereal tomorrow morning!!  Next week I will probably try veggies!

What are you up to Katy Beth? 

• You are still sleeping all night!  Usually she falls asleep around 8:30 and I wake her up to eat around 9:30 or so…and she sleeps until 8am.  Sometimes she wakes earlier but I bring her to bed and she sleeps with me until I get up!
• She takes her naps in her swing usually.  I want to break this habit…but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.  She can sleep anywhere (even on a table at Jessica’s wedding!  lol!)
• She started laughing a few weeks ago and we ALL love to make her giggle!  So far the best giggles are saved for Natalie!  And Natalie loooooves it!
• She naps 2 long naps and a few 30 minute or so naps.
• So far she likes her paci, (not dependent on it though…yet) and loves her crochet blanket!  Oh…and she likes her two fingers like Natalie…urghhh..ha!
• Her eyes are still blue/green/brown.  I’m pretty sure they will be a brown/green hazel like Cole’s.  Natalie's were always brown.
• She is wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothes.  I put her in a 6-9 month outfit today and it fit ok!
• She still loooooves her baths!  Has not cried ONCE in a bath!  ha!
• She is rolling to her tummy all the time.  Sometimes that makes her happy…but at night it makes her mad.  I’m so ready for her to figure out how to roll the other way!  haha!
• She is losing her hair :(  I swear she is Cole made over!  Cole did the SAME thing at this age!  (only he had eczema…so far Katy is free of this!)
• Stranger anxiety has hit too.  When she sees someone new…the bottom lip sticks out and she screams.  haha!  I guess she’s going to be the BIG momma’s girl!

I will post pics tomorrow!  We have a busy few weekends coming up!  I hope it doesn’t throw her fabulous schedule off!!!

New blog page!

I started a new blog…I almost DIDN’T share this with everyone…but I figure the more who see my pictures, the more likely I am to hold myself accountable!  It’s my “fitness” and “weightloss” page!

www.janetsfitnessblog.blogspot.com