Sunday Funny

I was trying to get a pic of Ocean sitting and I got this as well. It totally looks like Ocean is holding out his hand for the iPad, while River looks at him with a "are you kidding?" expression. River really likes the "had" and isn't big on sharing it with others.

6 Months

isn't this a great picture of Ocean? I lucked out with some great natural light

It's hard to believe that our little Ocean is 6 months old already. Ok, he's not so little anymore :) But the last six months have just sped past us at warp speed. We're now reaching the point where Ocean will start hitting more and more major milestones at a rapid pace: sitting on his own, crawling, pulling to a standing position, walking, etc. He'll soon be a toddler, not a baby, which is always a bittersweet transition.

Ocean can sit up for a minute or two if put in that position. He can wiggle around a lot while on his tummy, but hasn't managed to get up enough for combat crawling. He rolls from his tummy to his back easily, but doesn't find it so easy to roll back to his tummy.

As I suspected would end up happening, he is a thumb sucker like his brother and has now fully rejected the pacifier. He also really likes chewing on toys and has some great hand-eye coordination as a result. He slobbers a lot (seriously!) so his teeth must be moving up in his gums, but they are nowhere close to erupting (thankfully). I don't mind my kiddos waiting awhile to get their teeth since it makes breastfeeding a lot less painful. Along with all the toys he likes to chew on, he likes chewing on paper as well. I think it's the crinkly sound he likes, since he likes crinkly things. Wipes packets are another favorite- the Costco brand are quite noisy, which he loves.

this came out fuzzy, but I like it since it shows both boys snuggling their blankies (Larry and Bob) and sucking their thumbs

Ocean likes to snuggle Larry while sucking his thumb, just like River snuggles Bob when sleeping. Speaking of sleeping, the crib is in Sunshine's room and he's taken a couple naps in it, but he still sleeps in our room in the co-sleeper at night. I'm working on organizing their bedroom this week and hope to start having him sleep in his crib at night this weekend.

Ocean actually likes tummy time. Sunshine hated it with a passion and River tolerated it, but Ocean seems to enjoy it. I mean, look at that smile!

you can see how his hair is thicker on top and thinner on the sides

His hair is more like Sunshine's was than River's. River's hair was thicker and darker, Ocean's is thinner and lighter. Sunshine's was even thinner and lighter than Ocean's but the hair on top of her head was thicker and longer than on the sides. We used to joke about her having a "high and tight," and we've realized that Ocean also has a "high and tight." He still has his longer tuft in front, but I'm contemplating trimming it to match the rest of his hair since it looks kind of scraggly.

I think this pic looks like a headshot for a baby model :)

We've started feeding him a little squash, avocado, and chicken broth, but he really hasn't shown much interest in eating so we haven't been consistent with it. Since hitting the six month mark he's been a little more interested and he's now eating more. He's waited the longest of the three children to  start eating.

Ocean is a busy baby who is always grabbing at stuff. If it's in reach, it's not safe from him. In the picture above, he fell asleep while playing with that ball. If you look closely, you can see his little finger wrapped around one of the little stringers. A few seconds before I took the picture he had fingers from both hands wrapped around it.

River being sweet and giving Ocean a kiss

Ocean is a happy baby, still easy going, but he still prefers to be held as much as possible. He's also still a chubby baby, though his weight percentile has gone down a little and will probably continue to do so as he starts eating more solid food and becomes more mobile.

Winter Storm Preparedness

another shot of the snowy road Saturday afternoon

In general, we're pretty prepared (food, water, generator, etc), but as always happens after a storm, we've found some areas where we could improve.

We know we have several headlamps, but we couldn't find any of them. So we need to find them and keep them in a specific location, so we can actually find them when we need them. And we need to buy a couple more as backup. We also need to buy batteries for flashlights and lanterns and make sure we replace them as they get used since flashlights and lanterns are useless without good batteries.

We need a second snow shovel to make snow removal go faster.

We used our Christmas money to buy a snow plow for our lawn tractor, but neglected to buy chains as well. We didn't think we really needed them, but we do, as we discovered when Mr M tried to drive up the lawn from the garden shed to the driveway. Oops. The tractor was useless without chains.

We didn't lose power, but we did run the generator for awhile just in case and to run out the old gas. Even with fuel stabilizer it was running a bit rough since we haven't used it for a couple years.

There was really only one problem we encountered: we need to make sure there's propane in the house tank and not go two years in between fills (we usually go about 16-18 months in between). I forgot about it and when I went to check the gauge at the beginning of the storm, I found it pointing to empty. Big oops. We had to wait for the roads to clear to call for a refill, and even then they can't get to us for at least a week with all the catchup they have to do. Hopefully we didn't let the tank get so empty that they have to re-pressurize it or whatever they have to do when that happens (our propane company likes to refill the tank when it's between 15 and 20% full to avoid potential problems). We'll find out next week.

Luckily only our oven and gas fireplace use propane, so we've just had to get creative with our Instant Pot and microwave for cooking all our meals. The Instant Pot can pressure cook, saute, slow cook, etc. I've used it to make potatoes and scrambled eggs for breakfast, quesadillas for lunch, soup for dinner, and even fudge and cheesecake for dessert. It really is very versatile! If I'm feeling super ambitious I might even post the fudge and cheesecake recipes one of these days :)

We haven't been able to run the gas fireplace, which is unfortunate since we like having it on when the weather is icky, but since we didn't lose power we weren't depending on it for heat, so it was ok.

What's the worst problem you've faced during a winter storm?

Snow Pictures

our back deck- snow almost up to the benches of the picnic table, 

blue bench and sand table almost buried

Yesterday I shared some pictures of Sunshine and I trying to sled and ski and what our roads looked like during the storm. We are lucky if we get snow once or twice a winter and we rarely get this much at once. We've lived here almost 6 years and this is the biggest snowstorm in that time.

So naturally we get excited about snow and take lots of pictures :)

Mr M, Sunshine, and River playing in the snow

River couldn't walk because the snow was too deep, so he scooted around backwards on his tummy

Ocean watching the fun- I think he felt a little left out :)

the kitchen stairs were buried in snow

and you can barely see our cars

Monday Sunshine started building her snow fort

River stopped to "help" for a minute

River still couldn't walk in the snow, so Sunshine pulled him back up the hill on the sled

where she collapsed at the top 

she requested a ski lift for future sledding outings :)

and one more trip down the hill

you can see how high the snow is around the play structure on the left

The lighting wasn't the best, but I wanted to make sure I got some pictures of Sunshine's snow fort. As soon as she heard about the snow storm she started planning everything she wanted to include. She was strongly influenced by Calvin and Hobbes and the snow forts designed by Calvin :)

snowball stash at the top right of the picture

Sunshine in her "tower"

a slide connects the tower with the lower area and its reserve of snowballs

ready for an all-out snowball fight

Skiing!

Sunshine tried to sled down our driveway ahead of me on my skis, but wasn't successful

I'm still fighting a cold and just didn't feel up to doing more, so last week I only hit the treadmill twice.

We got hit by the nor'easter and had about 18" of snow fall between Friday and Saturday (yay!). Saturday I shoveled snow, which is a workout in itself. I was happy it was powder, which is infinitely easier to shovel than wet snow. Still hard, but not nearly as heavy.

I also dusted off my cross country skis and skied from our house to the mailboxes and back, about .4 miles altogether. It's the first time in 15 years that I've cross country skied, and wow, could I tell. I am so out of shape. I'd forgotten just how hard it is to break through deep powder on an ungroomed trail. Doing it up hills is even more difficult, and our road has several hills. I definitely used some muscles that haven't been used in a long time.

Of course, not properly waxing my skis didn't help matters. The wax wasn't acting quite like I remembered it, so I didn't fuss with it too long and skimped on the wax. I'm not sure that having the wax sit in outdoor storage and undergo extreme weather changes was good for it. I'll have to buy new wax and see how it behaves. If it acts the same then it's just me, not remembering how ski wax acts.

Snowshoes would have done better in the deep powder, but we don't have any snowshoes- we'll have to get some eventually. It's hard to make it a priority when we get good snowfalls so infrequently.

Sunshine was disappointed that the powder wasn't great for snow fort building, but the temperatures have risen and the snow is melting and compacting a bit and is much better for sledding, snowmen, and snow forts.

Saturday afternoon, looking at the road that our little road empties out on to

look at all that snow!

Sunday Funny

River contributing to the Henry the 8th play at History Club.

And, yes, we think he's going to be a lefty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We've been under the weather and have been using essential oils to help fight our colds.

Sunshine asked Mr M what he was using, and he responded "on guard."

Sunshine corrected him, "you mean onguardium leviosa."

Why yes, Sunshine has been reading Harry Potter again. Why do you ask? :)

2016 Goals

I don't usually do New Year's resolutions, but I am big on goals. That is the name of my blog, after all :) I don't wait till the new year to make goals, though some do have time frames that involve the calendar year.

My current goals revolve around running, my health, projects, and finances. You can see last year's similar goals here.

Running
My main goal is continuing with my 40 by 40 goal, which I'm a quarter of the way through. Secondary to that goal is running at least one race a month. This is really only a problem in January, when there's only one local race. I posted last year's running report here and plan to run even more races this year. I also want to be more consistent with my workouts so I can be better trained for my races.

My Health
This covers resolving food issues and losing weight. I need to figure out what foods truly agree with me right now (I think chocolate and potatoes are the current problem) and commit to eliminating them from my diet so I can feel better. The corresponding hope is that doing so will also enable me to finally start losing weight. This isn't a new year/new goal thing, it's more a "the baby's 6 months old now and I need to get my act together" thing.

I would like to stop eating chocolate cold turkey, but I don't see that actually working for me. I've used chocolate as a coping mechanism when I'm stressed or low in energy for way too long: going cold turkey would not be good for me or my family. In reality, my goal is to eliminate store-bought chocolate. I plan on making the occasional baked good with cocoa powder (like brownies), which should help me avoid the issues that would come with completely giving up chocolate. At the same time, I'm trying to come up with healthier ways of coping with stress and low energy levels.

Projects
Last year I completed a lot of projects (find my project report here). This year I don't plan to do as many, and definitely not as big as the patio and treehouse, but having projects to work on makes me happy. Having a creative outlet is an important part of my life. I have several projects I started last winter/spring that were put on the back burner so I could take advantage of the milder temperatures of spring to build the patio and treehouse. I plan on finishing those as well as finally using the project materials I've had sitting around for awhile (years in some cases) and actually completing the projects they were intended for.

Finances
We're finally getting back on track after Mr M's unemployment stint, but despite our best efforts to pare back our expenses while he was unemployed our debt load increased more than we wanted. Which means our focus this year is to keep our expenses low, bring in more money where we can, and pay down as much debt as possible.

One way we're decreasing expenses is finally transferring to a more local unit. No more out-of-state drills that cost us at least twice as much to attend as he actually gets paid. Though in our defense, we've been trying to make this happen ever since we moved here 6 years ago. Mr M's broken toe was the impetus for his unit to finally get moving on the necessary paperwork. Though that happened last spring, so it's not like they've been rushing it. We're just happy it's finally happening.

A challenge I'm struggling with is balancing my 40 by 40 goal with the need to keep our spending low. On my list of races to do are an out-of-state race and an international race. I'd love to do the Dublin Half Marathon in August, but there's no way we can afford that. I figure the cheapest international option is this half marathon near Halifax in September. I can hit a 5k on the way there or back, so that would knock out the out-of-state and international races, but gas, hotels, and food add up quickly. So we'll see what the budget is looking like in a few months and maybe an out-of-state and international race just won't be part of my 40 by 40 goal.

Limiting my spending on projects will also help the budget, which is why I'm focusing on finishing projects and using materials we have on hand as much as possible. The patio and treehouse were not cheap projects, but even smaller projects usually end up being more expensive than anticipated. Hopefully I can keep that to a minimum this year.

Word of the Year
I've had "balance" as a goal the last couple years, and I'm keeping it for this year. Last year I realized that I'm not good at multitasking the important things. I can multitask the little things, but watching a show while typing a blog post is just not the same as balancing the amount of time I spend on my projects with the amount of time I spend taking care of my family. I can be bit obsessive and have a hard time stopping when I need to. I keep thinking "just a little more" or "I'm almost done with this part," which usually results in me not getting dinner started on time or me staying up a lot later than I should.

So I'm really trying to balance everything as we figure out our new normal with Ocean as a part of our family. Having a third kiddo has really changed how we do things and it's taking some getting used to. Balancing family, homeschooling, church, Cub Scouts, running, projects, and starting a business is not an easy road to travel.

New Ventures
Yep, I'm starting a business this year. Shortly after Sunshine was born I had a business selling items on eBay. I never made much money, but it was a valuable learning experience. This time around I've come up with a product I'll make and sell on various sites. Right now I'm in the process of researching equipment, materials, suppliers, and so on while also working on a business and marketing plan.

Why would I start a business now when I'm already struggling to balance everything? Partly because I want to bring in money to help pay down our debts and this is something I'm excited about doing and can see myself enjoying for years to come. There's also a lot of creative potential that should help fill the need I have to always be making things, which should cut down the number of other projects I embark on. I looked into a couple other options for bringing in money, but I just couldn't see myself doing them long term, and I was having anxiety attacks just thinking about the marketing and the time I'd have to spend on social media. Interestingly, while I know I have to market my own product, that doesn't give me an anxiety attack. I think that's because I'm truly excited about and invested in my venture.

In the past I've wanted to have a business, but haven't known what to sell or do. About a year ago I had an idea that, after some research, I realized was doable. The only problem was that the main piece of equipment I need costs $5k used. We didn't have the money then (Mr M was still unemployed at that point), so I put the idea on the back burner. Recently I started thinking about it again as I looked into several money making ideas and really pondered what I could handle mentally (my introvertedness is not always an asset), what I was excited about, and what I can see myself doing long term. I prayed about it as well and had the thought that I should re-visit my idea. As I did so I found a much less expensive (under $1k) option for the equipment I need. It's not as high-tech, but it should do the job until I can invest in the more expensive piece of equipment. And just like that, my idea is moved to the front burner. It will still involve a chunk of change for all the materials and equipment and associated business costs, but I hope to have things up and running in time for the fall craft fairs and online sales for Christmas. Don't worry, I'll keep you updated :)

So with all that, balance will be key this year.

The Audacity of Some People

River had so much fun at the park last week. Despite the cold he enjoyed the mud puddles as well as running around after the big kids.

The above picture has nothing to do with the rest of this post, but it makes me smile, unlike the experience I'm sharing below. It was one of those experiences that just make you wonder about some people and I internalize too much and need to get it out of my head, so I'm sharing it here.

Here's what happened:
I was in Whole Foods, which was busy, so all the checkout lanes had lines. I picked a register that didn't look too bad and moved forward. There was a lady in between that line and the neighboring line, but she was pointed at the neighboring line so I thought that was the one she was in. So I said "excuse me" and moved forward into the line I'd decided on. She moved, but then said she was waiting to see which line to go in. I responded, in a nice tone of voice, "well, you need to pick a line." She didn't like that and said I should wait behind her. I didn't agree and told her "I'm sorry you feel that way" and turned away from her. At that point she continued to make comments about I don't know what (I was trying not to listen because confrontations make me very uncomfortable), but one of them included calling me a word that rhymes with witch (a first for me). I ignored her and didn't look her direction as we waited in line for our turns at the registers.

As the cashier scanned my items we chatted about the cold weather and such and I thanked her and went on my way. Unfortunately my way took me past the neighboring checkout with the lady (in the loosest sense of the word). As I walked past her, she said "It's so nice to see your attitude matches how you look." I ignored her and kept walking out to my car, all the while thinking "what the what?! what does that even mean?!" Once in the car I promptly called Mr M to vent. And then I called one of my sisters too :)

Here's my thoughts:
Everyone knows you can't keep switching between register lines when someone's behind you. At that point you pick a line; you don't expect everyone to stand behind you while you make up your mind or wait and see which will be quicker.

She must have been looking for a fight and it must have galled her so bad that I just turned away and ignored her. And she must have been really upset when I got through the checkout before her. When I was talking to Mr M, I finally thought of what I could have said to her after her last comment: "I'm sorry I'm not as pretty and well-dressed as you think you are." On the other hand, as my sister brought up, at least I don't have to worry about finding her and apologizing to her when I repented of saying that, since it was rude and I would have been stooping to her level. In the end, I'm glad I didn't say anything and just turned away. Being a non-confrontational soul came in handy for not saying something I'd regret later.

I'm just really glad the kiddos weren't with me. If she was willing to be this nasty to a stranger, what would she have said to or about my kids? Because let's face it, they don't enjoy shopping and are rarely on their best behavior at the grocery store. Not that most kids are, but I'm sure she would have ignored that little fact.

I know I shouldn't let this experience bother me, and most of it is fairly easy to brush off. But the rudeness of her last comment really bothers me. What gives her the right to make rude comments about what I do or don't look like? It's one thing to say things behind someone's back, but to say it straight to my face? We'd never met before this, and I really hope to never meet her again. I may not be some skinny, well-made-up, fashion forward barbie doll, but I'm also not a complete slob. I was wearing my Keen boots, khakis, and my Columbia ski parka with matching beanie. Before I'd left the house I'd commented to Mr M about how we'd gotten our money out of that jacket since I bought it 11 years ago. It may not be a trendy puffy coat (which I actually think are kind of ugly) like she was wearing, but it's clean and in good condition. I'm clearly overweight, unlike her, but there's reasons for that, and again, that's none of her business.

Since when did it become ok to make rude comments about a stranger's appearance to their face?

When the woman first talked to me it took me a minute to realize she was being mean because she wasn't speaking in a mean tone and she had a bit of a smile. Though as the interaction proceeded I realized it was not a nice smile. She was being mean and nasty, but if you went off her tone and appearance, you wouldn't have guessed it.

My sister is of the opinion that she must have some major issues, and I agree. We also figure she's got some practice being mean to people since she was able to be so mean without raising her voice. She's like a grown-up mean girl (she looked to be about my age, maybe a bit older). Only she's not grown up, since she was showing such juvenile behavior. My sister and I both lucked out in not having to deal with mean girls in school, but we've encountered several as grown ups, though not one this mean.

Have you encountered any "grown-up" mean girls lately?

Colds and Cold Weather

a sneak peek at Sunshine's slowly evolving room

Last week I walked on the treadmill on Monday, had a busy day Tuesday, and then spent the rest of the week sick with a nasty cold :(

I'm finally feeling better, but I'm bummed about the workouts and project time I missed out on. I did force myself to get outside on Saturday and make our Pinewood Derby trophies, but only because the derby was a week away, the weather was in the 50's, and the forecast called for temps in the 20s and 30s for the rest of the coming week. Not optimal for outdoor woodworking and spray painting. While I was at it, I decided to go for broke and finish cutting the wood for Sunshine's shelves. Mr M and I pulled out the table saw and went to town on the sheets of plywood that have been cluttering up our front porch for the last month or two.

We brought all the pieces for the shelves in and took all the tools and scraps down to the shed, finally leaving a clutter-free front porch. And then I went inside and soaked in a nice hot tub to take away the chill. Surprisingly, getting chilled didn't set me back as far as I thought it would, so I must have already been on the mend enough to fight off any resurgence.

Even though I'm feeling better today than I did Saturday,  I'm glad I didn't procrastinate since temps today were in the mid-20s.

Mr M and I have decided that our next place will have a workshop/shed with electricity and space for wood working. It's non-negotiable. The shed we have doesn't have electricity and really isn't big enough for woodworking and we're both tired of having to pull everything out and bring it up to the front porch, where the nearest outlet is.

I thought about hitting the treadmill today, but decided to give myself one more day of rest and recuperation. I know I need to find a time that consistently works for me and hopefully I can work on that this week.

Sunday Funny

Saturday I took advantage of the warmer temps to make this year's Pinewood Derby trophies. While I was working on the porch, I looked down the driveway and saw this:

I laughed and went for a closer look:

Good thing we don't actually have satellite service, since he's decided it's just right for a car. Or is it a space ship? The sky's the limit!

Sunday Funny

what I feel like doing when I have phone calls on my to-do list

When Sunshine was a toddler I went to a therapist for a while. The primary issue was the miscarriage I had just suffered, but some other issues came up as well. One of them was how much I hate making phone calls and how it's a real struggle for me to pick up the phone and make a call. We talked about it on multiple occasions, but I wasn't able to resolve that issue to the point where I don't dread phone calls (though she did help a lot with my infertility and miscarriage issues).

I've been thinking a lot lately about my introvertedness and how it affects my decisions and activities. And then this week I came across this blog post titled How an Introvert Makes a Phone Call (via Simple Homeschool). I laughed because it is so, so true. So if you ever wonder why I never got back to you, here's your answer :)

Take a few minutes and read the post here.

2015 Race Master List

After yesterday's project master list I decided I needed to do a race master list as well. It really is fun to see what I've accomplished!

1. January 5k	2. February 5k	3. March 5k	4. April 5k
5. May 5k	6. June 5k	7. July 5k	8. August 4 mile
9. September 5k	10. Hill Valley Virtual Half Marathon	11. Corn Maze 5k	12. Kilted Trail 5k
13. Trail Half	14. Turkey Trot	15. December 5k	16. Army Virtual Marathon

16 races completed
1 DNS (did not start) This was the half marathon that was held one month too late in my pregnancy for me to feel good about doing. I'd registered and trained for it, but it just wasn't a good idea.

So just what did I accomplish with those 16 races?

5 Different Distances:
12 5ks (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15)
1 4 miler (8)
1 long trail half (13.61 rather than 13.1) (13)
1 virtual half (10)
1 virtual marathon (16)

5 Different Surfaces:
9 road races (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14)
2 all terrain, ie, mixed surface (9, 15)
2 trail (12, 13)
2 virtual (10, 16)
1 corn maze (11)

3 Milestones:
7 while pregnant (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
2 while pushing the jogger and pregnant (4, 5)
1 5k without stopping, which hasn't happened in years (11)

Total Race Miles:
93.0 miles

Total Race Minutes:
24:50:52 (that's 24 hours, 50 minutes, 52 seconds!)

Total Race Fees:
Ha! Yeah, I'm not totaling that up :)