Focus

Focus.  That is my word for 2013 for my New Years Resolution.  What does that mean exactly?  Well, several things.  (Determined was my word for 2012 and you can look back here to see what my 2012 resolutions were! I decided not to follow up on all those resolutions and report to the whole world what I did not did not do.  They were written for me, on paper, to look back on and reflect on over the year.  Do the rest of you really care???)  

FOCUS on my kids.  I want to really spend more time with them.  Once a month Mark and I are going to take each girl on a date night.  I will take Addison this month and Mark will take Lauren and we will switch next month and so on for the whole year.  We will FOCUS on one on one time with the girls.  

FOCUS on my next half marathon (April 13th!!!) I have been working on increasing my speed over the winter with a lot of success. I am going to FOCUS on some cross training and weight training to make my 3rd half marathon even better than my first 2.  Then I will decide on my 4th half marathon.  Oh yes, there will be a 4th...probably this year...it could be Hospital Hill since I am an official blogger!  Yea! 

FOCUS on being a great wife to Mark.  He says I am fine here, but I really think there is always room for improvement.  I will FOCUS on spending more time with Mark at night after the girls go to bed, and not just sit around staring at the TV or the computer.  If you notice I have cleaned up by blog roll getting rid of useless blogs that I wasted my time reading.  I kept some of my favorite running blogs, home improvement blogs, and parenting blogs.  

FOCUS on diet and exercise and toning up by body for our 10th anniversary trip.  Mark and I will be going to Mexico to celebrate 10 years of marriage and I have goals for that trip.  

FOCUS on what house projects we would like to do this year.  The sprinkler system will be installed soon.  The next BIG project will be the kitchen, but that is a few years down the road.  I would like to change the brass door knobs this year and replace the blinds in the bedrooms.  That does not sound too bad.  Here is what we have done so far and what we would still like to do.  This past year we updated the carpet in the girls bedrooms and living room, tiled the bathroom and entryway, changed out light fixtures and ceiling fans in the whole house, and got new spindles.  

FOCUS on how we can save even more money so I can get the kitchen of my dreams sooner than later.  We have already cut out a few things, but with the change in the social security tax it will not make a difference.  We will have to get even more creative.

FOCUS on time for me.  This is tough as a busy working Mom, but I think it is important.  Exercise will be me time and it will provide me with multiple benefits.  Stress management, relaxation, endurance for my half marathons, better sleep, better parenting...I could go on and on.

So hold me accountable  FOCUS is my word for 2013.

Mother's Day

Mark and the girls made Mother's Day very special.  I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband who made sure I had a great day with my girls.  

Lauren was up at 6:00 (of course) and Mark got up with her and let me sleep in!  After Addison woke up I got up and enjoyed some coffee. I got a quick run in before starting the day.  We had my parents and Grandma over for Brunch, so we had to get that ready.  Mark cooked french toast and I made some cinnamon roll and mini quiches.  My Mom brought over some fresh fruit and it all tasted so good. Little Addison ate 2 huge cinnamon rolls.  That girl can eat.  

We opened gifts right before naps.  The girls made me a picture frame.  Lauren's side says "I love you" and Addison's side says "Mommy, you are pretty."  There is also stickers on top that say #1 Mom.  It is very cute, very creative and very thoughtful of Mark to have the girls make it.  I also got 2 more charms to add to my Pandora bracelet.  It is a black and sliver bracelet and it looks so awesome with all the charms.  

I  had to run to the store, but was able to get a short nap in when I got back.  After naps we went to the park for a while and then out to dinner at Noodles and Company.  Something quick, good, and I did not have to cook!  Mark asked me if I wanted to see "The Vow"  a chick flick.  He said he would watch it with me...so I said yes.  It was a great movie and a great way to end the weekend.  

It was a great day.  The sun was shining and it was gorgeous outside.  Thank you Mark for making it so special and thank you to my girls for the amazing little women you are becoming!  

I'm Not Gonna Lie...

while Mark was out golfing all weekend with his brother Pat, and Dave,  I was counting down the minutes until he came home.  Some days are just like that, ya know? 

The weekend started out great.  I went and saw "The Lucky One" after work on Friday with a co-worker.  It was a great movie.  Not because Zac Efron is a good actor, but because he is so HOT! 

Pat and Dave got in town late Friday night and the guys headed out for golf Saturday morning.  I was able to get a quick run in before they left, and it was cold.  After they left I attempted get the girls ready for the Kite Festival.  Lauren whined that she did not want to go. She said she just wanted to stay home and play.  Addison was ready to go, but refusing to go potty before we left.  Had she even gone potty yet this morning?  I could not remember.  She has a freaky way of not going potty for hours, even first thing in the morning when she wakes up.  After yelling at Lauren for being unappreciative of the activity I had planned for her she agreed to go and that it might be fun.  Thankfully I did not have to continue to fight with her about going out to have fun. 

The girls actually had a blast at the Kite Festival and did not want to leave.  I had to run a few errands, and actually they were angels at the few stops I had to make.  We all took naps and that felt good. 

When Mark and the guys got back I went shopping for a few hours and then enjoyed an awesome night outside, grilling, and hanging out.  We let the girls stay up way too late and they were a real pleasure to get to bed...

Sunday I decided to take them to church alone.  Not exactly the way I like to spend my Sunday morning.  Addison is a terror in church anyway, and it continued today.  She did really great until about 10:20 when she started dancing during the prayer.  I attempted to stop her, distract her, redirect her, etc...nothing worked.  She decided to scream for Daddy at the top of her lungs, echoing through the church.. it was lovely. She knew she had lost her donut (good old bribery) so she screamed about that as well. 

I took her out and got her quite and after a while she looked up and said "do i get half my donut? I was good during half of church.  Daddy said I could get half my donut" (like 2 months ago.) 

The fun continued the store with poor listening from Lauren and sassiness from Addison.  But I had to get groceries, so I continued on. 

By the end of the trip, I told the girls when we got home both were going to there room until I said they can come out.  And they actually listened.  They stayed in their room for about 15 minutes, and I had silence. 

Naps were good and I knew Mark would be home soon...until I got a text that he was hangout for a while longer after golf.  Lucky me...I sent him few messages back and forth and then he headed home.  When he got home he offered to take the girls to the park and i was so thankful.  I made dinner and then headed up to the gym for 30 minutes of peace and quite. 

Tonight is one of those nights I am looking forward to heading back to work on Monday, but that quickly faded.  I went to check on Addison and that little girl was naked.  She quietly took her jammies off, laid them on her blanket, and then fell asleep.  We never know what she is doing in there before she goes to sleep, but she is usually very quite. 

So while I felt a little over whelmed this weekend, yelled a few too many times and was told I was bullying Lauren (I call it parenting) looking back it was not that bad.  So I yell at Lauren and redirect her, she calls me mean and a bully and I call it parenting.  A few minutes later she is hugging me and saying I am sorry.  So, I think I am getting through to her...somehow, some way...