Sleep Mothering Part II

I know I said "Don't try sleep mothering at home." What I meant was "Don't try sleep mothering at YOUR home." Because, to be quite honest, I love naps. And I'm just not ready to give them up (even if it did cost me $80 last time). And I can't nap during JJ's nap because baby's naptime is the most sacred and wonderful time of the day for mothers. So the sleep mothering contines. But this time, with a much sweeter ending.

A few days ago, I woke up at 8:00am with JJ. I turned the Disney channel on and put some cheerios on the coffee table. Then retired to the couch for an hour or so of sleep mothering.

But in the midst of my half-asleep, half-awake sleep mothering state, I suddenly realized that I didn't hear any noise. Which made me extremely worried. Where was JJ? What was he doing? I sat up immediately and scanned the room. He was no where to be seen.

Then I looked down at the floor next to me. And there he was, fast asleep.

I smiled. And sighed with relief. And went back to sleep. Like Mother, Like Son.

Ree Runs

Three weeks ago, I threw all my excuses for not exercising and dieting out the window, and armed with my new jogging stroller, I started on the road to a new and healthier me.

Three weeks later, I'm already seeing a difference.

I've lost almost 10 lbs.
I can run 4 miles in 40 minutes. (a HUGE accomplishment for me considering that as of three weeks ago, I hadn't been running in 3 years!)
I feel more energized.
I look thinner.
My pre-pregnancy clothes that I almost gave away or threw away because I'd almost lost hope of ever being able to fit into them again are starting to fit again.
I feel happier about myself.

I used to sit in my apartment and watch all the joggers and walkers go by everyday wishing that I could do that, thinking that it would be a horrible and grueling process to be able to do that, and ultimately doubting that I ever could. And now that I've done it, I'm ashamed that I didn't do it sooner. It really wasn't that bad. Three weeks and I already feel in shape.

It's truly amazing what a little willpower and motivation can do. I'll definitely be ready for that 5K now. :)

Gettysburg

Today we took a day trip to Gettysburg. It was an amazing experience, despite the fact that I only got to half listen to the information about the battle because JJ was either crying in the back seat of the car, pushing his stroller around the Gettysburg museum, or running away from me on the battlefield. (Actually, considering how much we were in the car today, JJ did really well. I'm proud of him.)

Here we are at the entrance to the Visitor's Center:

Here's JJ looking at one of the canon balls that hit Fort Sumter. It's bigger than his head!

Here's JJ in the car just chillin while we listen to our CD tour of the battlefield:

Josh and JJ posing by a canon:

Josh and JJ at the top of Little Round Top:

All in all, it was a really neat experience. I learned a lot, and I can't wait to go back again sometime and learn more. Definitely a cool day.

Mother's Day Observed

Last Sunday, my husband was so busy with finals and papers that he barely had time to breathe let alone pamper me. So instead, we decided to celebrate Mother's Day today on Mother's Day Observed.

All in all, it's been a fabulous day. Josh made all the meals, changed all the diapers, and watched JJ all day long. I ate, took a 3 hour nap, and watched TV. Not really the most productive day for me, but a relaxing and wonderful day all the same.

Thank goodness for fabulous husbands and Happy Mother's Day Observed!

Sleep Mothering

Sleep mothering is kind of like sleep walking. When you sleep walk, you walk and sleep at the same time. When you sleep mother, you sleep and fulfill your motherly responsibilities at the same time. For a novice, this may sound impossible. But not for me. I have perfected the art of sleep mothering.

Or so I thought until yesterday.

You see, I frequently bring JJ into bed with me in the mornings so that I can doze while he crawls all over the bed. And if he becomes too antsy to hang out in the bed, I retire to the couch and let him run around our front room which is excellently baby-proofed. It seemed like a perfect answer to my anti-morning sentiments.

But then yesterday, just when I was becoming sure of my sleep mothering skills, JJ fell off the bed while I was dozing. (Don't worry--he's perfectly fine.) And when I retired to the couch and let him wonder around our front room, thinking this would be a much safer environment for sleep mothering, he found my husband's computer charging cord and sucked on the part that plugs into the computer, which hastily ruined yet another $80 computer cord. (He's ruined three so far.)

My conclusion? Don't try sleep mothering at home. Or anywhere for that matter.

No More Excuses

I am so out-of-shape. And really for no good reason. I'm a stay-at-home mom with no job and only one kid. I've run out of excuses for being out-of-shape, especially since my mom just got me a cool new jogging stroller for my birthday. So it's time to get my out-of-shape butt in gear and lose some weight.

I'm feeling especially motivated right now because my brother wants me to run a 5K with him in just over a month, and in my current state, I wouldn't even last 1K. So if I don't want to make a fool out of myself, I better get going.

Right now, I'm doing about 30 min. of walking/jogging per day, and so far it's killing me. But I know if I can just push through this initial getting into shape part, things will get better and I'll get slimmer. I just have to keep going. Like the energizer bunny. And I'm hoping that making a public announcement about my intentions will help me stay on track, especially when it gets hard.

And, of course, any words of encouragement or advice would be helpful and welcome. :) So stay tuned to watch Ree Run.

Coupons Smoupons

My husband and I have decided to crack down on our budget. So in the last week, I've been trying to do my part by clipping coupons and looking online for good deals. I thought I was really on to something today when I looked at Superfresh's weekly ads. This week, they are TRIPLING any manufacturer's coupons under 99 cents. I knew I couldn't pass that up, so I grabbed JJ, hopped in the car, and boogied on down to Superfresh to steal me some deals.

I was pretty excited to find some great deals at the store, which, combined with my coupons, meant that I could get some stuff for FREE. I even got to pick out some stuff we didn't absolutely NEED because of my coupon clipping and the savings I was accruing. I was totally patting myself on the back as I walked up to the check-out stand and began unloading my groceries.

Until I handed my coupons to the cashier. "I'm sorry," he said. "We don't accept any coupons that you print from the internet."

My mouth dropped and my heart sank. All my precious coupon clipping for nothing. By the time my mind actually registered the truth about my coupons, the cashier was already waiting for me to pay and leave. And I was too embarassed to ask him to take the unnecessary items out of my bags and off the ticket. So I just paid and left.

What a disappointing shopping trip. Stupid Superfresh.