HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Trick-or-Treat For the Troops

I heard about a great idea today, and it made me wish we’d be trick or treating this weekend. (The idea of doing so with a 7 month old sounds not only pointless, but exhausting!)

So instead I share this with you all, in hopes that someone will do it for me.  Instead of eating ALLLL that candy you’ll accrue this weekend (or have left over), consider sending some to our troops deployed overseas.

When Tyson was in the navy he gave me the advice to send lots of snacks in his care packages, because when someone got a package it was a big deal & they would all share the snacks that arrived. So I imagine that some candy could go a long way. (Though not sure how the chocolate candy would fair, it takes about a month for packages to arrive and well….it’s hot in the desert…or out on the ships in the gulf.)

Operation Gratitude puts the care packages together themselves, and they’re accepting Halloween candy donations. So all you need to do is drop it in the mail and let them do all the work.

Or you can add a little more “stuff” with your candy and create your own care package using anysoldier.com (which has links for the other branches also). I didn’t have much time to browse the site, but you’re able to search for troops based on branch, the state they're stationed in, etc. You get to choose who to send the packages and it’ll list what they need. Pretty cool.

I’m glad I came across these ideas before the holidays, I’d like to put a box together and get it out pretty soon. My heart aches when I think about these troops spending holidays away from families. Tyson & I never had to spend a Christmas apart, luckily, but I do remember that Thanksgiving & other holidays were difficult. I can only imagine what it feels like to wake up Christmas morning and know you’re missing this time with your family. If I can take an hour or so & $20 out of my life to brighten a solider (or sailor, marine, or coastie)’s day…why the heck not.

I encourage you all the do the same.

Concen........huh?

Concentration has been eluding me this week. Okay, it’s been eluding me since last July when I found out I was pregnant, but this week has been especially taxing on that part of my brain.

I have not been lacking such concentration that I caught myself looking up blogs, searching to see if drinking hard water is the reason for our cat’s weight loss, completing DMV paperwork (oh and the actual trip to the DMV is a whole other story!), working on posts for this here blog, or finding local organic farms, all while I’m at work.  Nope. Not me. I work diligently for all 8 hours.

In my defense this work week has been a little stressful, and I’ve occasionally needed a brain break.

It also had me wondering if this is a post-partum affect. (It seems excessive to have a 7 month old and still make post-partum excuses for myself, but oh well.) I know that pregnancy plays around with your concentration. So in keeping with this week’s tradition, I looked it up, while at work. And the answer is…………. Pregnancy & post partum can mess with your thyroid function, which in turn can mess with your concentration. I had hypothyroidism before pregnancy, and since giving birth we’ve been adjusting my medication level because it has in fact been totally outta whack. So there! *insert juvenile tongue sticking out here* I have a medical excuse for looking up Christmas gift ideas at work. (Gosh I hope no one from work ever finds this blog!)

I still can’t seem to find out how long you’re considered post-partum. I only found one source that said it was the 6 week period after giving birth. I beg to differ. My body is still recovering. Anyone know the answer to this? I guess it could just be called motherhood, right?

Please forgive me if this post has more zigs & zags than a mogul ski course, I had half a cup of non-decaf coffee this AM (with the most yummiest pumpkin spice creamer) and I’m feeling the effects right now. I am flying high. There’s a reason I stick to decaf. I needed to run to Target on my lunch break, maybe the driving should wait until I calm down a little bit.

And caffeine is supposed to aid concentration, not with me apparently!!

Seven Months

G hit the 7 month mark today.

This past month flew by. After all the dreading I did leading up to her reaching 6 months, I am shocked at how quickly another month has passed without my knowledge. A month ago I wasn’t ready for my baby to be a whole half a year old. And now she’s *more* than half a year.

I am constantly amazed by this little girl. And I just know in a month’s time she’ll be mobile. She’s so close right now, there’s no going back after this next milestone. It seems as though I am the ONLY person not pushing her to start crawling. I like a stationary baby. A cute little baby that just happily sits on the bathroom floor, playing, while I take my morning shower. Once she’s moving, I can’t just plop her down any old place. BUT…we’re not there yet…so I won’t think about it.

(Though thinking about baby proofing might be a good idea.)

This month brought some big changes for G. She sprouted some hair…FINALLY….

All kidding aside, she has really started to finally get some more hair. Let’s just assume it’s the changing weather; all cute little animals must grow a thicker coat. Tyson & I joke that she’s finally getting bed head, and it’s just long enough to cover her ears….okay maybe cover is the wrong word. Overlap. A little bit.

Although this first year is flying by too fast for my liking, I’m enjoying every minute of this beautiful girl and can’t wait to see what adventures the next month bring. She’s only a baby once, so I treat every month almost like a birthday. (Minus the cake, presents & games…though I wouldn’t be against eating cake every month.)

What girl doesn’t like clothes? I know I find a mild satisfaction of seeing my dresser drawers full and not an empty hanger in the closet. (Because that also means the miracle of miracles occurred, and all of my clothes are clean!) But since moving with a newborn, and having a 'new' body to dress – I’ve become very good at purging myself of clothes that don’t fit or that don’t look that great.

Almost –too- good. Because now I’m rotating about 4-6 different, acceptable, tops for work.

I still don’t tire of hearing people compliment how I look after having a baby. Right after G was born I would absolutely beam at the mention of my figure. But let’s get real now, she’s almost 7 months old and I’m still sporting a little pooch. And my confidence has taken a serious hit. (Yes I can see your eyes rolling and hear your sighs all the way out here in the boondocks.)

Never the less, this is not the body I’m used to. My hips are wider, my butt is too (though I don’t hear Tyson complaining about that one), my the girls are smaller (despite still nursing??) and my tummy jiggles when I walk. Not things I’m used to.

While I am working on getting more in tone & in shape, my wardrobe is suffering. I find it difficult to feel like I look nice in anything I wear. So I end up dressing frumpy. Or so I feel. I haven’t quite resorted to mom jeans yet, but I feel I’m one old baggy t-shirt away.

What prompted these thoughts, you ask? I went to the rest room at work today, looked in the mirror and actually said to myself “who let me buy another striped shirt??” Seriously. Who did? I hold you all responsible!

As soon as I got home I covered it with a sweatshirt, and I intend on sending it to the salvation army as soon as it comes out the other side of the laundry.

I’ll slowly start working on a more respectable, full-time working, sweating off the pooch to get hot, mommy wardrobe. In the meantime I hope they don’t catch on to my wearing the same 5 shirts at work.

Can you hear that....the faint jingle bell in the distance?

I absolutely love this time of year. Fall is my favorite season. Period. Then add in that it marks the start of the "holidays" (at least in my book). More importantly it also means the start of preparing for the holidays, which I find about as enjoyable, if not more so.
Tyson really dislikes how much I over-book & over-plan our lives, especially this time of year. But there's so much I want to do, that I can't help it. Fall brings apple picking, applefest, pumpking picking & carving pumpkings, decorating for Halloween, etc, etc, etc. And that's all before Tiff's annual Halloween Party.

Now that I have my daughter to share this with - it's even more exciting! Sure she doesn't have a clue as to what's *really* going on around her, but she loves being outside. She just excited to & happy to be outdoors, and maybe inside, a little bit, it makes me think she might be intersted in what we're doing. Maybe I'm a little delusional. So what?

Naturally this all means that I'm more excited for Thanksgiving & Christmas, also. I've been Christmas shopping for a couple months now, and anticipate being finished in November. Which means December will be that much less-stressful. I want to be able to enjoy G's first holiday season.

I'm so caught up in all the excitement of the coming weeks & months, that I'm even excited for opening day of hunting season. (Could it be that waking up to boxes of donuts on the kitchen table is skwing my feelings??) But like everything else, there's a presence of excitement in the air on opening day, and I've just started throwing that in with being part of the "holidays"

Oddly enough this is the first year that I don't really care so much about my birthday, which used to always be included amongst the "holidays". I remember last year everyone told me to enjoy my birthday because once I had a baby, my brithday wouldn't matter anymore. I automatically assumed that they were referring to how others would treat my birthday and it made me a little sad - I didn't once think it would change my opinion of the day. I'm looking forward to spending the day with my husband & daughter - and that's good enough for me. (Of course spending time with other family is always a plus too!). But I no longer view it as an additional holiday........Though I am getting giddy over the idea of Tyson treating me to Cheesecake Factory.

Pumpkin Picking & Carving

Today we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch - and then later, after much convincing, Tyson & I carved them.


Looking for a pumpkin......

Tyson does the heavy lifting....

G posing with our finds....

Mama & G....she dressed herself I swear!!

Watch out, Tyson's got a knife....

Taking a break to snack on some puffs....

The final products....



Here I Am!!!!

Over the past 4 months, I've lost track of how many times I've tried to start a "blog". (I really don't like that word, but that's what this is so we'll go with it....)

I don't know why I feel such an urge to update people I know (and those I may not) with mundane happenings in my life, but I do. Maybe because I feel partly misunderstood? Could be. I want to share things with people I may not see or talk too regularly? It's a good idea. Possibly because I have the world's most adorable baby girl and an awesome husband? Yup. That must be it.

In trying to start my blog, I tried a couple with "themes". But I got bored with those real fast, so I knew anyone reading it would too. I guess I'll just go with random. I'm good at random. Today one of my coworkers informed me I'm random & weird, but that's what they expect from me. So there ya go.

This will just be my sharing of thoughts on the journey of marriage and amazing achievements that my daughter makes - which my seem small to you but just completely floor me; proving to me what a miracle babies are.
I'll probably also share my attempts at creating a more simple & natural life. (Believe me, that includes some crazy idea - like did you know I have shampooed my hair since August??)