Go, Go, Cardio!

This week is officially Day 2 of week 3 on my daily (or at least week-daily) workout track. I feel awesome and am already seeing a huge difference in my endurance. It has been a while since I've be able to be consistent in the gym, and with B enjoying himself in the Kids Klub (FINALLY!) I'm able to really hunker down and focus on my goals.

I never before have thought of the gym as something I enjoy doing. Its always been more of another required task on my laundry list of things to do, that I may or may not get done. Luckily, being a stay-at-home mom has really changed that outlook. I now plan my days around working out, not vice-versa. I know that I need to make it to the gym to allow myself to be healthier and a better mom, and I get a bonus by having a free 2 hours to myself each day.

I have noticed that my clothes are already starting to fit better, and I am starting to drop the poundage- 4 to be exact. I'd like to lose about 15 more pounds by Jan 1. I figure that at a rate of 1-2 lbs per week, I can easily achieve this goal. Granted, being at home makes snacking and eating junk much more tempting, but luckily between chasing around Mr. B, cleaning up toys, meals, etc and keeping up with the laundry and other house work, its tough to let snacking get the best of me. Believe it or not, I think I am busier now than I was while I was (gasp!) employed!

I am making it a goal to keep my working out up over those dreaded winter months when everything is dead, and leaving the house seems like the worst idea in the world. After all, I have a wedding to be in, in June and I refuse to be the 'fat bridesmaid.' Last year, I most certainly was (even though I was 8.5 mo pregnant), and I will not do it again!

We got "punked"

Braden and I just returned from the doctors office. After several nights of restlessness and general irritability, I decided it was time for a dreaded ear check. My child has followed in my footsteps and has had no less than 7 ear infections since he was just a few weeks old. So, when we went to see Dr. Nelson this morning, I suspected nothing less than another prescription for augmentin and a "take it easy" recommendation. So the result? "Perfect" and I quote, "perfect ears!" Yes, that's right, my 14 month old has been "punking" Brett and I for the past 3 nights. He has discovered that crying out in the middle of the night gets mom and dad to come and spend time with him at 2:30 in the morning, and fighting naps allows for more time spent with mom. Rookie mistake. I should have known, but something about suspecting an ear infection made it way too difficult to just let him cry. But now that I know, crying will become B's new favorite pasttime until he decides to return to his wonderful, sleep loving self. Until then, we will battle. And trust me, I will win!

....on another note, I was at my parent's house today, and found an old picture. Think someone looks a little like his momma?

Apple Picking

Yesterday we went apple picking with our next door neighbors and Braden's good friend, Audrie. He had a ton of fun picking and more importantly, eating every pint-sized apple he could get his hands on! His day concluded with a delicious apple donut and sippy cup full of apple cider. Yum!

Hug your loved ones

Today was a wonderful day! My mom went for her yearly checkup on her breast cancer and got AMAZING news-she is now five years cancer-free, and truthfully, I'm not sure I've ever heard her sound so relieved. Granted, my mom is a bit dramatic about the annual checkup (shocking that we're from the same gene pool!) considering hers has been one of the most minor cases I've heard of, but cancer is cancer, and it can't be easy for anyone. I feel so extremely fortunate that I am blessed enough to have both of my parents alive and (now)well, and that my son is lucky enough to have all four of his grandparents around to spoil him. Things could have gone very differently with that dreaded diagnosis, and we are so very lucky they didn't.

I'll never forget the day my parents told us about the diagnosis. I had returned from school over labor day weekend of my senior year to help close down the pool for the fall. I had gone off to work only to get a call minutes after arriving from my dad--crying. Yes, crying. I had no idea what had happened or what he was about to tell me.

"Mom has breast cancer."

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Cancer? But how? My mom is probably the healthiest, most active and fit individual I know. I just couldn't fathom the word. Cancer. My parents had both recently lost several of their closest friends to cancer, and I had watched their kids lose their parents- something I couldn't imagine going through. Immediately my brain took me to the image of my dear grandmother sitting in the hospital hooked up to tubes. I just couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that my mom was now a victim as well.

We waited and waited for news, updates, anything we could get. I said more prayers that month than I had my entire life. I made trip after trip home from school to support Mom through everything. Then, the day of her surgery came and we all waited with bated breath for the final diagnosis. The cancer was contained, had not spread to the lymph nodes and wouldn't require any further chemo or radiation. Thank goodness!

That was the best news we could have asked for. We all were so relieved and knew things could have gone very differently for us all that day. Each year, when my mom goes for the dreaded annual visit to her oncologist, we all say our prayers and hold our breath. We know how lucky we are that things happened the way they did.

Five years is quite the milestone. It means no more annual visits to the oncologist, and more importantly it means that my mom is healthy and cancer free and here for all of us and for Braden. I hugged Brett and Braden a little tighter today knowing that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Hug your loved ones and cherish the good times. Tonight I will say a prayer for all those who have struggled, are struggling or have survived cancer and for their families and friends, and I will say a prayer of thanks for giving me all that I have.

Grad School Drop-out AND Unemployed, What??

It's funny how things work themselves out in life. Over the past couple of months, Brett and I have been throwing around the idea of my quitting work and staying home with Braden. So, when we took Braden to daycare two weeks ago to find the news that our wonderful sitter was going back to work full time, it seemed like the perfect kick in the 'you know what' to speed the decision along. Ironically, the same day we got that news we also got the news that it would be virtually impossible to sell our house (even if we'd buy our way out) meaning we are 'stuck' with a low mortgage payment for an undisclosed amount of time. After much deliberation, we decided that all of these things were the world's way of telling us to seize the opportunity and have me stay at home now. I have been slightly uneasy about putting all the financial pressure on Brett, but my decision was reaffirmed this week when Braden had a very hard time when we went to work.

As I sat down to create a budget, it was almost sickening how much money I show would be "left over" after all the bills were paid and essentials accounted for on Brett's income alone. It was eye-opening to see in black and white just how much money we spend on a monthly basis. Given the budget we created, we'll still be contributing almost the same amount to savings as we do now, even without my paycheck. It made me want to rewind the clock to when we first got married. After all, with the exception of daycare expenses over the past year, we could have been putting my entire paycheck AND part of Brett's to savings! Crazy to think about really. But I guess what people say is true: if you make it, you'll spend it. I am finding that so many things I "needed" can wait. Our newest desired purchase is granite countertops for our kitchen. While I normally would have gone out and purchased after the decision was made to do so, we have decided to save for them. I know, WOW, what a concept! But really, its amazing how we had stopped making ourselves save for things. Instant gratification had taken over our lives. But, alas, we are forcing ourselves to start fresh and teach ourselves to wait for things. Today is the first day I am no longer employed. Fortunately, I'll still get one more paycheck and a small check at the end of October, so we can ease into our adjusted budget. I am so excited to spend time with Braden, that the material cut backs really don't matter. I feel so fortunate that I have a wonderful husband who is supporting this adjustment and who gives so much to help our family. I am nervous and anxious to start this new chapter, but I know that we can and will make it work.

Holy August!

So, I guess my promise to keep up with this is one that I might as well throw out the window. My time is extremely limited, and I am busy spending what free time I do have with my little family of three. This summer has been a trying one for Casa de Meurer. I have been in school 2 nights a week (3 hours a night) and still working full time, and we have been hard at work remodeling our kitchen. Sadly, between school, homework, home improvement projects, work and sleep, I truly can count the hours spent with Brett and Braden each week on 2 hands.

Regardless, we have tried to make the best of the time we do have, spending weekends at the lake or water park and trying our darnedest to get in a dinner or two as a family. Braden's Thomas the Tank Engine birthday party went off without a hitch, and we are slowly but surely getting used to our beyond-busy lives.

Brett and I started talking the other night about how things are going and I, admittedly, had a mini-meltdown. I feel like I never see him and I NEVER see Braden. It seems so unfair to me that I only get to see my son for an hour in the morning (if that) and for an hour 3 nights a week before bed. Other than that, we do get Sundays as a family, but they always go too fast. I know that so many people in the world make it work, and that in the long run Braden will never know I was gone so much, but no matter what he knows, I care, and I want to see my kid!

We started discussing our options when it comes to the next 18 months before I'm done with the working parent/student gig, and what solution would keep us sane. In the end, the only decision that will likely work for us is for me to stay at home with Braden during the day and to go to school at night. I'll have four classes left to take as of January, and I can make it work to take all 4 that semester. If I do that, I'll have the summer off, student teach from September to December and be ready to job search in January of 2012. That gives me 8 months at home with my son and time to unwind before embarking on a new career path. We are still working out the kinks, and will definitely have to adjust our lifestyle, but we think it is worth material sacrifices to preserve our mental and emotional stability.

While I feel selfish for choosing to do this while we have a child to support, I know that we can make it work. I know that we definitely spend more money than necessary, and that many families make it work on much less. Sure, we'll be stuck in our house longer, and we may have to go without a vacation next year, but it's worth it to be together. Sometimes stay-cations are just as good as travelling anyway.

I've still got a good 3-4 months of work minimum ahead of me, so our goal is to maintain on Brett's checks alone until then and to put my entire paycheck into savings. If we can do that, we know we'll be able to make it once I'm not working, which will make the whole process much easier to adjust to. Nothing is definite yet, but I'm not gonna lie- I am super excited if we can make it work. I'm not sure that many people could maintain sanity on my schedule right now, and I'd obviously prefer to lighten the load. Not to mention, I could have the opportunity to really bond with Braden before any other babies grace the Meurer household. In 10 years, I think having that time with him will be worth so much more than the money I would have made in a year.

Mommy's First Birthday

So, the weeks have gotten away from me yet again, and I figured I'd better blog again before I start school tomorrow and lose all sense of free time I have. I have missed blogging about my first Mother's Day, Brett's first birthday as a dad, Braden's first swim....

Gosh, time goes so fast. I am finding it nearly impossible to believe that my little guy is about to turn one!Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I was in a sleep-deprived fog for the first three months of his life, but seriously, how has this year gone so fast?! I don't feel old enough to have turned 26 today, but I truly feel like the "best years of my life" have just arrived.

Being a mom is one of the best things in the world, and is worth every extra dollar, every day more stressful, every night with less sleep. I feel like 26 is the best birthday I've ever had. I awoke to a still-sleeping baby at 6:30 am (fabulous!) followed by a vast array of gifts from my wonderful husband and son, a celebratory lunch, cake and birthday song at work, followed by an early dismissal.

Today was Braden's first day at our friend, Michelle's for the day. He absolutely LOVED it and met me with a HUGE smile on his face and a card to boot. I think he is going to be very happy spending three days a week with Michelle, Luke, McKenna and their dog Cooper. He thinks Cooper is the funniest thing in the world, and it truly makes me want to consider getting a dog.

Overall, Mommy's "first" birthday was truly wonderful. I've never been so happy to have had a typical day. I have felt so loved and blessed all day. Thank you to everyone who has made my day so special.