Mommy Musings

Happy 2016! I had a very nice night ringing in the new year.  After a lazy afternoon, the girls and I ordered in dinner from our favorite local Italian place. After I put them to bed, I talked with my sis on the phone, then did a little work on novel #3. Skip was able to get home earlier than we thought, and we were able to watch an episode of Making a Murderer before midnight. We poured some drinks, and turned on the TV just in time to see the ball drop at midnight.  And as always, I was grateful NOT to be standing in the middle of Times Square. Standing for hours in one section unable to move or leave and use the bathroom? No thanks:) Afterwards, we watched another episode on Netflix and went to bed far too late. So as I sit here chugging my coffee, appropriately exhausted for the day, I can't help but think of what I hope to accomplish in this new year.  I've always been a fan of resolutions and make no apologies for that.  I'm not even always good at following th...

I'm a big fan of resolutions.  Even if I don't keep them all, I like the chance to take stock and evaluate how I want my life to change or be tweaked. Last year I went easy on the resolutions.  I only made three: {one} Run a half-marathon...should happen in the fall {two} Inspired by Melissa , I want to run 1,000 miles this year {three} Get my book published.  Sure, I could go through the process and no one will actually pick it up, but I am going to do everything I can to find an agent and make it happen! Umm, yeah, so basically none of these happened, haha. Being on crutches four times this year basically made #1 and #2 impossible.  I did manage 700 miles though, so I'm pretty proud of that! I stopped recording the time, so I don't think the hours or pace are acurate I also did not get my book published.  Though I am much closer than I was before.  I'm hoping to have some positive moves in that direction sometime in the new year.  Plus, I've also w...

Happy New Year!  2015 is here and I'm actually pretty excited about it {I'm an odd numbered girl myself}  It's also the 10th anniversary year of a few of my favorite things...Skip coming home from Iraq, graduating college, and our wedding!  So it will a year of celebrations for us.  Skip had to leave for work a little before 6:00 am this morning, so we hosted a party for some of our very best friends last night.  We got a little more dressed up than we normally we do when we hang out.  We ate tons of pizza, laughed, talked, and made the boys watch Pitbull down in Miami. At midnight we cracked open some English crackers, and woke up Emmy to come celebrate with us.  It was the perfect way to help bring in this New Year! Blurry, but I love this candid Skip took of my friend and I! Before our friends got there, Skip and I discussed resolutions.  I make them almost every year, and do try to stick to them as much as possible.  Sometimes I succ...

2014! It's here!  It's finally here!  I've been waiting for this new year, this fresh start, for about 11 1/2 months now {no joke}.  So now that it's here, I welcome it with open arms. I have big plans for you 2014, big plans.  I'm expecting a lot out of you, but I am also willing to give a lot in return.  This year I hope to accomplish the following: {one} Let's get the fitness one out of the way first, since it's on just about every one's list.  I want to keep tracking my miles each month and posting them for accountability.  I want to push myself to increase my mileage every month.  Once it's warm, I want to really push my running to the next level, faster and farther! {two} I want to eat much healthier and drink a lot more water.  I say this every year.  Let's see if it can actually stick for once. {three} Worry less.  I asked Skip for help on what I should work on, and this was his only suggestion.  I am a worrier, I won't...

Last year around this time, I wrote my list of "hopeful accomplishments".  The term sounded a little nicer and far more manageable that resolutions.  I was hoping it would help me follow them a little more closely. So what do you think?  Was I able to fulfill my thirteen "hopeful accomplishments"?  Let's take a look and find out! {one}  Regularly set specific fitness goals.   Yes!  Manda's 30 mile in 30 days link up is really what helped me stay on track with this.  Adding to my mileage each month really helped me stay on track, and push myself harder than I would have otherwise.  I definitely want to continue this next year! {two}  Run more . Yes!  This is probably the accomplishment I am most proud of.  On April 1 I decided enough was enough, and I was going to start running for real.  Nine months later I have logged 266.73 miles of just running.  I can't believe how fast I'm getting or how far I'm able to run!...

Since we're exactly six months into 2013 { wow that went fast} I thought it would be fun to see how I am doing with my "Hopeful Accomplishments" for the year.  To be honest with you, I totally forgot that I had even made these ....whoops.   I really should post them up in the house somewhere.  So it was a great reminder for me to go back and look them over! {one} Regularly set specific fitness goals.   I actually have started this.  Focusing more on my abs one month, setting a mileage record the next.  I think it really has helped me stay on track most of the year with my workouts. {two} Run more . Yes!  I still hate it with every step I take, but running and I are finding a nice balance these days. {three} Stay on top of the laundry . Nope, not even close.  Some days I get all motivated and do most of it.  But those days are few and far between.  {four} Eat better and drink more water . I am just getting slightly better about this....

I wanted to share a little guest post I wrote for the fabulous Pam a few weeks ago.  I took a look back at my 2012 resolutions and how I faired with them.  Pretty well if I do say so myself!  Looking back always motivates me to keep working on my current resolutions! 2012 Resolutions 1. Get back into pre-baby shape. Done!  Now I'm not totally happy with my body and it's always a work in progress.  But I lost the rest of my baby weight in February of 2012 and have been working on toning it! 2. Organize and de-clutter the house. This is definitely something I worked on and got much better at this year.  Skip and I still want to tackle the attic but a lot of things were donated this year! 3. Take more pictures and videos. Still bad with the videos...hangs head in shame:(  I haven't been taking more pictures with my good camera but there have been more than enough I Phone pics taken! 4. Take more time with Skip. I don't think married people with two k...

I really love a fresh start, a new beginning.  And as I said yesterday, I've been looking forward to the end of 2012 since July .  So waking up this morning and knowing that crappy year is behind us, really put a smile on my face.  I also decided this morning that while I really like making resolutions, I don't really like that word.  It just sounds so final and severe. So instead I present to you my 'Hopeful Accomplishments' {doesn't that sound so much nicer and way easier to stick with?} for 2013. {one}  Regularly set specific fitness goals.   I am at my ideal weight, but there definitely are a lot of signs that I've birthed two children.  Time to tone and tighten! {two} Run more . I loathe running and everything about it, except for that amazing runner's high afterwards.  I really want to be able to run a few races in the future, so I need to just suck it up and do it . {three} Stay on top of the laundry . This is by far my leas...

Phew!!!  I'm back.  I'm finally starting to feel like I can get our family back to a normal routine now.  Between Baby C's baptism, Thanksgiving, and Little M's birthday in November....Christmas and New Year's in December....and Skip's huge 30th birthday weekend in January, I feel like all I've been doing is planning and throwing parties!  I love it, don't get me wrong, but it's nice to get back into regular life now.  I've been itching to make some changes and improvements in myself, my life, and my house.  It's like nesting without the huge baby belly to slow me down!  So like pretty much everyone else in the world, I've made some resolutions this year {you may have already seen these when I guest posted for Pam last week!}  I think they're all pretty attainable and hopefully I can keep up with them!  I've been doing pretty well so far into the year {you know, all 9 days of it} as I've been kinda treated every morning like J...

Last year, I wrote down all the resolutions I was hoping to accomplish by the end of 2010.  And I have to admit, I did pretty well with them. 1. I definitely worked out more last year than I had the previous year.  I ran a decent amount, took walks, and did a variety of workout DVDs.  It did however all fall by the wayside once I got pregnant with the New Baby and was hugging the toilet most of the time, but that's to be expected. 2. Not sure if I was a better blogger or not.  I have gained a lot of friends through blogging, so I think it's a success! 3. We did not really beef up our savings as much as I wanted to, but we actually made that choice not to.  Instead we put all extra money towards paying off Skip's car.  We have about 2 or 3 more payments left and we'll be done!  We will have paid it off over a year earlier than it was due, and our only debt will be our mortgage then, so I'm pretty happy. 4. We are always in the process of organize and ...