New year, new updates!

Mama H, holding onto 2014 for dear life!

So, wow.  2014 is here, in full effect.  And it's been almost exactly two months since I wrote on here last.  Sorry about that...
Big news in our house:

1)  I'm pregnant!  Due in May!
2)  I'm back at work!  Started the week before Christmas at, what can only be described as, my current dream job!

I know, I know.  Only crazy people go back to work, after being a SAHM mom for almost two years, when they're five months pregnant. As they say in "Friday:" "And you know thisssss, man."
I am crazy - but the job opening was posted on Facebook.  And it combined my love of running, my drive for organization AND flexible hours/work schedule.  What was I supposed to do???  I live in a small(er) community - things like this don't come up very often.  I figured I'd apply, interview (hopefully), tell them I was pregnant, explain that I knew the timing wasn't great, but that I was really, really (really) excited about this opportunity and see what happened.  And low and behold, I got it.  Can you believe it?!?!!?
So here I am.  Almost 6 months pregnant, back at work, with two small children, a lovely husband (who works full time), two small, old dogs and a wild, out of control kitten.  Yeehaw!

Cheers -
Mama H

Kids sharing a room

The boys have started sharing a room.

If you're not a parent, or a parent of one, this probably doesn't strike quite the level of apprehension in your heart as those who are parents to two or more...let me just say we've tried this TWICE before.  Once when they were pretty little (2 1/2 and 6 months?) and once about 6 months ago.  Neither time worked out because one or both of them would keep the other awake during nap time, at bed time or wake the other up SUPER EARLY.  None of those scenarios worked for us at those times.

This time around they seem to be doing pretty well.  Some of the keys to the success?  I think they were ready for it - they both have started in on the constant request for someone to be in their room with them at night.  We figured if they shared a room they'd have a built-in roommate ALL NIGHT LONG (said like the chorus on the new Eminem song!).

The other important thing that has helped with this success is moving them into a bedroom that wasn't just one of their's prior to the new roommate situation.  Previously we'd attempted to move Big H into Big E's room and then Big E into Big H's room.  Both times the room still felt like the original occupant's room, with some of the new guy's stuff added.  If you have the luxury of using a room that isn't currently occupied by one of the children (think: guest room, office, etc), I highly recommend it.  You can have the kids help move their stuff, they choose where it goes, and from day one, it's joint property.

On the flip-side, we've made sure to give them each their own corner.  While their beds are stacked, their dressers, bulletin boards and certain toys are on separate sides of the room.  I think it's important to keep a little separation and have each boy with his own space.

So far, so good - three nights in (during Day Light Savings time, no less!) and we're considering it a success...only time will tell!

Cheers!

Mama H

Diva Day 5K, 2013

Where my ladies at?!?!?

There they are!

And, of course, I'll use any opportunity as an excuse to wear my pink wig!

Cheers -

Hello fall! So happy to see you!

And herein, I realized that fall really is my favorite time of year.  Usually I say spring, er late spring.  But man - fall has it goin' on!
Got to go for a run the other evening (hello!  It wasn't 90 degrees and miserable!), with a friend, and celebrated wearing gloves, an ear cover thing and capris.  First run of the season with those goodies.  And it was fabulous!  While I do love my early morning summertime runs, there's something about getting to go for a run whenever I want, totally not dictated by the weather, that makes fall the clear winner.
What's your favorite time of year?  Favorite time of year to be outside?

To Be Bigger

Sometimes I think that I want to be bigger than what I am right now.  And then I wonder, how is that even possible?  Right now I stay home with my boys.  Two mornings a week they go to preschool, to get a little outside perspective in their world.  And I want to use those two mornings to expand my brain, embrace the things I love and enrich my world.  But, you know what?  I can't figure out what it is I want to do.  So, most of those mornings go to getting stuff done without my two sidekicks attached to me.
I know that, soon enough, I won't have sidekicks.  They'll grow and change and only need me sometimes, not all the time...or nearly all the time.  And I still haven't figured out what it is that I want to be when I grow up.  Being a mama is pretty awesome.  But at some point I'm going to have two little boys who grow into bigger boys and I'll be in need of a new direction.
How do I figure out what it is I want to do?  What is the mark I want to leave?  Is there a mark I want to leave?  How do I focus myself enough to figure it out??
I see these amazing women doing their thing and doing it well.  Women who have started their own companies, who seem to do what they love and juggle it with their family's well-being.  I want that.  Tips???
Cheers -
Mama H

Summertime

...and the livin's easy."

My dad recently discovered that song, which is amusing because it's been around for a few (!) years now.  When he comes to visit he finds it on YouTube and blares it on my computer speakers.  He is awesome.

The livin' has been easy these past few weeks.  We've been busy enjoying the freedom of running around our back yard, in the door, out the door, down the block to the neighbors, meeting new friends in the neighborhood and exploring new places.  I love summertime.

We've taken two camping trips with our tent trailer, too.  Getting the old girl dialed in - my husband's parents bought in in 1997 and have taken crazy good care of it.  We have a perfect parking spot for it, so we get access to it any time we feel up to it, really.  The boys LOVE the tent trailer, though camping with two kiddos ages 4-almost-5 and just-turned-3 also has its hazards.  Baby H tends to prefer his camping au naturel and at top volume.  ALL.THE.TIME.  Poor neighbors.  Big E thinks camping is just an excuse to ride his Strider bike like a crazy man all over our (and neighboring) camp sites.   Again, poor neighbors.  Are you sensing a pattern???

If you're in need of summertime inspiration, click this link:  You're Welcome.

Cheers -

Mama H

Remind me to laugh

This will probably come off kind of cheesy, but it's something that Big E has been saying to me recently when I put him to bed.  And it made me think.  Kids: it's what they do.
The last couple nights, he has looked at me and said, "mom, will you lay down with me for one more minute, so I can make you laugh?"
Kind of a random thing to say.  I mean, I think we laugh a lot, all day long, or so I thought.  However, the last two nights, both Big E and Big H have said something to me, as I'm laying there next to them, snuggled in, working to calm them down and usher them into that night's rest, that has made me laugh out loud, a deep belly laugh, the kind that you can't stop.  And, hello nurse, those kids are excellent laughers.
So, the thought that came to me, as I lay there next to Big E tonight, watching him giggle because I was giggling, which then made him giggle more, and on and on it went, was this: I don't think I really laugh hard in front of my kids very often. I think I'm busy during the day, trying to make sure we keep on task, don't paint the walls, please don't close your brother in the closet, never, ever kick the dog (even if she just ate your favorite cookie), don't pee on the dishwasher, get to school on time, have a healthy lunch, don't smear pizza into the couch, don't squeeze the kitten, have fun at gymnastics, use gentle hands, etc, phew, that I don't always listen to what they're saying.  And man, these little boys can be serious comedians.
So, I'm leaving you all with this excellent quote from Big H today.  I asked to see his superhero mask and he turned to me and said, "mom, this is not a superhero mask.  This is a Henry mask."  And then he giggled and ran off.  And I laughed.

Cheers -
Mama H