diet

So, since Janaury 6th, Bri and I have been dieting and working out. We are doing South Beach Diet ( which has worked for us before). I am down 13 pounds and am lighter than I've been in 4 years and Brian is down 23 pounds.



We struggle each day but we are chugging along and feeling good!

our house is falling apart

Seriously, Brian and I feel like we can never get a break. The flood in the basement was bad and we still haven't gotten the basement the way we want yet. We found out before Christmas that our dishwasher was leaking. No time, no money- we put it off. Yesterday, the guy came to remove the washer and there was TONS of black mold behind with even more under the vinyl flooring. The saturation went through both subfloors.

So, we have no washer and are washing our own dishes for the first time in 5 years. Because of the exposed mold, we HAVE to fix the floor now. Brian is taking all next week off. He'll remove the vinyl, and two subfloors. Then, he'll rebuild the two layers of subfloor. Then, we call the dishwasher guy to reinstall our new washer. Then, Brian will tile the floor again. We hope a week. We pray not too pricey. We anticipate bumps in the road...did I mention that since my son is OBSESSED with construction and tools, there is no way Brian would be able to work with him in the house so the kids and I will spend much of our days next week at my moms house- sorry mom! We won't be able to cook and we hope we can move our fridge into the dining room for next week so we don't have to defrost and eat out each night.

Oh, it's not over...after working out today, Brian noticed that our back laundry room had water on the floor- our worst nightmare. The dishwasher guy, or me, or something cracked the water pipe that runs the laundry and kitchen so the laundry and the dishes we were doing were simply spilling out into our basement. We shopvaced, cleaned up, and moved on. It's now fixed- we hope.

Pray for our sanity and our bank account!

Lots of Updates

Amara has a new hairdo...her bangs are so long but she still has no hair on the back of her head because she's rubbed it off. I gave her a little ponytail. I love it!
My Illini kids on a basketball day!

Alaric will now ONLY take a bath with Mara...even if it means he isn't fully covered with water when he's laying down. He plays with her and sings and helps me wash her.

Two weeks ago, Brian gave me a special treat of getting away to Chicago with my best friends. it was wonderful. We ran a few errands but mostly just hung out at Jenny's condo and talked and drank wine and reconnected.

Here is Jenny, me, Alicia, and Rachel.

Rachel and Lena both just got engaged!

More friends came over at night and we just talked, ate, drank, and laughed.

On January 20th, we did nothing but sit in front of the TV. Here Amara is watching the swearing in...she was more excited about the pickle.

Alaric found a new way to hold Mara- proud big brother.

For Christmas, Alaric got a hockey t-shirt and a promise to go to a hockey game. Here we are before we left. Mara had a babysitter so it would be special just for Alaric.

The game started at 7:30 ( Alaric's bedtime). HE did great. He made it through 2 periods.

Check out our talker!

A sleepover, a new talent, a big vocabulary

Last Friday we had Dan, Jen, and Veronica over for a sleepover...we made our own pizzas, played games, and talked for hours. it was great. Both our kids occasionally get annoyed with our antics to take the perfect picture...here is V saying that she's done and Alaric going "Oh, Mom!"
Pillow and jammy time- so fun!

THis was today...Amara's first time on the grand piano. She loved it!

Look at that big girl and her new talent- not only can she stand ( for a few seconds) but also create masterpieces on the piano!

No pics or video to prove it, yet but Alaric wanted to put Amara's bottle in the fridge. I gave him the bottle and as he put it in the fridge, he said..."Mommy, it would be my pleasure!" Are you kidding me? I love the way he talks. So impressive!

Up to our elbow in poop...and rash!

Motherhood is great and I love my children endlessly but the books forget to mention all the crap- LITERAL CRAP-you have to go through!

Yesterday is a prime example...

Amara has butt issues. She has since she was 3 months old. She is constipated much of the time and it's very uncomfortable for her to pass a poop. Screaming, crying, and what I call "Labor and Delivery" are usually part of her process to feel better. We've been putting Kairo Syrup in her water in the mornings to try and soften things up.

Then there;s Alaric. He went into a terrible constipation when he started potty training which after weeks and weeks, we are still using a daily stool softener and trying to be supportive of him knowing he can't control his bowels with big boy underwear on.

Anyway, back to the story...Bri took a half day and was home for lunch. THANK GOD he was home. When i took Mara out of her chair from eating, she was covered in "wet". Examination showed that she was not constipated at all but rather had had a blow out that caused all her clothes to have poop on them and I actually needed the support of Bri to hold legs while I wiped so we didn't get poop all over the room.

Literally SECONDS after Bri left the room you hear " ALARIC ARTHUR-YOU POOPED". Sure enough, Alaric had had his own blowout. Bri dealt with him getting new undies and pants while I dealt with her. We laughed about it once the kids were down for the naps but it's really not that funny. I would have been COVERED in poop if handling it on my own. How come the books don't have a chapter just on pooping? It's pretty much been the focus of our lives for 2 months.

PLUS- Mara has a rash! Doc says it's just dry skin but it's everywhere on her belly and back and neck and even head. Making another appointment Friday for a second opinion.

THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD. Wish I didn't have to have POOP on the brain all the time but I guess I wouldn't really want it any other way.