Good Riddance Rental From Hell

Well friends, looks like we bought a house! I say *looks* because we don't close until the end of the month, and you just never know until the paperwork is signed and keys are in hand, amirite?

So now that the holidays are over and our Miami trip has concluded, it's time to start to pack. Oh, how I dread packing! But I have to be honest: I am SO excited to get out of the crappy rental home we've been in for the past year.

The rental from hell: Don't buy this place!

This was the rental from hell. The HVAC isn't the proper size for the house, so in the summer it's hot and in the winter it's freezing. It's not insulated, so it's drafty, and the windows are single-pane and original to the 1950's house. We've had $450/mo utility bills. The sewage has backed up into the yard three times (I'm talking toilet paper in the grass backup... Yeah...) The electrical wasn't done right, so I'm constantly blowing fuses. I have ONE outlet I can use my hairdryer on. One.

I would tell you what we pay in rent here, but you'd pass out. And I just get furious thinking about it.

Good. Freaking. Riddance.

I know I should be more attached to where we live now, since I was pregnant here and we brought Henry home from the hospital here. I adore the neighborhood... But I will not miss this house.

On to greener pastures! I've never been a homeowner before, and while the expense scares me half to death, I'm excited to live in a beautiful, quality home. I can finally get curtains hung in Henry's room to complete the nursery, and paint the walls colors I choose. We're re-doing the master bath so that it's exactly what I want.

So while moving is indeed a bummer... I am so excited to get out of the dumpy rental and into our first real home together!

Isn't the new home a beauty?! Yup.

Not-So-Mommy Monday: Weekend Recap

Because we escaped to Miami Beach this weekend, this post has nothing to do about motherhood, as I was baby-free and enjoying my freedom.

We did many things... Most of which I forgot to take pics of. Whenever I'm having a really good time, I usually forget about cameras and pics. Anyone else?!

So the weekend didn't get off to a good start: We missed our flight. Hubs thought we could get to the airport in 45 mins at rush hour (it takes this long when you can go 80 on the freeway...) I said we would need to double that. He told me he does it all the time and it would be fine. I got him to leave early enough to give us an hour... Turns out, I was right and an hour is not enough time to get to DFW at 8am rush hour.

We get booked on the next flight and and head to the prestigious airport TGIF enjoy some cocktails.

Many hours later, we land to see views like this!

Hey Miami!

Hey Fountainbleau!

Hubs had work meetings to attend to Thursday through Saturday, so I spent my time at the pool. With $24 a piece cocktails. I don't want to know how much I spent. Yikes.

$24 for a cocktail... But I got this keepsake cup! Worth it, right? Right...?

Friday night was hubs' work awards banquet, so we had to get all dressed up. I bought a new cocktail dress and felt all fancy!

This was my partner in crime while our husbands were in meetings all day: Ashley. We shopped and pool-sided it and drank!

Dinner selfie... Because why not

Saturday morning I was DEAD to the world. Three days and nights of nonstop partying caught up with this old lady! So dead, in fact, that I retired to the room with a cup of tea by 8pm. Amanda from Meet at the Barre was in town AND at the same hotel as us, but between her planned activities and my planned activities, we never got the chance to meet up. Boo.

Sunday hubs was officially off the clock for work, and we spent it relaxing, shopping and going out to a nice dinner together. We went for Cuban food... It was good, but not my favorite.

Cuban sandwich, Oxtail stew, and fried yuca

Today we're likely in the air, flying home as you read this. We had a great time (probably more so me, since hubs was stuck in work meetings most the time) but are ready to get back to this sweet little baby!

Screen shot of a pic sent of our little man! Can't wait for baby snuggles. It wouldn't be a Monday post without at least one pic of him, right?!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did! I have to tell you though... With the holidays, holiday travel and this trip, I'm now very excited to get back into a normal schedule.

High Five for {Miami Beach} Friday!

Hubs and I are in Miami Beach and my fam is kicking it in Dallas with Henry. My mom is the BEST.

I won't lie, a few days without the baby has been really refreshing! Love that little man, but I'm seriously loving some adult time!

Here are the Top 5 things I'm liking about Miami Beach:

1) The view isn't too shabby...

2) It's 80 degrees here. Dallas had swooped into some nasty freezing weather right as we left, and I don't miss that nonsense for anything.

3) The food! Seafood is some of my favorite, along with Cuban sandwiches. I've been in heaven since we got here.

4) The parties! Everyone here likes to party and have a great time.

5) We're celebrating our anniversary! (Actual anniversary isn't until Jan. 18) In our first year of marriage we had a baby and bought a home, so I'm thinking we'll move a mountain in our second year! Or just catch up on sleep, doing nothing. It remains to be seen.

Happy (almost) anniversary to us!

Have you ever been to Miami Beach? Where are some of your favorite places to travel?

As always, I'm linking up with Karli, Amanda and Natasha! Make sure to check out their lovely (and hysterical) blogs today to continue your Friday blog reading enjoyment. Because I know you already mentally checked out of work!
 

Why Fat-Free?

I asked hubs to run to the store to get half and half for me, since I had forgotten it at my weekly grocery store run. For me, half and half is MANDATORY for coffee - I can go without sugar, but not the cream. He was kind enough to make a stop and pick some up for me after work so that a woman wouldn't be deprived of her morning coffee.

I opened it the next morning without looking, because the need for coffee was strong. Nothing happens before coffee. Nothing.

I thought the coffee had a rather slimy texture, but it was coffee and I was tired so I stopped thinking. The next morning, I thought the same thing. And the next. Finally, I looked at the half and half more closely to realize poor hubs had picked up the "fat free" version. Whut! Nooooooooo.


Have you seen the ingredient list on that crap?! In case you haven't, there are 11 ingredients, only one of which I could pronounce. Do you know how many are supposed to be in half and half? One: Partially skimmed cream.

Here's the thing, friends. Fat won't make you fat. Fat (yes, even from dairy sources!) is part of a complete diet. That fat helps your body process the proteins that usually come along with fat. If you consume protein with no fat, your body doesn't digest the protein. I'm looking at you, egg white eaters! (Eat the whole egg to adsorb the protein AND get the vitamins in the yolk. Worried about calories? Eat fewer eggs. Simple as that.)

I digress.

This "fat free half and half" with all those fake and chemical-laden ingredients supports an environment in your body that promotes cell mutations. Cell mutations lead to diseases, including cancer. I cannot for the life of me understand why people continue to buy this crap! Why is it still on the shelves? Why do American's love to put fake food in their bodies? Why do we wonder why disease is on the rise in this country?

Stop buying fat-free garbage. Including skim milk (they add chemicals to it to color it so that it's actually appealing enough to drink - otherwise it would look like blue-watery-mucus. Which is what it is.) Fat, consumed in moderate quantities, doesn't make you fat. In fact, it's good for you! These chemicals are not.

Needless to say, I promptly dumped that "creamer" down the drain.

Mommy Monday: Torticollis Is A Pain

In case you want to catch up with Henry's torticollis adventure (adventure?! Sure, why not) I talked about my son's diagnosis here, and then explained that he would need a DOC band (aka helmet). I shared about his awesome DOC band design here.

Ok, are we all caught up? Excellent, here's the update:

Henry is coming along beautifully with the alterations to his head shape! He's been in the band for six weeks now, and if you didn't know there was anything wonky about his head shape, you'd never be able to guess from looking at him. The DOC band has worked wonders.

And the good news is that he's expected to get out of the band in another four to six weeks, competing the average amount of time babies spend in the band (10-12 weeks). Yay! I'll finally be able to kiss his sweet head and touch his growing blond locks. We've been diligent about making him wear it 23 hours a day, and it's paid off.

Henry snoozin' in his DOC Band

His torticollis, on the other hand, is being a tricky bastard to treat. Lil' H's head is remains tilted to one side, and he still favors that side when he sleeps. Now that he's sitting and standing up, it's become very clear that he has little strength in the one side of his neck.

We have seen a ton of improvement in his range of motion, but it's not enough if he's to get his band off in a few weeks. The problem being that if he goes back to sleeping on the one spot on his head, the flatness/mishapen-ness with return. And we didn't pay that much for a helmet to have the flatness return!

See how his head tilts to the side? That's that tricky torticollis.

 

So we're going to have to increase his physical therapy to twice a week. We've already been going for two months, and it looks like we'll be going for another four to six months to get this tricky torticollis worked out of his poor neck. I had no idea that it was so difficult to treat.

Perhaps we just have a severe case of it, but this stuff is a pain in the neck. Literally.

High Five for {Fitness} Friday + A GIVEAWAY!

I mentioned in my New Year's non-resolution post that I wanted to improve my physical fitness. It just so happens that we're going to Miami Beach for our anniversary this year (sans-baby, whoohoo!), so I went ahead and got a jump-start on that resolution goal in December. You know, to look acceptable at the beach.

Because while I DO want to be stronger, you can't blame a girl for wanting a little bit of a beach body for an actual beach trip, right? Don't judge.

Anyway, here are my Top 5 things I love about focusing on fitness:

1) New workout clothes. Hubs got me a few new things from Athleta for Christmas. Yes, those leggings and tank have sparkles in them. To quote hubs, "I knew you'd like them, because you love anything with sparkly s**t in it." #truth

Athleta Christmas haul! I think I like grey? :)

Sparkle close - up

2) Finding new workouts. To change your body, you have to keep it guessing with new workouts. I had been doing strictly yoga and barre, but switched it to HIIT/interval training/tabata style workouts. Holy cow, y'all. Look into them if you want your rump handed to you!

3) Seeing and hearing results. One of my favorite yogi's (I'll never completely switch out yoga for HIIT workouts) said, "Your arms are looking fabulous!" The same week I got on the scale to see my prebaby number. When you're dedicated and make time instead of excuses, you reap major rewards.

4) Feeling sore. Am I alone in this, or is feeling sore the next day an awesome feeling?!

5) Making new friends. At my club there's a group of us SAHM's who all go about the same time everyday, and we've gotten to know each other well. I really enjoy their company! Hanging with these lovely ladies transitions workouts from "I have to go to the gym" to "Yes! I GET to go to the gym!"

Did you set any physical fitness goals/non-resolutions for 2015? What are some of your favorite workouts?

Have a great weekend full of sweat and strength ;)

  


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New Year's Resolutions?

Happy NYE!

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions. My only experience with them has been the crazies who say they're going to overhaul their diet and lose an insane amount of weight. Two months into the next year, they're right back to their old habits and unhappy with themselves.

I thought, "Why would I want to do that? Resolutions only seem to set one up for disappointment."

Now that we have a wee one, I've found that planners, itineraries and goals are extremely important. If I don't actually write it down, the thought pops into my head, I think, "Yes! I need to do that!" and it's forgotten roughly a half hour later. Or when Henry throws a fit, whichever comes first.

That said, this will be the first year I'm actually going to set a few "resolutions" for 2015. So that I'm accountable for *something*, ya know?!

Here goes:

- Read more. I haven't finished a book in over a year. That's pathetic, isn't it? I want to devote 10-30 minutes at night for reading so that I can accomplish this and sleep better.

- Improve my physical performance. This has nothing to do with weight or size - I'm happy with where I'm at with both of those. However, I can currently do about five push ups. That's it. I want to increase that this year. I mean, c'mon. Five? That's just sad! Hello, increased strength.

- Keep on growing this blog. I've had SO much fun in 2014, and I only blogged half the year! I have some exciting things already lined up for 2015, and I can't believe this little "hobby" of mine is turning into what it is. Doing what you love truly leads to great things!

- Practice patience. I tend to get antsy and want things to happen faster, and spend a lot of time planning for the future. I want to focus on enjoying the present more in 2015. Life is so, so good. It's time to focus more on what I'm grateful for now, and less of what I'm aiming for and wish I had in the future.

What about you? Do you have any New Year's resolutions? Things you want to do more of or perhaps change about your life? Tell me all about them!

Mommy Monday: The Redefinition of Self

I've been pretty open about how motherhood has been a struggle for me. Outside of some baby blues issues, I've really wondered just exactly WHY it's been so challenging.

And then my sister posted an article about how, after you birth a child, you are now a "mom" above everything else, and it accompanies all your other titles and labels. You drive a "mom car" and get a "mom haircut" and for those first few post-partum weeks (perhaps longer) you even wear "mom jeans."

Blissfully unaware that motherhood would permanently alter my identity

Everything you now do has the label of "mom" in front of it, as placed there by society. "Ahhh-ha!" I thought when I read that. THAT is exactly it! I'm no longer Paige. I'm "mom Paige." This isn't even a label I put on myself, it's forced on me through the views of our culture. Suddenly (literally overnight, as Henry was born at 10:15pm), Paige was replaced with "mom Paige" and the kidnapping of Paige absolutely rocked me to my core.

Men don't have this issue. They aren't defined by their children. You never hear of "dad haircuts" or "dad jeans" or "dad cars." But somehow, women are completely defined by their little ones. I went from being Paige: writer, marketer, and free spirit to Paige: mom, mommy writer, and mommy blogger (I really had a heart attack the first time I was called that).

The involuntary redefinition of who I am is why motherhood has been such a major adjustment for me. It's not the late nights and early mornings, the diapers, the vomit, the poo (so much poo!), the giggles, the playtime, reading children's books and having nonstop baby talk.

It's that I'm not simply Paige anymore. And I never will be again. It's taken me seven months to accept that. Perhaps some moms are cool with their new labels right away. But if you struggle like I did with it, you're not a "bad mom" a "terrible person" or anything else. You're human. A woman who wants balance between who SHE is, and her role as a mama. And I'm right there with you.

Motherhood is tough, but I was blessed with the happiest little goofy guy!

Merry Little Christmas Vacation

Hey friends! I'm taking the week off for a mini-Christmas break with the fam. You can still find me all over Instagram and Twitter this week, blasting social media about our Fargo Family Christmas!

Yes, that's in North Dakota. Yes, North Dakota is indeed a state. Yes, that's on the border of Canada. Yes, it will be unbearably cold for this Southern gal. I will probably have some funny things to say about it after a few glasses of wine. So make sure to hit up An Uncomplicated Life Blog on the social interwebs!

See ya next Monday.

Merry Christmas to all of my readers and blogging family! You have enriched my life TREMENDOUSLY in 2014! Xoxo

Good grief.

High Five for {Exclamation Point} Friday!

My mom was in town this week! This means the week was extra kick a$$. Here's a quick recap of what went down:

1) I got my hair did!

Hair: Did

2) My fridge is full of mom's cooking!

3) Henry got Oma time! (That's grandma...)

4) I got to drive in my car, by myself. I got to crank tunes. I was feeling like some good hood-rat rap music. So I looked like a pretty basic white b****, bumping out my luxury SUV in Uptown Dallas. And no s**ts were given.

5) We put in another offer on a house (we did not get the one we bid for two weeks ago)! Fingers crossed (again). Dallas is a hot (and expensive) sellers market!

Could THIS be our new home???

Have a great weekend everyone, and keep your fingers crossed for us on the home front!

20 Random, Quirky Things

I've seen this post or a variation of it running around the interwebs (yes Miranda Writes, I'm talking about you!), so I thought I'd get in on the action. I'll keep it short, since I know people going on and on about themselves is a bit much to take... Even if you DO like them.

Here goes!

20 Random Things About Me

1) I used to be fluent in French, and lived in Paris for a bit. That's when I learned I dislike Paris. Man, those people are a-holes.

2) I could eat tacos everyday. Every. Single. Day.

3) Doing laundry is the worst house task ever. Folding it is the devil! Why doesn't everyone put their clothes right side out before washing? I don't want that extra step when I'm already taking the time to fold. (Hint hint, husband.)

4) I've gotten my nails done every two-three weeks since 2009. Even when I was laid off, I budgeted for my nails!

5) I'm insanely frugal on somethings, and baller-status on others. I only buy clothes on sale and dollar-cost-average at the grocery store (yes I do that math in my head!), but have no problem dropping cash bills on designer handbags. Yeah, I don't get it either.

6) I think ice makes drinks taste funny.

7) I was engaged twice but only married once. #dodgedthatbullet

8) I work out five to six days a week regardless of what's going on in my life - having a baby, going on vacation, starting a new job, doesn't matter. I get my rump moving!

9) I really don't care for fruit. Actually, it's nasty. For example, when you peel an orange and it smells so good, then you take a bite and it tastes like garbage. Fruit is so deceiving like that!

10) I only drink coffee, beer/wine, milk (2%) and water. You couldn't pay me to drink soda, and I'd pay YOU to not drink diet coke. That stuff will give you cancer, and I'm over here on my high horse waiting for the FDA to ban it.

11) I'm the big baby of the family - the youngest of siblings and the youngest of about 15 cousins who are all around the same age. And yes, I want to get my way.

12) I love dogs. I hate cats. I despise birds.

13) I've had my son's name picked out since I was about 23. When we found out we were having a boy, I looked at my husband and said, "So, we're naming him Henry." To which he said, "Yup, I like it." #toldyouIdodgedthatbullet

14) I love hot weather. The hotter, the better.

15) Between 2008-2013, I moved seven times and nearly 5,000 miles.

16) I would never and have never date(d) a blond man. I don't find light hair attractive on guys. I'm sexist like that. #talldarkandhandsomeonly

17) I only wash my hair twice a week. Dry shampoo is my best friend.

18) I also had my dog's name picked out for three years before I got him. I even had the tags made, hanging around a stuffed Yorkie's neck. One day, I was looking through the classified ads in my local paper, saw Otis' face, jumped up and screamed, "THAT'S MY OTIS!" I got him the next day.

19) For the record, we also have our future child(rens) name(s) picked out.

20) The best moment of my life was when they pulled my son out of my belly and I immediately felt the weight of him off of me, and my back felt instantly better. Then he started to cry as he peed on everyone (seriously, it was a big pee, he nailed about five people). I listened to everyone laughing about it, and just soaked in the joy of NOT being pregnant anymore and my son's beautiful cries. It was wonderful.

Mommy Monday: Wrap Buddies To The Rescue!

If you follow me on social media, you've seen what Wrap Buddies did for Henry's helmet. And it's awesome! But here's a bit more of the wrap party story.

Tommy, the owner of 360 Wraps (you know cars/buses with businesses, advertisements and other decals on it? That's what he does) started the nonprofit Wrap Buddies when a friend of his had a child that needed a DOC Band to correct his plagiocephaly. The dad hated his kid being stared at (sound familiar?!) and wanted the white band to look "less clinical and more awesome."

Happy Henry with his Wrap Buddies DOC Band!

So 360 Wraps figured out a way to put a decal on it. The owner thought this was a rare condition. He wasn't aware that many babies have a form of plagiocephaly, and now about 1 in 50 need a helmet to correct the issue. (Rates continue to rise, as babies now only sleep on their backs and consistently apply pressure to their soft skulls.) Low and behold, he became overwhelmed with requests to get these things decked out! Over the course of a few years, he devised a way to get the DOC Bands wrapped quickly and efficiently.

Oh, and he's awesome enough not to charge any family, regardless of ability to pay or not pay, because he knows these damn bands cost $3,000-$4,000 and thinks all families have paid enough. He just thinks all kids should have the ability to look awesome.

Y'all already know that Henry fell into the plagiocephaly camp and needed a helmet. One of my Dallas BFF's told me about Wrap Buddies because, unsurprisingly, she had another friend who's baby needed a helmet and he had gotten his decked out.

The back of Henry's DOC Band

I'm now the Mother of Dragons. Literally.

After we got the band, I contacted Wrap Buddies and was put on the list of families who would be attending the December "wrap party." I went into their offices a few days before to pick out Henry's design, and Friday morning the whole family went back for the party.

They really pulled out the stops for us! They had lunch catered by Dickey's BBQ, had a massive wrapping station for us to watch the process, and a massive play mat with toys laid out for all the babies.

The wrapping station

This was Henry's helmet as it got wrapped

Just when I was already pleased with the whole process, a massive antique firetruck rolled in, sirens blaring and all! And wouldn't you know, Santa was on it. So was the cast of Gas Monkey Garage (I had no idea who these folks were, but hubs was super excited). Santa gave toys to all the babies and Gas Monkey Garage took the time to take pics with all of us.

Henry wasn't sure how he felt about Santa...

I've spent the better part of a decade completing the grueling task of raising funds for nonprofits. But I've never been the beneficiary of one. I now know just how appreciative people are of those who dedicate their lives and livelihoods to nonprofits. I also know a good nonprofit when I see one, and this dear readers, is a good one.

All the folks at Wrap Buddies and Gas Monkey Garage

If you're in the Christmas spirit and looking for a worthy cause to donate to this holiday season, I ask you to consider Wrap Buddies. A click to this link will take you straight to their donation page.

High Five for {All Positive!} Friday

Sheesh, have you read the posts around this blog lately? I want to quit my SAHM role, I'm uninspired here... I sound like a regular N
egative Nancy and Debbie Downer!

Yes, the last few weeks have been challenging with a husband traveling excessively to finish out the business year, a baby who has a ton of appointments right now to correct his torticollis and two dogs to look after. #frazzeled

But you know what?! Life really isn't *that* rough. Even in some of the more challenging times, there's always the bright spots. Let's focus on those, and end this week on a positive, shall we?

1) I finally have a haircut booked! My hair hasn't been cut since last March. Gross. I'm contemplating cutting my chest-length hair (ooooooook, it's "boob length") into something like this. Thoughts? (This is pretty close to what I had going on for my blog pic, as seen to the right -->)

2) I had explosive growth on Instagram because of Bloggy Moms, won a beautiful necklace during a twitter chat, and was asked to join the editing team at Mavatar. Social media for-the-win this week!

3) My yoga studio implemented a "Wine Down Wednesday's" program. They serve us free wine after class. So I've been able to kick it with a few of my FAVORITE Dallas yogis with a glass after we sweat it out together, and I'm loving it.

Free wine after yoga on Wednesdays? Yes, please!

4) My mom read my blog post from Monday and decided to fly into town to help me next week. Whoop! Guess who's going to get her haircut (see above) and nails did?!

5) The nonprofit Wrap Buddies is putting awesome decal on Henry's DOC band, and is throwing a party for all the families getting their kiddos helmets decked out! I'm so excited to see these babies, stylin' and profilin' in their shiny new bands. Party is lunchtime today (Friday)! Watch Instagram for what the final product looks like.

Henry's undecorated DOC band... We're likely getting it done as you read this!

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend filled with friends, family and love!

Lacking Blogspiration... And What To Do About It

I just... Haven't been feeling blogging lately.

I read lots of blogs. They're full of tips and tricks to grow your blog, monetize your blog, be the best blog. They review the same products, vying for the next company to send them their product first. They offer beauty tips. They post about using social media, touting, "be engaged, engaged, engaged to gain followers!" They tell you your pics better be "Pinterest worthy" or your wasting your time. Fashion bloggers post about the latest trends with photo shoots they clearly had help with and Photoshopped.

All of that is great. But I don't have time for it.

I've found myself recently really struggling to blog. I look at other bloggers and WISH I could be like them - with their beautiful pictures and great design. I see bloggers who have some really great content, and some who have tons of sponsored stuff and are likely making decent money blogging.

This got me thinking: What can I do to re-engage myself with my blog, accepting the fact that I'm not in the place in my life to be a "pro" with beautiful pictures and fancy, sponsored content? How can I make this the best space for my readers?

I've decided on a few things:

- I may only have my iPhone for pics, but I can still work quickly in Photoshop (or PicMonkey) to adjust them and make them the best iPhone photos they can be. Someday I'll get a DSLR and learn more about photography... Until then, I'll just do the best I can. If it's not "pin-able" then that's how it is.

- I don't have InDesign nor the time to devote to re-vamping the look of this blog, but I can hire it out to someone who can! I'm going to start work with a designer I found on Etsy to "up" the look of An Uncomplicated Life Blog. I'm pretty excited about this!

- I'm going to stay true to my voice and my life, as this is a lifestyle blog. I do get some product review offers from companies, but those are never my most popular posts anyway. And frankly, I'm sick of reading them on other blogs, so why would I write about stuff I don't want to read?! I'm going to write more in my true style and tone... Just about life. It's ok that I'm not a beauty blogger and it's ok that I'm not a fashion blogger. Hell, most the time I'm sitting here makeup free and bra-less. That's how I blog.

Basically, I've decided to stop reading all the incessant "be a better blogger!" posts and just accept who I am, how I fit into the blogging space, and enjoying interacting with my current readers. This isn't a competition. It's just a blog!

Have you ever lost "blogspiration"? What did you do about it? Have you ever felt like your blog wasn't good enough to compete in the blogosphere?

When You Just Want to Escape From Your Own Child

Last week was a rough one. Henry cut his first two teeth, and was extremely upset about it. Husband was away on a work trip, so I had zero help/breaks from a screaming, whining, fussy child. We had an unusual amount of appointments to treat Henry's torticollis. We put an offer in on our first house, so when I wasn't running all over town for Henry's appointments, I was lugging him (literally, kid weighs well over 20 pounds) to and through house tours with our realtor.

Additionally, he's in a stage where he demands to be constantly entertained. Placing him in a bouncer isn't enough - kid wants you to interact with him and help him play with toys. Or he wants you to toss him in the air. Or help him take assisted steps all over the house. Stop physically and mentally engaging him? Oh, it's scream city. He even screams when he's in the car, something that used to immediately put him to sleep. And let me just tell you how fun rush hour is with a screamer.

Photo source Henry's constant expression these days...

Which meant that I got no peaceful showers (actually, I took exactly ONE shower last week), trips to the bathroom or meals (actually, I only got to eating two meals a day). Makeup?! Haven't worn it. My hair was a greasy topknot mess, split ends fraying out from every angle.

It was the kind of week where I broke down.  I put Henry in his crib to fuss it out and headed to the master bathroom. I sat on the floor and turned on the ventilation fan - the only place in the house far enough away and loud enough to drown out my baby's screams.

In those moments, all I wanted to do was NOT be a stay at home mom. I missed the days when I would get ready every morning for my office job. Hell, I missed my old office! It was big, with three windows and beautiful hardwood floors that beat the heck out of the cold tile I was hiding out on. I thought, "You know what?! F*$K this! I have a Master's degree and ten years of work experience but all I do is get covered in vomit, fold laundry and wash bottles. I am way better than this bullsh*t!

Take the cat out of this pic, and this is my daily life. Photo source

I would have run out to my laptop to immediately start searching for nannies if I hadn't remembered that I'd have to do that to a excruciating soundtrack of a very upset baby.

Being a SAHM is the hardest job I've ever done. Hands down. There are no breaks, there are no sick days, eating lunch is a privilege that I don't get everyday. It's lonely. It's ugly and gross - most days there's spit up in my hair and sometimes it's all down my back. It can be boring, as the repetitiveness of the "eat, burp, change, tummy time, play time" cycle lacks adult mental stimulation. It's thankless. Henry certainly never says, "Hey, thanks for wiping my butt, mama!"

But I don't want to hand my kid over to daycare so that someone else can raise him. I want him to smile at ME after he wakes up from his naps. I want to be there to watch as he learns new skills. I want to be the one to teach him those skills. I want to show him how to be kind and respectful. I want to watch as he makes new friends, and I want to kiss his boo-boo's when he falls.

So I took a few deep breaths and got up off the bathroom floor to head back to the nursery to calm my screaming baby. But he must have sensed my frustration and calmed his own self down, because I found him sleeping peacefully in his crib.

It's funny how in the end, everything all works out as it should.

High Five for {Ruh Roh} Friday!

Hey readers! No post today. I've been at a laptop for exactly five minutes this week. Henry had an unusual amount of appointments for his torticollis and...

We put an offer in on a home! And I'm about to negotiate the h-e-double hockey sticks out of this thing!

More to come next week! Enjoy your weekend ;)

Lessons In Not Feeling Like a Dork on Your Yoga Mat Vol.2: Sun Salutation A

I got such an overwhelmingly positive response from this post, that I decided to make a little series out of it. I got a request to go over proper alignment and form of Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskara A for those who speak Sanskrit... Why there isn't Sanskrit for the "A" I have no idea!)

Start in tadasana/mountain pose. Shoulders should be rolled down the spine, arms in anatomical position (palms forward), quads engaged and weight centered on the foot, evenly distributed from the heel to the ball of the foot, toes spread wide.

As you inhale, raise the arms over your head, looking up but not cranking your neck. Hands should rotate inward so that the arms are internally rotated from the shoulder.

As you exhale, fold over at the hips. Your hands come by your feet and your neck is relaxed. Make sure to keep your weight shifted forward so that you get the most out of the stretch - the tendency is to shift the weight back to balance the weight of your head coming down. But that takes away from the awesome deep stretch of the forward fold! So keep your weight forward. Don't worry, you won't fall. At least, you probably won't :)

 

On the inhale, lift yourself up partway so that your spine is straightened. Roll your shoulder blades down your spine and look just towards the front of your mat.

 On your exhale, fold back over.

Up next is the chatturanga. Check out this post I did a few weeks back that goes into detail on the proper way to execute that challenging series of poses. For Sun Salutation A, you can either jump back, landing in chatturagna (super advanced) or you can walk your feet back and go from high push-up/plank pose, shifting your weight forward and then lowering into your chatturanga push-up.

Plank

Shift forward

Lower into chatturanga

Now you pull yourself forward and up. Your thighs stay off the mat and you shift forward onto the tops of your feet. Your shoulders should remain rolled down your back and out of your ears. Don't crank your neck to look up, but rather use your neck as an extension of your spine, continuing the long stretch of the back in this upward dog pose.

Now you transition back into downward facing dog. If you're more advanced, you roll over your toes by pulling up with your core and pushing away with your arms. If you're not quite there yet, pull up with your core while you push back with your arms and simply move the feet so the bottoms of the feet are on the floor.

 

In downward facing dog, you want to use your core and squeeze your inner thighs so that your rump moves closer towards the ceiling. Pull your shoulders out of your ears and try to get your elbows to face upwards as much as possible. Your heels may or may not touch the ground. Spread your fingers wide and distribute the weight amongst the palm, pushing into each finger tip.

Now to start the Sun Salutation A sequence over again, either jump or walk to the top of your mat, and start back over at the beginning. This is a very popular sequence to warm the body up in a yoga class, typically being done within the first 10 minutes of a class.

Now you can be a Surya Namaskara A pro, getting your body warmed up and ready to flow your way through the rest of your class!