Oh, the Insanity...

Ugh.  It's nap time.  Why does this inspire an "ugh"?  Usually, this would be a time that I (and many parents) would look forward to.  I love my kids more than life itself, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the 2 quiet hours when my children are sleeping in the middle of the day.  It is usually a time when I can clean, relax, watch TV, read, etc.  However, I am currently one week in to my second round of Insanity, and nap time has officially become workout time.

In case you are unfamiliar with Insanity, it is an at-home workout program on DVD.  It comes with a calendar that shows you which work out to complete each day, as well as a tracking sheet to record your progress (as far as weight loss, inches lost, etc).

I hate it.  I truly, truly loathe the 45-60 minutes that I force myself to spend in the basement every day working out with Shaun T. and his band of merry gym rats.  There are so many things that I would rather be doing at this time, and I really just don't enjoy working out to a DVD.

That being said... IT WORKS.  As I mentioned, this will be my second time around completing this program.  Back in January, Bennett started nursing less, and I realized that I would need to get a little more active if I didn't want to pack back on the pounds that I had shed during the last few months (thank you, breastfeeding!).  Lance was also looking to get in better shape, and he didn't want to do any "girlie" workouts (aka Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred), so he suggested Insanity.  We got the program and started it together.   He lasted approximately 2 weeks before he quit, but I stuck with it.  Mostly, I was determined to prove that I could do it.

Every night after the kids went to bed, I would pop in the DVD and let a few choice words fly as I dragged myself through workout after workout.  I gradually began to notice a difference in the way my clothes were fitting; all of my pants were too big, my shirts were hanging funny, etc.  By the time the 60 days were over, I was down almost 3 sizes!  I don't keep track of weight as much, because I couldn't care less about how much I weigh, but I think I lost between 10-15 pounds  This slimming down occurred without any dieting, other than just tracking calories via My Fitness Pal (I had it set at "maintain current weight").

So, although I detest the time I spend with Shaun T., I just can't expect to get the same kind of results with any other 45-60 minute workout.  Therefore, this summer I am repeating the torture.  The bright side is that I can get my workout out of the way early in the day, during nap time.  That frees my evenings up to relax with Lance and spend some time on enjoyable activities after the kids are in bed.

As I have now spent entirely too much time procrastinating and delaying the inevitable, I must conclude this whine session and get down to business.  Again, I repeat: Nap time.  Ugh.  Wish me luck!

Read to Me!

“There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want”.  ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes

The complete lack of blog posts over the past few months should be a clue as to the state of my life this year.   Between an insanely crazy work schedule, a demanding three year old, a baby who refuses to sleep through the night, trying to spend some time with my lovely husband, and attempting to maintain some semblance of physical fitness, I feel as if I haven’t had a spare minute. 

Well, if I’m being honest, I have had a FEW spare minutes this year, but I have chosen to spend them watching Doctor Who.  Don’t judge.  

Anyway, the point is, this year I have been seriously missing out on some of my favorite pass times: watching movies, spending time with friends, going to visit family, and reading.  Oh, I miss reading.  I’m not going to waste time espousing the virtues of reading; let’s just say I’m a fan.  Of all of the activities I could choose for “me time”, reading tops the list as my all-time, number one, forever-and-ever favorite.  Unfortunately, this school year, I just haven’t found enough time to devote to my ever-expanding “to-read” list.  Unacceptable.  

Thankfully, I have found a solution!  I thought back to my grad school days when I was commuting back and forth every day between home and school.  In total, I was spending about 2 hours a day in the car, and listening to the radio was just not cutting it for me.  Enter the audiobook.  That year, I must have “read” more than 30 novels by listening to them in the car during my commute.  It was wonderful.  All that wasted time in the car was now devoted to an activity that I loved.  Every time I’d finish a book, I’d just pop into the library and check out a new one.  My drive seemed to fly by, and I actually looked forward to the time I spent in the car.  

I’m not sure why it took me so long to remember how much I loved the audiobooks, especially considering the fact that I am once again facing a lengthy daily commute.  When I finally stumbled upon that little jewel of a memory, I instantly piloted my car toward the nearest library and began to remedy my pitiful shortage of the written word.  

Since then, I have devoured audiobook after audiobook.  Some “fluffy” books, a few books by Jodi Piccoult, and even some books that have been on my list for ages (like Wicked- REALLY enjoyed that one!).  All in all, being able to immerse myself in literature again has lessened my stress level, increased my happiness, and greatly improved my daily commute.  

This summer, I plan to get down to some serious real-life, hard copy, curl up with a blanket reading.  I have a very long list of books that are just waiting to be checked off.  But for the next five weeks (five weeks ‘till summer!!!), I will continue my slight obsession with these little auditory delights, and I would encourage anyone else who says, “I just don’t have time to read!” to do the same thing.  

Happy listening!   

The Dark Side

I have been on a high horse for awhile lately regarding a certain website called Pintrest (you may have heard of it).  Whenever this site has been mentioned in a conversation I'm having, my end of the conversation would go a little something like this: 

Friend/Colleague/Lady at the Grocery Store/etc: "I saw it on Pintrest!" 
Me: "Oh, I haven't joined that site.   I refuse to.  I don't need one more thing on the internet to suck my time and become a distraction.  I spend too much time on the computer as it is." 

Insufferable, right?  Well, the problem with high horses is that once you're on one, it's a long way down.  Of course, after months and months of saying I was not going to join Pintrest for one of many reasons, something happened to make me rethink my position.  I came across a little page called "Specifically Articulation".  I saw idea after idea for articulation therapy, and this is how my inner monologue sounded:

Oh, that's a good idea!  
I can print these off for free? 
I never would have thought of that!
I wonder if I can find ideas for language therapy...
or maybe fluency!  
There are so many things here, I can't look at them all right now!
Crap.  I have to join Pintrest.  

I think my coworker may have been a bit baffled when I looked up from my computer screen and said, with a resigned sigh, "Can you invite me to join Pintrest?".  Then she proceeded to gloat over my inevitable downfall and send me the invitation.

I have now been on Pintrest for a little over 24 hours, and have "pinned" recipes, ideas for school, and a few fun things for Cadence.  I have officially been converted to the dark side. 

That Sunday Night Feeling

Sundays are bittersweet days. On one hand, it's a day off, and therefore enjoyable. On the other hand, the inevitability of Monday lurks just a few hours away, spreading gloom like a creeping fog.  Okay, that might be a little bit melodramatic.  Still, there is a certain melancholy associated with Sunday nights (at least for me).  I love my job, but I savor every precious minute that I can spend with my family, and it always makes me sad when our weekends together come to an end. 

Why am I writing a post about Sunday nights on a Wednesday?  Because tonight is kind of like the ultimate Sunday night for me.  Tomorrow, I head back to work after a wonderful four months spent at home with my children.  I'm feeling a magnified version of that Sunday night feeling tonight, and just felt the need to write about it.  

Don't get me wrong; I love my job.  I feel very fortunate that I am able to work with the amazing kids at my school, challenge my creativity and problem solving skills every day, and work with some amazing professionals.  Since staying at home is not a financially viable option for my family, I am incredibly lucky that I have a job I enjoy, and not one that I just "have to do".  However, the fact that I have a great job doesn't change the fact that I miss my kids like crazy while I'm doing it.  

This "back to school" is a little harder than it has been in previous years.  Cadence, at almost three years old, really understands what is happening.  As of now, she is NOT happy about Mommy going back to work.  She will be fine once she gets into the swing of the school year, especially since she will be with her daddy every day, but the transition is going to be rough.  My little Bennett Boy has never been in daycare; I've never left him for more than an hour or two before.  I worry about how he will do in the new environment.  I worry that my happy, easy-going, chunky little love might be somehow changed by me not being with him all day every day.  The rational side of my personality tells me that he will be just fine.  Unfortunately, the over-emotional, rampaging mama-bear side of me is screaming "I CAN'T LEAVE MY BABY!!!" Hopefully the rational side wins out on Monday when I take Bennett to daycare for the first time so that I don't have to be escorted off the property. 

Sometimes the anticipation of something unpleasant winds up being worse than the actual event itself.  I hope that's the case in this situation.  Regardless, tomorrow I officially return to "working mom" status.  Tomorrow, I will be cheerful, energetic, and organized.  I will be ready to get started on a brand new school year, put my best foot forward, and do everything in my power to make a difference in the lives of some terrific kids.  But tonight, I'm going to allow myself to wallow just a little bit longer in the sadness of that Sunday night feeling. 

Introductions

For my second post, I figured I would take some time to introduce my family and myself. 

"The Momma"

I'm Kathryn. By day, a mild-mannered speech-language pathologist and mother of two, and by night... well, still a mild-mannered speech-language pathologist and mother of two, but in sweat pants. I'm getting ready to start my fourth year in the dual role of SLP and mom.    Other than playing with my kids and spending time with my husband, I enjoy reading, researching (which drives my husband batty), playing games, watching T.V., and pretty much anything involving musical theater.  

(Photo note: This was the most recent picture I could find of me by myself, and I was about 2 days away from giving birth to my son.  So, kindly ignore the overall puffiness.)

"The Daddy"

This is Lance, my charming husband.  He is a total goofball, rather loud, and absolutely the best father in the world.  We are high school sweethearts turned life-long partners, and 10 years into our relationship, I still want to spend all of my time with him.  When not working as a site director for a before-and-after school program, Lance can usually be found playing cards, following sports, or engaging our daughter in a "who can be louder" contest.   

(Photo note: I could find no pictures of Lance by himself, so this one is cropped out of a family picture.  Actually, I take that back.  I DID find one of him by himself, but it was one where he decided to cut his hair into a Mohawk as a joke; I didn't think he would appreciate the posting of that one.)

"The Sassy-Pants"

Meet Cadence, our almost 3 year old ray of sunshine.  She is energetic, hilarious, super smart, and a complete and utter sweetie pie.  She can also be stubborn, sneaky, and extremely sassy.  Her interests include playing dress-up, reading stories, swimming, and trying to prove her mommy wrong.  Cadence loves princesses and Minnie Mouse, and tolerates her baby brother.  She is wonderful. 

(Photo note: This is the classic "cheese face".  It is hard for us to get a picture that does not look like this, as apparently any time she sees a camera, it means full-on cheese mode.)

"The Stud-Muffin"

 

This handsome man is Bennett. He is almost 4 months old, incredibly chubby, and one of the most delicious babies ever.  He is a pretty happy-go-lucky little guy, but definitely makes his displeasure known when he is hungry or tired.  This little dude loves his big sister.  If she even comes close to him, his face lights up and he gets all wiggly with excitement.  Bennett enjoys cuddling, sitting in his Bumbo, and looking at his favorite sun toy.  He holds a strong belief that it is not necessary to sleep through the night; his mother disagrees.  This boy is one chunky little nugget of love.    

(Photo note: This suit, while adorable, made Bennett very hot, hence the look of uncomfortable wariness.)  

So, there we are.  Just a brief glimpse of the folks that make my life crazy, hectic, noisy, and absolutely fantastic. 

The Plan

"Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." -J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I have experienced quite a few beginnings in my life, and here is one more: my first blog post. I've been looking to find a way to work on my "freestyle" writing skills for awhile, and thought a blog would be an exciting change.

So, here's the plan. I think the best material to start with is the known, and the loved (or at least liked). Therefore, my posts might range from an account of the latest adventures of my kids, to a review of a book I've recently read, to a great resource for speech pathologists that I've just got to share. The term "mixed bag", while somewhat cliche, is probably an accurate portrayal of what I will be writing about to start with. From there, we will see where the writing takes me.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to blog-writing as a new adventure.