Mom's first 5K!

I ran my first 5K race this morning! Finished at 39:02, which is about 4 minutes faster than my pace on the first time I ever ran one for practice. Kyle and the boys came to cheer me on, and Frank and Annette were there as well :) I picked up running at the end of March this year. Jacob was about to be one and I wanted/needed to get back into exercising. But, having just the one TV and a small-ish living room, and not really liking to use my laptop (i like the sound LOUD!) working out to my DVD's at home just wasn't working. I decided running would be the answer, if I only had 30 minutes to work out, I could get a decent cardio burn running for that long. I started a Couch to 5K program in April and today I did that first race. I do look forward to going for a run now, not because I particularly enjoy the actual running, but because I enjoy seeing just how much my body can do. I like running because there is always something to compete against yourself with, and it is easy to get measurements and track progress. My body feels less lethargic and I am more eager to jump in and play with the kids at the playground. This is my ultimate reason for running, to be healthy and fit and active with my boys. No plans to train for a a 10K right now, instead I am going to focus my training efforts on improving my 5K time. I am excited to go out and find my next race!

In other news, Kaleb has started throwing out the "You're not my best friend!" card when he is mad at me. The other day I had to take his Spiderman cartoon away because he had been playing a bit rough with the kids at school. When I wouldn't let him watch it that night and explained that he needed to have a good day before he could have his superheroes back he went to all out meltdown. This was when he tossed the best friend grenade out. I replied with "I am your Mommy" and left it at that. He went so far as to say/shriek "If you were my best friend you would let me watch it!"to which I again replied "I am your Mommy. That show is too violent for you, you need to show me you can control your self before you may watch it again." I know this should break my heart to hear him say this to me, and that in his mind saying that to me is a big deal. But, if I'm being totally real, I actually felt kinda proud to hear him say that. Proud of myself for not giving in and honestly, proud of him for using words and expressing just how upset with me he was. I want him to always feel safe enough with me to express his true feelings. Sure, as he gets older we will work on finding other ways to say what he is trying to express. Right now though, I am pleased that he will shout that out. I am pleased that I was able to calmly reply and remind him that I am Mom. And pleased that he saw that even when he is in a rage at me, I love him and I am going to be right there, all the while doing what is best for him even if it makes me unpopular at the moment.

Jacob has taken off with walking! It is his preferred mode of transport and he is now already working on climbing things, like the ladder at day care for the slide. He also spent a good amount of time with Annette this morning practicing going up and down steps while I was running. He held her hand and stepped off the curb, walked around her and stepped back up the curb, then back around and down, and so on. Annette said she was like the revolving grandma :) It is such a blessing to have her around the kids (all the grandparents!) to help them grow up and be truly invested in their development.

The house hunt is still moving forward. We just heard back from the people we are trying to buy the house we want from. We had inspections and the house needs a new roof and chimney. We wanted them to pay for all repairs, they propose we split them...of course. Deciding now what we are going to do, will be getting estimates on both this week. On that front, I had a great memory lock moment today. The sun was shining, we were leaving the neighborhood on our way to the park. The Avett Brothers were playing in the car and our windows were down but going slow enough so my hair was just lightly blowing. It was such a beautiful moment and I realized that we are on the tail end of this chapter, this neighborhood, this house, this home. I'm so excited to be moving on, and at the same time I am appreciative of all the beautiful memories we have here. So, at that moment today I took a nice memory snap shot of the happiness and our young family and the summer just starting. A lovely little heart smile!

What's going on?

Hi, friends! Been a long time, again. I don't understand why I sometimes feel such a sense of writer's block when I come out here. One person shared that it is hard to get back into but if I just keep on posting it will get easier again. And I really do want to be more regular with my updates. My hope is someday to turn this blog into some sort of book and share it with the kids as the story of when they were growing up...or, more likely, read it to myself as a way of remembering their early years.

I also don't want every post to just be a catch up post, but I fear that this one needs to be since it has been months! Here are the highlights for the kids:

Kaleb is just about three and a half, he is talking in complete paragraphs, making up his own stories now, and gets a big kick out of substituting words where they don't make sense. For example "donut" and "cheerio" will make random appearances in his stories, and he cracks himself up with that. His sense of humor is growing and it is amazing to watch the things that he finds funny. He has a y-bike scooter that he is getting really good on. I like watching him ride it and seeing him sink down a bit into a better center of gravity, shifting his body weight around to steer it, and then playing with different balancing acts when he is stopped. I watch him now and wonder if he will someday be in the X-Games or something like that, and I'll be there watching him and remembering these early spring days on his little green scooter in the driveway. That's how my brain works, I see the kids do something and think "Someday I'll look back on this as the start of ...." whatever I might imagine up at that moment. I wonder if others do this or if it is just another element of my weirdness?

Jacob has had his first word, his first step, and has weaned himself from nursing...and he did all three of those on the same day! It was April 19, we were home together because day care was closed that day for teacher training. While Kaleb was napping, Jacob and I were playing in the liviing room. He picked up a ball and held it out to me and announced "BALL!" Hurray! First word and I was here to see it! An hour later he was holding on to the coffee table when he let go and took his first steps to try and walk to me. YES! First steps and I was there to see them! That night before bed I went to nurse him and he turned away and looked at the spot on his nightstand where I sometimes would put a bottle for him. That was a happy and a sad. Happy because it meant I had that much more of my independence and freedom back. Sad because, well, because he is my baby and this meant I am done breast feeding now. Most likely forever. But, happy outweighed the sad, because seriously, that is a lot of freedom back for me. No more worrying about what I eat or when I drink, or if/when I have caffeine. No more pump or nursing pads. But, I digress. Jacob still prefers crawling as his mode of transport, although just this morning he was really cruising around the house holding on to different things.

Since my last post, I attended a class called Apothecary Basics, which was all about using plants and herbs for medicine. Before attending the class I had read Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series. In it the main character, Ayla, is a medicine woman and she was always gathering plants to make tea and broth to take care of people. Have I mentioned I'm the biggest dork in the world?? So, went to this class with my friend Angie and we are both hooked. I've been playing with different tea formulas and making all kiinds of different homemade stuff. I've made bubble bath for the kids, bug spray, cleaining solution, and diaper rash cream so far. It is so fun to me to read up on what different plants do and then learn how I can make my own products! Our next adventure is to take a class on foraging and start learning how to identify plants by sight in the wild. I've already harvested some dandelion root from my backyard, cleaned it, and used it in the tea blend I make for Kyle. That is just so much fun to me!

Okay, going to consider this caught up for now. And I sincerely hope to see you all again very very soon in a future post!

Super Bowl with the Remsburg Family

Today I am spending my first official sick day home with both boys. Up to now it has been just Jacob getting sent home from day care with a fever. Yesterday Kaleb finally got hit by the flu that is making rounds this season. His pre-nap diaper change yesterday required the bathtub...then again same thing after nap. We had Brent and Eddie over to "watch" the Super Bowl last night.

Kaleb had missed most of his nap and then fell asleep on the couch while we were all in the kitchen cooking and whatnot. I was in the middle of a homemade Spinach Artichoke Dip, the kind of fussy recipe where you are melting butter and constantly watching it so it doesn't burn and whisking in flour and having to get the timing just right or the consistency of the sauce will be ruined, in other words, completely absorbed in what I was doing and not at all doing something that was easily interrupted and returned to. Naturally, this is when Kaleb wakes up in the living room and starts crying that his tummy hurt and he only wants Mommy. Rushed through the recipe and went to my little guy, his tummy was a bit distended and somewhat hard to the touch. He did not want me anywhere near it, it hurt so much.

Recalling the last time this happened (after hours care for the doctor to massage a nice diaper out of him...) I thought that was what we were seeing again so I had him walking around the kitchen to try and get things moving in there. Well, I was successful but not in the direction I was aiming for. Poor dude stopped walking and puked all over the floor, the kind where it comes out your nose, the worst!! Little guy was scared and feeling crappy and I felt so bad for him! Got him in the tub with a nice warm bath to calm him down and help ease his shivers. Got him all dressed up warm and comfy and brought him out on the couch to cuddle with me. All was well and then Brent brought out his ceviche, Kaleb got down to inspect it and proceeded to purge the rest of his stomach all over the floor. Another warm rinse off, clean diaper, fresh clothes then back out to cuddle more. Except he was done cuddling, he was bright eyed and ready to be his old self again. I let him stay up for another half hour then we did bedtime stories and lights out.

This morning he had another gag worthy diaper, but otherwise seems to be doing better.

Jacob was fussy last night while I was tending Kaleb, but I chalked it up to his usual routine of fussing every time he sees me but I can't pick him up. He went to sleep really easily at 7 and that was the end of his being easy! Woke up at 10, ate again and then fussed when I put him down. Let him fuss a bit to see if he would sleep. Nope. Midnight back in to snuggle, by 2 I was ready to cry along with him. Brought him into our bed at Kyle's suggestion, he fussed and whined in there. Kyle got him tylenol around 3 and then took him into the nursery and rocked him to sleep. I'm thinking he is getting a couple teeth.

By now it was about 4. Finally fell asleep and got a good hour before my alarm went off at 5:10 which I promptly snoozed. The dumb thing kept going off so I kept snoozing it. Then Kaleb called for me. I had some choice words (to myself) at that point, along with some high drama such as "I'm not going to survive this" and "I can't do this anymore, I can't handle it!" Once those were out of my system I got up and got our day underway.

Both boys seem to be doing well this morning, and my patience seems to be holding up so far. Jacob isn't technically sick, but something was off last night and he didn't get anywhere near enough sleep. I'm home with them all day and really really hoping they both take afternoon naps at the same time!!!

When Kaleb was sick last night I could not stop rubbing his back, asking him how he felt, asking him if he needed anything. Before long he would look at me and say "Mommy! what do you want?!" in an exasperated tone. It was a different game having a sick one who could talk and express what was wrong. I actually felt worse for Kaleb last night than I did when he got sick as a baby, or when Jacob gets sick. Somehow I expected it to be the other way around, but Kaleb's being sick last night was hard to handle, I wanted to fix it so much and felt helpless because I couldn't take it away from him. I'm really glad to see him making such a quick recovery!

Oh, and the Spinach Artichoke Dip turned out great and will be making a repeat appearance at my next opportunity! First time I've made it by myself instead of buying at the store, and I will absolutely be doing this one again! I also made Spicy Sriracha White Bean Dip, which tasted great but the consistency was a little off, needed some more beans I think to be thicker. I may experiment with this one again, adding another can of beans. It would be great in a pita with cucumbers and spinach and whatnot. I'm not yet adding it to my favorites list. 

Also, want to note that Brent and Eddie handled all of this like champs! They didn't pack up and run off, which would have been totally understandable. Instead, while Kyle and I were busy running rugs and clothes and everything down to the washing machine, washing and disinfecting floors, and rocking a screaming baby, Brent and Eddie were in the kitchen cleaning :) They cleaned up the entire first round of cooking, which was especially bad since I was rushing through the end of that last dip and just throwing things wherever. They hung out on the couch with us and sick Kaleb and shared a laugh over how ridiculous it all was. AND Brent didn't murder me for, once again, messing up the Super Bowl recording. This is the third year in a row I've screwed it up, this year I only recorded the pre-game show and we didn't realize it until just before half time...which made it pretty hard to do our normal routine of fast forwarding through the game and judging the commercials. Maybe next year I'll get it right, but I wouldn't count on it!

100th Post, New Name, and a Recipe

Re-titled my blog in hopes that I post more frequently, and also because it more closely reflects the current state of our lives. With Jacob on the move at 10 months and Kaleb at 3 in full on negotiation stage, I feel like we've entered a new phase, two busy, active, curious and demanding little boys and Kyle and I doing whatever we can to try to keep on top of things.

I went through a bit of a lull in posting, just didn't feel like sitting and writing all that much lately. The combination of hectic family life that translated to a severe lack of sleep, a period of career growth for me full of lots of first time challenges and new, more complex, problems to solve at work, all while trying to find balance again after battling a case of wicked postpartum depression (to be addressed in a separate post) just left me feeling not all that bloggy or connecty or sharey. Oh, and I also make up words now...wait, I always did that, nevermind.

So, without a long catch up (perhaps in yet another separate post) I will jump right into sharing.

First, a recipe. For some reason I never felt like posting recipes made sense on here before. So, I changed the title and BAM! This is the perfect place for recipe sharing! seriously, that's how it works in my world...don't waste time trying to explain to me that the only thing I changed was the title at the top of the page and how that really doesn't do anything to change the blog...or that I am the owner of this blog and I could have put whatever I want on it at any time. This is the way it works in my world, and if Kyle hasn't figured out how to get through to me in over 10 years, trust me, you aren't going to fix my broken logic brain either :)

Okay, recipe. I'm coming out of a long period of just getting through the days, which means we haven't been doing much in the way of menu planning or dinners. Everyone made it through, and it's not like anyone was neglected...maybe me, but no on else! We pretty much reverted back to our habits from before I went on my big Family Dinner kick last year around this time. Kaleb and Jacob have dinner when we get home, Kyle and I would either make food after the kids were in bed or just scrounge up whatever. hmmm this is kinda turning into a catch up post isn't it? Back on track, Jacob is sleeping better lately which means so am I, which helps immensely in going beyond just getting through the day! And, seriously, the entire reason for this post was supposed to just be to capture a quick and easy dinner that I threw together last night, so I think I'll just jump to it without any further delay.

Smoked Sausage with Kale and Couscous
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1 scoop of minced garlic using the knife from cutting the sausage to scoop it out (yeah, that's as specific as I can get on that measurement)
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
Crushed red pepper flake, maybe 1 tsp? I just shake it in and use the same amount we typically add...sorry, again with the no measurement thing
3-4 handfuls of mixed baby kale
1 package Couscous, we used the Near East Garlic and Olive Oil

Start water boiling for couscous. In separate pan, saute the garlic, sausage and onion until sausage gets some nice cook marks on it and onion is softened a bit. Your water should be boiling, add in the couscous. Back to the sausage pan, dump in the can of tomatoes, juice and all. Stir it up all nice like then add your kale. I did 4 handfuls because I wanted some left over for my smoothie this morning, you can (and should!) do more, the recipe could have handled plenty more. Let that simmer until the kale wilts.

Kyle wanted the couscous in a bowl with the sausage kale mixture on top. My original vision was to just mix it all together and serve. Whatever, same in the end so I went with Kyle's way :)

It was good and filling, and we had plenty left over for Kyle's lunch today.

There. A recipe. Great for a quick dinner and can easily be played up or down depending on what you have on hand.