Mashed Potatoes!

This blog is mash up of just about everything going on right now -- briefly.

Whew! Life has been flying right on by! I have so many fun things going on and coming up, I can hardly keep track of the family to-do’s. (Maybe that’s why I forgot to sub out Reggie Bush from my starting line up in fantasy this week…. major failure.) Anywho, Mack is doing great at preschool. He’s making some friends now, mainly his girl friend Madison (a sign?), he also has some guy friends (all with really odd names like Keiondre and such -- I can’t figure them out) which is good. His teacher has told me that he is very compassionate towards the other kids. When a little girl was crying after her mom had dropped her off, Mack went over and gave her a hug and told her “she will be back, they always come back.” So sweet.

Having Mack at preschool has meant several changes around the house as well. For one, the house stays clean! He’s not home pulling out toy after toy all day. Furthermore, Mack comes home with all these new songs and dances that he wants us to sit down in “circle time” with him so that he can “teach us something.” I love it! I figure, the best way to really learn something is to teach it, so he must really be grasping these new concepts he is learning at school. I am very proud of him.

Nick and I have been busy too! Nick’s work continues to keep him working long hours, which secretly -- I think he loves. Nick really thrives off of working hard and being successful in his job, a characteristic I’m not about to knock him for. Love you Nick! Thanks for all you provide for our little family!

Things at my work have been busy as well. It has been busy for a while but I have a whole new plate of responsibilities as tax time approaches. I have been meeting with our CPA a few times over the past couple weeks for hours on end. It really makes me want to pull my hair out. The lady who did my job before me pretty much gave up on getting work done circa 2007. In turn, the books are a mess and there have been a lot of journal entries to correct misposted (or never posted) items. Fun. I am learning a ton though and I have to say that I feel so very accomplished after each little battle I’m able to sit down and tackle. In that sense, I’m loving it. In the continual numbers crunch sense, I’m hating it. The good news is October 1st is just around the corner and my anticipation is to be completely done with all of this come mid October.

Enough about work let’s get to the fun stuff! I’ve been doing fairly good about working out these days. I go home everyday on my lunch break to walk the dogs. I try to do at least one mile but push for 1.5. I know that it’s not a lot, but hey! I have to eat on my lunch break too ya know!
I also started taking Zumba which is just about the most fun thing I have ever done. I don’t always get to make it to the classes but I really love it when I do! I just wish there was more time in the day for all the stuff I want to squeeze in.

Tomorrow is the last day of the six week Ayurveda coffee give up. Granted, there is a lot more to Ayurveda than not drinking coffee, but that is really the most I’ve managed to do. I still want to learn more about this and be better about following the guidelines. I truly appreciate that Ayurveda offers a meat eating option and is very sincere about its approach to the personal choice to become vegetarian. I have to appreciate that there is no slap in the face for eating the foods which in my own personal opinion, I believe we were meant to eat. Had there been some contingency to cut out all meat products I would have thrown away the idea from the start.

And, although I have not been great about eating the ginger mixture before every meal, I have certainly consumed a lot more ginger in the past six weeks than any other point in my life. A little grated into my smoothie each morning, ginger chews in place of chocolate or some other treat I might indulge in, ginger tea in place of coffee. Lots and lots of ginger. I’ve also been more aware of the foods that I am eating. Instead of having cheese and crackers as a snack at work, I’ve cut out the crackers to have just cheese and sliced deli meat (protein!). For dinner, we’ve been including way more vegetables than ever before -- thanks in part to H Mart which sells more vegetables than any story I’ve ever been to before and at great prices.

So what has Ayurveda, the little bit that I’ve committed to, done for me? Lots of things. I am sleeping better at night, my complexion is much clearer, I feel more focused and determined -- more enduring in my tasks. And overall, I feel BETTER. I can’t put it any way other than that. But, I have the energy and joy to be a better mom, a better wife, a better employee. I’m sure that all of these things are not just reliant on Ayurveda or cutting out coffee, but I’m positive that it has been a big part and the introducing factor to the other positive changes in my life. Can’t complain about that!

Things I was excited about last week: MNF at our house, happy hour with Erin (yay for girl time), the Hall of Fame Inaugural Induction Banquet, watching the Newsies with Nick, taking Mack to the Puyallup Fair, and spending the day with my mom on Sunday (shopping and PF Changs)

Things I’m looking forward to this week: MNF at Jersey’s, haircut tomorrow night (finally!), Zumba on Wednesday, the end of the 3rd quarter and being done with taxes!, Kennis being in town!, dinner with our new friends from SCYPN, AND mostly TAKING MONDAY OFF WORK TO SPEND THE DAY IN SEATTLE WITH KENNIS!!! Like pee my pants excited!

Much love guys! I better get to work!

Living Well

This is week two of the new preschool routine. I think I’ve pretty much got the hang of getting up early and a good routine for getting Mackenzie ready and off to school. He is actually great! I set him up on the couch with his blanket and some breakfast while he watches Mickey Mouse, we do the Hot Dog Dance and then its time for him to get dressed. AND, believe it or not, I think I’m becoming a morning person. I get so much done while I’m getting ready for work (make myself lunch, throw in a load of laundry, do any dishes leftover, take the dogs out, etc) before I even get Mack up. Combine this with my new lunch routine, I have no chores to do when I get home from work, which means two things: more quality time with the fam and also more time for things like yoga classes!

The main thing I’m still working on is FOOD. Getting up so much earlier, along with being so active so early is really taking its toll on me. Last week I realized I needed to change my diet as well as reintroduce Vitamin B. I’ve been really forcing myself to get a ton of protein into my morning diet. This is hard for me. I usually don’t even eat breakfast, so for me, a kiwi and a yogurt is a lot. The problem with that is that by the time I get to work, I’m starving -- for instance, yesterday I swung by McD’s for an egg mc muffin after dropping Mack off, I could hardly even wait to get it. Disgusting.

This morning, I’ve been proactive with my hunger. I had a hard boiled egg, a kiwi, and yogurt for breakfast. I also had a glass of juice and took some vitamin B. I already feel like I have a foot forward.

Puppy Update: Muffin and Tucker are getting along really well. Muffin is horribly aggressive towards the cat, which Tucker joins right in on… frustrating. But, overall, the new puppy is a great addition to the little clan. We even took her out on the boat over Labor Day weekend -- and caught like a million crab. Only kept 15, only ha! We brought up 29 in one pot alone. Pretty stellar.

Another big update in my life is that I got an unlimited class pass to the Women’s Wellness Center for the month of September. I have gone to yoga twice now. The first class, last Thursday was my first time back to yoga since June 26th! Can you believe it?! I sure can’t believe that much time has gone by. This unlimited pass will definitely be my jump start to a fall fitness routine. I went to yoga last night, which was amazing, really worked my back, hips, and abs! All of my favorites! Tonight I am trying Zumba. Not sure how excited I am… I’ll report back.

Also, I am trying so incredibly hard to get into the Italian class this quarter. This is actually the class I took in Spring quarter but I am hoping that I can audit it and be fresh and ready to go for the second quarter class which will start Winter quarter. Cross your fingers! I have a request out to the professoré, the admissions department, and the advising department. Some one should get back to me! I hope! In the mean time, I have been reviewing my flash cards before work and before my yoga classes (yes, all TWO of them lol). It’s a work in progress. If anyone is looking to give me something AMAZING for Christmas: I WANT THIS. Thanks in advance :)

Preschool

On Monday, Mackenzie started preschool. While this something I’ve been looking forward to for him, I have to admit that when the time actually came to drop him off, I had this sinking feeling in my heart as Mack just waved me off and headed over to play with the other kids. There he goes…

Tuesday was the same thing. But Wednesday when I went to give him a hug, he just curled right up into me and didn’t let go. Really quietly, in the most heartbreaking voice he whispers to me “I don’t want to be here” and then crocodile tears fell. WOW this is hard! I took him out into the corridor and we talked for a little bit about how much fun he’s having at school and he just kept saying he wanted to go home and be with me. As much as I love that he misses me, I hated that I had to leave him there, crying. This is the first time I haven’t been able to come to some sort of OK place with him. Sure, he’s had his tantrums and had to cry it out in time outs…but this, this was entirely different. I don’t know how many drop offs like that I can take. Luckily, this morning was much better.

A couple good things have come from Mack being in preschool: the house stays a lot cleaner, and I can go home and have some peace and quiet on my lunch breaks -- much needed “me” time. All this week, I have gone home on my lunch, taken the dogs for a walk, made myself lunch, started dinner in the crock pot, picked up the kitchen, etc. I am really loving this routine, because I feel so much more satisfied with my days by the time I get home from work and also, I don’t have to cook much when I get home, just a couple side dishes.

I guess I lied, Monday we had leftovers from all the food from the weekend (leftovers from Terracotta, leftover cabbage soup, lots of things to use up!). Tuesday, I made Chicken Marsala, using one of the bottles of wine from our Skagit wine tasting extravaganza. We picked up this bottle of Chardonnay at the Tulip Valley Winery for $5 -- without even trying it. I figured for five bucks, it wouldn’t matter - could always just dump it if it was terrible. Turns out, it was great not only in the Marsala sauce, but also just drinking it! Has a lot more pizzazz than what I think of in a Chardonnay. I will post this recipe, its super easy and something I just made up.

Yesterday, I made Bombay Chicken Curry. This is one of my favorite things to make and I tried it a whole different way than usual. I had picked up some coconut oil from the co-op and had wanted to cook something with it -- perfect opportunity! I will post the recipe for this as well.
When I got home from work, Mackenzie and I made mashed sweet potatoes together. He is such a little chef! Loves doing the seasonings and tasting as he goes -- just like mommy :) “This needs something” he tells me…usually just because he wants to shake the salt shaker again. God I love that little monkey.

One of the downers (not entirely) of the preschool thing is the change in routine for me. I’m sure Mack is feeling the same way. As it stands, I’ve been getting up about two hours earlier than I am used to. I shower, get dressed and ready for work, then I wake up Mack and get him set up with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I figure if he’s anything like me, he’ll want to ease into his morning at his own pace. Watching cartoons lets him wake up in peace. So far, that seems to be working out. As for me, I’m exhausted. I know that I cannot get up that early and continue with my regular diet, I just can’t make it through the days. I’ve upped my protein and need to make an extra effort to do so even further and I’ve started taking Vitamin B as a good alternative to caffeinated beverages. I’m still sticking with the no coffee routine. The end date is September 28th.

Here’s the thing. Up until this week, I’ve been fine not drinking coffee. Sure, I’ve wanted it and I’ve missed the taste (which nothing really replaces, certainly not ginger tea) but I haven’t felt like I need it to get through my day. Things have changed. With this preschool schedule I find myself thinking if I could just have a coffee I’d wake up a bit, or if I just stopped in for a quick espresso my sleepy headedness would subside. Alas, this need for coffee is the whole point behind not drinking coffee for the six weeks. So, stick to it I shall. BUT, come September 28th you’ll know where to find me :)