Wedding Bells

One of my friends from high school was married a few weeks ago and it reminded me of when I got married…10 long years ago. It seems like a lifetime has passed since then. I was so young (only 25) and life was so different for Love and I back then. We were carefree and not tied down to anything. We went on lots of road trips and spent lots of time together. Lately we don’t see each other as much because of our work schedules and when we do have time together Nate is usually demanding all of our attention (No adult conversations! Listen to ME!!!). It’s tough, but it is also one of the reasons I am glad we were married so young.

Did I ever imagine I would meet my husband while in junior high and that we would go from friends to much more when I was only 20? Of course not! I actually thought Love was a little annoying when he was just my brother’s friend (true story!). Then one day that all changed and 6 months later I was in love (okay maybe sooner but it was a long time ago). We had a long distance relationship at first because I was away at school but he worked about a half hour away so he would visit often. I soon realized that I would probably marry him one day and that made me very happy. His proposal was sweet and I am proud to wear an engagement ring with diamonds from one of his grandfather’s rings that was passed on to him.

Our wedding day was wonderful and I will never forget how much fun we had with our family and friends surrounding us. It was a perfect June day (although a little hot for those in tuxes) and pretty much everything went according to plan. We had a few minor glitches (the photographer was a half hour late, my great-aunt fell down the church steps and a centerpiece started a brief fire) but all in all it was a perfect day to get married.

Looking back I wouldn’t change a thing about that time in our lives. We lived carefree in an apartment for 4 years before buying a house, waited almost a year to get a dog and it was another year before we were pregnant. Those 6 years, although rough at times, were some of the best of my life. Having only each other to worry about was nice and if we had known what was ahead of us once we became parents, I think we would have enjoyed it even more. Nate is my world and I wouldn’t trade him for anything but sometimes I dream of a simpler time in my life…I’m pretty sure most moms do.

 Look at how young and skinny I was!!!

 This has always been one of my favorite photos from the day

I look like a mob wife in this one lol!

Here comes Santa Claus…ALREADY?!?!?

I have been consumed lately with the stress of paying bills and playing catch up so I can start Christmas shopping. Am I crazy? Yup, I kind of feel that way because Halloween is still a week away and I have already started gearing up for the biggest holiday of the year. We got paid last week and I had to attend a baby shower so I decided that while I was already scheduled to be out of the house and there was some money in the bank that I should at least begin the chore of toy shopping. I headed to Toys R Us armed with my shopping list and in record time I dropped $220. The crazy part is I was excited at how much stuff I left the store with! Not to mention that my haul included 6 bags of Halloween candy.

What does one spend $220 on you ask? One birthday present, 4 toys for my baby nephew (how fun is it to shop for baby toys?), one big Spiderman, one big Batman, 2 Imaginex Batman cars with figures, one Team Umizoomi Counting Car, one Bot with Team Umizoomi Car, one big book of Superhero Squad stories…I feel like I’m forgetting something…

I am just glad to have begun the long task of shopping for gifts. I used to enjoy Christmas shopping because I had the time to begin early and finish before Thanksgiving. Now I feel like I am rushing until the very last minute and that I am going to forget someone. Luckily I am usually organized and make lists for everything. This year we are on a tight budget so I am looking for bargains wherever I can get them. I am planning on cutting back on Nate and only hitting Toys R Us when I have coupons. Last year money was tight and Love and I decided that we would not buy each other any presents. In the end we saved money, but it was so depressing. This year I prefer to cut back so we can enjoy opening presents with Nate Christmas morning. Isn’t that what the holidays are about anyway? Okay, it’s not about opening presents but it’s still fun!

TRX is the Devil

Anyone who knows me well understands my lack of enthusiasm for exercise. I’m not necessarily a lazy person because I can clean my house or my yard for hours and hours but I am very resistant to exercise. I have always been this way except for a few years where I went to the gym everyday with my friends (mind you I was 22-years old when that started). For some reason 2012 has been the year of exercise for me. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I am 35 and realizing that it only gets harder with age or that I need to lose 50 pounds. Probably a little of both.

I have been taking Pilates twice a week for 6 weeks now and I actually enjoy it and look forward to it. I’ve even thrown in yoga here and there when I can on a Monday or Friday. Having my pain management doctor tell me to take the classes combined with the fact that they are free at my job keeps me coming back. I take pilates with 2 women in my office (22 and 55-years old) and one day someone in the class mentioned TRX and how great it is. It is offered in another location and we were curious so we asked about it. I wish I had never done that.

Turns out TRX is suspension training and each person in the class does it at their level. I decided to accept the free pass to try out the class. I dreaded going but the class was filled with people twice my age and the instructor (Oscar) was fabulous! I was honestly afraid the damn strap was going to rip the hook out of the ceiling with all of my weight straining against it but I did my best to forget about it. I will admit that the class was fun but it was also exhausting and I knew I would be in pain for days after. Ding ding ding! You are correct! Three days later and I am in a lot of pain. Clearly it is an excellent workout. My upper back, upper arms and the backs of my legs are killing me. I worked out muscles I didn’t even know I had. I have pilates today and I hope I can make it through. I’m thinking the stretching will be good for me. Please let the stretching be good for me.

Consequences

I have uttered that word so many times in the last 24 hours that I have lost count. I am running on empty lately between no sleep, a HORRIBLE diet and not enough water and I am quickly losing my patience. Being alone at night with Nate is challenging and he tests me constantly. There is no consistency with his discipline and it is showing. Last night I had enough and I started being the mean mommy…at least that’s the way Nate sees it.

Dinner has been a struggle and Nate seems to think that eating half of his dinner before declaring that he is full is a guarantee that he will have room for a snack. The problem is that he says he is full and before he has even left the table he is asking for a snack. Last night I told him he needed to eat more before getting a snack and he was okay with it. While I was doing the dishes he got down from the table and I asked him to go wash his hands so we could get him into pajamas. Suddenly he had a meltdown which included him smacking me in the butt. I don’t do well with tantrums at all but hitting is never acceptable behavior. I turned off the TV and told him that it was time for pajamas and bed (mind you it was only 6pm). He continued to yell and cry and even pushed my dishwasher rack in while I was loading it. I let him continue yelling about how he NEEDED to watch his show and for the first time in a long time I told him that he needed to learn that there were consequences to being naughty.

I always try to make the distinction between him BEING naughty and ACTING naughty. I don’t want to crush his self esteem and having him pleading with me that he is sorry and he loves me, makes my heart break. Last year my mother picked him up at daycare and he was sitting in the corner crying saying, “I’m a bad boy” over and over. It made her cry. I always convey to him that I love him to but I do not like when he acts a certain way or does certain things. He eventually calmed down enough to wash his hands, put on pajamas and come snuggle in my bed. Was it a perfect night? Of course not, but it could have been worse and maybe tonight he will be better behaved because he will realize that there are consequences.