Chronicles of a Selfish Mommy

quick 101 recap on the not so interesting stuff.  I believe I will be at 2 yrs come end of this month.  I honestly do not think I will get all this stuff done.  Guess it’s just a good starting point for the next 1001 days.

3.Laser Hair Removal: have 2 more appts then it’s all over.  Although I am not hair free, it did reduce significantly and made me less prone to razor burn. 

7. Get weight below goal: I am thisclose to being at goal, but about 10lbs away from ultimate #.  To date, I have lost about 12 lbs. 

11/12. Landscaping:  We bought 8 new trees.  4 in back and 2 on either side of the house.  They are nice big trees.  Now for some flowers, maybe?

17. Update driver’s license:  I was lazy and just did it online, so nothing changed about it

18. Professional Family Photo: Randy is onboard, now just to find the time.  Plus now, we prolly should wait for better weather.

19. Date Night every other Month: well, we had an adult only group dinner in Aug. In Sept, we went on the cruise without the kids. Nothing since then, though.  Need to get on that…..

34. Monthly Mani/Pedi: I actually started getting acrylic tips again!  I just love pretty nails and toes, makes me feel special and pretty. 

37. Blood Donation 1x per Qtr: I gave blood back in Sept and am scheduled for another appt in Dec!

44. Reading:  New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn & now reading Is There Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes

We’ve had a couple adventures over the last couple of months.

I started out October with Tina’s Wine & Cheese birthday party on Oct 10th.  I got dressed up a bit and had samples of an array of lovely cheeses and sipped on some tasty Riesling.

Then, on Oct 11th we went to the Railway Festival in Burnet which hosted Thomas the Train!  It was a cold, wet day, but we went out anyway.  Turned out to be a decent time.  We rode Thomas the Train, well if you call it “riding”.  All they did was back up us up for a couple miles then drive us forward again.  That was it!  I suppose I should be able to count this on my list, #60, since it was a passenger car…..I think I will just wait till we ride the North Pole Flyer in December (19th).  This is will be an honest to goodness ride from Cedar Park to Burnet.  Santa and Mrs Claus will even be joining us!!

We also made it out to Crowe Nest Farms for their Fallfest Family Fun Days.  This was by far one of the best times we’ve had.  The whole event was well-managed and very interesting.  We saw and touched all sorts of animals: owls, spiders, goats, sheep, ostriches, pigs, chickens, horses, snakes, etc.  Connor was brave enough to have a snake around his neck and a large tarantula on his head!  We saw & learned how cows are milked & rode on a hay ride to boot!   This is not on my list, but it SO should have been!

Now if only I can talk Jeff into visiting the Ren Faire and/or hitting up one of the Christmas Farms for their annual events!

Can I just say that my hubby is totally awesome!

My new job requires me to work some crazy hours (I should be working now) and he has been super supportive.  He’s Mr Mom.  He cooks, he cleans, he does dishes, and laundry.  He gets the kids ready in the morning bc Mommy worked late and needs some sleep.  He gets them for over an hr before I arrive home from work.  I truly appreciate it!

Not so much new w/Jeff other than that.  He did get himself a new (to him) sweet ride.  I believe it’s a 2002/3 (not sure) BMW M5.  He loves it.  He’s been babying it and fixing it up a bit.  He still likes to road and mountain bike, although he hasn’t gotten to do it much lately.  He did ride in a race on Nov 1st called the Big Enchilada.  I want to say it was 80 or so miles of mountain biking.  WHOA!

As for me?  Well, I haven’t been running at all.  I do miss it, but need to work or sleep or family and there just doesn’t seem to be time to fit it in.  However, I did run the Livestrong Challenge 5k on Oct 24th & the Race for the Cure on Nov 1st.  For the Cure, I manage a team called Renee’s Rack Pack and again we had amazing support w/25 members and over $2k raised for the cause!  My time was sweet for this run!  Best time of the year coming in at 28:47.  So VERY close to the personal best that I want to beat on the 101!  I’ll be running in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day.  It will be a brutal 5 miles since I haven’t trained an ounce.  Fortunately, my brother is running it with me.  Very least it’s a good way to burn massive calories before gourging myself the rest of the day.  I am gonna try to get one more in before the year is up.   I also took Volleyball back up.  I play much closer to home on a weekend night on a more competitive team.  I am totally enjoying it.  Didn’t realize how much I missed it until I started playing again.

Let’s see, I turned another year older with little fanfare and it was quite nice.  If only I could take all my aging w/grace and calm…..  I planned Connor’s 4th B-Day which turned out to be quite the success.  We had a Spongebob Square Pants themed party, had tons of kids, played some fun games, hit the pinata, and had some colorful cake. Now to just get those Thank You cards completed.  I also planned Amanda’s 30th Zipping & Sipping B-Day Event.  The girls packed it up and headed to Wimberley for ziplining which was TONS OF FUN!  Then we went to Mandola’s winery for a tour, wine tasting, then dinner.  It was an all girls day and I couldn’t have asked for more fun which I was reminded of that night and next day.  Can someone say, bye, bye to #103!

We had a nice Halloween.  We started out heading to the Rowe Elem Pfall Pfreakout Pfestival on Oct 24th. I also had Tina & Malek’s Halloween party that evening.  Again, they out did themselves!  Then we followed it up w/the Dell PG Halloween Event on Oct 3oth.  All culminating on Oct 31st w/some trick or treating in which Connor lasted maybe an hour.  Connor went as the Mad Hatter, Brooke as Alice, and me as the Queen of Hearts. 

We’re staying in Texas for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, mostly bc I have to work them both.  I am looking forward to buying the kids some cool toys, decorating the house, and throwing our annual White Elephant Party.  I am sure Jeff is looking forward to none of this. 

My oh my how time flies and things change.  Just a couple quick updates on the kiddos.

CONNOR

Connor is now a true little boy.  The cute cuddly toddler/baby we had has morphed into a strong-willed, smarty pants.  At times challenging because he’s too good at negotiating and word (not to mention parent) manipulation, yet totally talkative, inquisitive, and lovable.  He will be 4 in a few days and he weighs about 42lbs and is about 42 inches tall.  That puts him over half my height!  He has really become quite good at soccer and has made some friends while doing it.  We cannot wait for next season.  He had his first karate tournament a couple weekends ago and beat his competitor.  Connor is the proud owner of his first trophy!  He goes for his advanced white belt on Thursday, 11/19.  Finally, he continues to exceed in gymnastics.  Unfortunately, this pastime will most likely be replaced by something different as he is really too big for this sport. 

He still loves to play w/big trucks of all kinds & finally can & will do it alone!  Phew!  Recently, we’ve really taken a liking to games and puzzles.  He got a bunch of them for birthday presents and they were perfect!  We’re starting to recognize & sound out words for reading, know entire alphabet and sounds, can count to at least 50, and is starting to do some simple addition & subtraction.  Finally, we’re learning to push around a scooter & ride a bike w/training wheels.

He’s a wonderful big brother, albeit a little bit aggressive at times.  We’re working on it…..

BROOKE

Is our little princess.  She is very demanding, almost yelling at us at times.  She really knows what she wants and won’t let anyone or thing stop her.  Brooke is 9 mths old and weighs 21lbs and 27 inches.  She crawls very well and has been for about a month now.  For awhile we thought she wouldn’t crawl as she preferred to pull up and cruise on everything.  She does an even better job now at cruising and can go from one object to the next without much thought.  She can stand-alone for short periods and can use push toys to walk.  While Waving was her favorite pastime,  Babbling is her new fave thing to do.  We think she distinctly says 3 words:  mo (for more, as in more food), dada, and mama.  Speaking of food, boy can this little missy put it back.  She doesn’t eat baby food much anymore.  Mostly she just eats what we do and feeds herself.  We’re down to 3 bottles and will be cutting out one more next month.  She loves water from her sippy cups and Connor’s gold-fish.

Brooke takes one morning nap for about 45 minutes and another 2 hr or so nap in the afternoon.  Since we’re talking sleep, Brooke hits the hay about 7:30pm and pretty much sleeps through till 5:30am.  She is teething and has 3 bottom teeth which she is constantly showing off in her infectious smile and laugh.  We’re most likely moving her to a forward facing carseat by the end of the year since she matches the criteria for height and weight.  She pretty much wants to play w/whatever Connor has.  We often find her alone in his room playing w/his toys.  He has taken to closing his door, so it begins….

and SO MUCH has changed and happened!  I am not even sure where to begin, it’s been 2 months since my last visit.

Well, let’s start where I left off…..

back in early Sept/late August, I was in full Mommy Mode.  Man, had I come a long way.  I was finally hitting the stride, then POUF!

I get a job back at my old stomping ground.  But before, we talk about that….let’s talk about what’s happened before I started the gig.  Cause there are a couple 101 items I completed.

So, I get the job on Friday and come Monday, I am off for a week long adventure on the high seas!  Jeff and I went on a cruise with a group of people we didn’t really know and had a BLAST!  We went to Cozumel & Progresso.  I am honestly not one to cruise cause the alcohol isn’t free and there really isn’t much to do onboard……but, the tours when we docked were GREAT!  I had to beg and plead & I broke Jeff.  When we docked at Cozumel, we visited one of the wonders of the world Chichen Itza.  We didn’t get to climb, yet it didn’t take away from the experience one iota.  Progresso was just a relaxing time on the beach, we snorkeled and saw tons of beautiful fish.  The cruise was a whole week as was a lil long for me.  Although we had a wonderful time, I am not sure cruising is really our thing. Knock #79 off the 101 & #13 off the Bucket Lists!

Then I come back for another week off before heading into the new job.  Nothing got accomplished, it was nice.

New job began Monday, 9/28.  I got into the org back at Dell that I had been gunning for for awhile.  I am really enjoying it.  I didn’t get to hit #21 on the 101, but I know the potential for it where I am at now is MUCH better.  It’s full speed ahead and no downtime.  It’s allot of work, but the days fly by.  I feel challenged, depended upon, and know that what I do matters.  At the end of the day or night (cause it’s that much work), I feel accomplished.  I love being back at Parmer and the group is a good fit.  THANK GOODNESS! 

Right now it’s basically: job, family, sleeping, w/just a touch of friends mixed in for good measure.  I am not complaining; nevertheless, I do look forward to things evening out a bit.

The wonderful Naomi at Pitter Patter Photos took some photos of our family a couple days ago.  She did a pretty good job and we are quite happy!  Just a couple shots, look for the rest on Facebook or our personal website!

6. Work out 3x per week:  I was doing this till I stubbed my toe.  Hit is smack on the pantry door frame.  It’s still swollen, thank goodness it is no longer bruised.  I even bought new running shoes!

10. Volunteer once every 3 months: well, I have not been good about this one at all.  However, I am scheduled to give blood, am growing out my hair for locks of love, have donated plenty to goodwill, and recently gave to the lots of food to The Storehouse.  Yea, I know.  Not the same as volunteering….

11. New Recipe once a month:hum, made 2 different chicken dishes: cranberry chicken, peach mango ginger chicken, Italian sausage, peppers and onions on sub, fresh homemade guacamole

19. Date Night:went to Z’Tejas with a group of friends.  All of us sans kiddos!  This was my first foray w/a HS sitter.

37. Blood Donation: Scheduled for Tuesday, Sept 1st

44. Book Reading: Finished New Moon, now onto Eclipse

51/52. Clean out Fridge and Pantry: Went thru both and tossed anything outdated.  I then proceeded to organize and clean things up a bit

62. Update MP3 Player Songs:  many thanks to Jeff.  I got a handful more alternative songs added.  I just love to run to that type of music….

102. Netflix: watched Adventureland (blah) & some of Speed Racer (Connor and Jeff liked).  We also saw GI Joe at the theater!

Shocker, I am blogging again so soon.  I figured that I had a few things to blog about, so might as well.

Let’s start with Brooke.  The lil bugger got her first cold.  Bummer, but oddly enough I found that if I rub her down w/baby vapor rub…..she sleeps thru the night!  The last couple of nights, she has gone the entire night with not a peep until 5:30ish.  Then she’ll have a bottle and go BACK to sleep until 6:30ish.  I prolly spoke too soon and jinxed the whole thing now.  She is eating puffs very well, so I plan on adding new finger foods in the coming weeks.  Think cheerios, soft carrots, avocado, tiny bits of meat.  We’re still working on the sippy cup, she can drink from it with help.  She still doesn’t quite get the hold and lift it yourself part just yet.  Same goes for the bottle.  Brooke has advanced to sitting by herself for short periods of time, woo-hoo!

Connor is gearing up for the fall sports season.  As we mentioned in earlier posts, he’ll be taking gymnastic classes on Wednesday mornings, Karate classes on Thursday mornings, and playing on a 3-4 yr old soccer team.  Our soccer team is all set.  It’s a 3 on 3 league w/no goalie.  Connor is the tallest kid on the team by close to a foot!  We have games on Saturday mornings and practices on Thursday evenings.  Our colors are maroon and yellow.  We purchased our soccer ball, shin guards, and shoes & are very excited to play!  We’re currently deciding on a team name.  For Karate, we still need to purchase a black uniform.  Once we get more involved, he’ll begin going to competitions to obtain his belts!

The kids went to Arrowhead Ranch.  It was perftoect for Connor!  We got to feed goats & chicken, pet a donkey & rabbits, and ride a horse!  He was such a big boy and did all of these things by himself!  I am so proud of him!  We had individual & family pictures taken by Naomi of Pitter Patter Photos, so stay tuned for those!  In Oct, we’ll have a family photo session w/Randy Tinney and I cannot wait.  Also coming up are the Day Out With Thomas Train Ride (Oct) and the North Pole Flyer Train Ride (Dec).

I am finally enjoying my time as stay at home mommy.  How things change!  I never knew I would want to be the person I am right now.  I am in the BEST place in life!  Thank you, Jeff!  Your support has been instrumental in me finding my place and happiness!  Now, I do have a part time gig working as a Project Manager for RDI.  I also took on another job as a sales rep for Xanboo.  The guy that owns RDI also owns this company and asked me to use my resources internally to try to get Dell to pick up the Xanboo service product.  Funny how things work out.  On a personal note, I totally bruised my pinky toe and had to take some time off running.  I am really looking forward to getting back in the groove, I even bought new shoes!  I had my first judicial experience as I was called as a jury.  The whole thing was a huge ordeal. I got lost, no parking, running late, get there, tons of people waiting around, lots of commotion…who do I talk to?  Finally find out that my case was DISMISSED!  Pfft!  I played Keno with my Mom’s group, what a BLAST!  I even won a round & came home with a really comfy fleece blanket.  I had some high school friends come in for a visit with their families.  Man, was that fun!  I saw Wicked with the girls.  Excellent play!  I totally want to read the book now!  I’ve gotten rather good at winging things to eat.  I’ve made a couple new meals that I was pretty proud of.  I am just starting to like cooking and baking.  Now if only I could enjoy cleaning as well….

Jeff is riding most days and really loving it.  He’s riding some Big Enchilada Road Bike Race on Nov 14th.  He’s still contemplating the Tour de Tucson the following weekend.  The boat is awesome and we’re looking forward to take it out as many times as we can before it gets cooler.

Jeff and I are really looking forward to our cruise in a couple weeks.  We’re all also really excited to meet our new nephew & cousin, Colt.  Mommy’s already planning Halloween costumes and Connor’s 4th birthday!

We look forward to having Nainie come out for a visit & heading out to Tucson for Thanksgiving.  Head over to our personal home page and check out the newest pics that Jeff uploaded!

Just gonna talk about the things I’ve accomplished bc I am feeling positive today. 

11. New Recipe per month - totally just winged it this month and came out with a great chicken and craisin sauce! Yummy!

17. Update Driver’s License Restrictions – this is now a gimme since I have to renew my license this year.  So sad, I LOVED, LOVED my photo on this last one.

18. Professional Family Photo – Randy Tinney will again be taking our photos this year.  I think it will be sometime in October since we like outdoor pics and it’s WAY too hot for that right now.  Plus, we got a bonus!  Since joining a mother’s group, an event was a FREE kids’ portrait with Pitter Patter Photos at the end of August!

19. Date Night – hum, anniversary dinner in June.  We went out to dinner in Tucson in July sans kiddos.  This Friday, we’re headed to Houston to pick up our boat!  Whole day to ourselves! Update: nothing planned for August as our babysitters fell thru for both things we had scheduled.  BOO! 

20. Register Connor for a sport - Karate, Soccer, Gymnastics!

34. Mani/Pedi - checks for June, July and am planning on hitting up the salon next week for August!

37. Blood Donation - scheduled for 9/01 at the RR Blood Donor Center for 1:30pm.  I have been slacking on donation.  Need to start doing it every couple of months.

43. Cloth Bags - rocking it!

44. Read – there are WAY too many that I’ve read.  I cannot even remember.  Now reading New Moon as I just finished Twilight.  I think before Twilight was Angels and Demons.

56. Update Resume - per Lee Hecht Harrison recommendations, added a couple things

60. Ride a train - Oct we will ride Thomas the Train and in Dec riding North Pole Flyer

61. Travel Outside the US – going on Caribbean Cruise, although I don’t really want to include this as I meant something more “Dramatic”

63. New MP3 Headphones – purchased!

79. Go on Cruise - already bought and paid for, scheduled for 9/14 thru 9/19!

92. Kisses to Everyone – man, this is my fave one! 

102. Netflix Movies - Bedtime Stories, Flushed Away, Bolt, Coraline….I think there are more, but I just cannot recall.  We’ve also seen Transformers 2 and GI Joe at the theaters!

103. Canopy Tour – planning one for Mill’s B-Day in November!

114. Office Furniture – we each have new desks (matching, how cute), and we both have nice chairs…

119. Photo Books – currently working on them

Well, there has been allot going on in the Cox household.

As most of you know, I was let go from my place of employment back in May.  It took me about 9 weeks to get a job.  I am currently employed for a company who supplies products to Dell, RDI Technology.  I work remotely as they are located in New York w/manufacturing facilities in China.  I am self employed and work as a Program Manager Consultant to them.  The job has been AWESOME!  It’s a part time gig w/excellent compensation.  I am so fortunate to be getting the best of both worlds, Mommy and employee!  This is the happiest I’ve been in at least 4 years!  Funny thing is since becoming employed, I have had 2 more interviews!  However, thus far nothing has come from them and honestly, I am not sure I can give up the sweet deal I have now.  I never knew this would be something I wanted, how funny that such a horrible thing like getting laid off can just open you up to a whole new world! 

I have really gotten back into running.  I even joined a group, Pfun Runners.  I do my best to run 2x per week with intentions to move to 3x.  I am currently running at a pretty decent pace, clocking in about 9:40ish minute miles.  I run one race a month and already have them all scheduled thru the end of the year.  I am currently a team captain for Renee’s Rack Pack and we are running Race for the Cure – JOIN or DONATE to our team!  I’d also like to start road biking bc Jeff is totally loving it.  We shall see….. I’ve lost about 8lbs, but still have 10lbs to go.  Sigh…..  Another thing I have gotten back into, reading!  OMG!  I read SO MUCH!  Fortunately, I only do it at night when everyone is asleep.  I mostly read chick lit, but am now reading the Twilight Series (on the 2nd book).  I am also gonna expand my horizons and pick up some stuff like The Kite Runner, The Lovely Bones, and The Time Traveler’s Wife.

The last couple of months have been planning things to do with the kids.  If you know me, I am a totally crazy planner!  CRAZY!  I joined 2 Mother’s Group and made one really nice friend.  I have started planning for one group as an asst organizer and have been giving ideas left and right to the other one.  They also have some wonderful things scheduled to do, including things for Mommy!  I am going to my first Mommy only playdate next week, Keno! Being a mommy has been more fulfilling than I originally gave it credit for.  I agree with Renee (Team S), the stress of ensuring they are learning is tremendous!  Because of my planning, networking, & research skills, I am thinking about starting a kids’ blog with things to do around town.  I am kinda lazy, though….. I also have some good ideas for Renee.  Team S, we need to sit down and chat without the kids.  Seriously, I have a plan I want to lay out with you. 

We visited Tucson in July as I helped host a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Megan.  The shower turned out great & we had a wonderful relaxing time visiting the family and introducing Brooke to everyone.  We look forward to going back over during Thanksgiving and hoping the entire family will be there!  We haven’t seen Katie in years!

I am working on a couple parties & events to round out the year, Amanda’s 30th B-Day Event, Loo’s Baby Shower, Race for the Cure, Connor’s 4th B-Day, and our Annual White Elephant Party.  I also plan Girls Night Out once a month.

I am looking forward to seeing Wicked w/the ladies in a couple weeks and going on our (no kids) Caribbean Cruise in Sept!  We also have a family photo session coming up with the wonderful awesomeness that is Randy Tinney& kids’ portrait with Pitter Patter!

Oh!  We sold our boat and got ourselves a new bigger, better one!  We went from a 2005 blue & white Supra Launch to a black & red 2008 MasterCraft X Star.  Jeff is addicted to riding and has now gotten into road biking w/his new baby – a road bike.

Now, if only I can get more motivated and get on fixing up the home a bit more, getting stuff to good will, selling some maternity and baby stuff , and doing some volunteering (well, I am growing out my hair for locks of love & I need to schedule a time to donate some blood).

Seriously, I am deliriously happy!  My cheeks hurt from smiling!  After years of not feeling like this, WHOA!