Project Declutter

I've decided I can't stand the clutter in my house anymore. Since it is a new year, I feel a wee bit inspired to tackle something else other than my exercise regimen. I am on a mission to declutter my home. This is a HUGE undertaking. We have a lot of . . . clutter. I will go room by room and slowly begin to put things away, throw things away and just make things go away. This is not simple either - I have 2 boys and a husband. The boys come with a lot of stuff and that stuff is usually all over the floor on a daily basis. I'm not too sure how to handle that one other than with one word every mother has come to love - basket. I have baskets all over the house and I think I'm going to have to invest in a few more to tackle this project. They are lifesavers when you have children. Just dump everything in a nice-looking basket, stick it in the corner and voila, organized room. That's a little trick moms love. As for everything else that's taking up precious space in my house, well, I'll cross that blocked bridge when I get to it.

The Good and The Bad

So far, so good on the exercise front. I'm not doing as much as I would like, but I am getting in about 15-20 minutes of aerobic activity in the morning. The kids really don't allow for much more - this one is waking up from a nap, the other is trying to trip me while I'm doing a little salsa routine. It's just not easy, but I am committed to doing something each day so I do.

I'm in the midst of trying to take down all of the Christmas decorations and am failing miserably. There is not one room in the house that is Christmas-free yet. OK, maybe the master bedroom is, but that's easy because I only had a candle in the window up there. The clean-up is yet another thing on my list of "stuff that makes me feel like crap." What? You don't have one of those lists? You're lucky!

Off To a Good Start

I am pleased with my first day of exercise. I did 15 minutes of aerobic activity and 50 crunches. I thought that was an excellent start. I figure I can get some exercise in while baby boy #2 naps in the morning before I take a shower. Only problem is the 3-year old likes to try to join in on my exercise routine. He kind of gets in the way and throws me off a bit, but at least I'm moving! So I think I've got a schedule started when at some point in the afternoon, dear hubby asks if I would like to start working out with him. Is he reading my blog? Anyway, I don't want to say no so I agree. He's putting me on some weight training schedule. Scary!!! I only managed to do a couple sets of leg presses and some minor work on the calf machine before baby boy #2 started yelping for me. I can't imagine what dear hubby has in store for me. I'm sure I'll be complaining about it in no time.

My 30 Day Exercise Challenge

I've been thinking for the past 3 days about something I can do to challenge myself and give myself a goal to work towards. After seeing the movie Julie & Julie, I understand that goals are something that provide purpose to a somewhat mundane life. Having children puts you on the backburner, and I thought I could really use something to put me on a front burner for a while. I'm NOT going to cook every recipe in a cookbook - that would just be silly since I barely have time to get dinner on the table now. As I was laying in bed last night thinking about this, I realized I don't feel great. Why don't I feel great? I haven't exercised in . . . a long time . . . probably since before I got pregnant with baby boy #2. He's 7 months old. You do the math. So, how about this? For the next 30 days I will do some form of exercise every day. Whether it's a 30-minute aerobic routine, a walk in the mall, or 20 crunches, I will do SOMETHING that constitutes exercise. I will start today and post tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year 2010

Yes, it's been a while since I posted here. I don't know what happened really. I suppose having 2 boys has been a bit time-consuming. However, inspired by the movie Julie & Julia, which I received as a Christmas gift, I've decided to start blogging again. Without too much detail, I'll just give you an overview of where we are.

Baby boy #2 is now 7 months old and all in all a good boy. He's very pleasant and smiles and laughs quite a bit. Most of the time he sleeps through the night, and I mean from 8pm - 7am. No complaints there. When he does wake up overnight now, it's mostly due to teething. Ugh - teething is terrible. Another little secret most moms forget to tell you. I hear stories of how in the old days, parents/grandparents would put a little whiskey over the gum area where the tooth was coming in. Since I'm opting out of that time-honored soother, I'm dealing with a miserable baby who just wants to be held by mom. And I specifically mean mom. Dad just won't do in these situations and I'm not exactly sure why. It's mom or screaming. Most nights it's mom. Some nights when mom is just too tired, it's screaming.

The 3 year old is adjusting well to life with another one in the house. He's come to realize he's no longer the center of attention, albeit he doesn't care for it much, but he gets it. He's a little wise guy who doesn't really listen and puts up a good fight, but I still love him to death. What can I do, he's mine.

I'm ok, I guess. It's been an adjustment for me. There have been days where I swore I just would NOT be able to make it through with 2 of them in the house and zero time for me. But I somehow muddled through and have come to the conclusion it gets easier. I think it gets easier because I learn how to handle things better. The baby is becoming more independent and can play for a little while by himself (I stress little while) so I can squeeze some things in that I need or want to get done. It's a true juggling act and it's compromise for everyone, even the baby. He needs to realize I have a life too that miraculously does not involve him. Ok, so maybe he doesn't realize that yet, but someday he will. Maybe in about 20 years.