Busy Fun Weekend

Homecoming Parade!

Isn't it great to live in a town where homecoming is a reason to close down business for a day?

Living in my college town for 7 years, I had never made it to the homecoming parade.  I'm really glad that I braved the traffic and made my way downtown for this year's parade.  Don't laugh, I'm afraid of being faced with the situation of a crowded place with no parking.  This fear keeps me from attending a lot of fun things....As a last minute decision, my friend and decided to throw the strollers in the trunk and find a spot.  We found a parking spot 8 blocks away and strolled our way downtown.  We found the perfect shaded spot, with not too many "shady people" around.  The kids did great, considering the length of parade I was impressed (~ two hours). After the parade we rewarded the kids (and ourselves) with pizza.  

Friday night I FINISHED the 5K101 training program.  I am so friggin' proud of myself--more on this in another post! 

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Check out this photo, Dahlia and Mimi last year, and Dahlia and Mimi this year. Wow.  My kid has grown so much, it makes me sad/happy.  Let me tell you, taking these two to the pumpkin patch this year was no walk in the park! It was like a workout trying to get photos of these two doll's sitting by a pumpkin.  My friend and I joked that we look back at these photos only we'll know what a sweaty mess we were trying to get them!

In the end I managed to get a few nice ones.  My kid cannot not be convinced to smile.  I miss the days where a set of jingling keys or a funny noise made them crack the world's cutest smile. ah well.  I saw a bunch of people there with tiny babies and my heart ached a little thinking about how much Mimi has grown, last year that was me propping my kid up against a pumpkin and jingling some keys and getting the world's cutest smile.  Now I'm chasing Mimi down as she runs completely disinterested in the colorful kodak moment pumpkins, just wanting to check out the bounce houses.  Atleast she wore the green fall dress I scored on ebay for 99 cents! I think I'll make her wear it again for Thanksgiving.  

Having Friday off was a DREAM.  Here it is Saturday night and I'm thinking, "oh man my weekend is over" but in reality I have all day tomorrow too!  

I have about 5 loads of laundry staring me down.  You all have a great weekend!

Thanks Jess!

Beach Camping

There's something so magical about camping at the beach.  We live about 1.5 hours away from the beach.  This is just long enough to make it somewhat inconvenient to go often.  Camping at the beach is a cheap and really fun solution to this problem...

Bring on one of many (I hope) fall camping trips.  We have a group of about 8-10 friends that share our joy for camping.  A couple times a year we all pack up our cars and embark on these really fun weekends where we all come back dirty, sweaty, tired, and 2 lbs heavier from all the food.  I grew up camping, it brings me closer to my 'roots' so to speak to sleep in a tent and cook eggs over a fire.  I love it.  In Florida you have to change your mindset a little.  Up north where I grew up, you can only camp (comfortably) from May-Sept maybe.  In Florida, these are the months you DO NOT want to be sleeping in a tent outside.  So we've had to transition to enjoying camping in oct, nov, april, and may.  My husband didn't grow up camping, but he loves it.  We want Mimi (and other future children) to share this love.  As a side note--it's kind of funny, I was just reading my friend's blog about how she wants her daughter to share her love of food, and my wording here is so similar, just substitute camping---lol anyway....

We want Mimi to feel at ease sleeping outdoors, being around a fire, and getting a little dirty and not fussing.  She's there man--this kid can camp.  This was not her first camping trip, but this time we did not bring the travel crib.  We had her just sleep right between us in the tent, something we've never even done at home---ever.  But we were trying to travel light due to the number of people and space.  She did well with the hazards of the campsite.  We wore her out walking and swimming and beachin' it up.  We even kept her up late and took her to the beach with us at night and let her run around and play with glow sticks.  My husband went swimming at night and said it was really fun.  I enjoyed the cool breeze and the stargazing wrapped up in my fleece.

I will spare you more camping details.  Just know, you CAN camp with a one-year-old, and it CAN be fun and safe.

I hope to do one or two more of these weekends before it gets really cold.

Cheers!

This week will be busy,
2 weeks left to the 5K, i'll be finishing week 8 (last one) of my training program this week
We are cooking dinner for two great friends celebratin their bday's tomorrow
We have Friday off for homecoming!

Later Gators....

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our two year wedding anniversary.  A lot has happened in the last two years.  My husband has been there for me through a lot! Pregnancy, childbirth, knee surgery, job changes, stress, you name it.  I may complain about him sometimes, but he's a great husband.  Marriage is work.  I hope we keep working hard at it and enjoying each other.

Here's to many more years, many more babies, and many more great moments for the two of us

If you are a super cyber stalker and want to see more photos of our wedding, message me and I'll send you the link :-)

Feeling Truly Run Down

Each night I've been fighting the urge to crash into bed at 8pm.  I'm exhausted.  I feel exhausted everyday lately.  I'm not quite sure where this exhaustion is stemming from.

I've been pushing myself really hard trying to get through my 5K training workouts.  I run the 5K October 23.  Yesterday I ran 3 1-mile intervals and when I got home I laid down on the cool tile feeling like I was going to throw up for about 10 minutes.  I think I was dehydrated.

When I'm home with Mimi in the afternoon and evenings I struggle to keep up with her and when she goes to bed at 8 I melt into the couch like I've run a marathon.

Blah.  Well I started taking my vitamins again and I'm trying to stay hydrated.   I'll give you an example as to why I think it's dehydration---I weigh myself every morning at the same time under the same variables, and sometimes for fun I weigh myself before bed (I know it's a little obsessive).  I've noted that on average, I lose 1.5-2 lbs between night and morning. Today I actually weigh less a night than I did this AM.  Because I haven't exercised today (it's my rest day), and I've been eating today, it's likely dehydration.

My appetite is decreased as well.

I know this isn't a very exciting post.  Well usually mondays I update my weight.  This morning I was 187.2 I think, tonight I was 186.  I'm going to try to drink some water though, so who the frick knows what I'll be tomorrow morning! **Tuesday I was 186**

I have to do my run tomorrow night and I'm actually dreading it.  I need to readjust my attitude and go into with my best foot forward.


I hope everyone out there is doing well!  Good luck to all my TTCing friends, newly preggo friends, and weight losers!  I send my love and support to you all no matter what you're aiming for!

I love all the comments you guys give and am thankful to all my readers. Have a great night!

My Blissful Saturday

Today was full of french toast, errands, boating, and tissues.  I got stuff done.  Spent the day out on the water, ate delish bbq, kissed Mimi 5,000 times, and now I'm lounging in bed with a cold.  This cold can't even take away from my day.  Here are some photos of my day for you all....

I love my daddy

I love the curls, please stay curly please stay curly...

Could that FL fall sky be any bluer?!

Spring fed systems ate perpetually 72 degrees F--BRRRRR

ah boating down the river.... 

Mimi fall photo shoot in our front yard this morning.

French Toast mmmmmm

I hope these loopy curls stay.

How you make your choices

Just a warning--I'm in a really bad mood today......

I catch a lot flack sometimes from other people for the choices I make for my kid. Which I think we can safely say all moms experience this.  Everywhere I turn someone is unhappy with what I'm doing as a parent--friends, mothers (my mother and MIL), daycare provider, even my husband! So I just want to politely say SHUT UP.  I make my choices based on the information I have available to me, what my family can afford, and what I think is right best for my kid. 

Now I've been accused of not taking advice well.  I think my friend is actually scared to give me her opinion because she thinks I take everything personally.   I believe there's a difference from someone telling you what worked for them or sharing an experience they have had or heard about, and someone telling you what you're doing is wrong--or even that what you're doing is "silly" or "stupid."

Yesterday my husband saw me feeding Mimi some Tyson chicken nuggets out of desperation because the kid was starving and HE hadn't made dinner yet.  He says to me in a snide voice "do you even know what you're feeding her!? did you read the ingredients!?"  Yes honey, it's chicken and breading.  Will the occasionally frozen chicken nugget kill her? No. I mean really? God he sounded like one those smug moms who "only buys organic" because of the propaganda brainwashing us into thinking "organic is always better." 

My approach is to look at what Mimi eats the most (ie exposure risk), where pesticides are concentrated the most, and see what organic products are available in our area that I can afford.  The local grocery store I shop at also has a really nice assortment of both LOCAL and ORGANIC stuff, and I will buy organic fruits and vegetables when they're in season and available at a price I can afford.  Knowing where your food comes from can be just as important as whether it is organic or not ( imported fruit was four times more likely than domestic to have illegal pesticide levels, and imported vegetables were more than two times as likely, according to an FDA study from 2006).  Yes, I said "when I can afford them."  Our budget is tight. I can't afford to buy ALL organic, so I do what I can.  I also don't think organic is always better, safer, or superior.  The two things I regularly purchase organic are apple products (juice, applesauce, etc) and dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese). 

Why?

Apples (and some other thin-skinned fruits)

Washed, conventional fruits with delicate skins like peaches, apples, nectarines, and strawberries are especially pesticide-laden, whereas tougher-skinned veggies like onions, avocadoes, and sweet corn require and retain far less chemicals, according to an analysis of 87,000 FDA and USDA pesticide tests.  Apples were found to have 42 Pesticide Residues by the USDA Pesticide Data Program.  Now--take this excessively large number with a grain of salt---not all "found residues" are found at levels toxic to humans.  Some "toxic levels" haven't been established yet--which is pretty scary, because that means there's no legal limit that grower's produce can't exceed....

Applejuice and applesauces were tested separately because they are considered processed and have varying levels of pesticides in them as well. 

Resource Link:  United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pesticide Data Program (PDP)

Milk-(and other dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, cream etc)

Now a disclaimer--Mimi gets organic milk, organic yogurt, and some organic cheeses.  Not all of her cheese is organic, and I don't buy ice cream made from organic milk, but she doesn't consume ice cream in the same quantities as she does milk.  If she gets non-organic stuff I don't panic.  And I try not to be smug about it. 

According to the USDA Pesticide Data Program, Milk contained on average12 pesticide esidues.  These included

4  Known or Probable Carcinogens

8  Suspected Hormone Disruptors

4  Neurotoxins

3  Developmental or Reproductive Toxicants\

Now let me let you in on something you might not expect---domestic organic milk also contained some of these pesticide residues--but in lesser percentages (about 1/3 of the amount of conventional domestic milk).  I know what you're thinking "What!? My organic milk is supposed to be all organic!"  Wake up and smell the pesticides sister!  Use of pesticides is so broad and excessive that it's ubiquitous in our environment.

So am I saying that because I use organic milk and some fruits that my kid won't get cancer? No, there are so many other physiological factors, genetic factros, lifestyle factors, and environmental factors that come into play there...

Am I saying that if she ate conventional fruits (especially apples and peaches) and milk she will get cancer? No, but hre risk may be higher due to increased exposure to known carcinogens.  I don't think you can deny that.  

Am I saying I'm better than you because I buy these products organic? God no. This is one of the plethora of decisions I make for Mimi.  Mothers are faced with decisions everyday.  What I don't understand is why mothers think that there's one true way to do things? I can raise my kid differently than others and we can all still be making the best decisions based on our situations.  

So I'm going to keep on buying my organic milk (which only cost $1 more per gallon) and my organic apple products.  And i'll still sleep at night even if you judge me and think I'm being smug.