Perseverance

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another."

Walter Elliot

I find inspiration and comfort in this quotation. Particularly today. This morning, it was -25 degree wind chill and my bed was so toasty and comfy warm. After a particularly difficult morning of getting the kids out of the house to school and all I really wanted to do was go back home and crawl into that comfy bed, I still went to the Y. Short race #1, getting there.

And even after arriving late and really wanting to get done quickly, I still did my full elliptical workout. Short race #2.

And even after looking at the time and wanting to just skip the bike and move on to the pool, I rode the bike. Short race #3.

And when I was swimming and tired and worn out and not wanting to finish the mile, I swam on. Short race #4.

So today I persevered. I did what I knew I needed to do, even though my body was tired and worn out. I persevered. Somehow the -25 degree wind chill didn't seem quite as bitter on the way home.

Dance Studio Closed

This is my kitchen. See that big open space there in the middle?

Well, it has become a dance studio, a playroom, and an indoor track. Which is all fine and dandy until you actually want to cook or bake or use the kitchen for any other activity that kitchens are normally used for. And frankly, I couldn't take it anymore. I love my children but the "No Dancing and Jumping around in the Kitchen" rule was not being followed.

So my husband and I were talking about our problem area. After some measuring and some discussion and some research, we discovered that we would have room for a stand alone island. It would have to be small, but it would kill two birds with one stone; it would stop the use of our kitchen as a dance studio and it would give us some more counter space/work space and if we were lucky, a little more storage. Win/win! The other consideration when looking for an island is that we are currently renting our home, at least for the time being. So we wanted to make sure that it was removable and not too expensive.

Well, I began the search for the perfect island. After checking website after website, I did find one I liked at IKEA. It would mean a trip down there (about 3 hours) but I am always up for a drive to IKEA. The only problem is that it would be a tight fit in an already small space. We had to make sure that our fridge and dishwasher could still open. Well, I was already for a drive and a fun shopping day when I decided to check craig's list. This actually occurred to me after finding a post on pinterest where a woman found an IKEA island on craig's list and painted it and now it is this awesome focal point in her kitchen. On a side note, Pinterest simultaneously inspires me and makes me feel like I am decorating-challenged. But this particular day, I was inspired to check out craig's list. Who knows maybe I could do a similar thing!

Well, wouldn't you know it, there was an island listed for $70 in my town! So for a quarter of the price, and minus a tank of gas, maybe this island would work for our need. We went to check it out and while not perfect, we decided it might work. The bottom was almost the exact color of our cabinets and while the counter is not the same, it may go well enough. So we paid the man and loaded it our van.

After cleaning it up and using a stain pen to hide some of the scratches and chips at least until I can refinish it in the spring, it looks pretty good. We bought a couple of baskets with lids at our local World Market on sale.

And one more view from the other side!

So I think this just might work for us, a little more counter space and a little more storage. Because let's face it, who couldn't use more storage space in their kitchen. If there is any one out there that complains of having too much storage in their kitchen, I'd like to meet them and then steal their kitchen. But best of all, I think this will close the dance studio.

The best part though is that it has wheels (that lock) and if we need to have a concert or a dance party, we can move it aside!

Time Flies

How do seem to divide your day? Work/Home, School/Home, Work/School/Home. Today as I am watching the hours fly by, I realized my day is divided into several very specific time slots.

6:30-7:45--Hurry up and Get ready and get to school

7:50-7:55--Breathe a sigh of relief and take comfort in the quiet

8:00-10:45--(Most days) Go to Y and get ready

10:45-11:00--Excited to pick up Ceci and spend the rest of the day together

11:01--Realize the girl is worn out from school

11:15-11:45--Lunch with Ceci

11:45--???--Try to get Ceci to just lay down for a little bit, just to take the edge off

1:30--Give up and realize that she just might cry the rest of the day away

1:30-3:05--Try to get something done amidst the crabby, tired crying of a pre-schooler before the kids get home

3:10--Emily and Jack come home and thus begins homework and referee time

4:30-5:00--Start thinking about what to make for supper

5:00-6:00--Make supper

6:00-6:30--Eat supper

6:30-7:00--Clean up supper

7:00-7:30--Bath time

7:30-8:00--Wind down, read books

8:00--Bedtime, try to convince Cecilia that she is indeed tired and needs to sleep

8:30--Still fighting with Cecilia to go to bed

9:00--(If I'm lucky) Sit down and watch a little TV before passing out

And I wonder why I can't seem to get caught up with anything and always feel like I have a million things to do....

Back in Action

Today is a one of the best days of the year for parents everywhere. Besides the first day of school, the day the kidlets go back to school after winter break is the greatest day! There is no more fighting, no more "I'm bored" despite the mountains of new toys, and no more whining! It is a beautiful thing. The best part for me was a trip back to the Y! And after being 'off' for about 10 days, it was great to be back...for the most part.

The benefit of joining the Y in say October or November is you are not a 'newbie' come January. You know how everything works, you have a great routine in place and you know people. Now, I wouldn't say that I 'chat' with a lot of people at the Y, in fact, I really don't know many people there. But, I know their faces and we share kind hellos and knowing looks. Today was one of those days. The place was packed! I even had to switch things up a bit today because all the machines were being used.

But as I finished my first part of my workout this morning (2 miles on the treadmill and 5.5 miles on the bike) I felt revived. I was thankful to be back, listening to my ipod and feeling good. Then I went to swim. Lately, I like to get a mile swim in. I got to the pool and there wasn't a lane open! I have never seen it like this. I shared a lane with another friendly face, a woman I have seen there many times before. It was in this moment that I was thankful that I wasn't a 'newbie.' I am in no way saying that I am a veteran to the Y, but I feel comfortable there. That is where I start my day (at least 3 days a week, if not more) and today it felt amazing! Especially that first plunge into the water. I am consistently surprised at how good it feels to swim.

I never thought I would feel that way. I was never one to go to the Y and a workout seemed like a chore and I had to work up the motivation. I don't feel that way anymore. I have a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment after a good workout, a morning spent with myself and my ipod. So if you haven't started, or you are just beginning and it still feels like a chore, give it time, get in a good routine and take the time for yourself. It is a good feeling.

And even if I don't accomplish anything else all day, which sometimes can happen with 3 kids and homework and activities. I know I have accomplished something for myself. But for the record, today I also did five loads of laundry. So today, I am extremely grateful to be back in the swing of things, back into my routine and back in action.

New Year, New Start

Alright, blogland, I realize I have little to no readership but I have decided to do this for myself. I am going to use this blog as a way to be accountable to myself and the goals I have for this year. I dislike the word resolution so I prefer the word goals. So often I make resolutions and they are out of my mind by the end of January. I decided to limit myself to 12 goals. It seemed fitting...12 for 2012. They aren't new goals or in any way special, in fact I'm sure thousands are making these same goals. But here they are anyways.

1. I want to keep a blog, update it regularly with things that are important to my family and me (at least 2 times a week.)

2. I want to continue my journey to becoming more healthy. I want to continue to go to the Y at least 3 days a week and the weight loss goal continues to be 1 pound a week. I also hope not to get frustrated if I have an off week and throw it all away because of that (I tend to do that.)

3. I want to become more organized, in my home, with kids schedules and in my life in general.

4. I want to read more. My to-read book list grows ever longer and I rarely cross anything off. My goal this year is 15-20 books. I have friends who can read 50 books a year and while I want to eventually get there, I know myself and when I make goals that are two big, I get frustrated and quit before I ever get started.

5. I want to have more family fun time; game nights, movie nights, just in general hanging out and enjoying my family, at least once a month.

6. I want to figure out what I want to do with my life...narrow down the possibilities and start on the road to making it happen.

7. I want to finish some of my already-in-progress projects...at least 5. They are in various stages of completion and some started many, many years ago.

8. I want to keep my house cleaner on a daily basis. Restart my routine and stick with it. I want to organize a chore chart for the kids. They are certainly old enough to take on some of the responsibility for keeping our house a home and helping out is part of being a family.

9. I want to build and grow a vegetable garden in our back yard. Nothing big, but a nice garden to grow some of our own food.

10. I want to cook more of our meals. And more than that, I want try more new recipes. We get stuck in the same meal rut on a pretty regular basis. I'd like to try 2 new recipes a month.

11. I want to learn one new skill this year. I'm not really sure what that skill will be but I want to learn something new.

12. I want to get away for at least one long weekend with my husband. It will be our 10th anniversary this year and we never took a honeymoon. It is time we reconnected without our children. Also as a piggy back goal to that, I want to have more date nights. We rarely do things together alone and I think that is important for our relationship.

So that's it. 12 goals for 2012. At first my little list was hard to come up with but as I got started I realized I could go on and on and on. Good thing I am limiting it to 12. I feel like I might be more successful if I don't start off too big.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can make these goals more attainable? Have you had success with your new years goals in the past? What are your goals for 2012?

Wordless Wednesday

Someone has to do the work around here!

Well....me and Papa!

Adventures in Baking

So as some of you know, I love to bake and these are two of my latest endeavors. The first are some apple cupcakes I made for Emily's birthday. They were super easy and turned out really cute, at least I think so. The idea came from a cupcake book called What's New Cupcake? They are just regular cupcakes with a little donut on top covered in frosting and sugar and the stem is a tootsie roll and the leaf is a tootsie roll.

The second is a Chocolate Strawberry Torte that I made for dinner with my sister and her fiance one night. I made it all from scratch including the glaze and it was unbelievably delicious.