Sunday Morning

Sunday morning after breakfast Chris and I have always sat and read the paper.  Corbin has decided to join in on the action!

Chris always reads the “real” paper, while Corbin and I go for the ads; in particular I love the Target ad and Corbin loves the car ads.

It’s fun to have a new member join our Sunday morning paper reading tradition!  Who knows maybe he’ll find us a good deal on a car.

“These prices are outrageous!”

“Umm, this is an interesting car.”

“Read about this deal guys!”

“Lovin’ me some Sunday morning paper.  Can I get some coffee over here please...heavy on the milk.”

Flashback Friday

My brother borrowed a few baby things from us and they were returned to us this weekend.  Of course Corbin had to check out all the baby gear and try out what he could.

One of his favorite new discoveries was the Bumbo seat.  He has sat and played with it several times since its return.

I knew he used it often as a baby so I went back and found a picture of him in the Bumbo at 5 months compared to what he looks like in it now at 21 months.

He’s grown just a tad:)  He definitely has lost his baby look and is all little boy.  What fun to grow and change!

Where?

So Corbin’s potty chair has continued to sit in the bathroom, but it has not been a hat for the last few days.  Wahoo…this potty training thing is SO easy;) 

Anyway, yesterday and today I have just randomly asked Corbin if he would like to sit on the potty without his diaper.  Every time it has been an enthusiastic yes.  So I take off the pants and diaper and he sits for all of about 10 seconds and then he’s done.

Tonight as his bath was getting ready I took off his diaper, he sat for about 3 seconds, and then went and stood by the tub and peed on my foot.  Yea!!  We peed without a diaper on right by the potty…that has to count for something doesn’t it? 

Oh my!  At least it was on tile and it gave us a learning opportunity to talk about what just happened and how next time he should try to actually sit on the potty.  I’m sure he will remember and put into action everything that deep discussion addressed…haha!

And on a sidenote, Chris as my witness, I sat there as calm as can be while my child peed on me.  Score one point for me on the potty training scoreboard.

Delusions

Most parts of parenting thus far I have not had delusions about.  I’ve been pretty realistic at what to expect until now…until this issue.

For the past month Corbin has shown signs of early potty training.  So I thought that perhaps a potty chair would be an appropriate next step.  Chris ordered one from Amazon.com and it came this week.

I thought once that potty chair came he would magically want to go to the bathroom in it.  Yes people, I thought that chair would be the one thing that just excites him to saying goodbye to that constricting diaper and embrace the big boy world of going potty on the chair.  DELSUION – What was I thinking?

I knew (really I did) that that wouldn’t be the case, but I hoped it would.  I tried to tell myself it wouldn’t be the case, but somehow I still held onto hope that some magic allure of the potty would win Corbin over.

So as I took Corbin into the bathroom and set that “magical” potty down I held my breath to see if perhaps my delusion would become reality. 

Well, he excitedly sat on the potty with his clothes on.  Ok, good…I felt like this was a step in the right direction.  But then it went downhill from there.  The potty got pushed around…fine exploration.  Then the potty pot came in and out, in and out…fine it’s like a putting a puzzle together.  Finally, the potty pot became a hat.  Yup, he proudly placed the pot on his head and walked around.

That was the moment my delusion started to fade.  I’m sad to report that in the five days since we’ve had the potty it’s been nothing but a hat and a nuisance to navigate for us.

I’m also sad to report that my delusion still lingers in my mind.  I know, really, let it go!!  The potty chair has no magic powers.  The potty chair is not going to entice Corbs to pee.  The potty chair is nothing but an overpriced hat right now in his mind.  And yet, I still hold on to my delusion that he will one day see that potty chair and just pull his diaper off and pee.  Oh how sad for me….it’s not going to happen.

Maybe I hold on to the delusion because I know that as soon as I let it go I will fully realize the reality of my situation.  That potty training will not be done by the potty chair, but by me.  That I will have to place considerable time, effort, and thought into training Corbin. 

Ahh well, for now we are in no hurry to potty train.  He’s fine in diapers.  I’m fine with him in diapers.  And the potty chair stays clean so it can be used as a hat.  I guess it’s a win win for everyone right now.

One day the delusion will leave me and that will be a sad reality check.  But until then I still hold out hope that the potty chair will beckon Corbin to come try it out and discover its powers.

Wordless Wednesday

And then a little “what the what Wednesday” picture to end.

P90X Update #1

My three loyal blog followers have been clamoring for an update on Chris and my new exercise program.  So to give my loyal readers what they want I’ll write a brief update. 

Chris and I have completed two weeks of P90X and are still fully functioning human beings!  From the beginning the outlook appeared grim:  up at 5:00am and working out 6 days a week sounded like we might be long gone, but we’ve survived.  We have not sustained any major injuries or severe muscle soreness and continue to press forward.

The overall biggest surprise to me was the “do-ability” of P90X.  I was intimidated before we began, but it’s not all that bad.  If you are in decent shape you’ll be able to do most everything they are doing.  You might not be able to do quite as many repetitions as the instructor, but you’d be surprised that it’s not as hard as it looks.  Having said that, you must understand I imagined it would be a near-death experience.  In fact, I was worried that since we were doing it downstairs we might not be able to drag ourselves back up the stairs, but that’s not been the case. :)

Overall, most days are ok.  Monday’s are the worst because you work on arms and chest.  The main focus of that exercise is pull ups and push ups.  Oh. My. Word.  I had not idea mankind had so many variations of the pushups.  From military, to wide-v, diamond to elevated….the list continues and they are exhausting and horrendous.  For me, definitely the worst part the program.

The most amusing part is yoga.  Watching Chris (and I’m sure myself, but I can’t see myself) do some of those poses is ridiculous!  Also they end that session with “Ohhmms”…I kid you not.  They loudly “ohhmm” it out and it’s just too cheesy for words.

Oh, the most pressing question on your mind I’m sure is if we have lost weight or look better.  Nope and nope.  Nothing much has happened yet…give it time, right?  Well things better be happening soon because I’m not up before the sun, sweating it out in my basement just for the fun of it.

So, we are on a good start but it’s just the beginning of a long road ahead…bring it on P90X!

Meet the Family…

Last night our little family loaded up the car to head over to Grandma’s house to have supper, but more importantly meet Kati’s new boyfriend!

We got there at 4:00 pm and the poor guy had just arrived.  So we were the first wave of people he met. And I mean really it’s always nice to start with the best people first;)  (JUST JOKING!!  Although I’m an official part of the family, it’s not good to make anyone upset with me:)

So we got to sit and visit with Tim.  He is super nice and very musically talented.  The guy plays at least four instruments!  He was also so very nice and pulled out his guitar for Corbin to see and touch. 

After sometime with us then the next wave came and he met one set of great grandparents and then a little later another wave of great grandparents came.

Whoa, poor guy had a houseful to come and meet him!  But he handled it well and did a great job of fitting in with the family.  It also didn’t hurt that he was very complimentary of Corbin.  That won him brownie points in my book!

We had a great evening meeting Tim and hanging with the family.  We’ll see if he comes back;)

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Winter temperatures are sure to pop up soon which will put us inside more and more.  So I am trying to create an arsenal of activities that will burn off some energy and keep Corbin active when this Momma doesn’t want to brave the cold temperatures outside.

An idea I came across (and I’m sorry I don’t remember where…I wish I could give this person credit but I don’t remember) is musical hide and seek.

The idea is simply to take a music playing stuffed animal, hide it in a different room, and then have your kiddo run to find the animal.

Corbin has really loved this activity and he’s fun to watch.  Down our hallway we have three doorways and he always stops in the middle of the hall and listens SO carefully to decide which room to go in.

Then he runs into the room, stops again, looks around and begins to walk slowly to the sound.

Once and awhile he will hide the animal for me to find, but I don’t think he fully understands that concept.  Most of the time his “hiding” is throwing the animal on the floor and then pulling me to the exact spot:)  But for older kiddos that could be a fun variation for them.

Happy musical hide and seek!

Jesus Calling

It’s nice to have someone help carry the load.

Jesus does that for me.  He carries my load because I’m sure not strong enough. 

As I have gotten older, gone through more trials, and seen more of life my relationship with Jesus has grown.  One of the ways this has happened is by creating intentional time to study my Bible, spend time in prayer, and spend time with God. 

One of my requested gifts for Christmas was the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.  It’s short daily passages that are powerful and inspiring reminders of God.  This book has been amazing!  I have yet to find a devotional book that has such short passages but that are so powerful.  I often am thinking about the message I have read in the morning all day long.

As the new year begins if you are searching for an inspirational way to start your mornings check out this book.  It’s a great way to jump start the day!

The passages are valuable reminders that God is always there pushing my load along for me!

Pinterest Follow Through

I blogged about my new obsession with Pinterest in November.  I still love it, I still have boards full of ideas and stuff, but I began to wonder what do I do with it? 

I have used a few recipes from Pinterest.  But I have mostly just THOUGHT about making recipes, decorating my house, or creating some craft that I have found.  My actual follow-through in doing anything from Pinterest is slim to none.

So I began to wonder: what do people do with their Pinterest boards?  Is there anyone who is actually being productive with the information they have attached to their boards?  Or are they wasting endless hours, like me, perusing Pinterest with the full awareness that most likely anything they pin will just sit on their board and die a slow death of boredom because nothing is actually going to be put into action. 

However, after further “deep reflection” about this matter I concluded that it doesn’t matter.  I enjoy my hypothetical wonderings and pinnings on Pinterest. I enjoy thinking about doing those things I pin far more than I would if I actually went out and tried to create, craft, or construct any of the ideas.  So I will continue to waste my idle time on Pinterest because it’s fun and enjoyable.  If anything productive actually comes from my pinnings then hooray, that’s a bonus and I will be pleasantly surprised at my “nonproductive Pinterest self”.

Happy Pinning!

Around and Around We All Fall Down

A new fascination has occurred around our house with Corbin.  He loves, loves, loves to turn around in circles making himself dizzy.

Turning is not a new thing for him but his obsessive need to continue turning until he can barely walk is new.  I seriously don’t know how the kid goes in circles as long as he does.  I get dizzy just watching him!

Chris and I often laugh WITH him (not at him).  After his many circles his walking is quite entertaining.  We also may or may not add to the chuckles by asking him to kick a ball for us.  Oh my now that can be funny!

Ahh yes, Corbin is experimenting and we get to watch…what fun!

What the What Wednesday

The other day I hear “Mommy?” being called from down the hallway.  (Sidenote: in the last few weeks Corbin has changed from calling me Mama to Mommy and I occasionally get a Mom here and again…that should be a what the what post all to itself.  I’m not at all sentimental and I love watching Corbin grow up and don’t usually pine for his “younger” days but I do miss being called Mama by my little boy)

Ok, anyway, as I was saying I hear “Mommy” being said down the hall and hear little feet coming so I wait.  And I was not disappointed by the wait.  I was greeted by this…

Corbin had a box on his head calling out my name as if he didn’t have the capabilities to pull the box off his head to find me.  It was hilarious.  He spent many minutes walking around the house with this box (excuse me he called it a hat) with his “hat” on his head running into the walls, the cabinets, the couch, etc and then acting surprised when things were in his way…what the what!?!?  

I love the perspective of a one year old!

New Year = New Program

I love New Years Day.  It’s always been a fun holiday in my family.  We eat junk food ALL day long and watch football.  This year it has been even better because Chris off January 1st and 2nd, so we have been immersed in football and been in a food induced coma for two days….really, it’s been great!

But as I sit typing (eating my Chex Mix and drinking my 3rd can of Dr. Pepper for the day…oh my!) I am thinking about tomorrow.  Why?  Because tomorrow morning will bring an alarm ringing in my ear at 5:00 am.  This will bring me rolling out of bed, lacing up my shoes, and trying P90X for the first time.

Yup, Chris and I are going to try it out.  Our goal is to get up 6 days a week for 90 days and do this program. 

Even as I’m typing this I cringe in fear!  5 am…working out 6 days a week….yuck, this sounds horrible.

I hesitate to even blog about this because this could really fail miserably. However, that will be part of the journey.  I will do periodic blog posts and keep you all updated on the progress…good or bad!

So January 3rd, 2012 will be the beginning of the P90X adventure.  Wish us luck….