March Goals- Update

New Years Goals that will be included monthly:

1. Write in a journal every day-as was mentioned in my mid-month review, I skipped a few too many days and started over. I am back on track with journaling and am rather enjoying the nightly ritual. Hopefully I continue to keep it up because it really has been good for me.
2. Take at least one picture a day- going strong with this one. I have been enjoying seeing the pictures at the end of the month. It's been difficult some days to pick just one and other days I only take one picture in order to continue the streak.
3. Run and/or walk 105 miles- I passed the 105 mile mark. As of today I am at 109.81 for the month but I still have my run to complete tonight. It was a low mileage month, but still over my goal, so I am happy.
4. Run at least one mile every day to continue running streak- There is not much that will stop me from continuing my running streak. I do wish that I had made my goals a little smaller so that I could celebrate the small successes. Going from 100 days to 250 days in a row as a goal is a lot. Obviously it doesn't prevent me from reaching a milestone and celebrating that on my own. Today is day 162 in a row.
5. Track on MFP- I am on day 11 of my streak. And out of those 11 days I have tracked every single thing all 11 days. Woot Woot! If that's not the right way to start a streak then I don't know what is. I mean, yeah I could have stayed within my calories, but I'm not being picky right now. Getting in the habit of tracking is priority numero uno.
6. Read two books- I am still halfway through my second book for the month. It took me entirely too long to get into this book. Now that I'm about halfway through it is finally starting to hold my attention. I'm not really one to stop reading a book once I've started (except once, but that was just awful). I'm trying to get through it and can only hope that the next book I choose for my first book of April is an easy one (like Nicholas Sparks).

March Goals:

1. Have at least one child free date night with Patrick- We ended up going out last week on a "date". Isabel had Spring Break and since both Patrick and I were working early my parents agreed to let her spend the night. We had dinner with them at their house and then did a quick workout at the gym before it closed and then headed to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls. It was fun, spontaneous and all around a learning experience that 1. Tracy does not do well with golf and 2. Patrick should not bring Tracy to the driving range if he is looking for time to concentrate on his form.
2. Take Isabel to Paint-A-Dream (as a family)- We did not all end up going to Paint a Dream together as a family, however I did take Isabel and my niece to the Princess Party yesterday and they got to see Anna and Elsa again. They painted a crown, sang songs, ate a cupcake and listened to the sisters read a story. I think they had a good time.
3. Have a great 5K race with Isabel- We definitely had a great time (as explained at the halfway point update). She went for a quick run with me on Saturday since Patrick was out of town for the day and wouldn't be home until later. She didn't complain and we had fun going together. Maybe she'll be asking to run another race again sooner than I thought.

4. Throw Isabel the best birthday party EVER- Still what I would consider a success. My boss even told me that I could be a party planner in my next life. Although I loved planning our wedding and Isabel's birthday parties and think that they turned out well, I highly doubt I could ever do it for anyone else that I am not extremely close with and already know their style.  

5. Update budget and track- I will be updating our budget sheet tonight for the month of March. As of yesterday our net worth had fallen slightly (nothing significant) and I was highly impressed with how everything else fell. I knew that March was going to be a tough month to budget for and feel like we managed well. Could have been better, could have been a lot worse. I think April is going to be a very telling month for us and our budget as to how things will be for the majority of the year and I am actually looking forward to focusing on it.
6. Complete NMTZ Challenge- Failed.
7. Make progress on blanket- I briefly worked on the blanket for about 10 minutes a few days ago and it has since been sitting on the coffee table staring at me, feeling neglected. I am still on the purple color that I was on a month ago. I have a tendency to get in these craft moods and start these projects that I late regret and never finish. I can't begin to tell you how many cross stitch kits I have started and ended up getting rid of because they just sat there collecting dust. Hence why one of my goals on my bucket list is to actually finish one.
8. Do not go overboard (food wise) celebrating birthdays- I believe overall I did well. I really can't think of anything that I ordered that was too awful. I did soup and salad for my dinner, ordered what I wanted for my lunch at work and ate half and I tracked everything for my sisters birthday and ended up only going over by like 25 calories. I felt generally satisfied overall and can't recall a celebration this past month where I felt I overindulged (except maybe the day of Isabel's birthday party.

Thankful Thursday #3

1. I am still thankful for all of the help I received for Isabel's birthday party last Saturday. It was above and beyond what I could have hoped for and I really think the whole day went perfectly.

2. I am thankful for budgeting and finding a system that works for us in order to view everything quickly and easily. It helps me to see the numbers and the progress we are making on our debts and on our savings for the future. I am awful at math, but I'm definitely a numbers girl.

3. I am thankful that my family is supportive of my decisions. Granted, the particular decision I'm talking about (which I will share with you all tomorrow) affects me more than anyone, but they are always willing to stand on my side no matter what I decide to do, and I am thankful for that.

4. Here's a vague one. I am thankful that there are certain opportunities to grow. I'm not sure what the outcome will be, but I'm ready to see what the future may hold. I am in a pretty good place mentally and I know that whatever is supposed to happen, will happen, but I'm leaning towards a certain ending to this chapter. We shall see!

5. I am thankful for therapy. And I'm definitely getting my money's worth this week!

Mileage Update #9

Mileage update: (the photo is not correct, but should correct itself to the actual total mileage by next week)

Monthly mileage goal: 105 miles

Monthly mileage as of 3/18: 65.26 miles 

Yearly mileage goal: 1250 miles

Yearly mileage as of 3/18: 333.01 miles

26.64% complete

Total mileage recorded to date (1/1/12-3/18/14): 2083.02 miles

Running streak goal: 500 days

Running streak: day 149

This week's mileage: 17.78 mile week

Wednesday- 1.15 mile interval run

Thursday- 2.04 mile interval run

Friday- 1.28 mile interval run

Saturday- 3.11 mile interval run

Sunday- 1.24 mile interval run

Monday- 1.34 mile walk, 2.05 mile walk, 1.47 mile interval run

Tuesday- 1.34 mile walk, 1.34 mile walk, 1.42 mile interval run

Pictures from this week:

March Goals- Update

New Years Goals that will be included monthly:

1. Write in a journal every day- This is not happening anymore. I'm a little disappointed that I missed a few days, but I do plan on picking it back up. Writing in a journal for a year means a year straight, not necessarily January 1st- December 31st. It can be March 16th - March 15th.
2. Take at least one picture a day- Still going strong. I was better about using my actual camera for a while, but started relying on my phone again. It's time to start carrying the actual camera around again.
3. Run and/or walk 105 miles- Going strong and slightly ahead of schedule. This month has not been as high mileage as the last two, but I am still anticipating reaching (and maybe even slightly exceeding) my goal.
4. Run at least one mile every day to continue running streak- Check! I am doing really well with my streak and am trying to go out for more than one mile at a time. I was falling back and doing the bare minimum for running and so now my goal is to do two miles a day with the occasional days of only doing one to reach my goal. Life happens sometimes and you only can make time to get out for a short run, but you're still doing it...
5. Track on MFP- As I mentioned on Saturday, I missed a day of tracking so I am starting my streak over. I was hoping to use it as motivation to track everything, however I already failed that task by only tracking breakfast for the past few days. I think the anxiety of planning and throwing Isabel's birthday party was covered up by eating. A lot.. I'm thinking of taking a quick break from tracking for the rest of the month and getting back in it full force on April 1st. I will still be very conscious of what I am eating, but mentally I need the break through at least my birthday.
6. Read two books- One down one to go! Although I've started the first chapter twice already because I can't seem to stay interested before falling asleep. I may need to start it during the day so that I'm not lying down while reading which makes me more tired.

March Goals:

1. Have at least one child free date night with Patrick- Not yet, and I'm not sure if we will this month..
2. Take Isabel to Paint-A-Dream (as a family)- Not yet. She's going to be going up on the 30th for the princess party with the Frozen sisters, so this may not happen either. I will probably try to think of another date idea for us to do as a family, although we have done dinner out twice with just the three of us and that has been really nice.
3. Have a great 5K race with Isabel- Success! She did a fantastic job on the run and I am so proud of her. Her little legs worked hard to run with me the whole time and she only had one mini meltdown where she wanted to stop. We were at the halfway point and I distracted her by playing "I'm going on a picnic.." It worked and she finished in 41:31!

4. Throw Isabel the best birthday party EVER- I'm going to call this a success.. 

5. Update budget and track- still going strong with the budget and doing our best to get out of debt and build up our savings. Some days it feels like a challenge and like we will never be able to buy a house, but other days I feel like we're making huge strides.
6. Complete NMTZ Challenge- 3 on/1 off- Fail. Complete and utter fail.
7. Make progress on blanket- I think I've added a total of one row in the past two weeks. Need to spend some time focusing on that.
8. Do not go overboard (food wise) celebrating birthdays- So far I've done okay except for Isabel's birthday party. I felt good after Patrick's and Isabel's actual birthday dinners though, so that's a plus!

Isabel's Frozen Birthday Party

I am so behind with updating and trying to play catch up, however the more important posts get published first. And since there's a birthday involved, that takes priority.

I have been planning Isabel's birthday party for a while now. We knew the theme for the party was going to be Frozen since December when she first saw the movie. She has been obsessed since then and I'm not exaggerating when I say that she has mentioned Frozen at least once each day since then. Seriously. Every single day.

Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to find the necessary party supplies. But I figured it out and used many different resources to plan what I was hoping to be her best birthday party to date.

I won't go into all of the details here. What it comes down to, is that I couldn't be happier with how the party turned out. Isabel and her friends made a snowman craft, a snowflake craft, a frame and colored before Anna and Elsa showed up to help celebrate. Isabel was beyond shocked to turn around and see them standing there.

Most difficult secret to keep from her.

When they got there they colored with the girls for a few minutes before doing makeup and nails with each of the girls. They read them the story of Frozen and played a few games before taking pictures with each of the girls. They also stayed in order to sing Happy Birthday to Isabel and ended up giving her a special present. It was actually a gift I had found for Isabel, but decided to ask them to give it to her. It was a snowflake necklace that she absolutely loves.

Worth every penny.

At the same time, I'm very glad that the party planning, set up, clean up and especially the spending are now over and we can start planning the next big event..

Thankful Thursday #2

A day late.. Whoops!

1. I am thankful for a wonderful, loving and understanding husband. His birthday was yesterday and his gift didn't quite make it in time. I'm hoping to receive it either today or tomorrow. Either way, it's late and he was very understanding and appreciative of what I got him. I love that about him and am thankful that he and I are both relatively easy going people.

2. I am thankful that my daughter tells me that she loves me more than Frozen. I mentioned this in her birthday post, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something right. Even after last night when she had a mini meltdown at dinner and I had to take her outside to talk and she told me that she doesn't even want to be my daughter anymore. I felt like a real mom at that point, but even more so that I kept my calm, told her that it was okay to feel that upset and that I still love her. Then this morning I am told that I am loved more than Frozen. Parenthood, worth every single minute.

3. I am thankful for all the help I have been offered for Isabel's birthday party tomorrow. I know that not everyone is able to be there beforehand to help decorate, but they are helping in so many other ways. To my sister and her family- thank you for offering us to use your house for the party. It helps in so many ways and I am so grateful! To my parents- thank you for all of the items you are letting me use to help decorate the party. I would be lost (and broke) if you weren't willing to let me use your dishes and miscellaneous items. To my best friend- thank you for offering to come over early to help set up. I know that you know what I am thinking of in regards to the set up, so having you there is a huge relief. And to give up the afternoon of your own birthday means so much.. To Patrick- thank you for being the errand boy and picking up the balloons, pizza, ice, etc. It's beyond helpful! I know tomorrow is going to be absolutely wonderful. I'm hoping my anxiety stays low so that I can appreciate and enjoy the day and with everyone helping I know I can do that.

4. I am thankful that the planning for Isabel's birthday is done and all that's left to do are little odds and ends for tomorrow (cutting out the pictures of Olaf, folding the paper for the snowflake cutting, putting together the coloring books, etc...) I am so excited to see how everything comes together and need to remember that everything is going to work out the way that it is supposed to.

5. I am thankful for missing a day of tracking on MFP. I will go into more detail at tomorrow's weigh in, but basically I think it was exactly what I needed.

Happy Birthday Bug!

This past year has flown by and it amazes me how each year seems to go by faster and faster. It's exciting and frustrating all at the same time because in what feels like a blink of an eye you go from this:

To this: 

So much has happened in the past six years that it's a little difficult to put into words what we're already been able to accomplish together. And yet we still have so much that I want us to do together.

It's amazing that, with time, most of the details of the day you were born have faded and are being replaced with new memories. There are some memories though that will never go away though...

I went into the hospital to be induced at 7am. Sometime before 4pm the doctor came in and told me that I had made no progress and that you would be coming into the world by c-section. I had never really had a birth plan other than for you to be healthy so I simply asked if that was the only way. He said yes and before I knew it I was on the operating table. I went 9 hours with no epidural (a bet I had made that I could do this as natural as possible, minus the pitocin).

It didn't take long for you to come out screaming so hard that you stopped breathing. There are few things I remember as clearly as the following from that day:

The doctor saying "Time of birth, 16:01."

My mom saying "She has hair!"

The nurse assuring me that you were alright. Your cries were so intense that they needed to put the oxygen mask on you. I somehow knew that you were fine though. It's difficult to explain but there was just a calm in me that knew everything was okay.

Holding you for the first time. You were placed on my chest so I could see you. I simply touched your nose and said "I know you.." I didn't get much time with you then because you needed to be taken to the nursery for everything the nurses needed to do and the doctor needed to finish taking care of me.

If there is anything I have learned since finding out that you were going to be a part of my life it is that it is very possible to love someone more and more each day. It is endless how much my love for you will grow and as I often tell you, I love you more than there are stars in the sky. And as you often tell me, you love me more than you love Frozen.

If that's not the highest compliment, I don't know what is..

Our relationship as mother and daughter is a good one. We've had our disagreements and you have definitely pushed my buttons on many occasions. But I think we are learning together what it means to have patience with one another and to grow together. It took me a while to realize that I don't have to be a super mom. I spent too much time caring about what it meant to be a good mom, a good wife, a good daughter, a good employee, a good everything and I missed what it meant to just be me.

I'm not perfect, but I am improving. I may yell or get upset or frustrated, but no matter what I am always going to love you. You have turned my world upside down and I could not be more grateful that you are here in my life. I'm looking forward to seeing what else we have left to discover together. To all of the adventures we have left to experience.

I love you, bug. To the moon and back because you are my sunshine.

First birthday:

 Age 5:

"I am so excited for tomorrow it's my birthday I'm six! (6)"

Age 6: (If the photos from this morning are a factor to what the coming year is going to be like.. It's gonna be a good year!)