“It’s the final countdown!”

I am freaking out as I type these words! If I could just run around the block screaming without losing my personal confidence, I totally would. 😀

It’s possible that Jeremy could be home by the end of the week. Yes. THIS WEEK! It’s also possible that it’ll be more like early next week, but hey, it’s still a matter of days away!

soon and very soon he'll be home!

I’m trying to stay busy but I’m feeling pretty antsy. The house is clean but I know Jeremy could seriously care less. It could be a disaster and I doubt he’d care. I bought some amazing steaks to grill and I’ll do a grocery run with him in mind later in the week….but what else? I DUNNO! I feel like I’m shaking all over and no, that’s not all the coffee in my body.

Cooper knows it’s soon too and he is super ready. He keeps saying to me “I want my Daddy, Mommy”. I told him today, “Well, next week, you can have him!” It was super fun to say that to him!

This week, Cooper starts his swimming class at the “Y” and we have a fun trip to the zoo planned with my MOPS group. I think it’ll be the perfect distraction for all of us. Then I’m having some friends help me decorate the house and make signs and then…then, we wait! We wait for our super-exciting phone call. It won’t come until they are 24(ish) hours out. But OOOHHH! To get that phone call! YAY!

I don’t know what else to say right now…so I’m going to end with that. If you think of it, stick a “Welcome Home” card in the mail for Jeremy, would ya? I’ll keep a box of mail just for him and give it to him when I give him the presents I got for him.

National Dance Day 2010!

My favorite show is So You Think You Can Dance. I love, love, LOVE the show so much because it’s taught me to appreciate dance! I’ve always loved to watch people dance, but the criticism from the judges is so constructive and encouraging that I have learned things I never knew.

I have been watching the show for about 4 seasons now (I think) and I just can’t get enough of it! I saw that the show is promoting this new thing Nigel Lthygoe created called National Dance Day, which is July 31, by trying to get people to learn this “Nappy Tabs” routine. (Um, that’s Tabitha and Napoleon for all you non-show watchers.)The idea is to encourage people to just be healthy and get moving.

I watched the first part of the video and decided I should go to bed (it was approaching midnight, oiy) but, I really want to learn it! I did practice the first 3 parts. You know you wanna see it right? Here is the routine! Try it ok? It would be fun to see if we can video ourselves doing it and repost! EEEK! That makes me nervous. But how fun, right?

Food + Toddler = $@#%&

All you Mommies and Daddies of small children, come, collectively scream with me, won’t you?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Why the scream? Ugh…the food battles are so in full swing with my youngest. I remember this phase oh so well with Cooper.

Cooper at 21 months

Getting him to eat was always quite a feat. If we were going to the park, I used to have to make him eat FIRST otherwise, I’d never get him to stop playing so that he would eat.  He’s 5 now and eats in an extremely satisfactory manner. I mean, he’s not going to enjoy Indian food (except for maybe some Naan) with me or anything, but it’ll do.

This is nothing but hope for me as I attempt to get Chase to diversify his food tastes.

Chase at 16 mos

Currently he will willingly eat the following foods:

-almost all carbohydrates except rice, pasta or goldfish crackers. Crackers, chips, bread, pancakes, etc. are all winners with him. (Incidentally, I have called his elder brother and his father my “Carbohydrate Kings” on multiple occasions in the span of 8 years.)

– yogurt. this is good because I have found the blessing that is Horizon’s Little Blends; yogurt blended with strawberry and carrots or sweet potatoes and bananas.

-most fruit. for some reason, the child has never liked bananas.

-cheese. he would eat this all day and night if i let him. he prefers colby-jack but I can’t really get him to eat the white mozzerella cheese sticks.

-Kelli McGill’s pulled italian beef, meatloaf (only if it’s bbq), and salmon cakes (think crab cakes but with salmon).  The child won’t eat any other meat. No surprise here because I know most kids don’t like meat. (Funny how we push it on them, huh?)

And yet, even with these things being foods that are “acceptable” to Chase, he still might choose to reject a previous “favorite”. For example, notice there are no vegetables on that list. Yeah. Not. One.  He used to love and adore broccoli, and then he just decided he hated it.  I still put veggies in front of him, but if I want him to eat them then I have to get sneaky.

The answer? Smoothies. Carrot juice and spinach are the 2 veggies I put in our smoothies and so far it’s working. That’s how I get bananas in him too.

Sigh. Anyway, I know that one day he will grow up to be a perfectly normal adult with probably decent balance in his nutrition choices. In the mean time, I have 5 new gray hairs.  I’m not kidding.

Continuing to Remember

The Captain of Jeremy’s Company, John Hallet, was killed in Afghanistan last August. I know I’ve talked about it many times here, but I want you guys to see his amazing wife, Lisa, and all she has done to keep going. She is a testament of strength and courage!

Here is his wife Lisa on a local news channel explaining the Buffalo Gals’ “Run to Remember”. A few of the girls are entering the “Rock n Roll Marathon” in Seattle next weekend.

This is my e-cheerleaderness for a woman I so admire and am so encouraged by every day!

Thanks for watching.

Tiff