Thank you all for your support! :)
Thursday, February 4, 2016
New Year, New Blog Name
Thank you all for your support! :)
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Elliot is THREE!
Hello, it's me, I was wondering if after all these months you'd like to read.
Gosh how long has it been?! It feels like ages, but I know it's only been a few months. I guess I lost my mojo, but I am back! I wanted to wait till I got enough content and topics to keep me going for a while so here I am!
Elliot turned three on January twentieth and now that he is a little older and understands (somewhat) the concept of a party, we decided that it was time to throw him a real one. For his first and second birthdays, it was family only and a couple of friends. His third included most of his little friends along with my college and high school friends' kids. It feels so weird to write that last part! Grownup life.
On the actual day, we celebrated with a slice of cake and a number FOUR candle. I'm not sure what was in my head that day that made me buy that instead of a three so we scratched the number candle and went with three small ones. #mamabrain (is that a thing?).
Anyway, I wanted to make this post about what I did to make sure this was a good, fun but simple enough party where I didn't have to be running around. Do you think or believe that actually happened? Somewhat, but I was actually impressed with myself because I actually did buy all of the decorations ahead of time and that helped a bunch.
The first thing I did (many months ago) was to create a board in, you guessed it, Pinterest, to start pinning ideas, colors and a theme. I wanted to be fully prepared for it with a theme and colors. I asked Elliot if he wanted Minions or superheroes and I don't think he hesitated to say he wanted superheroes. I was kind of excited about it because to be honest, I love Despicable Me, but the colors of the minions? Not so much.
I decided that in order to not buy the entire Party City or Amazon on superhero stuff, I would narrow it down to three to four colors. I picked green, yellow, blue and red.
The second thing I did was order invitations about a month in advance (then sent them out about a week and a half before the party, the irony!) from Tiny Prints because they never disappoint with quality and the cutest designs! Then I started buying the decorations slowly.
I also ordered Elliot a personal cake that I could decorate for him. I bought the bunting at Target and printed out the little signs at work (black and white only boo!) then glued them on thicker paper and cut them. Am I the only one so behind on the technology that doesn't own a printer?
My sweetest friend Chanel made these little props for Elliot's picture wall and I was blown away. She said she would do whatever she could to help me and she did! She's the sweetest! One of the things I love about Instagram and blogging is getting to know women like her! Thank you Chanel!!
This man is the sweetest. He's our neighbor, and we consider all of his family our family! If you follow me on Instagram (@shadiabrown) you saw my post about how he dressed up and surprised Elliot! He was over the moon. This was the cherry on top for the party! Completely unexpected and awesome.
The party favors were super simple. I put play doh, bubbles, superhero tattoos, and lollipops in a little brown bag and stickers that I ordered with the invitations and of course this is the only picture I took.
Some of the kids were missing because yeah, you know how it goes when you try to take a picture of all of them at the same time and all of them looking at the camera. Plus the sugar didn't help! Here's one where these four guys and girls stayed still enough for five whole seconds eating cupcakes.
As usual, I was too busy running around before and in the middle of the party to take pictures of all of the setup, but we had a children's table where they decorated their capes and masks. I made the capes out of fabric and spent a few nights cutting them and gluing a yellow circle on the back for their initial then had washable markers and stickers to personalize them and little masks that I
got at Target.
Also, you can't see it but I made Elliot a superhero shirt using iron on fabric that I got at Hobby Lobby.
All I wanted was for Elliot to be happy and all of the kids (and adults) had so much fun! Planning a party is freaking hard and a bit stressful but it is all absolutely worth it in the end. We also had the perfect weather and didn't have to move inside the house! Success! :)
Gosh how long has it been?! It feels like ages, but I know it's only been a few months. I guess I lost my mojo, but I am back! I wanted to wait till I got enough content and topics to keep me going for a while so here I am!
Elliot turned three on January twentieth and now that he is a little older and understands (somewhat) the concept of a party, we decided that it was time to throw him a real one. For his first and second birthdays, it was family only and a couple of friends. His third included most of his little friends along with my college and high school friends' kids. It feels so weird to write that last part! Grownup life.
On the actual day, we celebrated with a slice of cake and a number FOUR candle. I'm not sure what was in my head that day that made me buy that instead of a three so we scratched the number candle and went with three small ones. #mamabrain (is that a thing?).
Anyway, I wanted to make this post about what I did to make sure this was a good, fun but simple enough party where I didn't have to be running around. Do you think or believe that actually happened? Somewhat, but I was actually impressed with myself because I actually did buy all of the decorations ahead of time and that helped a bunch.
The first thing I did (many months ago) was to create a board in, you guessed it, Pinterest, to start pinning ideas, colors and a theme. I wanted to be fully prepared for it with a theme and colors. I asked Elliot if he wanted Minions or superheroes and I don't think he hesitated to say he wanted superheroes. I was kind of excited about it because to be honest, I love Despicable Me, but the colors of the minions? Not so much.
I decided that in order to not buy the entire Party City or Amazon on superhero stuff, I would narrow it down to three to four colors. I picked green, yellow, blue and red.
The second thing I did was order invitations about a month in advance (then sent them out about a week and a half before the party, the irony!) from Tiny Prints because they never disappoint with quality and the cutest designs! Then I started buying the decorations slowly.
I also ordered Elliot a personal cake that I could decorate for him. I bought the bunting at Target and printed out the little signs at work (black and white only boo!) then glued them on thicker paper and cut them. Am I the only one so behind on the technology that doesn't own a printer?
My sweetest friend Chanel made these little props for Elliot's picture wall and I was blown away. She said she would do whatever she could to help me and she did! She's the sweetest! One of the things I love about Instagram and blogging is getting to know women like her! Thank you Chanel!!
We taped this table cover/backdrop to the window in our backyard to take pictures using the props.
This man is the sweetest. He's our neighbor, and we consider all of his family our family! If you follow me on Instagram (@shadiabrown) you saw my post about how he dressed up and surprised Elliot! He was over the moon. This was the cherry on top for the party! Completely unexpected and awesome.
Some of the kids were missing because yeah, you know how it goes when you try to take a picture of all of them at the same time and all of them looking at the camera. Plus the sugar didn't help! Here's one where these four guys and girls stayed still enough for five whole seconds eating cupcakes.
As usual, I was too busy running around before and in the middle of the party to take pictures of all of the setup, but we had a children's table where they decorated their capes and masks. I made the capes out of fabric and spent a few nights cutting them and gluing a yellow circle on the back for their initial then had washable markers and stickers to personalize them and little masks that I
got at Target.
Also, you can't see it but I made Elliot a superhero shirt using iron on fabric that I got at Hobby Lobby.
All I wanted was for Elliot to be happy and all of the kids (and adults) had so much fun! Planning a party is freaking hard and a bit stressful but it is all absolutely worth it in the end. We also had the perfect weather and didn't have to move inside the house! Success! :)
Monday, June 15, 2015
Weekend Fun
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Jack and I agreed that this was one of the best weekends we have had! It was so much fun and so relaxing at the same time. My niece spent the whole weekend with us and it was the best. Elliot had the best time! He behaved his best and I think it's time for a sibling!
We also took a trip an early trip to the outlet mall to get out for a bit on Sunday. These two are like brother and sister. I loved to see that if I gave Elliot some water, he asked that I give some to my niece too. Everything I gave him, my niece had to have the same thing. She loves him so so much and calls him her little brother. They take good care of each other.
We kicked it off by having some apple pancakes to start our Saturday morning. They were so good! The kids weren't so sure and I made them regular ones while Jack and I ate the apple ones. I want to try pineapple next! I saw them on Pinterest and really wanted to try them.
Jack did some wrestling while I cleaned up and we got ready for the day. We had a trip to the park planned but it was so so hot that we decided to go to Target instead. :)
We had promised Elliot and my niece a water fight and that's what we did. First I made these popsicles with coconut and pineapple water, blueberries, kiwi, lemon and coconut chunks. We ate them outside because it was about a hundred degrees and then the kids got soaked.
That night we played What's In My Box, our little spin off from Jimmy Fallon's game on The Late Night Show. I described a lemon squeezer as a beer koozie and Jack completely bought my lie. It was so much fun we couldn't stop laughing! It can actually be a fun drinking game so we plan on playing it at our next party and making it more complicated! If you don't know what I'm talking about, look for one of the episodes on YouTube and you'll be laughing too.
We also took a trip an early trip to the outlet mall to get out for a bit on Sunday. These two are like brother and sister. I loved to see that if I gave Elliot some water, he asked that I give some to my niece too. Everything I gave him, my niece had to have the same thing. She loves him so so much and calls him her little brother. They take good care of each other.
I love them both so so much! My niece has always been like my daughter and I take care of her just as if she were. I love that they are growing up so close despite the age difference and I don't think Elliot has had this much fun ever! Now these sleepovers will become an often thing to do. :)
Why are weekends always so short?! Have a great day!
Monday, June 8, 2015
Weekend + Recipe
I've been wanting to post my recipes on here but have been so lazy to set them up. Here is the one for the raw beet salad I posted on my Instagram a few days ago! It's super simple and I got the recipe from Pinterest.
There was a cornhole competition but Elliot didn't nap that day and started getting pretty grouchy towards the end of the night before the competition started and we left but I have to say he has a pretty good arm! He was throwing like a little pro. :)
I love my boys so much.
I also got my bracelet in the mail! I ordered it through PS I Adore You and I couldn't be happier. I love buying from this company as they support small businesses and a great cause, I'm all about that!
It goes something like this-
3 medium beets, peeled
1 orange with zest
1 lemon with zest
chives (the second time I made this I added green onion instead-same result)
Olive oil
Salt to taste
The recipe calls for shredding the beets but I julienned them by hand. I wish I had a mandolin! I wanted the beets to have more bite than if I shred them and it's a lot of work but it's worth it. I put them in a big enough bowl to mix, I added the zest of the orange then the juice, same thing with the lemon. Salt, 2 tsps of olive oil and the chives. Mix everything and you can even let it sit in the fridge for a bit to allow the beets to marinate in the orange and lemon. It's absolutely perfect for summer as a side with any dish! Or on its own!
This weekend was nice. We went to a coworker's rib cook off between him and another coworker. I don't eat pork but I tasted them and although the barbecue taste was good, all I could taste (and think about) was the pork and it reminded me why I don't like it, ha! I grew up never eating it (I grew up that way with a Muslim dad) and I had never tasted ribs before.
Elliot loved being there and fell in love with my coworker's two yellow labs. They're such beautiful dogs and for the first time since Jack and I have owned a home, I'm finally thinking about getting a dog. I have to think about it some more though. :)
There was a cornhole competition but Elliot didn't nap that day and started getting pretty grouchy towards the end of the night before the competition started and we left but I have to say he has a pretty good arm! He was throwing like a little pro. :)
He had been asking to go to the park every day but it has been so hot! Sunday we got up early and took him, all toys in tow. He played with none of them and was too busy chasing the birds.
I love my boys so much.
I hope your weekend was great!
Friday, June 5, 2015
Marriage: What I've Learned Thus Far
I know, who am I to be talking about marriage, I've only been married almost five years but I truly believe in quality vs. quantity. This is not a post about advice, it's a post about what I've learned through our five years of marriage, the things Jack and I have changed and compromised on to make our marriage better and hell, the things we have been through to get to where we are.
These past few days I have witnessed a few couples arguing while driving. One of them I had no idea what they were saying, it was the car behind us and Jack told me about it. I glanced through the rear view mirror and sure enough, I could see the lady talking and flailing her arms in the air. Another one was at work, I was outside of my office and a mini van drove by with a couple, windows down. I just heard her yelling at her husband. Roll the window up at least lady!
This one is a little long so brace yourself!
When you have a baby and your life is turned upside down because your schedule is now nonexistent and everything you were used to is gone, the most important person you have to turn to is your husband or partner. He has to be your rock, your balance, your everything to find some sort of normal after a baby. Then, you fight about who has to wake up in the middle of the night, who is more tired, who loves him more (kidding), who will change the poopy diaper (in our case, you play paper, rock, scissors), etc.
Sleep deprivation & exhaustion are two of the words that become part of your everyday vocabulary and you get so used to them that you don't even think about the days when eight straight hours of sleep were the norm. Kids are the greatest blessing on this earth but the first few months/years are tough! I'm sure you all agree. Unless you have a baby that sleeps and behaves great (lucky!) then you can relate to this.
Then of course there's the playtime, the outings with your child, the times they're little clowns and make you laugh, cry because they reached a milestone and you can't beat the cuddles. The world is okay again and you and your husband are on the same page again.
Toddlerhood came along and it's been a whole new ball game for our marriage. This is where we have learned to compromise the most. Sometimes we would take sides! We learned not to do that. Jack and I have to be in agreement before we make a decision that we think is best for Elliot. He's throwing a tantrum because he wants a cookie, I desperately want to give to him so that he stops, Jack tells me we can't do that otherwise we are letting him get away with it and he hasn't had dinner, he's right, I refuse the cookie and even though it takes Elliot a thousand hours to stop asking for the damn cookie, eventually he stops and I give him grapes instead. A healthier option and Jack and I were on the same page. This goes for anything. Of course we fail at this miserably sometimes but everything is a work in progress.
There are a few things that, in my almost five years of marriage, I have learned never to do to my husband. Respect to me is the number one priority even when your almost two and a half year old is throwing a tantrum the size of Texas, which are fewer and fewer now thank God. I've witnessed some pretty embarrassing moments about other couples when they argue in front of people and I can tell you it creates such an awkward environment for everyone and I've always told Jack that I will never do that to him. No matter how upset I am with him. Even before Elliot came along.
A couple of things I've learned in my relationship with Jack:
1- Never argue in front of people or family. It's NEVER a good situation, for anyone. If it's something that needs to be addressed immediately, take your hubby to the side or tell them you need to discuss it later. Nobody wants to see or hear how much you dislike him at that moment, what you think of him in terms of expletives, what he's doing wrong, etc. You get the idea. I've been witness to this and it's so awkward, you don't know what to say or what to do. It's not the same after that and the image you create for yourself is not cool. You don't look cool for bad mouthing your husband to me or him directly in front of others. I never do it. Nothing good comes out of it. Remember respect! (Social media included!)
2- Never, ever, ever, ever embarrass him in public or in private for that matter. This sort of goes along with number #1. There's times when I've been talking to someone and they tell me (while their husband is standing there) how ridiculous they are about something, or how what they did was wrong, or laugh at them when they make a mistake. Horrible, never do this.
3- Never send out your husband in an outfit you wouldn't pick out for him. This is kind of funny but not really. I've seen so many cases of this. There was a guy at work that always showed up with a really wrinkled work shirt and all that made me think was, I wonder where the hell his wife is? How could she let him walk out like that? I get off my ass and iron for Jack, or he irons for himself, but he never walks out with a wrinkled shirt. Also, if he's buying the wrong clothes, do something about it. Lead him in the right direction or just pick out his clothes for him. Jack lets me pick out his clothes and I buy him things that I know are his style and I know he would wear. Just because he loves Goofy, I'm not going to go out and buy him thirty Goofy shirts. Know what I mean? I've always believed that the way our husbands dress/look are a direct reflection of us as wives.
4- Tell each other that you love each other every single day, show it and mean it.
Jack and I used to argue about the most ridiculous freaking things ever. Even before we got married. We are two very strong minded and stubborn people, I'm right, no I'm right! Rinse, repeat. The argument ended in him or I leaving, since we could do that, we were dating and lived in separate houses. We threatened to end the relationship too which wasn't good. One time we broke up for a good four days and they were gruesome! Ha! When you're married things change drastically. Just because you can, doesn't mean you leave or threaten to leave. We learned this too. We have a commitment to each other and shit some days both of us want to throw in the towel but we have learned that just by going to another room to cool off then coming back to talk about it works for us. Because aren't most arguments pretty petty anyways? But hey, if it's not meant to work, it won't work, I get it.
The biggest lesson learned has been to let it go. If it is something we have disagreed on the eight years we have been together, it's never going to go anywhere. We drop it immediately and leave it be. We don't argue about things we know are not worth it. We just don't. If we do, we learn to agree to disagree, and trust me, we disagree on many things. But we live with it. And we are okay with it.
Like I said, I'm not the marriage guru, I'm not a marriage adviser either. I may get the eye roll, the judgment or the "who does she think she is?" but I've learned so much in these five years of marriage and I wanted to share that. By no means am I saying that my marriage is perfect. I make mistakes all the time. If it were, we wouldn't be of this world, but I am committed to my relationship with my husband and I'm committed to being the best wife I can be for him!
Both of us agree that we have learned so much from this and it's made us better people not just with each other but with others as well, we have grown so much. It's also made us better parents, because if you have a strong and healthy marriage, kids see that! The part about our marriage I love the most is that I can completely be myself around him (as embarrassing as I am sometimes). I joke, I dance ridiculously around him and I laugh with him until we cry and our love for each other isn't nor will it ever be any less. :)
Have a great weekend!
Monday, June 1, 2015
Our Weekend
Ahh how great the weekends are. Time with my little family is always so sacred! I'm sure it's that way for everyone.
On Thursday Elliot came home with the most horrible diaper rash and Jack and I were so upset! He had been pooping so much (sorry for the TMI, when you become a parent all inhibitions go out the window right?) that he was left in a dirty diaper for a long time. There's no way I was going to send him to daycare like that on Friday and I decided to stay home with him. I put ointment on him all day but poor thing he cried and kicked and screamed when I tried to change his diaper. Later on that day his skin was looking better!
We thought it had been a stomach bug but we realized that he is lactose intolerant! Just like that. In a matter of a couple of weeks. We tried lactose free milk and that was even worse. Jack got him soy milk and he refused to drink it. He woke up this morning at four in the morning asking for it, but I had to give him two choices, soy milk or water. He kept asking me turn on the light, he wanted to see what the milk looked like ha! After about ten minutes of fighting it (and probably saying to hell with it) he finally drank it and went back to sleep. Success! This morning he wanted milk again and soy milk it was! He used to drink regular milk so much that I never thought this would happen. Thank God for alternatives.
This weekend was so fun and relaxing. We attended a birthday pool party at our neighbors house and I mean how awesome is it to not have to drive anywhere and be able to walk home when you need to. Talking and eating with some great people is always fun and watching Elliot enjoy it all is the best part of it all. He loves our neighbors so much and they are family to us.
Poor baby couldn't get in the pool because of his little butt but he enjoyed watching all the kids swim. It was way too crowded anyway!
On Thursday Elliot came home with the most horrible diaper rash and Jack and I were so upset! He had been pooping so much (sorry for the TMI, when you become a parent all inhibitions go out the window right?) that he was left in a dirty diaper for a long time. There's no way I was going to send him to daycare like that on Friday and I decided to stay home with him. I put ointment on him all day but poor thing he cried and kicked and screamed when I tried to change his diaper. Later on that day his skin was looking better!
We thought it had been a stomach bug but we realized that he is lactose intolerant! Just like that. In a matter of a couple of weeks. We tried lactose free milk and that was even worse. Jack got him soy milk and he refused to drink it. He woke up this morning at four in the morning asking for it, but I had to give him two choices, soy milk or water. He kept asking me turn on the light, he wanted to see what the milk looked like ha! After about ten minutes of fighting it (and probably saying to hell with it) he finally drank it and went back to sleep. Success! This morning he wanted milk again and soy milk it was! He used to drink regular milk so much that I never thought this would happen. Thank God for alternatives.
This weekend was so fun and relaxing. We attended a birthday pool party at our neighbors house and I mean how awesome is it to not have to drive anywhere and be able to walk home when you need to. Talking and eating with some great people is always fun and watching Elliot enjoy it all is the best part of it all. He loves our neighbors so much and they are family to us.
Poor baby couldn't get in the pool because of his little butt but he enjoyed watching all the kids swim. It was way too crowded anyway!
Our neighbor's dad was there and he's in a wheelchair. He called Elliot over to play with it and it was the sweetest thing to see!
We ended the weekend with bubbles! And food and movies. :)
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Life Lately
My coffee is super strong and good this morning so I decided I had enough energy to write a post. It's been a while (I say that every single time), but I'm here!
My last post was Easter so I'll kind of recap what's been going on since then.
Elliot.
Elliot is almost two and a half! Finally and slowly coming out of the terrible twos. Thank God. He still has the occasional tantrum and the strong mindedness will never go away I don't think, but Jack and I think that the worst has passed. Since he is talking more now, so much more, he can tell us what he wants, what he doesn't want (and makes it very clear), what he needs, etc. It's the best to finally be able to fully understand your child! It makes life probably a million times easier. Don't you agree? Before it was a contest between Jack and I to see who could figure out what Elliot was trying to say and it seemed like it was Elliot's challenge to make it more difficult for us. :)
It's amazing how now I can tell him why he can't have something like "Elliot you can't have hot sauce in your food, that's mama's and it's really hot" and he will answer, "Mama's? Elliot no?" The sweetest thing. Or he will say "mama I want candy" (M&M's are his absolute favorite and the only candy he's allowed to eat) at seven thirty in the morning and I'll say "You have to eat food first" and all he says now is "okay" in the sweetest little voice. Like I said, of course there's still the occasional tantrum that will have Jack and I wanting to pull our hair out but it has definitely been so much better.
The messes are still the same and his name is still Elliot "The Tornado" but he now cleans up while singing the clean up song. Most of the time.
We haven't potty trained yet. I really wanted to do this when Elliot was a few months younger but it didn't happen and I'm not going to be hard on myself about it. Such is life and it's not the end of the world. We had it planned for this past weekend but Elliot had what seemed like a mild stomach bug and that would've been a shit fest. Not pretty on carpet. We know he is definitely ready though! He has his own potty and his potty seat, we still don't know which one he prefers but I hope it's the seat because who wants to have to dump the contents of his potty in the toilet?
Jack and I.
If you follow me in Instagram, you know that I have been doing Crossfit for about three months now. I'm going to tell you right now, it is LIFE CHANGING. I wish I would have discovered it sooner. I invited my friend (and mama of Elliot's daycare friend) and her husband over to our house for Elliot's second birthday party and they were talking about their gym. She told me I should try it and let me attend a few classes to see if I liked it. I almost puked on the first class and the first thing her and her husband told me was that it doesn't get any easier, you just get better. I was hooked. I love it. I truly do. Out of everything I have ever done (and said I loved) this is the first time I feel stronger, healthier, better. I love the workouts and although I'm always the last one to finish, I get so much encouragement from the rest of the team to get me to finish. It is the best. I get a little better everyday! I did hurt my knee and I'm taking this week off to let it heal but there's no way I'm giving up. My friend is also always texting me to make sure I'm not going to miss a class and will ask me why I missed it if I do. I need that!
Jack has been so awesome with me on all of this. I usually get home at almost five and he gets home at about four thirty. My class is at five thirty. By the time I get home he already has dinner underway and all I have to do is change into my workout clothes and be on my way. He takes care of the cooking, cleaning AND Elliot. I feel so guilty but he's doing this for me because he knows I need this. I love that he's willing to take on that role while I get in that hour to work out. He doesn't get to work out until late and he doesn't mind and is usually exhausted by the time he's in bed. He's a great man!
We are eating a lot healthier. We always eat healthy but we started a round of Whole30. He is doing this with me in support and I love him for that! It's so incredible to see how even if you think you're eating healthy, all the sugars and carbs that we consume are ridiculous. It's something we are changing even without doing Whole30. It's teaching us to cut unnecessary foods from our diets.
That's what we've been up to so far along with work and a thousand other things. Life is good right now. So good.
I'll leave you with this silly boy.
Have a great Thursday!
My last post was Easter so I'll kind of recap what's been going on since then.
Elliot.
Elliot is almost two and a half! Finally and slowly coming out of the terrible twos. Thank God. He still has the occasional tantrum and the strong mindedness will never go away I don't think, but Jack and I think that the worst has passed. Since he is talking more now, so much more, he can tell us what he wants, what he doesn't want (and makes it very clear), what he needs, etc. It's the best to finally be able to fully understand your child! It makes life probably a million times easier. Don't you agree? Before it was a contest between Jack and I to see who could figure out what Elliot was trying to say and it seemed like it was Elliot's challenge to make it more difficult for us. :)
It's amazing how now I can tell him why he can't have something like "Elliot you can't have hot sauce in your food, that's mama's and it's really hot" and he will answer, "Mama's? Elliot no?" The sweetest thing. Or he will say "mama I want candy" (M&M's are his absolute favorite and the only candy he's allowed to eat) at seven thirty in the morning and I'll say "You have to eat food first" and all he says now is "okay" in the sweetest little voice. Like I said, of course there's still the occasional tantrum that will have Jack and I wanting to pull our hair out but it has definitely been so much better.
The messes are still the same and his name is still Elliot "The Tornado" but he now cleans up while singing the clean up song. Most of the time.
We haven't potty trained yet. I really wanted to do this when Elliot was a few months younger but it didn't happen and I'm not going to be hard on myself about it. Such is life and it's not the end of the world. We had it planned for this past weekend but Elliot had what seemed like a mild stomach bug and that would've been a shit fest. Not pretty on carpet. We know he is definitely ready though! He has his own potty and his potty seat, we still don't know which one he prefers but I hope it's the seat because who wants to have to dump the contents of his potty in the toilet?
Jack and I.
If you follow me in Instagram, you know that I have been doing Crossfit for about three months now. I'm going to tell you right now, it is LIFE CHANGING. I wish I would have discovered it sooner. I invited my friend (and mama of Elliot's daycare friend) and her husband over to our house for Elliot's second birthday party and they were talking about their gym. She told me I should try it and let me attend a few classes to see if I liked it. I almost puked on the first class and the first thing her and her husband told me was that it doesn't get any easier, you just get better. I was hooked. I love it. I truly do. Out of everything I have ever done (and said I loved) this is the first time I feel stronger, healthier, better. I love the workouts and although I'm always the last one to finish, I get so much encouragement from the rest of the team to get me to finish. It is the best. I get a little better everyday! I did hurt my knee and I'm taking this week off to let it heal but there's no way I'm giving up. My friend is also always texting me to make sure I'm not going to miss a class and will ask me why I missed it if I do. I need that!
Jack has been so awesome with me on all of this. I usually get home at almost five and he gets home at about four thirty. My class is at five thirty. By the time I get home he already has dinner underway and all I have to do is change into my workout clothes and be on my way. He takes care of the cooking, cleaning AND Elliot. I feel so guilty but he's doing this for me because he knows I need this. I love that he's willing to take on that role while I get in that hour to work out. He doesn't get to work out until late and he doesn't mind and is usually exhausted by the time he's in bed. He's a great man!
We are eating a lot healthier. We always eat healthy but we started a round of Whole30. He is doing this with me in support and I love him for that! It's so incredible to see how even if you think you're eating healthy, all the sugars and carbs that we consume are ridiculous. It's something we are changing even without doing Whole30. It's teaching us to cut unnecessary foods from our diets.
That's what we've been up to so far along with work and a thousand other things. Life is good right now. So good.
I'll leave you with this silly boy.
Have a great Thursday!
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