We are Living in a Material World, and I am a Material Girl

Seriously, who doesn't love gadgets. I love them all. And now that I have been running again (okay technically, I have only ran 3 times but still, I'm getting off my ass. I also just want to throw in there that I will be running tonight too) I want all the fun gadgets that they make for running.

Of course every runner needs a good pair of shoes. There are so many different kind of running shoes out there though! And I have a hard enough time finding good shoes because my feet are HUGE! (We're talking size 11 here people). Oh and did I mention that they are super wide too?! Ya, so finding good shoes for me is usually a challenge. BUT, I did find these Mizuno's at Dick Sporting Goods and they were like heaven on my feet. Or what I can only imagine what your feet would feel like in heaven.

They are $149.99 which I would not normally ever spend on ANY pair of shoes (not totally true, I did drop a pretty penny on some UGG's last winter) but they say that if you serious about running, you need a good running shoe. So these are what I am saving up for now. Lucky for me, I'm still sitting on some Dick Sporting Goods Gift Cards from Christmas. You can find the shoes here.

Okay, so the shoes were not really a gadget, but they are expensive like most gadgets so they count. Now on to something I don't really need, but I REALLY WANT! I already run with my iPod touch. Love it. Love the running apps I have on there and my music and how small it is. What I really want though, is the new iPhone. I think a new one is coming out this fall maybe. I don't even need that new one, just an iPhone would be nice.

Oh to have internet where ever I go and be able to post my runs right away on my run logger so I don't forget. So what is stopping me? Honestly, my husband! He thinks that if I get an iPhone then he should get one too. I have NO IDEA why. He has an iPod, he loves it. ALL he does on it is play games. He doesn't use the iCal, or have his contacts uploaded onto them, heck he doesn't even ever check his facebook! So why does he need an iPhone? I don't know either. I do understand a little though, I mean, who doesn't want a smartphone? But he is firm on that if I get one, he needs one too, and we just can't afford a phone plan with both of us having one. So, I'm still stuck with my no internet dinosaur phone that doesn't even work half the time. Eh, you win some, you lose some.

The last thing that I'm going to write about that I want, and actually can have, is the Nike+ SportWatch GPS.

This thing would rock my world. Water resistant, accurate GPS, keeps time, pace, milage, heart rate, calories burned....need I go on? Ya, it's kind of expensive ($169.99 on Amazon) but I think it something that when I get into a little more milage, I'm going to need. So I will wait it out. Maybe it will be a little gift to myself after my first race or something.


I do have a Nike+ sensor already and the app on my iPod, but I feel like the battery runs out of that little sensor thing SO FAST! So I am stuck buying a $20 sensor every so often and it's just redic! Just let me have the rechargeable watch!

So there you have it. My gadget running list. All wants, no needs.

No Post

Sorry there hasn't been much activity on my blog lately. But there has not really been a lot going on at home to blog about. Wait, let me rephrase that. There has been tons of stuff going on, but nothing really worth mentioning.

Work has been crazy busy lately. We have been packed with 20 kids every day. That's TWENTY 4 and 5 year olds. Plus, graduation is coming up really fast which means crunch time with getting the kids's portfolios done, teaching them their songs, getting the graduation video ready, blah blah blah. So, that's work.

Campbell-Well, let's see. He is crawling like his ass is on fire. He is climbing stairs (we have bought a new gate for the stairs which is super annoying). He is starting to eat big boy food. And he is still not quite sleeping through the night. We went to Children's Mercy to have his ding-a-ling looked at to see if it was ready to be circumcised. It is, the skin finally grew all the way over so there is slim to no chance of it looking weird when getting snipped. The surgery is set for June 14th. It does make me a little nervous, the whole surgery thing, but he will be fine. He will get put under with some nice smelling gas, then they will put all iv's and needles in him, then they will do the surgery, then he will go in recovery and when he wakes up and is all clear, we will get to see him again. He will get pain meds too which is nice for him. So, that's that. Campbell is saying Mama and Dada and has 8 teeth!

Emery-Oh law, where do I start with this girl? She is nuts! She had a real bad rough patch a month or so ago which her behavior with us and her brother, she didn't want anything to do with any of her grandparents which is very odd, and just not acting like Emmie. But, knock on wood, she has recently been awesome! Just making better choices, and listening better. We have been trying to do more one on one stuff with her so that may be what is helping her. She has been playing soccer on a Y team on Saturdays and has been doing a really good job! And she also LOVES gymnastics! Holy cow, she talks about it every day and wants to go at all hours! We talked about taking a break from it this summer so we could just focus on family time and swimming and stuff, but now we are thinking we may do some summer classes. Her 4th birthday party will definitely be at her gymnastics center. I have a conference with Emery's pre-school teacher tomorrow about her progress and where they think she is at. Now, I know most of this considering I work there as well and her pre-school teachers and I are pretty close and talk often. She is doing well, knows pretty much all of her colors, mixing up black and brown at times, and is doing very well with her shapes. She knows how to spell her name, but you kind of have to guide her along. She also knows how to count and sing her ABC's, though not correctly the whole way through, we still count it. Below is a recent picture of Emery and her BEST FRIEND friend from pre-school James. These two LOVE each other. I'm not kidding. James doesn't come to school every day, but when he does, they are almost inseparable. Emery will go up and hug him first thing in the morning and then they are off in areas together. James is only a few days younger than her too which is nice. So, that is whats going on with that little girl.

I don't have much on me to share. Work, take care of my own kids, sleep when I can, try and keep house straight. That pretty much sums up my life right now. I finally got back on some medication for my ADD and it has helped tremendously! I just can feel my thoughts being organized up there now instead of thinking of a million different things at once. It's been nice. I have some busy months coming up. Lots of birthday parties these next few months, a bridal shower, 2 baby showers, a possible 5K (we will see how training goes), pre-k graduation, Camp's surgery, and I'm sure lots more that I can't even think of right now. But don't worry, I have 3 planners just to make sure I don't forget anything.

So anyway, sorry again for the light postings, hopefully with all this stuff coming up, I will have some more interesting stuff to talk about.

No More Baby

I forgot to let everyone know, C is graduating from baby to mobile infant. Of course, he has been pretty mobile for a long time, but we didn't have to worry about the stairs yet. C had never shown much interest in them. Well last weekend he surprised Dave and I both when he straight up crawled to the stairs and climbed right up. He didn't even stop to check his progress. He just went right on up. Needless to say, we went out that night and bought a new baby gate. We got the kind that has a door on it so we don't have to step over it every time we want to go upstairs. It's super annoying though. I guess I never realized how much I go up and down the stairs. Oh well. Here he is climbing up...

Also, this morning was C's 6 month make-up check-up (he's 8 months old). We missed his initial 6 month appointment because I had lost my mind apparently. So today was the make-up. It also became his 9 month check up because he was doing all the things a 9 month old should be doing and he is so close anyway. He weighs 17 pounds 14 ounces which puts him in the 50% for his weight. He was in the 20% for his head size and height though. They also heard a slight heart murmur but acted like it was nothing, so I'm not going to fret too much about it. Shots weren't too bad. He cried as he was getting them, but the second I picked him up he stopped. That's always hard though, seeing your baby in pain like that. Here is a very happy C.

This Friday we have an appointment with C at Children's Mercy to get his "thingy" looked at to finally have it circumcised. It almost makes me a little nervous that this is finally happening. I'm so used to it the way it is, sometimes I just think about not doing it at all. But I know we will prob. do it. Anyway, this little guy little guy is doing just great and we couldn't be more blessed.

The Permission of a 3 Year Old

Has anyone out there who is around kids a lot realized how much we ask their permission for something? I had read about this a long time ago but never really thought about till I noticed myself doing it today. "We're going to leave in 5 min., okay?" "We're going to have grilled cheese for dinner tonight, okay?" Okay? Not okay. I remember reading how this phrase was not okay. We should not be asking our kids if anything is okay that we have planned. We are their parents. Giving a kid the kind of power where they can say, "Not okay" isn't good. Well, according to this article it wasn't. So just 10 min. ago I said to E, "We're going to have mac and cheese for lunch and then it's nap time, okay?" Why am I asking her if this is okay. If she would have said, "No Mommy, this is not okay" I still wouldn't have changed anything. All it set me up for was a possible fight with her. Thankfully she said, "okay". But I realized just how easy "okay" slips into the end of my sentences to her.

Anyway, that's just my little rant for now. Thought it was funny.

Organic Grocery Shopping

I went grocery shopping today (by myself I might add, which is always nice) at HyVee. Before I left, Dave and I made a list of everything we needed, which we always do, but usually always add more too it. Today I was determined to stick to my list! I am currently reading the book Skinny Bitch. If you have never heard anything about this book, it's pretty life changing. This whole book is about of course, how to eat healthy, why you should eat healthy, and what food does to your body. There is a whole couple chapters on how meat is raised, killed, and processed. It grossed me out! It was horrible to read! I actually had to skip a couple of pages in one of the chapters that was interviewing people that work at some of those places because of the things they were telling that goes on in there. The digusting and horrible things that they do to the animals and then that happen to the meat that we eat. Sick! So, needless to say, I have not ate any meat in the last 2 weeks. We have been drinking almond milk as well.

So anyway, on with the grocery store story. I went to the grocery store with the full intention of buying as healthy as possible. And healthy I did! I ended up talking with this lady that worked there and she told me about all these great local products that are purely organic. AND she showed me chicken breasts that were locally grown without any hormones or mistreating the animals. Oh how I have missed chicken. It looked a little different then other chicken breasts of course. Not as big and not that pale pink. It was smaller and was a bright pink. I bought a few and Dave grilled it. It was delish. Couldn't even tell the difference except for the size. AND it was SOOOOO much better for us.

That was just the beginning of my awesome shopping. I was introduced to Morning Star Veggie Dogs (meat-less corn dogs) for Emery (which she had for dinner tonight and ate the whole thing). Just about everything I bought was organic and/or local and/or healthy! Now, I will say, with as little as I got, I spent a lot more than we usually do. I have always read that buying healthy/organic is more expensive, but that sucked.  But it's all worth it when I know me and my family are putting the best thing possible into our bodies.

I must be a little crazy....

I am making this my title for 2 reasons. First, I went to the doctor today because I seriously thought I could possibly be going crazy. My mind has just been in a million different places at once. I wanted to get back on some sort of medication for my ADD. And so, I went and I got some new meds and I'm waiting to start them tomorrow. Second reason for being a little crazy, I have stopped eating meat. LET ME EXPLAIN!

I don't want to sound all crazy hippi on anyone, but I have been reading this book 'Skinny Bitch' and there are a few chapters on how the whole meat processing goes. How the animals are treated and what the packaging factories are like. I can barley look at a chicken breast anymore. Now, if you know me, you know that I come from a carnivore family. My Uncle Phil makes the worlds best ribs and my Grandpa smokes the worlds best everything! But I just can't get over the ickyness of it all! On top of that, the way the animals are treated before and during the whole killing and skinning process is crazy! I have found vegan chicken that I buy and eat and it's just fine. I also ran into a crazy vegan lady at the super market and she gave me all this information and all these names of people and farmers who can help me with my vegetarian/vegan journey.

I have also made the household choice to stop bringing milk into the house. We are now an almond milk family. It has taken E a little while to get use to the almond milk, well actually, she still isn't really use to it. She is drinking a lot more water than anything, but hey! Her poop is finally getting to be more regular!  As soon as C can get off the boob juice we will start him on almond milk. So he really won't know the difference.

So all in all, our grocery shopping as taken quite a turn. We are buying a lot more fruits and veggies, and our freezer has been meatless for a few weeks now.

Going Green

So I'm really not much of a green person, but I do my little bit to save the earth. We use wash cloths in the kitchen instead of paper towels. We are trying to get into our budget to purchase a rain barrel to use for watering the plants this summer. While on this quest, I started thinking about how else I could be a little "greenier" without spending a fortune. Solor power to power the house?! Expensive. Growing a full on garden, time consuming and I have no where to do so. How about the easiest thing of all to do....recycle! Nope! Costs MONEY! And then I couldn't believe it. How we are slowly killing our planet and everyone is like, "Go Green" "Recycle" but pay us to do it. Think, if recycling was free, most everyone would prob do it! Why do they have to charge for such a silly thing. Anyway, there is my rant for the day.