As I mentioned yesterday, I just needed a break from the blog. I've been super productive getting things done around the house, though! I'm going to do another (almost) wordless post today and then back to the grind tomorrow with Jerry's weigh-in.
Here are a few pictures from March 5 in previous years. March 5 apparently wasn't a very good day for taking photos, because I don't have many. And the ones I do have aren't super exciting!
Eli LOVED playing Army when he was little, and his creative mind saw these Sorry! game pieces as cannons.
Jessica and I had a 13-mile run on the schedule when we were marathon training, and it was a bummer we wouldn't get anything for running a half-marathon. So, I made some Runs for Cookies half-marathon "medals" out of paper and ribbon, haha.
This is just an aviator hat that I made for Luke--he was born three days later.
And this is Duck with his paper balls. He brings them over to his bowl, but as you can see, they don't really make it in there! He's patiently waiting for me to pick them up and throw them again.
Okay, I'm going to continue to work on spring cleaning and I'll write a "real" post tomorrow!
I really need a mental health day (or two) from the blog right now, so I'm just going to do an (almost) wordless post today and possibly tomorrow. It's been a rough day So here are a few pictures from this day (March 4) in the past...
A note Jerry wrote on a Post-It and stuck it to my tea
Eli's first time getting his teeth cleaned at the dentist. He was SO excited for it! I love the way he's sitting, too.
Noah's first time as well... he wasn't nearly as excited, haha.
This was when Jerry and I were training for the Martian Half-Marathon in 2018
Okay, maybe I'll write tomorrow and maybe I'll just do another (almost) wordless post. Happy Saturday! :)
I have been busy busy busy over the last couple of days getting some spring cleaning done--even though it's still technically winter. When it was SO COLD over Christmas (wind chill of -30℉) I could feel draughts coming from the windows and doors. That's when I knew I had to figure out how to reseal the windows; but I wasn't about to do it when it was so cold outside.
Instead, I went into full-on Dad-mode and used duct tape to seal around all the windows for that weekend. It was not at all attractive, but it worked. No draughts.
We've had such nice weather lately (it's been in the high-40's and even in the 50's!) I decided to give the resealing a go. I didn't know this, but you're apparently supposed to weather-proof your windows every few years. Well, we've been living here 20 years and not once have we replaced the weather seals. Yikes.
The ones we have are a pile material (like a long strip of soft bristle). After reading tons of reviews, I decided I didn't want to to switch to the sticky tape; a lot of people complained that the adhesive wore off quickly. So I bought the same stuff we already had (which had been smashed down from years of use, making them pretty ineffective).
I was kind of nervous to do this--it involved removing strips of the pile from each edge of the window--and then cutting a new strip and inserting it into the T-slot from before. It was tedious, but it worked perfectly.
Left to right: Duct tape to block the drafts; then peeling out the old pile strip; then inserting the new strip (I had to push each little tab down into the T-slot with a tiny screwdriver, and then the last photo is what it looks like after it's all pushed in.
It takes a while to do each window (they each have EIGHT strips that have to be replaced) but I managed to do four windows so far. When I'm done with replacing the pile strips, I need to replace the putty that holds the window in the frame.. I made a whole to-do list for this spring and I want to get a head start!
Anyway, for Friday Night Photos...
I went to Goodwill yesterday and had no intention of buying clothes, but like I said, I was in a bad mood. Thrift shopping always makes me feel better, especially if I get a good deal. Even if I don't buy anything at all, it's still fun! Here are a few things I tried on...
I was undecided about this jacket. I liked it, but I ultimately decided not to get it. I would have liked it to be a touch longer.
I really liked this running jacket, but I have too many running jackets, so I skipped it.
I loved this shirt, but it was a size large--I figured I'd try it on anyway, hoping it would just look naturally meant to fit on the large side. It actually looked kind of ridiculous. So it was a no-go as well.
I was going to post the things that I actually bought, but I think I'll save that for a separate post. That will be a fun one to put together--I love thrift store deals! :)
In fair warning, I have a lot of cat pictures this week...
I thought this was a really cool idea for old tires. We have a tire that we've been waiting to dispose of, but I think I'd like to use it to make a shelter for a cat. I guess I'll report how it goes!
Me, all the time, and I just CAN'T find it in my heart to disappoint the cats and make them move from my lap. Right now, as I type this, Duck is lying on my shins. I have to pee but I'll just hold it until the end of time.
Another thing I worked on over the last couple of days is painting some spots that need to be touched up. There is a piece of trim along the entire top of the cabinets that I'd nailed in, but never painted. It bugged me all the time when I would look at it, so I finally painted it! I had the ladder in the kitchen so I could reach, and of course, Duck and Chick were all over it.
How do you catch a cat? Just set out a box. It works every. single. time.
I was prepping dinner and I made a dressing that called for hummus. I left the dirty spoon with a little hummus on it on the counter while I was cooking and then I looked over and Duck was sitting on one of the bar stools with just his head sticking up. I could see his pink tongue reaching up over the counter to lick the hummus off the spoon. I love this mid-lick picture!
Again, a cat in a box. This time it's Chick.
Eli was watching a show with Jerry and both Duck and Estelle were on his lap. Usually they are drawn to me! It was cute seeing them cuddle with Eli.
Jerry was looking through some stuff that he saved on Instagram and this one popped up. This was a note that Eli made when he was mad at me because I wouldn't let him play Minecraft before school 🤣
It says, "Where's my gift?" (from me). And Eli wrote, "Ha ha you don't get one" And on the bottom: "Mom does not deserve presents but dad does." I'm so glad I saved this! I love the angry eyebrows, hahaha.
This is one of the things I bought from Goodwill. A Clark Griswold-sized ball of Christmas lights. It was good timing because earlier that morning, Noah said he wanted some Christmas lights for his bedroom. I asked the man who was working there if I could return them if they don't work, and he said no--they test all of the electronics in the back before they shelf them. Well, I got home and they didn't work! In three different outlets. Jerry brought them back to the store and the guy plugged them in--apparently, they worked. Brought them back home, tried about five different outlets and they just wouldn't turn on. Jerry and I inspected the bulbs, swapping out bulbs and fuses in all different combinations, but we couldn't figure it out.
These are the polarized sunglasses that I got for Riley--"magic" glasses so that she can see underwater like she did at the park with my glasses. Luke didn't want to pose for a picture with his ;)
Okay, that's all I've got. I'm actually looking forward to watching this ice storm that is happening outside right now! Have a great weekend. xo
I am still loving Noah's haircut--with the hair and the smile, he looks so much more mature and grown up. I love how he looks, but it's kind of sad at the same time! He's an actual adult. And he looks like one!
Someone left a comment yesterday implying that I don't support my kids' choices when it comes to hairstyles. Normally, I don't pay attention to comments like that, because *I* know the truth and what do I care if someone pretends to know me and how I treat my kids?
However, it prompted me to write about it for a fun Three Things Thursday today!
I have *always* let my kids wear their hair the way they want. It's just hair--it grows back and that's the fun of it! Hair is fun to experiment with. Sometimes it looks great, sometimes not so much. We've all had hairstyles that we've liked and hairstyles we haven't.
I've always been a mom that lets my kids be who they want to be, especially when it comes to how they look. I've let them cut and dye their hair, paint their nails, pierce their ears, wear whatever clothes they want... I am FAR from a mom who tries to make my kids look like someone they aren't. (My only rule is that they cannot get a tattoo. I want them to be much older before making that very permanent decision.)
Anyway, here are three hairstyles from Jerry, the kids, and me...
ELI
Eli used to be really into his hair and I loved that. He wanted to get it cut like his favorite YouTuber one time, so I took him to do that. It turned out great!
(His ear piercings? He and I went together to the tattoo shop to get them pierced. I got one, too!)
Shortly after that, he wanted to dye it green. He was a little bummed that it wasn't as green as he would have liked, though. When Luke came over, we bought some green hair spray and made him look like Eli. It was adorable!
Since he wanted a very bold color, I told him that I would pay for him to go to the salon where they could bleach and then color his hair (he wanted blue). We had so much fun! And he loved it. My favorite part? That Eli marches to the beat of his own drum and doesn't do things just to fit in. He's unique, in the best way possible.
Eli truly doesn't care what people think. The kids at school called him "Blueberry" and "Smurf", but he didn't care. And funnily enough, several other people dyed their hair like that shortly after. He's a trendsetter, that one ;)
NOAH
Noah has always been one to try to fit in with everyone else, so until about a year ago, he's never really done anything wild with his hair. But here are a few pictures of different styles:
I was surprised that he actually had the side shaved like this, but I rather liked it! I've never been a big fan of boys with long hair, but hey--it's HIS hair, not mine. (By the way, I love Claire's hair, too.)
Noah wasn't crazy about how his long hair was sticking up (he has two cow licks on his crown) so he asked me to show him how to straighten it. It was fun being able to show him how to do that! Did I care that his hair was down to his shoulders? Nope. He liked it, and that's what mattered.
Most recently, he grew his hair super long and then dyed it greenish. I really liked the color of it! However, he was terrible about keeping the sides trimmed, so when he pulled his hair back into a man bun (which actually looked really good on him!), he looked like a clown--the sides stuck out all over. This isn't just ME saying it--it became a running joke in my family. Even Noah made fun of it!
We knew how much Noah loved his hair, so we joked about cutting it off while he was sleeping, or we'd make bets where if he lost, he'd have to cut his hair (not really). But I would never force him to cut it, nor make him feel bad for the style he chose. He's my kid! I will never see him as anything but perfect.
When he came home yesterday with his hair cut and I was so excited, it wasn't just the haircut--it was the SMILE ON HIS FACE. He never smiles--as evidenced in the pics--even though he has a great smile.
If you missed it, here is the before and after:
That smile makes my heart so happy!
When he wanted to see the reaction on our faces when he took off his hat, he wasn't disappointed at all. We were SHOCKED and it made him laugh. I caught his picture while he had a very genuine smile on his face, and THAT is what I loved so much. (Although I definitely love the short hair on him--he looks so mature.)
This was right after he finally got the sides trimmed and he dyed it green-ish:
JERRY
Jerry has had his share of haircuts, too. It's super hard to narrow them down to three! But here are a few of my favorites:
This is when I shaved steps in his head. This used to be really popular when we were in elementary school!
Oh, man, this was the worst! He bleached it for some reason, which dried it out horribly. Then it got a slight green tinge. And he refused to cut it. I'm glad that one didn't last long ;)
WHY he did cut a mohawk like this?! I can't remember, but wow. Actually, I probably cut it for him (at his request--I never would have chosen that, haha). But again--HIS hair.
KATIE
And finally, me. I already did a post about all my bad haircuts when I was a kid, so here are a three haircuts from later in life. This was hard to narrow down, too! There are a lot.
In high school, I used to wear my hair in small buns all over my head--probably 6-8 of them. I wish I had a picture! But this pic below is the aftermath of when I took the buns out. My hair was SO CRAZY. (Also, I used to dye it a reddish color in high school!)
This was the first and only time in my life I got highlights in my hair. My sister took me for a makeover after I'd lost 100 pounds, and we had a blast! I absolutely loved the highlights until it came time to keep up with them. I don't like spending money on my hair, so I went back to my natural black.
I have no recollection of cutting my hair so short at this age! I think this was in 2005-ish. I really don't like how I look with short hair and it's too hard to maintain--I prefer to throw it into a messy bun. And even though a messy bun isn't exactly attractive, it's comfy and practical!
I cannot do a post about hair without sharing (once again) this video of Jerry. It's the BEST. I don't know how I didn't actually die from laughing.
And here are a couple of other funny photos that show just how much I don't care about molding the kids to what is "expected". I have *always* let my kids pick out their own clothes for school, especially on picture day. I wanted my kids to be themselves and look how they wanted; there were kids in the class dressed in collar shirts with ties, and ruffly dresses for picture day. My kids wore whatever they wanted. and I love seeing those pictures!
This is what Eli wanted to wear to school, so I let him! What's the harm? (And seriously, how cute is he?!)
I took him to Sears to get his pictures taken before he got his braces removed, and I told him to pick out an outfit--and this is one of my very favorite pictures of him!
This picture of Noah is AWESOME. I took him to Sears for some baby pictures and he wanted nothing to do with it. The photographer was getting frustrated, and I told her to just take the picture--I would buy it! She said she would get in trouble for not getting a better photo, and I told her it's perfect the way it is and to just take the picture. I bought an 8x10, hung it on my wall, and got more compliments on it than any other photo. Because nobody buys pictures of their kids crying ;)
Anyway, the whole point of this post is that I absolutely adore my kids the way they are and I will always let them express their independence. Do I love Noah's haircut? Yes. Does it make me love him more? No. I love him with my whole heart, regardless of what his hair looks like. Does he know this? Absolutely.
And the comment about making my whole year? It was about the whole package--Noah feeling excited to see Jerry's and my reactions to his hair, his shyness about it, trying to hide his smile, but then seeing it all: the great haircut, the genuine winning smile, and the entire mood of the room. We laughed and couldn't stop exclaiming how "adult" he looked. My kids are always first in my life and I would never say anything to make them question whether I like the way they look.
I have not been having the greatest day today, so I'm going to try to keep this short. (You know me, though, nothing is ever short!)
I am really proud of myself for how well I did this week in terms of getting back to good eating habits. I swear, it's the initial 4-7 days that are killer, and then after that, it just gets easier. (Not EASY, but easier.)
I was a little disappointed last week when I weighed in because I'd only lost 0.8 pounds--and I felt like I had a pretty good week! I wrote yesterday about Jerry's Beans & Greens turning out to be super salty, causing each of us to gain a couple of pounds overnight. So I hoped--
Okay, I have to stop typing mid-sentence because Noah just walked in the door and made my day. My month. My whole fucking year. HE CUT HIS HAIR!!!!
And holy cow, doesn't he look so amazing?! I absolutely love it. He's super shy about it, and he rarely smiles because he hates his smile, but I was taking a whole burst of pictures and caught this one at the right time.
I can't get over it. Since he hates his smile, the only way I was able to get this picture is when he was laughing at how I was basically screaming how much I love it, hahaha.
...Okay, back to my regular post. Noah totally upstaged my significant weight loss today ;)
After a great week, I really hoped it would show on the scale (especially after that really salty Beans & Greens that caused me to gain two pounds overnight).
Last week, I was at 147.8 and today I was at 144.6! That means I've lost 3.2 pounds this week. Maybe my body just needed a little bit of time to catch up, but I certainly feel like I earned those pounds lost.
This week, I tried to get back to a good routine with my food. I ate my old favorites for breakfast and lunch (Grape Nuts with blueberries and soy milk for breakfast; cold cinnamon raison oats for lunch). I haven't been logging my food, but I've been eating a dinner that's a little on the larger side so that I don't feel tempted to snack on junk all night. I do usually have one snack, but I've been eating prunes and/or dates at night.
Actually, typing this out makes it look like a very sad diet, hahaha. But I love those foods! And I love being able to cook different dinners every night.
The one thing that I really need to make a priority is running. It's been SO sporadic. It seems like every time I start to get into a groove something happens--I was sick, and then my knee started bothering me again (not from running, but just a general knee injury from when I knelt on a screwdriver). I only have less than six weeks until the 10K race with Nathan, and I am 100% determined that I *will* do it!
I think I'll make it a point to go to the state park a few times this week and run there. If I can get myself there, then I'll have no choice but to run. The hardest part is getting started--making myself get out the door! I have been feeling a lot better about myself the past couple of weeks, though, so it's the logical next step.
I can't believe it's March already. I had plans to write some goals for March (nothing huge; you just know how much I like goals).
Okay, as I said, I'm keeping this short! My day is a million times better since seeing Noah, but I've got a lot on my mind. Jerry is off today so I'd like to chat with him. Happy Wednesday!
I'm going to do this a little differently today, at Jerry's request. He's had a rough morning! He had a doctor's appointment at 11:20; the doctor isn't there in the afternoons, which is rough when you work a night shift. So he came home from work, woke up after a few hours, went to his doctor's appointment, came home and slept for a few more. Doing his "Dad Bod" weigh-in wasn't exactly on his mind, which is totally understanding.
Still, though, he had a great week! It was funny a couple of days ago--I'd asked him to make his Beans & Greens, which is one of my favorite comfort foods. I was working on my blog post while he cooked, and it smelled amazing. When we sat down to eat, I took one bite and thought, "Holy salt!"--Jerry made a face and said "Woah, this is really salty."
We both tried to eat it and we managed one bowl, but we didn't even save the leftovers. Bummer! What does this have to do with weigh-in?
Even though I ate really well all day, my weight was up nearly two pounds yesterday morning. And Jerry? His weight was up THREE pounds. We both knew it wasn't from poor eating; it was clearly the amount of salt we'd eaten. (Jerry isn't sure where he went wrong with the salt.)
Instead of posting about Jerry's "dad bod" week, I figured I'd share a little of his past with his weight struggles.
In August 2009, Jerry's weight was 253 pounds. As funny as it, that was MY starting weight, too! Hahaha. It makes sense, considering we pretty much ate all the same things (and I matched or exceeded his portions). (I'm not at all kidding when I say that we would share: a large order of cheese breadsticks with garlic butter dipping sauce, a deep dish pizza with pepperoni and bacon, a six pack of beer, and each of us would have a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Seriously.)
This was how Noah played soccer--the whole game--hahaha.
Jerry didn't start losing weight until until January 1, 2010. I had already been losing weight since August 2009; Jerry saw how good I was doing with it, so he decided to give it a go, too. He likes to say (now) that he "lost weight by default" because he just ate whatever I cooked. He doesn't give himself enough credit, though! He is constantly tempted by food at work when people bring it in to share--and it's not exactly healthy food.
This is when we were both at our goal weights in 2013. My friend Stephanie, who is a great photographer, did an amazing photo session.
This all happened so long ago that it's hard to remember the details. Essentially, though, Jerry started eating the same sort of diet as I did, and the pounds started coming off. And naturally, they came off faster than mine! Don't they always when boys lose weight? So not fair! ;) He joined Weight Watchers and eventually reached his goal weight there (I believe in 2003--I'll look for the link). He weighed in at 168, which was a total of 85 pounds lost!
An 85-pound difference
For exercise, he started running a little--nothing too serious--and then trained for the Indy Mini half-marathon, which he finished strongly.
Now, over the years, his weight as gone up and down just like mine, only his hasn't been quite as extreme. His lowest weight was 167 pounds (I believe this was in 2013) and his highest (since then) was earlier this year, when he was about 200 (he doesn't remember the exact number).
Considering that the odds are stacked against him, he's done an amazing job keeping off all the weight that he has! He'll get back to his usual post next week!
