Tantrums...

This evening I had planned on blogging about how I felt like I was finally getting a grasp on being a mother of two, but then I had a horrible evening with Amelia and found myself and I found myself googling "what to do when 2 year old has an epic tantrum". For the most part, Amelia is a well behaved child, but once and awhile when she is overtired and hungry and something ticks her off - she looses it. And I mean LOOOSES it! She cries so hard she almost vomits, she flails her arms and legs, she arches her, screams so loud I'm amazed the windows don't shatter. I guess there is a good reason for the term "terrible two's", although I prefer to call them the "terrific two's" since it is such a precious time of discovery, language, independence and fun.



A mom I ardely admire wrote this READ IT! I find her posts incredibly uplifting and insightful.

Body image

I did a great Jari Love workout video this evening after I put my girls to bed. It felt good to sweat and feel my muscles burn. While I am huffing and puffing away I often want to stop, but when I finish what I start I feel so proud of myself. I know that I have been out of shape in the past and I always managed to get back into shape again with a little determination and dedication. I know that I need to loose at least 10 pounds to get back to my pre pregnancy weight. In the first few weeks after I gave birth to Claire, the pounds just melted away. Every morning I would step on the scale and marvel at how much I had lost overnight. While breastfeeding burns anywhere from 200 - 500 calories a day (hallelujah) I still need to workout if I want to get my body back into shape. I have been trying to watch calorie intake these days and have been focusing on portion control. I have never had a problem choosing healthy foods, but I often eat too much. I LOOOOOVE yummy food. The funny thing is that I like my body more now than I ever did before. I may not like how clothing fits me at the moment, but I feel more gracious towards myself, more loving. I don't look hatefully at certain parts of myself anymore... I see my imperfections and I think - "ahh that will be resolved in time and if it isn't that is okay". More than anything I want to feel strong and healthy. I don;t care about having a flat stomach or thin legs as much as I care about being able to run a marathon and do 20 "real" push-ups. I don't expect perfection but I do expect my jeans to fit me. I do, however, look forward to having a breast reduction and only having to wear only one bra. I have always wanted to wear a spaghetti strap sundress or bathing suit top without spilling out everywhere. I'm appreciative of the fact that my husband adores me just as I am. I think it is funny that he thinks I always look the same, although my form has most certainly changed over the years. I know that I will never be petite but that is okay with me. Even when I was in the best shape of my life I was still curvaceous. The above photo was taken in 2009 when Nathaniel and I were traveling in Thailand. Hmmmm, those were some good times.

Pepperoni pizza puffs

I made a batch of these tonight for supper. They were scrumptious.





Here is the link to the recipe if you want to try it out.

On sunny days and rainy days.....

Spring has finally arrived here in the Chilcotin and everything is a glorious shade of green. We have received a lot more rain this year than in previous years. Hopefully that means that we won't have as many many forest fires this summer.


On the rainy days.....

1) I finally started scrap booking again, now that Claire has settled into a routine. I have had a collection of old papers, letters and photos that I found in an attic some time ago and now I am attempting to put them into a scrapbook. Here is a sneak peek:



2) I cleared out my craft room: (this is the BEFORE photo)




.... and painted the floor to brighten up the space a bit: (the AFTER photo)



3) Have had a lot of picnics on the floor with my girls:



4) Finger painting..




On the sunny days we have been....

1) Planting our garden:This year we have three gardens and a greenhouse, so we are going to be swimming in vegetables.



2) Getting acquainted with the newest addition to the family: A five month old treeing walker hound. Nathaniel named him Chester.



3) Enjoying bright blue skies and fields of weeds... I mean flowers.



4) Going to the lake.



5) Playing with the mud (there is a lot of it here when it rains).



6) Digging out garden bed for my flowers: I started this one when I was 10 days overdue with Claire and I only just started to tackle it again.