New Year Resolutions: 2017

Last year was a total year of growth in our household! One side of me thinks "oh hey, that is really mature, Caitlin..." and another side of me is like "F that B!" One of my favorite 2016 resolutions was "If it not a hell yeah, it's a no!" and I feel so proud to say I really stuck with that! I said 'no' way more than I said "hell yeah" which resulted in a lot of family time, which was priceless. In 2016 I was able to rid myself of some poor relationships that were fostered on complaining about others, I was better able to stand my ground when I really just wanted to be a people-pleaser, and I learned something awesome/annoying about my husband. If you tell him not to do one thing, he will do that exact thing to be a pain in the ass. This works wonderfully knowing I can now reverse psychology! (Side note: He will 'like' this post when I put it on Facebook because he is nice like that, but guarantee he will not read this!)

This year I came up with some new resolutions that physically and mentally plausible.

1. Lose half of my gained "baby weight." Which I now just call "mom weight," because it has been 19 months since I had a baby. I bit the bullet and joined Orange Theory Fitness, something I am really looking forward to. My favorite "baby hating" neighbor is going to join me on this journey and I could not be more excited! I am 30 pounds heavier now than I was before I got pregnant with Aiden. Thirty, freaking, pounds. I am setting a realistic goal of losing 15 this year, and 15 next year!

2017 Goals! Keep babies, lose baby weight!

2. Foster meaningful friendships. I have been fortunate enough in my life to meet people that really enhance life. They are fun to hang out with, whether it is shopping, drinking, or cooking together. Rather than spend my time ruminating on failed relationships, I am going to spend time with those that matter. Even though my best friend lives a few states a way, finding more scheduled time for conversations, and making her feel special when I can't be there to bring a bottle of wine and watch Netflix. Also, another best friend is pregnant with her first baby. There is something so special and fun about being a part of a friendship when babies are involved. I always need to remember, "surround yourself with cheerleaders and get rid of the vampires!" 

3. Bulk up our savings! I need to come up with a plan for this. Now that I finally have a job, I feel a little more comfortable stacking away money for savings. In 2016 we paid off all of our credit card debt and it feels so freeing. When you live on one income for so long, it was hard to hack away at our undergraduate credit card debt. Now if we could only pay off student loans, just kidding, that will likely never happen! 

4. De - freaking - clutter!! We have SO. MUCH. STUFF. I feel like Toys R Us could not hold a candle to our basement right now. We have trains and train tables, cars, and baby toys that all kids have outgrown... they need to go. Mr. Sentimental Aiden is the nay-sayer and always cries that he loves that toy when I am about to get rid of it. We have so many baby things that need to go. People always tell me how pretty my house is, which I work hard to make it pretty, but literally every drawer, cabinet, basket is jammed full of toys. Before Aiden was big enough to like toys I would daydream about the cute houses that had all of these adorable baby toys and picture my children playing with them. What was I thinking?! Baby toys procreate in the night and most are hideous. Hellooo Container Store! 

5. Re-do some house things. For the most part, all rooms are finished in our house. But, I do want to add some things. Aiden needs a headboard, and maybe a room update, we need new furniture in our master bedroom, and my goodness, Leila may move to a bed in 2017! Please, little babe, stop growing up! I might even add some curtains and window fixtures to our office this year... who knows what kind of crazy things that will bring! I hope that I will find more time to blog about our home and our life as things start to even out in our house... no little tiny babies, more stability at work, every other Friday off starting in February, and less football. Sad day, Broncos. 

What do you all have in store for 2017?! I would love to hear!

Luke: Four year old interview!

I cannot believe my sweet baby Luke is already a month into his fifth year of life! Here are a few photos from his fourth birthday get together and his birthday interview!

1What is your favorite color? Green

2What is your favorite toy? Superman

 What is your favorite fruit? Banana

4What is your favorite TV Show? Broncos

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Salad

What is your favorite outfit? Superman

What is your favorite game? Mario

What is your favorite snack? Fruit snack

What is your favorite animal? Giraffe

What is your favorite song? Banana

What is your favorite book? Banana

Who is your best friend? Zade

What is your favorite cereal? Broncos

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play

What is your favorite drink? Banana

What is your favorite holiday? Banana

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Superman

What do you like to eat for breakfast? Waffles

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cupcake

What do you want to be when you grow up? Play on the field

Clearly he has a thing for the word banana. I will take it over the word 'fart' or 'wiener' any day! 

2016 Christmas Fireplace

On the very rare occasion these days, I took a few pictures of my holiday fireplace. I would have loved to get more photos of the whole house but it was a chore enough to get it all decorated while working full time. Maybe tomorrow I can find time between stepping on legos and cleaning guacamole off of baby dolls heads to take some more photos!

But for now....

Is anyone else a sucker for white poinsettias?! I just swoon over them! 

Details:

Tree: Walmart

Fake greenery: Hobby Lobby

Fluffy stool: Bed, Bath, & Beyond

Distressed pot: Pottery Barn

Basket: TJ Maxx

Blue chair: Target

White vases: IKEA

Stockings: Hobby Lobby

Clock: Z Gallerie

"What are your kids?"

I am not sure if there is a more flattering or more offensive question on this earth. I have had people ask me if I am my children's nanny before. I think I missed the memo on marrying someone that looks like your brother and procreating with them. Because, ew. Plus, I never really have been a fan of see-through babies. You know, the overly white ones where you can see their veins in their eyebrow? I like my babies a little more toasty. I like to think I am more evolved.

I digress. I have typed words, erased words, re-typed the same words, and then deleted some more. One step forward and two steps backwards. Much like what I believe is the state of our country at this time. As the election played out, my anxiety continually expanded in my chest. As someone that considers themselves an independent voter, the socially liberal, fiscally conservative, much like many other millennials, I am utterly appalled that a country that has come so far for racial equalities, same-sex equalities, and being a country where others looked to turn when their country failed them. Not only can I not fathom that the man we will now be asked to call our president has bankrupt his own many business ventures (steaks, airline, travel agency, vodka, mortgage company, a university, and so on) but our country elected a man that undermined a well-educated man because his parents were from Mexico making him unqualified for the degree and certification that he earned, mocked a disabled reporter, insulted a soldiers family, and made numerous statements about women being dogs, doing whatever he says because he is "famous," and the famous grabbing them by the cat. We have literally elected a man that knows absolutely nothing about being a president let alone anything about holding any political position. You guys, I can't.

On Tuesday evening I sat on my couch thinking about women in Germany, Poland, France, and many other places throughout Europe during the WWII era. Were the interracial relationships then? Probably not many. But what if there were? Would the non-Jewish mother whom married a Jewish man, had children with him, sit and wonder if her husband, the love of her life, and children, whom she would die for, would be taken and put into concentration camps or killed? Did she have to hide in the walls of homes for months because she was fearful that someone would come for her children and husband and leave her behind? We literally just elected a modern-era individual that hates people because of their ethnicity. What in the ever loving hell, America?

Someone wrote to me and said "I voted for him because it was best for my family at this time." Well, that is just fabulous for you, you selfish brat. It is also in my best interest, financially, to vote for a Republican candidate. But you know why I don't? Because I think of the women that have been raped and became pregnant by their rapist and the fear they have when people start saying that a woman should not be able to terminate a pregnancy within a reasonable timeframe. I think about letting their body stretch and get sick and every time that baby moves, thinking about the time she was raped and experiencing that trauma all over again. I think about the mother with four children, pregnant with her fifth, and at 22 weeks experiencing such high blood pressure that she has to either terminate the pregnancy, or die, leaving four more children motherless because someone told her how she has to take care of her body and her health. I think about the single mothers that were left by the father of the child, or the mother that got out of a poor relationship to protect her child and herself, barely surviving, barely able to put food on the table, but needs help from the government so she can keep some food on the table and a roof of their head. But, my my, go ahead and vote for what is best for you, not what is best for our country.

I got to thinking, I am a small blue dot, living amongst a sea of red dots. I think I know two other people in my whole neighborhood that voted for Hillary Clinton. Also in this sea of red dots there are no interracial relationships. I know, shocking right? These are the people asking if I am my children's nanny and if my oldest was a "planned pregnancy." For the record, he was, I was married, so mind your P's and Q's, bitches. It just so happens this sea of red are mostly older parents. There is certainly a divide in parenting style for those that have had their children in their 30s and those that had their children in their 20s. But, that comparison is for another day. My first grader came home and said "my friends told me Hillary Clinton is a criminal." So, maybe she did some things wrong, maybe not, we probably won't ever know. But what we DO know is that racism, sexism, xenophobia, and misogyny are alive and well in this country, and our president elect embodies all of these traits. I am starting to believe that in this sea of red, no one has heard of the concept of white privilege. It is what it sounds like, but it is also so much more. It is the blindness that masks your thoughts when you ask a mother "what are your children?" They are kids, two boys and one girl, little humans, you know?

So I would just like to leave a message to you cute little elephants basking in your election glory: "look up what white privilege means and do some research about how it affects you. If you think it does not affect you, you are the definition. Keep treading in your inner circle of other privileged white friends that do not get that they are privileged. Be a non-inclusive person. If posting on social media about how you "won," just remember, you may have won, but many non-straight people, women, non-white people, lost. Pretty much everyone that is not a white, middle to upper class male, lost.

America, and more importantly, Donald Trump, please prove me wrong. Please prove to me that the leader of the free world is not the person that you have acted like. Prove to those that celebrated the win of Donald Trump (I am looking at you, Iran, China, and Russia) as a serious downfall of our country, prove them wrong. Prove my children wrong. I want to live in a country where my children start at the same start line as other white children, and right now I think I do, but do not push them back. Do not let our children see the hate that has spewed from your orange face and oddly-hued, bubblegum lips. And lastly, don't ask someone "what are your children?"

HaLLoWeEn 2.0.1.6.

We have been incredibly fortunate when it comes to weather this fall. It has probably been in the 60s, 70s, and sometimes 80s every day since the beginning of our Indian Summer! I have to itch to decorate for Christmas, and planned on doing it on November 11th because I have that day off from work, but I couldn't help but put up our brand new tree tonight! I can't wait to share pictures with you once I get it all decorated!

This year we took some amazing beach photos while we were on vacation and I love them so much! I am using some for our Christmas card, so those will stay a secret, but here are a few that I am just smiling big smiles for....

We were also able to carve pumpkins outside which completely avoided messing up the inside of my house... pumpkin guts can be so sticky! They also scare Leila... when she is afraid, she covers both of her ears. I think that is kind of smart, obviously, you need to see the fear to make sure you are a safe distance away...

And because it was so warm and we carved our pumpkins three days before, they rotted before halloween actually came. Then, squirrels may or may not have gotten to them. Life.

This neighbor gave out jello shots. He was our favorite. 

IT IS NOVEMBER! Let the decorating begin! <3

What we have been up to... the last two months!

I have been bad at blogging. I am still trying to find a workable work/life balance. I think I am doing pretty well, I LOVE my new job, and I haven't forgotten a lunch yet! (I may have forgotten about school pictures, and Berto got them dressed, Aiden was wearing a blue athletic shirt, black athletic shorts, with a nice snowy background - thank goodness for retakes!)

Luke started soccer this season. At first he hated it, but liked his coach a lot. There were a few games with tears, and then finally the last two games he turned it on and scored a few goals each game! I really need to jump on the 'girl mom' train and stop hating on how little girls play sports. I think I will just put Leila in dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading so I do not find the need to be super competitive. Well, who am I kidding, I still will be. I cannot wait for the day they separate boys and girls for sports. I know, I am awful! 

Aiden started his second season of flag football and asks me every day when he can play tackle football. His brother has gotten the brunt of his want/need to tackle more times than I can count. Poor, Lukey. 

And we went to Disneyland! 

And to Newport and Huntington Beach!

And Luke jumped off of a 7 foot playground and was limping for two weeks. We finally took him to the doctor to get an X-ray, nothing was wrong. Maybe some slight ligament damage. But, he has growth plates that are very far apart and they told us he will be tall! He is already as tall as Aiden was this time last year and they are 2.5 years apart! 

Leila learned to climb. Everything. 

We planted some bulbs so they bloom in the spring. She had this bow in for 2.2 seconds. She is over bows. Which makes me cry on the inside, and maybe outside too. 

We watched lots of football practice. 

Watched lots of games. 

Luke just wanted some shade to watch other kids play with toys on YouTube. 

And that is that! I am hoping to get back to sharing decorating, but, no promises. I did buy a new Christmas tree which I am super excited about! I am just barely staying afloat. But I am half-drowning, happily!