...Getting My Feet Wet

Actually, I got a lot more than just my feet wet.

This is my favorite week of the year.  Every year.  It's my birthweek (that's a word, no?), teacher appreciation week, and Mother's Day all rolled into the same 7 days.  I'm like a 5 year old when my birthday rolls around.  I can't wait.  It doesn't matter whether or not I have plans to celebrate.  I don't need presents (but I don't hate them, so shop if you must), and Lord knows I don't need cake.  But I just love my birthday.  Lucky for me, 2 of my best girls also have May birthdays, so we tend to make a big deal of ourselves together.  And yes, I'm the oldest by 11 days.  Prepare yourselves.  Celebration pictures are sure to follow.

Today was just the icing on my "my favorite week" cake.  It was gorgeous.  That's all there is to it.  Maybe my whining about the miserable weather has paid off.  And to top it all off, after a day of teaching followed by a long meeting, I joined my family and friends in our friend's pool.  That's right.  In the pool.  On May 8th.  This was L's first real pool experience.  Last summer, she spent pool time in a little raft that one of us always held onto.  Today she was free, wearing H's old arm floaties, as he's now a strong enough swimmer without them, and she showed no fear in the water - which terrifies me.  We all loved every second of it.  I hope I can remember the feeling of wonder and awe I felt watching my kiddos tomorrow when I'm sure they'll be absolute monsters because we kept them out well past their bedtimes so they could enjoy the moment.  It's worth it.

This is where I would post a picture of H and L being adorable in the water, or eating hot dogs poolside in their jammies with wet hair and those fresh from the pool eyelashes that I can't get enough of.  But, alas...  Instead of taking pictures, I was living in the moment.

And since it feels like summer is really on it's way, I just can't do another drab outfit.  Today I broke out the green skirt again, but this time with some color blocking.  So much color used to be way outside of my comfort zone, but I'm really starting to like it.  Luckily, the outfit includes a cardigan, which is the definition of my comfort zone.  And I still haven't cleaned the mirror.  I do think of it every time I take a picture.  I obviously don't have time to dry my hair in the morning, let alone break out the Windex.

Skirt - Banana Republic outlet
Cardigan and T - Target
Bracelet (the gold one, not the rubberband) - Limited
Monogram Necklace - Personalized Me to You
Sandals - Madewell

 

...Extreme Highs and Lows - aka a Stream of Consciousness Dump

It's been an entire month since I've posted.  Frankly, life has been busy.  And amazing.  And frustrating.  And exciting.  And a bummer.  And really, just wonderful.  See what I mean by extreme highs and lows?  This ride has been full of peaks and valleys lately, but luckily the ride's still rolling.

House Stuff

This is not a secret.  We're outgrowing our house.  And by "we're outgrowing," I really mean we've outgrown our house.  Already.  Like almost 2 years ago.  2 bedrooms in less than 1100 square feet is less than ideal for our family of 4.  We've made it work, and things aren't terrible, but we would really LOVE some more space.  And so began the house hunt.  We've only been at it for about a month (see the timeline since my last posting), and it's been up and down like crazy.  In the specific area where we are looking, any house that is remotely decent inside and even close to reasonably price has been sold in 2-3 days after being on the market.  So we do a lot of looking, getting excited, and being let down.  So 2 weeks ago when our offer in the PERFECT location (less than perfect house) was accepted, we were thrilled!

The house that wasn't meant to be

The answer to the kindergarten question.  Walking distance to the train and downtown area (read Dairy Queen) of the suburb.  And then came the inspection.  Everything that could possibly be wrong with a house other than termites and water damage was present.  And we were devastated.  After a lot of soul searching and tears, we decided that it would be best to walk away, and we backed out of the contract.  And so continues the house search...  Peak.  And now valley.  But this valley is kind of a peak.  The home inspection was the best money we've ever spent.  Headaches saved.

Training

June 8th - the day of the Half Marathon - is rapidly approaching.  And by rapidly, I mean it'll be here before I'm ready.  I'm really doing my best to prepare for this thing!  What I'm finding is that this is hard.  No shit?!  What's crazy is that physically, it's not all that bad.  It's my head that struggles.  Luckily, I've got some pretty incredible friends who are also either training or willing to run right along with me.  And I don't think I could make it through these long runs without them.  Here are a few shots from recent training sessions.  You'll note that my mileage doesn't match what I'm telling you.  For some reason the Nike app that I use and the MapMyRun app that both of my partners use aren't quite aligned to each other.  MapMyRun is right on with what the Prairie Path mileage and the actual map mileage were for these runs, so it's what I'm sticking to.

April 27th - 9 Miles with Logan
Running the streets of Tinley Park - How can they call it a suburb?
Total 1:43:11

May 5th - 10 Miles with Meeshie
Prairie Path run from her house to Wheaton
Total 1:48:08

So my friend, Amee, asked me if I've ever had a bad run.  She said it's important to get a really bad one out of the way.  But I haven't.  I really LOVE running with friends.  I certainly could never find nearly 2 hours to chat these ladies up on the telephone - or even in person, for that matter - without one of our kids needing something.  These long runs have been the most selfish and wonderful uses of my weekend mornings.  That's a lie.  The 10 miler was not wonderful.  I had my first experience of nearly shitting myself.  I've heard of this - like some kind of runner's urban legend.  And if one of my girlfriends lived 3 houses east of where she lives, and if her back door hadn't been opened exactly 3 seconds after I pounded on it, and had I needed to explain why I was bursting into her quiet house at 9:00 on a Saturday morning dripping in sweat, I would have experienced it.  But now I know I can do 10 miles.  What's a 5K more?  So far...the runs are extreme highs.  And...I'm getting faster.  I didn't think to pause the Nike app while having my little experience - so that time should be subtracted from this!

Here's the end of that run, including a little cool down!
Only 9 minutes longer than the week before.

This post is getting to be too long!

I fell asleep during Mad Men last night.  Thanks 10 miles and then Sesame Street Live.  I've got priorities, and Don Draper is waiting.  So I'll leave you with a few shots of what I've been wearing over the last month.  Nothing special.  For the most part, the weather has been dismal, and therefore I've been trying my best to think spring!

Night out of Whirlyball with B
Celebrating Logan's fiance's birthday
Cardigan, shirt, and tank all Target
Jeans - Express
Boots - old
Necklace - Loft outlet

I think it was a high of 60 this day.
Sometimes you've just got to break out the sandals.
Long-sleeve striped t - Target
Gray T - Limited
Pants - Ann Taylor
Sandals - Rainbow
Dove Necklace - Tiffany

Shirt that I probably should have tucked in - Old Navy
Skirt and gray tights - Target
Necklace - Loft outlet
Boots - old
Crazy Eyes - all mine

And the extreme high - Flowers at work from B
We've just begun our 14th year together
I can count on one hand the times I've received flowers - and these were "just because"

...Waiting (Not So) Patiently

For Spring!!!!

Seriously!  When is it going to be here?!

Last week, Anne and I had a girls' day out with L to do some shopping.  I stocked up on some new spring essentials.  Our very successful shopping trip included me walking away with 3 maxi dresses (that the sales girl told me are very hot right now), 2 statement necklaces (also touted by said sales girl to be "on trend"), some sunglasses, a pair of shorts, a skirt, a few (okay, like 6) shirts, and a pair of cropped pants.  Success.  And...I discovered that I am consistently wearing a size smaller than my last shopping excursion this winter.  Yay!  At first, I totally thought it was vanity sizing, but 4 different stores don't lie.

Sometimes spring essentials include sausage, cheese and New Glarus beers.  Sometimes.

You know how it is when you get new clothes and they're all you want to wear?  Like right away?  Well, I wore the skirt the next day to celebrate a birthday with B's family.

What you can't see is that my children are asleep at this moment.
I'm the jerk mom that turned on the light to take a selfie.
What you can see is that I still have not cleaned the mirror.
I'm busy.  And I hate cleaning.

A few days later, we headed to California for a little spring vacay.  I got to wear a few of my new pieces.  See?

Pink shorts from Ann Taylor
Shirt from Banana Republic covered by an oldie-but-goodie Target cardigan
Sneakers because it's Disneyland and that's a lot of walking

Statement necklace from Loft, but you can't really see it
I just love this picture with my granola eating L

New maxi dress with Target cardigan
God I love Target cardigans

Hurry up spring!  I have more new things that I want to wear.  And I want to continue running outside.  That's right.  Continue.  Time has not slowed down, and this half marathon is looming 10 weeks in the future.  Looming.  Darkly.  Well, darkly when I have to train on the dread mill.  Today I ran outside.  It was cold and windy, and I don't love that, but it did feel good.  Really good.  

What are you looking forward to this spring?

...Dating B

We've never been too fancy, B and I.  We started "hanging out" and officially dating when I was 18 and he was 19.  We dated through college, when both of us were at the peak of our broke college kid phases.  We once spent an entire week's worth (or more) of B's salary he made at the Kenosha Youth Foundation on a super, extremely fancy dinner at The Melting Pot.  After I promptly threw up said hard earned salary dinner upon arriving at home, our "fancy" date nights came to an end.  I think I was 20.

Now, with B's crazy rotating schedule, date nights are usually us hanging out with a couple of friends - either eating out or hanging at one of our houses - only 3-4 times every 3-4 months.  Kids do that to you.  Our time for just us is far less than it once was.  So, we take advantage of opportunities when they arise to go on dates.

Last night presented just such an opportunity.  Well, I found out about it, and B knew better than to tell me no thought it was a great idea.  So we hired a sitter and hit the city -- something unheard of on a school night!

A little background:  Since the late nineties, I've been borderline obsessed with Wilco.  From the time we were married, every gift-giving occasion, B did his best to try to get me tickets to see my favorite band.  And every gift-giving occasion, to no fault of his own, B was unsuccessful.  It's the thought that counts, right?  Well, in the last year or so, we've more than made up for our lack of live Wilco shows.

In December 2011, we saw Wilco live at the Civic Opera House in Chicago.  Not only did I fall in love with this band all over again, but we were also introduced to Mavis Staples.  Then, in July 2012, we went with Anne and her then-fiance to see them with Andrew Bird at the Kane County Cougars Stadium.  Open air.  Good beer.  Hot sun.  Went to Sonic.  Then, in September, Wilco headlined the two day Hideout Block Party, and I'm so hooked that B, Anne and her man, and I stood listening to my favorite songs.  Last night, Jeff Tweedy was playing a solo show as a fundraiser for his kids' school.  Wait.  What?  Jeff?  Solo?  For a good cause?  Count me in.  And so, our date night was born.

Upon recommendation from my co-workers, we first hit up Kuma's Too - a heavy metal burger joint.  We'll be back.

B's burger - The Led Zepplin
10 oz burger topped with bbq pulled pork, bacon, cheddar and pickles on a pretzel roll. 

Mine - The Lair of the Minotaur
Prepare yourself.  It's freaking amazing.
10 oz burger topped with carmelized onions, bacon, brie, and bourbon soaked pears.
That's right.  Fruit on a burger.  Soaked in bourbon.

And now for the really terrible pictures of the really incredible show - via my phone.  Darn you iPhone4s and your lack of flash when taking selfies

B and Me.  In the dark.  Obvi.

Jeff Tweedy
Solo
I chose not to use a flash based on the super annoying use of a flash by the woman in front of me. 

Jeff Tweedy does Bob Dylan
With Harmonica
LOVE

 The setlist, created by the first 30 people in line, was incredible with every album but A.M. represented - and even some Mavis, Dylan and Beatles.  Next year I'm getting us tickets to both shows.  And you will read all about it - all under the guise of a post about dating my husband.  He gets it.  You will, too.

Casual day at work today for curriculum writing.
The perfect opportunity to sport my concert t-shirt (and a cardigan, of course) .
Paper Doll Style

...A Bonus Day

I hate Daylight Savings.  There.  I said it.  I'm never more tired or confused than on the day we spring forward.  That was yesterday.

H - springing forward

L and her pigtails loving Daylight Savings

This year, we sprang(?) forward on the heels of a girls' night with 3 of my favorites.  The tired was completely worth it.  (These photos blatantly stolen from Anne, as the ones I took with my phone and no flash were pretty crummy.)

If Amee had a blog, I would link it here.  But that's another story. 

With Ashli

We're this adorable all the time.  See?

Last night, after not eating dinner, H threw up for the first time in his life.  I'm not kidding.  Other than as a tiny baby, he's never so much as spit up.  So he made up for it by completely covering the inside of my car, my coat, and my hair.  Thanks, buddy.  Needless to say, I kept him home today.  And thus my bonus day was born.

I've accomplished more today than most days -- the 4th load of laundry is in, dinner is simmering on the stove, and I'm catching up on the dvr while the kids nap.  Around noon, H asked to eat the pasta and meatballs he didn't eat last night, and he polished it all off.  I'd say he's on the mend.  Another bonus.  Life handed me some lemons.  Lemonade?  Check.

...Finding Comfort in Style

It's hard getting dressed each day.  Whine.  As an elementary teacher, I think I spend about an hour of my day on the floor, and probably am crouched down next to a child's desk for almost as much time.  At least in 3rd grade, the chairs are almost big enough.  When I get dressed each morning, I look for something professional-ish looking that's comfortable and at least a little bit cute, while trying to be somewhat on trend.  The on-trend thing is a struggle for me.  I spent 3 of my 4 years in high school in some combination of khaki/cargo pants, long sleeve t-shirts, polo shirts, and hoodies - with the occasional pair of overalls thrown into the mix.  To be fair, I lived in rural Indiana, so it goes without saying that trendiness isn't really something that comes naturally to me.

Yesterday, Anne wrote about jumping on the Chambray wagon.  It's a wagon I've been riding for awhile.  There's something so "me" about a button-up shirt.  It fits most of my criteria right now:  professional-ish, comfortable (with a cami underneath to keep the girls under wraps in case a button pops), usually cute, and somewhat on trend.  I think?  I'm also obsessed with a cardigan. My co-workers bring this to my attention on a regular basis.  Do they think I don't know?

Here's what I wore to work yesterday and today (uber-casual Fridays, YAY!).  A whole lot of pattern clashing mixing going on here.  Is that something?  Like something people do?  Or am I just a complete disaster?  Note:I still am not proficient in the whole outfit post-style selfie.  I did get permission from H to take down his "scary bones monster picture" halfway, and obviously didn't clean the mirror before snapping this shot.  Baby steps.

Polka-dot chambray shirt - Old Navy last fall
Striped cardi - LOFT last spring
Gray pants - Limited last fall
Leopard flats - Target last fall
Necklace (can you even see it?) - gift from Anne

I took this shot and sent it to a complete stranger this morning, with no intention of blogging it.  Obviously, as my eyes appear closed.  I intended to ask Ashli if it was too  many stripes, but accidentally sent it to her really old cell number that has no business being in my phone.  I hope whoever has this number enjoyed it, but I'm a little disappointed that they didn't respond.  

Long sleeve stripes - Target forever ago
Short-sleeve striped sweater - LOFT last spring
Jeans - Express
Necklace - Tiffany (it's my favorite)
I wore shoes.  They were gray Chucks.  Barefoot and work don't go well together. 

Do you have a go-to look? 

...Spring?!

We leave for Spring Break in 3 weeks, and it snowed 6ish inches today.

Where was all this snow in December and January when I wanted it so badly?  I'm not complaining.  I love snow regardless of when it happens.  I love snow days even more, but apparently my district prefers keeping the ISAT testing schedule on track rather than allowing me to keep my ass at home on my couch with my kiddos. 

So instead of letting the snow get us down, we decided to take advantage of those few extra minutes of daylight today and get outside and play.  Try not to be overwhelmed by the cuteness (of the kids, of course).

Go stand by the bushes and smile with your sister. 

This was not a posed shot.
He leaned in and told her "It's time for me to go throw snowballs with Daddy."
She just leaned in for the kiss.
This is SO them - most of the time.

Silly Selfie.  I don't know where he gets his love of a good self portrait. 

Me and B

In other news, training for my first half marathon is coming along.  Sort of.  I've been battling some IT Band issues in my hip.  Stretching and foam rolling helps, but running is a bit painful - and even more so after a run.  Anyone have any advice to offer on this?  To make up for it, I've been getting major miles/hours in on the elliptical for less impact.  I know this is no replacement for running, but at least it's something.  And some pounds are starting to come off, too, which I certainly don't hate.  I'm down 12.something ell-bees since early January.  While I feel like I have a long way to go, 12 pounds in 8 weeks is nothing to sneeze at, so I'll take it.

I wore this to work yesterday.  I didn't hate me in it.  I do realize it needs a belt.  In fact, halfway through the day, I discovered it has belt loops.  Darn you, Target and your encouraging me to just grab stuff off the racks without even trying them on so I wouldn't notice this!  You owe me a belt!

For someone who has taken a few selfies in my day,
I never know what to do with my face and hands in these outfit shots. 

The tights are purple.  The boots are old.  The t-shirt kept rolling up under the dress all day because it was baggy.  But I still didn't hate it.  And I need to find a new place to take these shots.  A new house would be nice.  But that's another post.