Finally over all the sickness

The last ten days have been MISERABLE. First I had some sort of flu and was throwing up every twenty minutes for 8 hrs (Somehow w/o managing to lose even one lb..thanks flu) and then starting the next day Jasper had diarreah(no clue how do spell that) EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK! Yep a week. After day two I called the doc and they said it was going around and just to make sure he is eating/drinking. I've called back twice since then and they informed me whatever is going around is lasting from 7 to ten days- and today on day number 8 Jasper woke me up to a SOLID POOP! Yay. Never thought I'd blog about how excited I was that he pooped, but after a week of runny, messy diapers we are back in business! And now it's time to get him back in his underwear because after a day of runny pooh in underwear he was back in diapers after a 3 month break. poor. dude.

On even more exciting news-- GAP SALE TODAAAAAY (and all weekend) and this mamma has 30% off and a paycheck to blow.

99 Things

Saw this one another blog and Love these type of things! You are supposed to bold the things you have done.

Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted .
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Received flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve (kind of a stranger, knew Of him, just had never talked to him..)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life ( feel like I do this on a semi-regular basis w/ my two year old!)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I need to be a rocket scientist to figure out my 2 year old

Me "What do you want to do Jasper"

J " Me and mamma do a pull oh"

" You want to do what?"

"A pull oh"

Oh okay the kid wants to watch Apollo? Sure I tell him and grab the computer and start surfing youtube for the little man to watch Apollo.

"Mammma NOOOOOOO, Do a Pull oh wit me NOW" Now he is mad that Im sitting here on the computer. He runs into his play room and returns with....a PUZZLE. I didn't even know he knew how to say puzzle, or that he had a hard time with Z's since he can say them when singing the alphabet. He teaches me something new Every day,

One Hour Pilates DVD..

Followed by One Large bowl of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Carmel Sauce and gooey marshmellow fluffy stuff... That's my problem- I always seem to think I need/deserve to reward myself by eating a rediculous amount. But day two of my pilates challenge is done and so far two for two! Tomorrow I'll work on following up pilates with something healthier like hummus and pita.

Pilates 7 Day Challenge!

So I have been doing Pilates on and off for the last 7 weeks and I can seriously tell a huge difference. I am down 10 or 11 lbs (past my goal weight!) and have some ab muscles (underneath layers of skin) but I've only been doing it 2 or 3 times a week, sometimes less. So starting Tomorrow I am going to try to do 7 days straight of Pilates and hopefully be able to tell a difference next Sunday! I'm hoping that by writing it down I'll actually stick with it.

In J man news. He has had a fever on and off for 2 days, but no other sick symptoms besides wanting to cuddle- which is Huge in itself since that never happens. Being the paranoid mamma that I am I decided I wanted him sleeping in bed with me so I could monitor his fever better- so we kicked dad out of bed and I brought Jasper in with me. It was So cozy. I woke up to him stroking my face. So last night we kicked out Drew again even though he hadn't had a fever in over 12 hours- but you can never be too safe right? So again, Jasper and I cuddle. When putting him in my bed he was So excited, and kept saying Me night night with mamma! SO freaking adorable. But now that he hasn't had a fever in over 24 hrs I guess it's back to him sleeping in his bed. I was never big on the whole co- sleeping thing, but now I can see why people want to do it!

My son, the future Olympic snowboarder.

Love love love the Olympics. It's really the only time you will catch me watching any sort of sports on TV. Jasper has had a bit of a fever for like the 2nd time ever in his life, and it has made him all cuddly and he actually Wanted to sit and 'titta' (watch in Swedish) with mamma. This is Completely unheard of as apparently I have managed to raise the Only toddler who Hates TV. Anyway, while watching Shaun White on the halfpipe Jasper turned to me, excited, and said " OOOoo I do dat too mommy?" So, it looks like Jasper has his first 'dream' and since we live in Colorado we are living in the perfect place for that dream to become a reality.

Game On Diet! Really works!!!

I did it- I lost 10 lbs!!! I just stepped on the scale for the first time in a few weeks and am SHOCKED!!!! I haven't lost that much weight in a short (or even long) period of time since I have birth to a 9 lb baby 2 and a half years ago! And the best part- I did it with no cardio, no working out except chasing a 2 year old around and some pilates a few times a week! 10 lbs in about 8 weeks may not seem like a big deal to anyone else- but since my prebaby weight is about 118-120 lbs and for two years I was stuck between 138 and 140 to be down to 126 seems like a MIRACLE to me!!! Now hopefully I can just keep it off!

***And I cheated a LOT on this diet, still had a mountain dew every day, still ate chocolate/candy at least once a day, etc. etc.

blogger survey

1. When was the last time you shaved your legs?
Uhm- like 5-6 days ago? Yep i know this isn't a great thing and nope I don't care.

2. What were you doing this morning at 8?
Making Jasper breakfast.

3. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Relaxing- its nap time for the boys!

4. What are you wearing right now?
leggings and long black shirt.

5. Are you mad at anyone right now?
Don't think so?

6. The last two people to say they loved you?
Jasper and Drew

7. Kissed someone in the last 24 hrs?
Again, Jasper and Drew.

8. Are you happy with your living arrangements?
Eh- we will be moving in a few weeks.

9. Last thing received in the mail?
bills?

10. Do you have any famous relatives?
Nope.

11. Have you ever had sex in a public place?


12. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Had my car And Drew's truck searched, mine because it was after midnight on a gravel road (I was 18 and Past curfew violations) and Drew's because there were 4 18 year olds in the car so ofcourse we Had to have illegal drugs/alcohol in there. Love those Perry cops!

13. How is your hair?
Same as every day- straight, tame, boring.

14. How many different drinks have you had today?
Water, and Mountain Dew- so two. Going for a pepsi now.

15. What have you eaten today?
toast with cheese, and chicken nuggets and fries for lunch. Oh and some valentines candy.

16. Are you any good at math?
Not even close.

17. What did you do Friday night?
Last friday? That was a week ago so definitely can't remember that far.

18. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Actually, yes

19. Are you taken for granted?
Yep.

20. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
About 48 when we traveled to Sweden.

21. Do you like the ocean?
Love it.

22. Did you stay friends with your ex's?
Definitely.

23. What are you excited about?
Sofie and Henrik's trip here and than Vegas!

24. What did you do two nights ago?
Again, can't remember. This is why I have a blog so I will hopefully remember things.

25. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive?
No, but I have all of my grand parents :)

26. Where do you keep your money?
The bank

27. Do you remember the most naughty night of your life?
Mhmm

28. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
I actually Love sleeping alone- it doesn't happen very often so when it does it's quite pleasant. I'm a bed hog and Drew's a blanket hog.

29. What was the weather like on your birthday?
Hot. End of July.

30. Would you make out with anyone on your friends list?
The only 'friend' list I have is on FB- and I have, but now I'm quite taken.

Feeling the itch (to travel)

I'm perfectly content to be a stay at home mamma. In fact I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING in the world- but lately have been feeling the need for More. I couldn't figure out what it was until I was reading my old little blog from when we were studying abroad in Karlstad, Sweden from Jan 09 till July. Best 6 months of my Life.

Traveling is in my blood- I'll blame (thank) my parents and here's why

*Born in West Palm Beach Florida

*Six weeks later moved to Virgin Islands

*Less than a yr later moved to South Carolina

*Back to Florida

*Moved to Stockholm, Sweden when I was 3

*Moved again in Stockholm about a year later

*Moved up north in Sweden to Ljusdal

*Moved to Bali, Indonesia for a year

*Back to Sweden

*Moved to a small town in Iowa (a state I had never heard of) when I was in 4th grade

So folks thats more than 10 different moves and 3 continents in about as many years. After highschool came out to CO, than back to Iowa when we found out I was pregnant, than back out here after Jasper was born, over to Sweden for 6 months, and back. And now we are moving next month (long story) but only signing a 3 month lease and than what?? We Have No Clue.

But I'm ready for another move- back to Sweden! That's my dream- I want to live there for a few years and get my masters (after I finish undergrade of course) Sweden is the most amazing place to raise children and I want my son and his future siblings to experience all that I did in my childhood.

Oh and another dream/goal owning a sommarstuga (summer house) in northern Sweden like the one above we rented for a long weekend. Bliss.

I feel like Super mom today!

It's not often that I feel like super mom but today I do! We started off the day by being able to sleep in a little (yay) which is always a great way to start off the day. Than we picked up Riley (the 6 month old I nanny for) and went to Little Gym (Jasper's gymnastics class) after lunch and a long nap for both boys--two hours!!-- we did a lot of playing. But during that time I ALSO managed to do 3 loads of laundry, bake not one but TWO different types of muffins,(blueberry and chocolate) clean the entire playroom while the boys were playing in it, labeled and sent off about a dozen valentine cards from Jasper to his friends and grandparents and made a delicious pasta dinner with feta cheese and sour cream-- SO GOOD!!- and clean the entire kitchen and vaccum the living room. See why I feel like super mom today? Oh and I even got about 25 min. to myself to eat lunch and read from Breaking Dawn (for the 4th time)

I'm sure most moms do all of those things on a regular basis, but I have never been all that domestic. Maybe it's because I became a mom after my sophmore year in college and went from living in a dorm suit with two other girls to an apartment with Drew and than to an apartment in CO with Drew and Jasper. But I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this domestic goddess thing.

Crazy two weeks.

I started working- watching a little 6 month old boy at the house. He is here from about 8:15-5:30 Mon-Friday so things have gotten crazy! After a few days of adjustment things are going good though and Jasper is learning to share his toys, and most of all his mamma. I'm very proud of how well he is doing!

He is talking even more and more, now he is saying 4-6 word sentences! He knows some of his letters, can count to ten and knows ALL of his colors. Right now he is sitting next to me drinking a juice baba and leaning on Blue Puppy- he just woke up from almost a 2 hr nap and is still a bit tired and cuddly. Time to go play now!

Jasper LOVES his water

Or vatten as he calls it (water in Swedish)

Twice in One Day?!?!

More Pictures of my handsome man since the others worked so well.

Oh and our afternoon was Much better than the morning. We played and even cleaned the whole playroom! That was quite the accomplishment because it had been destroyed over the past few days.

So I think I mentioned (or maybe not) this diet my friends and I and Drew are on. It's been three weeks and we have all lost between 4.5- 10 lbs! Here's an example of what I eat now in a day since it's So fascinating.

Meal 1. Either a fruit smoothie or toast with laughing cow cheese and some fruit.

Meal 2. Usually a salad and a baked potato or a salad and a wrap/sandwhich. Lately I have been cheating with a Mountain Dew as well...this whole no pop thing wasn't working for me.

Meal 3. Crackers, cheese, some cashews and a banana

Meal 4. (Dinner) chicken and brown rice and veggies, or whole wheat pasta with a homemade sauce- delicious!

Meal 5. Crackers and cheese again.

ANd LOTS of water in between! And No excersize- besides chasing a toddler around and the occasional pilates class or DVD. So far seems do be doing a little- at least according to the scale but I can't tell at all. Also we are allowed one full day of cheating- mine was today and I had 4 Mountain Dews, Pizza, Mac and Cheese, Chocolate..and a whole bunch of other non- diet approved snacks, but it was oh so worth it.

Rough morning with J-man

It was one of those mornings. The type of morning that makes me want it to be nap time ASAP. He was just crabbier than usual, lots of whining, saying NOOO to everything, and just generally unhappy. It helped when we went to the store- it usually helps to get him out of the house. When he was able to steer through the isles of Safeway in the police car shopping cart he was completely happy- and even buckled himself in! That's a first- usually he hates being buckled into Anything, and says "No bun" meaning- no buttoning, anything that keeps him strapped in he calls a bun- button. Dont ask why, because I have No clue. And he hates being restricted- ofcourse, what 2 year old doesn't.

What else is new with Jasper...he is starting to talk quite a bit more! He knows most of his colors, calls them

pite (white)

peete (pink)

blap (black)

veene (green)

blue he says perfectly

wed (red)

He can also count to about 6-7, but not always perfectly but he does try!

We are working with him on saying No thank you, or No Tack Tack (swedish for thank you) instead of just saying No to everything. No is his new favorite word- and he will say it to everything, even when I know he really means yes. I decided to work with him on saying No thank you instead of just telling him he can't say no. I thin it is wrong to teach kids they are never allowed to say no to adults, especially in the world we are living. Adults can take advantage of children so easy and I'm always hearing sick stories on the news about it- and maybe if those children weren't afraid to say no to adults they wouldn't have been as easy to take advantage. My son won't grow up thinking that adults are Always right and no matter what they can't be told no. I'm trying to teach him he can say no (thank you) if he wishes to say no, but also that just because he says no thank you doesn't mean things will go way.

Example (happened today) Me: Jasper, it's time to put your toys away because you need to go take a nap.

Jasper :No Tack tack, no night night (what he calls sleep)

Me: I understand that you don't want to sleep, but we are going to pick up and you are going to go lay down with a baba (milk) and blue puppy (stuffed animal he always sleeps with) anyway, you need to lay down and rest but you don't have to go to sleep.

Jasper: starts picking up his toys.

He seems to respect the fact that he has options- he doesnt HAVE to sleep, but he does need to go lay down and rest with his milk and puppy. And of course he is sleeping right now :)

I'm going to try to upload some pictures on here now- so we will see how that works!

Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice/Vampire Diaries and LAUNDRY

That is my exciting Thursday night--but when I say I'm excited I'm not being sarcastic At all. My three favorite shows in One night- and some relaxing laundry to fold. And the best part of it all- I get to do it all by myself! That might sound harsh to some, but I get super excited for evening alone time. Jasper is sleeping, Drew is sleeping, Whitney (temporary room mate) is out so I get the downstairs alllll to myself :) I don't get very much alone time with a very active two year old running around all day. I love it, but I do need some time to myself from time to time. So an evening of my favorite shows and about 12 ( no joke) loads of laundry sounds pretty great to me.

Speaking of laundry- I was doing laundry today and while I was putting the clothes from the dryer onto our bed Jasper was still in the bathroom/laundry room. When I came back into the bathroom Jasper wasn't in there- I walked through the bathroom calling out his name. He start giggling, which is when I saw where he was. Sitting in the middle of our dryer. I had to coax him out of there. So now I need to make sure I always keep the dryer closed! Crazy two year old.

Sunday Morning Pilates

Okay so a few friends of mine and myself started this 'diet' called The Game On! Diet a few weeks ago. It involves eating 5, yes 5!, meals a day consisting of a fruit, veggie, protein, carb and healthy fat, drinking lots of water, sleeping 7 hrs a night and 20 minutes of exercise a day. You get one 'cheat' day where you can eat/drink whatever you want- basically throw all the rules out the window.

I have never stuck with a diet for more than 1 day- but so far this one isn't to unbearable. The hardest part for me was cutting out pop 6 days a week. First few days I was Miserable- but now I've totally gotten used to it and it isn't so bad. I have Drew on the diet as well and in two weeks he has lost almost 15 lbs!!! Me on the other hand...I think I have lost 3, Maybe 4. But still, I'll take 4 lbs since my goal is 10 lbs total. Anyway, a friend of mine and I have been trying to do some pilates when we get the chance, just a 20 min. video but still- its tough! Today we decided to go to the gym and try out a 75 minute pilates class. It was ridiculous! The way these women (and two men) could bend, twist and stretch their bodies was nuts- but so inspiring! It was physically the hardest thing I have ever done (besides pushing out a 9 lb baby) but afterwards I felt Amazing. Energized. Refreshed. ALIVE! Even though Im sure I made a complete fool out of myself attempting to do pilates next to people who have been doing it forever, I will definitely be doing that again. If I can become even half as flexible as them it will be a success.

After pilates I came back and made fudge brownies...I know right? And this 'diet' wont allow me to eat one, but I made them for a friends birthday and let's face it, I will be eating one, if not 3 of those later. But after 75 minutes of pilates I think I deserve a warm, fudge brownie.

Here we go!

I have decided to start a blog- for several reasons. 1. One of my favorite things to do is read other blogs, blogs from around the world. I find it fascinating! It's true- I don't have anything super fascinating to write about at this point in my life, but I'm giving it a shot anyway. and 2. I just like to write. For years (jr. high and highschool) and used to keep a journal that I would write in whenever I felt like it, but then a close friend passed away and I couldn't write anymore. I couldn't write about what happened or how I felt, because I was devastated and putting it on paper just seemed to make it even more real and painful. I tried several times and never got farther than a few words before the tears would come. I decided that if I couldn't write about it/him, than I wasn't going to continue to write because there was now way I could continue to write about my life/feelings and leave such a huge, life changing event out of it. So I quit. I recently found those journals when going through boxes from stuff my mom packed up in my old room and it was just an experience reading through those journals again. Oh the memories they brought back. So that is why I'm going to give this a shot again- so I can come back here possibly years from now and the words I write here will bring back tons of memories.

I'm sure the number one thing I will be writing about is my amazing, wild and crazy, super sweet and extremely active two year old son Jasper (who is currently napping or this would never happen)

I will also try to post pics of the little man regularly in case I decide to send this blog to family members far away (all live 700 miles away or farther from us) so they can see how much he changes on a regular basis.

Well since the little man is napping its time to tackle, laundry,dishes, etc. Or maybe I will just relax with an ice cold Mt. Dew and catch up on some of my favorite blogs :)