Love 4 JLK

This is a subject near and dear to my heart.  Libby is a close friend of mine.  We are part of a group that started out when we were engaged/newly married and has evolved to a mom's group.  We have been pregnant together for 2 of our pregnancies.  Last October I was devastated to hear that her oldest Jennifer was diagnosed with DIPG, a terminal brain cancer.  I had hopes that JLK could get on a clinical trial, that there would be a miracle and she would beat the odds.  But unfortunately after three and a half very short months Jennifer passed in February 2014.
Libby is a very strong woman and while she is working through her grief she is already thinking ahead of what she can do to make a difference in pediatric cancer.  It turns out only 4% of government funding for cancer research goes to pediatric cancer.  DIPG has had no new treatments/drugs in over 30 years.  Libby is working on creating a non-profit to fundraise for pediatric cancer research.  You can follow her journey at www.love4jlk.org.

Resolutions: I keep on making them.

I know, it's 2014 but I want to recap on my 2013 resolutions.
Here they are:
1) Run 700 miles in 2013.
2) Complete 3 family photo albums on Blurb.
3) De-clutter a few times during the year.  Thoroughly purge rooms/garage.
4) Host several dinners for friends.  Especially BBQ's in the summer.  (I got a bunch of hosting things for Christmas because after last year I realized I didn't have platters etc to host meals.)
5) Read 50 books.  It's been a couple of years since I've reached this goal so I'm going to make an effort this year.
6) Try a new recipe a month. I think this is a good one, gives us variety in our diet.  Plus I really need to learn how to make a good appetizer or side dish.  Whenever there is a potluck I fail on this dish.

What I actually did:
1) Ran 565.18 miles.  Not the 700 I intended.  I was on track until end of October when I sprained my back and basically couldn't run/work out for November and December.  :(
2) Completed no books on Blurb.
3) Was pretty good with decluttering, still have some more work but I have purged a ton of baby stuff.
4) Not so many BBQ's but I did have several dinners where I was able to use my hosting dishes.
5) Only 26, wow that was pretty dismal.  I didn't read very many good books last year so I tend to drag when I'm not interested.
6) This one was just alright.  I wasn't consistent each month but I do have a few new recipes under my belt.
No appetizer though. :(


Now for my 2014 Resolutions:
I make my resolutions like goals.  Things I'd like to accomplish over the next year.  If I don't accomplish them it's not like I beat myself up over it.
1) 700 miles run
2) Do 3 Olympic Distance Triathlons
3) Read 30 books (Down from 50 since having kid #3 I haven't reached that number.)
4) Get kitchen remodel done!
5) Read at least 1 book a month off my bookshelf.  I'm notorious for checking books out from the library or on my kindle.

What I've done so far:
1) Ran 158 miles
2) Need to work on this, should actually sign up for my races.  I've scoped them out for May/June/August
3) I've read 4 books so far.
4) Need to start calling contractors!

Long time...but I'm back

Wow, it's been an insanely long time since I've blogged.  I looked at the last entry date and ran through my mind all of the reasons why I haven't blogged since August last year.
Well, to summarize, I started back to work part time last June.  I love this work-life balance.  I work two days a week while the kids are in school.  If for some reason I have to miss a work day I can make it up on an evening night.  I'm back to work at a start up pharmaceutical.  I was lucky in that I was a stay at home mom for almost 2 years.  When my youngest was 15 months old I ran into an old coworker at Costco who told me they started up a company and would I be interested in coming to work for them.  (We had worked in big pharma together and during an merger their group was laid off because they no longer wanted that drug.)  I told them I'd think about it but keep me in mind.  That was November 2012.  December I sent them my resume.  January I had an "interview" and told them I loved staying at home but wanted to help them out so lets make an arrangement that works for both of us.  Didn't hear anything until May 2013, they wanted me to come in to meet with some other people and see the labs.  Lo and behold I started in June.  I'm almost a year in and I still find the work enjoyable and challenging.  I work with very smart people and our cancer drug I feel will make a difference.  So 14-17 hours a week go to my job.
What else has been taking up my time?
My other job.  I'm teaching 2 spin classes and 1 BOSU/weight training class.  There goes another 3 hours a week.
Youngest is in a co-op preschool on the days I'm not working so there goes another 4 hours a week.
I watch a little boy from my eldest's class 2 times a week after school (I swap afternoons for when I work 2 days a week.)
I'm the PTO board president for my middle/youngest's preschool.
Cancer hit my family/friends this winter which rocked our world pretty terribly.
And I'm still continuing to work out and train for numerous races throughout the year.
So if there are long gaps between posts, know that life got a little hectic for a stretch.
But hopefully I can get into the rhythm of things and check in every now and then.

Children Book Favorites

The New Arrival by Vanya Nastanlieva: Cute book about a hedgehog moving to a new part of the forest and attempting to make new friends.
The Police Cloud by Cristoph Niemann: Cloud really wants to be a policeman and wear the police hat.  First day on the job didn't go so well...
Never Ever Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson

More Children's book reviews

I haven't reviewed children's books in a while and we've been reading a ton of them.  I let my kids pick whatever they want at the library and last week was the first week we reached the max limit for checking out books.  50!  I guess when 4 of us are book lovers it was bound to happen.

Here is a list of some recent favorites: (The books in bold are highly recommended.)

I'm Bored by Michael Ian Black.  Funny story about a girl who's bored.  She runs into a potato who says kids are boring and she tries to tell the potato all the fun things that kids do.  The potato is not impressed.  Made me laugh, reminded me of all the times my kids claim "I'm Bored!".

The Library by Sarah Stewart.  I may have loved this book more than the kids but just because I relate to the girl in the story.  A girl loved books and kept buying books until her house was filled with books and she had no more room.  So she turned her house into a library to loan out her books to share with everyone.

What the Ladybug Heard by Julia Donaldson.  Clever book about a ladybug who overheard some robber's plan to steal the cow on the farm.  Ladybug comes up with a plan to throw the robber's off.  The book was pleasing to my kids and they liked the cunningness of the plan.

No Such Thing by Jackie French Koller OMG, my favorite book!  Such a cute story about a boy who's afraid of monsters under his bed, and a monster who's afraid of a boy on top of his bed.  My 6 year old and 3 year old LOVED this book.  The ending leaves you hanging which left my 6 year old questioning why the author didn't write what happens next.

Little Cub by Olivier Dunrea.  A great book that touches a little on adoption.  It's about an old bear who's lonely and has no one to hang out with and teach stuff too.  And a young bear who is scared and has no one to teach him how to do things.  One day the two run into each other and the old bear takes the young bear in and he's not lonely anymore, the little cub is not scared and the old bear teaches the cub everything he wanted to learn.

The Frazzle Family Finds A Way by Ann Bonwill.  Funny book about a family who is forgetful and how they come up with a way to remember things.

Anh's Anger by Gail Silver.  My 6 year old still deals with tantrums, by recommendation I picked up this book.  It has not helped her with her tantrums, BUT my 3 year old has taken to this story and quotes the book when she gets angry.  He speaks of how anger is a monster and you need to calm yourself to get it to go away.  I was really impressed how my 3 year old really understood this book.

Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz.  My 3 year old is into super heros and super powers, this book was a great read in that the boy in the book had super powers from his pajamas.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead.  This was such a heartwarming story.  This zookeeper took care of the animals day after day.  One day he didn't show up because he was sick so all of the animals came to his house to take care of him.  Such a great story, loved it!

Cloudette by Tim Lichtenheld.  Cute story, this cloud was tiny and found ways to be happy in the world but she really wanted to do something more.  One day she gets her chance.  I thought it was such a creative story.

Chapter books:
I'm on the search for chapter books that are challenging enough for my 6 year old 1st grader (soon to be 2nd grader), but still easy enough for her to read on her own.  She loves to read before going to sleep and will read into the night after we leave her room.  The problem with finding challenging books is that the plot gets more complicated or not interesting to her age so I've gone through a lot of different books.  Here are some favorites of my daughter's.  (Her choices, not mine.)
Princess Posey series by Stephanie Greene
Daisy Dawson series by Steve Voake and Jessica Meserve
Roscoe Riley Rules series by Katherine Applegate and Brian Biggs
Gooney Bird Greene series by Lois Lowry (these books are a little bit harder so we take turns reading it.)
Uh-Oh Cleo books by Jessica Harper and Jon Berkeley.  (Just finished book 1 and she seemed to enjoy it.)
We've tried: Cam Jansen series, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series which she didn't like.
I have picked up a whole bunch of new books from the library to read this summer so more may be added to this list.

Resolutions 2013 revisited

1) Run 700 miles in 2013.
2) Complete 3 family photo albums on Blurb.
3) De-clutter a few times during the year.  Thoroughly purge rooms/garage.
4) Host several dinners for friends.  Especially BBQ's in the summer.  (I got a bunch of hosting things for Christmas because after last year I realized I didn't have platters etc to host meals.)
5) Read 50 books.  It's been a couple of years since I've reached this goal so I'm going to make an effort this year.
6) Try a new recipe a month. I think this is a good one, gives us variety in our diet.  Plus I really need to learn how to make a good appetizer or side dish.  Whenever there is a potluck I fail on this dish.

Update May 2013
1) I'm at 263 miles so far.
2) Um, not even close to getting an album done.
3) Just took 4 boxes of stuff to Goodwill today!  Have also been selling many old baby items online.
4) My neighbors and I have started a Friday dinner swap.  Every Friday we can, one family hosts and prepares dinner, the other family brings wine/beer/drinks.  Does that count?
5) I'm really behind on this...I've read 13 books so far this year.
6) Not so good on this one either...

TriSlide, my new favorite product!

My new favorite product.  I have had an issue with running, I get chaffing at the edge of my short sleeves.  This happens whether or not I wear sleeves or tank tops.  Must be my running style. I Body Glide up my arms but still get the chaffing.  Last October when I ran a half marathon I chaffed really badly.  I was fed up. I began looking for a body glide alternative that was liquid/lotion like.  I ended up finding this aerosol TriSlide brand at Sports Basement.  OMG, I'm in heaven!  Day 1 I sprayed on the TriSlide, headed out for a 10 mile run.  No chaffing!!  Warning...do not spray this stuff near anything, it will make it slick.  The floor of my bathroom was slippery for days!  Now I only spray this on me outside.
I have run two half marathons and several double digit runs in heat and no chaffing.  I can wear my tank tops with no issues.  Hooray.
My next race is an Olympic Distance Triathlon so I will see how this fares in triathlons.

My list of baby must-have's revised after baby #3

1. Swing

2. Bouncy Chair

3. Crib

4. Crib mobile

5. Crib music soother

6. 2-3 crib sheets, 2 mattress waterproof pads

7. Sleep positioner

8. Humidifier

9. Nose aspirator (washable!!)

10. 2-3 towels

11. 4-5 washclothes

12. infant bath tub

13. non-slip mat or sticky pads for bathtub

14. bath toy holder, faucet cover

15. plastic spoons and forks (use a plastic toothbrush holder for travel)

16. high chair with at least 2 trays (3 preferable) or a highchair booster seat combo. (Revised after 3^rd kid, at first my hubby didn’t like the booster seat that attached to the chair, but now we hate that a separate high chair takes up too much floor space.  We like the Fisher Price Healthy Booster Chair.  It’s great for travel and everyday use.  Easy to clean and you can even use it on the floor/ground if you picnic.)

17. plastic bowls

18. plastic bibs (at least 3)

19. changing pad

20. 2-3 changing pad covers

21. lap pads (4-5)

22. cloth diapers/receiving blankets (7-8) we used them only as spit clothes

23. fold up bottle drying rack

24. snack cups

25. bottle brush

26. sleep sacks

27. Exersaucer

28. Activity Gym

29. Umbrella stroller or jog stroller.

30. Infant car seat

31. Pack n play (simple unless you’re going to have it out in your house.  If you use it all the time, then splurge for the vibration/music.  If you just use it for travel, don’t need all the bells and whistles.)
                For the Pack n Play, buy the quilted crib sheet, makes it much more comfy for the babies to lay on. 

32. Floppy seat cover for grocery cart/restaurant high chair

33. Ergo carrier (much better than the Bjorn)

34. Stroller travel system.  If you have two cars and will both be using strollers, get a snap n go for the 2^nd car.  I’d buy the snap n go used, cuz you don’t use it for that long.  (Revision after 2^nd child, if you need a stroller in two cars, I’d do BOB revolution w/infant seat attachment in one car, snap n go in the other.  Later on, Snap n go can be replaced with umbrella stroller.)  (Revision after 3^rd child: I think travel systems are out now.  I hear great reviews on Baby Jogger City Mini for non-BOB fans.)

35. Go go kids carseat roller (for plane travel)

36. Kiddopotamus Tiny Diner placemat. If you go out to eat often. (We love this!!)

37. Kiddopotamus plastic bib (good for travel as well)

38. Something to swaddle.  I’ve tried all the swaddle stuff, the kiddopotamus and ultimate swaddler but I found that regular blankets worked best. 

39. Gripe water (loved this, especially for my colicky babies), Infant tylenol and advil (advil only after 6 months old).

40. Baby monitor.  If you have a big house, and the baby’s room is far away then splurge on this one.  Our house is small, we hardly used it.  I just leave our doors open and can here her.  I mostly use my baby monitor when we travel to friends/family houses when we’ll be far from her room. (Revised after 3^rd child.  We remodeled our house and now our master bedroom is far away from kids rooms so we use monitors all of the time.  I didn’t splurge for video monitors so I got the Phillips Avent Basic Baby monitor with Dect technology.  We have brick walls and it works awesome.  We have two one for each kids room and they don’t interfere with each other.  And I like being able to talk back to the older kids walkie talkie style, I use that feature quite often.)

41. Glider (not essential, used in the early years but hardly used now except for story time reading) (Revised after 2^nd and 3^rd child, I use the glider for nursing baby at night in their room.  After newborn phase I didn’t want to have baby sleep in bed with us if possible.  The only way was if I was sitting up.  I would nurse in the glider then put baby back to bed. Still use it to rock baby to bed or nap every day.)

42. My breast friend or Boppy  I like it better than the boppy for positioning for feeding.  But the boppy can be used to position the baby in on the couch, tummy time etc. 

44. Breast pads (tossable ones in the beginning, washable ones the rest of the time)

45. At least 3 nursing bras and tanks.

46. Nightgowns with snaps or button closures for night time feedings or nursing tanks for summer.

47. Car mirror

48. Digital thermometer

49. Pacifier (depends on your parenting thoughts)

50. Lovey (depends on your parenting thoughts)

Revised with 2^nd Child:

51. Aden + Anais blankets for swaddling.

52. For cloth diapers if you’re going that route, try the Jillian Drawer’s Diaper trial.  We went with Bum Genius 3.0 diapers. 

53. Bum Genius Diaper sprayer

54. Robeez shoes (helps keep socks on)

55. Medela Free-style pump

56. Itzbeen timer for keeping track of breasfeeding times. (Though now everyone has smartphones, not useful anymore.)

57. Jumperoo

Revisions/additions after baby #3.
58. Register for a carseat for after baby has outgrown infant carrier.  They can outgrow them before a year old and those suckers can be $$.  I like Britax but I’ve heard great reviews on Gracos.

59. Double strollers…I really like our BOB revolution double, especially because I can have all 3 kids ride at once if need be.  But I am a runner and use it for that.  We mostly use our BOB double for zoo’s/amusement parks, etc.  Day to day we just use single BOB revolution and can have 2 kids on it if need be.  I hear people rave about Baby Jogger City Mini double strollers if you’re not wanting the hefty BOB.

60. I really like Pediped shoes, very sturdy sole yet flexible for growing feet.

61. Bum Genius diapers…I’ve been using them now since 2009, I still love these diapers.  They have lasted well over the years and I haven’t had any issues with them.  The Velcro ones are getting a little worn but the snaps ones are lasting well.  The only downfall with snaps is when you have a wiggly baby it takes longer to get them in.  As for detergent for the diapers, I use either Kirkland Free and Clear or Trader Joes Free and Clear.

62. Used clothes…I can’t express how fast kids go through clothes, after baby #1 I realized used clothes are totally fine and actually use my local mom’s group for those resources.  The clothes I try to buy used all of the time are snow clothes/boots.  You usually only go a couple of times to the snow and pay so much for new stuff.  The stuff used is barely used and marked down way low.  And I double the boots as rain boots for my kids so I don’t buy two pairs of boots.

63.  I like Kushies on the Go wet/dry bag for cloth diapers, wet/dirty clothes holder, great for pump parts storage if you pump at work, I got tired of using Ziploc bags everyday so used this bag.  Just throw in the washer to clean.

64. Itzy Ritzy zipper snack bags for snacks.

65. Diaper bag/backpack.  If diaper bag, get one that clips to stroller, I hated lugging them around. 

66. JJ Cole Bundle Me.  I love this, it’s great for Bay Area babies.  I use it when running or working out in the winter with the jog stroller.  Also great for just pushing baby in regular stroller out and about.

Resolutions 2013

I haven't really thought it thoroughly so here's a rough outline .
1) Run 700 miles in 2013.
2) Complete 3 family photo albums on Blurb.
3) De-clutter a few times during the year.  Thoroughly purge rooms/garage.
4) Host several dinners for friends.  Especially BBQ's in the summer.  (I got a bunch of hosting things for Christmas because after last year I realized I didn't have platters etc to host meals.)
5) Read 50 books.  It's been a couple of years since I've reached this goal so I'm going to make an effort this year.
6) Try a new recipe a month. I think this is a good one, gives us variety in our diet.  Plus I really need to learn how to make a good appetizer or side dish.  Whenever there is a potluck I fail on this dish.

Resolutions 2012 Completed

The Resolutions: 
January 2012
1) Cook a new recipe once a month. (And post them here if I like it.)
2) Run 500 miles. I have already signed up for 2 half marathons (One in April and one in May)
3) Lose the 7-8 lbs I'm still carrying of baby weight.
4) Try new classes. Look for groupons or deals to experiment with different fitness classes in my area. I've already started a boot camp class that I bought on groupon.
5) Read 50 books. (I'm on book two right now.)
6) Host several dinners for my friends, especially the ones I haven't seen in ages.

Resolutions revisted.

1) I know I tried at least 12 new recipes if not more, it came in bursts so it wasn't monthly.

2) I ran 612.21 miles this year so I surpassed my goal by far.

3) I lost all the baby weight, woo-hoo!

4) I tried bootcamp, and I signed up to teach BOSU so kinda half completed this goal in my opinion.

5) I totally failed on this resolution.  I read 36 books.  I tried lowering my goal to 40 books but couldn't even reach that.  I guess if I didn't run the extra 1,000 minutes I could have used that time to make my reading goal but maybe working out was a better choice?

6) Host several dinners, I can name perhaps a handful of dinners I hosted for people I haven't seen in a while, but several with friends I see often.