Tis the Season...

Tis the season to spend too much money manically decorate house over indulge my children stress over making the holidays perfect and nag at husband because I'm stressed.... remember the reason for the season is peace and joy on earth...giving to others who are less fortunate...and enjoying all the blessings of family. 

December 1st is TOMORROW!  Where has this year gone?  The tree is trimmed, most of the holiday shopping is done, our weekends are filling up with fun holiday events and I'm going to remind myself to take a breath and calm down when I start to lose sight of what's important during this time of year.  And if I have to drink large consumptions of egg nog to help me cope...so be it!  Wish me luck.

Work Out Rationale {Hal Higdon Update}

I'm still plugging along with my Hal Higdon 1/2 marathon training guide...I've actually said my running goal "out loud" to people...besides Husband who sometimes leaves me feeling like he's not totally listening to my ramblings...

Anywhoos I'd love to lose 20lbs...but I just don't forsee that happening. I eat my feelings and really just don't care that much. I'd be thrilled to lose 10lbs and cut the muffin top a bit...but basically between now and January I will be thankful just to maintain. During the holidays I put too much in to change what's happening outside. The staff lounge is filled with delicious treats for the next 25 days, we enjoy holiday parties, sip egg nog, and so this year my goal is to keep my fitness routine going... Stay motivated with the help of my friends..And accomplish my April goal of running (or joggling) the 1/2 marathon!

A circuit I found online that gets me-a-sweatin!!!  I did this with Turner last weekend and we laughed our jiggly buns off when we read Toe Touches!  HA!  Not in a milllion years...for a million dollars could I do toe toches for 1 minute!  We changed that one.

My cross training days partner...JM.  She's a mean lady!

Love this iphone app for circuit days!  Found from an instagram friend!

Giving my workout the 'lil' finger.  Joke from a kid at school who gave me the 'lil' finger instead of the middle finger. I thought it was hilarious.

Five miles last Sunday!  In under 1hr! Holla!

I spend my treadmill time watching HGTV!  House Hunters is my favorite!

Recap

We had an awesomely relaxing, food & drink filled thanksgiving break. The first of the out of town family just left and the others aren't going back until tomorrow! Yeah! Extra day of family time! Cousin Gage and TJ were so sad to say adios...we did several sleepovers and lots of great cousin time. Everyone (except me and sick Fin) enjoyed a great day at the cabin and we watched a lot of football! Yeah Cougs!

I did experience a mild food coma, however Turner and I sweated our buns off with a great circuit workout on Saturday morning while the kidlet's had bball.  I have my long run today and actually attempted to get it done outside this morning but it was freeeeeeeezing and last time I did that I didn't make it too far.  So I'll hit the dreadmill after church.

Enjoying an afternoon at Rockwall with SIL, Nana, and soon to be SIL

Beau, Hedi and Finny waiting to feast!

 

This is pretty much what the boys did for most of the time...crazy fun!

 

Harper and Finny had lots of girl time! 

Uncle Matt and Beau in a tight squeeze...that led to some wrestling!

Kidlet table

So their brains might be mush from Xbox...

Smooches!  We are very excited to see everyone again in two short weeks for my brother's wedding!  We've already started a countdown to when we see everyone again.

I have no idea...but I thought this was funny!

All the family dogs...Bella, Rusty, TC, and Max

YUUUUUUM!

We aren't taking our eyes off the TV

Heidi is AWESOME and we can't wait for her to officially become a Plughoff!

Me and my SIL's

Gage had a one man pumpkin pie eating contest...he won.

 

Gratitude!

A few years ago I started going to Thanksgiving Mass by myself and it has turned into one of my favorite parts about the day!  I enjoy the quiet reflection time along with not having my kid's driving me nuts the good message about what Thanksgiving means.  Today Father Jake made a pretty interesting statement that got me thinking...he said Thanksgiving has been hijacked by Christmas and so much of what we should honor about Thanksgiving is lost on the shopping, sales, and Black Friday...which now starts Thanksgiving night. 

I couldn't agree more and I left feeling really restored in my efforts to be utterly grateful and thankful today...but also everyday!  There doesn't need to be anything religious about that concept; simply remember to have gratitude towards others and yourself and what you have.  Have gratitude for living well beyond our needs when so many in the world have nothing...have gratitude for family...have gratitude for true friendship...have gratitude for health....have gratitude for freedoms many don't have.

We are waiting on the last few of the fam-damily to arrive into town before we let the festivities begin.  The cousins are enjoying themselves and going a bit wild with excitement as they play together...my workout is done for the day...and I'm ready to bust out the Phase 10 cards and hand out a few ass whooopins....and I look pretty cute in my multifunctional stretchy pants...cute and accommodating for large meal consumption!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Catching Up!

One of the neatest things about growing up in a small town, and returning here to raise our family is the old friendships that exist. It's always so fun to get together when old friends are in town and even though we don't see each other very often there is never a shortage of conversation. Just another thing to be thankful for this week!

Future old friends

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them-Ralph Waldo Emerson

These guys definitely laugh together, share old funny stories, and enjoy their time together now as adults.  I think it's very special they are still friends! 

Another set of future old friends...it's always fun to listen to kids play....they entertained themselves all night with hide-seek and basketball.  Not a tattle or cry to be heard!  Holla!

 

Ryan and Minny celebrating the start of Thanksgiving Vaca!  Wahooo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkey Week To Do

List making has a calming effect on my manicness...even when I know I won't get alot of it done. So today and tomorrow at school is parent teacher conferences....which means in my new position of SC I get to skip making report cards I will be out and about supporting teachers who I work with... But the great part about this week is by Tuesday afternoon I'm outta there and ready for a long Thanksgiving vacation!  Here's my current list of must do's....

1.  Get my shopping done at The Walmart between the hours of 11pm and 2am. Less encounters with "people of walmart" during that time!
2. Skip #1 and send Husband with my grocery list
3. Workout like a crazy person for the next 4 days and have at it during Thanksgiving dinner
4. Play at least 10 games of Phase 10 with SIL and win at least 1
5. Do a daily snow dance so by Friday we can head to the cabin for sledding/bonfire/s'mores shenanigans
6. Lay off the egg nog ASAP! It's coating my arteries
7. Remember how thankful I am for so many blessings!
8. Tell 3 of those blessings to get their rooms cleaned up and the pit of despair (basement family room) tidied before cousins arrive on Wednesday.


Side note: I went and saw Here Comes the Boom last night! Hilarious and a total recommend for teachers! All the kids and adults liked it and even though I had to cover my eyes during the bloody UFC fight, it had a happy ending. I heart Kevin James!

Twi Night!

The movie wasn't as bad as I was anticipating...I actually liked it. Despite the crowds, loud teenagers and line cutters! I hate line cutters! It's my third child syndrome... But little aggravates me more than standing in a snaking long line and watching groups if people cut way to the front. The irony is at school line cutting is a huge tattle tale issue for kiddos and I always give them the schpeal about not worrying.... We are all going to the same place, etc. But I do relate the the injustice of waiting in line for a while only to wonder if we won't get in due to rude teenagers.

Anyway it turned out fine despite my neck ache from sitting way up front and butt ache from the really old chairs I didn't know they had in the first 5 rows if the theater.

Bundled up and ready to go!

Yumm....and free with frugal Husbands 6 month old coupon!

Enjoying some of PR's homemade cider brew! Delicious!

Husband laying on the charm

 

 

Ladies ready to conquer Twilight...minus Turner who just enjoyed dinner and sips with us!

Twi-Hard...er

This shirt pretty much sums up my opinion of the Twilight saga...however that's not stopping me from going to see the final movie tomorrow night with some gal pals.  I'm big on closure.

We could have ended the entire mess in movie #1 if that darn astro van hadn't been stopped by Edwards super strength. Sigh.

Trophy Anyone?

Tonight we celebrated the end of TJs season with a dessert banquet. Every 10 year olds dream...dozens of desserts, fruit punch and a trophy.

It's been fun to watch these boys grow up and amazing to think one more year until middle school football!

On a side note, one mom made the most delicious pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes! To die for! They were so good people were taking one for the road as they left! Holiday food season you may now begin!

Winter is Here!

Aaaaaah, our first snowfall of the year! Besides the white stuff covering everything outside, this pile of snow gear laying atop our washing machine is the real indicator of winter in the Sackman house. For the next 3.5 months we'll have coats, gloves, hats, boots and wet socks strewn about our house.  

Winter means at least 10 extra minutes required each morning in order to get out the house in appropriate clothing....at least one morning a week spent looking for a lost glove...making sure we put all the boots out to dry before the next day...mopping up the trail of melted snow that ends up covering the floors...and enduring the swish of snow pants that becomes like a constant white noise in the background.

I'm excited about skiing with the kiddos and some fun ski adventures we have in the works, but beyond that I could live without the cold, wind, icy, gray that seems to set in during these months....I'm a summer gal I've decided! 

Anywhoos...I took advantage of the extra day off and headed to Spokane with my BGF's for some Xmas shopping...not the best roads to be driving in but Turner is the most experienced back roads driver and we arrived unscathed despite several cars off in the ditches. I made a decent dent in my shopping list and enjoyed a nice, relaxing girls day. 

Returned to a clean house which husband and the kids worked on all day.....Jokes! The headed to the cabin with the other husbands and children for sledding, wood chopping, and 4 wheeling. So I came home to a total wipeout! Such is life... They had a great day, all kiddos got along beautifully, and he didn't ask how much money I spent! Perfect!

A Compliment..I Think?

 

 

 

 

This picture just cracks me up and has nothing to do with anything other than I relate 110%!  Sidebar.

 

I was at Star$ today getting a nog latte (first one of the season..yum) and this lady came up behind me in line.  I immediately recognized her as the mom of a kid I went to HS with who graduated the year after me.  I said, "Hello" and she did a double take and then stumbled through a, "Hello?!?" as she tried to place me.  I asked how she was and she kept saying, "You look so different..." 

 

After hearing her tell me I look so different 3 times, I jokingly said, "Well I'm old!"  To which she responded..."Do you remember _________ (insert name of a girl from our HS), she was really homely in HS and now she's beautiful.  You remind me of her!" 

 

Speechless.  Nada. How do you respond?  I know she was giving me the most GIANT backhanded compliment without realizing it was a total diss.  Darn it...I thought I looked pretty cute in my Doc Martin's and cheer leading skirts. 

 

But apparently I look hot now!  Sizzle.

 

She then went on to ask what I was doing now and I told her I had been a teacher for 8 years and now I'm a school counselor.  "WHAT?  You are?"  Total dismay.  I grabbed my latte and headed out the door; cutting my losses before there was no self esteem left in me.

 

TGIF!

 

 

Hello Hal!

In 2008, a year after Finny was born I decided to run a 1/2 marathon...which made no sense because I was not a runner...I was the kid who skipped school on the day we ran the mile for the Presidential Fitness Challenge...looking back on my decision to run that 1/2 marathon I think it was fueled mainly by my desire to get back in shape after having 2 babies pretty close together and to challenge myself (because Husband totally chuckled at the idea when I mentioned it to him).  The really cool part of the entire experience is my mom did it with me...and that was awesome...she's so kick ass! 

 

Anywhoo's...in order to prepare for the 1/2 marathon I enlisted the help of my trusty friend Google and found Hal Higdon's web page of running plans.  I printed off the novice 1/2 marathon (nothing lower than novice existed despite the fact that I was about 5 pegs below novice) and we set out running to the plan.  In November we ran the 1/2 marathon and it was amazing!  My goal was to finish without walking and I did it! 

 

After that I did a few more runs, a couple sprint triathlons, etc. and then I hung up the old work out gear and returned to my favorite past time of drinking wine and reading People magazine...dabbbling in exercise now and then...

 

Until this past week when I was feeling so stressed out and uptight about work that even hilarious text messages from my gal pal's wasn't making me smile...the new season of RHOBH didn't even spark a tiny fire of joy in me...and I decided I needed to do something for myself to make me feel better.  So back to old Hal I went, printed off the 1/2 marathon training guide and began running. 

 

I'm already feeling a lot happier, I'm sleeping better, I have more energy, and I'm relaxed.  I've been looking at runs but the weather gets pretty bad around here soon and there aren't a lot of options.  I'm going to enlist the help of my super SIL and have a two person 10k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning...as for the 1/2 marathon, I have a small idea of what run I'm going to do early next year but in the mean time I'm just glad I'm doing something that makes me feel a bit more balanced...because it's only Nov. and mama's losing her marbles.

 

Making A List...

Last year at this time I had 90% of my holiday shopping done and I felt great...this year I have 0% done and I'm starting to panic!  The holiday season is always accompanied by a sense of urgency that begins the first time I see some sort of Christmas decoration set up in a store.  I swear that The Wal-Mart had X-mas up before Halloween, which has increased my panic/annoyance about my lack of holiday preparedness!  And then some house down the street put up one of those giant plastic yard snow globes with Santa Claus inside it...right next to their blow up lawn Turkey!  Classy!

So I've made my holiday shopping list, figured out exactly who needs/wants what, and where I'll be purchasing said items.  When you live in O-Town, holiday shopping isn't as simple as a Saturday running around to various stores...we have 1 store and I get a headache going inside it..TWM (The Wal-Mart).  So I started checking some items off my list via online shopping, am taking a girlfriends X-Mas shopping trip this upcoming weekend, and will attempt to get the rest of the small stuff done here and there...The kidlet's made their Santa List (insert eye roll from TJ) and it's all fairly predictable...dolls/Barbies/coloring stuff for Finny; WWE, Spy car for Beau; Ipod touch and XBox games for TJ.  Thankfully Beau and Finny have no clue their items cost 1/3 the price of their brother's...and I'm not sure what we'll do when all three of them are done with toys.  Waaaaaah.

As I get wrapped up and consumed by this fiasco I always try and remind myself what the holiday season is really about...and though it helps calm my manic mind, it doesn't totally erase the need I have to get everything done before the last minute. 50 days and counting...

This is not my neighbor's house...but looks equally as tacky!

Gushing!

TJ and Husband before the last road trip of the football season!

 

Definition

Husband Gusher: A wife who annoyingly brags endlessly about how great her husband is.

 

I'm not normally a husband gusher...in fact I can usually be his harshest critic, but it hit me today as I watched Husband depart on the bus for the last game of the year how PROUD I am of him!  In the last year he has done so much in terms of accomplishing goals for himself and he deserves some bragging!!!!

 

Top Ten Reasons Why I'm Gushing:

1.  He is, hands down, the hardest worker I know and never...ever complains

2.  He set a goal to get his master's and be a teacher and did it without a grumble..and in record time

3.  He doesn't let anyone drag him down...for as long as I've known him Husband doesn't care what anyone thinks of him because he knows himself and stands firm in his convictions

4.  He minds his own business and never gets worried or wrapped up in what other people are doing,thinking, or saying

5.  He cuddles with me on the couch and never complains about watching "my" shows

6.  He is my equal partner in parenting...from bedtime to ponytails..laundry and homework he is an amazingly devoted dad

7.  He is fun to be around!  Not all wives would pick their hubs to hang out with but we genuinely have fun together!

8.  He always makes me feel special and beautiful, even when I'm grossed out in sweats and ratty shirts

9.  He always makes me smile when I'm trying to argue with him

10.  He makes me a way better person!

 

 

 

 

Quantity...Not Quality!

Thursday night during the season is Team Dinner which includes husband grilling burgers and hot dogs on the most disgusting grill he keeps stored in the equally disgusting locker room..but the last few years I've done spaghetti at our house for the final team dinner of the year.

The boys are very polite and thankful and its good practice for my future years of having teenagers.

There is no way to make delicious spaghetti for 35 people...and between Pumpkin and myself we boiled enough noodles to feed 5 football teams. Leftovers anyone?