What Christmas Looks Like in Our World

I love Christmas. It is definitely one of my most favorite times of the year. I also feel very fortunate that I can fully enjoy the entire Christmas season because my line of work allows for it. We take full advantage and soak it all in every day. As opposed to my college years when I felt I could only really enjoy it once final exams were over. Don't miss those days! 

As much as I love this season and its True meaning, it surely has changed in the past few years for me. The activities and decorations leading up to Christmas day are a bit different, but enjoyable in their own, new joy-filled childish ways. 

Here are some of the things we did both inside and outside our home this year to prepare for and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

First are the Christmas outfits and perfectly lit tree and happy, smiling (& adorable!) children. This is most important, right? We got tons of pictures like this. Ok, I'm lying. This was the only good one. And it was pretty much a miracle. Hence why it's first ;)

Next comes our Fisher Price nativity set. Notice that one of the three wisemen is missing. No idea where he is. He must have gotten lost somewhere on the journey to Bethlehem. I'm taking it as a sign of a well-played-with set. I'll just tell myself that. He was here at the start of the Christmas season! But we do love this and play with it often. 

Our advent calendars and kindness elf. Every morning (ok, almost every morning - I slacked a few times) our kindness elf, Pepper, has a note under her arm telling us what we're going to do that day. Some things we did included making different crafts and ornaments, going on a shopping trip to buy our Giving Tree gifts, picking out some old toys we no longer use to donate, baking cookies, mailing & delivering Christmas cards, playing/visiting with family or friends, seeing Christmas lights or watching a Christmas movie. Then there's the advent calendars. The one on the wall has different Bible verses to read each day, as well as two M&Ms in each pocket. We figured out pretty quickly that the M&Ms had to be the reward for sitting still and listening to the reading of the Bible verses :)  There's also the family advent calendar that we weren't as good at using. The kids are still a bit young for a lot of it. We'll save that for the future.

Window decorations. The nativity gets rearranged daily in various formations. We did make the "stained glass" nativity though and that has remained in place. I've learned to just let things go and let them be involved rather than have perfect looking decorations. I just end up driving myself crazy trying to fight that fight!

Christmas sticker countdown. This has been wonderful. Peel off a sticker and stick it on the tree each day and also know how many days until Christmas remain. Will definitely have to do this again next year as it easily avoided the "how many days until Christmas?" question.

Visiting Fatima Shrine to look at the lights. We did this at least three times. This visit pictured was with some of our friends was especially fun! The best things about this place are that its free, the lights are great and my energizer bunny of a daughter expends some energy before bed.

And of course making sure we focus on the true meaning of Christmas while there. 

We also did some activities that were fun, but also caused a bit more stress and anxiety than I had anticipated. Two kitchen helpers is just twice the fun! We made memories though and I know it will get easier in years to come. Here we are making cinnamon applesauce ornaments and cookies.

One day I surprised the kids with a long-overdue visit to see some of our most beloved friends who moved over an hour away. The girls had a great time decorating Christmas cookies, playing dress up and doing crafts while the littles played together and biggest brother was at school. And even more important was that the moms got some time to reconnect and catch up.

Touching and rearranging the ornaments on the tree. Multiple times a day. This wasn't exactly a planned or organized activity, but it happened. We didn't have a perfectly pretty Christmas tree this year, it just wasn't going to happen. I let that go and just let their little hands and hearts have fun. And also let pine needles find their way around the entire house. That is not so fun.

Meeting the Grinch. This was HUGE. He came to our local library one morning and did a meet and greet. For those that don't know, Curly Girl has quite the obsession with the Grinch, along with other green guys like Gumby and Yoda. She was pretty much in heaven. And Ginger boy surprised us all by getting right up on his lap. (But if we are anywhere even near a Santa, he insists on me holding him while he nervously quivers). Glad we got to do this!

This may become our new Christmas Eve tradition - watching Rudolph together in the morning before heading out for the day's activities.

And last, but not least, my favorite thing leading up to Christmas is the Christmas Eve service at my hometown church that I grew up in and we got married in. (First Congregational Church of North Brookfield, MA) They do a children's Christmas pageant and then we sing songs by candlelight. And if I'm being perfectly honest, this year brought a little more anxiety than years past because we sat in the balcony with our little busy bodies (and my 3 year old nephew) and they aren't ever really still and have to work pretty hard at staying quiet. So there's the height thing, and then the fire thing with the candles. Just a little anxious. But we made it through the service and all enjoyed it. And I think everyone in the church knew we were there... And best of all, the true meaning of Christmas rang throughout the service. 

From the Red 3 + Me we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May you feel and experience His love in this coming year.

A Parrot & A Sponge

Life here is fun lately. Definitely still a challenge, but fun. Curly Girl and Ginger Boy are playing together more and more every day. I love hearing their giggles and squeals as they play together. Oh, and the screams and wails. There are definitely those too. I can see their love and friendship developing and it truly warms my heart. I hope and pray that they will continue to grow in this love and friendship throughout the rest of their lives. 

I've started referring to Ginger Boy as my little parrot. He will try to repeat pretty much anything anyone says to him. It's ridiculously cute to hear it come out of him. I can't even count the number of words and phrases he's saying these days. This past week he started stringing together five, six and seven word phrases. It's like he's really becoming a little person. He's thinking and learning and loving and growing. He can stop that growing thing though. Seriously. The more he parrots back, the more I realize that my baby is no longer a baby. That makes me a little sad. Ok, a lot sad. Which is why I still hold him and snuggle him before naps and bedtime. And also why he just stopped nursing two weeks ago. Almost twenty-one months of nursing. Go ahead and judge away! 

A few of my favorite phrases that have come out of him lately are:

"No! Stay away Curly Girl!" (of course he used her real name)

"Dada done workin in da basement"

"My bawoon bwo (blow) away! Curly Girl bawoon POP!"

"Choo choo go fast! Weally loud!"

"I go a Maine. See papa n gaga."

"Ride papa trackuhr (tractor). Turn a wheel. Take turns."

"Go mama! Go mama! Wun!" (as I ran the half marathon!)

Then there's a few that aren't exactly my favorites, but they're coming:

"Bite a Curly Girl"

"Kick a mama" (as I change him on the changing table)

"Hit a Emmy" (the cat)

We're working on those. Though I have to say we are a bit relieved to see the testosterone coming through all of the tutus, necklaces and headbands that he always wants to wear like Curly Girl. 

And now, about that Curly Girl. Wow. She has quite a strong personality! And strong vocals to go with that personality! She is about as assertive as they come. A characteristic that will serve her so well later in life. A challenge for us right now though. One good thing is that we never, ever wonder what she needs or wants or wonder how she's feeling. She lets us know all the time. So that's a bonus! Also an added bonus is that we never have a dull or quiet moment in our house. (But is that really a bonus?!) At least she still naps almost every day. And goes to bed at night with no fight at all. Definitely blessed by that. 

Despite her bold personality, she is super sweet, smart as a whip, and is always asking amazing questions and rambling off new things that she learned from church or her Community Bible school class or from Super Why. She is like a little sponge! Just soaking up all of the information she's obtaining from the world around her and using it to ask questions and learn even more. It's good and bad. I have to watch every single thing that I say these days. She will pick up on anything and think about it and then either repeat it or ask a great question about it. Fortunately we haven't had anything bad come out yet.

Some of the amazing things she's come out with lately are:

"I was thinking about it and using my imagination and I think that when we go to Heaven, Jesus will carry us there. I don't think we have to take stairs. They would be really high stairs."

"Some day, I'm going to marry a nice man who loves Jesus. Then I can be a mommy. Right now I'm a mommy to my baby dolls."

"Ginger Boy, you have to go to sleep! I'm tired and I need my sleep!" (said through tears as he whined at bedtime)

"I don't want to die. I want to stay here forever. Am I going to die on a cross?"

Needless to say, I've got a lot coming at me each and every day. A lot of questions to answer and a lot of conversations to have. We are never ever bored. Ever. Always on the move and asking questions. Love this life I'm living and wouldn't trade it for the world. And yes, as soon as my head hits the pillow each night, I'm asleep :) 

Training Truths

So I'm signed up to run my first half marathon in a little over a month. For those of you who aren't really sure if that distance, it's 13.1 miles. Thirteen long miles. The more I train, the longer the race seems. I'm not sure if that is how this training thing is supposed to work... But here I am a little less than 5 weeks out from the half marathon and I am totally unmotivated to run. And I mean totally. I've been fighting this feeling for a few weeks now. Running is such a mental sport and I'm being challenged mentally for sure right now.

As part of this half marathon training, I go out every Saturday morning for a long run, which gets increasingly longer each week. On these runs I have a lot of time to think. Sometimes I think, sometimes my mind is just blank and focused on what I'm doing and sometimes I'm singing along with my iPod.

I figured I should share some of the truths I've thought about on these long runs, in case any other crazy person out there is looking to me for inspiration in running one someday.

+ Part of my incentive in training for a half marathon was that it would help me get rid of the last 10 or so pounds of baby weight. And even if it didn't help me lose the weight, it would at least make it look better on me. Maybe. Well, it's done a pretty good job with that. So now I should just be done, right?

+ Why am I really doing this? To prove to myself that I can run for a really long time? Well, I've realized that I can. So maybe I should just call it quits now. 

+ There are so many other things I could be doing in these 2+ hours on a Saturday morning. Like sleeping? Sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee?

+ I can't run that same long route again. I just can't. Even in reverse. There are only so many neighborhoods I can add on to this route to make it longer and I'm just not interested in seeing more gigantic houses. And speaking of those gigantic houses, we're talking like mini mansions, what do all of these people do for work? And do they ever get to spend any time in the house they work so hard for? There are just so many big houses! I'm curious!

+ I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller... Oh wait, that's just my iPod playing :)

+ I don't even want to go out running during the week most of the time because it's not sporadic anymore. It's planned and scheduled. I've got to do so many miles on certain days. It takes the fun out of running! No spontaneity. 

+ But I do go out for my weekly runs. And I take the kids in the stroller most of the time. And they're pretty good about it. As long as we stop to visit the horses and get some ice from Cumberland Farms.

+ Changing up my long run route IS helpful and has made the latest long runs more bearable. Less hills and heat might help too.

+ I am so much more disciplined about exercising than I ever have been while having kids, which is a good thing!

+ I'm also getting less sleep because of this exercise discipline and having to wake up extra early to accomplish other things around the house because I'll be running later. 

+ Overall, I'm glad that I'm training for this half marathon and I know I'll be so proud of myself when I cross that finish line. Because I WILL get there! 

I think I can officially say it's Fall

We went to one of my [our] favorite places today. And we wore sweatshirts. Matching ones if you must know. I've been going to this place pretty much my entire life. My mom often tells the story about when I was young and playing at the playground while a field trip was there. I said, "What are all of these kids doing on MY playground?" I guess I was used to having the whole joint to myself. What place am I talking about? Brookfield Orchards. Open year round and home of the happy apple. Do I sound like an advertisement? Well, I did spend every weekend during harvest season there for both my sophomore and junior years of high school. I just love the place!

Anyways, we went and played, got a couple of pieces of [what used to be] penny candy, and of course picked some apples. It was a perfect fall day! Crisp air, cloudless blue sky and an abundance of apples to be picked. So glad we did it. Here's a little glimpse at our day.

A welcoming sight to enter into. Penny candy, here we come! [Did I mention I was the penny candy girl  one year? Yep, I was. Countless hours of counting candy...]

Ginger Boy spent a lot of time on the "sings"

Apple loving cousins posing the best they can for the picture. Guest appearance by a non-Ginger!

Picking apples at their respective heights

Mom's asking us to pose for a picture? Ok, I'll put an apple on your head instead

This field is currently laying fallow. All of my growing up years I remember this being full of apple trees. I wonder if my son will ever see trees in this field?

Perfect day. Abundance of apples. So glad we made the trip today. 

Learning through Experience

When Darling Daddy and I bought our current home, the only things we were really thinking about were the location, namely its proximity to both of our places of employment at the time, and its price tag. We wanted to find a place that neither of us would have a long commute and a place that would provide me with the opportunity to sty home with our future children, if we were lucky enough to have any. 

Well, that whole commute plan worked out real well for a year. Yep, one year. Actually less than that. We moved in at the end of May one year and I was writing a letter requesting a year leave of absence just 12 months later. Things happened fast for us. Good thing we had taken the price tag into consideration too. That allowed me to take a full year off from teaching to test out the waters as full time mom and making the finances work. We were able to see that it would work for us long term, which was a good thing since I got pregnant again the following May. May is a happening month for us.

So there I was the following May, just 3 years after moving in to our home, now with a 2 year old and a 3 month old. Life was a cake walk. Ok, that's a lie. Life was anything but that. I had the headstrong and assertive terrible two's of Curly Girl constantly battling me and I was functioning on less than desirable and broken sleep thanks to the terrible sleeper that Ginger Boy was. Life was not easy in those days. There were tears from all 3 of us on many a day back then. I knew we'd get through those difficult days (and obviously we have), but there was always one question that went through my head. Why didn't we decide to live closer to our own parents?

Why wasn't that one of the things we thought of as we bought a house? Sure, it came up a few times, but we could never find anything too reasonable or that we really liked. And commute time was something we were both pretty firm about, so getting much closer to either set of parents wasn't really possible. Where we live now we are one hour from my parents and a little over an hour and a half from Darling Daddy's. It's not the worst thing and we're lucky that we are as close as we are because we know there are others who are much further apart, but it is something that would be so nice.

I often imagine what it would be like to just be able to ask a parent if they could come over and watch the kids for a couple hours on a weeknight so we could go out to dinner alone, just the two of us. Or if they could just come by, or me drop the kids off with them so I could go to the dentist or doctor by myself. Or have someone watch the kids so I could go grocery shopping by myself. Or just to have the ability to have people close by to watch the kids so we could get projects done around the house [like the basement project we've had going for over a year...]

Basically, I wish we had thought about these things before having kids. But how could we have known? You don't know until you're there, learning through experience. Before having kids you don't realize that the bi-monthly haircuts you get will become an absolute luxury [I'm currently going on 10 months...] Or the ability to go out for a run by yourself at any time of day that you please would be a novelty. Or that a trip to Grandma's house would have to become a full day trip because of naps and mealtimes.

If you live close to your kids' grandparents, consider yourself lucky! And if you have their help on a regular basis, even luckier. Use and take the help! Do it for those of us that wish we could have it! The help that we do get from our parents is so valuable to us! We would love to have more of it. But for now, we're continuing to live where we are, so we will just have to continue to cherish the visits and time we get with them as frequent or infrequent as they may happen to be. We know that this is where God has placed us in life right now, and we'll continue to follow His plan.

Thanks to Erica Cole Photography for capturing this one! 

Am I Messing Up My Kids?

Have you ever asked yourself that? Be honest. I know I have. This mom job is not an easy one and I've only got one shot at it. What if I'm going about it all wrong? What if I am really and truly messing my kids up? 

Well, thankfully, there's a book to help you answer that question, as well as many other questions you might ask yourself. It's called, 'Am I messing Up My Kids?' By Lysa TerKeurst. It's the first full book that I have read in over two years. I'm pretty proud of that, though I'm not sure if I should be. But the book has helped me so much in my everyday mom life and answered so many questions and fears that I have about raising kids. I want to do it right. I want to look back at these years someday with a smile and sweet memories, not regret. 

A few of my favorite passages from the book that reassure me in this mom life:

"The reality is that we will all have days where our attitude is not what it should be. We all fall short. But there are areas in which you will have to rely on God and His provision."

"God has a plan for each of my kids. As long as I am depending on The Lord to guide me as a parent, nothing I do or don't do will mess up my kid's future."

"For I have finally realized that, despite my shortcomings, God has made me the mom I am meant to be. And I know, without a doubt, I'm not messing up my kids. And whether you are having one of those tearful, overwhelming days...or one of those celebration award-winning days...or one of those please-don't-grow-up-too-quickly days...you aren't messing up your kids either."

It's written for moms with kids of all ages. Definitely worth the read. Get it. You won't regret it!

Am I Messing Up My Kids?: ...and Other Questions Every Mom Asks https://www.amazon.com/dp/0736928669/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_QOrdub1X084H3

5 Years of Running!

This Monday marks my five year running anniversary. And by that I mean when I first started running and actually liking it and choosing to do it for enjoyment. [Although I should note that sometimes I still don't really enjoy it.]  But I feel as though I should pay a bit of tribute on this somewhat of a momentous occasion.

I did have a bit of a previous running history before my real running started. I played basketball for about 10 years growing up. We ran a lot of laps. Especially in the TCA days. [Thanks to you, Coach L!] Then I did swim team in high school and coach [Shout out to you, Big S!] made us run a lot for dry land training. I'll never forget running from the high school to swim practice at the college. It was a little over 3 miles and I thought I was going to die. For real. I didn't even run the whole thing, and then we had to get in the pool and have swim practice after. Ouch. Oh, and then I ran track for three seasons in high school. I was in it mostly for the sprinting and hurdles, but we did have to do two mile warm-ups. But I still didn't really like running. Then in college I had to take physical education classes as part of my graduation requirement. So what did I sign up for? Running. I really wanted to learn to love it. Well, I got through that class, but I still didn't love it. Darn. 

A little over two years later, I started to work out seriously in order to get in shape for my wedding. I was running a bit, like a mile at a time on the treadmill, thinking that would help. Then I met with a trainer and she told me weights were more important for my goals. Yessss! Another way to get out of running. So I started going to the workout/weight room at the high school I taught at a few days a week after school. This is where I really started to be influenced by others. The assistant principal at school was an avid runner and he had made a goal for himself to run 1,000 miles in a year. So, many days we'd be in there working out together. I'd be lifting weights and sometimes on the treadmill a bit and he'd be running. A lot. He'd make jokes with me about running and encourage me to run too, but I still just couldn't get in to it. I really wanted to though! And he made it look so easy! [Was it really that easy?!]

Then I got married. To a former Division I track runner. Darling Daddy was a runner from early on. He ran on the cross country team in high school and then ran track at a Division I university. He was unfortunately injured during his sophomore year in college which put an end to his running career. After back surgery that summer he was never able to get back to pain-free running. He loved running. It was so much a part not his life. He was a natural at it. So fast. And just so passionate about it. Part of me didn't want to run because I was afraid of how it would make him feel. I knew how much he loved it and wished he could be doing it. But he encouraged me a lot. He made a point of telling me that I had a healthy back And I could tell that he almost wanted to be able to live vicariously through me since he was unable to run himself. 

About a year after getting married, I happened to be working out after school in the workout room who a good friend and colleague. She was also an avid runner, doing about 5 miles a day. That day we had a half day of school because it was open house night that night, and she invited me to spend the afternoon at her house rather than make the 45 minute drive home and then back. I gladly accepted the offer. She said that she wanted to work out [aka run 5 miles] after school, so I said I would too. Well, wouldn't you know, I found myself on a treadmill next to her. We started running together. I ran for 2 miles without stopping! She kept running. I walked for a bit, then decided I could run some more. I did another mile. She still kept running. She did her 5 miles. I ran/walked that entire time she was running and did probably about 3.5 running miles that day. It felt good. I was proud of myself! I wanted to do more! I wanted to be able to do 5 miles like she had! [Thanks CB!]

So that week, I started running. At first, it was hard. I would go out for 20 minutes and be done. My legs hurt. My ankles hurt. My feet hurt. But I pushed through. I was able to run a little bit more each day. I gave myself a quick goal of running my first 5K race just three weeks later. That was my motivation. My goal for the race was to run the whole thing and not stop at all. I did it! I finished in a time of 30:56. About a 10 minute mile pace. Not bad for a beginner!

As time went on I found myself being surrounded by more and more runners. We had friends at our church that ran a lot. Marathon runners, half marathon runners, ultra marathon runners, you name it. Lots of runners. There was no escaping it. I was getting more and more hooked. Not only was I surrounded, but I was enjoying my runs and looking forward to them! I wanted to run more and more 5K races and improve my time each race. Which I continued to do, until I got pregnant about 8 months after my love of running started...

That didn't stop me! I ran until I was about 36 weeks pregnant. Yes, it was pretty slow at that point, but I was doing it! I even ran some races while pregnant. And we invested in a BOB Revolution running stroller for the Curly Girl, so she and I could run together. After she was born, my running slowed down a bit, but I was able to still do it and get back to where I had been pre-pregnancy. I was even able to get faster! Right after she turned one, I ran my fastest 5K time ever, a 25:08. Five minutes faster than I had run for my first 5K! I wanted to get even faster! And then I got pregnant again 3 months later...

Fast forward a couple of years and a couple of 10K races thrown into the mix, I'm still running strong, two kids later! We now have a double BOB Revolution stroller and I go out often with the kids. My running has definitely changed from what it once was, but I still enjoy it. I'm currently training for my first half marathon. Before this training the farthest I had ever run was 7 miles. This morning I did 10.8. Yep, 10.8 miles. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it all. It was hard. Today was really humid. There was not a dry spot on me, but I did it! I did it all before 9:00 am. 

Running now is a little difficult at times, but it is something that I have truly developed a passion for. I like the way it clears my mind, makes me feel less stressed, gets me outdoors and is a great form of exercise. Being a stay at home mom of two littles doesn't make it easy though. I don't have family close by to watch the kids so I can run, and Darling Daddy has his own exercise to do in the mornings [remember that back surgery I mentioned? He's gotta keep that back loose and tuned], so my runs have to happen on the treadmill in the basement, at the YMCA, or with the kids in the stroller. It's a challenge at times, but it is something that I think is worth it.

So, I write all this as a bit of a reflection for myself, but also as encouragement for others. I didn't always like running, I actually disliked it a lot sometimes. But look at me now! I've stuck with it and worked hard and am running more and more each week. It's not always easy, and I also need some encouragement at times, but it's something that anyone can do if you really put your mind to it. 

Thank you, to everyone who influenced me along the way. You have changed my life!

The Choices We Have Made

I'm going to be honest. I get really nostalgic at this time of year and have every year for the past three years. Going back to school time. A new school year, a fresh beginning. New things to be learned. New people to meet. More math to tackle and take down. Teaching hundreds of eager students about the importance of the slope intercept equation and how to solve an equation for the missing variable. Ok, I know, I'm about to lose you. I'm getting a little too nostalgic. The students aren't really that eager. But in all seriousness, I do get a bit nostalgic and sad at this time of year. I just can't help it.

I knew that I wanted to be a teacher when I was eight years old. I carried through with my dream and not only got my undergraduate degree in education, but also my Master's degree. I loved it that much. [And the state of Massachusetts also highly recommended that I get that graduate degree within a certain timeframe, but that's another story]. School and teaching were just ingrained in me. They were part of who I was and they defined me. 

I love teaching. And I think I'm pretty good at it, which is why we have made the choice that we have made. That is, for me to take a break from formal classroom teaching, to take on the even more important role of raising,nurturing and teaching our children at home while they are young. We look at it as me making a solid investment in our own children rather than hundreds of other children.

Do I miss classroom teaching and high school math? Absolutely. But do I miss it enough to trade in my current role as teacher of my own children? Not a chance. My days here at home are quite often long ones, but there has never been a single moment when I wished I was back at school in the classroom and away from my own children. Not once! That is how much I love this new teaching job that I have been called to. And if I'm being honest again, I think I'm pretty good at this job too. 

Now with this massive choice, we have also had to make a lot of other choices. You see, when you give up a career with a paid income for another career that is unpaid [monetarily speaking], you also have to give up a lot of other things. Like a big house with our own yard. We won't have that for a long time. But do we really care? No. Living in our townhouse right now is perfect. It's enough space and it's affordable. And we have awesome neighbors. You can't beat that! We also had to give up glamorous vacations. Darling Daddy and I had a honeymoon in Jamaica and two Caribbean cruises, along with several other little trips pre-kids. Now all of our vacations are spent visiting our own parents in different locations. We stay for free AND get built-in babysitters. And of course we get to see them and spend time with them. Winning all around! [If anyone wants to offer us a glamorous location to travel to with free babysitting, we'll take you up on an offer too!]

We've also had to make other smaller choices, like having only basic cable TV, limiting our meals out at restaurants and no smart phones. What?!?! Yep. We might be the only two people in their thirties that don't have smart phones. We are getting them soon though, since the prices of both the phones and plans have dropped drastically since we last renewed our contract two years ago. That will be exciting.

But all of these choices we made because we decided that our children being home with their mother every day and being nurtured, loved, cared for and taught by me is much more important than the income I could be bringing in. And we hope that our choice and decision is the right one. For our family, it is. It may not be for your family, and that's fine. That is your choice.

So, what is in store for the future? Will I have to be nostalgic at this time of year forever? We're still not sure. I will probably be back in the classroom teaching math once my children are in school full-time. But that is a long time away. So until then, I'm going to continue to enjoy this career that I've been called to for these early years. I'm going to love it and make the choice to learn from it every day.

A few things that get me through each day

These days as a full time mom are long. Much longer than I anticipated when I switched careers from high school math teacher to mom. No bell here to signal the end of the day. Only hopes that Darling Daddy's blue car will pull up at a reasonable time. [And we are all SO glad when he comes home as you can see below] But if that doesn't happen, it's a couple more hours to make it until bedtime. Here are a few things that get me through each day in this mom life.

1. God. And His grace. Seriously. I have never prayed for so much patience as I have in the past 3.5 years. He gets me through the tough days and helps me from feeling completely alone. I know that I'm not alone in this mom life because I do always have someone to rely on for help.

2. The bunny alarm clock. This magical machine ensures that my children will stay quiet, well Curly Girl is at least quiet, and in their shared room until the set time each morning. As I said before, Darling Daddy is out the door between 5:30 and 6:00 every morning to go to the YMCA. This bunny clock means that I have set time in the morning to run on the treadmill, shower, or just be alone and quiet until 7:15. Or whatever time I set it for. Do they sometimes wake up earlier? Yes. Do they sometimes wake up later? Yes. So we're at a good spot. And we're all in a better mood to start the day. Go get one! 

Kid'Sleep Classic, Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VVIHPS/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_PPP-tb1QHQ726

3. Coffee. This glorious and delicious drink. Which I only started drinking regularly about 6 months ago. Which was about the time Ginger Boy started walking. Two toddlers on the move in opposite directions? Why yes, yes I'll drink more of that caffeinated goodness! 

4. My jogging stroller(s). I have both the BOB single and dualie Revolution. Awesome strollers and even awesomer is how much they get us out of the house. We get out for at least an hour for a run or walk a few times a week. I get to exercise, the kids get to see the outdoor sights and relax and we are all happy. (Except for that time a few weeks ago when I let Ginger Boy hold the iPod touch - which was playing, as always, the Frozen soundtrack - for the last mile of a 6 mile run. And he broke it. Took it to Apple and they said its dead. Forever. So, Curly Girl and I were a bit sad about that.)  Oh, and don't worry, my kids never nap in the stroller, or car for that matter. Unless they are really, really tired. Or under 6 months of age. So I never get a nap break with the stroller. But we do get to see our horse friends, Toby & Sammy.

5. Nap time. We look forward to this time every afternoon! My kids will only nap at home. Anywhere else poses quite a challenge. And they both need their nap time desperately, so you can imagine the anxiety and sweat that comes over me if we're approaching the nap window and not at home. When we miss that window, we can almost guarantee an afternoon of whining, crying & screaming until bed time. Not fun for any of us. Or the neighbors for that matter. So every afternoon, we have at least 2 hours of nap time. Curly Girl doesn't always nap these days, but she's in there and quiet, thanks again to the bunny clock! And I can exercise, clean, do laundry, make dinner or just relax. A win win for all.

6. Our small house. Two adults, two kids, two cats all living in under 1,000 square feet. In a townhouse. As difficult as it may be at times, for the most part, it's great. Less space to clean, less space to collect toys, less space to childproof, less space to keep track of children. It gets a little tight come those cold February days when we're all cooped up together, but that is what the YMCA is for! 

7. Neighbors and other stay at home mom friends. Being at home can be very lonely at times. Adult interaction is something that you don't realize you miss until you don't have it consistently. Having neighbors and friends close by makes getting through those days much easier. And getting the kids socialized and sharing is always a plus! 

These are just a few of the things that get me through each day as a full time mom. I'm still learning and navigating each day in this wonderful job that I've been called to. And I am so thankful for this incredible job!

Life as a non-Ginger among Gingers...

I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a few years now. My first thought has always been, when and where am I going to find time to do it, and my second thought is that I'm a [former] math teacher... Writing isn't really my thing. However, this crazy life that I'm living right now as a stay-at-home mom with a three and a half year old and a one and a half year old is not going to last forever. This is just a brief phase in my life and I need to share some of the happenings of our days and my thoughts and feelings as a full-time mom. As a wise woman once told me, "The days are long, but the years are short." So, here goes nothing! 

I'm mom to Curly Girl who is three and a half wonderful years old (hear the sarcasm in the word wonderful?) and Ginger Boy who is one and a half. Three and a half. What an age! We thought life was difficult with the 'terrible two's'. Hah! They really were not all that bad compared to these nameless three's. We're getting through, with a lot of patience and discipline and more patience and a really good sense of humor. I'll miss these days one day. 

Both kids have red hair, taking after their wonderful father, Darling Daddy. Hence the name of this blog. I kind of stick out when I'm with the three of them. I'm sure some people question whether or not I'm their mother when it's just me and the kids at Target. I can assure you that I am. Carried and delivered both of them. I earned that right to be called mom! Even though they only vaguely resemble me. 

I'd always been told growing up that red hair had a lot to do with a fiery temper. I believed it to be true based on the red heads, my sister included, that I knew. Until I met my husband, Darling Daddy. He changed my mind. His temper was not at all fiery and he was actually the one who calmed me down and kept my fires under control. I was thinking how great it was to have such a laid-back husband with a calm demeanor. Enter two red-headed children. The fiery temper (or shall we call it passionate? Intense?) theory is correct. Darling Daddy is somehow a fluke red head.

A little bit about more about me and the person I've become over the past three years as I've completely changed roles from high school math teacher to stay-at-home mom of two toddlers... I want to be a hippie. Deep down. Darling Daddy makes fun of me for this and tells me I never will be, but I'm going to try, gosh darn it! I've tried to become more natural over the past three years. We do cloth diapers at home (for the most part), we have a reusable role of paper towels in the kitchen, I make our laundry detergent and I only use Method soaps and sprays for cleaning. I like to bake with and use coconut oil, I'm finding more uses for vinegar and apple cider vinegar, and you will not find a lotion with parabens in this house! Do I buy all organic? Well, let's just say that if we weren't living on a single income I would be. But we are, so I don't. Maybe someday.

I also really like to run. And strangely enough, as active as my two little red-heads are, they really like to be in the double stroller while I run. I recently decided that I'm going to run my first half marathon this fall. I knew that training for such an event would take discipline and time, and wow, it surely has. Especially when your training has to take place while taking care of two littles. Darling Daddy is out the door between 5:30 and 6:00 most mornings to get to the YMCA for his own workout, so I have to figure out how and when to run with the kids. For the most part, it works well. Like tonight. Darling Daddy wasn't going to be home until at least 8:30 and it was 4:30 and I hadn't run at all yet and needed to do at least 6 miles today... Ugh. Double stroller, all 100 pounds of it, it is! We chugged away for an hour. Luckily there's never a quiet moment, thanks to the constant soundtrack of who knows what, coming from Curly Girl. We used to listen to the Frozen soundtrack every run, until Ginger Boy chewed on my iPod touch and killed it. I'm not sure which soundtrack is worse. And can I also say that I now know that chafing is a real thing. A real painful thing! I only get it a little bit on the inner thigh during long runs, but I can feel for you guys! 

Well, I have given you a lot in a first post. I'm hoping I can be regular about this! Enjoy reading!