It has been a long time...

Sorry it has been so long since my last blog.  Things have been busy - not really sure doing what, but busy. 

We arrived home from Hawaii at the beginning of February and it took about a week to get back on schedule.  But we are now back on schedule and thriving!

My newest adventure has been sewing.  I received a wonderful sewing machine for Christmas from my husband...believe it or not, it was on my list.  I have never touched a sewing machine before.  I grew up with my mother sewing; she would make all of our Halloween costumes, home decor items and other fun stuff.  She did amazing projects.  But I never learned how to sew or anything about sewing machines.  In fact, once I received my Christmas gift, I was a bit stuck as to what to do with it.  I was really excited to learn, but I needed SUPER basic instruction, so I bought the book "Sewing for Dummies" and figured I would start there.  I took my new book over to Black Butte and tried to read as much as I could, but I did not have my machine with me to physically play with it, so it was pretty dry reading.  Plus at this point in time, I was actually afraid to even turn on the machine for the fear I would break it. 

Right before we left for Hawaii, my friend Dawn Marie took me to JoAnn's Fabrics and showed me everything that I was going to need for a sewing kit.  She was so patient and took me aisle by aisle and we picked out great sewing accessories.  The best part was they were having a 50% off all notions (stuff you need for sewing), so I saved a bunch of money.  We also bought fabric for my first sewing project...a pillow case - or rather two pillow cases - one for Tommy and one for Morgan.  Then we came back to my house and Dawn Marie took me through my machine, step-by-step and I learned all about how to wind bobbins and how to thread my machine.  Then she taught me how to do the first pillowcase.  I did Tommy's pillowcase first...if you can't tell it has a "Go Ducks" theme.

Tommy, Dawn Marie and my sewing machine displaying the first sewing project!

Then Dawn Marie left and I was left to my own devices on Morgan's pillowcase.  I never did get a good picture of it, but here is Morgan lounging on the finished product.  She liked it!

Morgan with the pillowcase I did solo.

Upon my return from Hawaii, Dawn Marie and I took another trip to JoAnn's Fabrics because patterns were on sale.  Of course, I could not help myself and I purchased about 12 patterns.  Mostly dresses and a few crafts - as well as my next project pajama pants for both kids. 

Before we left for Hawaii, some of the ladies from Tommy's preschool and I had set-up a sewing date.  We wanted to get together and work on projects as well as (for me) get help on projects - since I had no idea how to sew from a pattern.  The Thursday night before our sewing date, we met at JoAnn's so the ladies could help me find fabric and purchase all that I needed for my PJ projects.  They also bought stuff for their projects, but I was so thankful they were there with me because I had no idea what I was doing.

Then we had our sewing date.  It was awesome!  Joy, Amy, Jana and Dawn Marie all came over and we had a great time.  Joy made a whale, Amy made napkins, Jana and Dawn Marie helped me with my pajama pants for Tommy and I sewed from my first pattern.  I learned how to line up the pattern pieces, cut out the pieces, follow the pattern instructions and sew Tommy's pajama pants.

Tommy's unhemmed pajama pants.

I then spent the whole next day making Morgan's pajama pants...I even "gathered" which made the ruffles at the bottom of Morgan's pajama pants.  I had to read how to "gather" in my "Sewing for Dummies" book.

Yes they are a little large!

Then this past Sunday I worked on Morgan's pajama top.  Thanks to Grandma Jan who came up to visit us for the day, I was able to put it all together and finish it.  It was so fun!  I even did button holes and buttons with the sewing machine!  It was awesome.

So all in all, not that you cannot tell, I love my new hobby.  It is so fun and I feel such a feeling of accomplishment when I finish a project.  So thank you so much to my husband who bought me the lovely sewing machine and thank you to Dawn Marie who has guided me through the entire process.

Cheers to a new hobby and I can't wait for my next project (hopefully a dress for Miss Morgan:))!

Places to Stay in Kona

One of my friends asked me about my opinion on where to stay in Kona...here were my thoughts to her (that I thought I would share):

So as far as Kona goes, there are a ton of little condo resort type places as well as plenty of houses to rent, but not a ton of hotel resort type places.  As a kid, I was not in love with Kona because it is pretty bare bones on the “kid” activities and it is really laid back, plus it is black sand beaches (which is not what people normally see in pictures of Hawaii).  But let's face it, I was a kid going to Hawaii, so who is to complain about that.   

Kona is not your normal “hawaii experience”  - with the black sand beaches, it does not feel very yellow sand tropical, but it is mostly always sunny and it is a wonderful area.  You can find a ton of rental houses on www.vrbo.com and then we have stayed at Kona Coast Resort http://www.shellhospitality.com/Kona-Coast-Resort which I know is a time-share place, but I think you can rent condos there without the timeshare stuff.  My mom has stayed at the Keauhou Surf and Racket Club http://www.konacondo.net/more/SR.html which is right next door to the Kona Coast Resort and it was nice too.  Now these are strictly condo places…maids do not come every day, there is no concierge and the pools are on the smaller side as compared to the big resorts.  But you get the kitchen, BBQ and ability to prepare your own food which is nice.  Plus there are areas for the kids to run and play outside the condo. 

As far as hotel/resorts in Kona (which I have never stayed at, but have admired from the outside looking in J), there is the King Kam http://www.konabeachhotel.com/ which was just being renovated two years ago, so I think everything is fairly new there and they are right in downtown Kona…they officially start the entry into downtown and are pretty much the start of the IronMan swimming course.  There is the Royal Kona Resort http://www.royalkona.com/Index.cfm where we have attended a luau (prekids) and it seemed very nice.  Farther south is the Outrigger Kanaloa http://www.keauhoubeachresort-hawaii.com/index.cfm which is right by my favorite snorkel beach.  And then the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa just was renovated about 3-5 years ago and I think is fairly nice as well: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1469

Okay then if you move up the coast a bit (heading North from the airport – as opposed to South toward Kona) you head into the Kohala coast which has many more vacation resort areas which is more the hotel/resort experience…we have only stayed at the Waikoloa Hilton, but have played golf at both Mauna Kea and Mauna Lani…all 5 star resorts.  These hotels have more traditional yellow sand beaches and provide more of the typical “Hawaiian resort experience”.    Here are their links:

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/KOAHWHH-Hilton-Waikoloa-Village--Hawaii/index.do

http://www.princeresortshawaii.com/mauna-kea-beach-hotel/

http://www.maunalani.com/

If you like golf, the Big Island has amazing golf, but you are definitely going to pay for that amazing golf.  Both Mauna Kea and Mauna Lani have amazing courses (the type you see in magazines) but they are really expensive.  There are cheaper courses – Mike has played the Kona Country Club which is one of the cheaper courses and it is decent too.

Here is my blog post from last January 2011 when we returned home…it has mostly information on traveling with the kids at the time, but might have some additional helpful info: http://gruvemomtimes.blogspot.com/2011/01/hawaii-advice-with-kids-in-mind.html

Cheers to loving the Big Island and Kona!

Encouragement

Mike and I went out to dinner with one of our friends on Saturday night.  We had a wonderful time and of course had a substantial amount of wine!  The conversation turned to what I might want to do "when I grow up" and my friend said to me, "Whatever you decide to do you will be successful at it."  I respect this person immensely and for her to say this to me, meant more than I can express here.  Instantly I had tears in my eyes because I have not had that type of encouragement in a while...truthfully I have no idea when the last time was I have had that sincere type of all-encompassing encouragement.

As parents we always are encouraging our kids...take that next step, learn that word, take that leap into the pool, etc, but I don't think as adults we think of encouraging other adults.  It makes a HUGE difference!

I have been thinking about this non-stop over the past two days and realized I had to encourage all people that read this blog and everyone I know to keep your eyes peeled...if you know people that are in a transition in their lives, have been thinking about them lately or just need a kind word, SAY IT - call them, go to dinner, email them, FaceBook them...I am telling you it means the world. 

Cheers to having people in my life who encourage me and wishing that to all people I know (and even those who I don't know)!

2012 Goals

Well of course it is that time of year!  Time to set those goals for this year.  For me I think the goals are pretty simple...they are the first things that come to my mind (in no particular order):

1.  Work on stopping spending.  I have been really good over the last 2-3 months, but I really need to get a handle on it and pay down some debt.

2.  Lose weight - The exercise part I have no problem with and really enjoy (however, I need to be more consistent with it)...I need to curb my eating.  And with curbing my eating, I need to work on eating small meals throughout the day.  Generally I don't eat until about 3:30PM or 4PM because I have been so busy taking care of Tommy and Morgan.  So my goal is to eat smaller/healthier meals throughout the day and then I think the weight loss will come with that. 

3.  As mentioned in my previous blog entry, I would like to work on curbing my anxiety.  Although I need to work on curbing my anxiety not only about my kids, but also about what other people think about me.  I am really concerned with this...I am constantly worried if I have offended someone, done something wrong to someone or disappointed someone ...while this is good, I think I take it to the extreme.  So I need to find a balance with that. 

4.  My constant goal, which I do a pretty good job at if I do say so myself, is enjoying every moment at all times.  This life is so very short, and I truly always try to make every moment count. 

I think that might be it.  Of course I might add to that over the course of the year, but for right now, I think those are pretty good goals!

Anxiety - Am I really this mom?

I have decided I am an anxious person - not necessarily to the random person I meet on the street, but it is there...one of my most prevalent flaws (and yes I have many :)). 

Yesterday, Tommy had his first ski lesson.  Mike and I had talked about it many times and we were both really excited to get him up on skis - we both grew up skiing and have wonderful childhood memories of being on the mountain.  But as we approached Hoodoo yesterday morning, my "nervous stomach" was in full effect!  I couldn't tell what I was nervous about, but I just knew I was nervous.  We arrived in the parking lot, got Tommy dressed and ready to go and headed into the Lodge.  We paid for the lesson, the rental gear and a lift ticket and were set to go.

This is post-lesson, but I wanted you to get the full image!

Our next step was we had to go drop him off at the Mountain Cub Club Room where they would outfit him with gear and then they would start the lesson at 10AM.  Well as soon as we said goodbye to him (which I really did not draw out or anything), I felt like I was going to hyperventilate and cry all at the same time.  What was this about!?!  I was very thankful that Tommy did not see me in that state, because then I think he would have been fearful/anxious too.  But of course not Tommy, he just trotted off with the very nice instructors as happy as a clam! 

I had to have Mike reassure me that these people do this for a living...he will be fine.  I think it is just the giving my child over to people that I do not know and then having to trust that all will be okay.  This is probably as a result of me being a stay-at-home mom and pretty much being present at any interaction the kid has had his whole entire life.  Yet seriously it was freaking me out and we dropped him off at 9:30AM.  I had to wait until 11:50AM to pick him up and the clock was ticking very slow! 

I started to read the sheet that they gave us that talked about all the things we should think of and know...don't hover (the kid has a better lesson when the parents aren't standing there taking pictures - totally makes sense), make sure they are properly outfitted and finally make sure they have sunscreen on their face.  Shit...yes I said shit because I did not even think about sunscreen nor did I have any in the car.  So I ran to the gear shop and bought some sunscreen and ran it upstairs to him.  Tommy was in the Mountain Cub Room and having a blast.  He had his boots on and was playing Foosball with one of the "instructors" (who looked about fourteen at the most).  I put sunscreen on Tommy's face and gave him chapstick and off I went.  I felt completely better knowing that he was having a good time. 

Of course that did not stop me from camping out on the second floor of the Lodge right in view of the lesson area.  That is right I was that parent who was not "hovering" but yet was most definitely hovering from the constructs of the Lodge.  And yes I talked to him at the window through the whole lesson.  When he would fall over and the instructor would try to get him to stand up, I would say, "Come on buddy, you can do it" or when he was trying to sidestep up the green carpet and failing miserably, I would say, "Don't give up, you can do it."

This is the view from the "window" - Tommy is the guy down on the ground to the right of the green carpet :)

Bottom line, the lesson went great, but seriously is has had me thinking about the major anxiety I had yesterday while dropping him off.  I think it is fear of the unknown.  An example of this...Earlier in the preschool year this year, Tommy had two separate friends ask him over for playdates from preschool.  I was struck with the same anxiety/fear of having Tommy play at houses where I really did not know the parents, other than just a hi/goodbye at drop off and pickup.  But I think as kids get older this is the stuff they do.  I just need to prepare myself for all of this. 

Now Kindergarten approaches in September and while I am really excited for Kindergarten to happen, I wonder on that first day I let him take the bus to school if I will be an anxious mess the entire time?  Maybe, but I know I am going to have to deal with it!  So bottom line I think my severe anxiety stems from the fear of the unknown for my children.  I know I cannot be there to protect them as they grow older an have more experiences, but I think for THIS stay-at-home mom, it is going to be quite the challenge to let go of this anxiety and embrace these experiences.

I am so happy Tommy did the ski lesson yesterday and even though it was hard work, I know he had a great time.  And I LOVED the people/facility at Hoodoo.  It was a wonderful experience and I can't express how excited I am for him to do more lessons.  I need to figure out how to dial back my anxious feelings and give way to the excitement I feel for him at the same time. 

So in this 2012 year, that is one of my goals...really try to stay away from my anxiety and embrace all the fun experiences of the year!



And here are some more pics from the trip to Hoodoo:

Tommy skiing down the hill...right before he crashed into the carpet :)

Tommy is #102 - listening to the instructor.

Morgan enjoying some time in the snow with Mom

This one is for Aunt Diana who made sure Tommy was carrying his equipment as we always had to do!

Tommy post-lesson...great time, but you can tell he is tired!

Morgan just really likes to play in the snow!

Black Butte - So wonderful!

We are having a great time in Black Butte.  It is so nice to have a quiet place to relax and just be together!  We are thankful to the Lovato family for letting us use their super comfortable home.

Today we started out the day with Mike making Belgium waffles in his new Belgium waffle machine.  He also made a wonderful Marionberry syrup.  So the days started with a super yummy breakfast.

 

Then I headed out for a quick run to the Glaze Meadow Recreation Center to jump on a treadmill for about 20 minutes before the family joined me and we went swimming.  The run to the center went well (of course it is only 1/2 a mile)...I was quite surprised because I have not been running in a while. 

Swimming was great!  Tommy is really learning to swim quite well...each time he is in the water, he seems to improve.  Today he would go down the slide (quite a quick slide) and then swim to the side by himself.  That was great to see.  Morgan LOVED the water!  She had such a good time and even went down the slide multiple times - of course with daddy at the bottom to catch her!

Then it was nap time and Tommy and Mike started in on the Black Pearl Lego.  They have most of the ship built and Tommy really wants to keep going.

Tonight we had leftovers for dinner - Mike made really yummy cheesy bread and then we had clam chowder and pizza.  Now I am sitting in front of the fire and just enjoying the sounds of the family chatting and hanging out together.

Cheers to being a family and having some downtime!

Disneyland Advice

Okay so here are the things we would recommend doing and the things we would not necessarily recommend.

Recommend:

1. BRING a stroller if you have kids under 6.  Tommy who is 5 and a great walker, rode most of the time on the front of the stroller.  You can definitely rent strollers there, but you have to keep them in the parks and if you are staying on property, you have a ways to walk before you get to your hotel.  So if you want to carry your kids that far, it is fine, but just be prepared.
2. If you are staying at the Disneyland Hotel, get a suite if you can.  We had a two bedroom suite in the Disneyland Hotel.  We could have gotten away with just a one bedroom suite (because there was a bed in the couch and a Murphy bed in the TV cabinet in the living room), but it was nice to have the two bathrooms.  The concierge lounge - which you have access to when you have a suite - was key to not spending a ton of money on breakfast, beverages and quick pick up items (potato chips, etc).
3. If you don't want to listen to whiny kids asking you for things the entire time you are there, make sure your kids know that you are only getting ONE souvenir before you leave for the trip.   That way you can remind them of that when they are asking for things and they quickly remember and don't whine all that much.  Disneyland has stuff for sale EVERYWHERE!
4. Be prepared for all sorts of weather.  It was 105 degrees when we were there.  It was October.  Bring tank tops and rain jackets...you just never know what it is going to be like. 
5. Reusable water bottles from home were great to have because then you weren't having to buy them all over the place.
6. Having a plan was great for us...we used http://touringplans.com/ to just give us a starting point.  We did not necessarily follow the plans, but they gave us an idea of what we wanted to do.
7. If you want to visit a busy attraction, use the Fast Pass system or go right when the park opens.  We had great success with both of those tactics.  Also you can get a switch pass if you are waiting with a younger kid while a parent/older kid go on a ride.  The parent just asks for a switch pass and then the parent who had been waiting, just takes that pass and goes in the Fast Pass lane.
8. Make reservations for dinner out and a character breakfast once you book your trip.  You can always cancel those reservations, but it is handy to have them.
9. If you want to see World of Color, get reserved viewing...World of Color Dining  We went to the Wine Country Trattoria dinner and then had the "Preferred Viewing" tickets.
10. Go to Napa Rose for dinner.  It is amazing!
11. Get some sort of "line wait" application for your phone, so you can have "real-time" estimates of how long lines are going to take.
12. If you have a kid that is into Star Wars, take them to the Jedi Training Academy.  If they want to be in the performance, sit in front, have a sign and make sure they are yelling, jumping up and down and really excited to be in the performance.
13. If you care about meeting characters, do a character breakfast.  It is the best way to meet the characters, without having to stand in line.
14. If it is your first time there, make that known...if you need something from the Disney staff members, ask...they are all overly helpful!
15. Watch a parade.  It is magical!

Not Recommended:

1. Don't plan on doing everything, just know that there are lines, people and craziness all over.
2. If you are planning on being at the Disneyland Hotel, it might be under construction.  The first floor and pool complex were under construction while we were there. So just be prepared for that possibility.
3. Don't assume October will be a "quiet" time...it was super busy when we were there.  I have heard end of August/beginning of September is a pretty quiet time to go.
4. Stressing out...get done what you can and then know you have something to see on your next trip, if you don't get to it.

Cheers to Disneyland and all the planning that goes with it!