Lately...

Lately…  I’ve been trying to get at least 7 hours of sleep at night, which means I have to head upstairs around 9:30 to get ready for bed, read for a few minutes, and fall asleep by a few minutes after 10.  Some nights are more successful than others, but I’ll take what I can get.

Lately…  We’ve been enjoying more and more time outside in the beautiful weather.  Spring can be short lived in NC, with summer in a hurry to show up and then add insult to injury by staying long after it’s fall’s turn to be in the spotlight.  Every additional day without 90+ percent humidity is a good one.  Last night, Connor and I went on a run-walk with Connor enjoying snacks and water while I huffed and puffed up and down the hills near our house pushing a 35-lb (at least!) toddler plus the stroller.  We won't be able to (relatively) comfortably do that at 6:15 for much longer so it'll be back to 4:45 a.m. solo runs.

Lately…  I’ve seen Connor’s vocabulary and understanding growing by leaps and bounds.  Monday morning he was finishing breakfast and he asked to watch Chuggington (a train cartoon), or as he put it, “Choo-choo tee?”  Meaning, “Can I watch Chuggington on the TV?”  I told him we probably wouldn’t have time.  As I was cleaning him up a few minutes later, he said, “No time, choo-choo” while shaking his head.  First of all, I was just happy that he took it in stride and was okay with not getting something he wanted.  He normally is fine, but he’s also a toddler.  ‘Nuff said.  But he took in what I said and it resonated with him and he said it back to me like he understood the concept.  I love watching the wheels turn and things click for him.  And I love hearing him try out new words like “yellow” and “helicopter.”  I swear it’s like those words are just fun for him to say.

Lately…  The McHusband has been pretty focused on his new garage.  It’s up and ready to be finished with electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting the floor with an epoxy, etc.  Who needs a project car when you have a project garage?  At least it can be somewhat used as planned now.  We have the trailer, mower, and Connor’s riding toys in there.  I am happy for him to have this space since it’s something that he always planned on having when he grew up.  I know he and Connor will get some quality father-son time out there…maybe while Mommy gets some quality Stephanie-TV time.  We all win!

Lately…  I haven’t been blogging.  Yeah, that one’s pretty obvious, huh?  I just find that when I sit down in the evening with my hour and a half of free time, I simply don’t have the energy to give anything else.  I just want to watch a show, surf the web a little, then get myself up to bed without feeling like I HAVE to stay up a little longer to cross a task off the to-do list.  Wanna know a little secret?  I didn’t type this up from the comfort of my couch; instead, I found myself with a little free time during the work day so I decided to jot a few thoughts down.

Lately…  I’ve been missing my blog posts.  I know, it’s a “have your cake and eat it, too” situation.  I’ve made some great dinners that are worth sharing (Are you guys aware of how awesome roasted broccoli is?!), the McHusband and I had a super fun trip to Nashville (see photo below), and we’ve done some fun things with Connor, like the Touch-a-Truck event in Apex this past weekend.  I count on the blog as a scrapbook and if I don’t keep it up, I know I will regret not being able to look back and review our life at any given time.  Not to mention how it connects us to our extended family as well as our group of friends.

Lately…  I’ve been trying to be healthier.  Okay, this one is only about a week old, but that qualifies as lately, right?  I just enjoy my snacking and fru-fru (i.e. alcoholic) drinks and if I could have any magic power, it might be that I’d want to eat and drink whatever I wanted and not gain weight.  Who wants to be a part of my superhero squad?  I’ll be the Calorie Killer.  I’m thinking I could use a Fat Blaster and a Carb Slasher so let me know if you’re interested.  For now, until I get bitten by a radioactive bug or find a glowing rock, I’ll just stick to counting calories, getting in three to four days of exercise, and drinking lots and lots (and LOTS) of water.

Lately…  I am grateful for all the blessings in my life.  I have a good job, a wonderful husband, a pretty darn great kid who happens to be super cute,  loving and supportive extended families, and we all have good health.  Now all I need is more time, energy, and willpower.  Which bug do you think needs to bite me so I can get more of those things any time I need them?

Thanks for coming back.  I really want to try to be better about blogging even if it's just a weekly check-in on Monday or Tuesday to recap our weekends.  We'll see how that works out... 

PS  And since I'm pretty sure I won't be back tomorrow, I want to wish a happy early birthday to Jenny.  For that matter, I need to wish Shannon a happy belated birthday since she celebrated hers this past Saturday.