Dates

Josh and I have made it a priority to set aside time for just ourselves. We are so blessed to have family close by who are so willing to take the kids and give us the opportunity to do spend that time together.
Recently I have had two dates that weren't with Josh! :) As a mom, I have realized it's important to take your kids on dates too. We have done it in all combinations: both of us with one kid, one of us with both kids, boys together, girls together.
Last week Haley had a play date after school. Ryan and I went for a cone and spent the whole time talking at the table in the shop. I asked him about his day, who he played with, his favorite part, the usual. As he licked his cone he then proceeded to ask me about my day (unprompted). He asked how my students were and who I played with and what I had for lunch. What a little man! The whole outing was so sweet. I loved that it was impromptu.
This week I had a date with Haley too. We went to the theater to see Beauty and the Beast. She snuggled with me the entire show. Those of you who know her, know that she is NOT a snuggler and never has been. She was giving me random kisses on the arm and cheek and rubbing my hand. I didn't want the show to end! When I put her to bed that night I told her what a great time I had with her and how special it was. Her response? "Mom, can you turn off the light? I'm tired and ready to sleep." Not exactly the response I had expected but I laughed and left her room.
I wrote this is a previous post, but I'm going to write it again. I love all 4 personalities in this house. I enjoy being with every single person one on one. Such a lucky mom and wife.

A Healthy Me

I am overweight. Actually, according to my BMI, I am obese. Wow. The word sounds horrific. I know I need to get the weight off, for so many reasons.

Recently my father in law had triple bypass surgery. He went into the doctor experiencing what he called "chest heaviness." The summer before my senior year in high school, my dad had a bypass as well. Anytime I hear anything about the chest or heart I know my senses are heightened. Once he was ordered an angiogram I knew this was no small deal. I have lived through it with my dad. All went well with the surgery and now the Russells are experiencing the recovery process. Not easy.

Health is everything. EVERYTHING. As I have gained weight in my adult life I have had a hard time with the physical appearance stuff.  What do I wear? This doesn't look right? etc. In my 20s, getting ready for going out or any event would leave me frustrated and tearful. After having kids, and with age I am sure, I am at the point where it no longer consumes me. I have been here for awhile actually. All I care about it being healthy and living a healthy life. I realize that getting older and changing metabolism are factors. In the last year I went in for a full physical to get ALL of my numbers. This was after I watched Dr. Oz on Oprah. He talked about knowing your numbers and where you should be. He also talked about a woman who gains weight in their butt and thighs, that is just unfortunate. A woman who gains through her middle needs to lose the weight because that is fat all around your essential organs. I heard it as, "Jennifer Russell, this episode is for you and you alone."

I learned a lot from my physical. The doctor was great. He said that the only thing unhealthy about me was my weight. My cholesterol is much lower than it was when I was 40 pounds lighter. My blood pressure is normal. When I told him I exercised 3-4 times per week I am sure he looked at me and thought, "yah, sure you do" but he took my resting heart rate and  said I have the heart rate of an athlete. That felt so great because now I am not looking for the clothes or the scale to tell me how I am doing, but a doctor.

I know the weight needs to come off. I am healthier in the last 8 years than I have been my entire life, even 40 pounds ago. I am healthier now than I was in high school and most of college at just under 100 pounds. Wouldn't it be great if just by being healthy, everything else would give way? Don't get me wrong, I will overeat and make bad choices. Tonight is my dad's birthday dinner. I will enjoy every bite of the mexican meal and the homemade german chocolate cake. It's just not happening often.

Yesterday I went to the track for the first time in 3 weeks. The week before the cruise was insane with Haley's bday, etc. I worked out in the hotel the night before the cruise and not one time on the ship (I over packed by 3 workout outfits). Then this week I was simply too lazy to do anything. 3 weeks is a long time to do nothing physically. As I started to jog I felt my knee, my ankles, my breathing. I have a 10k in 3 weeks. I need to get back in it. I know that exercise is the key to me. Once I exercise I make better choices overall.

Health is everything. I am overweight, obese in fact. I know people half my size who are unhealthy. My other numbers are healthy now and I want to keep it that way. I am happy that I saw the doctor and know my information. The weight needs to come off. I know I will not go on a diet because it simply doesn't work for me in the long run. I am conscious of menu planning and grocery shopping. I am aware of portions. I am educated on calories and points. The best part of it all is that I am not consumed. I feel good. I get dressed every morning, every night and am ready. I am competent when creating a meal.
I'm still not great about seeing pictures of myself. Still working on that. :) I need to stay healthy emotionally as well.
Because remember, health is everything.

Bon Voyage!

Oh yes. We went on a Disney Cruise. It was an amazing family vacation shared with another family. This post will be long as I try to capture the details of our trip, not as much for the readers as for the purpose of capturing it all as a record.The trip was 7 nights. We set sail in LA and cruised through Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. I am going to try and write about all of it in categories.



                                
Getting there: We left Saturday afternoon and drove to Magic Mountain to stay the night there. We then drove an hour the next morning to the ship. This kids were out of their skin with excitement. "There's the ship!!" as we drove into port. The embarkation process was nearly flawless (Ry had to be examined by a nurse since he had a runny nose). There were happy Disney people everywhere showing us where to go and what to do. Mickey and Minnie switched out at port coming out for picture ops. The excitement was everywhere. The efficiency was a parent's dream.

                                         
The ship: The Disney Wonder was beautiful and CLEAN. When I say clean, I am not messing around. At every entry to every area there was a person there handing you a sanitary wipe. The dining rooms and kids' areas and lounges and showrooms and theaters were all designed to the very last detail. The grand entrance had two sweeping staircases, glass elevators, a beautiful chandelier, and a mermaid statue in the center. The ship's design was genius as far as where areas were located. All adult areas in the front of the ship, family areas in the middle and, small children areas in the back (for the most part). The ship had 3 dining rooms, one which had walls that started white and ended up filled with picture and color (Haley's favorite). It had a movie theater. A big one. It had a live theater. A big one. It had a huge screen over the pool with perfect sound. And so on and so on and so on.
                                              
The ports: We stopped in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.In Puerto Vallarta our friends lead us to a resort they frequent there. We played and swam at the beautiful Westin and it felt like paradise. It was on the ocean so after hours in the pools, we played at the beach and did some exploring. There were crabs on the rocks and some interesting seashells.It was a beatiful day at about 80 degrees out. The net day we stopped in Cabo. It was a WINDY day and we waiting until after lunch to get off the boat to see if it would calm down. It didn't. We still walked around the town and checked it all out. The kids were a bit fascinated by the street vendors and their constant motivation to sell. We originally planned to take a water taxi to Lover's Beach, but decided against it as the wind was getting to all of us. The 2nd day in Cabo was picturesque. Warm, calm, sparkling water. We stayed on the boat that day since we were setting sail by 2:00 and had slept in and taken our time getting moving. We enjoyed that day out in the open air soaking in the sunshine.

The shows: WOW! We all agreed that this was perhaps the best part of each day. The shows were outstanding! The staging and costuming and talent and sets were all unreal! We saw shows such as"Toy Story the Musical," "The Golden Mickey's" (a play on the Oscars), and "Dreams" which focused on believing in yourself. There was a huge pirate show on the top deck after pirate night. This was good versus bad with Hook and Pan and Tink. Oh boy. Finally, from across the ship up high, Pirate Mickey came to save the day as he ziplined above the crowd toward Captain Hook. As the song "I Need a Hero" (awesome song from the 80s) played loud, there was a full on fireworks show over the ship. Does it get better than that? My personal favorite (besides the fireworks) was when Haley joined other kids from the kids club and performed a live show complete with two dance numbers with Mickey and Minnie. She was on the mainstage and the parents filled the theater. It was awesome.

The kids:WHAT. A . DREAM. The kids were in heaven. They guided the entire vacation (except for the one adult dinner we had). Every morning we woke up and the day was theirs. We would read the happenings on the ship. There was so much to choose from. We could meet characters, go to the kids clubs (there were 2 different ones), go swimming, see a show, see a movie, play a game, etc. Some of the favorites were meeting the princesses, meeting Hook, Smee and Pan, story time with Belle, dancing with Snow White, making Flubber, Ratatouie cooking school, and becoming lost boys and girls in Neverland. They were thrilled and high most of the time. At one point Ryan and I went to get into an elevator and Mickey just hopped on in with us. True celebrity encounter!! Just us and Mickey in the elevator.We swam until we were water logged. We relaxed. We played. We explored.

The food: The food was good. Two meals were great, but mostly it was good. The best paart was the rotating dining. Each night you dined in a different area and you rotated through 3 dining rooms. That was very cool. We had one adult dinner with our friends and that meal was unbelievable. The room was elegant and quiet. The food came in small portions so we got to taste lots of different things. YUM!
There was 24 hour room service. There was a pizza house and hot dogs and chicken strips and fresh fruit at all times. We never starved, that's for sure!

The favorites: Ryan's favorite was meeting Captain Hook, Smee, and Peter Pan and being a pirate. Haley's favorite was meeting the princesses and the show "Dreams." Josh's favorite was the day at the resort in Puerto Vallarta. My favorite was the pirate night on the deck with the fireworks. My REAL favorite was spending 7 days with my beautiful family and good friends.

The quotes: "I want to stay on this boat just 10 more nights!" "Remember when Ursula's tentacles tried to get us?" "I want Fruit Loops and bacon for breakfast." "This was the best day ever!" (after every single day). "I'd like the Mickey bar for dessert." "I'm going to swim until it's bedtime." "Look at all the dolphins!" (while at sea). "Yes." I like this quote the most since we said it the whole trip. "Yes, you can____" because that's what the rip was about for all of us. Doing what we wanted when we wanted to. Turst me, there were some "No"s when visiting gift shops, dealing with street vendors, etc. But we all made our own schedule. We did what we wanted to do and it was maginificent.

I adore my family. I already knew this, but it was realized once again. We spent 7 days all together and lived in a small cabin. I enjoy the 3 personalities I live with. They are all different but all ones that I appreciate. This trip will be a highlight the rest of our lives. We said we'll plan on doing it again in about 5 years. It was fabulous. It was cherished. We are blessed.

The Grammys

This year our family friend was nominated for a Grammy for Best Children's Artist. We have enjoyed The Paphugs Band for years as we have attended performances and own all 3 CDs. David is a long time family friend of the Russells and Josh helped out with some marketing, etc. when he first started the band. Well, after various circumstances, David offered Josh a ticket to the Grammys. The ticket included attendance to his award show, which is right before the live show, the live show, and the official after party. WOW! Then, a few days later, David asked if Josh was willing to dress up like one of the characters and walk the red carpet. Those of you who know Josh know that this was a no brainer.

There he is! In all his robot glory. He said that it was such a rush! Major publications and networks were calling them over and interviewing them. We were watching the live stream and got to see them. We were all screaming at the excitement. He said it was so crazy. He was inches from Steve Martin and Weird Al, two of his favorite performers EVER!

He texted me throughout the entire live show with all sorts of details and insights so while I watched it later that night, I had the inside scoop.

He ended up meeting up with a friend at the after party and sent pics and videos of the performers and other celebrities he saw. Most A-listers were not there, but he caught sight of a few.

Paphugs did not bring home the trophy that night but it was a crazy fun night none the less. What an incredible event to attend! And yes, Josh had a hangover the next morning. :)

7

She's 7! On February 16th, at 1:13am she turned 7. Seems a bit surreal. When I grew up we had a tradition of waking up early on our birthdays and celebrating before we went to school. We decided to implement the new tradition in our own house. So Thursday morning we woke up and sang and had cake and opened presents before leaving for the day. The kids couldn't believe we were actually having cake for breakfast. It was awesome.

The next day we had her birthday party. I had the perfect plan as we were leaving for our trip the next day. The plan was this:

4:30- party starts

4:50- kids decorate heart shaped picture frames, which is also their favor. They will each get a picture with Ariel to put in the frame.

5:15-6:15- Ariel the mermaid comes to tell stories, do magic, paint faces and do balloon animals

6:15-7:00- pizza, pinata, cake

7:00 parents pick up kids, party over

What actually happened:

4:30- party starts

4:50 kids decorate frames

5:10- Ariel and owner of character business call to let us know her car broke down on the freeway. Josh gets in car to go get her about 8-10 miles away.

5:10-6:30- girls are asking every 13 seconds when Ariel will show up, my brother goes to get pizza, we do pinata, game, and open presents. Ariel still not there. Kids pull out all garage toys and ride on bikes, scooters, etc. Pizza arrives. Kids eat. Josh is texting every so often to say he is sitting in rush hour traffic, both there and back. He texts that he can't find her. He texts that he finds her.

6:30- Ariel shows up in time for cake

6:30-7:00- kids completely mesmerized by Ariel and her talents

7:00- parents start showing up to pick kids up and Ariel has just begun painting faces. Parents eat pizza and have cake and visit.

7:40- all guests are gone.

PHEW!!! Haley said it was the best party ever and that's all that matters. It was pretty comical.

T

he thing I loved most about it was meeting a few of the girls that Haley plays with at school and meeting their parents. I am proud of Haley for many many things. The thing I am most proud of, at this point, is her choice in friends. All 8 girls at the party had lovely manners and played so nicely. They were lively and kind and inclusive of one another.It makes me proud that Haley is choosing a mix of friends with one thing in common, they are all good little girls.They all love school and play by the rules. It's awesome to see your child coming into her own and making choices you hope she'd make.

She is 7. She is awesome.

The Track

I am at the Campbell track at least once a week. I love it there. Not only is it clean and safe and close to home, but it has its own culture. It is a place where you can run into people and see the regulars. Here are some of my stand outs...

1. The cat lady. he walks the track on the outside lane with cat food in the palm of her hand. A neighborhood kitty comes out every time I see her and enjoys the snacks she brings.

2.  The trainers and trainees. These are people teaching and participating in group training sessions. I learn a lot of my exercises from this group and try then either after the class is over and I'm still there, or the next time I hit the track. SCORE!

3. The lovers. These are people who walk the track holding hands...in the run lanes.

4. The regulars. These are the people I see EVERY time (at least many of the times) I go to the track. They are already there when I get there and still there when I leave. Most are in amazing shape. They say hello to everyone they pass.

5. The parents of future star athletes. I see these at least once a month. These are the parents who are out there with stop watches and cones "training" their children. And I do mean children. These are not even high school age kids going for a scholarship. These are adolescent age and younger with parents who have a goal in mind. The goal could be playing for a certain team or the goal could be getting some exercise. Each time I see this I want to yell, "how about you play a game on the field instead of just running drills?" Kids love games, right? I am being judgmental. I guess I don't understand it all. Kids love to run around and get exercise. I know I do!  I love it best when it's not in the form of working out, but rather in a class or activity.

I enjoy going to the track. I love my community.

January

As you can see, the start of our January was very rough. It entailed sunshine and trips to the beach where the kids were able to play in the 70 degree weather. Yes, I do love California. I have never lived anywhere else, but I know I love it here.

The end of January was a bit crazy. We have all been off kilter about 1 degree. I am, in general, a happy person and in a good mood. Most of my days are spent happy, patient, and ready for what the day has in store. Some days are different. I really hate when I can't get my emotions in check. I am very aware of my frustrations, impatience, etc. I even can pinpoint the cause (on most occasions). I am not the best when things are out of sorts. If I can see it coming and prepare, I am better.

Yesterday I was saturated. Completely. Unfortunately Ryan was the one who broke the straw and out came a beast I didn't know was in there. My voice was at a volume and octave I didn't know I was capable of. Ryan and I were both shocked by it. It was very brief and we were both silent afterward. I told Josh is was an emotional blood bath. I felt horrible. In 7 years of parenthood, I've never felt that way. I've definitely hit my limit before, just not quite like this. I know why it happened. I know why I didn't have patience. But for me, knowing doesn't always help change the emotion. The first words I spoke to Ryan after the exchange was "I'm sorry." His response? "I'm sorry too" without prompting.

I will say that today he was far less whiny and used his manners in every single appropriate situation. He didn't argue about getting dressed and he didn't lose it and go into a fit. This was nice. Very nice. 

This whole thing prompted a good conversation between Josh and me. We clarified some new approaches we are going to take with him as we will not be tolerant of certain things any more. We also connected about how we are feeling with the bit of craziness going on around us. Being rational feels so good. Feeling calm and in control feels so good. Having a planned approach feels so good (so many times parenting is on the spot).

Exhale...