A Summer Cold

#SOL15

There's nothing like a summer cold to really make you feel miserable. Well, I'm sure there are plenty of things far worse, but getting knocked flat on your you-know-what by a cold that comes out of nowhere is just the worst. When the sun is shining bright and the pool is calling your name, no one wants to be stuck on the couch with a box of tissues, DayQuil, and a stuffy nose.

Hmmmm...that "stuck on the couch" part only comes in the evening after I put my daughter to bed. If you have a toddler, you know all too well that there is no time to be sick. I have to give my daughter a lot of credit, actually. She's quickly approaching her second birthday (Next month! Where did the time go?!), and she certainly could've been an absolute terror. She was such a good girl yesterday, even when we went out to run some errands. I had to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I'd like to believe on some level she knew I wasn't feeling well. I mean, I did say 50 times "Mommy doesn't feel well. Thank you for being a good girl", but I was just trying to drill the point home in order to make the day easier for myself. haha. Dinnertime went well, bathtime was a breeze, and the bedtime routine wasn't as long and drawn out as it normally can be. Thank you, universe! :-)

The "stuck on the couch" portion of being sick can sometimes be awful, but truthfully I have a new guilty pleasure. My new addiction. Hulu. Yes, that's right. The website Hulu shows every TV show you can think of, and I. Love. It. We have AppleTV, so I watch things like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube right on my television. My friend got me into a show called Mistresses. Have you heard of it? I am hooked! I watch about 2 episodes nightly, unless something mind blowing happens and I need to see the next episode. I'm trying to catch up to the episodes that are now airing on Thursday night, and I'll be bummed when I have to watch it on live TV. That's what DVR is for, right? So you can fast forward through all the commercials. :-)

So as I try and kick this summer cold, I look forward to my downtime at night. I wish I felt better to fully enjoy what I'm watching, but I'm pretty sure I'll be cured in no time.

Woohoooooo!  :-)

Saturday Night's Alright For...Sleeping?

Hello! It has been so long since I last posted a mommy blog, or really any blog for that matter. I was at a BBQ today and a family member asked me if I was still blogging. I told her I thought about it each and every night, but I never actually have time to sit down and write. I'm making time TONIGHT.

You may be thinking I haven't blogged because I don't have material to write about. That's not the case at all. Chloe has kept me chock full of topics and interesting information. But if I'm being honest at all here, I'll tell you that my daughter just doesn't sleep anymore. She has a hard time going down at night, and then she wakes up in the middle of the night. Please tell me I'm not alone here! There are other moms that have been where I am, right? (Or many that are there with me right now??) She used to be such a wonderful sleeper, and I have no idea what happened. Functioning in day to day life as a zombie is just something I do on a daily basis at this point. But this is my point as to why blogging has been so hard for me lately. By the time she finally falls asleep at night, and I do all my nightly duties and chores (Don't you just love mom chores?!), I sit down on the couch and I'm done for the day. I know I have to get to bed at some point because, like clockwork, she will be up again in the middle of the night.

I remember when I was pregnant I always used to say, "When I have a kid I will never...(insert random piece of insane information here.) Well, get used to it because those wonderful lines and pearls of wisdom will often get chucked to the wind just to protect our sanity. 
"When I have a kid I will never, ever let her sleep in our bed." Ahem...well, ummm...mom fail. Chloe hasn't slept peacefully for so long, and the only way we got any ounce of sleep at all was to...well you know. Don't make me say it. My alarm would go off at 5am for work, and some days she would keep me up till 4-4:30. Have you ever gone to work functioning on that little sleep? Have you ever had the feeling that no amount of coffee or espresso in the world can help you on that particular day? Chances are you have, and chances are you're a mom. (or a dad). At those hours of the night, my husband and I do whatever we need to do to survive, and that meant that if we had to bring her in bed with us, so be it. Of course there are the obligatory elbows to the face, feet to the gut, and slaps to the cheek; that goes without saying. 

So here I am, months later (yes, she has been doing this sleepless dance for months), and I'm trying to collect my thoughts. I forgot how therapeutic writing is for me. It's nice to put this stuff out to the masses because then you feel like you're not alone! I love having conversations with people who look at me wide eyed and in shock saying, "Your daughter still doesn't sleep?? Oh my son/daughter has slept every day since he/she came home from the hospital. And they sleep for 12 hours." Ugh. Sigh. Liars. But when you get a nice, honest answer about how they have been through what you're going through and that it does get easier, then I somehow feel a lot more normal. Most of the time. Sleep training is its own special kind of hell. So when you get in bed tonight, or lay your little one down, say a little prayer for me that my munchkin sleeps through the night tonight. 

CPR/AED Certification

Hello there! I know, it has been a long while since I've written a new post. I can explain. I'll give you the Cliff's Notes version, but we just moved last week, it was also our three year anniversary, and to top it all off, we took a trip to Cooperstown for the weekend. (Yes, kid-free! I missed the little peanut, but it was a great getaway with the Mister.) So with everything packed into one week, AND all the prep leading up to such big events, you can understand why I went on a small hiatus. But I'm back now!

Today I took a CPR/AED course to fulfill a requirement for my other job. I make it sound like an obligation, but truly, it really is something I should know and keep with me. I have a young daughter, and god forbid...I'm not going there. Anyway, I've taken the course several times before, and I usually renew my certification every two years. This time, the course was a lot different for me. Maybe it's because I am a parent now. All I can say is that I never realized how truly important it is for someone to know CPR. Not everyone knows what an AED machine is, and that's fine, but being able to administer CPR can possibly save a life.

I honestly hope I never have to use my CPR training. Could you imagine?? The instructor had some interesting stories to tell us, and I can't imagine standing in his shoes for any of those events. If you can get CPR certified, I highly recommend doing it. If the course comes with AED training as well, I suggest that avenue as well. As an educator, at my regular job and at the gym, it's pretty much mandatory for me to have this under my belt. I have been thinking about the course and material all day long. That's how much it hit me this time around. It's a good feeling tonight, as I'm about to go to bed, that I know all my loved ones are safe and sound, and that they're healthy.

It's Only Thursday?!

I am in the midst of the longest. week. ever. I know you think I'm exaggerating, but that is really what it feels like. You know, the feeling when you're so exhausted that it almost feels like you're NOT exhausted?? Sigh. Yep. (Update: at 6:45 tonight I was practically asleep on my feet, so please disregard the above sentence about not being exhausted. ZZZZzzzz...)

My mornings have been starting at 2am, sometimes 5 (which is my usual wake up time, but preferably by an alarm clock), but today the day started at 3:30am. YES, 3:30am. Nothing can wake a person from their sleep faster than a screaming child. It is one of the worst ways to wake up, but obviously, the child is crying for a reason, so you have to feel a bit bad, right?

And so, that is how my day started. My poor little bug was crying in her crib at 2:30. Being the nice wife I am, and wanting to let my husband sleep, I took Chloe out to the couch and we settled down on some nice comfy pillows and a blanket. Do you think she fell back to sleep? One guess! If she wasn't so stinkin' cute, I may have wanted to cry or throw things. I had to kiss her little face when she lifted her head off of my chest and looked at me.

"Hi, mom mom!" she chirped, as the clock rounded 4am.
"Hi, Chloe. It's very late. Time to go to sleep." She settled her head back down and continued to be restless.

Right before 5am, I turned the alarm off on my phone, and I listened to the sound of the coffee pot turning on to brew. I listened to the drip of the liquid into the pot. I listened to the four beeps which signaled the coffee is now done.

"Cosseeeee!(coffeeeee)" she says, and jumps off the couch. Oh boy. She hightails it into my bedroom where my husband is still awake and climbs into bed with him. They snuggle with each other as I go in to get my cup of coffee. My day has now officially begun. About twenty minutes later, I walk back into the room to get a shirt, and there I see her. All her cuteness is laid out on my side of the bed; legs sprawled out, arms flung wide, and she is snoring deeply. Sigh. I smile to myself, turn around, and go back to the couch to enjoy my few minutes of silence.

Learning The Piano

I'm going to teach myself to play the piano. That's what I said to myself two years ago. I told my husband I wanted an electric keyboard and a Piano For Dummies book. I was diving head-first into piano playing. Christmas came, and I received this giant box from my husband. Wouldn't you know it...it was an electric keyboard. What a guy! Not only did I get a keyboard (top of the line, I might add!), but I also got my Dummies book, an awesome pair of noise cancelling headphones, and little stickers to label the keys. I got the works! I was all set and ready to become the next Billy Joel...or something.

I never taught myself how to play the piano. About a week after Christmas I discovered I was pregnant! YAYYYYYYY! Boy, did that put things on hold. haha. But in a good way, of course! It seemed to take over my life, and every part of my day, and before I knew it, it was 9 months later and I had a daughter. I never did get to sit down to the keyboard and try to play. I read my Dummies book when I could, but who would have time for that while pregnant or afterwards?!

I'm going to teach myself to play the piano - 19 months later. I'm really doing it this time! The keyboard is all set up, and I even did my first 30 minutes of practice tonight. And by practice I mean, writing down musical notes on sheet music and practicing the notes. Very, very slooooowly. But I imagine that's how everyone starts out. So here I am, very excited to try again tomorrow after reading more of my book. I'm sure I'd benefit better from some professional lessons, but that's not in the cards right now. (Anybody out there give lessons??) I can't wait to be able to play songs for my daughter. She already loves touching the keys and making "music." It's a great age to be able to introduce her to musical instruments. :-)

See! I'm all set!

I Made It!

#SOL15

I did it! I honestly cannot believe I blogged for the entire month of March! This challenge has really made me hone in and focus on my day to day life and activities. I may have missed some great moments, or not have seen the little moments that were huge, had I not been thinking about this challenge each day. Hopefully I can keep up my writing streak!  :-)

Why I Love What I Do

#SOL15

I love when a student comes up to me and expresses their love for writing or reading. It makes me feel really good about my job, and it also opens up a dialogue with the student about something I'm passionate about. 

Today we had school because we had to make up a snow day. I am officially on Spring Break, even though it doesn't feel like it yet! Despite the excitement of vacation in the air, the kids were really good today; more focused than I would've imagined. At the end of second period today, one of the students approached me.

"Mrs. Narvesen, I was wondering if you'd like to read the short story I've been working on?"

"Really? Of course!" I replied. 

"It's here in the notebook. Sorry, but it's kind of long. I've really been working on it. When I come back 4th period I'll bring you the artwork that goes with it."

My mouth dropped. This was awesome! I love that he wanted me to read his piece, and I love that he trusted me enough to see the unfinished product plus the art. I felt really touched that he asked me to read his story. He could have asked any of his teachers. Was it because we always talk about all my favorite authors? (Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King) Was it because we always talk about how much I love writing and how I write daily? I don't know what it was, but what I do know, is that this meant something to me. It was an amazing feeling to be trusted with something as personal as someone's creative writing. (And did I mention, they were doing this all for fun?! It's not a class project or an assignment. They're writing and drawing because they love to. Wild!)

I started reading right after he gave it to me. I read it straight through my free period. His story turned out to be 13 pages long. Quite a large feat for a 7th grader! I was impressed! I gave it back to him when he returned. I told him everything I loved about it, and I told him I would love to read the final product. He even showed me the monster drawing that goes with the story, and I have to say, that was also truly amazing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this. There are some great students in the building where I teach. I'm so fortunate to know a lot of them. It's days like this that reaffirm why I chose my profession and why being passionate about reading and writing is such a huge part of my life. I hope this boy continues his passion and runs with it. The encouragement of teachers and people in his life will make him the amazing writer he aspires to be.

Little Talks

#SOL15

Today my 18th month old daughter finally said love you! She didn't originally say it to me, She said it to our virtual cat named Cooper. It's a game we play on my tablet. I wrote a post about Cooper several weeks ago. She just loves this game! But either way, this was a huge bright spot in my day! I asked her to say it a few more times, and she did say it every now and then. We'll have to work on it more, but really...it's the most amazing thing I've heard in a long time.

Saturday Night Dinner Prep

#SOL15

It's Saturday night again. The week flew by! But this is another weekend for me to try and make a nice meal and create a nice family dinner. Tonight we had medium rare London Broil, avocado salsa (don't get excited...it's basically just chunky guacamole. haha. But it's awesome with steak!), homemade mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli.

Sometimes I try and keep Chloe out of the kitchen when I'm cooking because the oven is on or I'm doing too many things. Many of you moms know this is not always possible. Tonight was one of those days. She started crying and wanting to come in. She got so upset, so when she finally did come in, she just wanted to be held. I was making mashed potatoes and wasn't sure how I'd finish with only one hand. I pulled over a small stool, threw the rest of the ingredients in the bowl, and put the bowl on the stool. I told her to help me cook.

"Cook. I cook," she told me, as she put her hand above mine on the spoon. I slowly mixed the potatoes in the bowl and watched her start to smile. We did this a few more times. She took the spoon out a couple times, and some potatoes went flying, but it was nothing major. Plenty left! After a few minutes, I gave her a taste. "MMMmmmm." She expresses pleasure when she likes food these days. She makes a yummy noise. It always reminds me of the dessert scene from Young Frankenstein. lol. She's too cute.

I made up her dinner plate, giving her a small scoop of potatoes she cooked, and she ate it all! I even gave her a second helping and she ate that too. The whole time she kept making all different mmmmm sounds and telling my husband she cooked the potatoes. It was so cute! I couldn't help but wonder if she ate it all because she cooked it and knew that, or did she eat it all because they really were delicious? (I'll admit, they were pretty awesome tonight.) I guess there really is something to having kids help you cook in the kitchen because they are more apt to eat what they create.

Honestly, this SOL challenge has made me focus so much more on little bits in my daily life. I really never would have zoomed in on that moment or saw it for the precious gem it really is. I really want to bring her into the kitchen more often now and have her help me. Tomorrow is a new day, so I'll see what we can create together. :-)

Back To The Music Department

#SOL15

For the past two days I have had the pleasure of covering chorus classes for a friend of mine. I truly had the best time. The two chorus classes were 6th and 7th graders, and I have to say, I am so impressed with them! They sounded wonderful! It made me miss my days at GFMS singing in chorus or playing flute in the band. They harmonize together, use hand signals determining notes and pitch (something I wish I learned back in school!), and really just sound professional. It moved me so much, that I actually researched to see if there are any choirs for adults around our area. THERE IS! Unfortunately, my plate is full almost every night with work, tutoring, or my writing group. I can't spare another night out of the house during the week.

Maybe some day in the future I can pick up my passion for singing again. Right now, I'm pretty happy being able to follow my writing passion, so that's good enough for me. I still have the vocal warm ups and songs of the past few days stuck in my head. I'm sure I'll continue singing them around the house all weekend. Fine by me. I'll even belt out a couple notes in the shower or sing to my daughter. ;-) It may not be the choir I'm looking for, but it'll do for now.

**The link I share below is NOT the choral group from my school. The song Ah, Poor Bird is a warm up they do, and it has been stuck in my head for two days. It's beautiful, and I just want you to hear it. Enjoy!**

Where Do You Keep YOUR Cutting Boards?

#SOL15

It's a normal Thursday night, and I'm getting ready to wind down and head to bed. But first, I need to write my slice for the day. I sit here and wonder, what am I going to write about? Nothing really jumps out at me. I'm staring off into space when I notice something. It makes me smile. It's my cutting boards. That's odd, you think. I've never heard of anyone smiling because of their cutting boards! Well, believe it, because I AM!

For past few weeks, my daughter has been into my kitchen gadgets, which is completely fine. She seems to love all of my cutting boards. They are bendable plastic and come in 4 different colors. She loves to grab them all at once and carry them around. Whatever works, right? About a week ago, she's playing with them in the living room and I hear, Oh no! Oh nooooo! I come rushing in, and what do I see? She slid the cutting boards through the top of the glass cabinet and into the entertainment unit. They were now resting comfortably on to of our cable box. HAHAHAHA! She now does this on a daily basis no matter how many times I take the boards and put them away.

So, if you're still wondering why I'm smiling, it's because as I stare straight ahead, I see 2 cutting boards sitting on top of my cable box. A blue board and a red board. Remnants left from earlier in the evening when Chloe was playfully keeping herself occupied. They're nestled nicely behind the glass, as Chloe is dreaming sweetly in her bed. It's the little things she does throughout the day that make me smile; even if she's not in front of me at the moment. I can't wait to see what she'll think about doing tomorrow. So, I ask you, where do you keep YOUR cutting boards? ;-)

Look closely on top of the cable box. :-)

What Time Is It?!

#SOL15

Why can't I go to bed at a normal time? The question is mostly rhetorical, but seriously. Why not?! All day long I tell myself I will lay down at a normal hour and get plenty of sleep. I want to wake up refreshed in the morning. But here it is, 11:06pm in New York, and I'm awake and writing this blog post.

I suppose it is the life of a mom. Maybe. I have always stayed up late and liked it. I watch TV, I check emails, I write, etc. But now, I feel that after my daughter goes to bed, that's MY time. Like a college kid who has gained their freedom, I just go crazy thinking of all the things I can do now that C is in bed. Is that strange? All I really end up doing is vegging out, and trying to think of what I'm going to write about today.

So, before it gets any later, I'm going to say goodnight. 5am sneaks up on me really fast, and I told myself I'm going to get up and work out tomorrow morning. (Oh boy.) I'll leave you with the words I say to my daughter every night before putting her to bed: Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere.

10 Unique Things You Didn't Know About Me (or now wish you didn't know)

#SOL15

I saw someone else post a list like this the other night. Sleep is weighing heavily on my shoulders, and I think I may be coming down with something, so I'm going to keep this brief. Here's 10 unique things about me that will be forever ingrained in your mind. ;-) When you leave a comment, tell me one unique thing about yourself. This should be fun and interesting!

1.  I went to professional bartending school back in the early 2000's, and I hold a bartender's license. I only worked at one restaurant in Putnam Valley after I got my license, and I never pursued it further.

2.  8 years ago a bad break up caused me to go to the gym more often, and I became addicted to Spin classes. 6 months later I was a certified instructor. Changed my life.

3.  I am afraid of most animals. Yes, even dogs.

4.  I can't swim.

5.  I played the flute from 5th grade to 12th grade. I still have it. Sometimes I bring it out to play because Chloe likes the sound and it makes her laugh.

6.  One of my lifelong dreams (maybe not a realistic one) is to be in the Cash Cab. :-)

7.  I often read cookbooks in bed.

8.  I carry a small notepad in my purse where I jot down bits of conversations or ideas. I look at the pages randomly hoping to find a new story idea.

9.  My husband is 6'3 and I'm 4'11.

10. While I was pregnant with my daughter, I was absolutely grossed out by meat, especially chicken. I became a vegetarian for the first 6 months of my pregnancy. 

The Struggle Is Real!

#SOL15

**I apologize in advance. Too many thoughts! This post will probably be all over the place. :-)**

One of the big things I have struggled with since having my daughter is my weight. Since giving birth to C 18 months ago, my weight has fluctuated up and down. I figured this was normal, and I'm sure in some ways it probably is. But what about everyone who says, If you nurse, your stomach will become flat, or It will take a few months and then you'll be back at your pre-pregnancy weight. Hmmmmm...interesting. I'm still waiting. haha.

It's easy to get discouraged about how I look on a daily basis. We all know that some days are better than others. We feel great in certain outfits, and this boosts our self esteem and image. Then the next day, we can't fit into any clothes, jeans won't button, tops make us look frumpy, and it's all downhill from there. I'm not the only one hiding under a long sweater and a pair of leggings these days! (At least I hope I'm not!) A few weeks ago I hit rock bottom. I needed to do something about this weight. The weather was starting to get warmer (well, it tried. What happened???), and I want to be more active with my daughter, so I decided to start doing T25. If you don't know what this is, click the link now. You won't be sorry. In just a short while, T25 has given me motivation and pushed me forward.

I work out for 25 minutes a day and that's it. 25 minutes of hardcore working out with no break, but it feels amazing when I'm done! Is anyone else doing this program as well? This usually happens after my daughter goes to bed because that's my only time to accomplish this task. In all honesty, I really do enjoy the workouts. Getting motivated at night to get changed and get going is what I struggle with. Oh, and the eating. Eating right is a big problem for me. I just love food. I'm getting off the topic here. I did it for 3 weeks, and when I was going into my 4th week, I just lost it somewhere. Work got crazy, I had a bunch of late nights, and my eating was out of control. So here I am restarting week 4. It's a constant struggle, and the struggle is real!

Tomorrow night I teach my Spin class, so either way I'm getting exercise in. Hopefully in the morning I can get in a quick workout. What are the odds my daughter will let me exercise and even decide to jump around with me? :-) While reading a fellow SOLer's post last night, I came across this video. It is such a feel good video with famous dance scenes from a bunch of movies. I wish I could remember who originally linked this to their post. But, if you need a reason to smile, or just something to get you motivated to workout, this is my go-to video at the moment. I'm sure you'll be smiling as much as I was. 

A Little Something Random

#SOL15

Tonight I decided to not do a traditional blog post. I found this same format on another Slicer's post, and I love what she did with it. It's nice to get a bunch of thoughts on paper when I can't decide what to write.

I am watching an episode of Giada at Home. They're making an awesome rice dish. I'd try and make it, but I'm pretty sure my waistline wouldn't like my afterward.

I keep tons of things I should get rid of: clothes, purses, shoes that hurt my feet, statements or papers I get in the mail...I'd write more, but it's probably not a good idea.

I wish I could find more time to stay neat and organized. As a mom, I have every intention of doing things after my daughter goes to sleep. When that happens, all I want to do is relax.

I love my family and my closest friends. I don't know what I'd do without any of them. It feels wonderful to have such an amazing network of people to lean on.

I dance to 80's music while cleaning my house. I did it the other day and it was so much fun! (The music channels on Verizon Fios are the BEST!) Tears For Fears, anyone??

I sing to my daughter any chance I get. I love seeing her start to dance or try and sing along with me. 

I think too much about things in the future. Things I can't even control. It gives me anxiety and nothing is even happening. I need to stop doing this.

I really want to get my anxiety under control. I've been this way my whole life; I'm always nervous. I found working out a little bit each day has helped me. If nothing else, it tires me out enough to let me sleep deeply at night.

I need to finish making my lunch for work tomorrow. I can't stand running around packing lunch when I should be getting out the door to go to work.

I should go to bed at a reasonable time. I always wonder what it's like to get a full night's sleep. I'm talking 7-8 hours.

I can name almost any song by hearing the first 1 to 2 notes. It's a gift. I can't explain it. 
:-)

I like watching reality TV to decompress and relax. My husband doesn't understand how I can relax when people are always fighting or yelling on the shows. My justification is that it's not my life, so I can immerse myself in it for a couple of hours. :-)

I make time for my daughter and I when I have a day off from work. We will go out and go to story time; playgroup; open gym; to the bookstore; maybe lunch. It's important to me that she gets out and has experiences with me, as well as things she will do with my parents or in laws while I'm at work. <3

I always wear make up when I leave the house. Always. I have for years. If I accidentally leave without make up (or something happens and I can't put any on), I feel really naked and awkward. It ruins my day a little bit. haha

Weekend Dinners

#SOL15

I love to cook. Besides writing, cooking may be my favorite thing to do. I always wanted to go to culinary school, but I never wanted to keep up with the rigorous schedule and hours. So now I just do it as a hobby. I watch Food Network like it's my job. Seriously, if I could get paid for watching FN, we'd be millionaires.I even DVR my favorite Food Network shows and keep them for when I want something good to watch. I have learned a lot of my cooking skills from various shows.

During the week, my husband and I are so busy with work, our daughter, I have two other small jobs besides my day job, so it makes it difficult to whip up these elaborate meals. I look for quick, easy, and minimal ingredients. On weekends, I really like to think about a dinner menu and plan something nice. It makes for a special night where we can have dinner together, just the 3 of us.

Tonight I outdid myself. I made a mushroom risotto and a spinach, strawberry, and avocado salad. My daughter tried the risotto, but wasn't too sure about it. Ha! She did love the spinach salad, cut up into small bites, and she had a hot dog instead. Still a gourmet meal in her book! It's nice to slow down for a bit and eat dinner together as a family. I am Italian, and grew up on big family meals. When I cook for my husband and daughter, this is my way of expressing my love to them. 

To Purge Or Not To Purge: Volume 2

#SOL15

It's very rare to have a Friday to myself where I can get stuff done. I mean, REALLY get stuff done; not just do some dishes, load the dishwasher, and do some laundry. Like I said in my previous post, I have been wanting to live a life free of clutter for a very long time. Having an 18 month old does not afford me this luxury. ;-) Today I started on my mission for a life with less...stuff.

My problem is that I don't know how to start small. I don't know how to start with just one area. I will think of a million different thing and go from room to room trying to get organized. I decided I wanted to focus on one room at a time, and possibly on one small section. I started today with my bathroom. I had the sudden urge to go through all my "products" and see what I have. Can you believe I have so many beauty products that I barely know what's there? 

I had to eat a good lunch and give myself energy in order to complete this task. haha. I'm not kidding. I didn't want to get tired, or give up, or go watch some bad TV. I had a task to accomplish. And man, did I accomplish it! I went into my cabinet under my sink and pulled out a whole bucket of beauty products. I had an idea of what was in there, but I didn't! Every hair care product to make my hair straight, smoothing cream to take out the frizz, gels and mousse to make my hair curly, hair spray, dry shampoo. The list goes on. It was freeing to throw away things I know I won't use anymore. I don't know why I don't do that more often. I got rid of all the make-up I swore I'd wear at some point. (I have no idea what I was thinking about some of those colors!) So, long story short, I have a very small bag of make-up that I know I use daily, and I have an organized cabinet of hair products that is easily accessible. 

I know this really seems like nothing, but in my world, I always need stuff. I have a hard time throwing things out. Especially if it hasn't been used but I just have no need for it. I'm hoping to move on to the kitchen tomorrow. That will be a hard room to deal with. I love cooking, and I love all my cooking gadgets. It will be hard to determine what to get rid of. Can you tell I'm stressing already? Sigh. Stay tuned for that life changer! ;-)

Mommy & Me

#SOL15

Today was the best day. I don't get many days off from work now, but when I have one coming up, I like to plan something fun to do with my daughter. 

I work at a gym twice a week, and I found out they have a toddler playgroup a few times a week. Today was the perfect day to go see what it's about. My daughter loves running, and being chased, and playing with different toys, so we went to check it out. What a great time we had! She wasn't sure as to where we were at first, so she held my hand and we walked around. She looked at all the cool toys and the other kids playing. She needed a little time to warm up.

Minutes later she let out a primal scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" And with that, she turned into her giggling, silly self. She ran around the gym floor trying to collect and pick up two bouncy balls at a time. When one dropped, followed by the other, she'd laugh hysterically chasing after it. She had her first experience crawling through a small tunnel. I don't think she got the concept at first because she kept putting all the balls in it, but when she figured it out, I couldn't get her out of there! She kept wanting me to get her from the middle. (I work at that gym, so the last thing I need is to get stuck in some kiddie tunnel during playgroup. haha)

After a while, other kids left, and Chloe and I had the whole room to ourselves. We walked around and did whatever she wanted to do. Towards the end of the session, I gave her a water bottle, and she walked back to our coats signaling she was ready to go home. I bundled her up, held her hand, and I walked her around the rest of the gym. After our little detour, we walked out to the car and headed home. 

She cuddled me and put her head on my shoulder right before I put her down for her nap. Without a complaint, she went right down and slept soundly. Today was the best day.

To Purge Or Not To Purge? That Is The Question.

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It's not a secret that I can't stand cleaning. I know I should be this happy housewife that really enjoys cleaning...something, but the truth of the matter is, I don't. Yes, I like when things are clean. Yes, I like when things are orderly. It's the "getting there" part that trips me up.

Friday I will begin the purge of my life. (It's actually the 2nd biggest purge because when my boyfriend (now my husband) asked me to move in with him, I had to purge years and years worth of stuff. Years! It took me weeks.) Anyway, Friday is purge day because A) I am off from work, B) I have someone to watch my daughter, and C) It just needs to happen. I have been doing a few small pieces here and there. Of course my daughter wants to "help," so she helps by taking everything out of the bag I just filled. That's always fun. I have been holding on to stuff that I can't even begin to justify. Why am I such a hoarder?? (I'm not as bad as the people on that show! Don't let my husband tell you that I am!) ;-)

What about stuff you are keeping that is brand new and never used? Maybe it was a gift. What about clothing or items with tags still attached? Why haven't I used it, or when will I actually use it? I know the rule of thumb is to toss it out if it hasn't been used in a year. Or in my case, ever. I feel horrible throwing it and I always try to think about when I'll be using it next. Friday I need to be strong and toss things I know I'm not using. I did it a month ago with clothes, and I ended up filling 4 bags to donate to Good Will. I'm hoping to get a lot done.

Now I'm hearing we are getting more SNOW on Friday. Cross your fingers for me. This purge needs to happen! If you have any tips on organizing, decluttering, or just cleaning tips in general, share your favorites. I'd love to hear from you! :-)

A Very Merry Unbirthday

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Today my daughter is 18 months old. A year and a half. Wow! Life has certainly changed and gone by quickly, yet in the best way possible. I can't imagine life before her. (Well, I kind of can. I'm pretty sure there was copious amounts of blissful sleep, Netflix marathons, and uninterrupted showers.) I truthfully don't want to imagine life before her.

Today also happens to be St. Patrick's Day. While I was pregnant with Chloe, I had decided I wasn't going to eat corned beef that year. I just didn't want it. For the first 6 months of my pregnancy I had such an aversion to meat, so I was technically a vegetarian. After my morning sickness ended months later, and I was able to start eating some meat, I began to get more of an appetite back. And then came the cravings!

One day I woke up and needed to make corned beef for St. Patrick's Day. I had to. There was no other answer. Obviously, I didn't buy one, so here it is the day before the holiday, and I drove to 3 grocery stores. Every store I went to was sold out. (Obviously!) My last attempt, and 4th store, was Stop & Shop. I came tearing into the store like a lunatic on a mission, and who do I run into, my mother-in-law. They live very close, so it's not like I hadn't seen them in a while. But still, I was out of breath and completely disheveled all because I was looking for corned beef. Good thing she understood! In the end I got the corned beef, and that year, it was probably the best I had ever had. ;-)

                  

Ray Bradbury And Other Sci Fi Favorites

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"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories." - Ray Bradbury

It took me a long time to realize just how much I love science fiction. Actually, it took me years. I have never been a fan of the fantasy genre, and if you ask me, fantasy and science fiction are completely different. I'm serious.

Today I was subbing a 7th grade English class and we began discussing science fiction. Their assignment today was to read a short story by one of my favorite sci fi authors, Ray Bradbury. This story is titled, JANUARY, 1999, ROCKET SUMMER. Anyway, as we are discussing material leading up to the reading, I start telling the class how much I love Bradbury. I talk about my love for his abundant use of figurative language and how much his futuristic writing was way ahead of his time. I started to recall a great short story about a house that runs all on its own technology. I hadn't thought about this story in years, but as I'm talking about it, a lot of the kids became really interested. I couldn't for the life of me remember the name, but I kept saying it was written by Asimov. I won't give you any insight to the story because I'd love for you to read it on your own. It's brilliant. I promised some students I'd look up the name during a free period. Well, I forgot.

I remembered at the end of the day as I was walking out to my car. A girl from the class was walking with her mother on the sidewalk next to me.

"Mrs. Narvesen, did you remember to look up the title of the short story from this morning?" Damn. I had completely forgotten.

"No, I'm sorry. I got sidetracked. I promise I'll try and look for it tonight and let you know tomorrow," I said as I wracked my brain trying to come up with the title. I couldn't remember at all.

"Okay, because that story sounded really cool." Really? Wow. Not only had she actually been listening to me, but here is a student who is generally interested in the material and what I had to say. I must admit it felt really good knowing my story and lesson from this morning had resonated with someone. As it turns out, I was wrong about Asimov being the author when it was indeed another Bradbury gem. So if you have a minute, please read one of my favorite pieces about futuristic technology, THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS by Ray Bradbury.

Ray Bradbury

Movies To Show My Daughter

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Tonight as I was perusing Facebook, I came across the post of a friend that completely jogged my memory. I mean, this memory came out of the depths of my mind that I didn't even remember were there. She referenced a made-for-TV version of Cinderella starring Lesley Ann Warren! Remember that movie?? I do! (Or should I say, NOW I remember it. I haven't thought about that movie in...I don't even know how many years.) As a child we had the movie on VHS. I'm assuming we taped it off of the TV; I honestly don't remember. What I do remember is that my sisters and I watched this movie all the time! We loved it. It got me thinking, what other movies do I love that no one knows about or remembers?

Here's one for you. The Hugga Bunch movie  Does anyone remember this movie? I still have my Hugga Bunch doll (No judgement. They were as cool as Cabbage Patch Kids back in the day.) But back to the movie. The little girl going through the mirror, meeting the bookworm, and the evil queen that ate "young berries" so she didn't age. Wow. What an imagination! I won't spoil the ending if you haven't seen it ;-), but I did attach the link so you can view the movie. I'll be watching it as some point this week.

My very favorite of all time is Really Rosie. An adorable cartoon with all the music done by Carole King. The songs are all about counting, rhyming, and the alphabet. I even have the soundtrack on CD and the book. That's how much I love it. If you haven't seen it, be sure and click the link to watch. I think it's about 30 minutes, so it's not long. This one in particular is a movie I am dying to show my daughter. She loves to dance, and is getting pretty good at singing, so I hope she will love this movie as much as I do.

The best thing about this list I've compiled is that I can watch all of this on the YouTube app on Apple TV! Does anyone else have Apple TV? It's awesome. But YouTube streams right onto your TV, so now I can show Really Rosie, and whatever else I can find, to my daughter. This is quite the nostalgic post. I hope you'll add your own favorites into the comments below. I'm sure I'll be thinking of more as I lay in bed tonight. :-)

Honorable Mention:   ;-)
Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer
Mac and Me
Rose Petal and Friends

Short And Sweet

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I really don't have a whole lot to write tonight because it has been a hellish week, and I can barely gather my thoughts, BUT, tonight I am grateful for my family and friends. 

My husband has been holding down the fort all week as I've been running around to work, my night job, tutoring, and then a seminar that took up two extra nights this week. Throw a little car trouble in there (AGAIN!), and I have a story you just can't make up. My daughter has been at my parents one day, and then my in laws the next day, just so I can go to work. All the while she is cutting some new teeth and continues to be a trooper. Such a good little love bug. <3

My parents call or text daily to check on me because they know I've been having car trouble. I'm 36 but that never gets old. Ever.

Lastly, my friends are amazing. My best friend of over twenty years had her first baby this past week. That was such a bright spot in a bleak week. I couldn't be happier for her. I have several friends who I have been texting/talking to all week that have let me vent about my car frustrations and whatever else pops up at the moment. They're understanding and I am truly blessed to have them all in my life. It's nice to know people are there when you need them.

I don't have much else to say except that life has a way of working things out. We just have to stay positive and look at everything good surrounding us. Tonight, I am grateful.

Something Quick...

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I am so tired tonight, so this will be a quick post and then I'm off to bed. With any luck, I'll get to sleep in till 7am tomorrow!

Work was long and tiring today. On my way to get my daughter, I got a text from my mother in law containing some pictures. My daughter was in their kitchen and she was baking cookies. I received the cutest pictures of her mixing chocolate chip cookie batter in a bowl. The pictures were adorable, and my heart melted.

What a big girl. She is growing up before our eyes. Each day I see her, I feel she is turning more and more into a little person, and no longer a baby. She is becoming more independent, she knows what she likes and doesn't like, she laughs when something is funny, and she gives the best hugs. (<--- That's pretty much my favorite thing ever right now!) She's so silly and it makes me laugh. It's days like this, when I receive something like her cookie picture, that I want to rock her in my arms and do nothing else. I want to feel those squishy hugs filled with love. I want to sit around watching Bubble Guppies or building Lego formations. I want the rest of my day, and my worries, to leave my mind. I want it to be a very long time before she no longer wants to do these things with me. <3

Bird Is The Word. So Is Turkey

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"How are you today?" I text my friend.
"Rough start to my morning," she text back.
"Why what happened?" 
"Nothing major, but on my way to work a bird flew into my windshield and it just made me really sad," replied the animal lover.

I had this exact conversation with a friend this morning via text message. I felt badly because no one wants to start their morning by hitting an animal, no matter how small. I wanted to cheer her up, so I told her something that happened to me several years ago. Back then it was traumatizing, but now I can actually laugh about it. Here's my story:

Years ago when I lived with my parents, I was driving home on a windy back road. Out of the corner of my eye I see a turkey standing on the side of the road. Just standing there. I tapped my brake just in case it decided to move. He turned (yes, it was a male ;-) ) and walked into the woods behind him. I took my foot off of the brake. Suddenly, he does an about-face and darts out into the road and right in front of my car! I barely have time to even find the brake again when THUMP! I hit this turkey dead on and feathers are flying everywhere. (Seriously. I can't make this stuff up.) It hits the front of my car, bounces up onto the hood of my SUV, and then goes flying over the top of the car! I look in the rearview mirror just in time to see it hit the ground behind me. 

I gasp and cannot believe what just happened. I drive a little further, but then feel obligated to go back and check on the turkey. I pull over and then head back in the direction of the turkey. I don't see it in the road, but then I notice it on the opposite side of the street. It's not moving. Ugh. Great. I'm still reeling from everything that happened, so I pick up the phone to call someone. I call my younger sister who happens to be at work. I tell her the story and wait for her reaction. These are her exact words. I'll never forget them.

"Theresa! You killed a turkey?! On EARTH DAY?!"

HAHA! I had no idea it was Earth Day, but my sister, the animal-loving-outdoor-nature-girl, knew it was Earth Day! I do feel bad I hit an innocent animal, but we ended up laughing hysterically at the way she said those words. I always think of this story as I'm driving on that road, or when Earth Day rolls around. I'm glad my anecdote was able to cheer up a friend and make her laugh. :-)

What's The Attraction?

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I'll never understand the "duck face" picture. I don't even know if I'm writing it correctly. Hmmmm... duck face. Duckface. The world may never know. Do you?

As I was leaving work today, I stopped by the main office to drop something off. I noticed two girls sitting in chairs by the door when I walked in. They looked to be in maybe 6th or 7th grade. I figured they were waiting for someone. I dropped off my item and walked back towards the door. I noticed one of the girls had taken out her cell phone. The girl and her friend got close to each other, both made "duck faces", and snapped a picture. I smiled but thought to myself, I will never understand that pose. Why pucker your lips and make such a bizarre face? Maybe it's my age. Maybe I'm a stick in the mud. I don't know. I just don't think there's anything attractive about making a face like that. (Not to mention, what is a 6th grader doing with a phone?? I got my first cell phone at 21! But that's a completely different post.)

I walk towards the parking lot and begin to head to my car. Right there, parked at the curb directly outside the building, another girl roughly about 16 or 17 was doing the same. exact. thing. She's sitting in the drivers seat with her camera phone pointed at her, making the same exact face! She had no shame in posing and shifting around to get the perfect angle, all while making the lovely "duck face." Sigh. I guess I just don't understand it. I'm sure it's a social media thing, and this is now the norm. This is the age of the "selfie." It didn't bother her that people were coming in and out of the building, walking right next to her car. 

Who's to say what the next social media trend will be. I'm hoping at some point we can move way beyond the "duck face." 
  
                            

I Need To Be Inspired

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I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what to write tonight. I'm exhausted from working all day, teaching my Spin class tonight, and then I came home and completed my T25 workout for the day! Whew! I should be in bed.

So, as I sit here, I read about a really interesting Slicer's post. She makes a really thought provoking list, and I'm going to follow suit doing just that.  Have a good night, everyone!

Listening: I'm listening to how quiet my house is right now. My husband is asleep, my daughter is asleep, and even the dog is asleep at my feet. Why am I not in bed yet? 

Eating: I just finished a few graham crackers. Crunchy and delicious. The perfect nighttime snack. (I'm trying to be good! If I had chocolate in the house, I would've eaten that!)

Drinking: Just finished a large glass of water. Definitely dehydrated from exercising.

Wearing: My polka dot PJ pants and my Dr. Seuss "Thing" shirt. :-)

Reading: Honestly, I'm in between books right now and haven't picked up anything new. I've been focusing a lot on reading other peoples articles and posts, reading blogs, searching for writing prompts and writing contests. I love to read and can use a good suggestion on the next best horror, suspense, or mystery book!

Feeling: Nervous. I'm searching for a new car, but I don't know if I can pull it off. My car definitely needs to be upgraded, and I constantly worry about driving all over with my daughter. I have so much anxiety about having a reliable car!

Wanting: One good night of sleep. One restful, relaxing, long, uninterrupted night of sleep.

Needing: A date night (or day!) with my husband. It has been far too long, and with our busy schedules and lives, it will be nice to reconnect. As parents, we should never forget to work on our marriage as well. 

Thinking: My busy week will not stop running through my head. So much going on, so much to do, and all my days are getting mixed up. Looking forward to the weekend.

Enjoying: The few minutes I get to myself before bed to put my thoughts on paper. Or really, on the computer and in this blog. I hope I inspire others to start a daily blog, whether it's on paper or on the computer. I hope I just inspire others to WRITE! It's such a freeing, soul-cleansing activity. (For me, at least.) :-)

Bullying

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I'll make this post nice and short since it's late and I'm exhausted. Tonight I took part 1 of the DASA course. For those of you not familiar with DASA, it stands for Dignity for All Students Act. It encompasses everything from bullying to any type of discrimination to cyber bullying. You get the idea. 

Tonight I watched some of the most heartbreaking videos. Tonight I read some awful statistics. Of course I am bothered by bullying, but tonight I actually FELT bullying. These poor children who have to endure this on a daily basis; I can't even comprehend it. I was bullied a time or two or three when I was in school. I know it's much worse now with all the technology we have and all the social media we have such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. People can be very, very cruel.

I'm not going to lie when I say that as a parent, it gave me a little bit of anxiety. I never, ever want my daughter to be on the receiving end of bullying. I am also going to do everything in my power to make sure she is never the bully. Kids aren't perfect. I get that. Adults aren't perfect either. I think back on many instances of when I was in high school and other classmates were picked on over and over again. Flash forward to today, and some of those people are so wonderful and I'm happy to call them my friends. I wish other people had taken the time to stop their antics and put themselves in someone else's shoes. Heartbreaking. I'm rambling now because I'm really not sure what to say about the subject. It's such heavy material.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox for the night. My last words are just, be kind. Try and reach out to someone you think may need a hand today. You never know how much you might brighten a person's day just by saying hello. 

Daylight Savings Time

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I don't remember when daylight savings happened last year. My daughter was only 5 months old last March, so I'm pretty sure I was still up at all hours of the night and had no idea what time it was anyway. This year, well, that's a different story. I have been dreading this time change. Not only are we losing an hour, but I'm also losing an hour of free time because...you guessed it...my daughter is staying up just a little later. But that can all be remedied.

Tonight we kept her up a little later so her bedtime would be the "same." I kept thinking of all the things I wanted to get done: work out, shower, check emails, write. I knew she wouldn't go to sleep yet, so we decided to play instead. I'd get to everything else eventually. 

On my tablet I have a silly game called My Talking Tom. There's no object to this game. You take care of a talking cat by dressing him, making sure he's fed, bathed, has enough sleep, etc. It also picks up your voice and mimics everything you say but uses a silly voice. I renamed the cat Cooper. My daughter loves Cooper. She asks to see him every day. She feeds him, gives him a bath, and pets him so he purrs. Tonight I let her check on Cooper and put him to bed. While she was petting him, she accidentally tapped the screen and it made a slapping sound. Cooper jumped and then said, "No no no" as he wagged his finger. I have never heard my daughter laugh so hard. I tried to recreate the sound, and it worked. Again, she was hysterically laughing. Cooper mimicked her sweet laugh.

I had so much fun with her at that moment. (We always have fun, but you know what I mean.) I'm almost glad for daylight savings time because it allowed us to have that extra hour with each other. If the time hadn't changed and she had her normal bedtime, we may not have had those amazing laughs together. It was so cute. I can still hear her adorable laugh even now that she's fast asleep. I hope she asks to see Cooper again tomorrow morning.

                                             

What My Mother Went Through

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"Some. Some." 

This is what my daughter says to my husband and I when she wants "some" of our food. It doesn't matter if she's never eaten this type of food or not, she just wants "some." 

It started one day while I was eating a peanut butter sandwich. She came over and stuck her little finger in between the bread and right into the peanut butter. After licking her fingers, she decided she wanted more, and she ate half my lunch. Then it was a bowl of Kix with lowfat milk. She stood at my knees as I ate a bite, and then she'd hold her mouth opening waiting for her bite. I could go on and on. She's willing to try it all. This just means that I usually end up splitting half of whatever I have with her. Today she ate all of the ham out of a protein snack I had been eating. I didn't mind because I had eaten two pieces, so I let her eat the rest. That's just what moms do, right?

It must be. I know this because my mother did the same exact thing for us. And there were 4 of us. Every time she made herself something to eat, we all wanted it. Between the 3 or 4 of us, she had nothing left when we were done. I always remember her taking us out to dinner when we were younger, and she always ordered this seafood salad pita. As soon as the plate hit the table we always asked her if we could have some, or we would reach over with our forks and snag a piece. There was barely anything left for her by the time we were done "tasting." 

I don't remember my mom ever telling us to stop or even denying us a taste. She just let us do it. Why? I'm not sure. Because she's our mom? Maybe. Probably for the same reason I let my daughter always eat my food. It's what she wants and it makes her happy. I don't even mind. (And anyone who knows me knows I looooove my food and I'm very protective of my meals.) :-) Giving up food seems like something so trivial in the life of a parent, and it probably is. To me, it just proves that it doesn't matter what it is or what I have to do, I'll do anything for my little girl. I don't even think about it. I just do it as if I'm on autopilot. I'm thinking this is exactly what my mother went through.