What's Up Wednesday!

What's Up Wednesday is a link-up that I feel like was designed specifically for me. You know, the type of blogger that has good intentions but just can't seem to get posts up? One day people, one day!

Join me in linking up with Shay and her girls for this end of the month blog party!!

What we're eating...
We're eating Whole30ish... again. Who knows how long this stint will last, but I'm enjoying it. It's getting easier to start over. It's the keeping it going that I struggle with. The dishes are endless and the limitations are inconvenient, like yesterday when I was at a continuing ed class that served a delicious and FREE pasta lunch. I grabbed my stuff, walked towards the door, did not pass go, went straight to the car and drove to the grocery store to make a big yummy salad. Being unsure of my feelings on vinaigrette, I settled with a  small drizzle of ranch. That's why I say Whole30-ISH. But, this was a yummy, quick lunch on Monday. Some zucchini noodles with shrimp. Took about 10 minutes total.

What I'm reminiscing about...
Senior prom and the beginning of Danny and I's love story.  As I type this, I've got the list of questions pulled up on the preview side of the window on the other screen, and the other pictures include prom pictures. The one I'm looking at specifically is this one. 

Danny and I had decided the night before (more like the morning of since we were talking on the phone until about 2 am) that we wanted to seriously give the feeling we had towards one another one last serious try, but we hadn't told any of our friends. Mine (with the exception of my partner in crime in the picture. By crime I mean innocent things. We were both too scared of real trouble) wouldn't be thrilled since Danny was kind of a charmer and those relationships usually end badly. I didn't care though. And I'm glad I didn't.

What I'm loving...
PIYO!!!

Seriously in love! This month, for the first time in years, I didn't feel like a fat mess during my period. TMI? Probably. But its true. I feel lean, I'm at a healthy level of flexibility, and I can feel my core getting stronger. During physical therapy for my back, the therapist said I had TOO MUCH flexibility and it was because my core was weak and couldn't control it. The plus? Its the only exercise I've found in my 13 years of back trouble that doesn't make my back hurt worse. My back actually feels better when its over. I mean, it goes back to hurting the next morning, but I can move when I'm done.

My other love? Fixer Upper! I'm a little late to the party on this one, but since we don't have cable, I'm at the mercy of Netflix putting the past seasons up on Netflix. I started Season 1 Saturday night AT 9:30PM like the amateur that I am. I stayed up until 1:30am (way past my bedtime) and ended up getting only 4 hours of sleep. I love these people. Not only do they do amazing work, they are a wonderful example for married couples and family. Chip just worships his JoJo. It's beautiful to see.

What we've been up too...
Oh, same ol, same ol Summers family stuff. The great balancing act of being a full-time, self-employed working mama of a toddler and wife to a firefighter who is gone 24 hours at a time and also has class 2 hours away for 4 hours 2 nights a week and living in a house that has a room addition that is justaboutdone. Its also my sales season, meaning my work days are longer than normal. I get here around 8:30 and I'm out at 5:30 if I'm lucky. I'm used to being out at 4:30 so that extra hour really messes my groove up.

What I'm dreading...
My office hasn't had water for over a week. The solution will cost about $6,000. So, I'm dreading that bill hard.

What I'm working on...
I'm focusing a lot of  my time at home on Tucker. I feel like the toddler years are crucial to how a child will turn out later in life. Right now we are dealing with a lot of not listening and talking back. That's not gonna fly in our house. I realize some of it is inevitable, but I'm trying to get a handle on it before it gets worse. I'm also working on some "school" type things. We are so, so, so fortunate to have Danny's mom to watch Tucker during the day. Free, and flexible, child care is truly a blessing. He learns a lot from her and his older cousins, but I want to do my part in his development as well. He's been talking about school a lot, so I'm coming up with some activities to do on the weekend to promote learning and development. I'm kind of excited about it. I've decided that it's easier to deal with Tucker misbehaving when he looks cute.

  

What I'm excited about...
Getting our mudroom done. I think I've decided what to do about cabinets and shelving in there. I'm also excited about a possible vacation for Danny, Tucker and me at the end of March. We are toying with the idea of New Orleans. I've read that it is pretty family-friendly, which kind of surprised me. If you have any New Orleans advice, I'm all ears/eyes.

What I'm watching/reading...
I am trying to make an effort to watch less tv and read more. During the week, I watch during my lunch break if time allows and I allow myself enough time to watch Pretty Little Liars on Wednesdays when it makes its way to Hulu. Then I don't watch until the weekend during our family movie night or after Tucker goes to bed. Right now, I'm watching PLL and Fixer Upper. My shows haven't come back from the winter break

I'm actually reading! I don't recall ever answering the reading part of this question. I'm reading Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. For the first time ever, I tried reading on the treadmill last week. I never understood how people did that, but I thought I'd try it. It went so well. I ended up walking for 40 minutes!

What I'm listening to...
My ipod from college, which has music from high school on it. And also 8th grade. I've honestly been listening to a lot of Nelly. I still know every word to Shake Your Tailfeather, Grillz, and Air Force Ones.  I realize I'm ridiculous. Even though this tweet is a month old, its still applicable. And I also need to refill that same prescription again.

What I'm wearing...
Kept it pretty casual today, despite wanting to dress my work clothes up a bit. I have a hair appointment right after work, so I kept is comfy. Jeans, casual sweater, Sperrys. Still work appropriate, but not what I'm striving for most work days.

 What I'm doing this weekend...
Friday is family movie night. Saturday Danny and I are hoping to go on a date to a restaurant that opened a town over from us... over a year ago. We've heard great things and we've been dying to go. I will not being following my Whole30ish rules. Sunday is family lunch with my mom, brother and his fiancé. I also have a freezer meal workshop to attend that Danny's sister is hosting. The recipes are 21 day fix friendly. Not Whole30 friendly, but healthy and that's the main goal right now. I'll report back on this workshop. I'm pretty pumped about it.

What I'm looking forward to next month...
The fun stuff... Valentine's Day and the Boat, Sport, and Travel show. Hopefully we'll have that vacation that I was talking about nailed down and figured out.
The relieving stuff... Hopefully one of the biggest problems I've dealt with in my professional life will be resolved with a positive outcome. I can't go into details, and probably never will be able to as it involves some legal issues, but I can't wait for it to be over. I can't wait for it to be over.

What else is new...
I've been cutting back on ordering lunch out and buying booze in order to hire a cleaning lady. $15 and hour. She is THE BEST! She is going to clean every other Monday morning. It helps with my sanity that comes with the balancing act I mentioned. She told me on Monday my face looked thinner. This was after she spent 4 hours cleaning my house. I wanted to kiss her.

Bonus: What is my favorite Valentine's Day treat...

I don't really have a favorite Valentine's Day treat. Our Valentine's Day date the last 2 years both involved a beer, so apparently that's what I enjoy. Not surprised one bit.

Alright. That's what's up over here. I really enjoy those posts. They are long and my to-do list for work gets neglected, but anything that forces me to slow down this time of year is welcomed.

Making Memories

This time of year can be extremely hectic for our family. It's one of my 2 really busy seasons at work and with it being winter there is always a chance that Danny will be gone for hours plowing snow. Since I'm on the road more often for work this time of year, the last thing I want to do on a Friday night is get back in the car. I also don't want to waste a perfectly good Friday night. You should do something fun to celebrate making it though the work week!

Now that Tucker is getting older, our options when it comes to activities are greater than they were this time last year.  Last Friday we started what is hopefully a new Friday night tradition. Danny forgot to set ground beef out so I could make dinner, so we turned the night into a take out dinner and a picnic on the floor in the living room and we watched a movie. We loved the idea so much that it's going to be a weekly tradition when Danny doesn't work on Fridays. Every Friday won't be take out, especially since Danny and I are cleaning our eating up again and that would get expensive. There are financial benefits to making the most out of our time at home too, which is another reason to do this.

It is so easy to get caught up in going OUT to do fun things. I'm certainly guilty of it. We don't have to do it all the time though! Memories can be made at home. Sure, some of my greatest memories from my child and teen years are going out to eat with my parents on Friday nights. Usually it was just us 3 because my brother's social calendar heavily outweighed mine, which was not at all embarrassing (except it was).  I also liked the time we just spent at home. We ordered SOOO much Pizza King that they sent us a Christmas card. We would eat pizza  (or salad and mashed potatoes for Drew and I when we didn't like our dad's pizza choice) and we would all sit in the living room and talk and laugh. And when we would talk to much, dad would pause the tv until we all shut up, which was also funny.

Of course, being married to a person that likes to "go-go-go" means we can't stay in ALL OF THE TIME and that's fine. I want Tucker to enjoy going out and doing things and I also want him to learn how to behave in those settings. Like most toddlers, he is an angel child in public then lets us have it at home, so he's good with being out and about. I want him to enjoy being at home too though.

I think its safe to say that he does.

Weekend of Family Time

Last week was a whirlwind! I left Monday morning for a meeting a little bit south of me, then made the 5.5 hour drive to Carbondale for a meeting that was Tuesday morning, then drove 3 hours after that almost to the IL/IN border for 3 more meetings on Wednesday. I got  home Wednesday evening around 7:15 and could not have been happier about being out of the car! That's a lot of driving by yourself! Plus, there was a sweet boy at home who missed his mama. He was even ready to leave his Mamaw's house Wednesday afternoon.

So, needless to say, there wasn't much time for blogging last week. But, hopefully this week is a bit different!

We had a pretty great weekend. On Friday, we had a family picnic for dinner. In the living room of course since its absolutely frigid outside. We had take out from one of the bars in town, spread out picnic blanket across the floor and watched a movie. We watched Disney Shortfilms on Netflix. Danny and I didn't like it and Tucker would watch just about anything on TV. After we ate dinner we had family snuggles on the couch. Out of nowhere, Tucker wrapped an arm about Danny and I both and said "Love you guys!" and I about cried. After Tuck went to bed, we watched Modern Family from this week and I got a little more caught up on Chicago PD. 

Saturday was a long day. Well, a long morning. Tucker and Diesel were determined to not listen and that is exactly what they did the entire morning. Thankfully, we had a birthday party for Danny's dad and then after that Tucker was going to Gigi's to stay all night. Last Saturday he threw an hour long fit because he wanted to stay with her. Even though I was gone for half the week, I knew a night to myself at home on Saturday would still be magical. And it was. After I dropped Tucker off, I grabbed my sushi take out, picked up the computer from Danny at the fire station and plopped my butt on the couch and hardly moved. I worked on Tucker's baby book (yes, I realize he is 2) and finished getting caught up on Chicago PD.

On Sunday I SLEPT UNTIL 815!!!!!!!!!!

I was woke up by Danny who brought me biscuits and gravy. After stuffing myself, I showered and headed out to make a Target trip for some random things (why else do you go to Target?) and groceries. Since I didn't have the Tiny Dictator I decided to try a new grocery store, Ruler Foods. I probably won't go back. It was like Aldi and Kroger had a baby. They had great prices, but not a real great selection. I can see me going back for things like frozen chicken breasts, but other than that I don't see it happening. 

Last night was the first family dinner for my mom's Christmas gift. We were supposed to get together last Sunday, but the snow had other plans. I made chicken enchiladas and served them with refried beans and corn. I also made brownies.

After dinner, we all sat around and watched Tucker and Uncle Drew play.

Once everyone left, Tucker crashed hard. He ran and played from the time he got home with my mom until the second they walked out the door. Once they left he turned, so he went straight to bed.

We had a great weekend. I got time with my immediate family, time with myself, time with my mom, brother and future sister-in-law and time with Danny's family. Perfect.

Show & Tell Tuesday: Reintroduction & 2016 Goals

2015 FLEW by, but I'm not all that mad about it. I'll be honest, it was a rough year for me. I'm happy to see a new year start and can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for our family. 

Today I'm linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals for Show & Tell Tuesday to reintroduce myself and share some resolutions for this new year.  I really love Show & Tell Tuesday. I like when someone tells me what to write. Sometimes I don't want to make anymore decisions and link-ups take the work out of it.

Here is a little bit of history on me....
My parents were high school sweethearts and raised my brother and me in the same town where they met and went to high school. I played volleyball until I was a junior and softball (or some form) from the time I was 4 years old until I graduated high school (and then played again at 25 years old). My senior year, the guy that I had been flirting with for 2 years and I decided to give it a try, and here we are today! Married with a  2 year old human child and a 5 year old 4-legged child.

There was a major event when I was 20 years old that changed my life. My dad passed away unexpectedly and there is no other way to describe it other than, it rocked my world. The man in the picture above got me through it. He has been there through every late night of worry, every happy memory, and to dry my tears when I miss him. I took over my dad's business upon his death (yes, at 20 years old) and it has been a roller coaster. Lots of ups and downs and even though I've wanted to quit more times than I can remember in the last 5 1/2 years, I haven't yet. My dad and I worked together for a 3ish years and I'm not sure I'll ever been emotionally able to let go. I miss him and think about him every single day. The little man in the picture above would have been spoiled rotten! And probably able to pronounce multiple cuss words correctly.

Okay, so for the resolutions. I've tried to keep them simple and broad this year. I'm also going to work on them a little bit at a time, especially #3.

1. Take more pictures - I was the picture taking queen of my immediate family in high school. Every event was documented. Now, not so much. Sure, I have plenty of selfies of the everyday stuff with Tucker, but not events like holidays and us out doing things.

2. Give up pop - This one is simple. I did it in high school and it lasted for about 3 1/2 years. Its time to do it again. I'm even going to cut it out of cocktails. I'm doing this one cold turkey.

3. Take care of myself - The little things like moisturize my skin and the big ones like eat right and get enough sleep. I am hoping to spend part, if not most, of 2016 pregnant and would love to have a healthy pregnancy. Who doesn't, right? I'm trying to implement 1-2 habits every week or so I don't get overwhelmed.

4. Move my body - I recently started Piyo (which I looooove) and we bought a treadmill. I have no specific goals for weight loss or clothing sizes due to wanting to get pregnant sometime this year, but I want to MOVE!

5. Stay organized - Last year I made a bill book to track our bills and it went SO well. I made another for this year and even came up with a payment schedule. I also hired a cleaning lady to come every other week. It helps me stay sane. Our mudroom addition is almost done and that one is going to really help.

6. Quit biting my nails. - I caught the human child biting his the other day. My mom said I started biting mine when I was 2, so this is just the cycle of life right here. Right now they are pretty and ready to be painted, as soon as I can find time to apply polish and let it dry x 2.

That's it for this year! I made some goals for work as well, but those are boring.

Good luck to everyone who made resolutions this year!