Bathroom Remodel

I have 5 kids. I also have one smallish kids bathroom with one sink. As you can imagine trying to get 5 kids to brush teeth and get ready often causes fights and toothpaste on surfaces all over the bathroom as they climb toilets and sit on counters trying to maneuver around one another.

So naturally when the idea popped in my mind to put in two sinks instead of just one it did not seem like that big of a deal. On further discussion we realized that we would need two new sinks and two new faucets and we might as well replace the counter that is ugly and has had a bleach stain on it since we moved in. We then realized that we would need a new vanity though as well since the one we have will not accommodate two sinks.

(Current bathroom)

It still sounded like a fairly do-able project. But then I remembered how much I hate the flooring as well. And heck if we are already replacing everything else why not rip out the floor, mirror, and light fixture while we are at it.

Hmmmmm....suddenly this is sounding not so easy. So it was off to the store and MANY hours later we picked out flooring, a vanity, sinks, faucets, counter tops, light fixtures and mirrors. Everything we got ended up being a special order and it makes me super nervous to try and pick out flooring to match a vanity to match a counter that we have only seen small swatches of or pictures of.

We sat down and made a schedule based on what we needed to get done before the flooring and all the other orders arrive and two nights ago we started demo. Seriously, I don't know who I think I am sometimes. I get these ideas and then the reality hits and I wonder why the heck was one sink SO bad?

(after night one)

This was after night one. We removed all the accessories and towel bars. We removed the mirror and back splash tiles and started patching nail holes and things. Unfortunately removing the tiles caused some major drywall issues and so we had to add patching drywall to our schedule for the next day.

(after night 2)

Last night we unhooked all the water, removed the sink and counter top and removed the vanity. We also cut out the section of drywall that needs to be replaced and continued patching.

The list of to-do tonight is to take out the toilet and start tearing out the tile floor. Amazingly we have done this at night with the kids sleeping right there without waking anyone up.

We are in the dirty ugly messy stage right now and I am honestly hoping that it will all pay off in the end. We purchased beautiful hardwood cabinetry, limestone flooring, and a beautiful quartz counter top. In the end the "kids" bathroom is going to be way nicer than my master bath...I think there is something wrong with that scenario.

We have about a week or so to finish demo, have the walls in shape to paint and once the tile gets here we will spend that weekend learning to tile. The entire project should be done over the next several weeks as our orders come in. Stay tuned for updates!

Funny Kids

My kids make me laugh. This last week they all gave me a chuckle at one point or another.

Ethan is a hard worker when he wants to be but he also likes to find short cuts when he can. Charlie and I were going through some of his school work today and we found his answer to this question quite funny.

I also took Ethan to see the 5 Browns piano concert the other night. I asked him during intermission if he hopes he can play like that some day. His answer, "Um, no, I plan on being a scientist." If he wants to be a scientist he is going to have to come up with some better answers to his homework!

This is what I found Logan doing after a hard day of playing and eating. I feel sorry for his wife some day.

Abby got an i-pod for Christmas and most of the music on it is my music. The other day in the car she was listening to it and all of a sudden I heard her say, "What the heck is this?" She handed me her i-pod and I saw that it was The Cure. I asked her what was wrong. She said, "It sounds like it is from the 1800's. Abby, I am old but not THAT old.

Last week Sam wanted his blanket. I asked him where it was and he kept telling me it was in the chicken. Over and over again, I had no idea what he was talking about. It was a few minutes later that I went to get a drink and saw it on the floor in the kitchen and realised that the chicken in Sam's world means the kitchen. He also asks all the time if he can have "awfuls" for breakfast. Awfuls = Waffles and I swear it has nothing to do with my cooking!

Last but not least is my little Morgan. The other night we were late getting to bed and we told her to get in bed and not get out. She promptly asked if it was ok to get out to go potty or come and get us if she gets an "ear confection". Yes Morgan, you can come and get us any time you get one of those crazy ear confections.

I love when my kids bring a smile to my face and I love their innocence. Moments like these I know I will miss as they get older.

Weight loss and Training

I am doing this post mainly as a motivation for myself. I am not usually one to toot my own horn but this last 6 months I have pushed myself pretty hard to do some things that do not come easily to me and I think it is important for me to take a look back and see where I have come from and give myself a second to try and feel proud.

Today I hit a major milestone. I have lost 30 pounds!!!!! I started this journey in August so it has not been a quick process. I feel like I have been doing it the right way...go figure, eating right, exercise, and determination really do work.

I have 10 more pounds to go to get to my goal weight. I have a strong feeling that the last 10 will be as hard and take almost as long to lose as the first 30. I have noticed a significant slow down in my loss despite the fact that I am still watching what I eat and have increased my workouts from only 2-3 days a week to 6 days a week. I am determined to not give up though. I am going to keep pushing and hopefully will be able to report back again once I have finally hit my goal.

Because the weight loss has happened slowly I am surprised that I don't really feel all that different. In fact I had to pull some clothes out of my closet from last summer to try on just to convince myself that maybe I am starting to look a little different. I decided to snap some shots of me in my pants pre weight loss. The first pair of pants I wore post baby, the second are the ones I was wearing right before I started to lose some weight and the third are some I bought probably after I had lost the first 10 pounds. I was amazed when I went to put these pants on and did not have to undo a single button or zipper. This was a big moment for me. I am kind of disgusted with myself that I once fit in to all of these clothes. I hope I never go back.

I guess I will need to do some shopping this summer. All the hard work pays off when you have to go buy new clothes not because you just want something new but because you literally can't wear your old stuff anymore.

As far as training goes that has not been as successful. My running has been plagued with injury. I guess that is what happens when a 33 year old woman with 5 kids who has never exercised decides to be fit all of a sudden. I am however determined and doing my best to just work through my current injury.

Right now I am on a 8 week program of running twice a week and doing my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred video 4 times a week. I am finishing up the first segment today and move on to segment 2 tomorrow.

After that 8 week program I start my 10 week training for my first 10k. Charlie and I are running our first 10k ever. His parents are coming to cheer us on and watch the kiddos for us. We have lots of friends coming who are running races as well and it will be a fun weekend that I am looking forward to.

I am literally praying that my body can hold itself together long enough for me to train for this race. I am nervous. I really want to accomplish this goal and I need my body to cooperate.

I want to give a big thanks to my friends and family who have inspired me and encouraged me through all of this. It is so nice to see some results and know that I am a much healthier mom than I was 6 months ago!

Tubing

Yesterday we got a sitter and took the 3 older kids tubing. What a B-L-A-S-T!!!!

First off just let me say how easy it is to take my 3 older kids out for the day and not have to bring diapers and wipes and snacks and toys and blankets and bottles and and and ....seriously kids ages 9-6 is a walk in the park. Anyway back to tubing.
We found a great place not far from home. How we have lived here for almost 5 years and did not know about this place is beyond me. We will for sure be going again. They had great tubes and a tow line and 4 runs to choose from. We could go down together in a big group or alone. You could choose if you wanted them to spin you or just send you down straight. I opted out on the spin but the kids wanted to spin all the way down.

I love this video of Abby where I could hear her laugh all the way down the hill. It was a great afternoon and I really enjoyed spending time with my 3 oldest and my hubby trying something new.