Chaotic mornings and stressful pick-ups. (Yes, pick-ups are actually difficult. My kids never want to leave school and come with me. It’s really heartwarming.)

Many lunches to be packed. 109 pb&j’s in the shape of Star Wars ships and counting….

And sickness. So, so, SO much sickness.

In the past few years, I’ve basically raised my kids in a bubble, on purpose. I spent my first few years of teaching always sick, and I’d built up a great immunity by the time the kids came around. When they were born, I was determined to stick to the status quo, because I knew going back after 2 maternity leaves I wasn’t going to have a lot of sick days.

For the first few years, my efforts were successful. With a combination of a lot of hand washing, and very little Chuck-E-Cheesing, the boys seemed to stay fairly healthy, only catching the occasional cold now and then.

Then November rolled around this fall; two months into our daycare stint.

Basically from Thanksgiving to about 3 weeks ago, someone in our house had something. Flu. Stomach bug. Major cold. Chills. Sinus infection. Fevers. Ear infection(s). Strep. Wicked cough. The unmentionables (I’ll spare you those details). 

A full night of sleep was becoming a priceless commodity in our family and I wanted, needed, to find any way to take our life back. Our germ free life back.

I consulted with my doctor, friends, and well, really just Google.

I came across a few suggestions: More vitamins, monitor your diet, deep clean, wash your hands extremely often, invest in a humidifier and even consider doing some sort of cleanse.

Vitamins

I’m terrible at remembering to take a daily vitamin. Somehow I rocked prenatal care and remembered each and every day, but without a baby in the belly, I can’t remember a thing. I guess pregnancy brain had the opposite effect on me.

My friend, Jessica, sent me an offer to try an immune booster, Epicor. Her timing was perfect and I jumped at the chance. I had signed on to take 1 every day in January.

I’ll be honest. I was awesome at remembering them the first week. New Year’s Resolutions will do that to you. And I truly felt better. The sickness seemed to be evacuating. Then I slipped, and also got sick again. I re-committed to taking these vitamins 4 weeks ago, and I definitely feel better.

It has made a difference in my airways and I feel like I don’t have to run into the corner of the room every time someone coughs.

An immune booster is something I’ll definitely stick with and hopefully it continues to work. I’m also happy to report, while knocking on wood, that both my boys had stuffy noses this weekend, and so far, I’ve been totally fine.

Diet, Washing Hands & Deep Clean

I have cut some dairy products out of my diet. Not all, people. Just some. Basically in an effort to hopefully clear up the airways.

Our family has also basically kept Method’s hand soap refills in business. I’m constantly having the boys hop up on their little stool and sing either “Happy Birthday” or their “ABC’s” (the recommended time to wash your hands).

And as far as a major deep clean, I traded in my all-natural cleaning products for the big guns. Lysol and Clorox were my Friday night dates for a few weeks.

Master Cleanse

Oh, yah. Remember that. The 72 hours I only drank a mixture of water, fresh lemon juice, organic grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

The drink, in my opinion, was good. I still make it sometimes even though I’m currently off the cleanse. It was the equivalent of a spicy, fresh lemonade.

I do feel like the cleanse cleared up my sinuses and my chest. And as an added bonus, in the 3 days I did the cleanse, I did not experience any of the *ahem* side effects.

Lucky me. Or rather, lucky husband.

I learned a lot about myself and my addiction to food. How I reach for food, sometimes simply out of habit. Four times during my cleanse, I opened up the fridge for no apparent reason. I would’ve totally grabbed something to eat, had I not been on the cleanse.

I learned how you can have willpower when you choose to have willpower.

I would love to do the cleanse again, maybe even for more of a 5 day period (typically, people do the master cleanse for 10 days). I liked how I felt. And the looser pants were definitely an added bonus.

For now, it seems we’ve been able to show sickness the door. Let’s just hope it doesn’t find its way back inside.

****

Disclosure: I was sent samples of Epicor. However, I was not paid to write a post for them and all opinions are my own.

After a long day at work, a check-up at the house and racing to pick up the boys, when we finally arrived home, Cooper was unhappy about something, I honestly don’t remember what. In his anger, he refused to come upstairs into the apartment.

Apparently sitting down in the entry landing, next our cats litter box, was his way of taking a stand. I’ll have to talk to him about taking a stand in places that are feces free in the future.

In an overly exhausted voice, I begged and pleaded for him to come up. I’d spent the day taming teenagers, I didn’t have any patience left in the tank, so I gave up, and Lanagan noticed me giving up.

When I wasn’t looking, he grabbed a few of Cooper’s favorite books, a drink, a snack and a blanket and headed down the stairs to entertain his brother.

Whispers of I got you a snack, Cooper peppered with little boy laughter as Lanagan read aloud (by heart) one of their favorite books. I sat at the top of the stairs and just watched the two of them.

It didn’t matter that the noodles were overflowing on the stove. That there were lunches to pack for the next day. That there were coats and gloves waiting to be hung, so they could dry out for morning.

I didn’t worry about any of it. I let my daily to-do list take a backseat, and I just stood there in awe of my boys. I sent a message to Charlie to remind him how amazing of a family we have.

How our boys have a bond like no other. The two of them together – they make me laugh, they make me smile, they sometimes push my patience to the very edge, yet they know just the point to jump in and come to the others (and my) rescue.

Please, I beg the two of you, take care of each like this forever.

In all honesty, I’m not doing it as a ‘diet’. We’ve been hit with so many colds so far this winter, that I can’t take it anymore. I find myself daydreaming of spring cleaning on a daily basis. I even considered opening all the windows when it was 10 degrees the other day and telling the kids to ‘man up’ because we all just need some fresh air.

The master cleanse is basically a mixture of water, fresh lemon juice, grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I know, tasty. It supposedly gives you all the calories you need for the day. I’m definitely putting this claim to the test.

On one of my many how to rid your family of the common cold google searches, I saw several people mention that they have done the master cleanse to reset their body. There was a lot of the cayenne pepper clears your sinuses and the lemon and maple syrup will coat your throat talk.

I’m buying into it. Because at this point, I’m willing to try anything.

The true master cleanse is done for 10 days. However, Charlie and I are signed up for a cooking class later this week on risotto, so I’ll be stopping by that point. Because duh, risotto.

I’m going to attempt to do this cleanse for 3 days and evaluate how I feel, while others in the household I’m sure will be evaluating my mood.

There are 3 things I’m hoping to gain:

(1) Stop this incessant cough that has kept me up at night for weeks.

(2) Clearly breathe through my nostrils, because mouth breathing is so 1996.

(3) Have my husband still like me by Wednesday.

I’ll let you know the results later this week. Wish us all luck.

****

I’m not a big beauty product & makeup girl. In fact, I don’t think I’ve worn an ounce of makeup so far in 2013, and barely did in 2012. I tend to stick to facial creme and chapstick on a daily basis. Eye shadow and mascara rarely make an appearance and you’ll never see me wear foundation. You’ll only find proof of that stuff on my face if you look circa 1993. And I swear I’ve burned all of those pictures.

However, I do have a minor obsession in finding the best skincare and haircare products out there. I wanted to share a few of my favorites today.

The Good: Trader Joe’s Nourish All-in-One Facial Cleanser

I’ve been looking around for a long time for a daily facial cleanser. I really wanted one that was affordable, since I spend a decent amount of money on other moisturizers for my face. On a whim, I grabbed this one from Trader Joe’s and I’m super impressed.

Pros: Leaves your skin feeling really clean, but I didn’t have to open my mouth and squish my nose to break up the typical dryness effect. Cons: It doesn’t suds up as much as I typically like a facial wash to do, but still gets the job done.

AN Organic Beauty Creme is my new favorite daily facial moisturizer. I’m not really one for makeup, but I am an addict when it comes to putting creme on my face. This brand is the best one I’ve found in a long time. It is a little pricey, but a little bit does go a long way.

Pros: Great moisturizer, but doesn’t feel ‘thick’ like cream can sometimes and doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily. I also love the pump bottle top. Cons: It is a bit of a taller bottle, so it may be tough to fit in some makeup bags for travel.

The OHMYGOSH Amazing: Moroccan Oil Hydrating Styling Cream

I love Moroccan Oil Styling Cream. It’s a great product to put on right before you blow dry your hair, although you can put it on after it’s dry as well. It definitely tames this mane on a daily basis.

Pros: Controls frizz that you can get from blow drying and doesn’t leave your hair looking greasy. Cons: It is a little expensive at around $30/bottle (depending on where you shop) for a product you might not deem necessary.

What are some of your favorite beauty products?

Two words.

Basement fridge.

Since moving into the apartment, we obviously had to give up our basement fridge. The catch all for things we bought when we were hungry, that we didn’t really need. Items that basically ended up rotting in two weeks and then were tossed out, never to see the light of day – but we still loved having it. We deemed it a necessary item to put into storage.

Basically, we wanted to make sure we could waste more money in the next house.

However, this cute little fridge eliminated the who gets more real estate debate regarding the kitchen fridge. It was our little peace treaty. Our compromise. It never took sides. It accepted either one of us that was relegated to the basement with our non-essential items with open, perfectly-temperature-controlled arms on any given week.

Now on shopping days it’s like Nightmare on Elm Street with our lone fridge. Both of us huffing and puffing for space, daydreaming of the way it once was.

So, yes, upon the many things we’re excited for when we leave this place and finally get into our house, near the top of the list is definitely getting back our beloved basement fridge.

*photo credit: google image search

I looked around, hoping someone would tell me it wasn’t so. Maybe I was just being punk’d. Could it be that Ashton Kutcher was going to pop out of these apartment walls any second now?

Since a camera crew wasn’t following me around, and I was kind of thankful for that because I had massive post-gym hair, I knew this was really happening.

Standing there, frozen in shock, I didn’t even have to walk around the corner to confirm my suspicions. I knew what was going on in the next room.

Caillou.

I swore this was going to be our year. Our slogan was Caillou Free in Twenty Thirteen.

It was a great 9 days, but it looks like the little french-named 4 year old boy is here to stay.

At least it’s not Barney, right?

We do put out a great spread on New Year’s, so at least you can look forward to that.

This year I had a lot of trouble coming up with goals. Our main focus, aside from the general well-being of our family, has been getting our house ready for move in. We obviously aren’t building it with our bare hands, so it’s not as though I’m throwing on overalls and a tool belt every day, but the management of it all can be very consuming at times.

With hurdles still to jump, and another move in our future, I felt like this year I needed to stick with 1 main goal. With all that is going on, I would rather hyper focus on one item, and make it happen, than come up with a list of items I know I simply can’t get to.

It didn’t take me long to realize what I wanted that goal to be: Finish (really, restart) the weight loss journey I began in 2012.

It’s funny, too, because when I really thought about things I wanted to make happen in 2013, if I were to write out my normal goals, a lot of them can’t take place until I get this one big thing accomplished.

I’d love to say that Take my family on a well-deserved ski trip is a goal. Truth be told, I can’t fit into my ski gear. Sad, but true.

I might also say Run a 5k again. Well, we all know we have to be in shape to make that happen.

In 2012, I set out to lose 100 pounds. From July to mid-October, I lost 25. Since that date, I’ve maintained, gaining a few pounds back recently. At this point, I’d say I’m truly down 20 pounds. Which means there are 80 leftover. And I hate leftovers.

2013 Resolution: Lose the excess 80 pounds.

A goal that once achieved, will make several other items possible.

Here are a few actions steps to start making this happen.

Recommit myself to eating well.

 I basically let myself get into holiday eating mode in October. I like to be early for everything, I guess this area was no exception.

How to make this happen:

Food Journaling. The best advice a nutritionist gave me this summer was “If you bite it, write it.” So very true. When you actually write down every single item you eat, you hold yourself accountable. It can also show trends, in case there is a little more something going on with your body than you were aware of before.

Pack it. For November and December I got away from packing my own lunches and I relied on cafeteria food, the not-so-healthy-line cafeteria food. No more of that. I’ll be bringing my own from now on.

Exercise.

Weight loss really does have to come from good eating habits, that’s essential. You can work out every day for an hour, but if you don’t change the way you eat, you won’t see results. However, I still like to get a good workout in. For me, it pushes me to eat better.

How to make this happen:

Team Weight Loss. TWL was a class I did every M-W-F morning during the summer. I loved this class because it wasn’t crazy high intensity, but it had you focus on your heart rate zones so you were maximizing your time at the gym. I stopped doing this class when I returned to work because I obviously couldn’t make the mornings. They have a late night class, but I just didn’t want to make the commitment before. I want to at least give the nightly classes a chance now.

Weekly Training Sessions. I have been meeting with my trainer once a week, but I really haven’t put that much effort into it recently. I need to do things outside of the gym to make that 1 hour a week count with her. I’m ready to make that happen.

Supplements.

My trainer is always talking about how vitamins are an essential part of weight loss. I think I’ll start listening to her.

How to make this happen:

I’ve already ordered some vitamins at my gym and I’m also starting to take Epicor, more to come on that later. Hoping this is a regimen I stick with as the months roll on.

Achieving this goal is definitely a work in progress. Sometimes it takes a geekified night-in with your husband to get yourself back on track.

Happy 2013 and may all your resolutions come true!

2. Would be the number of hilarious, wild, adorable, rambunctious kids that call me Mommy each day.

3. Sniff, sniff is the age my baby turned in December. I still have no idea how this happened.

4. I think, is the number of times I considered getting an Elf on the Shelf in December. Then I realized that a creepy little guy, who moves all around your house while everyone is sleeping, is just not for me.

5. Is now the age of my oldest son. Five year olds are way cool and wise beyond their years. At least beyond their mommys years.

6. x 4 = 24. Yes, I’m totally a cheater, but at least I know how to do math. 24 is the number of lbs I lost in 2012. It’s not anywhere near the number I wanted it to be, but it’s a start, I guess.

7. Is the number of offers we put in on homes this past year, before landing where we did. Oh, how I perfected my John Hancock in 2012.

8. Has to be the number of episodes I missed of the Real Housewives of New York City, since we don’t have Bravo in our apartment. I fear I’ll still be coping with this in 2013. I don’t condone watching Basketball Wives, but I do love me some RHONY.

9. Would be the number of months we were Caillou-free in this house. Just when I thought I could burn the DVDs, the youngest asked for them just last week. Come on 2013, be nice to me.

10. Millionty billionty (cheating, again) would be the number of boxes I packed for our move in September, with one more move to come this year. I wake up in a cold sweat, at least once a week, after having a dream where bubble wrap and duct tape are chasing me. It’s true.

11. Would be the daily double. First, the number of years we lived in our previous home, before leaving there in September. Second, the number of years we celebrated being married. Is there an 11 year itch?

12. Is just simply the fact that I loved 2012. So many amazing things happened for my family, with so many more to come in 2013.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Wanted to pop in and wish you the happiest of holidays.

There were a lot of things that I planned on writing about this past week – like how Cooper has grown unbelievably fond of empty wrapped boxes, including even sleeping with one. And how Charlie should really be known as the present whisperer, going as far as tracking down gifts in the UK for the kids. Oh, and also how the kids won’t be going to college due to this fact.

I have a lot of fun stories that I want to, and will share, but after the tragic events of last Friday, I tried to spend a little bit more time at night offline this week.

Typically I write at night when Cooper is asleep and Lanagan is, well, supposed to be asleep, but really building some sort of city in his bed out of scotch tape, cups, Q-tips and flash cards. Anything that he was able to squirrel into his bed behind my back during our bedtime routine.

He’s a bit of what the French, or his American mom, would call le night owl.

Instead of constantly reminding him that it was time for bed this week, and threatening that Santa and the Prep & Landing team would forget where we lived if he didn’t go to sleep, I decided to join in on the nocturnal fun. Hence, no writing.

I’ll be diving back into this space after Christmas, but until then, from my family to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

I’ll catch up on the flip side of the Mayan Calendar.

I remember trying to juggle nursing a newborn in my hospital bed, with talking to insurance agents and contractors, so that our home would (hopefully) be somewhat repaired by the time we returned.

I look back on those days and think that tree was basically foreshadowing on how life with 2 boys would be. A chaotic mess, with a lot of moving parts, falling in all different directions most days.

But there’s nothing I would change about the chaos that is our little family of four.

As time goes on, and days turn into years, I don’t want to forget all the little things.

The little things Cooper did when he was 3.

How he loves to say “What the heck?” I have no idea where he picked it up, and it might not be the most appropriate thing for a 3-year-old to say, but it’s unbelievably hilarious and cute. Anything that we come across during our day that’s a little off, gets a What the heck?, with an adorable little shoulder shrug.

How he may be a little obsessed with the Joker. Not the Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger version, the cartoon version. Again, maybe not so appropriate for a 3-year-old. I’m starting to see a theme here.

How he is mad for his blankie and binky. He may be a little (or a lot) old for it, but he loves it and I’ve already started saving up for braces to undo my parenting mistakes in toddlerhood.

How he holds a fork likeaboss. Truly, he’s better than most adults I know.

How he rides in a box down a park hill, laughing the entire time.

How he says “my” when he should say “I“. Can my have more cheerios? It’s beyond adorable. Grammatically incorrect. And we’re not having him change it anytime soon. And yes, he always gets more cheerios when he says it that way.

How he keeps the dairy industry in business with the gallons of milk he drinks per week.

How he picks Robin as his favorite superhero, because it means he gets to play alongside his big brother, who is always Batman.

How he does an Oscar-worthy performance reenacting the scene, playing both sides nonetheless, of the moment Zurg tells Buzz he’s his father in Toy Story.

My Coopy. One-Third of my entire world. The perfect little being that completed our family.

Happy 3rd Birthday, little man.