Our first family vacation

It is official: the first Moore-Zismer family vaca is in the books and was successful! We got back a little over a week ago from Austin, Texas, to visit Blade's family for Lyra's 4th birthday. We had a quick layover in Houston after a 7am flight, and then straight into Austin followed by an hour long car ride to Lago Vista- little Miss was pretty darn awesome throughout for the most part. She got a little fussy at the beginning of the second flight, but fell asleep shortly after. We stopped and got some lunch and went to visit Uncle Cutter at the mall shop he was working at- she was in SUCH a good mood and he was very happy to finally meet his niece face to face!

We had a fun night just hanging out with Doug and Shannon, and Gay Beth and Bob showed up as well, so Atti really got to spend quality time with the family she doesn't get to see very often. I have no idea what was wrong with me (though I am leaning toward the ceviche that we had for dinner...), but I woke up sick as a dog and ended up in bed until around 1pm, so I missed the initial meeting, but Lyra and Atti were thick as thieves! Let me just say, Atti loves kids and is dying to hang out with more toddlers, so it was just incredible watching her and her cousin play and interact. They had so much fun. We left the next day and had basically the same situation with flights, she slept on the second one without too much whining beforehand. 

All in all it was a wonderful trip and I am so happy to see that Atti enjoyed an out of state trip- especially since we have a trip to Philly in May for Michael's wedding!

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February Dedication

So I skipped a couple months, I know, but #progressnotperfection is my mantra this year and I'm not giving up. December and January were a blur, so much happened in 8 short weeks that I wouldn't even know where to start on a dedication. That being said, I know where to start this month.

February Dedication: Organization
This year has already proven to be a happily chaotic new start, and I need to make sure I have my head in the game to make it successful so I am dedicating this month to organizing some key elements.

1. Finances- I've started jotting down my main monthly expenses and what I make nightly at work to get a big picture of where my money goes. Big picture, I want to be debt free ny my birthday, which shouldn't be a hard task.
2. My health- Week 2 of my Fit Girl's Guide jumpstart is almost in the books and has brought to my attention how much I have been neglecting my body. I need to make sure to make time for the gym and meal prepping every week.
3. My future- A 5 year plan always sounded ridiculous to me until five years passed and I had yet to accomplish any goals, so that will be a main focus this month.
4. The house- Although there shouldn't be a great amount of large issues around the house, there are some small things (the basement, the kitchen, the nursery) that need some adjustments.
5. Free time- I still need to channel my first dedication and organize my free time to be useful instead of lazy. Spending time with family is at the top of my list, and I can better do so if I can organize the time I have available for that.

Each month will make me stronger amd happier. Hopefully you hear from me in March, it will mean these chabges are working!

Life is short.

This week was definitely a whirldwind. Uncle Jeff awoke at 4am on Sunday with excruciating chest pain, so Melissa took him to St. Luke's and then to KU Med. He originally thought it was a heart attack, which they ruled out along with an embolism, and went through a full 24 hours before the pain lessend in the least. I went in Sunday evening, in the middle of this attack, and found a man that didn't resemble my gruff teddy bear of an uncle. He was in tears, huffing and moaning in pain, asking Melissa if he was dying. He may have terminal cancer, and unfortunately the chronic pain is a side effect of the disease's progression, but he wasn't dying right then- he had to be assured multiple times. It wasn't until Tuesday morning (his birthday) that they were finally able to get him treatments that made him pain-free, and he was released the next day.

It is terrifying thinking that I will lose him sooner than I ever imagined, and this was definitely a wake up call- I don't think I was in denial, per se, but it felt like a smack in the face witnessing his disease progression first hand. I realized that I don't cherish time with my loved ones as much as I should. Life really is short and shouldn't be taken advantage of.

I brought Atti in to visit him, which cheered him up. He read her stories and went on walks around the hospital and played with her and the balloons Melissa put up for his birthday. It was like he wasn't even sick anymore and I think it allowed all of us to take a big, relaxing sigh of relief and enjoy the present. Watching him with her reminds me of when I was a child running around with him, I hope she gets enough time to be able to remember these moments with him.

I took Atti out to dinner today to spend a little quality time together. We went to Friends Sushi on 39th, which was fantastic, and then walked over to get some beignets from Jazz [I used my cheat day this evening so we went a little sugar crazy]. Afterward we walked through the bookstore, drove the scenic route home, and got a bath....in which she pooped. That is not an easy clean up task, let me tell you, her toys are currently soaking in the sink. We capped off the night with our show and some Dr. Suess. It was an amazing day off together, I love this little girl more than I ever imagined I could love anyone. 

Fit Girl's Guide 28 Day Jumpstart [Round 1]

This 'new year, new you' thing is kicking off a month later than most, but I am a happy camper right now with the new program I am using. I bought Fit Girl's Guide of $20 (here) two weeks ago and have been amazed at how much I love the program. I have even been too busy to do the workouts, but the food plan alone is worth the bucks- and I am already seeing some progress. It is a clean eating program where each week you eat one breakfast, one lunch, a 200 calorie snack, and flip between two dinner options. I am on week 2 already and everything this far has been delicious and easy to make. I give myself about a 1-2 hour window for prep in the beginning of the week and 30 minutes or so here and there for extra prep throughout the week- everything is interchangeable and you have tons of different options to choose from if you don't want a certain meal. I'll track my progress pictures after the 2 week mark (I am really uncomfortable about posting the first ones, but this is my year to get out of my comfort zone!). 

Also, I am on the second week without booze or cigarettes, and am on month two of my Book A Month goal (I finished my January book early, Manson's biography, and started Sacre Bleu that day). I feel fantastic, I get more time with Atti and Blade, and I am finding a sense of serenity and composure in my life that I have been missing and needing for a long time. Changes are happening, and I am embracing every single one of them!

Pita pizza with veggies and mozzarella [week 1 dinner]

Sweet potato street tacos with veggies and mozzarella [week 1 dinner]

Oatmeal with chia seeds, honey and fresh fruit [week 1 breakfast]

Coffee with foam and cinnamon with my oats for week 1 breakfast

Salad Nicoise with green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes [week 2 lunch]

Butternut squash lasagna with a kale sunset salad [week 2 dinner]

Camera roll: New Year, Same Shenanigans

[.january 2016.]

One Year: Wrapping up with celebration!

Well, it is officially February and I am not making "mom of the year" any time soon considering I am just NOW posting about Atti's first birthday and holiday celebrations. Needless to say, I have been a busy mama since November. Where to start?... 

Thanksgiving was fantastic, and very well done if I do say so myself. Then came Christmas- also fantastic, but man did that take a lot of energy. From the tower of presents around the Christmas tree, to entertaining both sides of the family and hoards of friends, that holiday lasted about 3 days total and came to a conclusion just in time to do it all over again for Atti's first birthday party. That child is now a pro at opening gifts and is probably the most spoiled 1 year old since North West came about. We didn't end up doing a cake (we had a wedding cake that Gabby picked up, but Great Grandma stuck her hand in it so we just skipped that part), but I don't think Atti cared- she had so many new toys and guests to play with already. Thankfully, Blade and I got to spend New Year's Eve together at home this year as well. All in all, it was a fantastic way to end a very crazy and beautiful year!

We were a bit naughty with the ornaments, but for the most part, it stayed in tact.

Nice lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Moore at Summit Grill

I bet you can't guess who purchased this for a 1 year old....

Our Christmas/bday dress that we ended up actually wearing on New Year's Eve

Reading with Vic!

New Year's Eve spread was actually all the leftovers from the previous two holidays! Yay for being frugal!