Happy Halloween

I hope all you goblins and ghouls have a very spooky Halloween. We started our Halloween fun early this year but will continue the celebration tonight. Here are some of the highlights so far:

Our friends hosted their annual Halloween costume party this past week and it was a ton of fun. I was a pregnant nun (yes, my belly is stuffed) and hubby was a drunk priest.

Sister Michelle

We took the kids to their first haunted house and they had a blast and so did we!

Last night we carved our pumpkins

Helping Phoenix pick out her pumpkin design

Brennan's final product

Wynter's final product

Phoenix used the pumpkin we grew in our garden

Report Card Time

Last week was a first in our house. The first time one of the kids brought home a bad grade on their report card. All three of our kids are very smart and school comes very easily for them. Usually I am struggling to make sure they are being challenged in school not worrying about their grades.

I haven't seen the third child's report card yet but according to online grades it will be all A's and one B. That child was hoping for straight A's but one B isn't bad. The second child got a report card of mainly B+ but I expect to see improvement over the year as the child gets accustomed to the new school and new curriculum. Also, not a bad report card overall.

Then there is the child at hand. This child brought home A's in every subject area expect Science in which the child received a D. You read that right, all A's and one D. No C, not average grade, straight from excelling to unsatisfactory. According to their teacher it was mainly based upon a quarter long assignment that culminated in a two overnight field trip and outdoor learning experience. The opportunity was a great one and I know the child learned a lot but when it came time to do the assignment that was required during the fun the child was simply lazy and put little effort into the assignment. Whole sections were incomplete and the sections that were turned in were not correct or lacked detailed. The teacher also explained that it was explained to the children over and over again that this assignment would be the main component of their grade. Despite warnings my child couldn't take a break from having fun to be responsible, sigh!

On a positive note, the teacher said not to expect any similar grades moving forward since child is a good student. I think receiving such a low mark on the report card and knowing there would be consequences shocked and embarrassed the child. You could argue the teacher is being a little harsh leaving the entire quarter grade to one assignment but I think this child is old enough to understand the consequences for their actions and in defense of the teacher, that is really what they worked on all quarter long.

So what are the consequences we doled out. For this child, time with friends is most important so they are grounded and unable to play with their friends through at least this past weekend, longer if they aren't helpful or have an attitude. No electronics through at least next weekend. The grounding from friends will continue for a few additional days because this child didn't understand the "I am grounded and now it is time to kiss up to mom and dad and be on my best behavior in order to get ungrounded sooner" act. One of our other children has this down and immediately starts cleaning, tidying up, and generally being extremely helpful once they are in trouble in order to get out of trouble as soon as possible.

The other issue with having three kids 2 years 8 months apart in age and the oldest two only 6 months apart in age is fairness. Another one of the children was recently grounded for two separate behavioral issues (talking during class) in the same class in the same week. This punishment lasted until the teacher could report the child was behaving better in class, which amounted to almost two full weeks of grounding. While the child in question's grade was mainly based on one assignment I think a D on a report card from an A student warrants similar punishment to behavioral infractions in school. It really isn't fair if the punishment is less for the D student, than for the child with the behavior issue.

I don't expect we'll have any further disappointments this year in the report card area but isn't parenting lovely?

Goal Update

I set goals at the beginning of the year and listed them here on my blog to help hold me accountable. I haven't posted an update since March so it is time.

1) Be debt free except student loans! We met this goal by the end of March and what a great feeling. We now are working on building up our 6 month emergency fund by the end of the year. Once that is fully funded we will start paying down student loans as quickly as possible.

2) Become homeowners. We did it! We closed on our house June 17th and couldn't be happier. This house and neighborhood are more than we ever imagined we'd be able to afford. The home buying process is long and difficult and we plan for this to be our "forever" home.

3) Be ready to start trying for a baby. I guess plans change. When we started planning for our big move and buying a house we were planning to wait until next spring to start trying for a baby instead of this year. Then when the job I thought I had lined up didn't pan out and I didn't have any other strong prospects we started discussing starting trying sooner. After lots of talks during our trip to Yellowstone hubby said he was ready to start trying so in August we tried and in August we got pregnant. I guess it was meant to be.

4) Run a half marathon. This pregnant mama still runs but I am not ready to take on training for a half marathon while pregnant though running a few 5K races sounds like a good short term goal. My BFF and I are already planning to train together and run the October 2012 Denver half marathon. I should be about 5 months post baby, which means I'll start training 2 months post baby. It will be a great way to lose the baby weight and having a goal and your BFF as a running buddy should keep me motivated.

5) Eat healthier, exercise more, lose 10 pounds. I had met my weight loss goal by March. Starting my pregnancy at a low weight is great and so far I've gained 3 pounds and only have a few days left in the first trimester. For not having any morning sickness, 3 pounds is awesome. My goal for first trimester weight gain was 3-5 pounds. I've definitely been eating a more balanced diet since becoming pregnant. My homebirth midwife gave me lots of diet information and I had to keep a diet chart so she could see what I ate. I think I do pretty good, not perfect but good. I am only doing so-so with exercising more. Since my blood pressure has been high my goal has been to exercise 6 days per week, with running being 3 of those days. Right now I'm running about 1 day per week, with the other days being long walks or bike rides. I am not sure why but I am in a bit of a running funk. I need to update my iPod with some new songs and find a running buddy. I am getting tired of running by myself. In December I am going to sign up for a 3 day per week prenatal water aerobics class which I hope keeps me accountable. I figure if I have something on the calendar 3 days per week, getting the other 3 days in will be easy between walks and bike rides with the family and some running. My goal is to run as far into my pregnancy as I can but at least into my 3rd trimester.

6) Attend Sunday morning worship at church at least twice per month. In Maryland I did great at this and was going 3-4 weeks per month. Since moving to Colorado not so much. We tried a church that the kids loved but I only thought was so-so and really didn't feel like it was the one. We found out about another church about a month ago that we want to try but my hubby has literally worked every weekend since then except the one weekend we were out of town. We are planning to try the church this Sunday and I hope we like it.

7) Post new blog content at least 3 times per week. It looks like in August and September I posted 8 times each month, or about 3/4 of the way to my goal. The rest of the months since March have been less. I went to Bloggy Boot Camp Denver in September which got me excited to try some new things but I'll be honest, life with 3 kids is busy, even if you mainly stay home. I post as often as I can though 3 times per week is still my goal with M, W, F, being the ideal days I'd post on.

8) Manage my time better. Be more on time. I'll be honest, I still run late but I think I am doing much better in this area. I've been on time to numerous events over the past year and even the first to arrive at several events which in the past never happened to me. I am still late about 1/4 of the time but even that 1/4 of the time I am less late than previously.

9) Save more money. Spend money wisely. Not making much progress in this regard. We are still working to save more and I am still working to cut back our discretionary spending.

10) Travel to my heart's content. This has been a lame year for travel for someone like me who has the travel bug. We did manage a road trip/camping trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton that was a fabulous 6 day family vacation. It was super affordable and we used up some vacation time hubby had to take before the end of the year. I just booked a long weekend trip to Maryland to visit friends in a few weeks. I am looking forward to seeing the twins I nannyed for, a friend's new baby, and lots of other old friends I already miss. Besides those two trips 2011 was not a big travel year for us. Not sure 2012 will be either with a newborn but I'd like to take at least one big trip next year.

Prenancy: 10 Weeks

10 Week Baby Bump

Side View

Due date: May 4, 2012

How far along: 10 weeks

Weight gain: 3 pounds

Maternity clothes: Yes, the outfit in the pictures above is from Motherhood Maternity. I definitely cannot fit any of my pre-pregnancy pants. For shirts I can fit some pre-pregnancy shirts that are looser through the mid-section. Maternity shirts make me look pregnant not fat so I like that.

Baby bump: The baby bump has definitely made an appearance. Everyone who said you show much sooner with your second pregnancy wasn't kidding!

Gender: We still aren't sure if we are going to find out the gender but my intuition from the beginning is that it is a boy.

Heartbeat: Not yet, but maybe at today's appointment.

Movement: Not yet

Symptoms: Overall I feel great! Symptoms so far are: tender breasts, hungry more often, and ready for bed by 8pm.

Exercise: Since my blood pressure was high at my 8 week visit I've been trying to be consistent with my exercise. My goal is still to run 3 times per week but it really has been once per week. I usually go for long walks 2-3 other days and long bike rides 2-3 other days. Fitting in the exercise or finding an exercise buddy is the hardest part because walking, running, or bike riding is always more fun with a partner.

Next Appointment: Today is my next midwife appointment. At my 8 week appointment my midwife wanted to see me in two weeks because my blood pressure has been high. It still tends to spike at least once per day in the afternoon but overall has been lower and most readings are in the normal or pre-hypertension range. We will see what my midwife says at today's appointment but if my blood pressure doesn't go down I will have to give up my plans for using a midwife for a homebirth and transfer care to an OB and deliver at our local hospital. The whole idea of transferring care bums me out but I know it is not in my hands, it is in God's hands and whatever is meant to happen will happen.

Here is the link to the Baby Center: Your Pregnancy: 10 Weeks Some of the highlights are: the baby is the size of a kumquat, and weighs less than a quarter ounce, the baby has finished its most critical development, vital organs are in place and starting to function, the baby has fingers and toes, and can bend its limbs, your uterus is the size of a large grapefruit. In the coming weeks the baby will double in size.

My Kids, The Triathletes

I am not sure I tell you often enough how awesome my kids are. They're awesome, I promise you! Wynter and Brennan did their first kids triathlon a few weeks ago. I am so proud of them for asking me to sign them up, for training, and for completing the race. Here are some highlights from the race:

The Happy Triathletes!

Great job kids! I am so proud of you!