My Big Little Girl

Her first year of school is officially finished! The last day of class started off pretty much the same as every day this year - we came in, washed hands, she found her photo and checked in while I signed in, and then I asked what she'd like to do first: "Build a castle!"

So she built a castle with her friend until her teacher gave the signal for Circle Time.

 

We sang and did action songs and had story time...

And after circle, we did crafts and played in the imaginative play area and she painted a fish.

And then... it was time for the ending ceremony! Teacher called each kiddo's name and they came up to get their certificate and a lei (made of Otter Pops, haha), and there were leis for the parents as well.

Not a graduation ceremony - except for those keiki that will be going to kindergarten next year of course - but a nice little end-of-the-year celebration. Molly was so pleased and excited! I'm so proud of my girl - she rocked her first year of school and I know this is just the beginning!

Until next time,

Bat Fit!!

The Professor is rebooting Bat Fit and I am ALL OVER THAT. What is Bat Fit? Alternative/Goth bloggers getting FIT together! The Curious Professor Z has been running/hosting it for a few years now and I have joined in every time... and then fallen off every time...  But it's okay!! Because THIS year, I'm all about it.

Like for instance right now I'm sitting here in a towel turban (because I'm doing something new with my hair...) eating my lunch - which is artichoke hearts, sriracha, and cottage cheese. HAHA. It tastes better than it sounds like it would aaaaaand it's low carb which is my jam currently. I'm not strictly avoiding all carbs, I will have a bit of pasta or a serving of a crunchy carby treat or whatever because if I feel like I am "On A Diet" I will start "cheating" on it and sabotage myself and I Don't Want To Do That. I'm also exercising alllll the time - I'm dancing around with my kids to awesome music or jogging in place while watching a show or taking epic hikes or just going for a walk....  And it's working.

I've been doing this stuff, logging my food and exercise on My Fitness Pal (totally recommend that site!!) and keeping myself accountable, since the beginning of March. What happened at the beginning of March? Well, first, I spent a good part of February with my momma who has gotten into fantastic shape in the last few years and eats REALLY wonderfully healthily - so when I got home I'd actually lost weight! I know, who LOSES weight on holiday... I was shocked. THEN I started watching a show called The 100 on Netflix and while I was watching it I had this thought about surviving apocalypses and such. Specifically, wondering if I would survive the rigorous stresses of a post-apocalyptic world.  And I thought, actually no probably I would not be a long-term survivor at my current weight and fitness level. And THEN I thought, if I wouldn't survive a potential apocalypse... would my kids?

Probably not, not without mama. And somehow these weird, crazy, only-me-ever kind of thoughts put my butt in GEAR. I signed up for a My Fitness Pal account and started my fitness journey FOR REAL that same hour. And it's going better than any time I've tried to lose weight or get fit in my entire life. I've lost 35 pounds since February! And I'm losing inches from my waist and hips, I've had to adjust the waist strap on our Ergo carrier for the first time ever, I'm wearing the smallest size I have since before I got pregnant with Molly, I weigh less than I did when I graduated high school, and I'm so proud of myself and excited.

2015 was my year of Loving Me. I didn't look at a scale hardly ever, I FINALLY cut a mohawk, I got my septum pierced, I stretched my ears, I tried not having eyebrows, I ate what I wanted and I loved my body for all the things it HAS done.  Fallen in love. Moved to another country. Carried, birthed, and breastfed two lives other than my own. Worn and cuddled and snuggled my babies.  My body has done great things and deserves love and respect. Now, 2016 is my year of Loving Me More. Giving myself the chance to get into the BEST shape of my life so that my body can CONTINUE to do great things. And it's going better than I ever dreamed. So here's to Bat Fit 2016!!!

Typical Mom?

My dear Internet friend Sylvie D wrote a post called "Not your typical Mom" today and while reading it, I was inspired to write a bit about my own experience as a mom who is... Well...

Visibly not what people think of when they think "Mom"? Shall we say. I've never been an entirely normal, typical person.

Okay, maybe when I was 6 years old I looked normal...

I get weird looks. I get raised eyebrows. For most of last year I didn't have natural eyebrows - I got even more looks then.

I have a mohawk.. and when I haven't had a mohawk, I've had hair all colors of the rainbow and all kinds of styles.

I have 7 tattoos (right and left inner forearms, right wrist, behind left ear, back of my neck, and the top of my left foot) so far, and while ear piercings are pretty accepted (I have 4) I also have both nostrils and my septum pierced.

My septum piercing was actually my Mother's Day present last year... yep, I got stabbed with a needle to celebrate my "mom-ness" :)

Despite being pretty far from most people's mental image of a stay-at-home mom...  I'm also pretty typical as a mom. I change my kid's diaper and drink my caffeine in the morning in my comfy pajamas while my preschooler colors and my toddler drives trucks across my legs. I take my daughter to preschool and get paint on my hands while we do crafts together and watch her playing with her friends. I try to feed my kids a balance of the foods they like and foods that are good for them - I am seriously good at hiding vegetables in my picky kid's favorite food ;) I revel in the quiet when they are both asleep and then write blog posts about being their mom...

 

- Lily Munster So what I'm saying is... Just because someone doesn't look like a "typical parent", doesn't mean they are less of a parent than someone who fits the stereotype! Don't judge a book by it's cover, and all that.  And now I'm off to figure out what I want for my Mother's Day present this year... tattoo #8, perhaps? Until next time...