JulieAnne...Virtually

So We Think He Can Dance

2009-12-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

Long time no blog

2009-11-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

Whoa it has been a long time. For my very few and loyal followers, I truly apologize. I am good, by the way, and so is the baby and Travis. My mom is having surgery on December 4th to get out the nasty tumor (Arnold Schwarzenegger accent added) so we are looking forward to a new and improved year in 2010!

I am looking forward to spending 2 weeks in Mexico starting December 18th!!! Woohooo!!

The baby is walking up a storm and life with a one year old is great. He can feed himself, ok he can put food in his mouth (and hair) and drink form a sippy cup. NO more formula and having to spend all of an entire meal making sure he is drinking and eating, he is a little self-sufficient. It is like having a 2.5 foot drunk person in your house that can only grunt for communication and literally about to fall over at every moment. Linus running by him and creating a small breeze blows him over, but he picks himself right back up and continues to wobble around smudging whatever food he has on his hands on my pants and the wall. My life is perfect!

Honestly, this has been my favorite time with him. He snuggles me and kisses and says "hi". He is just adorable. I have to admit, I entered him in the baby gap commercial contest. He may not win, but he should.

Those are a couple of his entry pics.

He is a dancer. He has several toys ( ok lots of toys) that make music and every time this child hears a beat or a tune he starts to shake his butt! He takes after me in that way ;) We have a video of it, I need to get it posted. It is the cutest thing...oh did I say he was cute?

Promise to try to blog more often...

You know you're a mommy when...

2009-08-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

the Target sack full of baby food jars rolls off the counter and glass breaks everywhere and while you are cleaning that up, the baby pulls the tablecloth and pulls off all the stuff on the table onto himself, including the pears you had out for him. So you pick him up out of the walker to clean up the pears and poopie oozed out of his diaper onto your arm. When you get to the other room, you can't find any wipes and with the wiggly baby, you now have poopie on both arms and your shirt. Now that is mommydom!!

Good thing he is the cutest thing in creation.

Ok, I admit it

2009-08-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

I have been using FB a little more and it is pretty interesting. My law partner who says I am "closie offy" would be shocked; I have actually befriended some people and had conversations other than with my two friends and my family!! So FB, I apologize :S

My dream job

2009-08-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

is to own this place, but in Ruidoso. Not gonna happen but I can dream!

Dog Park

I love in the packages that there is extra attention and cuddling for older dogs that don't want to play the whole time!

This looks funny

2009-08-03T17:44:00.001-07:00

Good Hair

This looks hilarious and really interesting!

Thanks for the link Torr ;)

Men suck

2009-08-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well, at least the male chauvinist kind! For all women, I will secretly say on this blog what I can't say to someone's face...Don't you dare speak to me or any woman like that you big jerk!!!!!!!!!!!

Facebook Frustration

2009-07-30T10:07:00.001-07:00

Ok, I joined after being prodded by friends, but I must admit, I really don't get it. I really don't care what random people from high school are doing at any given moment of the day. If I did care, I would call, text or email. BUT now that I am on and people keep befriending me, I waste lots of time looking at their pics and reading their posts because lets face it...I am a voyeur. ( and by that, I mean the lesser known definition of... An obsessive observer of sordid or sensational subjects)...keep your mind out of the gutter!!

So, although I do find it interesting to see what people look like now and what they are doing in general, I do not care ifthey are going to the store, watching a movie or picking their nose! Some people have a LOT of time on their hands. Nuf said.

If you are my real friend, hit me up on email or text or even call (I know, how antiquated) or just keep up with me on this or Pratt's blog! Trust me, I am keeping up with you on yours!

Long time 'comin

2009-07-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

I know I have neglected this blog for some time...I have had a lot going on.

As most of you know, my law partner and dear friend Lori is moving to Kansas (assuming we can sell our building) in December. So, we have listed our building and her portion of the practice for sale and I will go back to solo practice. I am ok with all of that, but I will miss Lori a lot.

Also, as most of you know, my mom has been going through treatment for cancer. I don't want to go into details because that is her story to tell, but we are fighting it like hell and expect nothing but good news at the end. Since she is my very best friend, this is taking a toll on me emotionally. Priorities are adjusted when faced with something so overwhelmingly life changing and you don't take any moments for granted.

Pratt is crawling, pulling up and trying to walk. My world has gotten very busy trying to keep up with him and he is an excellent escape artist!! there are lots of cut pics of him on his blog.

Travis and I have decided to adopt another child. We have been on the fence about it ever since we started talking about having children. Neither of us are strangers to adoption and have always felt it a very strong possibility for us. Due to my age and difficutly getting pregnant the first time, we have decided it is the best option for us and so we will begin actively pursuing it when Pratt is about one and a half yrs, although if anyone knows of a baby needing a loving home, we are open to that as well. Seems like all my friends that decided/needed to adopt just "happened upon" a situation and ended up with a baby . We are hoping for the same, but will pursue whatever means necessary when the time comes. I would desparately love a girl, but beggars can't be choosers and we would welcome and love any child that comes our way.

My very dear friend Christy got some news recently that there are some genetic chromosonal issues with her precious baby boy, Cale. I love both of them will all my heart and this is just a note to tell them that they are in my thoughts and prayers and just like with my mom, I am expecting that things will turn out good for them.

Travis is traveling all the time and that is stressful for both of us, but we are doing well. The one thing I can always count on is Travis, my rock.

Love each other. Lately I am learning that is really all that is important.

LOVE THE BUGG!!

2009-04-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

I love this BodyBugg! I am doing "weigh" better on it than I was on Weight Watchers. It is awesome! Pretty much it just makes you realize that it all revolves around calories in, calories burned, but it is so great to see the numbers of your whole day, even resting. But I have to tell you that while I was on WW Trav made this dessert which is TO DIE FOR. Give it a try, it is super low cal and delicious!

Weight Watchers Panna Cotta with Strawberry Sauce recipe
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 ounce unsweetened gelatin
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water, cold
1/2 tablespoon honey
3/4 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
1. In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow to soften (about 5 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, in a large measuring cup, combine the low-fat milk, sweetened condensed milk, honey and 3 tablespoons sugar.
3. Heat the gelatin over low heat until dissolved (about 5 minutes). Stir in the milk mixture, then remove from heat.
4. Coat six 1-cup ramekins with cooking spray. Fill each ramekin halfway with the milk mixture. Chill until firm (at least 4 hours, or overnight).
5. To make the sauce: In a food processor, puree the strawberries.
6. Pour into the saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes (until slightly thickened).
7. Cool and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
7. To assemble: Run a small knife around the edge of panna cotta to loosen them.
8. Dip the ramekins into warm water for about 30 seconds (be careful not to get water into the ramekins!). Invert onto 6 dessert plates.
9. Top each panna cotta with about 2 1/2 heaping tablespoons sauce and serve.

One serving is approximately 233 grams.
WW POINTS per serving: 2
Nutritional information per serving: 95 calories, 1.1g fat, 1g fiber

I got the BUGG

2009-04-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, in my ongoing obsession with The Biggest Loser and because Lori got one, I have now ordered a BodyBugg! It should be here on Weds. I am excited and terrified at the same time. I am really interested to see how many calories I burn in a normal day when I don't exercise so I can know how many calories to stay at or below to keep from gaining. I will keep you posted......

what I have learned so far

2009-03-24T12:32:00.001-07:00

1) my back hurts...this body ain't built for heavy lifting, people
2) throw multi-tasking out the window, you are either getting nothing done OR the baby is at the nanny's, the two shall never meet
3) the baby getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning IS the baby sleeping through the night...that is reality
4) I have not worn mascara since I was eight months pregnant, I am not even sure I have eyelashes really, I am not sure that I care
5) my preggy clothes sure are comfy and real people clothes are constricting, I am tacky white trash unless I am at work and then I am just sloppy and not pulled together
6) you can love someone so much it acutally makes your heart hurt
7) things like life insurance and good brakes become VERY important
8) I have diapers and wipes stashed everywhere...I don't want to get caught without them
9) I could see myself living in Mexico and raising children and being with my family the rest of my life, other things seem very unimportant
10) I have had baby poop on my hand and I didn't even wince...I am stronger than I thought

Thursday as "hump day"

2009-03-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

I think Thursday should be "hump day". I find Thursday very difficult as my mind and body are ready for the weekend and yet I am still at the office. I dream of picking up the baby, gathering up Trav and Linus and heading off to some adventure with my adorable family, yet here I sit, chained to work. Wednesday still feels like work and I haven't caught the scent of the weekend wafting around my office yet, so I am fairly productive, but that Thursday, it taunts me. It causes me to waste 45 minutes playing online Mahjong because I have no ability to concentrate. Here, try it.....It is like procrastination crack.

Maybe today is especially heinous because we leave in the morning to take Pratt to the pediatrician in a town about an hour and a half from here (I know, we live in the sticks) and then from there we are taking the travel trailer to a campground called Bottomless Lakes Campround. I am wholly exicted to have nothing to do, no looming project we should be working on. Just us and nature and games and grillin'...good times!

Slightly creepy but true

2009-03-09T20:16:00.001-07:00

Ok, at my office, in the bathroom, there are two tiles on the wall (identical) that I see Jesus in. I mean the long hair typical portrait of Jesus and I just couldn't keep it to myself anymore. It does make the bathroom seem very peaceful to me though...weird and creepy, I know.

Material girl in an Economic Crisis World

2009-03-05T20:49:00.000-08:00

A very very very dear friend of mine is in financial doom, literally and she is happier than she has ever been. She and her husband are not even making ends meet because they lost their business but somehow in the midst of things, it gave her freedom. She has been talking about how now she enjoys things more and is valuing living small, blessed to have hung onto her home and a vehicle...not caught up in the material things she used to want and she freaking looks fabulous, finally peaceful and fulfilled.

I am jealous, so I started thinking about trying to give up longing for some of the material things that I covet and then I realized I am a material girl. I do have pretty much everything I want (I don't mean for that to sound arrogant) but if money were to become a non-issue, I admit, I would be the owner of way too many Louis Vuitton bags and possibly a gaudy rolex. However, I started thinking about what I really enjoy and it is our travel trailer.

We love to go in it and I am always planning a little escape which used to mean Vegas baby with martinis, expensive dinners and spa treatments but now means 2 or 3 nights in the camper, glass of red wine and snuggling up with my boys.

Point of the story, I will always be a material girl, but what really makes me smile is my family and that silly travel trailer. I wouldn't mind upgrading to this though...

Fashionable is hard to do

2009-03-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

and expensive when you can't buy off the rack because of your size...which is unfortunate. I am inspired to pay more attention to my wardrobe after perusing my sister-in-law's very fashiony blog and yet, it is not like I can go into my closet or to the store and find trendy/classic things that would be attractive on me. So, I am going to stick with this weight watchers thing and just know that becoming a normal size person will have the additional advantage of allowing me to be more stylish. For now, I will have to just love my designer handbabs as they always, at lest for my locale, put me slightly above the bar.

Reality check... I am the mother of a four month old who is often the victim of the "spit-up", but I can dream..............

The Guilties

2009-03-01T08:37:00.001-08:00

I have a hard time telling people no and lately I have been trying to do it more. The reason being that my husband is only home on the weekends pretty much these days and I have been trying to just stay home with him and the baby and have quality family time. Then when something is going on or people want to go out to eat or whatever, I feel terribly guilty when I say no. I know that my intentions are good and I am not just blowing people off, so why can't I feel good about just saying "no thanks...I'll pass"

It is that whole "I want everyone to like me" syndrome and I just need to get over it. If there has to be an either or of they are happy or I am happy, I should choose me, right? But really, they probably are slightly annoyed and then forget about it, while I still carry around the guilties for 1/2 a day for turning them down and being (??) selfish.

Finally broke down...

2009-02-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

and joined weight watchers. The bad news is my weight is horrible but the good new is I get lots of points per day because my weight is so terrible. Why do I get nervous just thinking about tracking what I eat...I am definitely a foodaholic. I don't mean I just like food...I am addicted to food like an alcoholic. I think it would be easier to be addicted to a substance rather than food cuz you could quit cold turkey. Being a foodaholic is like telling a crackhead they have to have some crack everyday, but not too much...no matter how much you like it or how it makes you feel.

So if you are reading this, you know me well enough to know that I have the lap band and you are probably wondering why I don't jsut use that really expensive tool I have. Well, I could and it would work but it is a lot of being miserable and throwing up and it doesn't help me to eat right or be healthy. Most of all, I want to try to get a grip on my eating habits so I don't teach Pratt the horrible habits I have. I want to raise him in a house where food is not the most important thing. So even when I am losing with the lap band, food is still really important, if not more so because you obsess about it because you can't eat anything. Dont' get me wrong, I am thankful for my lap band, it helped me lose the 80 pounds I did before I got pregnant,which I am sure is what helped me keep from getting gestational diabetes and high blood pressure from the baby, but I am already back at my old weight. So clearly it doesn't last unless you live with it so tight that you can't eat anything and that is miserable and not a good example for my little guy.

Ok, enough about my phat butt. Wish me look (actually pray really hard for me) hahah

WHY WHY WHY

2009-02-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Why can't I get motivated to start a diet and do some exercise? The baby is sleeping "most"of the night and still I just continue to eat crappy food and sit on my butt and watch waaaaaayyyyyy too much reality TV. I love that little orange weight wathcers monster on the commercials and am tempted to join their new program, but I don't. AND I sit there snacking whilst wathcing The Biggest Loser thinking...I could do that...hahahahahahahahaha....

Why does my cute but annoying hubby have to work so far away? I miss him so bad when he is gone but on the upside, I do get to spend a ton of time with my parentals.....but I miss him a lot.

Why do I put everything off until the last minute? I like to think of myself as an organized and pulled together person,, but really I am just a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl who is usually lucky enough that things turn out ok, but I want to be pulled together... guess I will get on that right after I start a diet :S

3/18/09 Ok my hubby is pouty because I called him annoying...and he is not annoying, just terribly cute...period.

Numero Uno and the leash

2009-02-19T13:59:00.001-08:00

Well, post numero uno.

My very own place...my first step in retaining my personal identity after motherhood, along with my thoughts on being a mother thus far. A place where I talk about ....well, me and my thoughts and you may be bored already, but I am not so here I go. (feel free to click away now, I won't get my feelings hurt, I promise)

The reason I started this blog was my reading of a recent post off of a friend's blog where she was talking about never having planned on having children and how she was now basically giving up on being the atypical mother with 2 kids who leads a life that just happens to have children in it, rather than a child centered life. I am going thru a bit of that myself...how do you keep yourself when you now have this little person who requires so much of your time and attention and puts grand restrictionson your ability to get up and go. Well, I am a get up and goer and I feel like now I am on a leash. Don't get me wrong, my heart lies at the feet of the holder of the leash, but I long to be a little free. (is it okay to say that out loud???)

more to come....