i was just re-reading posts from the past many months. that 5k so did not happen. haha. :-) but i am still going to zumba class twice a week, and trying, trying to eat better... but i'm not doing very well with that. i lost 20 lbs, then gained about 5.5 back. i need to start using the Lose It! app again, pronto.

i love my job, but i don't like being away from the kids so much. micah and rowan are both doing really well at and enjoying school. they're so wonderful. they fight CONSTANTLY. we were going through absolute hell at bedtime there for a while - partially because i wasn't being consistent and was trying something different almost every night, out of desperation - but we've finally settled into a nice routine that works for everyone. around 8 o'clock the kids brush their teeth and get into pj's. no later than 9 o'clock, they lay down in bed and i read to them until they fall asleep. if rowan falls asleep before micah, and if micah's still awake and not quite ready for sleep, she's allowed to turn her lamp on and quietly read, write, draw, etc. in bed until she's sleepy. this works great for her because she feels like she has a little bit of control over her bedtime (because i have learned finally that i can't make her go to sleep, no matter what i do); and it works great for me, because one of the things that's always driven me nuts about bedtime is that i have to be in there with them, either lying down or nursing or whatever, until they fall asleep. i am SO HAPPY they're finally at the age where i can sit in a chair and just read. don't get me wrong - when they were babies, nothing made me happier than to snuggle and nurse them to sleep every single night, and i wouldn't change a thing. but as they've gotten older, i've grown less and less patient with actively participating and facilitating every moment of the whole "falling asleep" process. i've been so ready for them to learn how to lie down and fall asleep on their own. not that they're really even on their own - i'm in the room. but sitting in a chair reading is so different from lying down with them, for me. again, i love it, i wouldn't have it any other way. all that is to say... this new routine is really working well for me because i can kiss micah goodnight, leave her to her journal or book, and check on her periodically, while getting to do what i want with the rest of the evening. before, after lying down with them, by the time they finally fell asleep, my nerves would be too shot to do anything.

rowan's so funny, he's always sound asleep within minutes of me starting to read. :-)