Thankful Thursday - I'm a working Mom

Any of you mom's that work full time might feel the same guilt I carry. When I had my daughter Mackenna 2 years ago, I knew that I was just not going to be able to be a stay at home mom. I had to work. I work on average 50 hours a week and sometimes more depending on the overtime needs at my job, which is a lot. I can get some fatty checks, but sometimes those weeks I see little of Mack. There are time, when I get home and she is already in bed and I hadn't seen her all day. I would love to be a stay at home mom and I'm so jealous of my friends and other bloggers for that matter that are stay at home mom's. But, then again I think that we either stay at home or work for a reason, and my reason is to be the working mom. Life can be very busy at times, to where I want to scream. I have little time after work to get the millions of things that I want to get done. It's gotten better because I calendar out a cleaning schedule, meal planning and laundry. So, then I don't feel like I have to do everything every night. 

The above has changed a little. I was working 6-3pm for the last 4 years at my current job. When Mack was ready for preschool and due to me and the hubs schedules at work I had to change my shift to 8-5. I know, welcome to the real world of 8-5er's. I now get to see Mack every morning. I'm the one that gets to wake her up and see her smiley face first each day. I get to pick her clothes out for the day. (I usually only got to do this on the weekends), but now I get to do it everyday. What Mom wouldn't want to pick out her little girls outfit everyday... duh! We get to rock out in the car together on the way to school every morning. Mack loves to sing and dance in the back of the car and look just as stupid as me. 

This is how my day goes...

5:45-6amish - I wake up and get straight into the shower. If Mack is awake we lay in my bed for 10 minutes and watch cartoons. 

6:20ish - I'm out of the shower. I get dressed while Mack is still in my bed watching cartoons. 

6:30ish - We move to the living room and I make her a little something to eat. (They eat breakfast at preschool too).

* While she is eating I make her lunch and mine. 

6:45ish - Time to clean her face, brush hair, teeth, and wrestle her on the floor to get dressed. She continues to watch her cartoon, while I get the rest of my stuff together. Feed the cat, feed Mack's gold fish, get gym bad together. 

7:00ish - I got start my car and warm it up. 

* Then I go back inside make my toast and superfood shake. 

7:15 - Mack likes to grab her own lunch box and I grab her things that are needed at preschool that day and we load up into the car. 

7:30ish -7:35ish - I drop her off at school. I help her put her lunch away in the cubby and take her coat off and make sure that I sign her in. 

7:40ish - I'm off to work. I usually drive to work in silence, or I will jam to the same song Mack and I were listening to earlier.

7:45 - I'm at work, ya I'm only 5 minutes from her preschool. 

That is how my morning goes. Before I worked 8-5 I was leaving the house at 5:30am before anyone in my house was awake. I didn't really see Ian or Mack. Now, I get to see both of them everyday and have the morning with Mackenna. I still get bummed that I can't be home with her everyday, but I'm thankful that with my new schedule at work, her starting preschool, that I get to be with her every morning no matter what. 

What are you thankful for this week? 

Note: Check out my first 365 days in pictures. 

78. Seeing Mack's Face every morning

79. New Cast Iron kettle for Fireplace

80. My Droid X 

81. Mack's hugs and kisses

82. Evening's laying on the floor by the fire, watching a movie with the family

83. Making it 8 days at the gym thus far

84. Yoga classes

85. My Job

Link Up

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! 

Mack's First 3 weeks of Preschool

Mackenna is on week 3 of preschool and now I'm posting about her first day with photos now. Ok, I know lame. Better late than never I always say : )

So the night before I was little bit of a wreck. I thought my house had to be perfectly clean and her room and clothes all washed and ready to go for the week. I packed her lunch the night before in her new lunch box, and made sure her name was written on everything. 

I didn't really sleep a wink that night, because I was afraid she wasn't going to like it and they would be calling me tomorrow at work to come and pick my monster up. I got up real early the morning of the first big day and was making sure that her backpack was all packed up and then I woke her up. She usually sleeps in until 7am, but for preschool she needs to be up no later than 6:15am. She was so grumpy, to say the least. I pretty much had to pin her down on the couch just to get her shoes on. By the time we were running out the door it was 7:10am... we were looking pretty good to be on time to preschool that starts at 7:30am. I was on the main road headed to Mackenna's school, when I realized that I left my hot iron on. I turned around and zoomed back home to turn that the stupid thing off. I jump back in the car and by this time Mackenna is loosing her patience with me. I told her not to worry we are really off to school now. 

We finally got to her school, and I started putting away all of her stuff in her new cubby. Then I watched her play for a little bit and she completely forgot I was even there until I asked for a hug and kiss goodbye. She turned around and told me "no! cya mummy." At first I was sad, but then I was super happy that she was going to have a good time at school. I walked out to my car and realized that even though she is two years old, she is still my little baby. It's hard to realize that they are a little person and not a baby anymore.

So far, we are on week 3 of school and the morning's are getting easier and running more smoothly. I swear her vocab has increased beyond my expectations. She is really loving school. 

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween.


I bought 7 bags of candy and we ran out by 7pm. So, next year I'm thinking it's going to take Costco size candy bags. Mackenna had a really good time trick or treating. We hit up our street first, and then we went to a neighborhood in town a little ways and Mackenna got loaded up on the candy. She asked me for a piece this morning for breakfast. Don't think so....


Mackenna had a lot of fun trick or treating this year as Tinkerbell.

McFatty Friday - No Numbers

This week has been my first successful full week of reaching my health goals. I not saying weight goals, because weight and numbers discourages people. All I want to do is get healthy once again. We all want to be our high school weight, because who wouldn't. I was in the best shape in my life and in my prime. Sometimes being skinny like you once were just isn't an obtainable goal. If you work hard to being healthy you will get there eventually. 

This week I went to the gym everyday on my lunch and I will be going today. It's nice to get a nice workout on my lunch. I feel so much better afterwards. I'm more awake, sweaty, but awake. I have a friend at work Kate, that is going to the gym with me. So, that helps when I'm hitting the gym to have someone else sweating and enduring the pain with me. Plus, we motivate and laugh at eachother. I've also, been going to yoga twice a week. You might not think it's a workout, but man you can feel the burn. 

I'm going to tell you about my milestones at the gym and yoga, no numbers. 

For Example: Last night I almost did a hand stand with my elbows on the ground, I fell, but I almost did it. I will let you know stuff like that. 

Also, I'm skipping the coffee and trading it in for a protein or superfood shake. I'm eating fiber toast for breaky and a shake for dinner, or a salad. 

Cheers to Health!

Want to join my health regime. We can share our stories, recipes and milestones together. Link up. 

Thankful Thursday - My Dad

My dad was as strict as they come when I was growing up. He was a hard ass and he knew it. Although, he was a tough dad I still didn't go without, I was taken care of, and because him I am who I am today. 

A little background on my dad...

My dad was born in raised in Kent, Washington. His dad (my grandpa) was the hardest hard ass as they can possibly come. My grandpa is old school. Although, my grandpa was very financially stable, you wouldn't know it by the car my dad drove and the hideous rugby shorts and striped shirts he wore. My dad's first car was a nova with a chain that was attached to the hood. (Kinda like tommy boy, after they destroyed the car). Although, my grandpa was a tough parent and a pain in the ass to my dad I'm sure at the time.. my dad wouldn't be who he is today if it weren't for his dad.

Of course we parents always take a piece of our parent's traits and practice them on our own kids. 

Even though we swore we would never do those things that our parents did to us to our kids, we do and shake our heads after we realized what we just did and say. .... " I sound like my dad..." 

My dad was always there for me. He was a neat freak. I mean a NEAT FREAK. If there was a piece of paper on the floor of our rooms, there would be hell to pay. I mean my dad told me that the dishwasher was for sterilizing only, and that the dishes had to be cleaner going in then they would coming out. That meant not a piece of food on the plate before it went into the dishwasher. 

I remember when I would get upset and would be yelling or raising my voice to get my point across, my dad wouldn't speak to me until I could talk like an adult. Sometimes, I could just rip his head off, but eventually I would calm down. 

I have so much to thank my dad for. We went on vacations to Mexico, Alaska, camping and soccer tournaments together. My dad was the number one dad and soccer fan. Yes my dad was my soccer fan. Every says soccer mom, so for Christmas one year, I got a license mat made that said #1 Fan Soccer Dad. He even went to my first gynecologist appointment, how many dad's would do that. 

As much as I couldn't stand my dad's rules, and his OCD on cleaning, and his silly sayings that use to drive me nuts. I can respect them now as an adult, because I find myself trailing in my dad's footsteps. 

For Example: As a kid I wasn't allowed to have sugar soda, or it just wasn't in the house. So, If I wanted a soda I had to drink my dad's diet coke or diet pepsi. I blame my serious addiction to diet coke on my dad, and I can't really stand the taste of sugar soda's.. thanks dad. Our Halloween candy lasted an entire year or more in the freezer. We were allowed to a piece once in awhile. 

Now I can't do the dishes without the dishes being completely clean before I put them in the dishwasher. I mean come on now... I used to hate that as a kid, but I just can't seem to help myself. 

My dad was a hard ass, he called me McFly, he was a pretty cool dad when my friends were over (sometimes embarrassing). Parents can be embarrassing, I feel like its their job. Even though my dad wore the same black sweater from my grandpa's gold mine, that had hole's in it might I add, and dropped us off to school, my dad was still a great dad. 

He loved me no matter what. He was my biggest fan on and off the field. He treated me like an adult if I acted liked one. He gave me the best childhood a kid could ask for. Even though, I made my dad a grandpa younger than he probably wanted, he still was there for me. 

I'm thankful for a great dad. 

Love,

McFly

What are you Thankful for this week?

70. My Dad

71. My Friends

72. Pumpkins

73. Rain and Wind

74. Snow

75. Firewood 

76. San Francisco Giants in World Series

77. Coffee & of course Diet Coke

Wordless Wednesday

This is my cute little spider last year. It was a great first costume, because we live in the mountains. When Halloween comes around these parts, we are sometimes lucky to have no snow yet and sometimes oh so unlucky. This year it's forecasted to rain and have some snow showers. Mackenna is going to be Tinker Bell this year, and it's not as warm as last years costume, so I hope the weather cooperates. 

Mackenna: You were so cute last year, this year you will be even cuter I'm sure.