The boys were very excited about Christmas this year. They are now both of the age where they understand that Christmas is coming, it’s Jesus’ birthday and we do a lot of extra fun things that we only do at Christmas.

We saw Santa Claus a number of times this year. We saw him at the Tree Lighting for the City but they sort of just walked past him because they were a bit scared. We saw him at the mall and they were super excited. Not only did they see him but they even got their picture taken and hugged him! I could hardly believe it! We also saw Santa at a tree lighting display but they only wanted their picture if mom and dad were holding them, although Gabriel did go back and give Santa a hug.

At the light display where we saw Santa, he also had a little playhouse so the kids were definately enjoying that.

In preschool, the boys each put on a small presentation with their classes. Gabriel was a sheep and Matthew was a cow. They both participated and did real well. For each class presentation the teacher had made a birthday cake for baby Jesus and the kids all sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. Then they ALL helped to blow out the candle. It was really cute. All that week at home the boys were pretending to bake cakes and were singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Another favorite part of Christmas for us is making cookies. The boys were both getting into the baking this year. We made some mint chocolate chip cookies and there seemed to be a lot of taste testing going on.

It was definately a busy Christmas season but we enjoyed it and enjoyed being with our family and friends to share this special day.

Please visit www.firehousecrafts.com for today’s blog post. Since it was a combination of a family Christmas activity and a craft I decided to post it on my craft blog. Enjoy!

We had a great family time this weekend at Holidayfest. We started with the tree lighting on Saturday night. The weather was great. It was chilly but not too cold. There was hot chocolate and donut holes. Once the lights were turned on Santa came on a horse drawn sleigh. The boys wanted to know where Rudolph was and we said that he was resting up at the North Pole. Once Santa arrived everyone received popcorn balls. They were throwing them out to the people from the steps of the Gazebo. The boys were so excited. Then we roasted marshmallows in the fire pit they had set up. That felt real nice with the heat. The boys stood in line for Santa and then walked by him real fast hoping that he wouldn’t notice them. We visited with friends and neighbors and had a great time!

On Sunday we did Church and breakfast and then we took the boys to the Holidayfest at the civic center. They had a blast there. There were so many activities for the boys to do and most of them were free. The boys got to make fleece scarves, reindeer faces, Christmas cards and beaded snowflakes. Watch my craft blog, www.firehousecrafts.com, for the beaded snowflake project. I will be posting it soon. The boys also enjoyed the two bounce houses and the cookie decorating. All in all, it was definately a great weekend and a great way to start the Christmas season.

I have been with my Firefighter for the past 10 years. When I met him he was already a career firefighter so that has always been a part of our relationship. You would think that after 10 years of watching him run out to a fire I would be used to it by now…but I’m not.

When he leaves for his shift I don’t usually know if there is a fire call until he comes home or if he calls me afterwards. I have a scanner on that I can listen to but there are other cities on it and I am so used to having it on that sometimes I don’t really hear it anymore. Plus with being in and out of the house so much with the boys, I’m not always around to hear it. I know that he goes on squad calls, fire alarm drop call as well as fires but, like I said, I don’t usually know about the calls until the next day when he is home safe and sound. You can’t help but feel a bit scared when you are sewing at 10:00pm and your firefighter comes into the room and says “I have to go into work. There’s a working fire”. I know immediately that it will be a long night that will be spent worrying about him.

I know that he is safe and takes all of the necessary safety precautions but I just can’t help but worry about him. I know that this is part of the job and this is part of who he is but, as his Wife, I worry. I say a prayer for him and his department as he runs out the door and I will say another prayer for him when I go to bed alone tonight. Once he leaves for the station my evening goes on as normal, I will finish up my projects, finish up my computer work, pick-up around the house a bit and then go to bed. Of course the worry is always there in the back of my mind but I just keep myself occupied so I’m not thinking of it as much.

Hopefully he will be home before morning. I miss him when he is not here, especially when he is out at a fire. So, I will close up the house soon for the night, leave a light on in the kitchen for my Firefighter, check on my boys and give them each another kiss goodnight and make sure that they are all tucked in, then it’s off to bed to read and say a prayer for my Firefighter’s safe return.

God Bless Our Firefighters!

I don’t know about you but I use lists for everything. I keep a notebook on the kitchen counter and it is full of lists. I have my Things-To-Do list and I add to it daily. I also cross off items as I complete them. As the page fills up I then re-write the unfinished items on the next page, which is hopefully only a few items, and then I have room to add more. I also have a list of long-term and short-term projects that I want to complete. I tend to multi-task too much so I usually end up forgetting something so I write it down. When I’m in the middle of another project and I think of something else that I need to do I write it on my list. I’m sure that there is a way to store it on my phone or to have my list on the computer but I still like to have it on my counter and be able to see it. Hopefully I will be getting a Smart Phone soon and then maybe I will keep my list on it but, until then, I’ll stick with my notebook and pencil.

I also keep a grocery list on the refrigerator or in the drawer. I like to keep the list on the refrigerator but sometimes the boys take sheets off of the tablet of paper and then don’t use them so I put them in the drawer and use them later for my grocery list.

I also have my list for the Lake. At the beginning of each season I make up a list for things that we need to take to the Lake for the season such as shampoo and hairspray type items. I then make up a list of things that we take to the Lake each time we go. It seems to change each year as the boys grow. Now we no longer need formula and baby food or bouncy seats.

Then there is always my Christmas list of people that I buy/make Christmas gifts for. I make up a new one each January and keep it in my purse. That way if I do any early Christmas shopping throughout the year I can check my list to see who I am buying for and mark down what I buy them. Sometimes I buy something so early in the year that I forget about it so the list reminds me that I have it purchased. I keep the gifts in one spot so I don’t end up misplacing them before Christmas.

Of course I cannot forget the list of shift days for my Firefighter. That is not really a traditional list. I highlight the days on the calendar that he is on shift and then also indicate which shifts are Kelly days or Holi-Vac days. Then there are the B jobs to list on the calendar too.

Then there are the basic shopping lists such as things I need at the craft store or school supplies that I need to buy for the boys or just miscellaneous items.

I never realized how many lists I make throughout the year but I really use them and need them. I have not been keeping up my To-Do list these past few weeks and I can really tell the difference. I even went grocery shopping last week without making up a grocery list. That was a mistake! I ended up buying some extra items and foregetting some items that we needed.

So, now I am off to update my grocery list and my To-Do list so that I can get back on track! What kinds of lists do you use?

So far so good. I lost 4.2 pounds this week! I was happy with that but it was a lot of hard work. I managed to work out a few times this week and I have been eating better. I have been staying within my Weight Watchers points but it’s been hard. I’m so used to eating whatever I feel like, whether or not it’s healthy. I will walk through the kitchen and grab a few cookies or some crackers or anything else that is simple and easy. This week I have had to modify that.

I am still hungry when I first wake up in the morning so on my way to the shower I now grab some mini carrots instead of a cookie. I have been trying to cut up more fruit first thing in the morning so that it’s easy to grab when I’m hungry. Plus then the boys know that they can grab anything out of the fruit bowl at anytime without asking. That is helping to keep them out of the cupboards. I have switched to skim milk with my cereal and in my tea. The skim milk doesn’t taste as bad as I thought it would. This morning I roasted some brussel sprouts in the oven and they turned out great.

The hardest part has been the cravings. I just want to sit down with the box of cereal or the bag of chips or the bag of Chex Mix Muddy Buddies and eat. I still crave sweets throughout the day and stuff like that. I am trying to learn to turn to the fruit first and, when I do eat snacks, to limit the portion sizes to the actual size. If I do that and eat them slowly it’s not so bad. I had one portion of the Chex Mix last night and did not eat it in two handfuls. I just took my time, had some tea with it and just picked up one at a time while I was reading. I was actually satisfied with that when I was done. Don’t get me wrong, I definately could have scarfed down plenty more but at least I felt satisfied and the bag was not sitting right there next to me.

I know that this is a lifestyle change and that it will not happen overnight. It took me awhile to put on all of this weight so it will take me awhile to lose it and to adjust my lifestyle. I think that the hardest part has been making sure I have food prepared to take with me while I’m running errands. I try to cut up some fruit and put it is plastic baggies or I will take a nutrition bar and a couple of bottles of water. That way I am not tempted to stop at the drive-thru for fast food because I’m starving.

I’m hopeful that I will stick with this but it is hard. I am determined to keep at it. I know that after awhile it will be a lifestyle change and it will become second nature. It’s just a matter of getting there! One day at a time.

A Firewife…has fire themed knick-knacks throughout the house.

A Firewife…has scanners all over the house.

A Firewife…knows what SCBA stands for.

A Firewife…has the fire department logo on at least half of her wardrobe.

A Firewife…does not question her Firefighter when he walks up to her at a party, gives her a kiss and tells her that he just got called out and if she can get a ride home.

A Firewife…goes to family functions by herself because of the shift schedule.

A Firewife…dresses her boys in every fire themed outfit she can find.

A Firewife…sleeps alone on shift nights so that her Firefighter can protect others.

A Firewife…says a prayer for her Firefighter to return home safely every time that he leaves for a shift or is called back into the station.

A Firewife…knows the difference between a VHF radio system and an 800 radio system (or at least for the most part).

A Firewife…learns how to tackle household problems that only seem to arise on shift days.

A Firewife…has a fire themed wedding. (OK, he only asked to wear his uniform at the wedding but I just ran with it and we had a fire themed wedding)

A Firewife…loves her Firefighter!

A Firewife…could not imagine her life any other way!!

The Christmas Elf has made his appearance at our house. I had told the boys that he would be back on Thursday, after we woke Santa up at the Mall on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, M ended up with an ear infection and pink eye so we did no go to wake Santa up. However, the Elf still made his first appearance of the Holiday season to the boys.

I decided to just leave the Elf on a Shelf book out on the boys’ little table and not tell them about the Elf. When the Elf goes back to the North Pole he takes the book back too. I figured that if I left the book out it would clue the boys in that the Elf was back and in the house. They don’t usually walk around looking up at the shelves so I thought that I would help them notice it.

When they were up for a little while G noticed the book and asked where it came from. I acted all surprised and said that only the Elf brings that book. They both started screaming and running around the family room looking for the Elf. G found him first and the boys were quite excited. Then they started drilling me with a million questions. “How did he get here”, “will he stay here”, “how does he get out”, “should we leave the door open for him at night”, “can he see us even when we are not home”, “can he see us when we are in the car”, “is there an elf at Mimi’s house”, and so on and so on.

Each morning now they don’t even come into my room first anymore. They just run around until they find where the Elf is sitting on that day. Then they come into my room all excited and tell me where he is. I just need to remember to have him “fly” to a new spot before I go to bed each night. Last year the Elf forgot to “fly” to a new spot so when the boys weren’t looking he would “fly” to a new spot at some point during the day.

Even at their young ages they still remembered the Elf from last year. They asked about him a few times this past summer but I told them that he would come again after we woke up Santa. This year I had to tell them that my friend’s children were going to wake up Santa since we couldn’t take M to the mall with pink eye. They were satisfied with that. This can be such a fun age!!

Well, I’m officially back at Weight Watchers as of today. I cannot believe how I have struggled with my weight since I had M. After G I had no problem losing the weight but then I started to put some back on and then I was pregnant with M. After I had M I did Weight Watchers but did not stick with it because I was so busy with a toddler and an infant on a firefighter’s schedule.

Over these last three years since I had M my weight has been up and down. I feel angry sometimes because I want to eat what I want and when I want to just like I used to do. When I was in highschool and in my twenties it did not matter what I ate, I didn’t put on weight. Once I got into my thirties I put on a few pounds but I was still thin. Then I got married and packed on some pounds. After that first year of marriage I did Weight Watchers and I did great. Then I had my kids. I tried to do the at home version this past summer but I did not stick with it. I really need to be accountable at one of the meetings. It is just frustrating to me that I have had to say good-bye to my fantastic metabolism! After eating whatever I wanted and now to have it put pounds on me, it’s just frustrating.

I have had enough of complaining about my weight and about my clothes not fitting and about being thankful that the cold weather is finally here so that I can get back into my “hide the belly fat” hooded sweatshirts. Personally, I think that the hooded sweatshirt must be the best invention ever! I am finally ready to move forward with my life and to stop making excuses. I am going to get my stress eating under control. I am going to exercise again. Life has been so busy that I have not even been doing my bellydancing and I have now put back on the few pounds that I actually lost doing my bellydancing.

I had my first meeting today and it went well. I am motivated but I am scared. I want to succeed. I think, though, that once I lose the weight and keep it off, I will end up becoming a Weight Watchers lifetime member. I’m not in my twenties anymore and my body shape is changing with my age and events in my life. I need to embrace it. I can deal with having a few more curves than I had in the past but I refuse to deal with this extra belly fat just because I make poor food choices.

So, this week I start my lifestyle change. I am going back to my bellydancing and will be heading back to the Civic Center to run/walk the track. I have no excuse not to go. The Civic Center has a supervised tot room full of toys that the boys love to go to so I am even able to take them with me instead of waiting to go exercise on my Firefighter’s shift off. I have no more excuses. The time to start changing is now!

Yesterday I took the boys to the zoo. It was a beautiful day. I wrote about it on my craft blog at Firehouse crafts.com.

The reason that I am talking about the great day that we had yesterday is because today was such a hard day! Today was just one of those days where it just seemed like everything was going wrong.

I called the pediatrician this morning because I thought that M might have another ear infection. They had a later morning appointment that fortunately did not interfere with the pick-up time at G’s preschool. I also noticed throughout the morning that M’s eye was getting red. I figured that the doctor could check that out while we were there. He said it didn’t bother him so that was good.

I picked up G at preschool and we headed to the doctor’s office. Things were good. Then we arrived at the doctor’s office. Once we were inside the boys decided to start to run around the waiting room which had just been expanded and offered the perfect running area for active kids. Fortunately, there were only two other people there. Once I checked us in I took them over to the far end of the waiting room hoping that they would calm down a bit. That didn’t work out too well. At this point, M is not looking sick at all.

They called us back after only a few minutes. They checked us in back there and put us in a room and the doctor came pretty quickly too. She could probably hear us from the waiting room!! I told her about his ear and his eye. Well, his ear is infected, again, so now we have to follow-up with an ENT for possible tubes. G had tubes put in and he has not had an ear infection since. This is M’s third ear infection in less than two months. I feel so bad for him. Then, she looks at his eye. It’s pink eye!! So far the rest of us are good and I think that we found M’s pink eye right away because we were already going to the doctor for his ear. Hopefully no one else gets it. Then I got the pleasure of calling the school to notify them about the pink eye.

On the way home we stopped for the prescriptions. The pharmacy was out of one of them so they sent us down to their other location. Only they forgot to call them. So we waited there too. We finally got home.

Our Firefighter was on shift yesterday and then had meetings this morning and his part-time shift tonight. I still do not understand why these things always happen during shifts?!?! I guess that’s just the way it is.

We saw our Firefighter for a short time before he had to leave again. Then the boys decided to get wild and were running all over and just being very active boys. I was exhausted already. By 7:00pm I could see that M was tired from the long day and not feeling well so I put him to bed at that point and he fell asleep real fast. Even G went to bed early today. Those boys wore themselves out today…I know that they definately wore out this Mama!!