Baby Joaquin: 4 and 5 Month Update

My little booger monster turned 5 months this month. A lot has happened in these past two months and we hit so many milestones. I can't help but squeeze him tight because it's going too fast for Mommy.

 

 

 

Size: 6-9 months. Real Babies have curves. Joke.

*I'm going to start a petition to change the sizing of baby clothes. They need to drop the "months" because it is no longer accurate. Babies are born in all sizes and grow at different rates. Who's with me?

Cuteness level: Epic proportions (not to brag or anything)

 

Eating: Soy formula and Brown Rice Cereal with Probiotics (Hipster baby)

Sleeping: Beat the sleep regression monster! Sleeps from

8:00pm- 3:30am/Bottle, back to sleep until 6:00-7:00.

(Note to self: Write posts about these two things later.)



Milestones: Sitting up for a few seconds on his own, cut his first tooth (!!!), eating cereal, rolling from back to front and back again, dropping and picking up his toys,

and toy to mouth coordination is spot on.

 

 

Likes: Mommy and Daddy, jumping, playing with anything with a washing instructions tag on it, staring at the time on the oven, the colors black, white, and red all in the same object, and his feet.

Obsessions: Sonic and splashing in bath water

Sonic is still coming around.

Dislikes: His carseat, an empty bowl of cereal, men with deep voices, when mommy burns something in the oven and the fire alarm goes off.

Next Up: Pureed foods, sitting unassisted, crawling, and turning half a year old!

 

 

As for me, I'm obsessed with my health right now. Hubby and I finally agreed that eating out as many times as we do and being addicted to coffee is not ok. We are eliminating most starches when we can and incorporating Paleo ideas (Yay, MEAT!) but still staying true to the foodies that we are. This is called the "DUH" diet which stresses the obvious: more veggies and fruit, no junk, quinoa<brown rice<white rice, sugar makes you fat, and limit the treats. DUH.

I've also been hitting well over my Nike Fuel points everyday and making sure I'm up and about instead of being comatose in front of the TV. I took out my running stroller the other day and I'm slowly working up to running again. The weather has been very cooperative.

I'm feeling good.

 

Happy Leap Year! Make it Count.

I want to do something CRAZY FUN today, but I don't know what! If you have been reading my blog for awhile, or you know me in real life, then you know that I am far from crazy fun. I am a homebody at heart and rarely like to party it up with or be a part of the hip LA crowd. I am uncool by nature.

So, I opted to join NIKE + for their #makeitcount campaign and do something good for my body. This is an extra day to run and that's pretty much all you do! Done and Done. See how uncrazy fun I am?



If I read it correctly, their website says to run one mile. I think I might tack on a few more and make it really count. My thighs will thank me later. 

What other crazy shenanigans can I get myself into today?

Teacher Talk Tuesday: The Job Slump

Remember last year, when I thought I was going to die?

I was so painfully unhappy with my job that I dug myself into the deepest hole and became depressed. Luckily, there was a kitchen and Blogworld down there. 

Guys, I don't know how my poor husband survived last year because I ripped his head off almost everyday. I came home crying almost everyday and wanted to quit right then and there. I let 18 immature boys ruin not only my work life, but my personal life as well. WHY, Joanna?

Thanks, Poster, but it was really quite difficult. Besides the fact that I'm overdramatic, I'm also obsessive and a perfectionist. God broke the mold when he made me, huh? (I never thought I'd use that phrase) Put those all together and what do you get? A teacher who wanted to be liked by her students, do well on her test scores, and go home on time each day feeling like a million bucks. Pshh... yeah...right.

So, I survived it right? Barely. Time passed ever so slowly and I'm here with a fun story to tell. Here's my advice to those who are in a lemon patch right now. Eff making lemonade, you gotta take life by the horns and make something more satisfying than that.

1. Breathe and know that it's not personal. 

If you're like me, you might get paranoid that people hate you ALL the time. Please say it's not just me. A co-worker doesn't say good morning? I shift into "Uh oh. What's the last thing I said to her? Did I call her fat on accident? Is she mad at me? Oh crap, was I supposed to call her or something?"

A client, or in my case, 18 teenagers act like total monkies and throw shit at you all day at work? I start thinking "What can I do do change myself so that they would like me and respect me?" 

Honey, the world isn't about you sometimes and you really have to say "It's not me, it's YOU." Instead of thinking how I can change myself, I think about how I can change my way of thinking. Maybe your co-worker had a bad morning, didn't see you, or has to pee really really badly or maybe those clients are really just A-holes. In the equation of A-hole clients and you, you are the only one stressing. Stop.

2. Vent to the right people.

If you don't do this, you'll end up being angry and hurt. I vented to anyone and everyone who would listen, and sometimes those who just had ears. Thanks, Sonic. I told a lot of non-teachers and I would get the "Did you call their parents?" "You should try giving them a book they're interested in." "You should talk to my friend, she's a teacher." These people all mean well and I appreciate them trying to help, but REALLY? Sometimes people don't understand what your job entails and what you are truly going through. They want to help in their own way, but that way isn't going to sound helpful to you if you're already depressed and angry . Talk to someone you know will understand.



My teacher friends



3. Find a really good hobby.

This is pretty straightforward. Do something that will make you happy. I found plenty.

Running

Reading



Cooking funny looking Chicken Butts

Eating

and eating...

and eating.

Ok, that could be very dangerous, but for me it was my ultimate comfort. I did balance it with running so that made it ok.

4. Know that everything will be ok.

I'm living proof. Hated my job last year and now I am living the teacher dream. I have a wonderful class, an awesome principal who just lets me do my job, and very helpful co-workers. God handed me a challenge last year but I kept with it and now, he's showing me that life is good.

via

5. Lastly, don't kill anyone.

My hubby was so patient with me. He felt the wrath of my depression and anger and held me lovingly as I sobbed and wiped snot boogers all over him. I took out my anger on him and if he left me or if I killed him during one of my Mr. Hulk episodes, I would've lost the only person on earth who could put up with my crap. Thank God I made him good food or else I would've been crying to Sonic and he is no good at listening. Thank you, Hubby.

photobooth fun

• Do you have any advice to someone who hates their job?
• How do you get through a rough patch?

My New Year's Resolutions

Well hello there 2012! You look rather chipper and ready to go. Well, I'm ready to go, too so LET'S DOOOO THIS!

I would be lying if I said I am "looking forward to this year," because really, I don't have much planned for 2012, YET. Don't get me wrong, I am happy that it's a new year because to me and everyone else on the planet, it means new beginnings and new possibilities. Yeah, it's hard not to sound cliche when you're saying all that junk, but that's the way it goes in Blogtown, USA.

Also around Blogville are New Year's resolutions and anti-resolutions propaganda. Here on my bloggity blog, I am very much FOR resolutions and vote yes on Prop NYR. I have always been a strong advocate of making goals. Some say that resolutions should be made on any day, not just New Years, but I say to each his own. Some people, like myself, feel the newness of the year on January 1st. I also feel it in the beginning of the school year, every Monday, ever first of the month, and after every bowl movement. Fresh starts, right?

Here are my Resolutions from last year 11 in 2011. I think I did A-OK.

So, without further ado, here are my Resolutions for this brand spankin' new year.

Goals for 2012

Intellectual and Spiritual Me

1. Educate myself.

I am the type of person who rarely reads things thoroughly. Hell, I never EVER proofread any of my college papers before submitting them. It's a wonder how I even got by. I don't even proofread my blog most of the time, hence the spelling and grammar mistakes. I never read directions or instructions either, unless it's for IKEA furniture of some super cool Lego model. As a result, I don't feel like I am truly knowledgeable in anything other than the In-n-Out Menu. I feel like I need to slow down and read things more thoroughly and really become knowledgeable enough with various topics and things to be able to articulate myself.

 2. Read, Read, Read

This year I read more than I've ever read before. I read more books than magazines which makes me smarter than ever before, no? I'm not an avid reader but the feeling of getting lost in a book is very addicting and something that I really enjoyed this year.

My goal is to read at least one book for fun and one book for self-improvement a month. I also want to start reading some of the classics.

3. Pray and meditate daily

I've been really into yoga lately and our meditation portion of the class is crucial for my well-being. In other words, it helps me not to be Mrs. Angry Incredible Hulk when I'm at home or at work. My mind is constantly running a million miles a minute and when I meditate and pray, it is the only time I feel in control and calm. Why not set aside 10 or so minutes a day for that? Ok. Done and Done.

Strong and Healthy Me:

4. Strengthen my mind and body via yoga

You don't know how happy I am to be able to touch my toes. This is history in the making, folks. I love the challenge of yoga and the benefits are incredible. I feel like my muscles are getting stronger! I definitely want to keep this up. And by the end of the year, I want to be able to do these poses.


.via.



.via.

 And if I could do both of these on the beautiful sandy beaches of Hawaii, 2012 will be the best year ever!

5. Run a 10K

I am a little hesitant to put this on here because right now I don't know if I am capable of such a task, but I'm aiming high and hoping for the best. Last year my goal was to run two 5Ks without stopping and I did it. I'm hoping that by the end of this year, I can say that I did this one, too.... duh... that's what resolutions are for right?

6. Eat more Veggies

This one is going to be tough. I HATE vegetables. I want to have a good relationship with veggies because I know they are good for me. Veggies, let's make a deal, you taste good and I'll eat you, yes?

Hmmm, I Googled "I hate Veggies"  and only pictures of kids hating them came up. Interesting.

The Hopeful Chef Me:

7. Get back to Project Wifey Wife

Since my camera broke, I haven't been blogging much about my cooking. I miss posting my two new recipes a week. My goal is to really try to commit to this again. 

8. Create my own

Now that I have a few recipes under my ever expanding belt, I want to dive into creating my own. I am used to putting my spin on things but to create something that is truly my own would be the bomb dot com backslash bangarang.

9. Host more dinner gatherings

I want to invite more people over for dinner parties. I'm a grown-up now and I think that's what grown-ups do. I need to get over the stress of it all, hire a maid to clean my house, and I'm good to go. Who wants to come over for dinner?

10. Stop trying to be perfect

The last one is a little more personal and I will spare you the gritty little details. In a nutshell, I tend to internalize everything which turns into obsessing over everything, which turns into over thinking everything, which turns into being hard on myself, which turns into depression. See what I did there, I thought about this one simple thing way too much. I want to stop that. I want to learn to relax.

So there you have it, my New Year's Resolutions. Striving to be a better person is never a bad thing so I definitely encourage you to make a few. You can do it, friend!

• What are some of your resolutions?

My Blogiversary

One year ago I started this crazy little blog thing. I kept it private for about a month before I let the little beast run wild and free on the internets. At first, some of my family and friends questioned why I would even want to do such a thing. And in good mommy fashion, my mom was worried that someone would cook my recipes, stalk me, and find me to cut me up into pieces...or something like that. Regardless, I kept on going, starting Project Wifey Wife, continuing my Zelda quest for my "princess" named Healthy McHealthiness, and joining the fun of Bloggerworld.

Check it out!

I never revealed this, but I wanted to blog because my life was a little topsy turvy with being a newlywed, struggling with my job, and considering a career change. These changes were enough for me to throw up my arms and say "CURSES!" or something else that started with an F. This blog became my comfort. I've always been a journal person, heck, I even had a diary in 1st grade (which I forgot the combination to and haven't been able to open since 4th grade). I had a Xanga in college and continued to keep a handwritten one near my bed. Writing is a friend of mine, for sure.


My first header

This blog is my pride and joy. Even with the horrible spelling mistakes and grammar fumbles, (Did I mention I'm a teacher... I... is... so ...smarte!) and the time I let pass between each post (don't look down at the last time) I thank you, reader, for reading about my life and leaving sweet comments. To my friends and family, who now give me so much encouragement, Thank you. And of course, To The Man, The Mister, the Hubby Hub to my Wifey Wife, Thank you for always encouraging me to blog...AND you're welcome for all the food.

Here's to another year....


To celebrate I will cook my first Project Wifey Wife meal:
Boeuf Bourguignon

And just like the first time, I will forget to post the recipe.....maybe.

The Mission Inn 5K

I hate my Nike iPod thingy. But more on that later.

The Race: Mission Inn 5K Run- November 13, 2011
I signed up for this one because it was pretty local and looked harmless. I didn't think it would be that crowded. Boy, was I wrong.

The Course:
It started next to the beautiful Mission Inn in Downtown Riverside, circling Fairmount Park, going up a KILLER hill which seemed endless, and ended right back to the Mission Inn. It was a nice course but I wish I anticipated and practiced for the hill that nearly killed me.

The Preps: The night before, I made sure I ate a good amount of carbs. I was lucky that the family party I went to was loaded with a crazy and odd amount of chicken. YAY protein. I know I was only running a 5K, but any excuse to carb load is ok by me. When I get pregnant, that baby is going to be the excuse of why I gained 200 ELL BEE ESSES! It's all about finding good scapegoats and races are good ones!

And then, I needed my mantras. I have two that really keep me going during ALL of my runs. For me, it's all mind over matter and I need all the cliche quotes I could get!

Jillian's quote really put that fire under my ass. I had to remember that the feeling of my lazy muscles activating and screaming for mercy was not a reason to stop. I had to remember that sweat beading down my forehead and stinging me in the eyeball was not a reason to stop. The bugs that flew in my mouth.... not a reason to stop. YAY protein. 

This also kept me going. My ultimate goal is to feel STRONG. I want to feel good about myself for once and I know being healthy and fit will help me feel that way. When I run, I feel like that person I always wanted to be.

It's GO TIME!

I woke up at about 6:00am pumped and ready to rule the world...through a 5K. I know that sounds uber ridic, but I had that fire in me that was ready to show them who's boss. And by them, I mean my scrawny muscles. I ate a little bit of an Odwalla granola bar which was yummy and not at all heavy and also took some energy blasts. These are my FAVORITE!

They taste like candy and really give you that "blast" of energy to keep you from getting comatose on your run. Nothings worse then going lazy legs on your run and bailing out 5 minutes in. I would know...that's how I am during the week. 

Hubby woke up and was nice enough to drive me to the race while whispering sweet nothings and motivation in my ear while I freaked out in the car. When I got there, I picked up my bib, chip, and posed for some snapshots.

Yay for drain covers!

After my photo session with hubs, which was all of 2 snapshots, I searched the crowds for my buddy T! It was nice to run with her again! I miss you T!!  We wiggled our way through the sea of people and waited for the race to start. I was anxious!

And BTW, I remembered to pump my inhaler! YESS!!

It started slow because there were literally a million people...maybe more. Nonetheless, it was a good start. I paced myself, rocked out to The Black Keys, Sleigh Bells, Radiohead, and Florence + the Machine. I used my ipod Nike thing, just like I do during my training and it was nice to hear the lady in my earbuds telling me when I hit each Kilometer.

My former BFF

Let the record show that I do not use the chip like this. I do have a shoe pocket for it.

I was in pretty high spirits because the sun was out, it wasn't raining like I thought it would, the air was cool and crisp, the crowd was pumping me up, and T was running fast which made me push myself to go faster.

It wasn't until the last leg of the race when my spirits started fading. There was a hill I didn't anticipate and my last song on my 5K playlist was starting to play. My ipod told me I completed the 5K, but I wasn't near the finish line yet! I was all in a tizzy and getting sad that my training sessions were being shortchanged. I wasn't training for the right distance apparently.

I felt REALLY weak and wanted to quit, but I had to remember my original goal, which was to run a 5K without stopping. So, I paced myself and remember that I wasn't puking, fainting, or dying...so I had to keep going. I finally saw the finish line...a bug flew in my mouth for added protein....and I saw my mom, dad, and hubby all cheering me on to keep going. It made my heart happy....or was that a mild stroke... I don't know.

When I crossed the finished line, my ipod registered me at running 6.3 Kilometers in 34 minutes, which was a 9:00 pace. I knew right away that wasn't right. My time was 34:17. ::trying to be positive:: That is 4 minutes faster than my last race....I'LL TAKE IT! And I'll take my ipod Nike chip and crush it into the ground! Grrrr!!!

After the race I spent quality time with my family and stuffed my face with this....

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs and Banana Pancakes..... I rewarded myself with food... I am a dog. *Ruff Ruff*

Motivation Monday

Sitting and browsing on Pinterest is ubermotivating! I mean, where else can you sit and scroll for three hours straight and find motivating pictures such as:

Source: awkwardfamilyphotos.com on Pinterest

This fully motivates me to call my mom and say "Thank you...for not being weird."

And this:

Source: img525.imageshack.us on Pinterest

This motivates me to start trying to make babies...like before Halloween. (Not really. Sorry, mom)

Seriously, I found some things that really put a fire under my underloos to getting choppin' this week.

Source: healthylivingforyou.tumblr.com on Pinterest

I will not reward myself with cakepops after going out for a run. I will not reward myself with french fries after yoga class. I will not reward myself with candy because it's a weekday.

Source: stephiehunter.tumblr.com on Pinterest

I will remember that  I DO deserve to be happy. I'm WORTH IT! Thanks Loreal.

Source: 9gag.com via Joanna on Pinterest

This motivates me to remember that no matter how dumb I look when I'm running, I'm still running. I'm still trying my best and being proactive with my health.

• Give me your best motivating quote.