I was given samples of ZEP cleaners. They were amazing! The odor is minimal and they really cut through grease and grime. The disinfectant works quickly and effectively. If you need a new cleaner, be sure to look at Zep Quick Clean Disinfectant and Zep All purpose cleaner and degreaser!
Unfortunately my "Happiness Project" has been a failure. I tried the first couple months but didn't stay on track. I'm hoping to try to incorporate at least a couple Happiness goals into each month to help boost my happiness and make me feel better. We had a busy Spring and Summer with Hudson's 2nd Birthday Party, family get togethers, a 5th Anniversary trip in April for Andy and I to Sonoma,CA and Andy's 30th Birthday party in August! Hudson's 2nd Birthday was a success - we had it at our house and did a Train theme since he loves trains. I went all out on the decor as usual, but I just couldn't help myself with all the cute things I found on Pinterest! :) Here are a few pictures:
Well .. I can't guarantee I will be very good at keeping up with this blog. With working full time, taking care of Hudson and Andy and trying to keep the house in order I am exhausted by the end of the day!
I have made o.k. progress towards my January goals of getting healthier. I am still going strong without Sugar! Most days I only have 1 cup of coffee (although there have been several days that I've had 2). I've decided that NOT being able to have caffiene makes me more unhappy than having it makes me, so I am giving myself permission to break this rule if I'm having the urge for more than 1 cup of coffee :)
I haven't been nearly as good as I wanted to be in the working out department though. It has been so hard with the schedule I was on. I will be switching shifts starting Saturday though, so I'm hoping that will give me a chance to get more running and working out in. The cold snowy weather doesn't help either since I can't talk Hudson and Maverick on walks even.
So far I don't feel like my January theme of "getting fit" is contributing to my happiness. I actually feel more like it's taking away from my happiness since I feel bad about myself when I'm not doing as well as I'd like on my goals :(
Here are a few things that made me happy the past few weeks (I stole this idea from my friend Alysha who is doing her own Happiness Project):
1. Snow!! (and mostly the fact that the big storm came on my day off)
2. My morning cup of coffee
3. "Healthy" brownies I made tonight (NO sugar and delicous .. thank you Pinterest for the awesome recipe!)
4. My 3 days off per week to spend with Hudson!
5. Going to Ikea last week and getting a few things to start some organization projects (I'm getting a jumpstart on February's goals)
6. A clean house
I probably won't post again until the end of the month .. but hopefully I will be able to make more significant progress towards my Fitness Goals by then!! :)
I read a book titled "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin last summer. I decided it was time for me to make a change in my life for the better and become a happier, more fulfilled person. My plan at that time was to get started immediately with my own Happiness Project, setting monthly goals to work towards and lead me to a happier life. Well, here it is January 1st and I haven't started this project. I was thinking about it a few weeks ago and decided the New Year was a good time to start.
Here is what Gretchen Rubin titled the "Happiness Manifesto":
To be happy, you need to consider feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.
One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy; One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.
The days are long, but the years are short.
You're not happy unless you think you're happy.
Your body matters.
Happiness is other people.
Think about yourself so you can forget yourself.
"It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light."—G. K. Chesterton
What's fun for other people may not be fun for you, and vice versa.
Best is good, better is best.
Outer order contributes to inner calm.
Happiness comes not from having more, not from having less, but from wanting what you have.
You can choose what you do, but you can't choose what you like to do.
"There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy." —Robert Louis Stevenson
You manage what you measure.
I have several goals set for the year by month, and I am going to update my blog with my progress as well as at the beginning of each month with my new goals.
January: Get Healthy!! ("Your body Matters")
"Fit is not a destination, it's a way of life"
My theme this month is overall health and fitness. I like to consider myself a generally healthy individual, but there is always room for improvement. My 5 'goals' this month are:
1. Cut out added sugar/sweetners/caffeine (only 1 cup/day)
Although I don't eat a ton of sweets or drink a lot of caffeinated drinks, I have definitely let things slide recently. I want to get back to feeling more energetic and get rid of the 'sugar crash.'
2. Get up and move! (Move for at least 30 mins/day)
This won't be easy with my work schedule and Hudson - but I can walk on my breaks at work and even with Hudson in the evenings so I know I can make it work! I always feel so much better on the days that I get out and move around a bit :)
3. RUN - 30 miles/month
I want to get back into running and possibly run another 1/2 marathon this spring/summer - so I am going to try running 30 miles/month - which is about 3 days/week.
4. Meal Plan and cook at home at least 3-4 days/week
I eat better when I plan and cook - so my goal this month is to get back into the habit of meal planning and cooking healthy food each week.
5. Sleep 8+ hours/night
I am always happier and in a better mood when I get a good night's sleep. Although it's not always my choice how much sleep I get I'm going to make an effort to go to bed earlier (especially on work nights!) so I start feeling more refreshed and energetic in the mornings.
I will check in next week to update my progress :)
As usual I have procrastinated on updating the blog. I fully intended to write an 18 month update and take some pictures of Hudson last month and I never got around to it :( Things are going pretty good in the Bloom household. Hudson seems to be turning into more and more of a toddler (or 2 year old ..) these days. Temper tantrums are a daily (or hourly) occurance and he definitely makes his wants/preferences/needs known at all times!!
Hudson still isn't talking a ton, but he has slowly been adding more and more words to his vocabulary. He even started counting with me yesterday (I said one, then he said 'two'). Here are some of the words he says consistentely: mama, dada, grandma (kinda sounds like mama), Maverick, dog, kitty, more, all done, please, thank you, nana (banana), choo-choo, car, ball, that, juice, wa-wa/agua (water),shoe. He also shows us what he wants/means most of the time, can point to several body parts and do what we ask him (when he chooses to of course).
Hudson has adjusted really well to his daycare and loves his teachers there. Whenever I drop him off in the mornings they comment on what a quiet, well behaved boy he is. He definitely lets his guard down at home though!! :)
I'm on my computer at work so I'll post pictures as soon as I get a chance at home!
Summer is finally here in Western Washington - although it hasn't been all that hot or sunny most days - even in August :( We are still enjoying our summer and trying to get Hudson outside as much as possible when it's nice. Since the last update Hudson has finally reached some milestones - the biggest being WALKING! Although he's still not a full fledged walker and primarily crawls where he needs to go (especially if he's in a hurry), he's making progress and has been walking across the room/down the hall, etc. - but generally when he falls he crawls the rest of the way still :)
The end of July and beginning of August were a busy time for us with my best friend Katie's Bridal Shower that I hosted and then her wedding rehearsal and wedding the following week. Us girls stayed the night at the venue for a last 'slumber party' before the big day. We had a good night and fun getting ready in the morning all together. Saturday Katie and Phil said "I do" at The beautiful Edgewater House in Olalla (near Gig Harbor). Katie was a stunning bride and I was so proud to stand by her side as the Matron of Honor. I know they were meant to be and will have a long life together filled with fun adventures and happiness!
Since the wedding things have slowed down around here - we've decided to start some small-ish home projects since we will be staying at our current house longer than we originally planned due to the housing market. So one of the first things on our agenda is getting a new kitchen floor put in. Hopefully this will happen in the next couple months and we can move on to a few other things we'd like to get done. We also rearranged our room and got rid of our dresser/nightstands - so we are going to paint and buy a new dresser here ASAP too (I can only live out of my laundry basket for so long ..) Also in progress is re-decorating/organizing the play room - I am going to have Hudson paint some canvases for art work and we will be moving the desk into the closet soon to make more room for Hudson's toys :) I'm looking forward to getting some of these changes done and making the house more organized!
Last exciting news for this post - I ended up being able to get a day shift at work for next rotation!! I bid the "Flex" shift - which means I cover any vacations/sick leave/maternity leave etc. that they need covered. Only down side of it is that I "may" have to change shifts up to once a month. But I got my schedule for Sept and had the option of several good shifts - some even with Fri/Sat/Sun off!! I ended up taking the 8 am - 6 pm with Thurs/Fri/Sat off. This works best for us so we won't have to pay any more for our current daycare and we won't need a sitter on Saturdays when Andy is at work. I'm really excited to have weekends off and also that I won't have to go to bed at 7:30pm every night - but I'm bummed that I will have less time with Hudson on the days that I work since he goes to bed around 7:30 :( Hopefully he will start staying up a little later soon.
Last weekend I was lucky enough to take Saturday and Sunday off for a "Family Reunion" up at my Aunt and Uncle's Beach house on Camano Island. My dad's entire side of the family was able to be there (McIntyres/Ayres'/Grandma Patty/Dad and my siblings). We had an awesome weekend filled with hanging out by the campfire, exploring the McIntyre's new beach house, playing on the beach and in the water (most of the cousins tried skiing/wake boarding/inner tubing too), eating good food and making memories.
It was great to see everyone since we generally only get together once or twice a year around the holidays. We had a lot of fun together and made some great memories. Here are some pictures from our weekend. Hudson had so much fun exploring the house - especially climbing up and down the stairs (he's a pro now!). He was SO CLOSE to walking all weekend but he still hasn't gained enough confidence to take more than a couple steps here and there.
Here are some pictures of our weekend .. enjoy! :) 
Well, last Saturday (June 25th) was the Rock and Roll Marathon!! I am proud to say that I finished the half marathon - and even did it faster than I anticipated. My official time was 2:14:20. Which averages out to about 10:15/mile. Not too shabby for my first half marathon - 13.1 miles is a long way to run! :)
Surprisingly, I actually even enjoyed the run!! I fully expected to get drained and exhausted half way through, but I had a great time and enjoyed listening to the bands, watching the other runners and seeing all the spectators cheering us on! I am even thinking about doing the race again next year! :)
Not much else is new with us. Just living our lives and trying to enjoy what each day brings us. Hudson has been talking a lot more the last couple weeks - some of his new/favorite words are: bye-bye, thank you, daddy, dad, doggy, mama, mom, uh oh, more (and he even started signing this even though I haven't been very consistent with teaching him signs), Maverick (we are probably the only ones that recognize this one though) ... and probably some more that I'm forgetting. It's so fun to watch him grow and learn every day - I love this little munchkin so much!! :) 
I have been slacking in the blog department for the last month!! We have all been busy with life! Hmm..where to start. Well, summer definitely hasn't officially started yet around here. We've only had a few nice/warm days - but we're hoping for more SOON so we can get out and enjoy the beautiful Northwest.
Last weekend I took my first weekend away from my boys since Hudson was born! I went to Vegas for my best friend Katie's bachelorette party!! We had an awesome trip - and it was great to have some baby-free girl time. I was really nervous to be away from my boy for 3 days - but I did surprisingly well and so did he! :) I think more 'girl trips' are in my future. I don't go into too many details about the trip (like they say "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!!") but we had some fun by the pool, a lot of dancing/drinking and overall a ton of fun! I just wish we would've had a day or 2 longer to relax by the pool and recover from our late nights!
Hudson is doing great - he turned 15 months on the 15th! I can't believe how fast time goes - it seems like just yesterday he was born. He's still not walking yet (he's just being stubborn I think..) He's taken a few steps here and there, but he knows that he can get where he wants to fast by crawling or being carried. I'm not too worried about it since I know his muscles are strong enough (he walks around all the furniture, behind his toys, holding our hand/finger, etc.) - and I know I will wish these crawling days back once they are gone!!
Hudson is slowly adding more words into his vocabulary and is definitely understanding a lot more than we realize! He constantly points and says "that, that!" and will also give us toys or do something we ask of him (sometimes ..)
In other exciting news - Hudson is going to have a cousin!! Andy's sister Katie is pregnant and due 11/11/11!! We are so excited to find out if Baby Turnbow will be a boy or girl (she finds out Thursday!!)
I am at work right now, but I will update with pictures soon.
