Rowing

I am trying to create an incentive schedule for my rowing efforts. A few years ago I had to lose a lot of weight after college. I didn't gain the Freshmen 15. I gained the College 50 . Ick! Well, I was able to lose 40 lbs. of those 50. Chris and I developed an incentive system whereby I got something once I achieved a quarter of the way to my goal. That would be 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. I obviously never got the 100% treat. Oh well! So, I am looking at doing the same thing for my rowing. I am already at about 238,000 meters. I am going to plan this for every 100,000 increment until I hit 1 Million meters. The first cool thing will be at 300,000. I don't know what that will be. I have to put something together and get it "approved" by Chris before I can implement. Once I have it going I will post it here. I am rowing my way to better fitness. I'm telling you, indoor rowing is the way to go. It is the best full body workout you can get in the time you spend on it. Wow! Try it out sometime.

Stock Trading...

I have found a new little hobby that is kind of fun. I am messing around on the Virtual Stock Exchange that can be found here. You get to set up your own rules for the "game" with how much cash you can work with, broker commissions, and other rules. Chris and I set it up to be tougher than the real conditions. Do you remember in school how a good teacher would give you a study sheet that was harder than the actual test? That way you learned more and you were prepared for the test and actually found the test to be easy. That is what we did here. The VSE, as I call it, mirrors the real stock market to the best of its ability. It is a good way to learn how to trade in safe conditions. If you lose money, that's okay because it is play money. I've already done that but I looked back and I made a note of what I did wrong and I learned from it. I am slowly learning how stock trading works. I even implemented a successful trade today and I actually made a profit. Yeah! The plan is to work on the VSE until I am good and ready and then to dive into the real thing. SCARY! But, I am so glad I have this resource. Not only am I learning about stock trading but this is also an outlet for my need to learn something and to keep my brain from turning to absolute Mommy Mush. Who would've thought that I could actually get into stock trading. Huh! Could this be the answer to my "What can I do from home to make money" question? We'll just have to see. I'll keep you posted.

Here are some other sites I like:

MarketWatch.com
BigCharts.com
Yahoo Finance

2 Month Checkup

Today was Caleb's Two Month Well Baby Checkup. I was dreading it because he is always pretty hysterical during doctor's appointments. I usually end up having to nurse him just to get him to calm down enough for the doctor to look at him. Keep in mind I fill him up before we ever leave and it is only 15 minutes there. Anyway, he was an absolute dream throughout the appointment. He actually smiled and laughed for the nurse, slept until the doctor got there and then smiled and laughed for the doctor. I was so happy and feeling good about the whole experience. That was until the SHOTS!! Oh my goodness! Caleb got two shots per leg and an oral vaccine. He was right in the middle of an adorable laugh when he got stuck the first time. His face absolutely melted and so did Mommy. I had to hold back the cries and be strong for Caleb. I have NEVER seen or heard Caleb cry like he did today. He was so red and tense. When it was all done I held him until he calmed down enough that I could put him in his carseat. He fell asleep once we got in the car and that warmed my heart. I was happy that he could sleep after all that. Thankfully, he has been pretty good all day. He's even on the floor right now enjoying his Baby Einstein gym. Happy baby noices are the best music ever.

Now we are off to church. Yeah!

My "Non-Routine" Weekend..

I had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and I have my fantastic husband to thank for it. As most of you moms out there would understand, my life is extremely routine at home. There is alot of sameness...naps, diapers, feeding, and even a little playing these days. I get household stuff done when I can. Come Friday I was fed up with the routine nature of my life. I was craving Chris' crazy, hectic life at work just because it was different and seemed almost exciting compared to home life. Ironically, I think Chris craves my routine life sometimes. Anyway, Friday was bit of a bust because it was a lot of the same thing. Chris came home, we ate dinner, hung out, got Caleb ready for bed, put him in his swing, watched a CSI episode (thanks to Netflix), put Caleb down for good, and then we went to bed. That is what we do every week night. Finally, on Saturday I explained to Chris I needed a change, a break, no more routine. He jumped on it once he understood my feelings. The rest of the weekend was spent being different. I feel refreshed and somewhat ready to return to my routine life....somewhat. My "non-routine" weekend really could've gone a couple more days longer if I had my way. But, I am so thankful for what I got. Thanks, Chris!

Be Still My Heart!

Last night, or rather very early this morning I was up taking care of Caleb. He was hungry, so I obviously went to feed him. Three A.M. is not exactly my most aware or interactive time of the day. I would rather not be up feeding him. Honestly, I would rather be sleeping. But, last night/morning I looked down at Caleb and I saw how precious he looked as he was eating. There was such a peace and a look of total love and contentment on his precious little face. My heart absolutely melted right there in the glider. I forgot about how early it was in the morning and that I wasn't sleeping. All I could see was my son and how much I love him. I thanked God for the moment and my heart has been so soft ever since. I will treasure that moment forever and I pray there will be more.