Just Turned Three & Now Me!

So my little one celebrated her third birthday this month.  Where had three years gone??  She is changing so much every day, speech is coming along nicely, toilet training on the other hand is becoming quite a challenge. It doesn't help that we are just coming out of a long, cold winter and I imagine feeling the cold toilet seat on her backside isn't helping LOL! Hopefully with the warmer weather on the way, she will take more interest in getting out of diapers. I know I'm getting anxious to get her out of them!

So now that she's three, I'm finally feeling like I can catch my breath and take stock of what I'd like to do for myself. One thing is to drop the baby weight.  Nothing like a pregnancy to put on the unwanted pounds and now with menopause on top of that, oh boy!  I expect this one is going to be a challenge!  I've struggled to keep my weight within a normal range my entire adult life and with everything going on in the last three years, I've been losing the battle. Seems like every time you turn on the TV lately, there is Valerie Bertinelli and Marie Osmond showing us moms who are pushing 50 how great you can look if you sign up for their diet plans. My congratulations to them both, they are proving to the rest of us that it's possible! Hope I can get motivated!

So I was watching Oprah the other day and saw the show she did on Exceptional Dads. Talk about an eye opener! I've never felt so lazy and inadequate in my life as I did watching the tape of the dad who is raising 9 children by himself while working full time! His youngest is three, only a few months older than my own and he is doing a fantastic job with all 9 of them. Somehow I have to walk away from that show with the determination to do a better job for my own daughter. With the warmer weather coming, there are no more excuses not to get out and do more. It's so tempting to just hibernate here all winter huddled around the wood stove.  We have had snow up to our necks for the last 6 months but somehow we still managed to go on a horse-drawn sleigh ride with her, do some sliding down hills and I even pulled her around the neighborhood on her sled a few times when it wasn't 20 below zero!  

Sometime next month, the swings will go back up in the parks and we will be able to play out in the yard. She may even pitch in and help with some of the yard work. I found a cute rake for her so she can play while I try to get the lawn and garden in shape for Spring and Summer.

So on that note, I've just pledged in this journal to get out with my daughter more and take on losing the baby/menopause weight. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted!