[day 203] i wanna be ....

As some of you might know, I pick yoga over the gym. I hope to be a yoga instructor one day. I love it so much! I only go to the gym as my last resort, if I can't make it to my yoga class. And, today was just that day. After a long day at work and being with my boys, I wanted to hibernate. Then, I looked at my husband who has worked diligently over the past year and a half to get his bod; I wanted the same for myself.  His confidence and energy level has taken a big boost, too. A simple stare at him entice me to get out of bed and head to the gym for 30-45 minutes (thanks honey boo-boo) Yeah, I know – 30-45 minutes is nothing, but at least it’s something.  Kids were already asleep. I really want to get fit for our boys and myself. I want to be that fit mom, but honestly to keep up with them. Working out gives me energy. 

So, I love that I have a partner who helps motivate me, too. Cause that’s how he rolls.  He’s incredibly lovable, giving, and accommodating when it comes to our family.  Sometimes, he’ll have this laugh that shows his capitulation. He’s right most of the time.  And, here’s the funny thing – I never listen and when he defeats me, his crazy self comes out!

How do I make time to squeeze in a workout session with four kids? 

(1) Having a structured family routine gives me my "me" time. My boys are tucked into bed around 8:00 - 8:30 PM and usually knocks out within 5 minutes. We trained Lan Lan to be on the same schedule. It's wonderful. If I missed yoga or feel the urge to work out, I typically do so after they're asleep.

AND

(2) Having grandparents to help babysit is awesome. My parents love spending time with their grandchildren and so do I. I don't ever leave our boys for more than 1.5 - 2 hours (2-3 times a week). 

What are you doing to stay fit?

Love my boys. XOXO

[day 202] homework time.

The house is strangely quiet. Well, our boys are asleep. They all go down between 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM, which works out for our family. I love soaking in the silence but I’ve grown to love the noise our boys cause throughout the day. Every evening, we’ve developed a new routine where they would just go into their room to do their homework.  Yeah, you can definitely say this is mamas after school special! Dylan doesn’t have homework since he’s in preschool, but he has his kumon books. Sometimes, he’ll color. Evan, on the other hand, just loves to color or dump the crayons out of the jar.

While they were kept busy, I walked from room to room putting my ever-ending laundry away. It was then that I looked up to take a picture of Aiden and Dylan to remember this moment forever.  

Ever since Aiden started school, I feel like he matured over night.  The other day, I was wearing Papa Dang’s boxer around the house. It’s loose and you know the phrase, “crack kills”. Well, my crack was apparently showing. I couldn’t precisely answer him back because I was in shock when he walked by to say “hey mom, you need to pull up your pants” and walked away!  OK, big boy! Whatevs. Haha.

He also made me proud when he earned his way to “rainbow” status at school. Whoever earns a rainbow, gets to pick out a prize. Well, I’m not sure what the prize consists of, but he came home with a box of 4 crayons.  I guess, he noticed that I always buy boxes and boxes of crayons. He said he got this today so that I wouldn’t have to waste my money to buy crayons for him and his brothers. Like, how amazing is this! It made me feel so fabulous and warm-n-fuzzy inside. His attitude reflects what I’ve worked so hard to instill.

PS Aiden wanted to feel his superpower. He did his homework in his superman costume.

Love my boys. XOXO.

[day 201] baby play.

dear lan lan. i kept you up for an extra 30 minutes when your brothers went to bed. i wanted to have mommy and me time with you alone. i love it when you squeal and squirm in delight every time we have a babbling conversation. i swear, you're like the coolest little dude in the world. tonight, we normally would have had our tummy talk session, but we played ball. papa took over the second half our time together. i don't want him to feel like he's all thumb and i'm the expert. and, really, i am, just kidding. i kept telling you how cute you are. This made you smile. I asked you if you think I'm funny and then, you answer best by having a mere laugh attack. tonight was an awesome night, but mama is SOOOO tired. love you. xoxo.

[day 200] taste the rainbow.

i'm still using the thinking chair as a way to discipline our boys, but ever since aiden started school, i decided to use his teacher's behavior management technique. i tried it at home over the weekend and it's working great. well, i take that back, only aiden and dylan are using the new technique. evan still uses the thinking chair for any disruptive behavior. 

each day aiden and dylan starts in clear skies. this is a nice and fresh beginning. their objective is try to earn their way to the rainbow, which shows that they've had exceptional behavior throughout the day. once they reach the rainbow, i would reward them such as taking them to the park or store of choice the following day. if he gets a stormy day, he has to explain what he did wrong and will not be able to engage in some of the activities with his brothers (such as playing outside). although, each boy gets several opportunities to move up to their clear skies. it just has to get done before the night is over. i love how it's working though. the key is staying firm and using positive reinforcement - do not let their cry or whine prevail. 

besides this, i ended up the night with this little love art from aiden. he must have snuck it there right before he got tucked into bed. simple things like this makes me feel like ive won a million dollar! thanks for making this mama feel extra special after a long work day. today, i will remember how happy you made me (not that you don't ever do).

love my boys. xoxo.

[day 199] a hidden gem.

treasure island beach.

it was our first time here and we were here for our friend's birthday picnic. i was surrounded by many good-looking beach go-ers (not comparable to Main Street HB where they would make my abs feel guilty for eating my favorite McD's filet o'fish with lettuce and tomato). so, our boys wanted to check out their new space. and that was when it happened. i asked for a picture and they obliged. we were right next to the rock so they all got up. it took less than 10 seconds to capture this photo with my iPhone. we were then approached by this man, who told us not to take any shell, which we didn't plan to, because it's a marine reserve. YOU GOT IT STRANGER. :)

we hung out for an hour before we headed towards our friend's picnic. oh yeah, our boys got a kick out of the seagull attempting to steal our chicken wings.  anyways, if you ever get the chance, head down to laguna beach to check out this hidden gem. it's located right next to the montage resort. it's so beautiful with a stunning view and relaxing ambiance. the water is clear, too. the only downfall is parking stinks donkey balls.

this could possibly be my new sanctuary.

love my boys. xoxo.

[day 198] big splash.

awww yeah, my girlfriend is getting married next year and today i headed to her bridal shower. i knew i had to set aside my attachment issues and just let loose and have fun. i gave my husband an extra help since he worked in the morning. i made sure all four boys took their nap right before i left to allow papa enough time to relax and shower before they got up. when i was getting myself ready, i was so upset that i ate a bowl of vermicelli and egg rolls for lunch - um, hello ---- i had to be in a bikini! i think papa got tired of me complaining. i couldn't help it. i was so hungry i totally forgot about my bikini wear. i knew i was going to be surrounded by a bunch of skinnies, too. 

it was an afternoon i wouldn't forget. everything was just simply amazing. when my bride-to-be asked me for a pic, i wanted to slip away. i'm not the girl who loves being in picture. i just couldn't say no to someone who's sweeter than mrs. fields chocolate chip cookies! .... voila.

after 3 hours, i was stoked to be back home with my boys though. It's where my heart belongs.

Love my boys. XOXO.

[day 197] hitting the waves.

after days of begging, we finally took our boys to the beach after picking them up from school. i basically packed their boy shorts along with all our beach necessities.i wanted to jump for joy when i saw how content they were. i watched their bond. i'm forever grateful that they share their bedroom together. you can just sense the cohesiveness they have and how strong their bond is when you watch them play and talk to each other.  it's OH SO AWESOME. i truly believe that keeping them together is the key. i'll blog about this one day.

yeah, i can say that the beach is our special place and it's so undeniably beautiful. i wished i could spend every day at the beach. today, felt like heaven.

p.s. it's official. i'm the coolest mom. i put them in awesome short shorts.

love my boys. xoxo.