Dilemma

I have a dilemma.  It's not a big one yet but it's weighing on my mind a bit.  My 16 yr old son is in grade 11, and will be graduating next year.  He had the opportunity to go to another city for the weekend this past winter with some of his classmates on a trip run through a travel agency catering to teenagers.  Yep...it was a booze-filled, non chaperoned party weekend.  When he asked if he could go, I was not certaing what the weekend would entail, but quickly realized that this was not a school sanctioned trip, but an outside company that got permission to send pamphlets home with our students.

I did what any good mom does...I called another mom to ask her if her son was going.  It wasn't my attempt to cop out to peer pressure, but rather I knew she is very involved in parent council with our board.  It turns out my instincts were right and neither of our sons went (although according to them, "Everybody" else did).  My kiddo had also had an opportunity to travel to Greece (which I would have killed to chaperone) but he decided to opt out of that in favour of a possible Germany/Ireland trip next year.  I was fully in support of either of these as they are school sanctioned and chaperoned.  I'm not naive - I know that they can still get into significant trouble an ocean away, but at least the teachers would be looking out for them.

Now he has told me that the students are planning a grad trip to Punta Cana.  I knew about it since he leaves his facebook page open all the time and I saw the little "event" listing at the side.  When he mentioned it, he followed up by saying "I know you won't let me go."  I didn't say anything, but if he really wanted to go, I'd seriously consider it.  I mean he'll almost be 18.  A trip to the beach...how nice!  What a nice, relaxing way to get ready for university!

 

 

except, just as quickly, my thoughts turned to...a trip to the beach...how nice to drink until you puke and pass out and wake up and drink until you puke and get naked and streak through the hotel, and drink some more and trash your room and get arrested and thrown into a foreign jail and not have access to a fair justice system and sit there until you are 31 (okay...maybe a little over the top but you get the point?!?)

I picture the typical, expected spring break things like drinking and craziness, and then I also picture things like Natalie Holloway disappearing on a grad trip, and drugs and spiked drinks and the Canadian teen who ended up in a Mexican jail for god knows how long.  Gah!

I know for some, it's a right of passage, and I have to realize that he's growing up and hope that what I have taught him will be enough to get him through life in one piece, but other times I think..."He's still my little boy!"  Wasn't it just yesterday he brought home a rearview mirror he found on the side of the road to add to his 'collection' of found-crap?  Or just last week he was giggling furiously at my scream upon finding a very realistic hairy spider under my pillow?  Wasn't it just recently I was rushing my kindergartener to the ER for stitches to his lip after running in class and banging his face into the desk?

Anyways, I digress.  My dilemma is this...Do I bring up the Punta Cana vacation and tell him that if he really wants to go, and if he pays half, he can go?  Or do I just leave it alone, having him think that I will not let him go?  Does he even *want* to go, or did he just throw it out there but has no real interest?  My inclination is to just leave it alone and not mention it again unless he does.  I mean, right now we are saving to send him to Germany, which is a far cooler place to go since he's so interested in World War 2 stuff.  I think I probably won't mention the grad trip, and deal with it if he brings it up again. 

I have to say - when you have a baby, you spent hours worrying about their safety, are they warm enough, are they hungry, is that fever too high...then they go off to school and you worry about bullying, loneliness, stress and whether they are fitting in with their peer group.  I always thought the worries would decrease as they grew, but I have learned that they increase.  When they are little, you can't protect them all the time but you do have control over an awful lot.  As they grow you have to hope that the values you modelled and taught them are enough to help them find their way in this big, scary world.  And you have to let go.  Just not yet.

Yay Me!

After hours of fiddling and trying to download drivers, and searching for disks, and computers crashing, I *finally* got my scanner working again.  I have no idea why it worked when it did because I don't think I'd done anything differently, but I'm not going to question it...it works!

So as promised, here are a few pics...

First off, our trip to Walmart when my dear son dressed himself.  He was so proud of himself, and my sister asked "You're not letting him go out like that are you?"  To which I replied "Meh...why not?"  And we did.

Tell a kid he will not fit into something and he will make it fit...and he did.  Sorta.

And kids will take any opportunity to dress up, even if they are grumpy about something.



Oh What A Week!

First of all I feel guilty for not updating my blog as much as I'd like.  I know I have no reason to feel guilt, but my mother instilled it in me so it's there! ;)  Since Easter, I have been somewhat down and out fighting what seems to have been a sinus type cold.  Certainly not the worst I've ever had thank goodness, but enough to make me feel like a bag of dirt and crawl into bed every time Little Miss hit her crib.

She was a bit sick too, and also seems to have hit that phase of insecurity where I cannot set her down or leave the room without her screaming like I am pulling out her fingernails.  I am certain the neighbours have been listening intently, ready to call Children's Aid on me but so far no knocks on the door.  My poor darling seems to be teething, hitting a growth spurt, sick and very insecure these days so I really have no idea what's wrong with her when she fusses.  She's been gnawing on my arm daily so I know that one of these days, a tooth will have popped through and she'll draw blood.

As for her growth spurt...hold lord!  She ate for almost 40 minutes non stop yesterday, and finally I had to stop feeding her.  Prior to last weekend, she would eat solids three times per day and each time have one or two ounces of food.  For dinner last night, she ate 2 ounces of chicken and sweet potato, almost 2 ounces of applesauce, a full container of yogurt and about 30 Gerber puffs.  Finally I just had to stop feeding her for fear that her belly would explode, and she fussed a bit more, so I gave her some water.  For the most part yesterday she was very fussy unless I was either feeding her or playing 1-1 with her.  It meant I couldn't get a whole lot done around the house, but oh well!

While she slept I worked on trying to get my scanner to work...to no avail.  I need to find the disk with the driver on it, which I saw not long ago and put in a safe place.  If only I knew where that safe place was I'd be all set!  I went on the HP website today to try to find the driver and it told me to uninstall and then reinstall the driver.  Well, I uninstalled and now I cannot find my printer on their site.  I found it this morning when it detected my printer, but since I uninstalled it they can no longer detect mine.  grrrrr  This is just their way of getting me to buy a brand new one isn't it?  So off I go to try to locate the damn CD to get my scanner working again! 

Things I've Learned So Far

I thought I'd take some time today to reflect on some of the things I have learned about being a mom!
(I apologize because I have some funny pics to go along with this post but my scanner seems to have crapped out.  I'll try to uninstall and reinstall tonight and upload the pics tomorrow!)


If you have children with hands do not get white or cream coloured furniture.  This also applies if you have doggies with feet.

The one floor you manage to finally get mopped will have something spilled on it within 4.8 minutes.

Spilled milk in the backseat of the car must be properly cleaned (yes even under the floor mat) or it will haunt you for weeks and weeks.  And the chunky milk you find under the mat will make you gag a lot.

No one bats an eye when you let you child go to Walmart sporting a fresh scab on his chin and wearing in an army uniform, viking helmet, rubber boots and a Christmas tie.  Really.

Babies will always find a way to pee on you, no matter how careful and quick you change them.

The fancier the outfit you are wearing, the more your child will puke on you.  Bonus - If you have your hair professionally styled, they'll puke there too.

Children make liars out of you - no matter what you tell people about your child, they will never act that way in front of that person.

If you decide to go for a nice walk with your young one, they will make you stop at every. single. park. along the way.

There is something fascinating about restaurant bathrooms.  Be prepared to see the inside of every single one of them while your child is between the ages of 1 and 10.

Babies will always sneeze with their mouths full.  And usually when you are sitting in the direct line of fire.

Quiet children are never a good thing.  If they are quiet, sneak as close as possible in order to hear what kind of shenanigans they are planning.  It usually involves lighter fluid, marshmallows and crayons.

When all of the shelves collapse in the basement, you will find out that nobody did it.  This is also the case when you find empty pop cans, torn couch cushions, or sticky stuff on the computer keyboard...nobody is very busy.

When you tell you child not to throw any more toys or he will lose them, prepare yourself anyways for the truck that comes flying at the back of your head...it hurts.

If you give your kids remote controlled volkswagon beetles for Christmas, and then go to make a nice family breakfast, know that one of them will decide to run the beetle up your back, into your long hair and all the way to your scalp where it will be stuck until your husband spends an hour dislodging your hair that is wrapped repeatedly around the front axle.  This hurts too.  And you will have to hold the car to your head in the meantime to avoid it pulling all of your hair out.  Yep.

Pre-teen and early teen boys eat like they are never going to be fed again.  Get yourself a second job, and buy in bulk.

The above boys also multiply...no matter how many you gave birth to, there will always be two to three times that hanging out in your basement, so be prepared with food for them too...just make sure it's not too tasty or you'll inherit them forever.

Easter!

Happy Easter!!

I love Easter.  I love getting together with family, having good food and chocolate, and love that it means Spring is finally here!  At our house, the Easter Bunny hides eggs for the kiddies to find, and everyone has a hidden Easter basket.  Usually I colour eggs (by myself the last few years since my kiddo decided it wasn't cool), but this year I did not.  I figure I will be doing it for years to come, so this year we hid plastic eggs with treats inside of them.

It was fun since this was our first Easter in our new house, so there were lots of new hiding places!  Since my kiddo is older, and Little Miss is not yet old enough to search on her own, the Easter Bunny was a bit evil and made the eggs more difficult to find than he used to!

Here are a few pics!  This is Little Miss yesterday right before going to Grandma's house for Easter dinner.  She got spoiled and ate like a fiend - laughter resounded as she opened her mouth over and over like a hungry baby bird trying to scoop up more mashed potatoes, peas and carrots!  Our Little Piglet also enjoyed some lemon meringue pie for dessert!

This is my kiddo, bleary eyed as I handed him a bunny basket and bunny ears to start his egg hunt.  He says he's getting too old, but he still can't find them all without clues!

Here's one egg behind the spice rack.  He found this one without too much difficulty.

Here's another in a kleenex box!

Hee Hee 

Here's my kiddo's basket, tucked on the bottom shelf

of our book shelf, behind all of the large books.



Here he has found all of the eggs and was posing with Little Miss, who thought her brother and his wacky bunny ears were way more interesting than looking at the camera!

Me and my two kiddies.

Little Miss found her basket...well okay I suppose she had a little bit of help!

My Kiddo finally finds his basket.  We had to narrow it down by room and finally he needed a very intense round of "Hot/Cold" before he found it.  He would have looked all day if we'd not helped!

Yay!  The Loot!

Off to celebrate Easter with more family later today!  Wishing you all a Happy Easter!

Teenagers!

What is wrong with them?  When do they cease to be living, breathing, food inhaling aliens and morph into real live humans?

My kiddo got his report card yesterday.  I knew it would be decent because his teachers had all told me so. It was nice to not have to break into a cold sweat while opening the envelope.  As I looked at his marks I was pleased to see he got all B's and one A+.  Nice job kiddo.  When my dear hubby came home, we hopped in the car to meet friends for dinner.  Along the way, I told my kiddo to tell hubby about his report card.  He says, "What is there to tell?"  I reply "Tell him about your marks," trying not to start nose breathing while containing my frustration.  He says, "75, 73, 71, 93."  Yep.  That was his way to tell his step dad about his report card.  I then asked him to be more specific...he says "You mean like what I got the mark in?"  I am not quite sure how he has managed to make it to grade 11.

Bad Dream

I used to have bad dreams all the time.  I have no idea why - I certainly didn't feel like my life was in turmoil, but I'd dream of family members dying in the most bizarre ways.  One time it was my mom and sister - they were both tied to the railway tracks on the side of a cliff and a train was coming.  I only had time to untie one arm and one leg for each of them, and then the train came and cut off their other arms and legs.  One time I dreamt that my stepmother had died in a car wreck...I woke up so worried that I called her at 7am...she was not impressed.

Last night I had a dream about an underground parking garage...it was very pertinent in the dream, but I cannot for the life of me think of why?  Maybe because I am perpetually afraid of losing my car in a multilevel parking garage.  Maybe because I have lost my car in a parking garage, walking round and round in circles all the way to the top and then all the way back down again.  But that's another story.

Last night I dreamt that my sweet baby girl was a bouquet of orange roses.  It turned into my Little Miss then turned back to roses several times.  I have no idea what that says about the way my mind works, nor do I wish to think about it.  At some point the roses/baby were wrapped in a ton of paper, and if the paper had orange marks, it meant the baby/roses couldn't talk, and if it turned purplish, it meant she (or the roses) couldn't breathe.  When I awoke, the roses/baby had turned purple and I was very upset.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:21am and I realized I hadn't heard her stirring all night.  I try so hard not to worry, but after a purple rose dream I was worried.  I tried telling myself that it means nothing, it was just a dream, but as I lay there becoming more and more awake, I knew I had to check on her.  Up I got and quietly crept out of my room and down the hall keeping a close eye on the sleeping dogs who would use any opportunity to jump up and start shaking like mad (thus causing their dog tags to jingle and wake up the baby).  I turned her doorknob with the gentlest, slowest motion possible, and slowly pushed open the door.  Usually I will stand there and wait for movement, because she invariably moves her foot or hand or head, but not today.  She was so still in fact that I slowly crept closer, looking to see if her colouring was good and if I could see her chest rise.

By now you are probably thinking I am a raving lunatic, and honestly I try not to be, but when I get a thought in my head (especially from a dream which makes no sense and yet seemed so real) I need to dispel it before I can relax.

I got closer and closer to her crib, ready to duck out of sight if she happened to open her eyes, and finally she moved.  Just a bit but enough for me to relax.  As I backed out of her room I tried not to giggle at the silliness that I put myself through just because she slept a little longer.  My sweet little bouquet of roses!

Weigh In Wednesday

I am happy to announce that I have hit a milestone.  Since I started actively trying to lose weight I have now lost...

10 pounds!!!!

10 lbs is a nice round number which is no longer nice and round on my butt.  If you prefer visuals I lost one of these:

Cute little 10 lb doggie!

Or better yet, I lost this much

Or an entire bag of this:

Yep...feeling pretty good!  I am feeling better knowing that this week my motivation has taken a hit, and I really haven't worked out much, but I still lost weight.  That's awesome! 

In order to help with the motivation, I will likely look at getting a new workout together...I still love the shred, but think I'm getting a bit tired of it and really need a change.  With Easter being this weekend, and two yummy Easter dinners on top of all of the chocolate that will be in our house, I suspect it may not be a great week, but I gotta live!  I'm just gonna keep plugging along and keep doing what I'm doing.  I know I can do this.

More Memory Woes

Dying laughing as I realize that I forgot to include a key mommy memory lapse in my last post.  Oh the irony!

We decided to host Christmas for my Dad's side of the family this past Christmas.  It was likely not the smartest idea seeing as we had a three month old and hadn't had a solid night's sleep in months, however being that we are in a new house we wanted to have people over to check it out.

I made the main meal, while people brought either an appetizer, salad or dessert.  My Uncle M made AMAZING chocolate cheesecake from scratch...so yummy!  He left us a decent sized piece to enjoy the next day as well.  I had a small piece the following day and put the tupperware back in the fridge.  About 6 weeks later, as I was grabbing a container to store some leftovers, I pulled out  a clear container with something very nasty inside.  I actually thought it was a mouse or some other living creature.

Can you guess what it was?

Yep - chocolate cheesecake.  Several weeks old.  Sitting in our cupboard.  mmmmmm

Of course my first thought was "What a waste!?!?!!"  And then I started to wonder how the heck I had put the full container back in the cupboard without realizing it was heavier than it ought to have been, or that there was a large brown chunk of something in it???

Ahhh the joys of memory loss.  (And sorry for wasting the cheesecake Uncle M!)

I Suffer From Mommy Memory Loss

Yep.  I've known it for awhile but am just starting to realize the massive mommy memory loss from which I suffer.  Or rather, the people around me suffer...I just forget to suffer.

When I was in my mid 20's, I worked five part time jobs to pay the bills.  I was trying to find my passion, and figured I might as well try a bunch of things to figure out which direction I should take.  While juggling five jobs I was generally able to keep track of five schedules at once.  I did keep a small calendar, but usually didn't need it, and could tell you in a heartbeat where I was working and when for the following week.  Now...not so much.

I forget to buy stuff at the grocery store, I forget appointments, I walk into a room and forget why I went there.  At least once daily, as I am walking through the house I will stop to determine why I am actually going to the basement...I know I needed to go there but why?  I will do a mental run down of everything I might possibly need...tools? nope. laundry? nope. craft supplies? nope. extra food from the pantry? nope.  cleaning supplies?  oh yes that's what I needed.  Daily I tell you!

I am currently trying to get my son off his arse the couch to get a summer job.  Two years ago he worked at a golf course and put in 40 hour weeks.  he earned a ton of cash, but I think it burned him out.  Last year he procrastinated like crazy when I suggested a job search, and finally told me he really didn't want to work.  He said it'd likely be his last chance to be lazy and he really wanted to take advantage.  I think the fact that we moved to a house with a pool contributed as well.  Nonetheless, we let him be lazy, and he perfected the trait.  The first two weeks we spent hundreds of dollars in groceries to feed the hoards of boys that came to hang out.  We then told him we didn't mind feeding his friends once in awhile, but feeding four extra boys daily was ridiculous.

This year, he will be getting his driver's license, and I know he'll want to use the car.  With this he gets to pay for some gas since it currently costs your first born child to drive anywhere (coincidentally he is my first born, but I digress).  I've mentioned job searching a couple of times since March - not nagging, but just reminding.  he's very picky about where he wants to work, so I told him that he needs to get out and apply in person.  He was initially insistent that he could apply online but generally the places that he'll be looking at don't advertise their jobs.  As well, the best way to get a job is to go in person, talk to the manager, make eye contact, smile, and show them that he has the social skills to deal with the public.

My good friend told me about a Youth job Fair the city was putting on and I told her I'd mention it to the boy.  Yesterday I was so disappointed when I realized I'd forgotten about the job fair and we'd missed it. I debated emailing said friend to tell her we'd forgotten, but hadn't done so.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the job fair on the local news today - it was today!  And this time we really did miss it!

I really must start doing memory training!  Or write down EVERYTHING!

Ugh

6:02 AM

That's what time Little Miss started making noise this morning.  It's not *that* early.  It's just that lately, she's been waking earlier and earlier.  I would just LOVE if she would sleep until 7:30 or 8:00...just once!  I really need to sleep in...just a bit!  I had the opportunity to sleep in on Saturday, but that night I had inexplicable insomnia, staring at the ceiling from 3:00Am until 6:00am.  That morning my dear hubby got up with Little Miss and I slept until 9:00AM...if you factor in the missed sleep I really only slept until - you guessed it - 6:00AM.

So this morning, when i heard her first coos and giggles, I did what any good but tired mom would do...I rolled over and turned down the baby monitor.  I then snuggled back into the blankets and closed my eyes, hoping for just a few more minutes of that precious resource...shut eye.

It worked for about 5 minutes, and then Little Miss could be heard through the wall, whining just a bit.  The thing I have learned with her is that sometimes, she wakes, plays a bit and falls back asleep for awhile, so today I was hoping and praying it was one of *those* days.  She was quiet for another 10 minutes or maybe even 15, and I tried desperately to sleep.  My eyes cooperated, remaining heavy and comfortably closed, but sleep eluded me.  When I heard her again around 6:40am, I decided that my time was limited, and if I wanted to get her breakfast together and a coffee on for me without her (or me) disolving into a pool of tears, I'd better get going. 

Up, dressed, face washed, contact lenses in...no sound from upstairs.  Coffee on, bottle warming, newspaper in the house...no sounds from upstairs.  Dogs outside, coffee made, bottle ready...no sound from upstairs.  Newspaper read, coffe drank, yogurt eaten...still no sound.  So here I sit blogging at 7:31 in the morning which my sweet princess has in fact gone back to dreamland.  GAH!

What to do. What to do.

Ho hum

Twiddling thumbs

Guess if I think *really* hard, I could find things to clean, wash, label, organize....better not think too hard then!

Tried Something New

I am a Bzz Agent, and for the recent Bzz Campaign I received coupons to purchase McCain Purely Potatoes to try and report back on what I think.  At the grocery store, I noticed both white potatoes and sweet potatoes.  I figured I would start with white since that's what my dear hubby prefers and I bought two bags because I wasn't sure if one would be enough.  (You see, my sweet husband can pile away several pounds of potatoes in one sitting...more if there's gravy on them.  It's kind of a family joke and we make sure to make a LOT of potatoes at our house!)

The bag listed several ways to cook them, and they were already peeled, washed and cut into small chunks.  I was going to make both and mash them, but decided to try them two different ways.  For the first bag, I opened the top and poured them into a bowl (still frozen) and added some olive oil and spices.  I make these spicy potatoes with fresh potatoes all the time, and the one thing I did not like about the McCain Purely Potatoes was the fact that the oil stuck to the frozen potatoes, rather than nicely coating them.  I then set the over to 425 degrees and popped them on a cookie sheet and into the oven.

I decided to microwave the other bag - you just stick it in the microwave and turn it on for 11-13 minutes.  I didn't love this, because after 12 minutes, I had no way of knowing if they needed more time (since the bag was still sealed.  When I took them out (very carefully since the steam was very hot) and poured them into a bowl I found some were a bit sticky.  I mashed them with butter and milk, and found they had a consistency that seemed a bit more dry than fresh potatoes.  I ended up using quite a bit more butter and milk than I would normally to try to make them more moist but finally gave up.  This is not a great pic - it's the best I could get though!

Once mashed I tasted them and found a slightly funny taste...I can't really describe it except to say it was kind of like if you'd mashed potatoes without having washed them.  I added some pepper and savoury to mask the taste.

My dear hubby liked both varieties just fine, although said my homemade spicy potatoes are better.  He added gravy to the mashed so he liked those too!  My son also noticed a funny taste but ate all of his potatoes.  I could not finish the mashed potatoes - the dry texture and offputting flavour ruined it. 

Also, if we were doing roasted/spicy potatoes again, one bag would have been plenty, but for mashed, it would not be nearly enough (for our family).

All in all - we'll probably buy these again for nights that I am not home and my husband has to cook - he liked how easy they were to prepare. 

Otherwise, we'll stick with fresh potatoes!

TV Dinner Anyone?

I seriously think I have seen it all.  Well, maybe not  all of it, but after seeing what I have just seen, I am halfway between laughter and open mouth drooling.  I was surfing away on Facebook when I noticed a friend who'd recently moved to another city commented on the Rotisserie Channel.

Now most people have heard of the Fireplace Channel, where they have a crackling fire going all day and night, with new logs being placed on the fire at regular intervals.  The crackling makes you feel like you're almost...not quite but almost in the same room as the fire.  And if you watch it on my old tv it heats up just like a real fire too for amazing 4D effects!

But I had to wonder what the heck the Rotisserie Channel was...so I asked "You mean chickens spinning all day long?"  I was really trying to be funny, thinking I must be totally out of the loop on this one.  Nope.  It really is chickens, spinning on a rotisserie...All. Day. Long.

To be quite honest, it actually makes me hungry for rotisserie chicken...great advertising!  Here is a video for those of you who want to live the full, mouth watering experience.

Spinning Chicken

Enjoy!

I Need Palmolive!

Remember those commercials where Madge used Palmolive to soften her hands?  Perhaps I need to switch to Palmolive, because my hands are in rough shape.  Rough like a number 140 sandpaper...like an emery board...lovely no?  I suspect it's due to all of the extra loads of dishes I do since being home during the day.  We do have a dishwasher, but I still do dishes probably twice per day to wash up tupperware and bottles, baby food bowls and sippy cups and my hands are dying because of it!  My fingernails are horrendous...they have been breaking off one by one thisclose to the quick.  So far this week I have lost four nails and I am not happy about it.  I have never had amazing fingernails but this is pretty ridiculous, especially because they are all splitting in the same spot.

I looked it up online and although it *could* be a vitamin or mineral deficiency, the main cause seems to be washing dishes too often, or more specifically having your nails wet too often.  Something's gotta give.  If I keep up this pace I will have no chance of ever having these fingernails:

So, although I am not a big fan of using dish washing gloves (they make my hands feel hot), I think these will be in my immediate future:

Or these:

Aren't they pretty?

Until then...dear hubby, you're doing the dishes!

Whiiiiiiine

Yesterday afternoon was hell.  Absolute torture.  Little Miss was sooooo whiny...I mean she was the Queen of Whine, Mistress of the Whimper, Creator of Crabby.  Poor little thing is very obviously teething with the rivers of drool gushing out of her mouth and her incessant desire to chew everything, even the dog's ear.  I do feel for her - it must be hard getting teeth, and they say the first couple of teeth are the worst.

As an aside, who the heck are 'they'?  I mean, I certainly don't remember getting my first teeth - do you?

Anyway, I was at the end of my rope yesterday - the very last frayed end of a flimsy, nylon rope.  Every minute not spent with a bottle or spoon jammed in between her little pink gums was filled with a long, drawn out whine.  I tried playing with her, singing to her, carrying her around.  I tried telling her stories, reading her books and acting goofy.  I tried musical toys, cartoons on TV, and the Fisher Price swing.  Nothing worked.  Nothing.

Finally, in desperation, I decided to try changing her, and as soon as she was undressed, she was happy, not amazingly smiley happy, but also not whining.  I laid her on the bedroom floor and plopped down beside her.  Before long, she was chewing her toys and swinging her feet in the air.  Yay!  I always knew she liked her nakey time but clearly underestimated the power of it.  From now on, when she's unhappy, I'm stripping her down...at least until she's three years old running through Walmart buck naked except for a princess crown she found in aisle 10 squealing at the top of her lungs.  Then I may have to find a new way to calm her.

Some Things I'm Learning

I am starting to notice things around me in a new way that affect my health and thought I'd share.  I guess these days I feel like I am really on the right track, and while it's slow, it's very exciting.

First of all, when i am 'snacky' the old me would have gone instantly for the cookies (mmm chocolate chunk!) but now I am steering towards a yogurt, a fruit, or a hard boiled egg.  I have actually cut down on the amount of cookies we buy.  I never used to buy a lot of them, but when I'd find brand name cookies on sale for less than half price, I would stock up.  The problem is that it just means we eat more of them.  Now I am buying Bear Paws cookies for my kiddo which I don't like...makes it very easy to resist!

Sometimes I will have a cup of tea or glass of skim milk if I feel snacky and this will often take the craving away.  I am still treating myself if I need to, but instead of a big treat like an ice cream bar, I am happy with something smaller, like a square of dark chocolate.  I am not deprived, but am just trying to be smarter about what goes into my body most of the time.

Weighing once a week is awesome for me.  I am not obsessing about it and am actually excited for weigh in day most weeks, if only for curiosity sake.  Taking my measurements is great too, because even if the scale isn't moving, sometimes the inches are still coming off.

If I don't set a goal, it sometimes helps me work harder.  Sometimes I just make myself get on the treadmill with no idea of how long I'll stay on.  Invariably, i end up getting a good workout.  The rare time that I'm 'just not feeling it' I just get off and don't worry about it.

Tonight, I was contemplating a run (my first outdoor one this year) and then it started to drizzle.  I was going to wimp out but my kiddo with his good old fashioned Irish guilt made me feel like I ought to at least go for a short run since I had wanted to.  He also told me the best time to run is in the rain...I know that but I was so warm and dry inside!  I bit the bullet and out I went, determined to run or walk for 30 minutes.  I figured I would run a few minutes, walk a few minutes, run a few, walk a few for the entire 30 minutes, but something amazing happened when I started to run.

When I hit the point where I would normally walk, and my lungs were starting to burn and my legs were a bit sore, a fabulous song came on my iPod, and I told myself I could keep going...so i did.  Since it was raining, my iPod was in my pocket, so i couldn't keep checking the time.  I decided to just choose a route, run until I was tired and check the time later.  I turned a corner after running what I figured was about 20 minutes, I was going to turn down a bicycle path, but saw four teenaged boys walking and no one else around.  I am not biased against teens, but I thought it smart to just run along the road since it was almost dusk and I was alone.  This meant I had to run a bit farther.  As I came to the street I was going to turn on, I felt so great that I just kept on going!

Long story short, I ended up running 8km straight without stopping to walk at all...not even once.  I have never done this in my life.  The last little bit was tough, with my inner thighs starting to hurt and my legs getting shaky, but I'd come so far that I was not going to quit.  Prior to this the farthest I'd even run without stopping was maybe 3 or 3.5km so this run was huge for me!  Once I started to walk near my house, my legs almost gave out on me, but it felt sooo damn good.  I have never felt so proud of myself for a fitness or health accomplishment!

Isn't It Ironic

I had to run out today to pick up toilet paper that was on sale for half price at the local discount grocery store.  I found some coffee on sale, and was looking for the TP when I came across a funny sight.  A man dressed in a Domino's Pizza shirt and cap in the frozen foods aisle, looking at the frozen pizzas.  I had to do a double take.  I am sure that people who work at restaurants have to eat too, but it struck me as so funny that he was buying a frozen pizza.  

So I followed him.  And snuck a pic.  

Unfortunately I could not get one from the front, since he was almost at the cash, but I stood in line behind him and pretended to take pics of Little Miss in the cart, while I secretly snapped this.  Then a man standing near Domino's Man looked at me like I was nutso...I guess I would too, so I pretended I forgot something and off I went.  Then I snickered to myself the whole way home!

Weigh In Wednesday

So this week has not been so hot.  I have slacked on some cardio and really had to force myself to get moving.  I am still doing the 30 Day Shred but having a tough time with it.  I've officially done Level 2 six or seven times, with some Level 1 workouts thrown in between.  To alleviate some boredom, I did Level 3 on Friday which sort of killed me for the weekend.  I was silly enough to think it looked easy when I watched it but it was so very, very hard!

I was sore throughout the weekend so I took it easy.  Overall I am making better food choices, trying to reach for a fruit or veggie before a cookie.  All that is to say that this week

I LOST 1.5 pounds!

WoooooHooooo!!!!

I am so thrilled!  I love seeing the scale numbers go down, especially when this seems like such a long process.  This sure does help with motivation!

Lesson Learned

When I was pregnant I received a contraption that was completely foreign to me.  It had a handle and a mesh bag on the end.  My dear hubby's cousin explained that it is for teething babies - you place fruit or cold food in the mesh bag and baby can chew on it, get the flavours but not choke on the food.  What will they think of next?

I tried it with Little Miss at around 5 months, however she was clearly not ready.  I had placed a piece of pear in it (it was all I could find) and she picked it up, put it down and just didn't care.  Last week I decided to try again and came up with the brilliant idea that I'd use frozen fruit.  It would be nice and cold already, and easy to squah into the bag.  Into the freezer I went to find a bag of mixed berries.  Now any of you with any common sense may see where this is going, but I, in my infinite naivete, did not.

I jammed as many frozen blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries as I could into that little bag, and proudly handed it over to her.  She absolutely loved it.  She gnawed and chewed on that little bag, and it soon became clear where I went wrong.   I had handed her a bag full of dark purple berries that thawed very quickly.  I ran to get her a bib, which helped contain the carnage, but alas, her sleeper was ruined when the teether fell beside her and left a huge purple stain (think of a pen that exploded...nice dark purple!)

Yep - next time we use watermelon.  OR she gets stripped down to a diaper in the backyard.  Silly Mommy!

Awww

My honey bought me flowers the other day...well, he bought flowers for a good cause and handed them to me, so I guess that squeaks by in the category of 'sweet' but not quite in the 'romantic' category!  Sorry dear!

They unfortunately didn't last too long, and within days were starting to droop and wrinkle like a little old lady.  I got up at some ungodly hour to get some water one night when I was fighting to sleep and insomnia was kicking my a$$. 

I saw this

The flower closest to me at the sink was gorgeous!  Absolutely stunning.  All of the flowers had been shriveling, so I am not sure why or how this beauty sprung to life, but I had to grab the camera and capture the beauty.  You can see the crinkly flowers behind it, while this one stands proud and strong, almost glowing!

I smiled for the rest of the night!

Whew! Happy Weekend!

I have spent very little time online in the last few days hence the lack of posting...sowwy!

Let's see, what can I start with...

Ahhh yes, the dreaded Parent Teacher Interviews.  Let me start by saying that I used to think that if the teacher needed to talk to me, they would call, otherwise everything is fine.  I learned last year (yes when my kiddo was in grade 10) that this is not the case.  Another mom alerted me to the fact that if you go to meet the teacher early on, they are more likely to notify you if there are concerns.  You will also find out any minor issues that can be headed off with early intervention. 

At my son's school, they send out an informal 'progress report' (basically a sheet with check boxes for "Homework Completion", "Class Work" etc.) The point is to get things resolved before the midterm report card.  I told my son I would be meeting with all of his teachers, to which he replied "Why?"  I told him it was so I could give them my email address for weekly updates on him....he rolled his eyes at me.

He then told me not to meet his World History teacher, since that teacher "doesn't even know who I am".  I told him I'm sure that's not true, but my kiddo insisted that the teacher has no clue who he is.  I was also told by him that he doesn't like his English teacher and she doesn't like him.  Great.  Upon arriving at the school, I found the English teacher, a pleasant older woman, with short blond hair and 'teacher-like' glasses.  She told me my son is currently at about a 70 or 72% grade level, and overall is doing well.  She said he did poorly on a pop quiz which is why his mark is where it is, but that he's done well on homework and in class assignments.  I was pleased to hear this after what my kiddo had told me.  The teacher then turns to the 20-something blond hair, blue eyed college-coed beside her and says "Oh this is Miss Smith, she's our student teacher in the class who is leading most of the lessons."  I say hello and shortly thereafter we finish meeting. 

I go on the meet the Hospitality teacher who is very chatty and seems to genuinely be happy with my kiddo's in class performance.  I then move on the meet the World History teacher.  He is running late, so he enters while the principal is looking for him.  He says hello, sits down, opens his laptop and scans it, all the while not saying a word.  I don't speak because I don't want to rush him, and figure he needs a minute to get his bearings.  A minute turns into two minutes, then three.  A bead of sweat starts to roll down my back as I start to feel highly uncomfortable.  I glance around at all of the other teachers, being very friendly with the parent in the hot seat, and then back at Mr. World History, still scanning his computer, not saying a word.  After about four or five minutes, I shift in my chair, and he looks up and says "Any questions?"  It's almost like he thinks we've just had a long conversation, and this is the end.  I have never had a teacher start a meeting like this.  I stammer..."umm no....well, how's kiddo doing?"  "Fine, no problems" he replies.  I feel very weird - what do I do now?  I guess I go home and apologize to my kiddo...his teacher really does have no clue who he is.

I finish with the Law teacher, who has fabulous things to say about my kiddo.  He even said that he expects kiddo to have one of the higher grades in the class which is music to my ears!  Law is a definite interest area for my boy, so it's nice to hear that he is doing so well.  Mr. Law then says that he sometimes notices a glimmer in kiddo's eyes as he makes a funny retort to something.  He says "I wouldn't call him a smart-ass, that's what my mom always called me, but he's definitely a funny kid."  I told him that I would call my kiddo a smart-ass much of the time.  Then I feel totally weird for using the word 'ass' in a Catholic school...but Mr. Law started it!

Upon arriving home, I fill in my boy about how the interviews went.  He seems genuinely surprised to hear that all of his teachers had mostly nice things to say about him.  I told him that even his English teacher had some nice things to say.  He asks, "Did you see the student teacher?"  I say "Yes," and he says, "She distracts me."  I was speechless but I did laugh.  In retrospect it does seem that it would be challenging for 16 and 17 year old boys to concentrate with Miss December at the front of the room.

Things I Love

I am sitting here trying to get tired while my insomnia takes over and thought I'd write down some of the things I love.

1. The giant smile on Little Miss's face when she wakes from a nap.

2. The fact that my dogs will now walk so nicely and calmly while on leash.

3. Making a super tasty dinner for my boys.

4. Seeing the small buds on the trees after the long, snowy winter.

5. Homemade chocolate chip cookies.

6. Soft, fluffy socks.

7. A good book, a glass of wine and a fire.

8. The sound of a good rainstorm.

9. A clean car, inside and out.

10. Freshly painted toenails.

Strange Sighting

I was up bright and early today to wait for the window repair guy.  One of our brand new windows that we just got in January started leaking during a big rainfall we got two days ago.  Needless to say I was NOT impressed.  Anyway, the company told me they'd be here "first thing" today.  Now clearly I ought to have asked an approximate time, but assumed (yes I know) that since they were here at 7am when they installed the windows, that 'first thing' meant sometime before 8am.  So here I sit, waiting.  It ticks me off to no end.

I realize that I am currently not working, so it's not as big a deal for me to sit around waiting, but it is hard to do with a baby.  I can't go anywhere, or get into anything too involved.  I've locked the dogs in the kitchen so they don't bother the work guys, but they've now been there for almost 2 hours.  I am now trying to figure out whether to put Little Miss down for her nap or wait, because they'll just wake her when they get here.  Argh!

While I wait, I keep getting up to look out the front window.  Today is garbage day, and our paper recycling box was outside as well.  The recycle truck pulled up and went first to our neighbour's house.  I sometimes will watch the garbage or recycle guys because occasionally, they will throw the box down without totally emptying it and garbage will roll down the driveway or street.  It bugs me.

Today, the recycle guy walked towards our box, bent down, and, um, opened the newspaper on top and started flipping through it.  I watched more closely trying to figure out what he was doing.  He then changed to a second paper further down the pile and pulled it out, opened it and began reading.  At the end of my driveway.  I looked around frantically to find my camera but it was downstairs.  Damn.  Why did I have to put it away?  The recycle guy continued to read my paper for about two minutes, while I watched him.  He did not look up but occasionally turned the page as if trying to find something.  I wanted to run and get the camera, but I was stuck like a deer in the headlights, not wanting to tear myself away in case I missed something.  I was caught somewhere between laughter and confusion.  But you know what this means?  In two weeks, when it is recycle day again, you can be darn sure that I'll be putting the papers on top of the box and sitting by the window with my camera (and maybe a bag of popcorn).

Poopgate 2011

All is well in the land of baby poop.  Constipation has gone away and order has been restored.  We now have a healthy bottle of prune juice in our fridge should anyone want to pop by for an afternoon cocktail, and a half finished serving of baby prunes that Little Miss seems to enjoy an awful lot!

Speaking of poop......(don't ya just love my segue)

Tomorrow is garbage day so I wanted to get out to our yard to collect doggie poop.  The snow has almost all melted and although we did try to pick up poop through the winter, our yard in the spring tends to be pretty gross until we eradicate the fecal matter.  My dear hubby went out a couple of weeks ago and collected two full grocery bags.  I have to confess that I didn't really believe him...I mean, he's a guy, they exaggerate.  Tonight, I went out alone with one bag and very quickly saw that there is a LOT of poop.  I mean piles and piles and piles of poop.  Like in the summer when you go to the park and find ant hills all around you, and the more you look for them the more you find...like that.  Only not ant hills but, well, poop hills.

I won't get too much into the gory details, and luckily it was dry out today so it was fairly easy to pick up, but I have to admit I was shocked to find my bag almost full before I'd even done half the yard.  My sweet guy came out to help and between us we filled one bag full and two more bags about 2/3 full.  Yep.  Our neighbours hate us.

Overheard

Last night as we were finishing dinner, my son stood to rinse his plate.  Out of nowhere, he then stated, "I wondered why I smelled so good, then I realized it was from the soap."  I burst out laughing and asked him if he had just discovered soap.  Visions of 16 years of showers without ever using soap passed through my mind.

He laughed and told me that while he was on the bus to school yesterday morning he noticed that his hands smelled really good.  He'd used our hand soap in the kitchen - a Jergens Tropical Vanilla scent for the first time, and then noticed later that he still smelled good.  I for one was relieved that he was not actually using soap for the first time, just discovering that he liked a new scent.

Persistence and Patience Pay Off

Well, today is Weigh In Wednesday.  I was kind of dreading this weigh in since, well, I took three days off of my exercise schedule.  One day just to take a break, and then I was under the weather so I didn't exercise for two more days.  I thought this would badly affect my numbers, but figured I'm in this for the long haul, not a quick fix.

So, with great trepidation I stepped on the scale today to find I

Lost a pound!!!

Woo Hoo!

I am now only 2 pounds over my pre pregnancy weight!  I still have more to go afterwards, since I was unhappy with my weight before pregnancy and had started a great workout routine two weeks before I got pregnant.  As for my weight loss I am super excited...to only have worked out four of seven days, and been conscious but not super strict about what I ate, it feels so good!  This 'once a week' weigh in really seems to be helping me keep on going week after week.  It's the first time I've really tried to lose weight/get healthier without totally obsessing about it daily, and I like it!

My 30 Day Shred is still going...I am still going to do 10 workouts at each level (yesterday was Day 3 of Level 2) but I am also going to change it up a bit - throw in a Level one workout here and there.  This will help me not get so bored, and also give certain muscle groups a bit of a break.  Each of the workouts are awesome but to do them day after day tends to cause muscle fatigue (at least in my muscles!) 

Breathe, Crazy Lady

I'm an idiot.  Truly.  Lately I find myself getting worked up at things I never used to, be it someone cutting me off in traffic, bad customer service or other people's stupidity mistakes.  I used to be a pretty laid back crackjack, so the only explanation I can think of is that I have too much time on my hands.  hahahaha  Okay, that made me laugh.

Today, I decided to return something at the mall...this is a big step for me since I am trying to save money and avoiding anyplace that sells, well stuff.  I brought my Moby wrap so I could carry my little bean around, forcing myself to get some exercise while I browsed.  All went pretty well while I got Little Miss into the wrap, but I didn't realize that I had done it wrong until I almost dropped her head first into the toilet bowl...almost, I said!

So, all firmly secured, we ventured into store after store, window shopping while we tried to find the store I needed.  I cannot tell you how many people either talked to my Little Miss or smiled at her along the way.  It's kind of fun making so many people smile!  We went by the Toys R Us and of course had to go look around.  I almost bought many things but just couldn't justify the cost.  As we were leaving, I noticed a small wagon with Mega Bloks inside on clearance (regular $29.98 down to $14.98).  There were pastel coloured ones that were mostly blues and greens, and one pink one with various shades of pink.  I grabbed the pink one, wandered again through the baby toys and made my way to the cash.  While standing in line balancing a knapsack, shopping bag, wagon and with a baby hanging off the front of me, I became a bit distracted by the guy behind me trying to touch my baby.  I know she's cute, but it bugs me when strangers try to touch her for many reasons not the least of which is the title "stranger".  I sort of smiled at him and turned a bit away so he couldn't touch her, pretending to rifle through my bag for my wallet.  As the cashier rang us up she told me the total and I paid, but in the back of my mind something didn't seem right.

We made our way back to our car, me carrying enough to make a camel envious, and got everything loaded in without breaking it (baby included).  Once home, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  If the item was only $14.98, and my total was somewhere around $29.00...that's an awful lot of tax!  I found my receipt and sure enough, I did not get the clearance price, only a small advertised discount of $4.50.  I called the store and tried to explain that I may have overpaid to the girl that answered.  She asked me to hold while she transferred me to the Lego supervisor.  Yes, they have a Lego Supervisor...I wonder if he has a nametag that says "Tom, Lego Supervisor".

The Lego guy comes on and I explain again what has happened.  Tom tells me that the item is not on sale, that the regular price is $29.98 and clearly I got a good deal.  I again explain that I paid $10.00 more than the clearance price and ask him to check the sign on the floor.  As I'm explaining it, I realize my mistake.  All they have to do is say they don't see the sign and I am done.  Tom puts me on hold, and runs off to his Lego department.  Awhile later he comes back on and tells me that the one I purchased was not on sale and that again, I got a very good deal.  At this point I want to tell Tom to take a flying leap, but instead I again explain that I saw the sign and it was clearly on sale.  A guy in the background starts saying "If one is on sale they all are" but Tom insists that the one I bought is not on sale.  I want to yell at Tom.  I want to tell him to take his tiny Lego head and shove it up his big, old Lego a$$...but I don't.  Instead I say thank you and hang up the phone.

Rather than relax about it I start to stew.  Realistically the thought of paying $10.00 more for an item, any item than someone else kills me.  That's why I hate buying cars.  I feel the need to get the best deal out there, even if it means we negotiate for 37 days.

After another 4 minutes I can't take it any longer.  I ask my kiddo to watch Little Miss and off I go, back to the mall...yes twice in one day!  I manage to find a great parking spot which is a huge bonus at this point!  I go into Toys R Us determined to be polite but insist that they owe me money.  I go to the desk and tell the girl what happened.  She tells me to go take a look.  As soon as I approach the shelf, I realize my mistake.  there were four signs, all of them very specific to the fact that only the pastel toy is on sale, not the pink one.  I feel a bit silly now.  I pick up a pastel one, and realize that the reason they are on clearance is because there are only two left and they are filthy...the wheels look like a child has taken them for a ride around a fairground.  Sigh.



The drive home is very peaceful...I have no frustration, no irritation...perhaps a bit of embarrassment, but overall, it's a nice drive.  I really must try eating crow a little more often...it seems to calm me very nicely!

Stopped Up, Constipated, Irregular, Ouch

No not me!!!  My sweet Little Miss.  For the second time in two weeks she's unable to go.  Last time, she went three or four days, and just as we were getting worried, she had 12 dirty diapers in a day and a half.  Yep. Twelve.  It was astounding to see how much her little body had held on to.  Well gross too, but shocking!

I feel so bad for her - her little face gets red and her eyes watery but she just can't go.  We are now on day four or five.  We have tried cutting out all cereal, massaging her belly, moving her legs in a bicycle motion and warm baths to relax her.  Nothing. Nada. Zip.

She has had a couple of tiny poops...one per day, but they are about the size of a gumball...clearly not enough.  (Don't ya just love reading this blog???) I suspect it's from changing her formula recently.  Having learned from the last time we had to change formulas (someday I'll write about Poopsplosion 2010) this time we have done it very gradually.  Slowly adding more and more of the new formula and using less and less of the old.  We thought it was working, but clearly there are issues.

After looking online I saw that perhaps we should limit the amount of applesauce and bananas she is getting.  It never occurred to me but when you have diarrhea, they recommend the BRAT diet.  Bananas, applesauce, rice and toast.  It is all bland and supposed to help 'stop you up' so to speak, so it makes perfect sense that while Little Miss is stopped up she ought not be eating these things!  I feel kinda dumb for not catching that one!

If we don't have any success by tomorrow I'll be calling the doctor.  In the meantime I went out today and bought baby food prunes and prune juice.  I am told that I can mix the prune juice 50/50 with water and give her small amounts.  I just feel so bad for her.  She gets these horrible pains that cause her face to scrunch up almost looking like a mix of excruciating pain and fear.  It's obviously understandable but so sad to watch her go through!

Wish us luck for Poopgate 2011!

I Just Don't Get It

This whole fascination with the train wreck that is Charlie Sheen.  I mean I do get it in a way but it makes me kind of sad.  The fact that he is spiralling out of control, and clearly is unstable and people are paying money to see it.  Like a circus freak show.

Maybe I am more sensitive to it having worked for several years with people with mental health issues and addictions issues, but it just makes me sad to see these hangers-on practically popping popcorn to watch the next crazy thing he says or does.  I was actually a bit happy to hear how awful his first live show went and that people booed him off stage...not happy that he continues to melt down in front of the world, but it gave me a sense of satisfaction to know that these people, some of whom paid a lot of money, were disappointed.

It also makes me sad to see Hollywood celebrities who earn a ton of money and can pay their entourage to agree with them being able to do anything they want.  They often just discard the ones who don't agree with their choices or decisions even if they have the person's best interests at heart.  The money and other people's greed allows the celeb to melt down and continue to be enabled and propped up until they either have no more money, or they die.  These are very generalized statements of course and thankfully it is the few in this scenario and not the many, but nonetheless when it plays out on a world stage, it becomes larger than life.

I think back to Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson - they had money and people in their back pockets, willing to do anything for them even if it would eventually lead them to their deaths.  I think Britney Spears got lucky in having a family who seems to have been a support, even when she didn't want them to be. 

If I had my way people would stop gawking and staring at the Charlie Sheen train wreck and let the craziness die off a bit...maybe it would push him to seek help for whatever demons he clearly possesses.

**Steps off the soapbox**

Randomness

My sista bought a house about a year ago. She has been recently looking to redecorate (or just decorate I guess). They are buying some awesome wallpaper for one wall, a new chandelier and just bought a new dining room table. They were considering round or rectangular as long as there was enough room to have six people around the table. Their current table only comfortably seats four, and they like to entertain. I asked dear sis if they'd gone with a round table and she said no, that the round would be quite big and she said it would feel weird when it was just her and her hubby eating. If they sit across from each other it's too far but if they sit side by side it's bizarre. I came up with a solution for her. I told her to just sit based on the current time. Her hubby could be the big hand on the clock and she the little hand. If it's four PM she sits at the 12 and he at the 4. Or if it's six PM he's at the 6 and she at the 12. It makes mealtime fun and perhaps a bit like the game Twister if it's 6:30 pm.

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Dogs with balls of poop hanging from their butts are gross. Mores when they try to jump on your bed before you can get them outside.

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I *think* my plant might be coming back to life.  I will post a pic after but it looks like the ends of many of the branches have new growth coming up.  I was about to bring it to Grandma's yesterday to hopefully save it when I noticed all the new growth.  Maybe I'm not such a terrible planty-mommy after all.  I bought some miracle grow and watered it in...I am so excited!  Thank you for your suggestions on how to give CPR to my plant!  I'm told it might be a ficus.  I've decided to name it...Sam.  Sam the Ficus.  Pics to follow soon!

My Saturday

Today I was at Walmart - a place I avoid like the plague on a good day, and don't even drive near on a Saturday, but found myself there today.  You see, I needed contact lens solution and miracle grow plant food...where else would I find both of those items, but at Walmart?  So there I am.  Of course as I enter there are no shopping carts despite the fact that this Walmart has just undergone a huge renovation and bought mass quantities of new carts...there were none for me today.

I see this as a bit of a bonus.  First of all, it means that I can get in and out more quickly, not having to steer a giant metal contraption around the gawkers.  Also, it means that I can maybe, just maybe get in and out of Walmart without spending triple digits.  There's something about that store, the convenience of it all, that makes me toss things into my cart that I have no need for...it's like everything is so shiny and I cannot step away!

So, I wander around the store trying to find things in the newness of it all (they moved everything just to make me stay longer).  Along the way I pick up a pack of fleece material to make a sleep sack for Little Miss, a birthday card for a friend, and I almost got new lawn chairs but fortunately I could not carry them.  I wandered through the baby clothes section, looking for the right sizes on some cute outfits...luckily they did not have Little Miss's size since she probably has enough clothing to get her through high school.  When I realize my hands and arms are full, I know it means it is time to find the cash register.  I line up in the 10 Items or Less aisle.  There are six cashiers at six stations and one by one the automated voice announces "Please go to cash number __".  It's quite simple, keeps the line up moving and works well for people like me who couldn't find a cart therefore are only carrying less than 10 items.

My dear hubby says the 'impulse sections' are made for me.  I find myself scanning the items on the left and right of me, my eyes darting back and forth as quickly as possible to decide what I will buy.  I used to have a magazine addiction, so it was easy to find one to buy...now I try to stay away from the cost and tabloid-like reporting, so I scan for other things.  The shake-weight, banana clips, venus razors, maybe some AA batteries, chocolate bars, chocolate bunnies, gum, tic tacs, I could go on and on.  Today I was trying to decide between a chocolate fondue set, or some cashews.  I decided to buy gum - sugar free...cheap and not bad for me.

The guy behind me in line is eating something.  It smells kind of bad - like meat but has a weird sounding crunch.  Strange meat.  I try to casually turn to see what it is inside the crinkly bag, but he moves as well so I cannot get a good look.  I am thankful I am no longer pregnant, because surely that strange smell and crunchy sound would have made me lose my lunch.

I am now second in line, and the people in front of me are called out like on the Price is Right, where they go running to the next cash waving their arms in the air and screaming 'Woo Hoo'!  Well, okay, they were called with "Please go to cash #5."  They step forward, walk past cash number five and go to cash number 4, where they seem to know the cashier.  They begin to chat.  I step forward to go to empty cash number 5, when they realize they need to get to their cash.  They turn back to come to cash five, when the cashier at cash 4 calls them over saying she'll take them.  It's all becoming chaotic and twirly.  I wait a second and the cashier at #5 indicates that she will take me.  I step forward, and as I do, weird meat man steps right up to cash five behind me.  He continues to stand there waiting while the next three customers are called to cashes 3,6 and 1.  I look at him wondering why he is just standing there, content with waiting long past what he needs to.  He just stands there.  Then I start to wonder if he plans to follow me, maybe attack me in broad daylight in the Walmart parking lot. 

As I leave I step aside to find my keys, so I can hold them like a claw in my knuckles.  I turn to so where he went - he is still at cash 5.  I quickly make my way to the direction of my car parked about 7 miles from the entrance...really.  I walk behind a man and his daughter, hoping they'll protect me if  meat man comes after me.  I see my car ahead, on the other side of the lane, but don't move towards it yet.  First, I turn to scan the area...no one is following me.  I quickly cross the road and climb into my vehicle, locking the doors immediately.  Suddenly there is a shadow across my window.  I almost pee my pants as I look up, wishing I'd bought some adult diapers, and see a man right at my window.  Luckily it wasn't meat man - just some dude who decided to cut through and happened to walk beside my car at the exact moment that I was fearing for my life.  Well, not really fearing for my life, but he did startle me.

So that was my outing to Walmart.  Now do you see why I don't go very often?

Can Jumping Jacks Kill Me?

Today, as I was sweating buckets during my Level 2 workout, I began to wonder if I might die.  Seriously.

When I caught myself looking around for a safe place to throw up, just in case, it made me realize that this might just be the most difficult workout I have ever done.  I seriously hate plank jacks.  Ever heard of them?  You put yourself in a push up position (a plank) and then jump your feet apart and together in a jumping jack motion.  It. Is. Painful.

Once I was done and wiped up the floor, I started googling "death during exercise" and other similar phrases.  I was certain that I'd find mass amounts of people who'd died from plank jacks, lunges, and military presses.  It turns out that it's pretty rare to actually die from these moves (even though you want to).  When it happens to younger people it's generally from a heart defect and when it happens to older people it's generally from coronary artery disease.  Most of what I found talked about how exercise helps you live longer and healthier...blah blah blah.  Seriously, I could have died.  I mean plank jacks?  Who thinks of this shit?

All kidding aside I feel so much stronger now than when I started.  It feels good to be conquering these workouts, no matter how painful.  And I can do man push ups now!  I have never, ever been able to do them!  I don't get super low to the floor, but I'm getting there and am determined to be able to do 20 real man push ups (in a row) at some point soon!

Happy Anniversary To My Dear Hubby

The date - April 1, 2008.

I was at work playing tricks on my coworkers as they were on me.  It was a lighthearted morning.  The phone rings and I answer it, and it's a prank caller, heavy breathing in my ear.  As I sit back to enjoy it I realize it's actually my dear hubby, talking in barely a whisper, sounding strained with each word.  I ask him if he's okay.  He whispers in a pained voice, "No, I need you to come and pick me up."
I can barely hear or understand him so I ask if he's okay.  He says no, he needs me to come and get him.

At this point I am worried, since my guy is tough and rarely complains of even a sore throat.  Suddenly it dawns on me - it's April Fools Day.  Ha ha.  You're not gonna get me, I think.  But just as quickly I think he might actually be sick or hurt.  I ask him in a very serious voice "Is this an April Fools joke, because if it is it is not funny."  He strains to say "no".  Still skeptical, but knowing that he is mature enough not to play it up this long if it is in fact a trick, I tell him I'm on my way.

He had been delivering a presentation to a group of business owners about a block from my work.  When I arrive, I find him in the lobby, hunched over in his suit, not even able to look up without the world spinning in front of his eyes.  He was clearly ill.  It takes several minutes to figure out how to get him out of there, since every time he tries to stand he gets so dizzy he needs to drop back to the chair.

Another man helps me and we walk him to the van.  He is nauseous, has a headache and is sweaty and pasty looking.  I suddenly remember that recently he'd complained of headaches several times in the span of a week.  Apart from the fact that there did not seem to be any one-sided paralysis, I realized he had a lot of signs of a stroke.  The part of me that wanted things to be alright kept telling myself that it was probably just a sudden flu - it happens, right?  The part of me that used to teach first aid, and knows how important it is to get medical help asap took over and drove straight to the nearest hospital.

I got him a wheelchair immediately and within minutes they had him in a separate room with a nurse assessing him.  Clearly they also thought he might be very ill.  We were taken to an emerg room where my dear hubby spent the next eleven hours being poked, prodded, tested and assessed.  They basically spent the day ruling out certain conditions or illnesses.  Late in the day they decided to do a spinal tap.

My poor hubby later told me he thought that meant they would take the little hammer they use to check reflexes and 'tap' his spine.  I knew it would be much worse.  They did not numb him properly and he was clearly in significant pain when they did it.  Unfortunately the doctor missed.  They did it again, and missed again. Up to that point I'd been on the other side of the room, not wanting to watch the needle going in.  When they had to try a third time, I moved around so I could witness what they were doing on the off chance that they injured him and we had to sue...weird I know but to see him in so much pain, it was all I could do.

Late in the evening they came to the conclusion that my dear hubby had meningitis.  They were 99% sure it was viral, which is not contagious and just has to run it's course, but could not rule out that 1% chance that it was bacterial, so they would treat it as such.  Suddenly I had to gear up in full scrubs, gloves and a face mask with giant plastic shield.  It seemed a bit ridiculous to me considering I sleep beside the man - if I was going to get it I would have already!

My poor hubby spent several days in isolation in the hospital while they pumped him full of antibiotics and pain killers.  In the end he came home, spent a few days watching daytime TV and decided that he'd rather have meningitis than be forced to watch daytime TV...so back to work he went.

Today I wish my sweet guy a happy 3 year meningitis anniversary!!!