Bored out of my mind, not wanting to do the dishes, and watching the Twilight Zone Marathon (even though I have almost every episode practically memorized), I decided to write my own meme to conclude 2007. I?m not going to pressure anyone into responding with a tag, but I?d love it if you felt like playing along. Without further ado, here it is.
1. What is your happiest memory of 2007?
Adding the youngest Riley to our family. She was unexpected, but made our family complete
2. What was your worst memory of 2007?
The dumb nurses who insisted I wasn?t in labor and made me go home only to end up almost having the baby in the ambulance on the way back and never getting any pain killers as a result, grrrr.
Finally reaching a point in my education where I no longer have to fall back on waitressing in times of need. Damn that feels good!
4. Did you take any memorable trips in 2007?
Two. An Anniversary Weekend away with hubby, that was everything I had hoped for, and a girls only day trip to
Don?t Blink- Kenny Chesney. A big reminder that life is short and the kids will be grown before we know it.
My Bachelors Degree. It has been many years in the making, so it?s hard to believe now that the goal line is right around the corner.
Not only did I not lose weight, but I gained, ugh
Dan in Real Life- Very Cute!
10. Did you pick up any new hobbies in 2007?
During my nesting phase of pregnancy I decided sewing was the solution to everything and bought my first machine. Included in my very few projects was this little dress for the toddler:
To all of my readers I wish you a safe a fun New Year’s Eve and A Happy New Year!!
I wonder how many times these words have been uttered in regards to dieting or weight loss. Certainly this is the time of year when everyone gets revved up to shed that excess weight. Partly because holiday eating has forced us to squeeze so tightly into our jeans that we can hardly breath, and partly because new year resolutions make us feel inspired to set that goal and finally stick to it. So what precisely is the key to going the distance?
For some the answer may simply be setting a goal and sticking to it, where for others the time has just finally come and nothing is going to set them back. For me however, I have yet to find the one thing that keeps me going so that I can finally say I have succeeded. Therefore with payday around the corner and a pocketful of inspiration I plan on filling the cupboards with yummy, yet healthy, alternatives to the junk we have been eating. I also offer the following tips and websites collected from friends on this similar journey to anyone else out there hoping to unload some spare tires.
- Keep track of what you are eating: awareness alone in an amazing tool to consuming less or choosing low-cal alternatives. Whether you write it in a notebook, track it in a word doc., or visit an online journal do you best to put it down. Don’t trust yourself to keep a running log in your head as this often flops and you can’t easily reference it down the line.
- Do not go cold turkey: Where this can work for certain foods like sugar, or cheese, don’t cut everything fattening that you enjoy out in one step. This often leads to binge eating sabotaging everything you have done up to this point. Make baby steps like drinking at least eight glasses of water, a salad before your meal, or a bigger portion of vegetables than usual. Once you have learned new habits and begun enjoying healthier foods then cut out more of the junk you shouldn’t be eating.
- Continue to enjoy your favorites: You can still enjoy even the worst of foods if they are your favorite, just do it in moderation. Or if you are dying to have a chocolate bar make it a reward for a full workout you have done. Do remember however that the calories you are consuming are quite possibly more than you burned, so keep the portions small.
- Find a friend or support system to help you go the distance: There are many online sites which are intended just for this.
- Spark People- This is an amazing community recommended to me by a couple of friends. It is a source for anyone looking to shed lbs. It includes multiple tools like online journaling, a full calorie database, multiple community forums to meet your individual needs, and much more. Best yet it is 100% free!!
- Weight Watchers: I include this link not to endorse this company but to say that this is an incredible plan which helps to teach life habits to individuals who plan to lose weight and keep it off. Unlike many fad diets you do not need to eat their foods or even attend their meetings to lose. The main principles alone are worth knowing.
- Calorie Count Plus: An online database of common foods nutritional data, as well as low calorie/ low fat recipes.
Most importantly if you blow it, get back on track the next day or even the next week. Don’t just throw it all out because of a bump in the road. This is one I am so often guilty of and precisely the origin of the post to begin with.
When I was growing up very little that was seen in movies or television was censored in my house. We watched scary movies, rowdy movies, and sometimes crude humor. Meanwhile hubby grew up in an almost opposite environment where certain shows were completely off limits and ratings were relevant. Somehow we both ended up with bad language that periodically peaks up. Now, to my point.
Tonight while watching tv our almost three year old out of nowhere exclaims “what the hell is that?” Try as we did not to laugh, it was difficult. After explaining that she shouldn’t say that and trying not to make a big deal out of it, (lest she add it to her permanent vocabulary) I began to wonder which one of us let this phrase out of the box. I suppose it isn’t really relevant where it came from, it just reminds me to add “watch your language” to the long list of resolutions I hope to keep in 2008 (topped only by losing weight). I wonder if this year I will actually stick to the list…hmmm, only time will tell.
The beauty of a teachers schedule is that when the kids are on break, so are the parents. Well Damien and son started their vacation last week, while mine started at 10pm Thursday night when class ended. Two whole weeks where in theory I am not bound to a deadline and nearly three weeks until my next assignment is expected. Woo Hoo!!
To commemorate this exciting break I took the two oldest kids to the library yesterday. Thinking about how long it has been since I read a book by my favorite author I snuck over to the paperback section and checked out a newer title by Dean Koontz. After getting it home I read it from cover to cover stopping only to eat (btw, I left dinner up to the man and though it was merely hamburger helper it was an exceptional meal as I did not cook it, nor clean it up).
After spending five hours on a book then heading off to get some groceries the kids managed to convince the folks to put on a movie. This is when mom got it in her head to make this a better than average viewing since what-the-heck, we’re on vacation. So we drug out the projector, and speakers, and watched Shrek 3 theater style on the living room wall, while snacking on cheese-its and pb & banana sandwiches (menu decided by the midgets of the house). It was turning out to be a great day until about 1/2 way through it, with a nine year old and two year old glued to the screen, hubby chimes in to point out that it is 12:30am. Wow, where in the world did that day go?
Today has also already wasted away doing nothing much more than sitting on a computer. Pretty soon we are going to have to start digging ourselves out of the surrounding mess, but it sure has been relaxing.
I think it can pretty much be said without hesitation that I stink at keeping up with a blog. Further more I must apologize to the kind dedicated readers of mine who have sent messages inquiring where I have disappeared to. My only rather sad excuse is that I am currently buried under piles of homework, laundry, dishes and diapers. So, here I am posting now because I have a link to my blog in my signature and removing it to let Party of Five die completely made me sad. My Thursday Thirteen could therefore be dedicated to none other than the 13 ways I intend to redeem myself and beckon back my wonderful readers and blog buddies.
1. I promise to dedicate myself to at least two posts per week.2. Even if I am too distracted to write my own post I commit to reading and commenting on at least two other blogs.
3. Instead of attempting to make every entry perfect and pristine, I will post blurbs sometimes to let my readers know I haven’t dropped out of the blogosphere.
4. I will stop worrying so much about what others think of my thoughts in print, after all, isn’t that the point of having my own blog?
5. If my kids, school, work, or marriage are the only hot topics on hand, then so be it…they shall appear with in these pages.
6. When hubby steals the fun family events for blogging I will post them anyways for those who do not frequent his sight.
7. When my river of thoughts runs dry I shall beg others to guestblog if they feel so inclined.
8. If I get requests (other than from hubby) to update the look of my blog I will indeed look into it.
9. I will cut at least thirty minutes of literati out of my limited schedule just for blogging.
10. I shall seek out a dark secluded place in my house to write undistracted (even if I have to hang out in the closet).
11. Even if I don’t have a bright, bubbly, exciting, or fun subject, I will blog the bummer events sometimes too. (It can always be sunshine and summertime right?)
12. If I know hubby is planning on blogging my best material, I will either stake claim to it first or race him to the finish line.
13. I shall not disappear again without warning
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I am currently trying to work out our December budget, and I must say it isn’t pretty for any month, but even worse is that I have to find a way to squeeze in funds for Christmas. Then all of a sudden this comic appeared on my front page…I’d say it is very relevant.
A few of you may know that I was a single mom for four years. By single mom I mean I raised my son on my own. No government assistance, no handouts from others, no free programs which covered daycare, and no help from another parent. Single by every definition. Therefore the burden fell on me to handle it all. Not just finances, but the whole kit-n-kaboodle. Discipline, morals, entertainment, and transportation. It didn’t leave much room for change in jobs as I had to match schedules and required a specific income.
Now, my point in explaining all of this is not for any pats on the back or otherwise as I have been truly blessed from the beginning with supportive friends and family and have no regrets in how my life has turned out, however recently I have begun to hear the term “single mom” used very loosely. It has turned into an annoying pet peeve of mine to hear a woman with a child (or children) who have separated from their partners calling themselves single moms. Meanwhile they have weekends off, financial assistance, or a simple person to call on when things aren’t going so well. Weather you hate your ex or not, if they are still in the picture and participating, you are not a single parent, it’s called co parenting. I can see that doing it from sepparate house while you are taking on the bulk of the burden may stink, but it is still not single parenting.
Single moms do not get weekends off without finding childcare, and that is a rare event. It isn’t something that happens every week, or even every other week. If you hate your job, you can’t just quit because you are the only source of income. Unless you have exceptional childcare, there is no one to call on when you have unplanned changes in scheduling. If your kid gets hurt, or in trouble, no one else is there to call on for help or to lessen the burden by having another parent to bounce it off. Granted, having a second parent doesn’t mean that all your troubles are solved, as I am certain I was better off raising my son on my own than having his loser father in the picture. I am simply saying if you have a somewhat involved second parent in the picture who cares for his kid(s), then stop calling yourself a single mom and count your blessings that you can come up for air sometimes.
Do you ever feel like you are on a practical joke show? You know, one where so many things are going wrong in such an exaggerated manner that you have to wonder if it could possibly occur outside of rigged television? Well today I had a moment where I wondered as much. See, my van looks as though our entire party of five actually lives in it. Complete with back up outfits that are dirty because they have already been swapped in a crunch, stacks of ads that never made it in from the mailbox, toys for long road trips kept in case of tantrums on the road, and crumbs everywhere. In fact, I even had shelving, a tv, and dvd player that were given to me which had never made it in the house. So I decided it was well past the deadline to clean this mess out. The first step was to bribe the 9 year old with a trip to the movies in an effort to get help. Next I pulled out the center set of seats and removed all unrecognizable fragments of candy stuck to the carpet and drug the vacuum out to finish the task. This is where it went awry.
Bouncing back two weeks ago, the 9 year old was cleaning his room and busted the vacuum. Luckily the next week I was fortunate enough to pick up a used one off of my local freecycler. Unfortunately it was free because it gets clogged and can’t seem to maintain suction. So after dragging it out and rigging it to stretch, it was off to option number two, the free vacuums at the local car wash. Leaving the middle seats in the front yard planning on rushing home, and hoping the sprinklers were not set to turn on, I pull up ready to finish the job. Well the first vacuum was out of order, so I moved to a different stall, where the next one was missing the tip and wouldn’t pick up fuzz, on to the next one which excitedly had the tip and turned on, but wouldn’t work either. Hmmm. Beginning to wonder if someone was out to sabotage my attempt at driving a clean vehicle, and determined not to be taken down, I headed back home.
At this point I am thinking that even though our original vacuum is squealing really loud from what would seem to be a busted fan, it at least still has decent suction, so I drag er’ out to get it all done and wouldn’t you know it, I start smelling a really foul scent similar to burning rubber, or rather burning plastic. Which is precisely what it was. As I turn back to see why it is so strong, I find that the 5th vacuum I have attempted to use to clean out the car, is now on fire. This has got to be bloopers practical jokes right?
I started working at 16 and was always taught from my parents as well as employers that the customer is always right. In other words if you work a taco stand and a customer says they saw a commercial for $2.99 Ribeyes, you had better be running to a store for them rather than explain that they have the wrong place. Repeat service and advertising by word of mouth was the name of the game. It seems though that this is no longer necessary. In fact my motto in the last couple of years has become “the customer is always right, except when I am the customer”. This would be because no matter where I go, when something goes wrong, I find the finger pointing back at me. Here is an example from my day today.
I have been bounced through multiple appointments and approvals for five months trying to get a tuba ligation. I had finally arrived at the day of my pre-op this morning to rush around dressing little ones, drag them out and about with entertainment and snacks in hand anticipating a long wait, and get settled in a chair in my ob’s office, when an hour into the juggling act and 25 minutes after arriving I am informed the Dr. is not in and I will have to return on a different day. The first offer was to return on Wednesday at 5pm. Uh, sure. I have three kids, with two who will be nagging to go trick-o-treating the second they wake up, but I am certain though they would prefer sitting in a Dr.’s office watching birth videos instead, thanks, but I think I will pass. After many attempts to reschedule we found a day that worked, but not before the unnecessary eye rolling and sigh from the assistant at having to look for something else. The look on my face must have been pure psychosis as I wanted to cross over the counter and take out the scrawny 19 year old who most assuredly has no idea what jumping through these hoops again in the same week with a full schedule means. There was never an apology or explanation offered just a silent “get the hell out” look.
My next stop today was to exchange some pants at Walmart since my son has gone from an 8, to a 10, to a 12 in less than a year and didn’t fit the new pants he needed for his costume. This is where I was ignored by an over worked, bitter, cashier who would apparently rather munch on her donut than acknowledge the guest standing behind her. I presented my receipt and kindly explained them not fitting my fast growing son and received nothing more than a blank stare and my refund slapped down on the counter.
Day not going so good, and over an hour until my son got out of school, I stopped for lunch. Though I suppose I should have anticipated from the empty parking lot a long wait, it would never have occurred to me that a french dip could be mistaken for a grilled chicken sandwich. 45 minutes into remaking the order it finally arrives as the server nudges toward an explanation of “MY” error in ordering being the cause of the mistake. Silly me, I forgot that the word chicken was slang for beef in some social networks. Once again the customer is always right, except when I am the customer.
About a month ago our littlest family member started drooling and chewing on everything in sight.
Though my first instinct might have been that she was teething, she wasn’t quite 4 months old, so that didn’t really seem likely. So I waited to start any teething aids except supplying the chew toys (yea, I know, now she sounds like a puppy).
A couple of weeks passed and on top of the drooling, and chewing, was a sad fussy girl who wasn’t getting much sleep looking like this:
Shortly thereafter when mom and dad were completely sleep deprived and exhausted trying to walk with the baby we were believing to be extremely gassy, because no front teeth had still yet appeared, a discovery was made. Not two front bottom teeth like usual, nor the next set in sequential order, instead we found her bottom fang teeth had popped through. Yep, the ones that are not scheduled until around 2 years old. So now this:
and this:
are making much more sense. I suppose when I see her doctor in a couple of weeks and he tells me this is perfectly normal I will feel better, until then I will be dreaming of strange dental procedures like when my son had to have an extra tooth pulled at 4 years old. Maybe spare teeth run in the family.
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