Smellyann Strikes Again

When The Going Gets Tough...

Yesterday, Sunday, was the ninth anniversary of our son Robby's death. I always keep a three-day vigil, during what was once his short little life, and hope for a different outcome. It's always the same in the end, of course, but I do it just the same. I imagine I'm not the only mother to do this. Saturday, Day Two, was my "I'm so angry, I gotta MOVE" day, so I broke out the long-neglected rollerblades and went for an hour-long spin all over the neighborhood:

I hate how I look in these pictures, but there's nothing I can do about that right now, short of plastic surgery. Plus, I had shorts on under the skirt, so my butt looks enormous. Hee. Oh, well.

Sunday was the actual anniversary. I woke up sobbing around 0300. Sophia, to my chagrin, came down to find out what was the matter. I explained about Robby, and she went to fetch Daddy, who came to comfort me. My nose always expands about 300-fold when I cry really hard, I think:

I don't know why I took the picture; I just love the iPhone's Instagram app so much!

When I'm stressed, aside from taking my pills, I have to do something to de-stress, and my go-to hobby of choice is knitting. And so, for the first time in a month, or maybe two?, I started hexipuffing:

At long last, I broke into my delightful mini-skeins from The Knitting Goddess, pulling out Summer Sun first because it was just the cheery colorway I needed at the moment. Each mini makes, for me, three full puffs with enough for maybe 1/3-to-½ of another. Plenty; I was expecting two!When I finished that trio, I napped. For a very long time.

When I finished that trio, it was about two house later, or perhaps three, so I went down to "my" 7-Eleven for a Diet Coke and a white rose. I was in luck; they actually had one nearly-perfect specimen. Just one:

In past years, we let go a slew of baby blue balloons for a happy-birthday message to the wee laddie, but the environmentalist in me could no longer stomach that. I took to Facebook for suggestions and got a number of lovely ideas, but the one we decided to go with was letting rose petals go in the water for him. Hence the rose.

We got this stone out of a catalog years ago, maybe the first year, and it sits out in the front "lawn" with the rest of the stones that our living trio made with their hand- and footprints and various stones and marbles.

I started to knit some more, but by then I was exhausted again, physically and emotionally, so I napped. For a very long time.

At last, Rob was waking me up, telling me it was time we go let the petals free in the water. It was a cold, rainy day, just the sort of day for such a thing, I suppose, so we bundled up and headed out to Chick's Beach. It's normally a very calm beach with soothing waters and empty sands, much more suitable than the oceanfront for such an endeavor, but we were in for it this time. The tide was in, and the storm had riled things up quite so; we got soaked and froze our little selves to death!

Jack took his petals from me and went first:

Next up was big sister Chloë:

She placed her petals in so delicately for her brother, true to form.

Sophia went next:

Unlike her more dainty older sister, Sophia, who is a bit more... brutish, shall we say... rather dumped hers into the water. All well and good. I told them each to do it however they wanted to do.

Daddy was the penultimate petal-pusher, before taking the camera from me:

Poor Rob got absolutely soaked and frozen to the bone. I wore shorts and Crocs, so I was good:

I decided to just fling my petals all out at once, just as the wind blew in my face. Um, that plan therefore backfired, and my petals wound up all over the beach. Ah, well! I enjoyed the experience immensely; we'll be back to do it again next year.

Before we left the beach, Jack placed the rose stem and the sprig of Baby's Breath into the water for his brother and Robby's pals, before taking off running up the beach when the waves overtook him. Time to go.

When we got home, everyone showered except me, to get warm and rid themselves of wet and sandy clothes. And so, I wound a ball of the Goddess' "Twirl" colorway - it's beachy-hued and appropriate, right? - and knit three more puffs before taking another wee nap.

When I awoke, it was after 2300, just in time to go on my errand of bringing a friend to work, and now here we are, catching you up with Vigil 2012. I'm about to dig into another Goddess colourway; this time, it'll be Soft Sky:

Maybe I'll have a few to show you on th'morrow, or maybe I won't and we'll just do our regular school routine. Until the next time, my loves, carry on and be well.

Fin.

The Primrose Schools© Family Dance-Off Is Back!

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a gift card in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Here is everything you need to know about the third annual Primrose Schools^© Family Dance-off:  It benefits Children's Miracle Network Hospitals^© and helps fight the childhood obesity epidemic by promoting physical activity, healthy lifestyle choices and quality family time...things all Moms and Dads can get behind!  And did you know? Primrose Schools^© is the leader in educational child care.

  

Here's how you and your family can enter the Primrose Schools© Family Dance-Off Competition:

1. Record a 30-second video of your family's best dance moves. Don't be afraid to let loose and be silly!
2. Visit www.familydanceoff.com and upload your best take between February 25th and March 23rd.
3. Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
4. View and vote daily (you can place one vote per day per device) for your favorite family dance video!

Of course, no contest is complete without amazing prizes. Primrose Schools^© is providing prizes that are great for your family and your community too, with $81,000 in donations to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals^©:

• 16 families will receive a $1,000 donation to their Children's Miracle Network Hospital^© and advance to the finalist round from March 26-30 to compete for the grand, second and third prizes.
• Grand Prize: $5,000 and Primrose Schools^© will make a $30,000 donation to their Children's Miracle Network Hospital^©
• 2nd Prize: $3,000 and Primrose Schools^© will make a $20,000 donation to their Children's Miracle Network Hospital^©
• 3rd Prize: $1,500 and Primrose Schools^© will make a $15,000 donation to their Children's Miracle Network Hospital^©

Childhood obesity is a critical issue for young children in America. Dance is a fun, easy way to incorporate physical activity into your family's routine while enjoying quality time together. The Family Dance-off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals^©, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

 

So, let me know if you are going to participate - I can't wait to record our silly video and share the hilarity with y'all! Hey, it's for a good cause, so get moving!

 

Fin.

Friday Fragments

Hey, y'all, link up with Mrs. 4444s if you're fragmenting today!

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My husband texted the following to me, but he didn't ID which kid said it, so I can't give proper credit (my Mommy senses tell me it was 6yo Sophia, though): "Unicorns are real. They're just fat and gray and we call them rhinos." I was out shopping when I got his text, and I split a gut laughing and had to share it with the other person shopping near me, lest they think (correctly) that I was loony! Too funny!

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I shared this gorgeous yarn I received from The Knitting Goddess (in the UK, so shipping took what seemed like forEVER) the other day on Wordless Wednesday, but it's so beautious, I wanted to see it again. Hehe. Tell me those aren't some luscious colors?! I'll be using these for hexipuffs on my Beekeeper's Quilt. Why haven't I started yet? That's a darn good question. I will today, I think.

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My husband's alarm has been going off for 45 minutes now (it's currently 0645). Why don't I wake him up, you ask? Because. It's IMPOSSIBLE to rouse that beast. Hence the 45 minutes. Are you easy or difficult to awaken? Most of the time, I'm hard to wake, too. I don't sleep well or often, but when I do, I want to stay that way, thank you!

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My gardening friend, Miss C., was a guest presenter at my Daisy meeting yesterday, and while I was editing the pictures, this one popped up as the first one. Yes, that's MY kid disrupting the group, not in uniform (she had it on but yanked it off, as she always does) and being a total goose. Sophia!! She is such a pill. Or as Miss C diplomatically put it, "She's spirited." Oh, I'm so glad I'm the Leader, because I'd be mortified if she behaved that way for others meeting after meeting (and she does). Argh!

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As far as what Miss C. did with the girls, she read them the next chapter in our yearlong story (aka our "Journey," "Between Earth and Sky) and then talked to them about how plants clean the soil and air. She then gave them a project that I'm sure we've all seen before, if not done a time or two: made pinecone bird feeders with peanut butter and birdseed. However, her yard had a dearth of pine cones but plenty of gum balls, so she brought those instead, and they worked great to clump up with PB and seeds. Sophia rushed right home and tied hers to her special 4th birthday tree, out front, and waited immediately for the birds. And did they come! Mostly gulls and crows (?) or some sort, but we're hoping for something a little more exciting colorful. Anyway, it was a great meeting, and I'm glad we did it!

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Jack, who will be 9 in a month and a half or so, has been asking for his own digital camera like his sisters for ages. I mean, forEVER (I used that one already, right? So what) - and I found a killer steal on one for him the other day. I'm even going to get $40 back in rewards for it, making it an even sweeter deal. I didn't pay a cent for it, because I am one of those crazy coupon deal girls, when I get the chance, and I'm so ecstatic about both (a) the fact that I'm going to make him SUPER happy and (b) my great deal, I just had to share it with you!

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Speaking of deals, kids and birthday presents, I got a robotic penguin toy for Sophia of a Plum District deal the other day, too, as she is a penguin fanatic. I mean, she is nuts for them. She likes all birds (and bugs!), but penguins are her absolute favorite. So yay me for scoring goodies - with slick deals - to make their upcoming birthdays fantabulous! (She'll be 7 a month after Jack's birthday; my gosh!!!! I can't even stand it that my baby will be that old. I wish I could make another one or three. Hehe.)

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So I've had that iron transfusion, confirmed with the oncologist/hematologist that I do NOT need to continue taking oral Fe supplements daily, and yet I still get so dizzy I almost pass out when I stand up half the time. What gives? My blood pressure is on the low side, but still within normal range. It's wicked annoying. I mean, if I'm gonna get that dizzy, can't I have the fun of passing straight out, already? That would make for a much more interesting fragment, at least. I did it once, in 8th grade. I was the talk of my class. What fun! Haha.

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By the way, if you're a frequent www.Amazon.com shopper (hello, Swagbucks money!) and you know about their Prime free shipping but don't want to lay out the moolah to pay for that service, here's something I scored that you might want to know: If you have an .edu email address - even if you're a college alum! - you can sign up for Amazon Student and get free Prime shipping! I've been taking loads of advantage of that sweet deal, since I do get tons of Amazon GCs from Swagbucks, surveys and other things I do on- and off-line to save a buck, and it is Teh Awesome. Check it out. Rats. I just went to go link you to Amazon Student here, and the free offer is now gone and replaced by a half-off deal. Still, better than $79, right?

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It's 0708. Hubby finally woke up. Just keeping you updated, since I knew you were in suspense about that!

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If you're at all interested in Native American culture, be sure and check out my post here about our field trip last Saturday to the Mattaponi ("matt-upon-AYE) Indian Resevation 90 minutes north of here. It was cool as all-get-out, and I can't wait to go back up in June for their annual Pow-wow. Worth a read, I'm told!

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And, as long as you're here and I'm in demanding begging mode, answer my Aloha Friday questions, will ya? I'm nosy interested. And I like strikethrough.

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I've been struggling with constant, daily migraines the past few weeks again, so schooling has been sketchy lately. Anyway, a recent day last week was quite warm, but rainy. Once the rain cleared, I was ready to get up out of the house and go for a walk to get some exercise for my and the kids' young bodies. Instead of just walking, though, we did a lot of running and jumping and splashing in the ubiquitous mud puddles around our neighborhood lake. It was too fun, and Chloë declared it, "The BEST rainy day EVER!" I had to agree. Sometimes, you just gotta be a kid again, right? We were so soaked (and muddy), we jumped right into warm showers when we got home. But what a memory that should make for all of us!

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Guess I'm out of fragments for now - lucky you!! I'm off to email my Girl Scout troop about Thinking Day, which is coming up. It's a day when we think about the Girl Scouts and Guides around the world, every year, and we always participate. Anyway, blah blah.

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Have a great week! 'Til next time...

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: 2011 Wrap-Up Meme

I almost forgot about SS today! Link up here if you're playing along.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Gosh, I gotta think. A year's a long time... let's see.  Oh, I know, I drove in Manhattan! That was scary but exciting, because I didn't kill us. Whew.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I honestly don't even remember what they were, so probably not. I've made some for 2012, yes. I want to be a better housekeeper and be more organized, and I want to start the Couch-2-5K program that I've been thinking about for a number of years but never actually started. I need to be more active.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, my Turtle-friend Saritah had baby T, and a few other friends had babies as well. It's been a baby-heavy year!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yeah, my beloved grandpa. I miss him so much. It's been since last February, and I still think about picking up the phone to call him when things remind me of him.

5. What countries did you visit?

We didn't leave the country, but we visited several states outside our own Virginia. The only one I'd never been to before was Connecticut, where we stayed for Grandpa's funeral, even though that was in NJ. Appropriate, though, because he was from there.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

More financial stability and freedom. 2011 was tiiiiiiight.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Well, 9/11/11, because it was the 10th anniversary of that momentous tragedy. Also 9/7/11 and 9/8/11, because my oldest turned 10 and then I turned 35, which seems to me like the age of growed-up-ness. That's a word.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I think probably teaching the three cooking classes at our homeschoolng co-op. I really went out of my comfort zone to do that, and I got lots of positive feedback. It turned out great, and I'm proud of it.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Tackling the laundry monster. That has been a BIG FAIL for me this year. I will not let 2012 be the same!

10. What was the best thing you bought?

Rob's wedding ring! I just gave it to him yesterday or the day before. He lost his original wedding ring while we were at an amusement park this past summer, and he's been "un-wed" for months now. I bought him one and it just arrived, though we still need to get it in engraved. He's married again, yay! I was going to save it and give it to him for our 11th anniversary, which is tomorrow, but ... I wanted that finger ringed!

11. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Jack's. Ohhh, you meant a celebrity? Well, I'm picking my son. He's really shown himself to be a hard worker when he applies himself, this year. It's been a switch from years past, when he was more of a lazybones.

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted?

No one I can think of, that I got really worked up about.

13. What song will always remind you of 2011?

"Someone Like You" and "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele. Love her, love her voice, love her songs...

14. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Drudgery. I've been pretty lazy this year (well, last year). I've been slacking.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of?

That slacking I mentioned? Kind of obvious answer, though, right?

16. Did you fall in love in 2011?

I fall in love with my husband again all the time, so yes. He repeatedly shows me why I should love him so much. ♥

17. What was your favorite new TV program?

N/A. No TV for us.

18. What was the best book you read?

Bah. I don't think I read a single non-child book this year. I should put that on my "must" list as well. I barely read my magazines, of which I get a TON of free subscriptions, and I have a huge stack to go through and donate to the libe.

19. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?

Hm. Finishing out December with a BANG! like I planned. Instead, I got sick for nearly three weeks, just getting better as of yesterday, and had to take it extreeeeeeemely easy. Ah, well, the best-laid plans...

20. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

I'm still trying to sort that out. When I was very fat, it was "whatever fits." I don't want that to be my style now, but I don't know what is. I like lots of different things, but I don't have the budget to go out and shop for a whole new wardrobe. It's pretty much, "Whatever was on mega-clearance at Old Navy... that fits." haha

21. What kept you sane?

The hubs, Rob, and my crafting and knitting. When I get crazy-stressed, I've gotta pick up my needles. Stabbing at yarn makes me not want to jab the needles at a person. Or cat. Those rascally cats...!

22. Who did you miss?

Well. Everyone. We're a military family, so all our family and many of our friends are distant. Along with that, as always, my mother and son, and my grandparents, who are waiting for me in Heaven.

23. Who was the best new person you met?

Jenny From the Block! She's my girl. Love her! Oh, and my new therapist. She rocks the kasbah.

24. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2011?

Count your blessings, and appreciate them always. Life is precious, and short. Be in the moment. Share special one-on-one time with each of the kids, every day, even for just a few minutes. It makes such a huge difference to them. 

25. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"Everybody wang chung tonight!" What? I want to wang chung tonight, don't you?

Enjoy your year. May it be filled with love, laughter, and chocolate. If you like that sort of thing.

Fin.

Friday Fragments

 

Link up here if you're fragmenting along with Mrs.4444 today!

I can't promise my fragments today won't depress you. If you don't feel like it, shuffle on along now... ;)

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So I had this friend. A really, really good, close friend, who I cared a tremendous bit about. I knew him a very short period of time, but we clicked immediately and got along like two people who get along real well.

Anyway, things got too intense, and when I posted this, he had enough. It cost me the friendship.

That was what, a week ago? My heart is still broken.

Actually, for the first time since I was a teenager, I did this:

 

 

I never considered myself a "cutter," because I have always used my fingernails (I have attempted scissors and knives but couldn't ever manage to break the skin with them), but apparently that counts. It's worse than it looks in the picture; that was fresh. Don't ask me why I took a picture.

Right now it looks like this, though:

 

...because Hello Kitty was all I had in my First Aid kit. Hey, whatever works. It hurts like hell. I won't be doing it again anytime soon. That's a promise.

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I did try not to cut. I even put on my sneakers - which I never, ever wear - and went out for a run to try and stop the pain I was feeling. I don't run. I just don't. But I did. And I liked it. So I've been gathering up a Playlist of run-worthy songs on my iPod, and as soon as the weather isn't crappish, I'm going to keep doing it. I WILL run that 5K this year!! Another promise.

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Anyway, CM, if you're out there reading this (which I doubt, but you never know), please stop this nonsense and be my friend again. Please?

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Here's another thing I posted this week, that I think you should read. I'm actually kind of proud of it. I printed it out and mailed it. Kinda hoping it makes the old man cry again. Is that wrong?

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I have to admit, I feel like I've been falling down on the job when it comes to homeschooling. I think we do okay at it when we DO it, but we haven't spent enough time on it since Christmas. Granted, my 5yo went from not knowing all her letter sounds to READING, and my 7yo went from a mid-kinder reading level to a mid/late-first grade level so far this school year, and my 9yo went from being TERRIBLE at math to adding up $80 worth of groceries in her head and only being 3¢ off the actual total... and oodles of other things, but... I'm slacking. There. I said it. I'm slacking. Time to get back in the saddle and be more gung-ho again.

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We've been doing lots of Valentine's arts and crafts projects this week, including all these on Tuesday and more stuff today:

 

our bedecked chandelier, and

 

our Valentine (eucalyptus) tree, and

 

our bannisters, and 

 

this little love-note to my alma mater, the U. of Miami. Fun times. I had every intention of doing more academic stuff today, but we had a rough, tough morning, so I made it up to the kids with an afternoon full of buttons, ribbons, glitter and hot glue!

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Tonight, I continued the craftiness by finishing up the African Gray (amigurumi) parrot I've been making for a good friend of mine. I had no pattern or experience, really, with amigurumi other than one or two little things, so it was a real challenge for me. I can't show you the picture yet because she hasn't seen it and reads this blog, so I'll just show you my starting point a few weeks ago:

 

She approved of my color choices, but that's it! Everything else will be a surprise. Eek! I'm nervous!

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At Bunco last night, Skinny-Minnie T totally made my night by standing next to me and joke-angrily saying that SHE was supposed to be the skinny one, here! At the time, I was wearing size SIX jeans and really needed a belt!! :D

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I'll leave you now with this funny (and totally wrong!) little conversation that my husband texted to me. It happened a little while ago:

Hubs, to son Jack, 7: "I'm trying to take a dump, can you leave [the bathroom], please??"

Jack: "I'm trying to look at the damn [valentine] tree!"

I busted a gut. I probably shouldn't share that, but I think it's hee-larious. Some - maybe all - of you are shaking your heads, and I don't care. It's funny to ME!

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All right, good-night and happy weekend.

Fin.

Merrily We Roll Along

On Thursday afternoon, I took Jack back to see Dr. A (whose name you can plainly see there on his uniform) to have his ears checked again. And yes, Doc is approximately 14 years old. I called him Doogie once or twice before, to his amusement.

Doc could still see bubbles of fluid in both of Jack's ears, which is why I'm surprised and happy to tell you that as of that very morning, Jack could hear clearly again! He didn't tell me this himself; I 'tested' him as I do/did every morning, and when I whispered his name from out of sight, he answered me! It was a joyous discovery. When I questioned him about his hearing, he seemed delighted to report that everything sounded normal again. Phew! And without a milligram of medication!

Jack didn't particularly like the exam... poor babe!

At that point, Jack commandeered my camera, so the next couple of shots are from him. 

This was probably the last time we will meet with Dr. A., because he and his family (wife and two kids) are moving to Italy. Such is life when you go to a military clinic: you get attached to your provider, develop a rapport over a year or three, and then either they or you move on to the next station, and you have to start all over again.

It's the second time since we've been here that I'm really sad to say good-bye to a great doctor. The first time was the doc we had when Jack was first born. Both were 'great' in that they took their time with the patients AND the parents, listened to what we had to say, and included our input in the treatment plans. Neither made me feel "lesser-than," because I don't happen to possess a medical degree. I appreciate that immensely.

I often make this face when one of the kids takes my picture. I don't know why; it's just a habit. And I hate having my picture taken from down below. My friend E taught me long ago that it's better to have your photo taken from slightly above; the result is more flattering. So when I don't like the angle, I make a face!

I look skinny though, huh?! Hee. This is Rob's Harley shirt that I'm wearing! And look, it's not supah-dupah tight, either! (My husband is a VERY thin man, so it's exciting to be able to wear his clothes!)

 
  

Jack is always curious about the things in the doctor's office, so it was no surprise when he pulled out the stirrups. After he lay down like this, I asked Doc to perform his Pap Smear. Doc snorted and says he avoids doing those at all costs!

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Somewhere between the doctor visit and the following morning, my new camera got jacked up. Just the lens cover. Half of it won't open, and the other half won't shut! Awesome. I think I need to add a fund for repairing my old camera to the budget, somewhere, somehow. This new one is just a piece of crap; I hate it so.

Anyway, here's Jack eating a batch of scrambled eggs that HE made from start to finish, next to the plate of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (from another mix that he found in the stockpile bin) that HE mixed, and near to the bowl of being-prepared pie crust that HE helped to measure and mix. He was a very busy boy in the kitchen on Friday, and I do declare that cooking and baking are now one of his favorite things to do. I can tell he takes pride in the results, too!

Of course, he had to help roll out the pie crust. That's always the kids' favorite job to do, isn't it? I showed him how to carefully wrap the dough around the rollilng pin and lay it out in the pie pan, to avoid breaking it. He did a perfect job!

Then he fluted the ege of the crust, after I showed him how to do it. He did the whole rest of the crust without help.

He did a nice job, don't you think?

 
  
I showed him how to pierce the crust with a fork to keep it from bubbling up, and he had a good time with that. See how he concentrates? I love his devotion to doing the job right.

He insisted he wanted a cup of coffee after that! The boy does like coffee... so I slipped him the decaf and brewed him up a cup, with sugar and cream. He drank two sips and decided he didn't like it. I'd have drunk it, but I can't have sugar, so it went to waste. *le sigh*

After a while, it was time to get the girls off the bus. We had to rush Jack right out to Chesapeake for a Cub Scout friend's birthday party after that, at a popular bouncy house place. I'd lined up some errands to run so that the girls wouldn't have to sit there and watch him having fun, because I didn't have a spare $16 to let them play, too. Sophia was really disappointed, so I promised her I'd take her sometime this summer.

After dropping Jacky off, we stopped at the FedEx shop so I could ship a package. It didn't cost me anything; it was for a mystery shopping project I'd done the week before. Chloë waited in the car and read her book; Sophia came inside with me so she could use the potty. I've been pricing papers, just to know what things cost in case I need them for home-schooling, so I was surprised when they told me that theirs cost $10 a ream! Uh, no.

Then we stopped over at Babies 'R' Us, because I knew they carried the Snikiddy brand of snacks, for which I had three "Free Product" coupons. Snikiddy is all-natural but not organic; I decided that in this case, it was close enough for me. "Natural" doesn't really mean anything, so I did my research on the company and decided it was okay to consume. But while we were at BRU, I was thrilled to find a wonderful array of organic foods and drinks at reasonable prices. I'd love to buy all our organic goods at the shop at the Farmer's Market, but she's very expensive, so I'm having to find deals where I can. The emphasis is still going to be on buying local, though.

Our last stop was at the TAPS near BRU, to see if they had the Daisy Leader book. Our local store didn't have it, so I was chagrined to find they were out of it at this one, too. Tha hell?! How am I supposed to know what to do if I don't have a book? I NEED my book. We spent another few minutes looking around at all the cool stuff, but again, I didn't want to spend any money that I didn't have, so we bought nothing. My creative juices really get flowing in a store like that, though!

Unfortunately, all these errands only took an hour, so we still had to go back and sit for another hour at the birthday party site. They had some toys in the waiting area, so that kept the girls busy for 20 minutes while I was able to do some knitting. I spent a quarter on a bouncy ball for them to roll around to each other, when they tired of the toys and limited books available. After that, it was all go-go-go, because every time I looked away for a second, Sophia had shucked her shoes and was in one of the bouncy structures!! Illegally. Inwardly, I was laughing, but of course I couldn't show that I was amused by her antics, or she'd take that as acceptance. So I kept the stern look on my face as I dragged her out and back to the waiting room, hating all the while that I didn't have that spare $16.

One time, Jack had climbed halfway up the highest structure and would neither go up nor down, so all the boys came rushing over to get me. An older boy, the birthday kid's older brother, had tried to rescue him, but he wanted Mama only. I tore over there and shoved his butt up to the top, and then we slid down together. I completely understand his reluctance; I am the same way. When we slid down the steep slide, I got that sick feeling in my stomach that thrills some people (Sophia-types like my sister, Stacey) but which I don't enjoy at all.

And of course, when I returned, Sophia was nowhere to be found... until I looked in a corner of the big warehouse, where she was happily bouncing away with a new friend. She is such a stinker!

After the bouncy party was over, we went back to the Farmer's Market for some supplies for dinner. I had promised a celebratory dinner for Rob, for getting his motorcycle license, but we still hadn't done that yet. I found one restaurant in the area that was reported to be "organic," Crocs at the beach, but when I called them, it turned out they only had "some produce" that was actually organic - not their whole menu. Suck. (Attention, entrepreneurs! I see a niche needing to be filled...) Jack had wanted to make pizza, so we decided to make that for Daddy's dinner, instead.

The stop at the organic market was meant just for some organic sauce for the pizza(s), but the kids talked me into some fresh fruit, including Chloë and Jack's kiwis, above. I tried a slice; it was definitely the most delicious kiwi I'd ever tasted! I also got some organic bananas from Ecuador, which just smell amazing, for more smoothies. Or something, I don't know. Oh, and a package of goat cheese for one of the pizzas, since we don't particularly care for Organic Valley's mozzarella cheese. (It tastes very dry, like cheddar. Which is fine, if you're expecting cheddar, but not if you're expecting traditional mozz. I'll just have to learn to make my own!)

We also stopped at the Creamery I'd mentioned in a previous post, to get some ice cream and that fresh cream top milk. Anything to fatten up my skinnies!  The milk is already gone; it was SO good. The ice cream was excellent, too, but we really didn't care for the mint chips in that flavor, so we'll probably not buy that flavor again. The strawberry, though... mmmmmm! It all tasted so good, and since this working Maryland dairy farm is the apparently the closest such one to this area, they consider themselves to be "local." In fact, earlier this morning, I signed up for their weekly delivery service, for milk, cheese, and such. Not their eggs; though; I'll continue to get those from Polyface Farms at the organic store. 

(Have I mentioned Polyface? If not, look it up - it's Joel Salatin's family farm. He's the guy Rob and I love from Food, Inc., and he's going to be giving two talks at the Homeschool Convention in a couple of weeks. I'm going to meet him!!!!)

By the time we got home and got the kitchen cleaned up so I could start dinner, it was past 8 o'clock, and Jack had no interest in helping me make the pizza. So I made it myself: organic dough, sauce and goat cheese - doesn't it look SO good? And it was. Especially after I re-cooked it; the dough was raw when I first served it. Oops. Jack and Sophie didn't care for the goat cheese, so Chloë ate theirs. I adore goat cheese, though. Yum!

For dessert, I pulled out the pie Jack and I had made earlier in the day. It's got a mostly-organic crust, with the fresh-picked strawberries on top. The cream filling is made of organic eggs, yogurt, and cream cheese, plus sugar and a little bit of Cool Whip. I had a little taste, and it was SO yummy. I wish I could have dove in, but I'd really have made myself sick.

Our neighbors to the right came home when I ran out to the car for something, so I mentioned that Jack had made a special strawberry pie, and would they like to try it? Of course they would, so I served some up for thme and brought it over. I made her promise to tell me what she thought of it, even if it wasn't good, because I can't eat it and don't want to make it again if it's yucky!

 
  
In the mail yesterday, I'd gotten a new game for the Wii, "Just Dance," along with a cursive writing workbook for Chloë. I paid $1.33 for both, after using my Swagbucks money for the rest! The Wii game turned out to be SO much fun - and a great workout! The kids and I took turns doing dances, and I danced along behind them when it wasn't my turn. I was sweating up a storm and feeling great.

The kids' dancing was so funny! I'm sure mine was as well, but of course I have no pictures of that. And I wouldn't show you if I did!

Poor Jack. He has inherited his father's dance skill - or lack thereof - but he sure tried!

Rob sat there like a bump on a log the whole time, refusing to play with us. He wouldn't even dance once! Butthead. :P

No, she's not drinking a beer - it's an organic root beer! Delicious. (I am loving this organic stuff; can you tell?!) But look at her feet! This kid is so bendy and flexible. She amazes me! I think it will be a good fit when she tries gymnastics again later this year. 

We danced well into the night, past 2300, and then I tried to go for a run around our lake. I got about a third of the way along when I just collapsed, unable to breathe. (It was embarrassing, because a man was fishing right there!) I tried to catch my breath so I could start running again, but I just couldn't... and I ended up throwing up violently. It was very upsetting. I'll have to take it more slowly... but I'm ready to fly like the wind!

On a positive ending note, I've lost 4 lbs since Thursday! I'm now well into my fabulous 50s - as in, I'm at 157.3 lbs! Yay!! Less than 7½ lbs until I reach my doctor's goal!!

Fin. 
  
  
  

Back To Basics

Tuesday morning, I turned off my alarm instead of hitting the snooze button, so I overslept by an hour. Whoops! I could seriously kick my own butt when I do that; makes me so mad at myself and is NOT a great way to start the day. Luckily, Sophia wasn't late at all, as it was kindergarten registration day. We got to the school right at 0900, and the older two children picked up their "tardy" slips and headed off to class.

I took Sophia to her classroom ahead of time, letting them know that I would not, in fact, be registering her for kindy that morning, because I'm going to homeschool her next year. They were curious about that, whether it was going to be just her or all three kids, etc., but they were positive and supportive about it. I definitely feel like I need lots of encouragement right now, so that was good.

Back in the big school, after letting go of Jack and Chloë, I walked down to the cafeteria where the registration was taking place, to talk to Mrs. P. about it. I let her know, too, that I wouldn't be registering Sophia that morning, or any morning, and why. She got a sad, "We'll miss you guys" look on her face and wished me luck.

I kind of wish we could start tomorrow! I'm certainly not ready, materials- and curriculum-wise, but I am ready to pull them out of school and begin the next chapter. And, of course, stop the medicating with Adderall that I'm only giving them so they can get along in the "sit down and shut up" world of public schooling. That really bites. Fortunately, later this afternoon is their appointment with Dr. P., my prescribing shrink, to have further and more comprehensive evaluations for ADHD.

I went home, to find that Rob was still not back from work. Poor guy. I piddled on the computer for an hour, as I almost always do to start my day, and he arrived home during that time. I was hoping he'd finish cleaning up the kitchen so I could make my banana breads, but he was exhausted and pretty much knocked out immediately. The laundry monster was once again taking over our upstairs, so I resigned myself to a day of washing, drying, folding, and putting away.

And that I did.

I colored my hair in the beginning - I'm a little crunchy, but not so granola that I won't use chemicals to hide my roots, man - set my iPod to my latest obsession (the soundtrack from The Princess and the Frog), and got to work. First, I had to finish putting together all the girls' Spring/Summer outfits and hanging them in their closets (school clothes in Sophia's and non-school clothes, ie., dresses and short shorts with tank tops, in Chloë's, since they're both wearing a size 5T). Then it was time to tackle the rest of the wash. I had about four or five loads to launder, and about that many loads of clean ones to fold and put away. I showered, rinsed out my hair, dressed and straighened my 'do, but otherwise I worked on laundry straight up until the bus came at 1530. And I'm STILL NOT DONE. Oy-to-the-vey.

The laundry, it drives me to the crazy place.

 

As usual, once the kids came home, we were on the move. I had to wake up Rob then - but by that point, he'd gotten more sleep than I had, at least 7 or 8 hours, so I didn't feel awful about it - to take charge of The Littles, so they wouldn't have to accompany Chloë and me to Ballet class. She and I left late, because she took forever to change into her leotard, and arrived a few minutes after the start time. I know that irks her teachers, but I do the best I can.

I worked on knitting Luke's shorties during dance class. It was slow going; the yarn had gotten all messed up in my bag, somehow. Peas and carrots, that drives me nuts. I managed to get a couple inches knit up, anyhow, and soon enough I'll be needing to get some size 8 DPNs so that I can work the legs. Don't have 'em; it always surprises me to need a needle I don't have, since I have so many already! (Thanks to MIL for that, mostly.) :D

Immediately after we came home, we had to get ready for Chloë's Author Party. She and her classmates each wrote fables and published these Studentreasure books. I was going to show you the cover of her story, "The Cheetah and the Leopard," but my scanner is being a piece of dirty bathwater. It's cute, though.

Sadly, I don't have anything to show you from the party - during which the kids all read their books - because I couldn't go, and Rob had camnesia. Apparently Chloë did a really good job. However, I have the book, and without the author's permission, I am going to share her fable with you here:

 "The Cheetah and the Leopard"

A Fable by Chloë

Dedicated to My Mom and Dad

Once there was a cheetah and a leopard. They were very good friends,

but one day they had a really hard test.

During the test leopard and cheetah needed help, but they didn't ask for any.

They missed every question on the test. The next week they had some of the same questions.

This time they asked for help and got them all right.

Moral: If you need help ask!

"About the Author"

Hi! My name is Chloe Odette. I have a brother and his name is Jack. He is in first grade. I have a sister and her name is Sophia. She is in Early Discoveries. My dad works in the Navy. My mom is a substitute teacher. [snort] I am in third grade. I hope you like my book.

Cute, right?? Not the most fabulous story in the world, but maybe we can finesse that in homeschool next year.

Apparently there was cake and punch at the party, but Daddy didn't let them have any. I told him that he should have let them have a small piece, but he said nope! because they didn't have dinner yet.

Before the party, Rob and the kids had dropped me off at the Girl Scout Leader meeting down the road. I'm officially a Daisy leader now, for Sophia's troop! We even have our troop number assigned, and I have my approval letter. Exciting! I'm nervous about that, too, but somehow it'll all come together, I'm sure.

I had lots to take care of at the meeting. I needed to act as Treasurer and write the check for the Brownies (well, they'll be bridging to Juniors) to pre-register for next year, and submit the packet with all of their forms. I needed to get and fill out a pre-reg for Sophia and submit that along with Miss Nikki's youngest daughter's pre-reg, and pay for that. (I didn't have to pay for Chloë, because she earned it from selling cookies!) I had to take notes, since Nikki doesn't attend the Leader meetings, and I'll be acting as Leader of the Daisies and Co-Leader of the Juniors next year. And there was a lot more I needed to do, but I forget what now. I got a present, too! A little lanyard thing with a carabiner on it, for my keys. I got one for Nikki as well. A little gift for all the Leaders, from the Service Unit chairwoman. It says something about being a Girl Scout volunteer on it.

Anyway...

So I thought about homeschooling all day, while I was folding laundry.

First, I decided our little school should have a name, so it will be called Sweet Pea Academy, after the planned name of our boat. (That plan may be on hold for a while, but I can't spill the beans yet on just why right now. Hopefully soon!) Do you like the name? Well, I do.

(Oh, it was funny. I told Chloë about our new school name on the way home from Ballet. I jokingly told her I was going to print up t-shirts with the name and logo on them, for each of the kids to wear every day to school. Then she said, "Oh, and we can make up a poster and put it on the front door, so other kids can come to our school, too!" I told her that the school was just for the three of them, and she wanted to know why. I said, "Well, first of all, they'd have to PAY me to attend, and second of all, I'd want to at least practice on you guys for a year or so, so I can figure out if I even know what I'm doing!" She replied, "Of COURSE you know what you're doing - you have THREE books!!!!" I cracked up laughing and said, "You mean the ones from the library?" She rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, they're HUGE!"

Too funny. Well, at least she has the confidence in me, so that was reassuring!)

Most of what I was thinking about, though, was curriculum. I already know what they want to work on, so I thought I'd expand it a bit. For Jack, we'll not just learn about cars and boats, but we'll work on Transportation in general. We can study so many things, and I know he will just love it. The library will be our best friend. In time, we'll learn about not just boats and cars, but planes, trains, and every other form of locomotion we can think of. We can take field trips to look at these things, I hope, and it will be just the funnest thing for him.  

Chloë wants to study animals, and Sophia wants to study birds. I have a thick binder or two filled with beginner information on all sorts of animals, so I thought we'd pick one each (day? week?) to discover and learn more about in detail. I want to get some sort of family membership, either to the zoo or the aquarium or the children's musuem or something, but I'm thinking the zoo will be good for this area of study. I'd love to have family memberships to all of them, but I just don't think we can afford it. But think of it, we could go to the zoo all the time! It will be great.

Chloë also stressed learning about art and music. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do about music, but I'm going to talk to my friend Shana, who IS a music teacher, and see if she has any recommendations. But we are going to explore so many kinds of art. I'm going to teach them to knit and crochet! We have painting jobs that need doing in the house, so I'll do that with the kids and explore painting with them! There's a ceramics studio just down the road, so I thought I'd take them to that for one or more of our field trips. I'm also going to encourage them to keep a journal - not just for writing, but for drawing, too.

For physical education, and to boost our study of the natural world, we'll go on lots of nature walks and stuff. I'm also going to find out if the gym(s) on the Navy base(s) have anything for kids, so we can go and exercise for free. If not, I'm hoping we can find room in the budget for either a family membership to the YMCA or the local rec centers, which are pretty good. We used to be members, but we hardly ever used it; I'm determined to have them be physically active, though. Of course, the girls will stay in their dance classes, and I'm hoping to get Jack involved in something, too. Maybe karate?

For socialization, of course the Scouts (Daisies, Cubs and Juniors) and athletic pursuits will help fill that void. There are also a number of homeschooling groups in the Hampton Roads area, and I'm planning on contacting the ones that seem like a good fit soon, to find out how and when they meet up, what they do, etc. They'll get plenty of interaction with other people.

Of course, that all takes care of many things, but what about math? Reading and writing? Well, I'm still working on that. If you couldn't tell, I'm definitely not the unschooling type, I don't think.  I mean, some of what we'll be doing IS considered unschooling, but I have a concern about math and language. I need the children to learn those things. I can't have them NOT learn those things. It's important to me that they do, and so they will. I'll make it as fun as possible, without a billion worksheets and with a lot of hands-on manipulation, but they will learn. I'm going to go to the TAPS store and see what resources I can find there, I'm going to see what I can get from Mindware and elsewhere online... I want to make this whole experience as fun and painless as possible for them, but they WILL learn to read, write and do math. I insist upon it!

We're going to learn other things, too. As a family, we're going to tear up our backyard and make it more nature-friendly. Right now, it's a morass and only the dog is really able to use that. I want to change that. I want to rent a rototiller and tear up all the grass and then plant as much of our own local and natural and organic and sustainable food as we can.  And we are FINALLY going to have a compost pile. Or heap. Or whatever you call it. I've been throwing out our compostable food scraps behind the bushes in the front of the house for too long. It's time to change that and make it 'official.' Yay, I can't wait!

We're going to learn new recipes, and spend lots of time in the kitchen. They will become proficient at cooking and baking, and using what's local and at-hand to make a nutritious, wholesome meal. No more Red # 40 dye, no more high fructose corn syrup, no more genetically-modified whoosy-whatsit. We'll can our food and freeze it for later, when there are no crops.

We'll go camping. Fishing. If Rob wants to take them hunting, so be it, but if they want to become semi-vegetarians like their mama, I'll be pleased with that, too. We'll learn how to live a "greener" life. We're going to learn more about conservation and taking care of the planet.

And taking care of each other, too. We're going to learn how to be not only global citizens but community menbers. We'll visit the elderly, bring cookies to the firefighters and police, maybe work in a soup kitchen.

I'm terribly excited. I can't wait to start. Bring on the Sweet Pea Academy!!

Fin.

 

 

  

 

When We're Human

Ah, there we go. It's taken me 20 minutes to be able to post UNDER the video, and have it at the top! Anyway, that's what I've been singing at the top of my lungs for the past two days, ever since watching The Princess and The Frog. I LOVE it!! I had been considering auditioning for a woman's chorale here in town, even though I'm skeered to death of auditioning... until I realized there just wouldn't be time for it in our schedule right now. So I'll just have to content myself with singing at home, for my own benefit. I'll probably save a few dozen pairs of ears that way, at least.

So imagine these boobies all deflated, with nothing but the empty skin, and then you pretty much have what I'm staring down at right now. Sad and gross, right? That's my next project, after I get my abdominoplasty. Hopefully next year, unless any of you want to buy me new mams!  

Anyway. Sunday was a pretty great day. Rob took the kiddos to church in the morning, while I stayed home to continue nursing my horrible migraine. It really sucks now, because there is not too much I can take (no NSAIDS), and I can't go too crazy on the Tylenol, either, because I get rebound headaches. So I was popping them one at a time, every 8 hours or so. Not too effective, and I can feel another one coming on right now. Suckage, especially since I really wanted to go to church. A new series is starting on various world religions (or as I jokingly called it, "International Jesuses," which both shocked and amused my husband, and it promises to be interesting. I keep forgetting to ask Rob how this first one went, though, so I dunno.

When they came home, we quickly got ready to go out for a mystery shop at one of the local Tex Mex places. I think Rob likes it even better than Moe's (Welcome to Moe's!), but maybe that's just because we haven't been there in a while. Jack whined all the way there that he doesn't like that place, and he didn't want to eat, and wah wah wah. I secretly ordered him a nothing-but-chicken burrito anyway, and when I put it in front of him, he said nothing. Just ate it until he was full. Maybe that's the trick, just ignore him and leave it in front of him? Well, we have tried that with varying success over the years, and I guess this was just our lucky day. 

 

It was such a beautiful day out when we came home from lunch, I wanted to get outside and do some exercisin'. I haven't felt much like running since my post about it a week ago, but suddenly I wanted to go even faster and get my wheels down from the closet where they've been in hiding for the last, oh, 5 or 7 years. I used to rollerblade everywhere when I was in college, so I was pretty good at it, but it's been sooo long... so Rob was bemused when I said that not only did I want to go out, I wanted to take the dog with me, too!

Our dog is notoriously not good on a leash. She's used to just being let out in the backyard to roam to go potty, and we haven't walked her on a leash anywhere near as much as we ought. 

So on second thought, the whole family went across the street with me to the lake, and Rob walked Tiger Lily while I got my skating legs back. I did about four laps around the lake, with my iPod on full blast to the tunes of Fergie and the rest of the Peas, before finally taking the reigns leash from Rob.  The old girl didn't do too badly! She slowed me down, but I kept her running, and she kept going and didn't stop to smell every other blade of grass. Once around the lake with her was enough, though. I passed her back to her daddy and did several more laps around, until I had the fire in my lungs and the weakness in my ankles. I was thoroughly exhausted, and it felt great! I really pushed myself, and I plan to do it again soon, too.

After we showered and got ready to go (for everyone was hot and sweaty; they'd all done numerous passes around the lake, too), we had another mystery shop for dinner. This time, it was at a local upscale Italian eatery that we've been to many times for dates. I didn't want to pay a babysitter - short fundage right now - so we took the kids along and made them behave their best. They did okay, but they kept wanting to lie down on the benches, and Sophie's dres was too short. Her undies kept showing! So that's the end of that dress. She's going through clothes SO fast right now... but I digress. Dinner was excellent, although I had to run and puke mine up in the fancy bathroom! Sometimes things still just don't sit right in the ol' pouch. The kids wanted strawberries for dessert, so I ordered this zabaglione, and they absolutely devoured it. You can't tell from the iPhone pic, but it was lovely! Before the forks attacked, anyway...

And that was the very end of Spring Break. The kids got a bath and went to bed, and it was back to school this Monday morning.

I had fallen asleep early, but I woke up around midnight and stayed up past 0200 to book Sophia's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. I tried like hell to talk her into going to the bouncy place, Kangaroo Jac's, instead, but no, she insisted on the giant mouse. And I promised her a party if she behaved better lately, and she really has. You only turn five once, after all! Five is big. BIG! I'm dying that she's five...

So then I had to make the invitations for all her school friends, because the party is this coming Sunday afternoon. I haven't heard from anyone yet, so I am hoping that they will RSVP. I booked for 12, but I can change the number up to 24 hours in advance. I know three will be there, for sure, right?

In the end, though, I found those invites still sitting on my desk after I put the kids on the bus this morning. Doh! Shoulda put them on the kitchen table.

The first thing I did was finish my reports for the previous day's lunch and dinner shops, and then I had to head out and do a coffeeshop one. Everything was great about the shop - except for the coffee. It was bland as anything, tasted just like hot water. I really needed the caffeine, too, but I ended up tossing out my cup halfway through. Bah!

On the way back, I stopped at Sophia's school to give the invitations to her teachers. They asked me if I was going to come in on Tuesday (now, her fifth birthday), and do something, since I still owed one more hour of service to the preschool. (Everyone is required to fulfill 10 hours by the end of this month.) I was planning to come in anyway, with cupcakes, but I didn't know it would count as my hour! So that was cool. We set it up.

After that, I had to go home and read up on my next shop, a new one for a paper company around the corner. It was a lot of work, a lot of details, so I hope I did all right. Haven't heard back from them yet... But I did manage to get a lot of good papers, some for CARE Package work, that will all be reimbursed. I love papers! Too bad it wasn't a scrapbooking store...

 

Back at home again, I'd planned to get my reports done right away for the coffee and paper shops, but I suddenly felt completely exhausted. I still had a few hours before the kids came home, or two at least, so I hoped to get a quick power nap in and then get back to work. Ho, ho, ho, there is no such thing as a power nap in the Land of Mel. I napped right up until I had to run to the bus stop to get the kids. Hate that! I had/have too much to do for naps! I wish I could never sleep, just stay up all the time... but sleep is pretty awesome. Waking up sucks, though, doesn't it?! I'm always disoriented and... babbling, that's what I'm doing here.

Sophia's long-hoped-for present arrived today, and it was on the porch when she came home from the bus. I opene the box to make sure of what it was, but I warned her not to look in it. Well, that was stupid, wasn't it? The first thing she did was look in it when I wasn't watching. She said she didn't, but then she was downstairs playing and talking to herself, and I heard her say something about, "I know I didn't get a Barbie for my birthday." Ha! She always rats herself out that way. So I figured, what the hell, now's as good a time as any! She didn't know about the CAR in the box with Barbie, which was what she really wanted, so it would still be a surprise. And it was, and she was thrilled, and yay!

Later, both sisters had their Barbies - after a long time of driving them around in Barbie's new car, which even Jack has been playing with because, of course, it has wheels - doing backbends on the dog's dirty-hairy-gross sleeping mat by the dirty-muddy-gross back doors. But don't look at that. Instead, look at the sisters playing sweetly together. See? They DO love each other! 
  

 

  I had to duck out for yet another mystery shop, this time at a far-away party store in Norfolk. I was given a "hero" citation for doing this shop, which is the only reason I went. I'm such a hero. But also, I wanted to bring balloons to school with tomorrow's cupcakes - the teachers said it was okay - and get Soapy an "I'm 5!" pin to wear on her birthday shirt, and this way, it was all free. I did the shop and collected my balloons, and then I snuck them into the coat closet when Soap wasn't looking. Hopefully I won't forget them when the time comes, tomorrow!

Rob was getting The Boy ready for his weekly Tiger Scout meeting when I got home, so it was just the girls and me. I don't know what they worked on tonight, but here he is looking pretty handsome in his uniform and leading the Tigers in the Cub Scout Promise. But oops, I just noticed all his beads are missing...

The girls and I had to run to the grocery store while they menfolk were gone. Farm Fresh is doing Double Dollar coupons all WEEK, and I have tons of coupons that give us free yogurt, so I've been way stocking up. So much so that when I sent Rob out for more later in the evening, I had to Freecycle it. We just don't have the room for more, and it apparently doesn't freeze well. Eat up, kids!

I also had to buy cupcakes, since they can't be homemade at the preschool "for my protection," and then while we were at the bakery, Sophia spotted a coconut cake with six cherries on top. My girl LOVES cherries, so she insisted that she wanted THAT cake and that she was going to eat ALL the cherries. Chloë kept pouting and saying that wasn't fair, and though I kept reminding her that it wasn't her birthday, her occasionally-benevolent baby sister decided that, okay, she would eat three and Chloë could eat the other three. And when they shared this news later with Jack, he declared it wasn't fair to him, either. Maybe I should just go buy a jar of cherries and cover the whole damn cake with them?!

Also, we bought some Almond Milk, since I had two $1 coupons for those, making them just 99¢ each. None of us had ever had almond milk before, but we were eager to try it. We opened the vanilla one as soon as we got home, and it was SO good! The kids must have had four glasses of it each, and I had a couple swigs myself. Good stuff! Have you had it? Do you like it?

 

 
I'd picked up some challah from the "Oops, We Baked Too Much" shelf at the store, and a couple dozen eggs, so I decided at the last minute that instead of leftovers, I was going to cook up some French toast for dinner. I had a few bites, so I knew that it turned out mmm, mmmm good. So good. Even without syrup, it was sweet and tasty and flavorful. I wish I could have eaten more, but then I would seriously have been in Dump City. And so I ate turkey and watched everyone else with their yummy breakfasty dinner.

So now it's 0100 and I really need to get into bed. I have a million things that I really MUST do, but staying up all night again just isn't an option. I guess I'll make some coffee in the morning and get right into things. At least I don't have to bake cupcakes. So have a good night, and I'll tell you all about Sophia's birthday on the morrow.

Fin.

 
 
  
  

 

Run For Your Life

I tried to sleep tonight, but it just wasn't coming. I had slept too much during the day Saturday, having not felt well all week, and had consumed coffee too late in the day. I hadn't showered yet, so around 0500, I got up and did so to get ready for the morning's Easter services a few hours down the road. Before, during and after my shower, I felt something stirring inside me.

Actually, I've felt it more and more over the past few days and weeks.

I haven't felt it since I was a senior in high school. It's a weird feeling, almost entirely foreign to me:

The desire to run. For no reason, just to run for the sake of running.

Before my shower, I almost threw on a pair of sneakers and ran right out the door. Then I realized that I wasn't quite dressed for that, was a little too tired, and oh, I could come up with four dozen more excuses why I didn't just GO.

During my shower, I remembered something my friend E had shown me about four years ago or so: the Couch-to-5K program at Cool Runnings. Basically, beginners - couch potatoes - are given a program to get them ready to run in a 5K in a simple, easy-to-follow regimen. At the time, she was all gung-ho about it and I think she even did run in a 5K, but I had absolutely no desire to, well, move. I was a fat lard, and I was comfortable there.

{Plus, I hate running. The only reason I did so much of it as a senior in high school was because we had the mile run in gym class twice a year, and I had never been able to run the whole thing. Some years, I couldn't even walk it. I had a horrible time breathing (I may have had asthma, but since I never went to the doctor, we'll never know) and would just collapse and try to catch some air. I was determined that I would make it a full mile and never stop running the entire time - and I did!}

Anyway, so in the shower, I decided I would do the C-to-5K (as we shall hereafter call it) program and find a 5K in which to run. That's right, I'm not only going to run, I'm going to run in a real, life race! I'm determined not to be the last finisher; that's about my only goal.

After my shower, I was even more motivated. I thought about going right then and there on a mile-long run around the neighborhood, already having clocked a mile with my minivan, but then I realized that despite having lost almost 175 pounds, I'm still quite out of shape. Hell, even after losing all that weight, I'm still considered "obese"! Isn't that crazy! (And also pretty depressing, if you think about it. I try not to do that too much.) I'm only about six pounds away from being considered "overweight", and by golly, I can't wait for that designation! But I digress: I'm out of shape, and one should always start slowly with a new exercise regimen.

{If you're wondering about the Wii Fit, I'd love to still be doing that every day, but the kids scratched up my disk, and I haven't tried it since Rob "fixed" it. I keep forgetting about it now!}

Where was I?

Oh, so here I am, about to embark on my new running-for-beginners program, and I'm feeling excited about it.

 

I knew, when I started this weight loss journey 14 months ago, at my peak weight of 341.3 pounds, that it would be a while before I could really exercise. Most of you, thank goodness, have never and will never be that fat, so it's hard for you to comprehend the toll it takes on your body. I could barely walk; you might remember that I was using the cart to ride around at the grocery store and praying to God I could actually do the walking required to get around when we took our European cruise in '08. I've gotten much stronger, and not only can I walk, but I actually have been running in small spurts here and there lately. I'm ready, but I'm no Jackie Joyner Kersee yet, after all!

 

I had been cold before and during the first half of my shower, so I anticipated being cold afterward, too. I threw on my long underwear - which is all black - and since I'm a little nutty that way, I put on black socks, undies and bra, too.  I won't change them, except the socks, when I change for church later, because more than not matching, I hate waste. Why do I insist on telling you every single minute detail that enters my brain? Moving along... Once downstairs, I also donned my black Crocs and went out to grab my Sunday papers.

Only, I felt so good, out there at 0530, that I decided to pass up the papers and take a power walk for that mile I'd thought about running earlier. I used to walk everywhere, or else I'd ride my bike or roller-blade. That was a long time ago, in college, when I was probably at my most fit (and yet still chubby). I never do it anymore, at least not for exercise, because it's hard to go at a fitness-worthy pace when your dog is sniffing at every other blade of grass and your three small children are huffing along and complaining that they don't want to walk anymore when you've only gone half a block!

And so I walked.

The first thing I noticed was the moon. No sign of the sun yet at that hour, but the moon shone brightly.

The second thing I noticed were all the different birds chirping. Because I'm usually out when there are lots of cars, children playing, and life-in-general happening, I don't often get to hear NOTHING BUT BIRDS. It was pretty fantastic. And I am not a bird lover, generally speaking. I tried to count the different species. I thought I heard six different ones, and I wished I could see 'em.

 

The third thing I realized was that I was still wearing my Crocs, which are ultra-comfy to walk in, but not necessarily for power-walking. Plus, my feet had shrunk. The first pair I bought, the brown ones, are a 6-7, and they absolutely float on me. My black pair are a 4-5, and they're big, too! I walk on tiny pedestals, I do.

So when - not if - I start my C-to-5K program, I'll do a few things differently:

1. Not wear all-black. Rob will probably make me wear reflective tape on my light-colored clothes. He's Mr. Saftey Man, after all.

2. Wear my barely-worn sneakers. They're not "running shoes," but I'm not going to go all crazy with that. I can't afford to buy $120 running shoes, especially since I tend not to have stick-to-itiveness when it comes to exercise. If this becomes a "thing" for me, then we'll see. But Crocs, you just ain't cuttin' it.

 

3. Bring my iPod along. I might not use it - because I really did enjoy those birds - but I find that listening to fast-paced music really helps me keep up my stride. Toward the middle of my mile, I found myself strolling quickly, rather than power-walking. I kept having to remind myself after that to pump my arms and lean forward a little, walk purposefully toward my goal. Music will help.

 

I had more to add to that list, but the kids have all woken up (geesh, it's only 0730 and we kept them up 'til 2300 last night!) and are quite ready to begin their searches for eggs and baskets. They're waiting up in their rooms until I call them down, so I can't concentrate anymore on this. I enjoyed google-imaging this post to death (picked that up from my friend E, too - check out her blog; she's frigging hysterical!) and hope you did, too.

Anyway, wish me luck and help me find a 5K!

Fin.  

Wednesday Running: Steals, Deals, And Doctor Appointments

Today is Thursday. Sophie is home sick from school with a very upset tummy, poor thing. She came home yesterday and threw up all over. She felt fine this morning, so I sent her to school, but then they called and said she kept running back and forth to the bathroom. Rob went and picked her up, and they said to keep her home tomorrow, too. Poor thing! This Baby Kevin plush from the movie Up! arrived in the mail while she was relaxing on the couch, so I gave it to her for a little sicky present. She loves birds and the snipes from the movie, so it instantly cheered her up. She told me, "I'm the snipe mama!" before she ran with her new toy back to the couch. Incidentally, I got this free - for just the cost of s/h - through Disney Movie Rewards. You should join - the kids have another upcoming free surprise from there, too!

So, I had planned to spend the entire day cleaning, but between the migraine I'm nursing and Sophia being home, I haven't gotten much accomplished at all. I really need to mop the floors, since it's been raining and the dog has been tracking muddy paw prints everywhere... but first, I'll share about yesterday with you. Might as well, since the dog seems to have the runs or something, too! She has been in and out, in and out, and there is nothing worse than mopping the floor only to have it dirtied right up again. Right?

Let's begin:

 

On my way out to do errands, I didn't feel like doing my hair, AND I found these long-forgotten huge gold hoop earrings in my sock drawer. I normally never wear earrings anymore, even though I have four holes in each ear, because I keep having allergic reactions to every pair. Even silver and gold ones. My ears get all gross, and that's the end of that. So just for kicks, I decided to try again and wear these huge earrings with my hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail. This is a horrible iPhone self-pic, but really, it didn't look too bad! A fact that was confirmed when I went downstairs and Rob did a double-take, telling me, "You really are beautiful, you know that?" I melted, of course. No, I don't know that.

The first thing I did was run out to the Navy base to get my tuberculosis test started. If you've never had one, they inject some fluid under the skin on your forearm and then "read" the test two days later. I have to get it done before I can submit my subbing documents, a fact which escaped me last week when I went to go get fingerprinted. The fingerprinting has to be done last, so I still need to go out there tomorrow and do that after getting my TB test finished. The procedure was quick and painless. The nurse-receptionist at the immunizations clinic LOVED my earrings, asked me to give them to her (jokingly, but I should have because they weighed a freaking ton), and told me they looked great on me. I'll have to wear them more often!

Feeling confident about my appearance after two compliments in a row, I headed to CVS to shop the weekly deals, which I'll show you by transaction:

#1: EARinse, which was on sale for $7.99, normally $9.99. I didn't have any ECBs from last week, so I paid the $7.99 OOP, but I got $7.99 back in ECBs for #2. Plus, we can really use this, since Rob and the kids often have problems with their ears.

#2: Almay Smart Balance Foundation, normally $13.99, on sale for $9.99. I had a $2 MQ (manufacturer's coupon) and the $7.99 ECBs from #1, making this free! I just paid 50¢ OOP for tax.

#3: I paid just 68¢ OOP for all this:

• 5 cans BumbleBee Chunk Lite Tuna, regularly $1.79 each, on sale for 49¢ each. I had a $1 off 5 MQ
• Almay Intense i-Color mascara plus FREE bonus eyeliner pencil, regularly $7.99, on sale for $5.99. I had a $2 MQ
• Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste, regularly $3.29, on sale for $2.99. I had a 75¢ MQ
• PowerBar Strawberry Energy Gel Blasts, regularly $1.69, on sale for $1.50

Plus, I had a $3 CVS coupon for the Almay that stacked with the MQ, which spit out from the red in-store machine (look for it and scan your CVS card every time you go, for more coupons. Yesterday, I scanned my card and got a coupon for $5 off $15 order, but it expires Saturday, so I'll have to go back to use it!) I also had $6 ECBs from #2, making the total just 18¢ plus tax = 68¢. And I got $1.50 in ECBs for #4 from the PowerBar Blasts, and another $2 ECBs from the Almay make-up and $2 ECB from the toothpaste.

#4: This one was a little bit of a bust. This Physician's Formula Bamboo Silk face powder is normally $9.99 and was supposed to be on sale for $6.99. I had $5.50 in ECBs from #3, which should have made this ten-dollar powder just a buck and a half, but it didn't ring up at the sale price. I didn't realize, so I paid the $4.99, but I will return it tomorrow and hopefully get it for the sale price. Good thing the CVS is on the way home from the Navy base where I'll get my TB test read!  This transaction gave me back $5 ECBs for #5.

#5 - #8: This actually represents four different transactions. The Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra is normally priced $12.99, but they were on sale for $5.99, and I had two $5 MQs! I got these $13 machines for just 99¢ each!! Sweet. And like I've mentioned before, we can definitely use a lot of air fresheners 'round here to cover up the various pet odors going on.

The Renpure Organic shampoos and conditioners were on sale for $4.99, down from $6.99 normally. I paid full (sale) price, since I had no MQs, but there was a try-me-free MIR (Mail-in Rebate) form on each one that I sent in yesterday. I could have gotten more, lots more, but I didn't know if there was a limit on them. None was mentioned on the MIR form, but I don't want to chance it. So, four free bottles, at least! Chloë uses sh & cond like crazy, so I will stockpile all that I can for cheap or free.

After 8 transactions in a row (although I always let the other customers jump ahead of me when I do that, so they don't have to wait in line forever behind me, rolling their eyes), I could tell the cashier was getting tired. However, she was as nice as could be through it all, and I appreciated it. CVS always has the nicest employees!

In contrast, I went to Walgreens after that, and the cashier couldn't have been a bigger beyotch. She was so snotty to me, telling me I had to get everything in one transaction. I was like, "Um, why?" She told me, "That's just the way we do it." I told her no, it's not, so she called a manager over, who had no problem with me splitting it up. Puh-lease! She just didn't want to deal with the hassle. But I did things my way, and it was cool, so here's what I got:

#1: Theraflu Daytime and Nighttime Severe Cold & Cough, normally $6.49 each, on sale for $5 each. I had two $2 MQs, making my total $6. I had no Register Rewards (RRs) from last time, so that's what I paid. Not the greatest deal, but I saved $6.98, so it's okay. With all the illnesses running rampant in this area - and this house, currently - it's a good idea to be stocking up on this stuff. Plus I got $5 in RRs for #2.

 

 #2: I paid $4.12 OOP for the above, saving $15:

• (2) Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom Rapid Release Gels, normally $7.49 each, on sale for $4.99 each. I had two $2 MQs, making them $2.99 each
• Goody Ouchless Hair elastics (which Chloë goes through in abundance, since she takes them out and never puts them back where they belong), normally $3.99, on sale for $2.99
• I had $5 in RRs from #1, making my total $4.12 with tax!
• The Tylenol spit out $3 in RRs and the Goody bands spit out $2 in RRs, for #3

#3: I paid just $5.57 OOP for all the above, a savings of $48.40:

• Kellogg's Smart Start cereal 17.5-oz cereal, normally ??, on sale for $2.50. I had a $1MQ
• Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Almond bar, normally $2.59, on sale for $1.50. I had a $1-off-2 SQ (Walgreens Store Coupon)
• Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter bar, normally $2.59, on sale for $1.50, minus the SQ above. (I confess, I had a piece of this, and OMG, it was so good. I threw it up, though, so I gave the rest to the kids!)
• (8) various Right Guard deodorants for Rob, normally $3.19 each, on sale for BOGO. I had four $2-off-2 MQs
• (2) Trident Layers Gum (great for the Tooth Fairy!), normally ??, on sale for 99¢. I had two 75¢ MQs
• Excedrin Extra Strength gel tabs, normally $4.99, on sale for $2.50. I had a FREE product MQ
• (2) Excedrin Extra Strengh Caplets, normally $4.99, on sale for $2.50 each. I had two $2 MQs
• Plus I had $5 in RRs from #2, making my OOP total just $5.57! Not bad at all.

Does anybody actually read all that? Just curious.

After that, I headed to Farm Fresh to get my money order for fingerprinting on Friday, along with a half-gallon of skim milk. I need that for my protein shakes. I had just had to dump out half of a full gallon of skim that went bad, which is so upsetting. I got the milk for free at Walmart, but still. Waste is waste, and I hate it!!  It was also double-dollar Wednesday at Farm Fresh, but there were no deals with which I was impressed, so I skipped it.

Back in the car (another silly iPhone self-portrait), I headed out to Portsmouth to the Naval hospital there, for my second consult with the plastic surgeon. He had told me to come back and talk with him when I decided whether I wanted the abdominoplasty (not free) or the panniculectomy (free). Rob and I opted to use some of our tax money to do the abdominoplasty, since it really wasn't that much money, and I would get much, much better results.

Dr. T. told me that in order to schedule the surgery, I would need to lose a minimum of 15-20 pounds, but to lose as much as I possibly could before the surgery, for best results. Since he's scheduling about a month out before the actual surgery takes place, I plan to lose the minimum, go back and schedule the surgery (and PAY, so that the money isn't sitting there, waiting to be used for something else), and then keep losing more weight in the meantime.  The 15-20 pounds isn't daunting to me at all, even when I consider the monthlong stall I just got through. I am going to keep pounding back the protein shakes - and not much else - along with exercise.

Dr. T. also said he wants me to start power walking 30 minutes every other day (I'll have to start tomorrow, I guess), and get up to an hour daily. And he wants me to do strength training, too. I guess the Wii Fit isn't cutting it! He told me about iFitness, an awesome iPhone app that tells you not only how to do all the weight machines and exercises at the gym (which is free for me to go to on base; the bases just aren't close to our house), but also how to use your own body for weight training at home. He has an iPhone too, so he showed me the app, and it really is great. It's only $1.99, so I bought it and will begin using it right away!

We talked about doing other work in the future. I'm really not going to turn into a plastic surgery junkie - I promise - but after losing so much weight, things really just don't look good underneath the clothes! My boobs are hideous, and my arms could be a weapon if I over-jiggle them. Dr. T. said that he could do my boobs anytime I wanted (he even used the word "boobs," twice, hehe), but that I should be at my absolute lowest weight possible for the arms. He said it's his least favorite surgery, because there's no way to hide the scars. Honestly, though, I truly don't care about scars - I just hate the excessive jiggling going on! I already have a ton of scars, so they don't bother me. I'm not trying to pose for Playboy here, after all.

He offered to look at my butt, but I told him I don't care about a butt lift, because I can't see it! Hee. I would do my thighs too, if I could, because they are gross, too. However, all this (the arms, legs and boobs) can wait at least another year, if there's enough money from our next tax refund. I'm in no hurry. It's the belly that absolutely drives me nuts when I look in the mirror. I HATE IT!!

Afterward, I drove home to relieve Rob, who had stayed home to get the kids off the bus for me. I got home in plenty of time to do that, though. When Sophia came home, she was really not feeling well, and she threw up a bunch when we put her on the couch. Poor sweetheart. The kids have all had it this week. We opted to skip dance class for the second day in a row, in order to stay home and let everyone relax.

Chloë started working on her homework, but she could only do a little bit, having forgotten most of it at school! The living room really needed to be picked up, as there were toys and books all over the place, so she took care of that while I helped Jack with the three days of homework he had to do last night. He had stayed home on Tuesday, and never did his HW on Monday, since he wasn't well then. He griped a whole bunch about all the work, and it took 2 or 3 hours, but we got it done.

After the homework - and dinner - were all taken care of, we ran out for a Target run. I needed to get quite a few things, including the pink bins that the stuff above was pictured on, to hold all the toiletry stockpiling! I got a lot more than this (the Soap Buddies, priced at 99¢, were free after the two $1 MQs for any Johnson's baby product; the Renu contact solution, travel size, was 59¢ after $1 MQ. I wear contacts almost every day, so these were a must-have for me), but I didn't get a chance to photo everything. Two deals I missed out on were 8 (!!) of the Scotch Fur Fighter Rollers, priced at $3.99 on sale; I had 8 $4 MQs, but the cashier wouldn't accept them. Bah. Also, Gillette Body Wash 8.4 oz, is on sale for $1.99, and I had two $4-off-2 MQs, which would have gotten me four free, but they were all out. Bah again! Hopefully I can make it over there sometime this week to get those.

I wanted to check out the $5 kids' DVD section for another new DVD or two for the kids' collection. They were on sale for $4.75, so I picked up three: Jumanji, The Swan Princess, and Little Women. Jack and Sophia are watching The Swan Princess right now; Soap is thrilled that the princess's first name is our last name!

Also while there, I needed to return three of the five pairs of jeans (all Mossimo) that I just bought for Rob. They run big and looked ridiculous on him. I bought them off Target.com, but the exchange was no problem once we got a receipt printed out from the in-store kiosk. I found two pairs of Levis jeans in his size, on sale for $19.99, so I picked them up. They're not the color he likes, but he'll just have to deal! He's really small, so his size is hard to find, and they didn't have any left in his color. I hit the clearance rack, too, and got him THREE pairs of khakis for less than 20 bucks! I was sleeping when he came home and tried everything on, so I didn't get to see how they fit. Maybe tonight.

My OOP at Target should have been about $95, but I only ended up spending $59 after all the gift cards I had from the recent deals there, along with a $25 gift card I had for redeeming my MyPoints! Make sure you sign up with them and click on all the emails you get, because I really rack up the points that way, along with using them for the online shopping I do. Love my MyPoints! (I don't know how to post a referral link from them, or else I would. Tell 'em I sent ya!)

After a quick run to the bank to deposit a mystery shopping paycheck and my rebate from Coors Light for the free Thanksgiving turkey, we were home at last. The kids went right to bed, but Sophie came down around 2300. She had napped after throwing up, so she couldn't sleep. I cuddled with her on the couch, and I played her lullabyes on my iPhone's iPod. It put me to sleep, so I was happy when I woke up after a little while and found her snoozing in my arms contentedly. We were still there, sleeping soundly, when Rob came home from work a little later, but sometime during the night, she got up and went to sleep with her daddy. When I asked her why she moved this morning, she told me, "Because I love my mommy AND my daddy." Aww. ♥

Fin.

 

 
  

  

 

 

 

Un-in-stall

The weigh-in this morning was good! I dropped another 2½ pounds and am now down 85 pounds in less than four months! Woot! I can't wait to go to my check-up with Dr. Clark next week. I am sure he's going to be happy with my progress.

Sophie slept on the couch with her daddy last night - oh, right, I showed you a picture - so I thought for sure she'd be up bright and early this morning. Not so, she slept and slept. So, beside her, I joined. It was a good morning nap.

When Jack came home, we got ready to go out to lunch with Linda from Bunco. I had a shop to do and, as neither Rob nor Steph was available for lunch, she was my choice.

Lunch was great, the server was not. Linda was really thrilled to get together and go out somewhere nice, and she loved the food. It makes me happy to please other people, so I was thrilled, too. We agreed that she's my go-to for all lunch dates from now on, at least when The Bob can't go.

The children were so bad at lunch, though! They would not sit down, or would not sit upright, kept yelling, fighting over crayons, and were generally just completely unruly. It was very unlike them. I was so embarrassed, but Linda just brushed it off. She's cool. Really good with kids. It's surprising she didn't have any of her own.

After lunch, she came over and hung out in my messy house for a few hours. The kids went down for naps, so we talked a bunch while I made some Jafra coupons to put in the Relay For Life survivor gift bags. She has a table at the relay, and I always donate some Jafra products for her raffles.  Anyway, so she suggested I make up some coupons for a % off all the survivors' orders, and I did: over 500 of them. We sat and cut them out and jibber-jabbered the time away.

I showed her all the prizes I've gotten for Bunco, too. She said they were cool and not lame at all. I'm always worried about that.  Then I gave her all the stuff I was planning on Freecycling, because she loves to take things and find the right person for them. She brought me four packages of English muffins that someone was giving away to military families. The kids love those, so it was great.

She was still over when Chloë came home, sobbing. She had a gigantic goose egg, all scratched and bruised, on her forehead, another on her elbow, and more on her knees. She is such a klutz, poor thing! She fell on her way home from the bus, and just sat in my arms, crying and crying. Linda made her up an ice pack, but still she didn't calm down. She was pretty banged up. My poor baby.

 

 

 

So then we started talking about BzzAgent, Homescan and MyPoints, because she is also all about the FREE, and I get lots of good stuff from those sites. Case in point, this lovely sandwich grill by Cuisinart just arrived today for Rob from Homescan (which is in the Nielsen family).  Let me know if you sign up!  You scan everything you purchase, upload it to their site, and accrue points good for prizes. I've gotten a dustbuster, pizza stone, this grill, and something else I can't remember from them. Nice stuff.

She left, and the Littles were still napping, so I lay down for another nap after determining that Rob wasn't going to get home in time for Chloë to go geocaching with her troop. When I explained this to her, she was pretty heartbroken and started sobbing all over again. She was inconsolable, and she was still crying when he did make it home.  I was pretty upset, too...

I was hoping Steph would babysit tonight, because we had a dinner shop, but we'll just have to go tomorrow and bring the kids, I guess.  So we went out and did my ice cream shop instead, and Jack was miserable the whole time. He didn't want his cone, he didn't want my sugar-free, fat-free raspberry swirl (and neither did I, but I didn't cry about it), he didn't want anything. It's been a very tearful day for them!

After dinner (yes, we had ice cream before dinner - so?, homework and bed, I did my Wii Fit workout. Woof! I worked my abs really hard on the hula hooping last night and really felt it tonight! I'm having a lot of fun working out on the Fit still, after all this time - and it's paying off! I was able to wear some dress pants that I haven't worn since, well, EVER, today, and they looked pretty good.

Oh, and look what someone did to the bathroom door while we were putting away groceries last night:

 

Nice, huh? S'cuse the mud, it's from Lily. No clue who did it or how. Just what we needed.

Anyway, I'm going to go crochet and watch that Harvey-something-or-other movie with Dustin Hoffman. Have you seen it?

Fin.

Pretty Fly For A White Guy

Whew! I just did 30 high-intensity minutes on the Wii Fit and am sweating like a dirty little piggy!  Gross. If this doesn't help the scale budge when I weigh-in tomorrow morning, I'll scream!

I'm gonna have to start walking the kids down to the bus stop in the morning. It's a problem, because I hate to have them walk down there by themselves, but at the same time, Sophia isn't awake more than half the time when it's time to go. If I wake her up, she's a total demon child, and if I don't, I run the risk of her waking up while I'm gone and either doing naughty-naughty, or worse, running outside to find me and ... bad things. But apparently Jack's getting picked on at the bus stop, so... demon child it is.

 

Here is that little demon-child as we speak. Looks like she'll be okay tomorrow morning, because she crashed with her daddy on the couch. She didn't sleep very well at all last night - she got up out of bed and stayed with me until 0100, and then woke up at 0800 for the day. I could not get her to take a nap today, either. She got into lots and lots of mischief today, too, the little imp. It's worn her out, for the night, I hope.

The mail brought a couple goodies. The first was a check for CARE Package, from some unknown entity called Asis Pharmacy. I know not from where they came, so it was a total surprise, and I wrote off quick thank-you to them. It was a nice tidy little sum, and it well help a great deal. Thank you, Asis-folk!

 

The second was this parcel from MixMyGranola.com: a mix of granola that Rob hand-picked, with my help, made from the finest ingredients. I gave it a silly name (if you can't read the above, it's called "Bob's Yum-Dummy Mixxy-Mix," because I'm stupid like that!) and ordered a pound for him. It's definitely not cheap, but according to Rob (I'm not allowed, too many carbs), it's rilly, rilly good.

 

The whole thing came in a tube about the size and shape of a Pringles can, and it's recyclable, of course.  I'm trying to get them to host a giveaway on this blog, so stay tuned for that, and cross your fingers they agree!  Leave lots of comments for them, so they will!

Rob came home muy late for my appointment with the doc, so I had to call and beg him to still see me. It was supposed to be at 3, and he said as long as I made it before 6, it was fine. Phew. So I dressed the little imp for dance and carted her along with me to the appointment, which lasted about five minutes while he wrote out the scripts and checked on my general well-being. I'm good. Very stable, thanks to modern medicine.

I dropped the Naughty One off to dance class and then rushed home to get her big sister. On the way there, I decided to have Rob drop me off at the grocery store and take the kids to dance himself, instead. This time,  I'd spent the afternoon playing the coupon game with groceries and wanted to go to Farm Fresh earlier in the day than usual. So we did just that.

I shopped while they were at Jazz, happy in the knowledge that I had lots of $1 coupons and Wednesday is double coupons up to $1 day. I rarely get to shop on Wednesday, because that's the day the ad comes out, and I don't have enough time to pull together a list and coupons. But there were so many things we needed and for which I had good coupons, I had to do it. And I saved about $74, representing 28% of our food. That's almost a third of our groceries, free. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: I just don't understand people who don't use coupons!

I had a weird experience with one of the employees while shopping. She completely accosted me, and I was very uncomfortable. I went to the front office to complain, and they said they just sent her home early for that reason: she gives people the heebie-jeebies. She reached into my cart, grabbed my groceries, and took my canvas bags out from underneath! What the hell? That is not cool. And there is nothing wrong with her; she is not, well, "special" if you know what I mean. She's just very, very odd. So they want me to write a note about it for the higher-ups to see. I feel bad about that, but you can't just go around doing that to customers!

Anyway.

After we came home and scanned in the groceries for Homescan, we started planning what to have for dinner.  And then I had an oops! moment, when I realized I had two Sonic shops schedule for tonight, too. I swear, it's either Sonic or IHOP in this house. We all piled back into the van and did the two shops, back-to-back. Everyone ate the goods but me, because it was cheeseburgers and tots. I don't eat beef, and I don't need that junk anyway.  I ate some of my leftover crabcake from last night and was sated.

After homework was done, Chloë and I did the prep work for her Geocaching meeting with the Brownies tomorrow. She's terribly excited. I wish I were doing it; I've always wanted to go geocaching. We signed her permission slip for going online, and then we made her a tiny first-aid kit to go around her neck. The Neosporin I just bought (and got a great deal on, I might add) at Walgreens contained a little case for just such a purpose! It fits the tube of Neosporin, a few standard band-aids, and we stuck in some gauze. Voilà!

(Speaking of "voilà," I hate it when people write it as "wala" or something equally silly. Don't you?)

Then we went on the website some more and talked about lats and longs, GPS, travel bugs, and more geocaching stuff. We chose a small trinket for her to leave behind in the cache when they find it, so she can keep one: the little girl with a "1" statue she received on her first birthday. I'm kind of sad to see it go, but it's her choice, and really, it's just another dust-collector. Things are only things.

Finally, we packed her a small bag, with her online permission slip, trinket, a bottle of water, first-aid kit, and a snack. Guess she's ready for her little expedition tomorrow! I can't wait to hear how it goes.

So they went to bed, and I did my burn-out workout on the Wii. And that's the way it goes...

Fin.

P.S. Oh yeah, the title. We picked up two fly traps from ACE Hardware the other day, and Rob installed them in the kitchen and bathroom. I bought him some fly spray at Walgreen's on Monday, too. He's been spraying them, vacuuming them, and checking the traps religiously. And it has cut down on the pests exponentially. Hopefuly, they'll soon be a thing of the past, thanks to his diligence. Never mind how the problem started in the first place...! Hee.

Stalling

So I woke up this morning feeling much better in the uretal region. I decided to cancel my appointment with the doc for this afternoon. My MIL implored me not to cancel it. I should have listened to her. Now it hurts again. I will go in tomorrow.

Oh, and I weighed in this morning. No change since last weekend. I was afraid of that. Actually, I was afraid of a gain, so at least it's not that.  I'm officially in a stall. I kicked it up a notch on the Wii Fit tonight and completely tuckered myself out. Hopefully I won't be too sor to get on it tomorrow night! That Expert-level Boxing is brutal if you really put yourself into it!

Anyhoo...

After some clean-up and breakfast this morning, Team Odette all piled into the van for a quick trip to the aeropuerto to pick up Grandpa (Rob's dad, in from Michigan).

 

After we parked and got upstairs, we found ourselves with lots of waiting time before the flight got in. So the Odettelettes stopped to check out the model airport table, which they always enjoy. I love those itty-bitty cars. How do they make them so tiny?!

Check out how long Chloë's hair is. I'm always amazed by it, since my hair just will not grow that long. Sophie keeps telling me she wants long hair like her sister's now. Let's just hope she doesn't chop it off again!

 

After much anticipation, Grandpa arrived at last. The children all ran to meet him and shower him with hugs & kisses, which he enjoyed very much. It was sweet.

 

We cleared out of the airport pretty quickly (no checked bags) and stopped at the grocery store for a beer run. Grandpa likes his suds. At home, he drank a quick one while I grabbed the Restaurant.com certificate for Central 111 Tapas, where we wanted to take him for lunch.  Then we piled back into the van, where the kids insisted he sit in the back with them. He was happy to oblige, so Rob and I held hands in the front all the way to the restaurant. I restrained from grabbing his package, like I like to do when we're driving along (I do the driving when we're together).

Well, we made it to 111, only to find out they were closed! I knew they were opened on Sundays, so I called the number on the certificate only to find out they don't open until 1700! And it was only 1400 then. Suckage. Plans spoiled.

Al (Grandpa) saved the day by spotting a place called "Warrior Grill" a few doors down. We decided to check it out.

It turned out to be a Mongolian BBQ place. I was dubious, since I don't like barbecue-anything, but what the hell. We were there.

It turned out to be really cool! Have you ever eaten at a Mongolian BBQ? Here's what you do (at least there): Grab a bowl, pick all the foods you want fried up on their grill, starting with noodles, then veggies, then meats, and finally your sauces. They take the bowl, dump it on the grill and cook it up, and hand it back to you on a plate. And it tastes GREAT. Mine was heavy on the chicken, because of course I need the protein, but Jack's was all noodles and carrots. The girls chose lots of tomatoes and mushrooms. Everybody gets what they like and you can go up for more! Every one of us really enjoyed it. And I was able to talk my way into the kids' price with my gastric bypass restaurant card, which was a big deal since they spoke almost no English.

So, I definitely recommend going to a Mongolian BBQ, if you've never checked one out. It's fun!

From there, we went back home so a tuckered-out Sophia could nap, Chloë and Rob could clean their (portions of their) rooms, Al could rest, and Jack and I could go do a Stride Rite mystery shop.

The boy and I drove to the mall in the pouring rain, and we got soaked running into the building. Once again, I forgot his raincoat.  I tend to be really bad about coats. I don't know why, it's like I have a coat defect. I don't like 'em, but I forget others need 'em.  Shame.

Our first stop was, of course, the shoe store. We quickly did that and bought him a pair of shoes, then scooted around the corner so I could fill in my paperwork. We needed to return those shoes later, so we went shopping to fill some time. I had two goals: get exactly ONE piece of chocolate coconutty goodness, which is my favorite thing on the planet and which I did not get to have "one last one" of before surgery. My plan was to take one eensy-teeny bite and give the rest to Jack. The other goal was to see if I could find something with out Xs in the size that I could wear - but for super cheap.

 

Well, I'm a sucker for children's clothes, as you well know, so first we stopped in the Gap Kids store.  I didn't find any clothes on clearance (everything was 25% off though, if you're interested), but I did find some way marked down undiepannies for Jacky-boy. They can always use cute unders.

 

After that, we stopped in the Disney store. I'd been trying to buy Sophie a new swimsuit cover-up and the kids some flip-flops for the beach on their website, but that was when Rob lost the card and it kept getting declined. So I was pleased to see that the store's prices matched the steep discounts online, and I was able to get four pairs of flip-flops (Jack couldn't decide between Cars or Wall-E ones), three kids' tees, Sophie's cover-up, and a HUGE Mickey Mouse canvas tote bag (for groceries and stuff, natch) for under $40. The t-shirts were three bucks apiece; I'd have gotten more, but I didn't really like the selection. No High School Musical or Hannah Montana clothes for us, thanks.

We passed Gymboree, and I was able to look it squarely in the, uh, archway and pass right by it. I knew I'd want to buy everything I saw in there, so no, that wasn't happening. We also skipped Build-A-Bear, because I had some really great coupons for there - at home. Rats.

{OOPS, I accidentally just hit "publish," so there's a lot more to come if you're already reading this - check back!)

Ugh, it just changed my font to TNR, which I haaaate...

Anyway.

We stopped by the "We Are Nuts" Kiosk to get my chocolate coconutty goodness, but they didn't have it!! Which is good. I'm pleased that whole thing was averted. It wasn't such a good goal, really!

 

 

We were right outside Old Navy by then, so I thought I'd peruse the sales and clearance racks there, too. I didn't find anything for myself, but I found cute socks, shirts, and shorts for the kiddos. And a dress for frock-loving Sophia. All for cheapy-cheap!  I got the above outfit for The Chlo, along with a tee to go with the white capris. She loved it and looked adorable in it. I hope she wears it tomorrow so I can get a pick. I've already warned her to wear white pannies under the capris, worry not!

 

 

 

 

Jack spotted a photo booth and asked if we could go take our pictures. SURE! I normally hate having my picture taken, but I was on a special outing with my oft-grouchy son, and he was in a good mood. I wanted to keep it that way, and I knew it would be fun for both of us. And, you can see it was. Silliness!

Back at home, I traded out kids after reading my shop report for Jason's Deli. Chloë and I drove over, and she picked out pasta and meatballs (wha?) for her dinner. I decided not to eat dinner tonight, opting instead just to drink my protein, so the meal was all for the kids. The shop went really well, and we ran home again in the still-pouring rain so she could eat. Jack didn't want any, and Sophie was still napping, so it was just as well that Chloë had an enormous appetite and ate almost the whole plate!

The boys just had sammiches for dinner, and when Soap finally awoke, she had mac & cheese. I had a protein shake before my workout on the Wii Fit. I worked really hard tonight... but I think I said that already, didn't I?

And now, I'm going back to my digi-scrapping. I'm almost done with April!

So how was your weekend?

Fin.

Where A Kid Can Be A Kid

I want to sit here and bitch about one of the moms in our troop, but it might come back to bite me in the ass (I've found out, you never know who's reading!), so I'll skip it. Suffice it to say, I've had a frustrating day messing with that. And then I lost the check my SIL sent for her cookies and had to tear up the desk and the office looking for it - to no avail. Gah! I quit. Oh wait, it's over anyway.

 

So this enormous box came today, addressed to CARE Package. Someone found out about our charity, and she took it to her church members. She included a copy of the half-page notice to the congregation, all about a Supplies Drive for us! Nothing like this has ever happened for us before, so I'm so touched. If it were yesterday, I'd be sobbing all over the place. In the box, there was so much stuff, including birth announcements (aw), padded mailers for sending packages, lots of these ribbons and buttons and rickrack and binding things I don't even know how to use...

 

...tons of fabric of all colors, materials and patterns...

 

...a whole huge bin's worth of yarn!...

 

...and a bunch of crochet hooks, knitting needles, and seam rippers! Mandy H., if you are reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for blessing us with all of these wonderful supplies for CARE Package. We will make use of each and every item!!

Rob came home from work, and I ran Chloë to her ballet class. I had to dash back to the bank to deposit the rest of the troop money so I could submit our final report tonight, but I made it in time. Phew! During dance class, I had a good long conversation with both my dad and my grandpa, so that was nice. Poor Grandpa is full of complaints about getting old, but as he always says, it beats the alternative. Damn right; I'm not ready to give him up, and my plan is for him to live forever!

 

I came home wanting to eat something for the first time today, but having no interest in the crab cakes it feels like I've been eating nonstop lately. We have tons of accumulated freebies to different places, so I thought we'd use one tonight. The kids wanted Chuck E. Cheese - although Sophia was rooting for her favorite, IHOP - and Rob wanted Moe's. In the end, the big mouse won, and out we went.

 

The parking lot was packed, so we were nervous, but the restaurant itself wasn't bad at all. Don't know where all those people went, but it wasn't CEC! Anyway, Rob was concerned about what I'd eat, but I figured I'd try to eat some wings instead of pizza. We played around until our food came, and then I managed to get four wings down. And a mozzarella cheese stick or two. And then I felt sick. Waaay too much crap food for the pouch. But we pressed on, to use up all those free tokens.

 

Jack went around with Daddy, while the girls stuck with Mommy. They just could not get the hang of my arcade favorite, Skeeball. "Roll the ball, ladies, don't throw it!!"

 

Sophia met up with her brother for one of those water games where you aim and move the thingamajig up to the top. Surprisingly, they both aimed pretty well!

 

Who doesn't love to ride the carousel?

 

Back to the table after the tokens ran out, for more fuel. For them, not for me. By then, I wanted to get home now.  But, we had tickets to redeem, so Rob stood in the crazy long line while the kiddos pretended to play games. I'm not sure they realized they were not actually playing!

 

The Candy Man cometh. He redeemed all 156 tickets for Laffy Taffy, which they love. They were each given one piece and were begging for more. Nope, that's enough junk for one day!

Bedtime when we got home, although the only one really ready for sleep was Daddy! Jack and Sophia came down and watched the results of Dancing with the Stars with me, and then I sent them packing. I'm happy with Woz and Holly being kicked off tonight; it was a good vote.

So now, I'm left with three chores to do: run and buy the dog some food, pay the first-of-the-month bills, and do the tax forms for the charity. All I really want to do is daydream about the fun we're going to have tomorrow...!

Fin.

Shopping Spree

I woke up this morning feeling more terrible than even before, so it did not bode well for this pre-birthday day. Worse, Rob had to go into work today, so I was left with the Littles. They woke me up around 9:15, and I called them into the bedroom to hang out with me while I finished waking up, and just generally lay there feeling crappy. I was just about to give up and kick the bucket when I found my phone. I called Rob and asked him if there was any way he could come home. He replied, "I am! I just walked in the door."

♪ ♫ Cue the Hallelujah Chorus! ♪ ♫

So we all went downstairs, and Rob and the kids played and did their thing while I ate three popsicles in quick succession to ease the pain in my sore throat. Ahhhh, that's the thing, right there.

By noon or so I was feeling slightly more human, although not terrific (I'll let you know when I get to that point, never fear), and decided we could go out and do our planned shopping trips.

The first stop was Toys 'R Us. I had a coupon for a free Thomas the Tank Engine toy, which Jack has never been into (thank God, because that shiznat is pricey!), but you can't beat free. For that price, he could add it to his enormous collection of toys with wheels.

But he didn't want it! He pitched a big fit about wanting his rocket, which he asked for for his birthday, and not that. He just couldn't wrap his little mind about the idea that he could have this today, and his present tomorrow. Both. Sophia piped up that she woud like it, and we were back on.  We had to leave the train at the counter, though, while we shopped.

Then we did some more shopping that I can't talk about because it's for a friend who reads this blog. :P

 

Then, because each of the kids is a member of Geoffrey's Birthday Club and Jack received his $3 gift card, we let him pick out a 5-pack of Hot Wheels cars. He was taking forever and a day poring over all the choices, so I left the pack to go look at the Wii games selection. Holy moly, who knew there were so many?! I did not. I looked at all the games and all the accessories and decided they were all too expensive. So we checked out and left.

 

Down the road apiece, we went to Five Below so I could check out their Wii accessories. It was pretty minimal, but I did find a regular and a foam bat for Wii Sports (which came with the Wii) for $5 each. I got the soft one so the kids didn't beat each other up while swinging wildly! The girls have done Lord-knows-what with the enormous stash of hair doodles (my word for things that go in hair) I've acquired for them, so I bought three packs of them to keep up with the need for ponytails around here.

 

At the cash register, I spotted pint glasses with the recycling symbol on them, for two bucks! Someone around here, and her name is me, keeps breaking our pint glasses - and I lurve recycling - so I bought a couple of those, too! Back to the van.

Our next stop was Williams Sonoma, which is definitely not for the faint of heart. Have y'all been in there lately? Oh, my word, the prices! And Rob wanted to do our entire wedding registry there! Hello, have you met my family? We're more of the Target-and-Sears type of crowd.

[I had to bring Rob in there because he was with me when my latest shipment of Webkinz arrived from Sugar Bowl Gift Shop the other day. Love that site! They have ALL the Webkinz, even some retired ones, their shipping is super fast, and their customer service is outstanding. Plus with our latest 12 acquisitions - we now have *cough* 83  critters (not all adopted) - they even gave me a special discount code for 20% off my next order! Love it! I'm not sure I can share it and still use it myself, so let me know if you're interested and we'll see what we can see. And no, I don't buy 12 Webkinz every month!]

Back to Williams-Sonoma.

The first thing I spotted when I walked through the door was a gorgeous all-copper (and I realize the above is not copper) stand mixer. I was standing there for a minute or two, gaping at it because the mixer my BFF Shana gave us for our wedding - which is one of my absolute favoritest kitchen thingies - is currently misbehaving, when an employee noticed me and yelled from across the store about how beautiful it was. I just stared at him and nodded. But no, we didn't buy. I'll find a way to fix my current workhorse.

Rob needed to get a loaf pan to fit inside his flight suit vest (ask him if you want to know why), and I thought the ones on the website looked like they  might fit. Well, I was wrong, dammit. So I encouraged him to have a little fun shopping for things he'd like to have in the kitchen, since he is the primary cook and dishwasher in our house. Oh, and I'd also planned on going there to get this:

Are those not the prettiest little eggs? I could totally make those! I saw them the other day on some blog (sorry I don't remember) and knew I wanted the kit. And it's $5 cheaper at the store than on the website! No, I don't plan to let the kids use this one. Hehe. Well, maybe. But I'll probably get them the cheapy ones and I'll use the fancy, expensive one.  Geez, how many eggs do we need, anyway? Ah, who cares, you only get to do 'em once a year.

Since I'm on a mission to keep trying to get seafood into Oscar (my new pouch) without coing right back up again, I bought a couple cans of lump crab meat at the store the other day. When I spotted WS's Crab Cake Blend on the shelf, I started salivating immediately. (No pic; it's not on the website and my camera isn't uploading again, darn thing.) I was beginning to need a shopping cart!

 

It became apparent that this store really was not the place for three young children, and it was getting harder for me to wrangle them. I had no voice with which to keep calling them to come to me, to stop touching, to stand up, etc. That same nice employee whispered in my ear that there were bread samples if the kids were allowed. They were allowed! Too bad I wasn't, because Rob tasted the Lemon Poppy Quickbread and found it amazingly delicious. He added a bag of that to our growing stack on the counter.

Of course, right behind the bread samples, the kids spotted all the Easter goodies. They tried like the dickens (see me trying not to swear during Ultimate Blog Party week? That's because I marked my blog as "family friendly," hehe) to persuade me to buy them a $16 bag of jellybeans, but are you out of your mind?! First of all, jellybeans suck. Second of all, even if they don't suck, no jellybeans are that good. Jellybelly beans will have to do if they want "good" jellybeans, and I can get them for far cheaper. I did peruse all of the outrageously overpriced candies, though, and finally settled on these lollipops because they just looked so darn pretty. Into the pile. (The kids have since eaten two of them apiece and have declared their love, although the strawberry ones are in short supply.)

  Finally, Rob chose another item: a 14" olivewood spoon (without the rest). He bought an olivewood mortar and pestle in Europe - yet to be used - and wanted to add to the collection.

 

Then he made another selection: this 8" French whisk. I can't wait to use it. I love a good egg beatin'!

 

I spotted these Silicups (silicone cupcake cups) on the counter when setting down Rob's utensils. Since I love making cupcakes - although it has been a while, and I'm itching to do it again soon - this will be a great way to get rid of the waste from using disposable cupcake liners. And I won't need to use the cupcake pan, so it'll be easier to fill them, and later I can take them out and then decorate them, if I want. Like if I bring them to Bunco, I can remove them easily and without worrying about someone throwing them away or having to take them all home. Perfect!

 

And finally, le pièce de résistance was this 8" Lagostina frying pan. Rob looked at me doubtfully when he brought it up for show-and-tell. I could tell he wanted it but was afraid to ask. He deserves decent cookware, and I did just buy all those Webkinz, so what the hell. But that was it. We were done. While ringing me up, they fixed Rob a nice cuppa at my request, which I think he appreciated. The man likes his java, he does.

We grabbed our bag and ran before we could find any other must-haves, and then headed back to Toys 'R Us to pick up the free train we left at the counter! Whoops, forgot all about that.

The kids were starving by then, so I asked the birthday boy where he would like to have lunch. He said, "Wal-Mart." I said, "Let's try this again..." In the end, I talked him (without too much difficulty; he loves the place) into eating at Silver Diner, a fun little place near home with good food and cheapish prices. All the kids are signed up for their birthday club, too, so he had a free meal and milkshake coming his way. Ooh, boy, I love those birthday clubs!

We were reading the menu, when Rob pipes up, "Ew, that Crabcake and Sweetcorn Omelette sounds disgusting!" Um, that's what I planned on ordering, thanks. Hee! And I did get it, and it was good, so there. Not that I ate the whole thing, maybe a quarter of it, but it'll be good again and again and again tomorrow! And I even kept it down.

The kids all had pancakes and strawberries with milk, and Jack sucked down his shake like there was no tomorrow. He was a happy boy. He really likes this birthday stuff, I think. I can not believe my little boy is six!!!!

Anyway, we finally went home, and the kids had a lollipop before everyone (but me) took a nap. I've been sitting here pretty much ever since, except when we stopped to play Wii Sports for a while.  I kick butt at the baseball! It's the only one I've tried so far. And Chloë likes the golf, but she doesn't get that a high score isn't a good thing!

So I just sent Rob out for the strawberry cake mix Jack requested, and now I'm feeling bad about it because I probably won't bake tonight after all. If I do, I promise to use plenty of soap and hand sanitizer first!

Fin.

Porky Hands

Well, I was up 'til like 5 AM this morning, restless and busy working on Cookie things, bills, coupons, my grocery list, and what-not. Basically wasting time. 

Oh, and last night, I broiled half the bag of Schwan's scallops that I bought for myself (no one else likes them; I adore them) for a protein fix. Whoo, they're pricy, but I'll get about four meals out of them. Anyhoo, I mixed up some olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, then added the mollusks. I swished them around real good, coating them thoroughly, and then put them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Stuck that in the broiler for about 9 minutes, and they were SO DEElicious! Really excellent. Think shrimp would be good that way, too?

BUT, there was just one problem. While I was standing at the stove, taking half the critters off the sheet and onto my plate, there was a HUGE explosion, and all kinds of flames and sparks shot out on me. I'm surprised I didn't have a stroke or something. Seriously, it was a major fright!

After I regained my composure, I discovered what happened: someone put the brand-new, never-used electric can opener on the back burner, where it melted and did God knows what to the innards. I guess it was the opener and not the burner that exploded, so aw, man, that thing is now completely shot. What a waste!

Who's at fault here? The person who put it on the burner to begin with, or the person who cooked and didn't notice it was there (there were big pots on the front burners, where Rob leaves them to dry)? All day long, I decided it was the former, but I guess it's my fault too, and I learned a lesson: When using the oven, always check the stovetop first!

********

So since I took my sleeping meds at 5 or so, I hibernated for most of today. I slept like 12 hours! I slept the sleep of the dead. Thank goodness I had nothing on my plate for today except grocery shopping. And Rob was home, so he and the kiddies did... who knows?

When I finally woke up and came downstairs, I found out the Brownies leader was on her way over to pick up more cookies, and I was nekkid! (That seems to be a recurring theme here on SSA, doesn't it? You'd think I'd put some clothes on when I jump out of bed, but I've gotten my nude habits from my husband. Even though we  have vastly different physiques and I can ill afford to show mine off!) And alllll of my clothes, pretty much, were in the again enormous mountain of laundry.

I found a pair of pants, but couldn't find a shirt. Wait a minute, what about this one that I haven't worn in a long time? I tried it on. Lo and behold, it fits! So even though the scale didn't move since Wedesday when I weighed in this morning, I still had a small success. Yay.

********

After cutting the coupons out of today's paper, and after Rob and Jack returned from Wally where they fetched a new #3 soccer ball, it was time to head out for groceries. I collected my plastic bags to recycle (mostly newspaper bags, ugh), my 20 or so canvas bags for the food, and made my way out in the rain. By then, it was about 7:30 PM.

Which is notable because the deli and the seafood department close at 8 PM every day, and I needed multiple items from both departments.

What you may have realized, though, is that I have a little bit of the OCD, a touch of the anal-retentiveness. Can I just go to those departments first and get them out of the way, then go back and do the rest of my shopping? No. I must always follow the same pattern in the store, never deviating from my path.

I enter. I stash the plastic bags, put my canvas bags under a cart and go right, past the floral department and the enticing bakery display. (Although today I stopped to look for a pretty pot of tulips or maybe Gerbera daisies.There were none. Rats.) I do the Produce department, then the deli, then work my way through the aisles (and if we need it, Meat Dept.) until I'm halfway, where the Seafood Dept is. That's the rule. That's the way it goes.

Well, today, my friends, I had to break form. It killed me, but the Deli clerk was in a chatty, chatty mood, and she kept stopping her slicing to talk to me or the Bakery lady. Hello!! We're pusing time here, woman! Finally, I gave her the second half of my order and told her I had to run to Seafood to get my stuff.

I got there at 7:51 PM, people. And I don't set the time on my celly; it automatically updaes, and it matches the automatic time on the cable box AND on the atomic clock Rob's dad gave us. So I know it's right. But do you know what I found when I got there, NINE whole minutes early? An empty seafood case, with nothing but crushed ice and a few lobsters in the tank. Nothing else. Nada. Zilch.

I was FUMING. WTF?!

Just then, a manager strolled by. I called out, "What time does the Seafood Department close?" He told me, "Eight o'clock, every night." I looked at him sternly and said, "It is NOT 8:00 yet!" "Well, do you need something?" "Um, nah, I just thought I'd stand here with my thumb up my ass and inform all the passers-by of the current time. Yes, I want my shrimp and tuna steaks!!"

Okay, *maybe* I didn't say that last part exactly like that. But you get the gist.

He went and found the seafood man. Who, by all appearances, was PISSED. At ME. For making him WORK. You know, earn his paycheck?  When he came behind the counter and all but glared at me (and this is the guy who always waits on me and knows exactly what I want, most times, so we're not strangers), I whined petulantly, "You closed early on me!"

He said, "We close at eight." I said, "It's not 8:00 yet." He replied, "It's two minutes 'til!" I said, "I got here at nine minutes 'til, and I raced to get here on time!"

He sighed. Heavily. More than once.  Asshole.

Was I wrong to demand he serve me? I mean, I have shopped in this store for the past six years, week in and week out. I drop a lot of money there. Today alone I purchased $465 worth of groceries (but saved about $58 in coupons). (I don't usually spend that much, but I didn't do a big trip at the beginning of the month, and... oh, you don't care.)

Anyway.  Then he noticed I was scanning everything as it went in my cart, because I had a lot of coupons and never know what they were when I get home and scan all the groceries for Nielsen. He wanted to know all about it, and then he mellowed out and thought that was really cool. So he didn't stay jerky, which is not like him. Whew.

********
That's about it. After we put away all the food, the kiddos went to bed, and I did my time on the Wii. Usually, I focus on Balance and Aerobics games, but today I decided to do a number of Yoga and Strength exercises. Whew! I am definitely feeling it. And though it thinks I'm in really good shape on the B & A games, it really let me know I'm a Couch Potato on the strength stuff! hehe. I have work to do!

Have a wonderful week!  I have news, about which I'm so excited I can't stand it, but you'll have to wait and see!!

Fin.

Wii Kick Ass!!

OMG. I am SO pumped right now!!

First of all, let me just pat myself on the back real quick: For the first time since I was on the all-liquid phase of this thang, I not only met but went OVER my protein (102 g) and liquids (72 oz) goals for today! 'Course I had to drink three protein shakes to do it, and three bottles of water (or was it four?), but whatever works, right? And I got to eat a teeny slice and a half of Pizza Hut pineapple pizza to boot!

But that is so not all. Oh, no no no.

So I had planned all week to take Jack and Sophia on a nature walk when he got home from school today. Why today? Because it was the one day we had nothing else going on, and we could do it at our leisure and then spend the rest of the day making collages or some such project.

However, Mother Nature had other plans, and it has rained - or poured - this. entire. day.

FAIL!

Could we go out in the rain? Sure. But when your kids seem not to have the strongest immune systems, really, you don't want to tempt fate too much. And they don't have rain boots; only Big Sis has them. So I had to come up with other options.

 

 

First, I had to prep the kids. Sophie's favoritest dessert in the whole world (thus far) is Schwan's mint chocolate ice cream cones. Since I haven't ordered from there in months, she's been SOL. But last night, the guy caught me, and I figured I'd make My Sweetness happy. So I ordered some. And some other stuff. (Ooh, rats, just remembered I took out the scallops for dinner for tonight. Ah, well.)  After lunch, I made these two as happy as larks and let them have a cone. Joy!

Then, what could we do? Oh! Wii Fit!! I've been meaning to do my exercises in fron of them during the day, instead of waiting until after bedtime. Then, they could see that I actually DO exercise, and they could see how to play things and join in themselves.  This was the perfect opportunity.

So we played. And we played and we played and we played and we played and we played.

We played that thing, all five of us at some point or another, all the way straight from 1430 to 2330. That's right, let me chickadees stay up half-past eleven PM to play on that thing. And we have all had a ball. Chloë and I both racked up over an hour's worth of exercise - my most yet - and Rob also got on it for the first time ever.

We unlocked SO many things tonight! The kids each unlocked game after game - some things I didn't even know were on there, like more and more advanced running - and I unlocked a whole bunch of advanced things tonight! Chloë found my nunchuk, so I was able to box and unlock the advance one. (Man, I SUCK at that!! But I've only done it once so far, and I used to suck at the Advance Step, too. Now I'm a calorie torcher!)

And the Tightrope one. Man, that one is a riot! Not just to play, but to watch other people. When Rob was doing it, I was literally falling out of my chair screaming, yelling and when he fell, dying of laughter. Too freaking funny.  That is, until he managed to cross the whole thing! Then he dared me to do it in front of him. Okay, smarty pants, I will. Not only did I cross it, but I managed to unlock and cross the advanced level, and unlock and cross the expert level! Go me! Go me!

Ooh, ooh, and the water bubble! You know, the balance game (if you have it)? It is SOOOO hard. I have been trying and trying to get to the end of the course, but I keep popping the bubble each time. Well, today, I tried here and I tried there, and finally at the end of the night, the kids made me stay on it until I finished. And I DID!! The kids and I were all cheering and yelling and hooting and hollering, and we woke up Daddy and made him so mad! Hehehehe!

As you can see, I'm excited!!

Oh! Oh! And guess what? Sophie is QUITE the little track star! Her little butt was just running and running, all day and all night long! Every time it was her turn, she just wanted to run. And run she did! She unlocked the advance course, then the island lap course, then another free run! And on the advanced course, she beat her father the first time she did it! Hallegeud, I was so impressed!

Jack was awesome at the soccer heading and table balance games. He's got great balance!

And Chloë is a star at yoga and the strength exercises! I haven't even done any of the strength ones yet!

Anyway, it's been such  a fun day, and I've had a huge blast exercising with my family. After we do our booth sale tomorrow, and hopefully do a grocery trip, I have a feeling  I know how we'll be spending the weekend!

Fin.