The problem with boogers

I was thinking the other night--well, actually having a bizarre dream about being chased by a strange, unkown little boy trying to wipe a booger on me--but when I awoke, I realized that time keeps going by really, really fast.  Like, I am thinking right now about how this second is now gone.  And poof, it's gone. Now another one is gone.  And another one...and, well, you get the point.  Before I realize it, I'll be back in my bed, ready to dodge dream boogers all over again.  I'll tell ya, that's the problem with boogers.  They get you thinking every time.

You may be wondering what the hell I'm talking about.  Well, I guess I'm having a mid-life crisis of sorts.  Aren't I too young for that?  I'm only going to be 30 in a couple of weeks.  That still seems pretty young.  Mature, yes, but definitely NOT old.  Old enough, though, that I need to get my butt in gear and accomplish my goals.  Ever since we opened the store, I realized that it IS actually possible to accomplish something.  So I made some more. Goals. As if I don't have enough to do.

#1.  You might've seen this one coming, but I am making it a goal to lose some weight.  That's all I'm going to say about it.  I might have to ponder over a few more handfulls of Oreos.  I'll probably have to deliberate over some chocolate cake.  But I am convinced that somehow, I, too, will be able to have ripped abs and a tight butt.  Thank you, P90X infomercial, for convincing me that in this lifetime I might be able to do a pullup on that wobbly bar hanging from a doorframe.  (Where do you GET one of those things, anyway?)

#2.  I am writing a book.  A novel.  I think it's high time.  It will be moving.  It will be touching.  It will be a modern-day Odyssey, resplendent with the epic-ness of a soul searching journey of....crap, I don't know yet.  It'll probably have to involve some type of natural disaster.  I'm sure somebody will have to die in it.  I don't know if there will be romance.  I kind of doubt it.  That's not really my style.  I'm sure there will be a quick-witted heroine.  A moral dilemma.  An impossible choice. Isn't that what good literature is all about? I'm hoping to win a major literary prize.  If I do, I better have finished with that whole P90X thing, because I'm sure I'd have to go to a banquet or something, and I'd have to actually wear real clothes instead of my jeans and a ratty T-shirt.  Although I did get a new bra, so that's good.

#3.  I have decided I will, at some point, go back to college and gain at least a master's, but more likely a PhD in something.  I don't know what yet.  It doesn't even really matter, I suppose.  I just know that I will re-enter the world of academia and claim my place as a titan of deliberate and thorough ponderance. What does that mean, you ask?  I wouldn't expect you to understand.  It's a...um...well...let's just say I'll be able to explain it better when I'm defending my dissertation and leave it at that.

#4.  I'm too tired to type any more.  So I guess this one has to be my vow to sleep more.  The end.

So there you have it.  My "resolutions" as it were.  If you want to call them that.  I don't have any idea when they'll be accomplished.  Just that they will be.  And if you don't believe me, I'll kick you in the head.  Ok?

My Kids are Weirder than Your Kid

You read it right. My kids are weird. Straight up. Isaac has an unmatched imagination in our family. The proof: his new favorite game. It's called "The Umproidal Shrimp." This is not a complicated game. It consists of him running around chasing the other kids, while they run away shreiking, "Oh no! It's the Umproidal Shrimp!"

I have no idea what an Umproidal Shrimp is, or where in the world the child thought of one. My other kids don't find it strange at all. They even have little Rowan playing along.

This game can be added to their repetoire of other games which include: "Gaster Gastion" and "Rabies." Rabies is pretty self-explanatory. One has rabies and they chase the other one around. It goes like this:

Isaac: Hey, you guys wanna play Rabies?
Adam: Sure! Do you have rabies or do I have rabies?
Kalena (in a very grown-up, exasperated voice) : I have rabies, okay?
Rowan: You have rabies?
Kalena: You better run!
All the kids: Oh no!!!! (Squeal and shriek)

Gaster Gastion is a variation of the Umproidal Shrimp....but it requires that Isaac run around screaming "Gaster Gastion" during the chasing process.

So, like I said, my kids are weird.

Satisfaction

Can we ever get it? I mean, are we ever totally satisfied with what we do in life? I'm sitting here, in MY store, my own shop, wondering if this is as good as it can be. I'm critically evaluating every single product, the prices on them, the window display...why can't I just look around with satisfaction, and realize that my dream is coming true? Maybe it's the enormous amount of pressure I feel to make Pinwheel Kids successful. Not only is our future tied up in this, but my business partner has a lot invested in me as well. I feel like I HAVE to do everything I possibly can to make this store a success. And at the same time, I don't want to lose out on the joy. The joy I feel when I can help a new mom pick out the perfect baby carrier, or when a grandma comes in and finds a toy she just knows her grandson will love. Is there such a thing as a happy medium, a balance in life? And how in the heck can I find it?

I keep telling myself to be patient. Just let things run their natural course. If Pinwheel Kids is meant to be, and I just KNOW it is, then it will take off on its own. And things are already off to a great start! But I always wonder, could it be more? Could I be doing more? Should I be?

And in this equation, I have to add in the happiness of my family. I know how easy it is for me to become consumed, and I don't want to lose those precious moments with my kids because my focus is so much on the store. This is all uncharted territory for me, just like when I started teaching last year, and I guess I just don't know what exactly to expect. But even though my life is definitely 180 degrees different than what it was a year ago, I have to say that it's definitely in an exciting, good place. Just a little....okay, a LOT.....scary.

Dang

Yeah, so I guess I'm a big fat liar, and I can't keep up with my blog. Can you blame me? I am in the middle of opening a new store. Because I'm crazy.

My store is Pinwheel Kids, and it is going to be so rockin'. I just hope my four little monkeys make it through the next couple of weeks while we get up and running.

In kid-news, they are just getting big and smart, like all children do. But this morning the kids were all in the bathtub, and Kalena decided to entertain the others so she got a toy boat and said, "The Wizard is going to break through these icy bergs. Here it goes. Off to catch some crab." And she proceeded to bust through the bubbles as if they were really "icy bergs." Then she looked at me and said, "Mom, these bubbles really do look like icy bergs. Really."

This indicates two things to me:
#1 We have been watching way too much Deadliest Catch
AND
#2 These are such fleeting moments in our kids lives. I'm glad I was there to catch a glimpse of her creativity, kindness and spunk.

Well, back to work. I have a pile of invoices with my name on them that I need to tackle.

The Jerk

No, I don't mean the crazy man that insisted on driving right next to me at the exact same speed as I was driving home today. I mean the crazy dance that I am trying to learn from my students.

If you don't know what The Jerk is, just YouTube it. Over the course of the last week, I've heard it described as "backwards skipping" or "jumping forwards and backwards at the same time." Gee guys, that's really helpful. But I stink at it. I don't have any rhythm, and I have about 60 extra pounds I'm trying to jerk around. Not pretty.

You ask why I'm trying to learn this convoluted dance? It's all my own fault, actually. I've decided to put my students on a Laughter Campaign as part of our research unit on researching the effects of laughter on environment. So part of their assignment is to increase the amount of laughing that happens on campus. You do the math: teachers (especially white-bread, no-rhythm teachers like yours truly) + dancing of any kind = hilarity. They decided the best way to get some chuckles is to get the teachers dancing on film. I insisted that if I'm being filmed, I must be tutored in the ways of the Jerk before I make my YouTube debut.

So stay tuned. You just might see my jello-butt jiggling in the near future. If you didn't shudder, I just shuddered for you.

Sponge-Bob Rules the World

Yes, I am back with a vengeance, my friends. It is me, your friendly neighborhood mom, wife, teacher, tennis coach, soccer coach, lover of pie and all-around swell lady. I have rediscovered my blog, and I have to admit, I've missed it. It has been nearly a year since I checked in here. Sad.

Things have changed. And that is probably the understatement of the millenium. My life is almost 360 degrees from where it was this time last year. I am teaching at Waco High. Ninth grade English. Oy veh.

I don't have the time, energy or even finger-power to type all the long yarns I have to spin about school, so we'll just say that it's, um, different. I like it. Some days.

The kids have grown. Once again, huge understatement. Rowan might as well be reading by now, she's so dang smart. I've never heard a little bit talk as much as she does. She's 18 months going on 10. She can practically keep up with Kalena in the talking department. (Okay, now I"m just getting silly).

Adam just turned three, Isaac is pushing 5, and Kalena is reading like a big 3rd grader, even though she's just in 1st grade. Where in the heck has time gone???? I don't know, but it feels like I go to sleep at night, and wake up a week later. I've been so busy, I forget whole days at a time.

It's late, however, at nearly 9, and it's my bedtime. Yes....that, my friends, is a sad state of affairs. I should be hanging with the Luby's crowd I guess. But the kids are happy watching Sponge Bob tonight, or "Bum Bob Pants" as RoRo calls him, and I am tapping my toes to the jolly little pirate whistle, getting ready to head to bed myself.

I've turned a leaf, my friends. Or a page. Or a megabyte. Whatever. I promise to blog more faithfully. At any rate, in the words of the illustrious governor of California, "I'll be back."

Humbalulu

Humbalulu is an elusive animal. It is red and green, and some of them can fly. Not all, but a select few. I'm not exactly sure how many, since there are so few in the world. They live in the ocean and sometimes on roads. Which roads remains to be seen, since most roads are too busy for the shy creature. They eat snakes. I guess they eat the ones that venture too close to the ocean or too close to a road. They also eat one berry. It doesn't matter what kind of berry, but only one a day. I suppose this is what gives them the magical powers to fly. This is all that is known about the Humbalulu.

Isaac spent most of our vacation discussing Humbalulu and its various attributes. This began when David's sister taught the kids how to play "20 questions" the animal version on a long drive across the island. With questions like, "where do you live?" and "what do you eat?" Isaac's little imagination went crazy. Hence the Humbalulu was born. Kalena soon got in on the action, and eventually they were calling everyone and everything around them Humbalulu. So if you see a red and green creature munching a snake on a road, you'll know just what it is.

Back

I'm home and survived Hawaii. It was fun at times, but definitely as much work as I thought it would be. I am so happy to be home! You can check out pics from our trip on my Facebook page. It is easier and faster for me to load them there.

My dinosaur of a computer is on its last legs it seems. We are going to have to figure out a way to get a new one, I guess. I get the feeling this one could explode at any second.

I had an interview at Waco High yesterday, and it went really well, except the part where I spit my cappuccino all over the table because it was so hot. I was a little embarrassed about that. But I don't even drink cappuccino, so how was I to know it was still too hot?? Luckily, the principal and counselor doing the interview laughed with me and not at me. I hope they offer me the position--the principal I spoke to said I should hear something in a day or two. I would be teaching freshman English and coaching freshman volleyball. I find this hilarious, since I haven't been anywhere near a volleyball court since 8th grade. But you gotta do what you gotta do. I am so nervous about getting this job, it kinda feels like my one and only shot. I've only had one other interview, and it was at a school that was really too far from the ranch for me. The summer seems like it is flying by.

We should be set to move into the new house in two weeks. That's exciting and terrifying, because it means I have to actually get around to packing. Yuck. But I will be so thrilled to have so much extra space. This house seems to have shrunk dramatically now that Adam is so big and Rowan is walking everywhere. It feels like no matter where I turn, there are kids staring at me. It doesn't help that the house is full of boxes and clutter, either.

On another sad and depressing note, our receiver for our DirecTV is dead. Why not call DirecTV and get another receiver, you ask? Well, we are stealing our DirecTV since David knew how to run all the lines and somehow rig it that we are on his parents' account, even though we are miles away. Don't ask me how he did that. But it now means that we have no TV, which means I have no DVR, which means I have no So You Think You Can Dance. I am traumatized. I have waited all year for that show!!!!

I should try to head to bed. I guess I'm still on Hawaii time, which is 5 hours earlier, becuase I can't sleep until really late at night since we've been home.

Heading Out--THIS IS SO LONG!

I haven't posted anything in a really long time. Here's why: I've really been struggling lately, and not just with my weight. I have come to realize that I just can't do it all. Or, if I do try to fit it all in, then my family will suffer. The stress of this summer has really been overwhelming, and I finally had to make my way to my midwife (who also does well-woman checkups) to find out why I couldn't sleep, couldn't remember anything, couldn't focus or get motivated to do anything, and why I felt angry all the time. I was hoping for some concrete answers, but all I got was "you're depressed, take this..." and was handed a prescription.

I have a hard time with the word "depression." I don't feel like a depressed person. I just feel like things are sort of spinning out of control. And the word "depressed" conjurs up images of my father, who is mentally ill--manic depressive--and very unstable. I've spent most of my life fearing that I would end up like either my father (crazy) or my mother (irresponsible). So to get tagged as "depressed" really made me feel like a failure. But, desperate for some relief of this all-consuming feeling that I was about to explode, I tried the prescription. So far it seems to be helping with my mood. I have more patience with the kids. I cope better when things really seem to be going to crap. But I can't shake this feeling that I'm just not good enough. I don't know if any pill can cure that one. In fact, I don't even know why I have this feeling.

I have not lost much weight at all. I think in the past six weeks I've lost another 2 pounds. I'm at 220 and haven't fluctuated from that number since I started the medication. The past couple of weeks I haven't had time to fit in my daily exercise, and I've struggled with that. But I've come to realize that I JUST CAN'T DO IT ALL. Sometimes sleep and family have to come ahead of working out. I'm hoping to start back to a regular work out routine again after we get back from Hawaii.

Oh, Hawaii. I have such mixed feelings about this "vacation." What kind of a spoiled brat wouldn't salivate at the chance to jet away to paradise? Why would I even think of complaining about the trip of a lifetime? I don't know. It seems like an insane amount of work for me to get all four kids ready, through the hellacious trip there, and then readjusted for two weeks when we get there, not to mention the even more hellacious trip home and the second readjustment back to real life. I will, in theory, have help. But I've been down this road before. My "help" is in vacation mode, and isn't going to want to offer me a break. Of course David will be there, and will definitely be a help. But so often, having him around for too long makes things harder, since he doesn't do things quite the way I do them. At any rate, I know this vacation is more like two weeks of intense work for me, and I just don't know if I'm up to it. But I'm hoping that we'll get there and I will be pleasantly surprised at how smoothly things go, and I'll stretch out on the beach and wonder what I was so worried about...we will see. We leave tomorrow.

I still don't have a job. I haven't even gotten a single interview. Not a single phone call. Only two or three e-mails to say, "sorry, we don't have the position available." But most of my applications generate complete and total silence. I am worried that I made the wrong decision to do this now. What if I've just shelled out a few thousand dollars that we don't have in order to get certified for a job I can't get? I just don't know. I've been saying that a lot lately. I don't know.

Our house is still not done, but it is very close. We should get to move in in mid-July. We are waiting to hear about our loan, which will take such an enormous burden off of David's mind. He has been so worried about the money situation, even though he tries to be the strong one and not let on that he's freaking out. I will be so relieved when we get settled in and can put this whole transition behind us.

On a brighter note, Rowan is walking! Yes, I said walking. She just turned 10 mos. on Tuesday, and has been taking steps for about the last week and a half. I never had a 9 month old walk. It's crazy. She is toddling everywhere now, and can't be stopped. She is such a joy to us, just the happiest little thing. And her smile is one thing that is sure to brighten me up if I'm having a rough day. She just had a recent appointment at Scottish Rite, and her x-ray was not that encouraging. She had digressed from 10 degrees to 16 degrees, but the doctor thought it was just because she was standing for the x-ray instead of laying down. He said that when we go back in September, if there is any more increase in her curve, then we will move right into casting. I am hoping that she improves. I don't know how I would handle a baby in a body cast.

The final two straws that have just about broken me have been hard to cope with. First, my friend Kristie lost her sweet 4 month old baby girl to SIDS. I still tear up to think of this kind, gentle, sweet and loving woman grieving like this. It really hit me between the eyes....I have nothing to complain about. I still have my babies, healthy and safe. The second thing is that my friend Julie, who has been my cheerleader and my encouragement through all my struggles, is moving tomorrow to Kansas. I really don't know what I'm going to do without her. She has been the glue that has kept me together, and I have counted on her for so much. First I lost my friend Marie last summer, and now Julie is gone too. I hate goodbye.

Wow, what a post of gloom and doom, huh? I guess this is why I've avoided posting for so long. It is hard to face your demons. But you guys know me, ever the optimist. I know that once fall comes, that cool air will usher in a sense of relief for me. If I can just walk through the fire right now, I know I will make it to the other side.

No change

I weighed again this morning right after running, and I'm back up to 226. What the crap? I realize that it's probably just muscle mass, and I realize that I have to be patient. But I've been slaving away every morning for a month now, and only have a measly 7 pounds lost to show for it. My clothes don't fit any better, and I really can't see any change when I look in the mirror. I know I shouldn't be, but I am so disheartened. Especially with all the other chaos going on in my life right now (i.e. job hunt, imminent move, etc.), I was really hoping to have something positive to encourage me. I am dreading going to Hawaii in six weeks and having to squeeze my gigantic butt into a swim suit. I don't have any clothes that I like to wear, and I'm sure as heck not buying anything new right now. I just want to be happy with my body again. Right before I got pregnant with Rowan, I had finally started to lose inches and felt so great. I was happy with the way I looked, even though I wasn't super skinny. I don't have irrational dreams of being a size 2. I just want to be healthy and comfortable in my skin. I am feeling healthier overall, so I know the exercise is helping, but I just want to have my confidence back. There are days that I walk by a mirror and wonder who the fat girl is looking back at me. I don't identify with her at all, and I hate feeling so disconnected from myself.

I refuse to give up, though. I wonder if I need to do something to jump-start my metabolism and my weight loss. I am going to give Jackie's crazy cleanse a try for a week, and see if it helps. I know my stress eating isn't helping me in my plight, so I am trying hard to watch what goes into my mouth. Every day I slip up, though, but today is a new day, and I have another chance to do it right.

Wish me luck, peeps!

So this is news?

Seen on the KCEN website:

Preventing Swine Flu

While there are no confirmed cases of swine flu in Central Texas, doctors say Central Texans aren’t taking any chances.

“You watch on television, you see all those people walking around Mexico City with mask and you hear about all those people dying, we want to be careful, even though it’s very unlikely to actually hit us, we’re being cautious,” says Dr. Tim Martindale of the Providence Family Medicine Clinic.

But what exactly is the swine flu?

“It has some genetic markers that are swine flu and it has some genetic markers that are also bird flu and human flu. I think the term swine flu just came on and it stuck,” explains Kelly Craine of the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.

Craine says swine flu carries the same symptoms as traditional seasonal flu but it also has more nausea and diarrhea associated with it.

“What it’s mostly contagious through is respiratory droplets. Stuff coming out of your nose or out of your mouth, coughing sneezing, anything that comes out of your nose or mouth that has possible cotangent if it were the flu,” says Dr. Martindale.

Officials say the virus is very responsive to the anti-viral medicines Tamiflu and Relenze, and can be prevented.

“Wash your hands on a regular basis, don’t touch your face, if you cough or sneeze cough into the crook of your arm or your elbow to prevent it from spreading on your hands, if you are sick, stay at home, if your children are sick, have them stay at home,” Craine says.

If you begin to experience any flu like symptoms, officials say you should go to your doctor. They can do a nasal swab to test for the virus and have results back in about 15 minutes.

Reported By: Ashley Goudeau

This really disgusted me. I mean, they pay these people good money to "report" the news. This girl is a real idiot, if you ask me....not so much because she made mistakes, but because she DIDN'T BOTHER TO HAVE ANYONE PROOFREAD HER ARTICLE!!! If you don't know what you're talking about, don't pretend. You'll just make yourself look stupid.

Here's my response that I e-mailed to the station:

To whom it may concern,

Wow. I am speechless after reading an article by one of your so-called reporters about concerns over swine flu. I would expect a grammatically correct article with reliable information from your reporters, however there were three obviously glaring mistakes in this piece--and these were just the obvious....I didn't bother myself with punctuation, etc.

First of all, a doctor was quoted as saying "...anything that comes out of your nose or mouth that has possible cotangent if it were the flu." I don't know about you, but I'm not sure if you can have a cotangent come out of your mouth unless you're discussing properties of right triangles. I suspect that your reporter meant to quote the Dr. as discussing possible "contagion", but who knows.

She also misspelled the drug Relenza as Relenze. Seems that could easily be googled before it was published.

Finally, she states that if you have flu-like symptoms, you should get checked out by your doctor and they will do a nasal swab and tell you in 15 minutes if you have the virus. Which virus? Swine flu? Because, according to the numerous reports I've read/heard, they have to send samples off to the lab in order to confirm swine flu, which can take up to a few days. So maybe your reporter should clarify and proofread her articles before she represents your station. I would think accuracy of reporting would be most important.

Let me know if you need someone to proofread her work. I'd be happy to do it. She clearly needs another set of eyes looking over it.

Sincerely,
A concerned viewer

*let me just say, I don't care AT ALL if regular folks make these mistakes. That's normal. But if you're representing yourself as a professional, then friggin' have someone check your work!!!!!

Change in the Rain

So it seems my fate has been decided, and the weekend of June 5th, I will finally get to move into my new house! I am excited and stoic at the same time. I am in love with my house. It really has seemed like an unlikely dream, that it would never really be finished--intangible and perfect, waiting for me. But now it is almost done, and it is thrilling and terrifying to be moving. I love Waco. I never thought those words would escape my lips, but for the first time in a very long time in my life, I've found a niche for myself. I love my friends and the life I've made for myself and my kids here, and I'm afraid that moving means starting all over again, particularly because everything changes next school year. I won't be a Stay-At-Home-Mom anymore, which is pretty much my total identity to speak of. It is scary to think I have to reinvent myself as a Working Mom, make new friends in my new situation, keep in touch with all my dear friends that I won't get to see as often and figure out how to best mother my kids without being with them all day, every day. Right now the rain is pouring down, and it matches my mood: melancholy, heavy, rejuvenating. A new beginning. I am ready to start out on this new branch of my life. It is one of those forks in the road of life for sure, and my new path is really still shrouded in mist, but I am confident there are birds chirping on the other side.

I got tagged!

My friend Erica tagged me. I haven't played tag since elementary school, but I loved it almost as much as dodgeball, so here I go.

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:
1. Sleeping
2. Kissing my kids and my husband
3. Watching Kalena play T-ball
5. Watching Isaac do Karate
6. Watching my waistline get smaller
7. Our summer trip to Hawaii
8. My next Chipotle Barbacoa burrito

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Slept late for the first time in, oh, I can't remember how long
   
2. Ordered pizza and blew the diet
   
3. Watched too much TV while I looked at the floor and avoided vacuuming it
   
4. Had a tickle fight with the kids
   
5. Stressed out over getting six ready for family pictures
   
6. Took said family pictures
   
7. Worried about getting a job
   
8. Looked at my family pictures and realized that I am a blessed woman to have such a beautiful family
   

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Sing and dance
   
2. Get the perfect job
   
3. Play the piano
   
4. Travel the world
   
5. Have more patience
   
6. Run a marathon and like it
   
7. Be a famous writer
   
8. Eat whatever I want and still look amazing
   

8 Shows I am Currently Watching:

1. The Mentalist
   
2. American Idol
   
3. Law and Order SVU
   
4. Dog the Bounty Hunter
   
5. Harper's Island
   
6. Antiques Roadshow
7. Make Me a Supermodel
8. Little Einsteins

*Thank The Good Lord for DVR*

So I tag:
Sandra
Katy
Marie

Adam's a Big Boy Now.

I was just looking at older posts, and realized that it was only two months ago that I made a short little list of things that Adam was saying. Wow, it's incredible to watch him learn day by day. If I were to make a list of things he can say now, it would be well over 1000 words. In fact, he'll pretty much say anything he hears. He repeats words all the time. And he is making sentences now. They are becoming more elaborate and descriptive. The kids are in there playing play-doh right now, and he just said, "Me make pizza now, Izee. All done." My mind is truly boggled. It makes you stop and realize what an amazing thing the human brain really is.

We had girl's night last night, and we ended up doing karaoke at Whiskey River. Oh man, I am such a terrible singer. But I just love to sing. I wish God had given me a talent, other than reproducing. I mean, I have awesome kids, but I can't sing or dance or play an instrument or paint. I'm okay at sewing, but really, I wouldn't call that a talent. I'm pretty good at yelling, though. At any rate, girl's night was a blast, and my sweet husband let me sleep in until 9 this morning. Aaaah, sweet sleep. It's so sad. The older you get, the more you value sleep than just about anything else.

We are taking some pictures this afternoon of our whole family. My friend Julie has graciously obliged to take pics for us. I got the cutest outfits for the kids, and I can't wait to see how the pics turn out!

Stuff

Bodyshaping...IT IS SO FLIPPIN' HARD!!! I'm down to 223.6 as of this morning. Yay! A couple more pounds down, so that makes me feel good. I've been so sore this week, it's hard to walk. But that just means I am getting skinny, right?

I have had the hardest time keeping track of everything we have going on. This is only going to get more challenging, I realize, as the kids get bigger. I decided last night that I have GOT to get organized. I bought a magnetic fridge calendar and wrote down everything we have going on for the next month. Man, my calendar is full. I also got an organizer that I can keep in my car or in my diaper bag so that I always have a place to right down things as I find them out. I am notorious for writing things on a scrap of paper that immediately disappears. I also highlighted everything on my calendar in different colors: blue for Isaac, pink for Kalena, yellow for me, and green for babies/family things. Now I always know who needs to be where and when. Sigh. This organization thing is hard.

In other, more depressing, news, my friend Julie is moving. And mind you, she's not moving across town. She's moving to Kansas City, Kansas. Boo. I hope we get to keep her through most of the summer. I hate saying goodbye to friends. Last summer was bad enough when I lost Marie, now I'm losing Julie, too. I have to stop before I start crying.

Also, my dogs are going to be the death of me. I swear. They got out of the yard...again. Big surprise. But this time, the dog catcher picked them up and they ended up at the pound. So I had to pay $100 bucks to spring them from doggy jail. They are in deep doody when they get home.

Stationary

Still at 226. I'm not surprised, though. I think I've gained quite a bit of muscle back. I am feeling better, and my time on the treadmill is slowly creeping up there. I hit the bodyshaping class this morning, and now I can't walk. I am seriously hobbling like an old man. But hopefully it will sculpt my arse into a beautiful sight if I can keep going.

I have my orientation for my teacher cert. classes tonight. I'm a little nervous, since I haven't had too many hits on the job front. I hope I am making the right decision for my family. I just have to have a positive attitude, and I know things will go the way they're supposed to.

Kids are great, Kalena started T-ball again, and had her first game last night. She is the bomb. I am going to put her in coach pitch for the summer session, I think she's ready. She is much better than most of the kids on her team this go-round, and she has such a great attitude. You can tell she really loves to play. That makes me happy.

Can you tell I'm sleepy? I'm definitely rambling right about now....

The First Weigh-In...

Status: 226. Loss of 7 lbs. I don't think I actually lost that much, but I just weighed without clothes on this time. Last time I was wearing shoes and jeans, so maybe I only lost about 3 pounds. But I'm no fool. I'm reporting the lowest possible number. Wouldn't you?

So far the workouts are amazing. I love starting my day on such a positive note, but I am pretty tired. It'll just take a while to adjust.

In other news, Kalena lost her two front teeth. She has been a great source of comic relief lately. Whenever I'm feeling frazzled or frustrated, I just get her to say "dinosaur" or "thermometers" and then I crack up laughing. Am I cruel to laugh at my lisping daughter? Maybe. But she thinks it's funny too. I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast.

Back to work

Well, working out, anyway. I've started back at the Y, but this time with a new schedule. I'm going uber-early in the morning. 5:15 early. Yikes. So far, so good. It's day three, and I'm still tired, but hopefully it will get easier soon. I actually like having an hour in the morning to get moving, grab a shower at the Y, and come home ready for action. I don't have to deal with whiny kids the second my feet hit the floor, and that has been so nice. We'll see how I adjust, but I'm really liking it so far, as long as I can stay awake!!!

I also have a gym buddy, Jackie. She's the bomb to get her patooty out the door so early to come hang with me on the treadmill. We're going to start swimming laps in the morning, too, once I can squeeze my arse into a swimsuit. I'm really excited about getting fit again. And here, my friends, I will do the unthinkable and post my weight loss.

Right now, I'm at 233. Yep. You read those astronomically large numbers right. I need to be about 175. You do the math, I can't count that high. So, Fridays are weigh-in days and I will post my results to all of you in cyberspace. Wish me luck!

10 degrees and 2 years

Today, I braved the awful weather and crazy Dallas traffic, and finally made it to Scottish Rite to have RoRo's checkup. Great news! Her x-ray looked amazing, and her curve is down from 22 degrees to 10 degrees. So now we just keep waiting and watching. We'll go back in June, and hopefully she'll be totally straight by then. Well, I can hope at least.

This is also Adam's 2nd birthday. What an amazing little boy he is. So incredibly kind, sweet, loving and funny. Yes, he has his two-year-old moments, but his new favorite thing to say is "No dank oo, mommy" when he doesn't want something I offer. I mean, really, you can't buy that kind of cuteness. We are also having a resurgence of Disney's Cars obsession around here. But for some reason, Adam calls anything having to do with Cars "meow meow". Don't know why...I think it started when he tried to say Mater, and it came out "meow meow". But now, it's all "meow meow". I really am blessed with an incredible family. And I can't believe my baby is already two!

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