Happy Daylight Savings!
This has been a crazy week what with all my brain farts and other seemingly hilarious hijinks. This morning the kids and I, thanks to the time change, made it to the early service at church. Both T and S have been coughing a lot this week, which is pretty par for the course when the weather changes drastically, but still stinks because they don't sleep well and tend to be grouchy and more easily upset.
As we are walking back to the van, T announces that he's hungry. So we stop by a Panera Bread place and get them each a cookie and milk and then I get R a hot chocolate because he's getting sick again. Poor guy. One of the four of us has been under the weather on a rotating basis for the last six weeks or so. No fun.
We come back home and R has gone back to bed. Holy time change, he IS feeling badly. I try to keep the kids quiet and busy, which doesn't really work, so R comes down after about an hour. Surprisingly, he finds it hard to sleep with all the noise and activity. And by activity, I really mean grouchy kids. They were beautifully behaved in church, but I think they used up their daily supply of good there because it was bicker, bicker, bicker the moment we got home.
I eventually needed a moment away from the bickering, so I tag teamed R and went upstairs with the intention of taking a short time out. Of course I fell asleep, and the next thing I remember is R saying it was almost noon. Our routine has been to be at the Y by noon on Sundays. Since we'd been up since 6ish, and gotten back from church by 10:30, that should have been no problem. But we didn't get there until about 12:45. I'm signing the kids in to the childcare room and T comes up to tell me he's had an accident in his pants. I stand there momentarily stunned because T rarely has accidents. He and I head into the bathroom, and I realize that T has diarrhea. Oh no!
If he's sick, he can't be in the childcare room, plus he needs a change of clothes, so I tell the kids we have to leave. This brings tears and lots of vocal sadness because some of their friends are there and they want to stay. I totally understand and I feel horrible that they are upset, but there's no way I'm going to risk getting other people's kids sick.
Under loud protests, we head home. The rest of the evening passed mostly uneventfully, but I'm trying to decide if I should keep T home from school tomorrow. I'm also crossing my fingers, eyes, toes, legs, and arms that no one else in the house gets the stomach bug.
When I was at Walmart picking up Tums for R today, I noticed that Vicks has a vapor rub additive for vaporizers. Since we actually bought Vicks vaporizers, I bought some to hopefully help the kids sleep a little better tonight. After we put them to bed, which was blessedly easy tonight (thank you time change!), R refilled the vaporizers and added the vapor rub stuff. About an hour and a half later, you could easily smell it anywhere in the house. Heee! So we unplugged the vaporizers, lest the vapor rub goodness penetrate the walls and provide unwanted aromatherapy to the neighbors.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Best idea I've heard in ages
AS A KIND-HEARTED BLOGGER I PLEDGE TO:
- Create, inspire, and admire rather than compete with fellow bloggers
- Be understanding of each other -- in the blogging community, as well as in the world
- Stay away from internet/blogging bullying
- Speak my opinion freely, while still being mindful of other's feelings--be tactful
- Make an effort -- no matter how big or small the gesture, to spread kindness or joy to others
- Acknowledge that I will make mistakes, (I am only human) but remember to learn from them
- Know that at times I will post about the negative stuff in life, and maybe even some complaining (I am human) but I will always follow up with something happy/positive too
- Believe that this world is a good place, filled with good people
I stumbled on this button on TopMommyBlogs.com. I love this and I'm committing to it, like, yesterday. If you'd like to take this pledge as well, just click on the button and it should take you to the Jo-Annie's blog. If not, then please visit Jo-Annie's blog here: http://emjayandme.blogspot.com/ or by visiting TopMommyBlogs.com and clicking on the link there.
Life is short. Be kind.
Friday, November 5, 2010
I've got to start paying attention
The movie theater here offers 'rush hour' prices. All shows between 4 and 6 during the week are only $4. Who can turn that down when there are three or four of you going?
Only problem - there hasn't been anything I thought the kids would sit through since the promotion started. And then we saw that Megamind opened today. Excellent! Let's GO!
I told R that I wanted to take the kids to see the 5 pm showing. He thought it was a good idea, and he said he'd meet us at the movie theater after work.
I didn't tell the kids until after T got home from school. I wanted it to be a surprise, and I figured it would be easier to get them in shoes and coats and into the van if they were excited about going somewhere. (It totally was.)
We got to the theater and were standing in line to buy tickets when I noticed: the rush hour offer was for all shows between 4 and 6 pm from Monday through Thursday.
Oooooooops. So instead of paying sixteen dollars we paid almost twice that. But it was my mistake for not paying enough attention to the details. This has been a bad week for me in that respect.
I have to say, though, the price was well worth it in the long run because we all had a wonderful time and the movie was really, really cute. I think it was more geared for tweens and up rather than kids T and S's age, but with Will Farrell, Tina Fey, and Brad Pitt doing the voice overs, how could you possibly lose? And besides, we got the large popcorn/drink combo and the kids went through two large popcorns (refills are free) which meant not only did we put a minuscule, barely noticeable dent in popcorn profits, but I didn't have to fix dinner. Double yay!
I think we should totally add family date night to the agenda. On, say, a Thursday or something.
Only problem - there hasn't been anything I thought the kids would sit through since the promotion started. And then we saw that Megamind opened today. Excellent! Let's GO!
I told R that I wanted to take the kids to see the 5 pm showing. He thought it was a good idea, and he said he'd meet us at the movie theater after work.
I didn't tell the kids until after T got home from school. I wanted it to be a surprise, and I figured it would be easier to get them in shoes and coats and into the van if they were excited about going somewhere. (It totally was.)
We got to the theater and were standing in line to buy tickets when I noticed: the rush hour offer was for all shows between 4 and 6 pm from Monday through Thursday.
Oooooooops. So instead of paying sixteen dollars we paid almost twice that. But it was my mistake for not paying enough attention to the details. This has been a bad week for me in that respect.
I have to say, though, the price was well worth it in the long run because we all had a wonderful time and the movie was really, really cute. I think it was more geared for tweens and up rather than kids T and S's age, but with Will Farrell, Tina Fey, and Brad Pitt doing the voice overs, how could you possibly lose? And besides, we got the large popcorn/drink combo and the kids went through two large popcorns (refills are free) which meant not only did we put a minuscule, barely noticeable dent in popcorn profits, but I didn't have to fix dinner. Double yay!
I think we should totally add family date night to the agenda. On, say, a Thursday or something.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Silver Bells
A few minutes ago, I pulled up Facebook and saw that my one of my ex sister in laws posted something about a new Scentsy candle called Silver Bells. And just like that, I had a flashback.
What's the point of having a flashback if you can't share it, right?
My freshman year in high school, the drama teacher decided to have a talent show right around the holidays. It was a long time ago so some of the details (read: most)have been shoved out of my mind to make room for such things as the kids' birthdays and likes and dislikes, the current fundraiser-of-the-month for my daughter's preschool, and how much money is left in our checking account until payday. Bothersome!
Anyway, for some reason I thought it would be a great idea if I signed up to present a talent in the talent show. One problem with that. I don't really have an obvious talent. When I tried out for school plays, I almost always made the generic cast, so acting wasn't a good idea. I had taken dance for years, but hello! It was high school and there was NO way I was going to put myself directly in the path of that level of ridicule. Also, it was the 80's and it would have messed up my wall of hair. I can't read music or play an instrument, can't twirl a baton or swallow fire... hmmm...
I wish I could remember why I ever even signed up for the stupid talent show. It had to have been a drama class requirement or for extra credit. Or - and this is the most likely scenario - a boy I liked was probably involved. ::Shaking my head at the teen aged me::
I did write poetry, but it was all sad, morose, dark stuff, so that didn't seem like a good idea at Christmas time. Plus? Way too personal. Way.
I ended up signing up to sing. The song? Uh-huh, you guessed it - Silver Bells. Mr. Anderson, who was the pianist for all the plays our school produced, was supposed to be playing the piano for any of us that wanted to sing, but something happened and he couldn't do it. I got someone else to do it for me and I think we might have had one rehearsal before the talent show. Emphasis on might.
Fast forward to the talent show. Someone played the piano, I sang Silver Bells, people clapped politely when I was done. Yay me! I sang in public.
And then I saw the tape.
Oh. My. Geezers.
If American Idol had been around then and that had been my audition? I SO would have made the hall of shame. It was horrid. Awful. Out of tune. Out of sync. Just....ugh. The stuff that teen aged nightmares were made of. It was so bad, in fact, that no one every said a word of it to me. People, that's not good. And the worst of it? I genuinely had no clue at the time. My only hope? Is that it was on beta video and not VHS so that it's now gone forever.
So, while I'm sure that Scentsy's Silver Bells is delightful, I don't think I'll be asking for it for Christmas.
What's the point of having a flashback if you can't share it, right?
My freshman year in high school, the drama teacher decided to have a talent show right around the holidays. It was a long time ago so some of the details (read: most)have been shoved out of my mind to make room for such things as the kids' birthdays and likes and dislikes, the current fundraiser-of-the-month for my daughter's preschool, and how much money is left in our checking account until payday. Bothersome!
Anyway, for some reason I thought it would be a great idea if I signed up to present a talent in the talent show. One problem with that. I don't really have an obvious talent. When I tried out for school plays, I almost always made the generic cast, so acting wasn't a good idea. I had taken dance for years, but hello! It was high school and there was NO way I was going to put myself directly in the path of that level of ridicule. Also, it was the 80's and it would have messed up my wall of hair. I can't read music or play an instrument, can't twirl a baton or swallow fire... hmmm...
I wish I could remember why I ever even signed up for the stupid talent show. It had to have been a drama class requirement or for extra credit. Or - and this is the most likely scenario - a boy I liked was probably involved. ::Shaking my head at the teen aged me::
I did write poetry, but it was all sad, morose, dark stuff, so that didn't seem like a good idea at Christmas time. Plus? Way too personal. Way.
I ended up signing up to sing. The song? Uh-huh, you guessed it - Silver Bells. Mr. Anderson, who was the pianist for all the plays our school produced, was supposed to be playing the piano for any of us that wanted to sing, but something happened and he couldn't do it. I got someone else to do it for me and I think we might have had one rehearsal before the talent show. Emphasis on might.
Fast forward to the talent show. Someone played the piano, I sang Silver Bells, people clapped politely when I was done. Yay me! I sang in public.
And then I saw the tape.
Oh. My. Geezers.
If American Idol had been around then and that had been my audition? I SO would have made the hall of shame. It was horrid. Awful. Out of tune. Out of sync. Just....ugh. The stuff that teen aged nightmares were made of. It was so bad, in fact, that no one every said a word of it to me. People, that's not good. And the worst of it? I genuinely had no clue at the time. My only hope? Is that it was on beta video and not VHS so that it's now gone forever.
So, while I'm sure that Scentsy's Silver Bells is delightful, I don't think I'll be asking for it for Christmas.
Restless
The last week or two, I've been feeling restless in my skin. Usually I change the furniture around and clean when I feel this way, but I really like the way we have the furniture arranged so I haven't changed it. Therefore, I am completely convinced, I am still feeling restless.
Restless sometimes turns into distracted. Like yesterday when I tried to unlock and load groceries into the wrong van. It was the same make and color as my van, same interior...a bit cleaner, but since it was windy I can chalk that up to hoping the breeze/gusts blew some of the dirt off my van. I was parked in roughly the same area, just one row over. This would be much more concerning if I tried to get into a different type of car altogether, right? I also believe that they call that grand theft auto - or at least breaking and entering.
Further proof of my distraction? Today I had a waxing appointment. Ironically, I was sitting in my car (I was early - that happens when I don't have the kids with me) thinking about the great van goof up from the day before and thinking how not funny it would be if I had missed my appointment. I take my dehairing quite seriously since the dark hair or seventy had started to appear on my face. (WTH hormones...I'm not even 40 yet!) When the magic hour arrived, I went in and gave my info to the very, very nice lady at the reception desk. She looked up with a frown - she didn't have me down for today.
Well, that's odd. I have an appointment card and everything. So I go out to my van to get it, and pull it out of the sun visor and notice that my appointment is next week. Really, self?!? At least I wasn't rude or obnoxious about being certain the appointment was today. I slink back in and apologize profusely for being a dork. But to do this kind of stuff twice in two days? I am definitely distracted. I dislike that feeling.
On the bright side of this issue? Blog material! That is, if I can remember it. HA!
Restless sometimes turns into distracted. Like yesterday when I tried to unlock and load groceries into the wrong van. It was the same make and color as my van, same interior...a bit cleaner, but since it was windy I can chalk that up to hoping the breeze/gusts blew some of the dirt off my van. I was parked in roughly the same area, just one row over. This would be much more concerning if I tried to get into a different type of car altogether, right? I also believe that they call that grand theft auto - or at least breaking and entering.
Further proof of my distraction? Today I had a waxing appointment. Ironically, I was sitting in my car (I was early - that happens when I don't have the kids with me) thinking about the great van goof up from the day before and thinking how not funny it would be if I had missed my appointment. I take my dehairing quite seriously since the dark hair or seventy had started to appear on my face. (WTH hormones...I'm not even 40 yet!) When the magic hour arrived, I went in and gave my info to the very, very nice lady at the reception desk. She looked up with a frown - she didn't have me down for today.
Well, that's odd. I have an appointment card and everything. So I go out to my van to get it, and pull it out of the sun visor and notice that my appointment is next week. Really, self?!? At least I wasn't rude or obnoxious about being certain the appointment was today. I slink back in and apologize profusely for being a dork. But to do this kind of stuff twice in two days? I am definitely distracted. I dislike that feeling.
On the bright side of this issue? Blog material! That is, if I can remember it. HA!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Workout Wednesday
Oooooooooooooooooooooooo yeah! Thanks mostly to the stomach flu last week, I'm down 5 pounds. The way I figure it, the stomach flu jump started it for me, but I maintained it. Which, considering the amount of candy lying around here and the batch of oatmeal cookies I made, is not too shabby.
Sunday I had a great cardio session. I don't think I've been that sweaty since my last Zumba class and man, it felt great. This lead to a shorter, but still intense cardio session on Monday. Also on Monday? I bench pressed 95 pounds! Talk about an endorphin high! I absolutely love lifting weights. But I also realize that I need to focus more on cardio if I'm going to lose weight. And considering I want to lose at least 80 more pounds, I'd better get to it.
The elliptical machine at the Y has a five minute fit test you can take. Just out of curiosity, I took it towards the end of my workout on Sunday. In a surprise that made me giggle, the machine stopped me at 4 minutes 15 seconds and scored me at 0. ::Snort!!::
Today I took it again and just like Sunday it was at the end of my workout. I got to finish today but my rating was "very low" and my score was 17.7 or something. I'm guessing that the range goes from 0 to 100. So if on Sunday I didn't even get to finish before the machine stopped testing me, then I take it as a huge sign of improvement that today I got to finish and got a score, even if the score was really, really bad. So I'm going to take it again on Friday and see what happens. I like the idea of being able to measure my progress against something, you know?
Sunday I had a great cardio session. I don't think I've been that sweaty since my last Zumba class and man, it felt great. This lead to a shorter, but still intense cardio session on Monday. Also on Monday? I bench pressed 95 pounds! Talk about an endorphin high! I absolutely love lifting weights. But I also realize that I need to focus more on cardio if I'm going to lose weight. And considering I want to lose at least 80 more pounds, I'd better get to it.
The elliptical machine at the Y has a five minute fit test you can take. Just out of curiosity, I took it towards the end of my workout on Sunday. In a surprise that made me giggle, the machine stopped me at 4 minutes 15 seconds and scored me at 0. ::Snort!!::
Today I took it again and just like Sunday it was at the end of my workout. I got to finish today but my rating was "very low" and my score was 17.7 or something. I'm guessing that the range goes from 0 to 100. So if on Sunday I didn't even get to finish before the machine stopped testing me, then I take it as a huge sign of improvement that today I got to finish and got a score, even if the score was really, really bad. So I'm going to take it again on Friday and see what happens. I like the idea of being able to measure my progress against something, you know?
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Choices
Last week, Mom and Richard took the kids out for the afternoon. I cleaned the kitchen and then sat down to watch Sophie's Choice. I hadn't seen it before, and while I knew the gist of the movie, actually watching it? It was....powerful. Heartbreaking. Terribly, terribly sad. Meryl Streep was amazing.
How could anyone survive making a choice like that? Worse, how many people had to? I can't bear to think about it.
It certainly put things in a clearer perspective.
I also started thinking about choices. We make so many of them every day...what to wear, where to go, what to eat, what we say, how we act and react...
I want the kids to grow up with the ability to make good choices. One of the hardest things about letting the kids make their own choices is respecting their right to make choices I wouldn't. And then I think about how imperfect I am, and how I learned way more from my mistakes than I ever did by blindly following someone elses choice direction (even when they were right).
Why is this so hard to do as a parent? Or maybe it's just hard for me...
But I am so utterly, humbly grateful that I live in America where I have the freedom to make choices (and mistakes), and that I will never have to face a choice like Sophie did.
How could anyone survive making a choice like that? Worse, how many people had to? I can't bear to think about it.
It certainly put things in a clearer perspective.
I also started thinking about choices. We make so many of them every day...what to wear, where to go, what to eat, what we say, how we act and react...
I want the kids to grow up with the ability to make good choices. One of the hardest things about letting the kids make their own choices is respecting their right to make choices I wouldn't. And then I think about how imperfect I am, and how I learned way more from my mistakes than I ever did by blindly following someone elses choice direction (even when they were right).
Why is this so hard to do as a parent? Or maybe it's just hard for me...
But I am so utterly, humbly grateful that I live in America where I have the freedom to make choices (and mistakes), and that I will never have to face a choice like Sophie did.
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