A Month Later...

It's been a whole month since I have taken the time to write on this blog. I can't say that I haven't had anything to say...just haven't had time or inclination to sit down and actually write. So I'm going to try to catch you up on my life with some handy, dandy bullet points. They always go fast and are easy to tackle, especially since I don't seem to be able to write in a cohesive fashion this will handle my ramblings quiet nicely!




*I have been weighing in with the Sisterhood
but haven't really been putting much into my weight loss efforts. It has shown - I'm pretty much the same weight that I was 5 weeks ago. Not cool but I'm not sweating it anymore.


*I have been working out with the #Ironsisters
and am ready for the 3rd workout in Stage 2. It's hard and is hurting my knees. I'm hopeful that I can continue doing it.

*I went to the doctor nearly 2 weeks ago and got a bunch of blood work done. I haven't been myself; cranky, tired, gaining weight even when eating right, tired, cranky....you get the point. I had an extremely LOW thyroid and my Vitamin D levels were at 25 and should be a minimum of 60. So he has put me on a high dose of thyroid medicine and 10,000 units of VitaminD3 a day. He also told me to spend time outside in the sun without sunblock for at least 30 minutes a day. I'm getting better at this but I still need to work on it. Sometimes it doesn't seem there is 30 minutes in a day to go outside!

*My triglycerides are a bit high also, but he said not to worry about that right now. He thinks they will even out once the thyroid gets regulated. I figure if I start eating better food that will help both the triglycerides and the weight!

*Jen and I have been chatting quite a bit and we have come up with a plan to set up some goals for the month of May to help us get focused and make sure we make it to where we want to go. Our goals are both pretty much the same:
4 solid workouts every week
morning stretches
tracking everything, every day
(this one is mine) writing out daily to do list - what do I need to do this day and in what priority?

*I am not going to weigh in for the entire month of May. I have been gaining weight over the past few months and it has done nothing but discourage me and depress me. I need to get my hormones fixed up before I worry about my weight. I have weighed in for so long on Wednesdays that I may need a reminder to STAY AWAY FROM THE SCALE!! k?

*We have been homeschooling pretty consistently over the past 7 weeks and I feel like we are finally getting somewhere. I am planning for us to take a couple of weeks off in June but pick back up and school for a few hours a day throughout the summer. It gets too freaking hot here to do much outside and we can only swim so much in the summer! :) This should get us ready for 3rd grade curriculum by the end of summer even though we have taken so much time off. (This is another reason I haven't had much time lately!! It takes time to homeschool, even if it's only one student!)

*I love to read but lately reading has taken a backseat to other things I want to do. I was able to buy a Kindle at the beginning of April and I have downloaded A LOT of books for free but it seems there is never enough time in the day to actually read them. BUT...I am reading Jane Eyre and Jen and I are going to have a kind of "online book club". I have only read 3 chapters so far but I now understand why it is a classic. I'm liking it....can't wait to get further into it!

*I am walking 60 miles in 3 days the first weekend of November to help fight breast cancer. This disease affects families everyday! Me walking 60 miles and raising $2300 is just a small way I can help! Fundraising and training walks are starting up in earnest. I truly would appreciate your support as I work to find a cure!
You can donate here

It could be your mom, sister, best friend or yourself you save simply by donating a few dollars you know that you will be doing your part in finding a cure!

Thinking Out Loud

Bare with me as I think out loud for a few minutes, will you. My thoughts have been pretty scattered lately, so this may not make a bit of sense. It may not make sense cuz I'm writing it from my phone too, but that's besides the point, right?

My Marine leaves on a plane for a bit of a vacation on Sunday which kind of freaks me out! You do realize that Sunday is 9/11, right? He will come home Thursday night late then I will take him to the recruiters office on that Sunday afternoon. He leaves for bootcamp Monday morning early and will be gone for the next 13 weeks. It's gonna be a long fall for this momma! But according to the calendar he will come home in time for That Other Kids birthday and Christmas so we have that to look forward to.

I bought new shoes this past weekend for my Komen 3 Day training walks and gave them a bit if a test today by walking with a friend! We had a nice walk and the shoes felt pretty good. The real test will come this weekend when I have to walk a total of 25 miles over the two days!

Y'all know that I homeschool, right? Well I do, in case you didn't! We are moving along with school doing a combination of 1st and 2nd grade although it has been sporadic and slow moving but we just finished going through the entire Hooked on Phonics program. He finished the last chapter book of the program this afternoon and declared "I never want to read another chapter book!" I thought it was kind of amusing because just a couple of says ago he was reading a chapter book in his own! So far he is loving Story of the World history and of course math! We are also listening to some of the Maestro Classics and he seems to be enjoying them which is nice since I really like them! He just finished going through all the lower case cursive letters and is ready to start connecting them to make words. After he does this for a while we will move on to capital letters. He is such a perfectionist that he gets frustrated if his letter doesn't look just like the book's letter so I have to work on making sure he isn't constantly erasing!

I want to leave you with a thought that christieo mentioned in a post yesterday that really hit home with me. She was talking about how there is nothing wrong with being average. It is actually AWESOME! It made me really think because lately I haven't felt all that special but after reading her post I started feeling like I was really pretty special. I am doing something that many people find unfeasible....I am preparing to walk 20 miles for 3 days in a row all in an effort to bring breast cancer to an end! That is just something this "average" mom is doing this fall but in reality it is AWESOME!

You are awesome too!

A Week in Pictures

All year I have been watching my friends post pictures from their week. All year long I've been thinking I should do this, especially since That Kid will soon be away for long periods of time with the Marines. Sooooo.....this week I decided to jump on board. I downloaded the "Project 365" app and started finding things out of my day to snap a picture of. Some are gonna be pretty random. Some will be goofy. Some will be serious. Some will just be my life!

Here are the first 5 pictures I have taken this week!


That Other Kid showin' me his 'guns' and abs!!




My best friend, 5 weeks post breast cancer surgery! She looked radiant on Thursday and I just had to take a picture of her!


The boys hanging out...That Kid playing video games and That Other Kid watching!


One of the kittens that came home to join our family in December! He's grown so much since that time...it's hard to believe he is less than 8 months old!


I guess I'm finally coming to grips with That Kid joining the Marines and leaving me in a few months cuz I sat on the couch and looked at this shirt for a while this afternoon while he played video games (and I didn't cry!) and I realized that he's my kid and he's soon gonna be "the few, the proud, the marines". He could leave anytime between now and September 19th.

A Bunch of Random to Catch Up With You

As the title states, I have a bunch of random info to share to catch you up with my life. Nothing special has transpired over the past 10 days since I last blogged but lots has happened. I'm sure you understand...

* I got a new phone Friday afternoon. I'm still learning how to use it, but at least it WORKS!! I had a Blackberry that I was absolutely HATING (mostly because the screen was tiny and it didn't work half the time!!)and I was due for an upgrade. I sacrificed some sleep Friday afternoon and went down to the AT&T store to look for a new phone. I'm not the kind of girl who can look online and decide what kind of phone to get. I need to go in and touch and feel it and get an idea of what it does by actually checking it out. My dh just doesn't understand that. He researches phones online for (literally) months and decides what he wants based on what all the forums, reviews and other users have to say about it. Then he orders it online, sight unseen. He's usually happy with his choice, too. That's not for me...gotta see it and hold it, ya know? Btw, my new phone is this one. So far I LOVE it...it is easy to use and has everything I need. Now I just have to figure out how to make it do everything I need it to and get all my info off my Blackberry which may be difficult since I can't seem to get it to do anything! Couldn't even get a text off from there that someone sent me while I was in the store upgrading! UGH!!

* Next bit of random, I am training for my FIRST 5K!! I am following the Couch 2 5K program....and I'm actually finding that it is kind of FUN!! Did I just say that?'
I think it is more fun knowing that I am going to run my first 5K with my brother and sister in law this October! Yes, that's right the 3 of us are going to do this together, because she started training this week too! I am just finishing my 2nd week of the training plan but already I can tell that I am progressing. Saturday I ran at 4.2 on the treadmill and walked it at 3.2. Last week I was only at 4.0 and 3.0. Next week the plan calls for me to run 3 minutes at a time....I'm kind of concerned about that, but I know that I can do it if I just focus on the final result not the actual time I am running.

* I am begging, pleading, whining the managers for a shift transfer. I have been working 3rd shift for the past (almost) 5 months and it has been a struggle to have any kind of life with That Other Kid. I am supposed to be homeschooling him but just don't have the energy or time to do it. He has been lonely and watching WAY too much tv while I sleep in the mornings. Not to mention I don't get enough sleep and am grumpy most of the time. But since That Kid is home now and will be taking this fall semester off from college we will have access to a second car so dh can go to meetings and such for his business and I won't have to worry about getting to work on time...I am working on getting 2nd shift, meaning 4p.m. to 1a.m. This is an ideal shift for me. I can work till 1 a.m. then come home and be in bed by 2a.m. I will be able to sleep till 9 a.m. and then get up exercise, do school and everything else that needs to be done before I leave for work about 3:15p.m. I know that 7 hrs of sleep is still not ideal but it sure beats the 4 or 5 I am getting now. Not to mention I will be able to spend some good quality time with That Other Kid and do school.
So far, I have been told that they have a position open but they just have to make sure with all the other managers that it will be a permanant full time position. This has been going on for more than 2 weeks and is beginning to run me insane. Please pray that they get everything worked out early this week. I want this so much and the indecisiveness is really stressing me out. Also pray that I can still have my weekends off. Right now that seems to be a big deal to them...but I don't really understand why I can't keep the same days off...It's not going to affect them in any way, since they don't have ANYONE in this position now...what difference does it make if I have the weekends off? Ya know??

* For my final bit of randomness, I have been eating crap, and consequently gaining weight over the past 2 months. I don't really understand WHY I am not eating the way I know I should. I know what I need to do, but seem to be at a standoff with myself. I want to eat right, but every time I go to eat I look for the worst things to eat. Just tonight I ate 1/4 of an Oreo Pie that That Kid's girlfiend made for him. I doubt that he ate ANY of it. I think over the past 48 hrs I have eaten 3/4 of the pie. Needless to say, the pie is gone now and for that I am grateful, just wish I would have let him eat it or thrown it in the trash instead...I think the lack of motivation comes from my stress and frustration level. But, since I am now training for this 5K I'm hoping I can make myself eat right because I won't be able to "really" do it if I am feeding my body junk.

Just tonight I was watching the last 2 episodes of Losing It With Jillian, thinking "Wow, if she came to my house right now what would she say about my food choices? Would she be disgusted and start screaming or would she look at me and say "no wonder you are fat and can't lose weight?" Don't answer that...She would do both! and she would totally kick my a** in the gym, too. So...my 5K training lasts another 7 weeks and during that time I want to be proud of myself for my progress with the running as well as the food choices, so I'm clearing out the junk and eating the way I know I need to....

Feel free to "go Jillian" on me if you hear differently! I need some help, seriously.

Ok..so that's enough time on the computer for the night...I need to get in bed so I can get some extra sleep for my new work week that starts at 10p.m. Sunday night and I've promised That Other Kid we would go swimming after I do my run so I will have to get up early enough to do that and everything else that needs done Sunday. Pray that it is my last week of 3rd shift!! Hope ya'll have a great week...

Trying To Establish New Routine

We are finally offically all moved in. I am down to unloading 5 boxes and getting the bookcases and cabinets organized. Those things will hopefully happen this week! Today is the first day I have been home since last Tuesday. It seems this time of year gets even busier than my normal! I am usually home on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but this week that schedule didn't happen. I'm hoping that I can be home a bit more for the rest of the month. I have to make sure we are completely organized and situated by the first of January when we need to hit the books again for school.

The first week of November I decided homeschooling and preparing for a move just were not a smart combination so I decided we would take some time off for the holidays and the move, but by the time January rolls around I think we will both be ready to establish a routine of doing school! Already he is starting to get a little bored, since it is sooooo stinkin' cold right now and we don't have a place for him to just run and play, but I think he's adapting pretty well. Moving for kids is really difficult and I think last week was his most challenging. He was moody, and angry about various things. Today he has seemed more "normal" playing hockey in the living room and playing with his toys in his room.

I need to establish some new routines for myself, too since I am having a hard time exercising at night now. Bedtime seems to be getting later and later for both dh and That Other Kid, so by the time the house is quiet and ready for me to exercise it is after 10:30 and I'm ready to go to sleep myself! So when do you exercise? How do you manage to do it with kiddos in the house? I can't even imagine doing it with more than 1 rugrat and I know there are many of you that have more, so tell me your secrets, k?

Well it's time for me to get off my duff and get some more boxes unpacked, laundry folded and the kitchen cleaned up! I have spent far too much time on the computer catching up with everyone today...now it's time to get busy! Hope ya'll are having a good Monday!!

I Goofed Big Time....

When I first started this blog I wanted to use it as a place to vent my frustrations and have a place just for me to be me. Over the past couple of years that I've had the blog that's pretty much what I have done. But over the weekend it came to my attention that I was hurting someone with the words I was writing on some of my entries. So I will be looking back through my blog entries over the next couple of days and I will be deleting negative and hurtful things about my family. There may be times when the blog will be down or unaccessible during this time, don't worry I'm not shutting it down, just revamping it some.

The majority of my blog has been about me and the boys and the day to day life of raising 2 boys growing up in 2 different generations. I will continue discussing the challenges that come up with this and the things they do. I will continue to write about my weight loss and exercise routines, as a means of journaling and possibly helping someone else going through these same challenges. However, from this point on there will be things that I won't discuss -- personal stuff about dh, or the boys. I will also make an effort to leave the reader wanting to come back for more instead of leaving here and thinking I need therapy.

Hope ya'll have a good day!

Moms Need More Time!

I just read a great blog entry from Dawn that we all need to read. Go check it our here.

I couldn't agree more....and believe me I need to do better with my time, as is evidenced by the fact that my 2 hours of free time is almost over and I haven't done anything but goof off on the computer! UGH....and I had such high hopes for tonight!

Back In the Saddle

Well here I am....back in the saddle of blogging. Sorry that it's been sooooo long since I've been around. I guess having my dad's colon cancer surgery to deal with then immediately come home and celebrate That Kid's 18th birthday with his big party, then going to Beth Moore's Satellite Seminar, then to a baseball game/Mercy Me concert, 2 doctor's appointments in 1 day, trying to register That Kid for Dual credit classes twice (don't ask!!)...and on and on it goes has been a little more than my mental faculties could deal with.

This week I kind of went on a little mental vacation in my living room not really doing much of anything that didn't absolutely HAVE to be done. I barely even checked other people's blogs....I was sooooo out of it. Not to mention I must have caught a lovely summer cold from somewhere in all my adventures of the past few weeks, because I have been blowing green snot and feeling weak and tired regardless of how much sleep I've gotten during the night!

Anywhoooo, my dad is home from the hospital as of this past Wednesday evening. From the couple of times I have talked to him since he has been home it sounds like he is doing good. I'm trying to arrange a quick trip up there, but it looks like that isn't going to work out...too much going on and too little time. Oh well, maybe I can work it out soon. He has an in-home nurse that is coming to help out for a couple of weeks so that will be a big help to my mom as she is taking care of my niece and nephew again.

That Kid's party was a BIG success and a lot of fun. We rented a party boat and went out on the lake for 4 hours. The weather was HOT, just as you would expect for a late July night, so all the party guests swam, and swam, and swam with some intermittent eating and just hanging out! Everyone seemed to have a good time and That Kid even told me "thanks for throwing it", which for him to say anything about it told me he appreciated it and had fun. He's just not the mushy, gushy type:) Here's a picture of him just as the party is starting!


Here is a picture of him the night after his party .... he lost a "titty twister" dare and had to shave his head! I was shocked he actually did it...his hair has always been one of his highlights of his features. Oh well it's growing back already!


Well that's about it for tonight....but as I was sitting here I realized that I have been blogging for just over a year now. My first post was August 4, 2007! and I can gladly say I'm thrilled that I started this....it has been fun and fulfilling. I'm looking forward to expanding it some this next year so that I can actually start getting more readers and maybe even start making some money from it. Thanks for joining me in my ride!!!

Personality Painting

Click here to create your own painting.


I found this over at Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates http://www.tuttlefamilyadventures.blogspot.com
and thought it would be fun to try, since I haven't really been in the mood to talk about the boring, mundane things of my life. Nothing exciting has happened to me or the family in the past couple of weeks, unless you want to count the sinus infections that we all have, the miserable cough I have AGAIN, the messed up foot that That Kid got while at hockey practice last week; the grumpy, ill-mannered and misbehaving that That Other Kid has been exhibiting. Not to mention the 40,000,000 loads of laundry that has been washed, dryed and folded and put away.

This all on top of the "dumps" that I have been in since I found out dad has cancer. BTW, he started chemo today, thank you very much. He only has 7 more sessions and then he gets to do chemo with radiation. Then he gets to undergo surgery! No, I really don't have anything to write about, so I decided to do this nifty little personality test and see what kind of picture I would paint....that is if I painted, ya know!