Weigh In/Move In Day

First of all, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE OF YOU!! You guys have helped me make it through a really tough day!

I also want to thank Bo Pilgrim (ya know the chicken guy??) for his wonderful donation so that my son can have a beautiful building to worship in.

That Kid got moved into the dorms this morning without a hitch. They had upperclassmen helping to move the freshmen in and it was SO smooth! That Kid got there about 10 a.m. and had his car unloaded and in the room by 10:30 a.m. I arrived about 10:30 and had to wait awhile to get up to the dorms but there were TEAMS of helpers to unload my truck. My truck load was unloaded and hauled into the room before I even knew what hit me. By the time I got parked and back up to the dorm room, he had about half his stuff unloaded! Wow!! I was so pleased to have this done and out of the way. Once we got everything unloaded, organized and put away we were both starved so we went to the cafeteria that he has his meal plan with and we ate lunch, and it was GOOD FOOD! When I went to college 20+ years ago cafeteria food was AWFUL!

After lunch we went over to the book store and picked up his books for the semester. They have a plan where they will place the order for your books and collect them, then you just go pick them up. We walked in, told them his name, and they brought them out. The ticket had already been rang up, just needed to total it out and collect payment! OH MY GOODNESS!! College textbooks are SOOOO EXPENSIVE! I nearly had a heart attack when the total came to $440! He's only taking 13 hours! How could his textbooks cost that much?? So out came the credit/debit card and I paid for his books. We went back to the dorm room and browsed through them briefly and I looked over the receipt (twice). He will have a lot of reading to do this semester if these books are any indication as to his classes, but it will be a good experience for him.

After browsing through the books we parted ways, but I had to have 1 last picture of him, standing in his dorm and a nice, big hug. I probably crushed ribs...I didn't want to let go, but I knew it was what I had to do (for both of us). I went to the parent session, and he went to meet up with his small group. That was at 2:50 p.m.
I left about 4:30 to pick up That Other Kid who gave me a hug that nearly knocked me down! It feels good to be loved!!

Around 6:30 I texted That Kid and told him "I love you and hope you have a good night", about 7:45 I received this text, "i love ya 2, night"
That just opened up my flood gate of tears! That would be session number 6 of tears, in case you were wondering! But I have been praying every time I start crying, so I think they are "good tears". And he'll be covered in prayers at least for a few days!

Once again, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers....I know that today would have been a lot tougher without ya'll praying with and for me.

Ok....onto the Weigh-in portion of this post, which is why most of you are here!

Last week: 203.3
Today: 203.6

BUT...I normally weigh myself about 10:30 a.m. and today I didn't weigh myself till 9:30 p.m. so I'm not sweating it! I also did a TON of walking today around campus and a lot of moving around to get him moved in, so it could just be a different time of day, or all the activity I've had the past couple of days. OR it could be the ice cream that I have indulged in over the past 2 days, too!

But...tomorrow is a new day and the start of a new week. I'm getting better with meeting my goals for this 21 day challenge which is good since I only have 6 days left! I did get outside almost every day this past week and I have had the 5 servings of fruits/veggies every day but 1. Reading my bible I'm still struggling with, but I'm getting better with that too.

So...I've rambled and babbled long enough...how'd you do??

Tomorrow Is a Happy/Sad Day

After tomorrow this scene will be one that won't be seen at my house very much so this past week has been full of emotional upheavals for me. You see tomorrow morning about 9:30 a.m. I will leave my house with That Kid and That Other Kid and I will come home ONLY with That Other Kid....I'm taking him down to college where he will start classes on Monday as a COLLEGE FRESHMAN!! I ask, how can that be?? He will be living in the Dorms and has 2 roommates. That should be interesting???!! I'm glad I'm not his roommates. He is a SLOB and he likes to leave his junk EVERYWHERE!! But God knows I love him and so does he. I have been an emotional basketcase all day long. My dh continues asking me what he can do to help, and I just start crying.

He's on his way to Sonic right now, to buy me a hot fudge sundae with caramel. I know that it isn't really going to help me feel better once it's gone, but I am feeling a need to have some comfort food, so that's on the list of comfort food.

We have spent the past couple of days packing up all his stuff. Determining what is going to the garage, and what is going to school with him. Of course, there are a couple of bags of just TRASH, too. We went shopping on Sunday to get the things he will need for school. Toiletries, school supplies, a cool chair, a water cooler so he can drink good clean water, laundry supplies, cleaning supplies, you get the picture...everything you need to live on your own! I even bought toilet paper and paper towels for him! You know that stuff is expensive when you buy a TON of it, right??

We also decided to bite the bullet and get a new, used car that will not break down every month so now That Kid has a new car for college. He is responsible for the car payments, which were amazingly inexpensive by today's standards. He is thrilled to have a car that he doesn't have to worry about breaking down and it has a back seat so he can take his little brother places, and his friends! Of course, since he'll be busy with school and work there won't be many opportunities for socializing or doing things with his brother. But, at least he CAN!






Now the dealership is trying to sell us a second vehicle, but the vehicle they were trying to sell us had 38,000 miles on it and had several cosmetic problems. It also STUNK!! So I ask, would you buy a new/used car that had these problems? Or am I just being anal? When I buy a new or used car I want it to look and smell like a new car!
Not to mention it's not the car that I originally wanted to look at from this dealership. So, as you can see this week is full of emotions and changes in my life.
My house is a disaster, my emotions are a disaster and That Other Kid is feeling neglected, but after tomorrow he will become my full focus and he will probably be smothered with attention, since my first baby won't be around to love on.

Once I regroup from this week, I have to reorganize and clean the house and prepare for homeschooling kindergarten with That Other Kid. Oh how am I going to survive the next few weeks??!!

Tiny Talk Tuesday -- (Only He's Not So Tiny, Anymore)!!

Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.


This past week I got to spend a considerable amount of time with That Kid -- he's almost 19 years old and extremely busy these days...what with all the socializing the summer months bring about!! ya know?? I just graduated him from our homeschooling experience and he's preparing to attend Dallas Baptist University in just 9 short weeks....not that I'm counting or anything.

Anywhoooo, I attended Orientation and Registration with him as was requested for preparing your student to attend college.

I was happy to spend this time with him...driving, walking around campus, checking out some of the buildings, going through some of the registration process with him, and even eating a couple of meals with him. These are rare moments in my life these days and I treasured every minute of it.

However, the most special moment of these 2 days came on Thursday morning after we dropped That Other Kid off at the babysitter's house. He's planning to live on campus in the dorms for convenience and to qualify for the scholarship he was awarded.

He turned to me and said, "Do you think it would be ok if I came home on some of the weekends to sleep? It will be easier to stay at home and be able to work all those hockey games if I don't have to drive all the way down to DBU."

I responded with "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. We can just set up a mattress in the bedroom for you to sleep, since dad is planning to take over your room when you move down to DBU."

Inside I was screaming and jumping up and down and crying for joy and every other happy emotion I could imagine! He's not even gone from home and he already wants to come home!! I could not have been happier!!

My baby still wants to be "home"...even if it is just to sleep here! I'll still get to see him and give him a hug and love on him -- on the weekends, at least!! Maybe I will make it through this first year of college!

Accomplishments!!

Yesterday was a day full of accomplishments for me....

First of all, I finally got our 2008 taxes complete so that I could fill out the financial aid papers for That Kid's college this coming fall. Then early (for me) this morning I filled out the financial aid information for the college he is attending. Next on the list is filling out all the supplemental forms for even more financial aid. We are seeking everything we can since business has been so slow for dh the past 6 months and we are wondering how we will be able to pay for this extra expense.

Secondly, I finished filling out the high school transcript for That Kid and got it printed, signed and in an envelope with postage to mail. I didn't get it in the mail before they came at 9:30 a.m. this morning so I will need to run it by the post office later today. I also got the information compiled for the Residence Life and got that ready to mail, too. It looks like everything is coming together. Registration and Orientation for DBU is next Thursday and Friday so it's all working out! I'm kind of nervous and kind of excited!! How can my baby be ready for college already??

Next on my list of accomplishments -- I decided that I really need to watch my food intake and to increase the fruits and veggies. I managed to eat 4 servings of fruit yesterday! I am really bad about "good intentions", but never following through with the fruits and veggies. It seems there are always other things that I want to eat, ya know?? We are out of veggies, so that will have to wait till I get to the grocery store.

Finally, I did Day 5 of Level 3 on my 30 Day Shred DVD! That means that I only have 5 more days till I am done with the 30 Day Shred AGAIN!! I feel like I am doing really well with it, and I have managed to do some of the reps with Natalie although I am still struggling with some of the moves, even following Anita. I still can't do a full on sit-up!!! So I am just doing crunches....maybe some day I'll get there!

I am ready to find another DVD to do...I'm getting a bit bored with this and feel like I am ready for another challenge...I hope the Sisters has an idea of something different to do....It is so much easier to do if I know other ladies are going through the same pain as I am!! I'm sure you know what I mean!!

I am ready to start writing my post for That Kid's graduation tribute, but every time I start thinking about it I get all weepy, so I'm just going to have to suck it up and cry and write at the same time!! That will truly be a major accomplishment!! Look for it over the weekend...maybe I'll be able to get it done since I have lots of time while waiting for That Other Kid during hockey practice.

College Campus' Are Not for Old Mommies

Yesterday I took That Kid up to the community college that he is doing dual credits at so he could get all signed up for classes that start in January. It "HAD" to happen yesterday, even though classes don't start till January 20 and I had tons of other things going on....including a college tour at a private university that he is interested in. He didn't want classes to fill up and he wanted to get it done so he wouldn't have to think about it till the middle of January when he would need to go buy books. I can understand and totally relate....but it made for a hectic day for me.

Things were progressing smoothly, till I was leaving the campus to go home and deal with That Other Kid, before going to the University tour. I had put my phone on silent when we went into the admissions office at the community college so if I got a call from home it wouldn't disrupt the administration. I'm all about courtesy, ya know??!! While walking out to the car I'm turning the volume back up on my phone and I trip in a hole in the yard....and HEAR MY ANKLE POP!!! Yes, I did!! It hurt soooo bad, I just wanted to lay down and cry right there in the yard of the school. I managed not to cry and walk down 2 flights of stairs, and on out to the parking lot. I stood and talked to That Kid's girlfriend and her mom, then went home. My ankle is STILL KILLING ME, but I have stuff to do...ya know??!!

I take That Other Kid to babysitter/friends house, go get That Kid at community college and drive to university! Where I see massive buildings....with LOTS OF STAIRS to climb. He LOVES this campus and the university....and was very excited when we left. While driving back to pick up That Other Kid, I realize my ankle is so sore I CANNOT put ANY WEIGHT on it~~and I'm hurting soooo bad I just wanna cry! By the time I actually get back home about 3:45 my ankle is swollen up and cannot be touched! I decide to ice it, and elevate it which is what I should have done at 10:30 ...but ya know, got stuff to do!! By 4:10 dh is telling me we need to go to the urgent care facility. I do their web check-in and they call me to come right in. By the time we arrive a little before 5 my ankle is about a 9 on the 1 to 10 scale. I just know it is broken, which would really ruin my plans for the next couple of weeks, ya know?!

After waiting for about 30 minutes they decide they need to x-ray my ankle, after waiting another 30 minutes the doctor comes in and says that my ankle IS NOT BROKEN....just 2nd degree sprain! Which means my ankle hurts like heck, but I won't be needing a cast and I will be good as new within 2 weeks. He said to follow the RICE plan -- REST, ICE, COMPRESS, and ELEVATE. So...my plans have been altered but I am getting lots of rest and the pain is already starting to go down...at least while I'm sitting here!

Hope you get some rest this Christmas season...but I pray you don't hurt yourself to get it!! It ain't worth it, no 'mam, it ain't!!