Thankful Day 25

Rarely do we put our Christmas tree up this early but December is gonna be a busy month with That Other Kid and I gone for a several days in the middle of the month and "My Marine" coming home so I decided to get the tree up early. It feels great to have that out of the way.

For today, I am thankful for the wonderful Christmas holiday that we are entering! I am also thankful that the tree is decorated so I can enjoy it for the whole month!

I am also extremely thankful that we will all be together this year for Christmas! I know there are many families that can't say the same.

A Couple of Conclusions

I came to a few conclusions Monday that I would like to document.

*Taking more than a couple of days off school is A BAD IDEA!! Getting back into the swing of things is frustrating for both That Other Kid and myself. He doesn't want to do school and I have lost my momentum and have to figure out what needs to be done. Maybe if I did "real" lesson plans this problem would be solved, but doing lesson plans right now for this stage in school seems kind of goofy to me. I mean we are going to do phonics, reading, math, handwriting, and now spelling every day. We are going to do geography at least a couple of days a week. Why do the lesson plan for that?

*I decided that we need to finish up with 1st grade math as soon as possible so I can start challenging That Other Kid in math. He keeps telling me "this is so easy ANYONE could do this!" I have been having him work through 2 lessons a day, but I decided today that we will start doing around 4 lessons a day till it gets more challenging for him. At this pace we should be done with 1st grade math by mid April and ready to do 2nd grade math. (Remember I do school 'mostly' year round and he didn't officially start 1st grade till November.) Now it's time to start researching math curriculum's so I can find something that will challenge him!! We are using Abeka now...it needs to be a visual, challenging curriculum. Suggestions???

*Asking for "chocolate" for Valentine's Day through a text message is kind of goofy but had good results! A box of chocolate and chocolate covered strawberry's taste really great...but create a serious sugar rush! I rarely pull the "I need chocolate" card, but I did tonight. I hope it doesn't backfire on me this week on weigh in day!

* I decided I needed to do something different for my workouts to try to push past this plateau I've been on so I started working out with the EaSports Active2 Wii game Sunday night. I started up the 9 week program, which I will do for 4 days a week for the 9 weeks. I'm planning to do this in addition to doing some workouts at the gym. I scoped out some classes and I have them "scheduled" into my week. This should help me make sure I actually get there! I decided that I needed to push myself harder and I'm hoping that doing all these things will push me past my plateau.

*Last conclusion for the night...I have worked out 44 out of the past 45 days!! I love being able to say that!! Feels soooo good!

Welcome to 2011!!

This is the first day of the rest of my life as the saying oges and I'm going to make the most of it. It is 2011 and my oldest son will turn 21 this summer and my youngest son just turned 7. I think it is high time I get this weight off and start living a healthy, active life. I already know of several challenges that COULD derail me for this year if I don't take control of these issues right off from the beginning.

I don't usually make "new year resolutions" because I rarely find the motivation to continue them after the first week of the year, but I really have found that goals (if broken down into short term goals) are much easier to deal with and achieve.

So here are a few of my goals for the next couple of months. They follow along with the goals I have set up for the Power Of One Challenge over at the Sisterhood. You do know about the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans, right? They are an awesome group of women (along with 1 guy) that support me (and many others) during this weight loss journey. They offer challenges, support and much friendship. They are amazing and you really do need to check them out!!

Anyway...here are my goals...

1) Read my Bible and read for fun every day!
2) Exercise some every day! and for the next 100 Days there is a challenge going on through Facebook that I am participating in to exercise 30 minutes every day!! I am so excited to be a part of this!!
3) Continue drinking my water - at least 1/2 my body weight daily!

4) Do some cleaning and organizing of my house every day....right now it is out of control and I need to get it taken care of! I think I am going to need some serious help with this one...may need to enlist some help from FlyLady and other organizing websites. Any ideas??

This is all I have decided to commit to right now...If I try to do too many I wont be able to accomplish them and accomplishment is what I am after!!

I would like to wish all of you and healthy and prosperous New Year! May 2011 be better than 2010!!

Awesome Christmas...Details to Follow

Well here it is early Wednesday morning after Christmas and I just got the pictures uploaded onto the computer. We had an awesome whirlwind mini-vacation and got to see family and friends to celebrate Christmas. Normally our Christmas plans are made months in advance but this year things didn't work out that way and they were made on Tuesday night before Christmas!! Things went incredibly smooth for such a quick trip, too! No snags...and lots of fun!! Pictures will be uploaded onto Facebook and the ol' blog tomorrow if I have time.

I have to take That Other Kid in for his 7 year Well Child checkup in the morning...and of course he is not feeling well. I'm guessing its just allergies since we were in Kansas without allergy medicine but I have to say I am glad we were already scheduled for a dr visit!

Things are still kind of in a chaotic state of being since That Kid just came home on the 23rd and just threw his stuff down...he has found an apartment to move into for a few months since he has decided that college is not his thing right now, so things are probably going to remain in a state of limbo over the next couple of weeks.

But I am going to get back into a routine of sorts and the first one being is I am going to get moving again! It has been 10 days since I have run and 1 week since I have done any exercising and I am really feeling it. My mood is blah. I am feeling fat. I am more tired than usual...so it's a good thing a new Shrinking Jeans challenge is starting Wednesday! Something to kick me into high gear and get me moving again! I am supposed to run a 5k with my sisters over at Shrinking Jeans on the 8th, too so I need to get moving so I can complete the C25K program and be ready for my 5K. There isn't one local that I want to run so I am going to create my own!

Anyway...I need to get to bed, but I have to leave you with at least 1 picture from our Christmas celebration. This one definitely depicts the joy on Christmas morning...Hope yours was just as good!

It's Officially Christmas Eve....

and we are just hours away from leaving town for a "quick" weekend trip to see family. Just days ago we had not decided what we were doing and now we not only know what we are doing but we are packed and ready to go! All we need to do is pack the toiletry bag, take showers, grab the snacks and head out the door!

I am so excited!! Probably more so than the boys! For some reason it was very important to me to spend Christmas with the family. Maybe because we didn't get to last year. Maybe because this year has been so hard. Maybe because we don't know where That Kid will be next year at this time. But whatever the reason, I am glad that it is happening!! I will also get to spend some time with a bunch of my high school friends this weekend and I am beyond excited at this possibility! Several of them I haven't seen in YEARS...but through the wonders of technology and FaceBook we discovered we will all be in the same town on the same weekend and so we are working on plans!! Don't worry the camera is packed so pictures will follow next week!! One of my childhood friends is now a musician who plays with many different acts in Branson so that will be fun to hang with my friend "the star"!!

Ok..enough of this talk...I need to get some sleep so I can go all weekend with as little sleep as possible so I can cram as much family and friends into the trip as possible! I hope your Christmas is filled with family and friends and all the joy of the Christmas season!!


Recent picture of That Kid and That Other Kid...for our family pictures!

Merry Christmas!!

HoeDown Finale

It's time for the HoeDown Finale with the Sisterhood.This has not been a very successful challenge for me, but it has nothing to do with my wonderful team members or the challenge itself. It has EVERYTHING to do with the follow-through on my goals. I had 4 goals for this challenge...let's see how I did, huh? (or maybe we should just skip this part??!!)

1)continue tracking my food in LoseIt on Ipod Touch, NOT SO MUCH -- in fact I have it set up to send me an email showing how I did each day...for the past 2 weeks it shows I haven't eaten anything nor done any exercise. Um...obviously, that isn't true.

2) eat my fruits/veggies 5 servings a day, NOT SO MUCH here either -- probably 1 or 2 a day (but since I didn't track my food, maybe not even that much)

3)exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY, DID OK on this one, not EVERY day but most but the problem with this one is that most of the time it was done LATE at night when I just didn't have the energy left to put much into it!
This week I did 355 minutes of exercise and last week I did 347 so I did increase the minutes (albeit just a few minutes) so I met that goal from the Sisterhood!

4) lose 10 pounds (186.2), putting me at LESS than what I have been in OVER 7 years.
Um...ok so this is the one I'm most upset about...I only lost a MEASLEY .2 pounds this challenge. But when you look at all the other things that I struggled with I guess its better than gaining 10 pounds which could have happened!

I started this challenge at 196.2 and I'm ending it at 196. I have to admit that I am very disappointed in the lack of dedication and success that I have had in the past month, BUT instead of beating myself up over it for the next 2 weeks and eating even MORE food (cuz of course that would make me feel better, right? NOT!!) I am going to look at what I know I need to do to get back on track and really stay with this. I need to kick up the exercise, eat more fruits/veggies and TRACK my food! These are tried and true things that will work for me, IF I DO THEM!!

I also need to get over my emotional funk that I have been in the past few weeks and just accept the things in my life that I can't change and only concentrate on the things that I can change!

I am so grateful to have been part of the Lean Green Losing Machine and from what I have seen EVERYONE has a had a VERY successful challenge of losing weight and changing this holiday time of little exercise and weight gain and turned it into a time of healthy(ier) eating and losing weight. (Of course I can't really say losing point 2 pounds was successful, but whatever!!) Everyone else did AWESOME and we won the Fitness challenge every week except last week so we are all on the road to great health and fitness!

That being said, I'm looking forward to the next challenge that starts next week because I really do need to focus on ME for a while. I have LOVED being part of the teams and we will be sticking together to build each other up and support each other but I really need to focus on getting my act together. There are some things coming up in my life very soon that are going to test me beyond my wildest imaginations and I need to be focused on taking care of me or I am going to be crashing hard!! So...if you are the praying kind I would definitely appreciate some prayers. As the time gets closer and more sure I will talk about it in more detail but for now I just need to STAY FOCUSED ON MY HEALTH and WELL-BEING so I can handle anything that comes my way!

The way things have been going time wise I probably wont be back on here till after Christmas, so if I don't chat with ya'll again....I pray each of you have a Very Merry Christmas!!

Another Week of Holiday HoeDown

Another week has passed on the Holiday HoeDown and I am surprised that I haven't taken the time to write any posts in the past week. What is up with me?? I wish I had an answer other than just blahs and not really interested in doing much for the past few weeks. But....it's weigh in time and although I haven't had a stellar week and I've had the blahs I have to keep checking in for Weigh-ins. It keeps me "somewhat" on track.

So...here are the numbers

Last week's weigh in: 196.8
This week's weigh in: 196 (at least that's what the Wii board told me and that's what I have to go on this week. Apparently the "lithium batteries" that NEVER DIE...DIED this week because my regular scales aren't working!)

I will take the slight loss and just go with it...cuz that's all I've got, ya know!!

As for the other challenges for the HoeDown with the Sisterhood I did get some minutes in but NOT anywhere close to what I should be doing....it was only 347 minutes. I know for some people that would be considered a great number of minutes but for me my goal was to exercise AT LEAST 60 minutes per day...and I fell WAY short on that.

I have been working through the C25K program (ready for Week 7) and the past week has been extremely difficult to keep up with. My legs are sore, my hips are sore and I'm just plain tired, so that kept my exercise minutes very limited several days. I have been stretching, taking advil, and soaking in espom salt baths and they seem to be helping but I still am hurting when I do much of anything. Last night I just got tired of all the complaining and whining in my head and did the WiiFit Plus Free Step Aerobics while I watched the Biggest Loser Finale. It was nice to be moving instead of sitting on my hiney watching the show....because if I'm sitting there watching tv I'm feeling sorry for myself and probably eating. This way I was moving for 1 1/2 hours!! Nice!!

Another part of this weeks challenge was to "do something new" for exercise....sadly I can't say I did anything new...pretty much all the same stuff. Looking back over the week, I can't say I have any excuses for not trying something new...other than "just cuz I didn't". But this week will be different. I will do something new and I will report on it.

Hope ya'll are staying focused on the true meaning of Christmas as you are going through the busy-ness of the month of December....and are having a great time with your family and friends. This year I am spending a lot of time reflecting on what this time of the year means to me. Hope you are too!

Vlogging Holiday Traditions

you may need to crank up your volume to hear this...I did it with my old camera cuz my new camera takes up too much computing space and I can't download it on you-tube!






Thanksgiving is also the time of the year that I take time out of my busy-ness and sit down and think of all I have to be thankful for....this year I have MUCH to be thankful for...and I have a post coming up just to discuss some of those many things. I hope you take the time out to sit down and think of those things you are thankful for, also!

This is my Grandma's Banana Bread recipe...

2 1/2 cups Cake Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk (I used skim this year and it tasted fine)
1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (I usually use 4)
1 cup chopped walnuts; optional (this makes it taste yummy, but I didn't have any this year and I probably saved myself a lot of calories)

Sift flour, add baking powder, salt and sugar. Add in egg and milk to the dry mixture till dampened. Then add in bananas and nuts. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake in BUTTERED loaf pan (don't skip this step...trust me!) Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick or fork comes out clean when inserted in center of loaf!!

Enjoy!

I don't remember a year that we didn't have this banana bread for the holidays and now that she is no longer here on earth with us, I always have to make it. It makes me feel like she is still with me!

Nutritional info: Who knows???? But you could make it healthier by changing just a few ingredients but I say you gotta live a little around the holidays so eat up...just work out a little extra, ya know??!!!

Crazy Holiday Time

Let me just start off by saying this has been one of the craziest Christmas seasons I have ever experienced! We live in North Texas and it RARELY snows, but guess what it did Christmas Eve!! It SNOWED!! So much so that they closed the highway going to my mil's house. We were stranded on the highway within 50 miles of her house for over an hour when we found out that the highway was closed and that they were not sure when it would reopen, so we found the nearest exit (about 1/2 mile from where we were) and floored it through the grassy/snowy median and turned around. It then took us about 4 hours to get home!! The whole trip to her house should have taken about 3 hours....we were in the car about 9 hours and we didn't even get to celebrate Christmas with the family! Oh well, we made it home safely and we opened Christmas presents on Christmas eve (after our all day car ride, That Other Kid was in amazingly good and I felt he deserved some FUN!).





Christmas morning we got up, and checked the weather and discovered that the road to dh's step-mom's house was iced over and closed, so we spent Christmas at home! I managed to pull together a pretty decent Christmas dinner with just what I had on hand. It's amazing what you can find in your home to eat when you want to!! It was peaceful and kind of nice to "just be home". No obligations and no place to go....By the middle of the day on Christmas the roads around here were clear and most of the snow was gone so we didn't get to enjoy it much, which is a bummer but it allowed That Kid to go spend some time with his girlfriend.

On the 26th That Other Kid got to be in a fun "Holiday Hockey Festival". The kids got to play 3 short hockey games, get their face painted, and other fun things. It was a great way to end the Christmas season for us. He chose to have his face painted like a lion!! And he thought I was incredibly mean for making him bathe that night!!





Sunday and yesterday were spent just regrouping and beginning to clean up after the holiday. I still need to hang photos on the walls, get the Christmas decorations down and put away and find a way to "hide away" the game systems that are just laying on the hearth of the fireplace!! The month has flown by so fast I haven't had time to do much of what I had planned, but we have managed to have some fun and enjoy the season of Jesus' birth!! We will start back with homeschooling on Monday, the 4th just like all the other kids around here, so I need to spend some time over the next few days getting organized and ready for that.

I also will need to regroup with the weightloss journey that I have been on over the past 9 months. I haven't been real dedicated to it the past couple of weeks but I have been conscience of what I've been doing, so that's at least better than previous years. The Sisterhood has a great new challenge starting TOMORROW!! Today they are giving away a $25 ITunes gift card! (As a sidenote - I have won numerous things through the Sisters and I can tell you this group of ladies are VERY generous with their giveaways!!) I'm planning to be onboard with this new challenge. I really need to get refocused and get back on track....I hope you will be too!! The Sisterhood is such an awesome support system I know that you will get some great support. It has been proven that people that have a "support system" will lose weight faster and keep it off better....and that is the ultimate goal, right??

Hope you will join us in our new challenge and you had a wonderful Christmas!! I also pray that your 2010 is a blessed and prosperous year!!

Today's Weigh In -- Not Impressive

Today's weigh in was a big disappointment for me. But I should have known it was coming. Maybe it would have been better to just ignore it...No, it definitely would have been worse to ignore it. Ignoring my weight is what got me in the trouble I have been in for the past 10 years. I chose to NOT IGNORE the UGLY TRUTH. This week has been incredibly stressful and I have succumbed to the stress by eating JUNK! I'm paying for it now, though. I WILL get back on track and get these pounds and MORE off by the end of the year! This is my commitment to myself and my Sisters

Last week's weigh in: 189.4

Today's weigh in: 194.0

I told ya it was ugly....that's nearly 5 pounds in one week. When I got on the scale this morning and saw those numbers I asked myself, "how do you gain almost 5 pounds in one week?" However, I was able to answer myself immediately. Um....let's see numerous meals out with lots of chips and queso. Numerous cokes. Numerous dessert items including a large plate of chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream. Very little in the area of exercise. It's pretty easy to see how I gained that much weight. In fact, looking at all that food it's a wonder I didn't gain even more weight!

Tomorrow turns over a new leaf for me -- again! I will eat every 3 hours! I will eat healthy foods! I will enjoy Christmas eve and Christmas Day meals -- but I will use the discipline that I have learned over the past 9 months and make the best choices and not STUFF myself to sickness while eating it! I will get SOME kind of exercise...even if it's just taking a little walk around the neighborhood or down to the lake.

I will not let the stress that is in my life right now WIN!! I am victorious over stress and I will continue on this journey to weight loss!

I pray that ya'll have a Merry Christmas...I'll see you on the 26th with stories of Christmas, victorious eating and hopefully, pictures of my boys opening their gifts!!

Sisterhood Weigh-In

It's Wednesday so that means it's weigh-in day over at the Sisterhood. On Monday I weighed in for the Game On Diet Plan with my friends and I was disappointed because I had gained from last Wednesday's weigh in so I didn't know what to expect from today. However, I have eaten well this week so I decided just to hop on and give it my best shot!

Last week my weigh-in: 189.6
This week my weigh-in: 189.4

So for the week my official loss is .2 and really I am ok with that because as Thea said today during her post a loss is a loss! I also know that I am down about 2 pounds since MONDAY! And I'm still UNDER 190!!

In other news it is STINKIN' COLD in Texas and we are not accustomed to such weather. How do you people in the northern climates deal with all this cold weather? I am not used to having to wearing a coat and gloves and multiple layers of clothing! In fact I believe that I gave away my gloves a few weeks ago because I never wore them. Today I need to run to the store and buy myself a pair of gloves because I have to go and organize the storage unit and get our Christmas decorations out. The new place is mostly organized and I am ready to start thinking about Christmas. I have to take a few things to the storage unit that we don't ABSOLUTELY need here, like the rocking chair and ottoman that I bought for nursing That Kid (about 19 1/2 years ago) that I can't bear to get rid of.

So after a cold day at the storage unit I will take That Other Kid to karate and watch him do his stuff then come home and decorate our tree. Hopefully, there will be some good Christmas shows on to watch as we are decorating!

Hope ya'll are having a wonderful Christmas season...with successful weight loss!

Tiny Talk - Easter

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 week's Tiny Talk is gonna feature a discussion held on the way to our annual Easter Egg Hunt and Dinner with a family that opens their house for a huge group of friends. We've been doing this since That Kid was around 10 -- so around 8 years! We always have a blast catching up, eating, and hiding and hunting Easter Eggs!

That Other Kid: "Where are we going to have lunch?"
Me: "At the 'blanks' house. We will eat, play and then hunt easter eggs."
TOK: "Have I ever been at this restuarant?"
Me: "Yes, you have been there, but it isn't a restuarant it is a house."
TOK: "Well I'm hungry, will there be any food there?"
Me: "Yes, there will be lots of food there and lots of people, just like at a restuarant only it is a house. Just like we have lots of food at our house."
TOK: "Well I don't remmeber this restuarant...."

At this point I realized he wasn't getting it...We arrived at their home and he remembered being there before and went around getting into mischief, just like at home!

Here are some pictures from our day...There were so many eggs to hide, so some of the eggs had to find creative hiding places!

Merry Christmas

We are traveling this week....so blogging will be sparse, but then again I'm not usually real consistent, however I did want to check in this morning while I'm waiting for That Kid to take a shower and say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

We will be crazy busy, driving all over the place, but we're already having fun....stopped at dh's step-mom's yesterday and took her to lunch and had a great visit, then drove another couple of hours to dh's mom's house. We are on our way back to her house to celebrate Christmas with her tonight with dh's sister and family, and father-in-law's son and his family! The house will be full of loud children and teenagers and even louder adults.....but we'll have a ton of fun!!

Tomorrow we'll drive to Kansas to be with my family. This will be even more loud and more obnoxious, but just as much fun!

Hope ya'll have a great Christmas....and don't forget the Reason for the Season is Jesus!

Christmas Meme

Jolynne from Musings of a Housewife posted this great meme about Christmas. It sounded fun and I haven't done a meme in forever!! So here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper unless I'm in a hurry!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real unless I'm just beyond rushed!! I LOVE the smell of a real tree!

3. When do you put up the tree? The first weekend of December!

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after the first of January, usually the first weekend.

5. Do you like eggnog? YUCK!!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The Christmas I was 11 my mom bought me a gift certificate to get my ears pierced!! I was sooo happy!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My parents and dh's mom and step-dad! They have everything they need! and never tell me what they want!

8. Easiest person to buy for? That Other Kid....he's going on 5 and wants EVERYTHING!!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No, dh is an architect and is very picky about decorations and I've never found one he likes so we don't have one. I keep looking and hoping, though!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? USPS when I get them done in time!! I bought them right before Thanksgiving and haven't started on them yet....what is my problem???

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't really think of anything just awful...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's A Wonderful Life

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I got started this year BEFORE Thanksgiving....can ya believe it??? Normally it's the second or third week in December!!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, unless you count the White Elephant gift exchange we did at dh's Christmas party a few years ago!!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mother-in-Law's Pumpkin Pie and my grandma's banana bread!

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, what is a tree without lights??? I like white ones that blink!

17. Favorite Christmas song? That too hard to narrow down to 1, how about 3 favorites??? Silent Night, Away in a Manger and Mary, Did You Know?

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel!! It isn't Christmas if we aren't with other family members and they all live everywhere but here!

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixon! Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen! But do you recall… the most famous reindeer of aaaaaaaaaall… Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! I copied from Jolynne, sorry!! I'm not sure I could do or not....

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star....we had an angel for a while but it kept falling over so we got a star instead!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One per person on Christmas Eve, the rest Christmas morning!!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Christmas decorations put out too early. And all the bickering about whether you can say Merry Christmas or not!!??? Come on it's Christmas!! The time of Christ's birth...it's not a holiday it's a HOLY DAY!!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love my Victorian Ornaments...but they don't really go with the "family" traditional ornaments, so we usually alternate throughout the years. We have lots of variety....Seseme Street, hockey guys, and your traditional glass balls!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Getting the family together!! Of course that may be a given!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I've told my dh that I want a Wii Fit Complete set...I have to lose this weight and anything that will help, I want it!!

Gettin' Ready For Thanksgiving

My friend sent me this hilarious look at Thanksgiving Preparation. I wanted to share it with you. Are you "On-Track" or "Off-Track"??


(1) ON TRACK SCHEDULE

6:00 a.m. Exercise, shower, fix hair and put on make-up.

7:30 a.m. Say prayers, read inspirational material.

8:00 a.m. Make bed, dress, eat cereal, nonfat milk, toast and
fruit, take a walk, and check appearance of the front door.

9:00 a.m. Stuff turkey with stuffing prepared yesterday, have
children set holiday table. (Silver was polished yesterday.) Boil potatoes(they were peeled yesterday and have been soaking in cold water overnight). Make pies (pumpkin filling, apple filling and dough were made yesterday and refrigerated) .

10:00 a.m. Listen to holiday music; check table, centerpiece and
candles. Bake pies. Whip potatoes and set aside to be micro-waved just before serving.

11:00 a.m. Put turkey in the oven.

Noon: Prepare a light meal, soup and salad for family.

1:00 p.m. Call relative long distance, make sure bathroom has toilet
paper, guest towels and soap, (of course it is swished and swiped daily).

2:00 p.m. Make last minute items, such as gravy, heat rolls and
mashed potatoes, put out butter, Jello salads and other refrigerated foods you prepared yesterday and the day before.

3:00 p.m. Doorbell rings. Greet guests, sit down to dinner. Take
small portions and allow 45 minutes to eat. Stop eating before you are stuffed.

4:00 p.m. Have everyone help clear the table and clean up the
kitchen. Sip a low calorie drink or water if you are inclined to snack on leftovers.

5:00 p.m. Take a nice long walk! with family and guests. Build a
snowman or take a ride in the country.

7:00 p.m. Come home and play cards or a board game or watch, It's A
Wonderful Life.

10:00 p.m. Go to bed. Sleep like a baby.

2:00 a.m. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

6:00 a.m. Wake up refreshed. Weigh yourself. Have a wonderful life!********************************************

(2) SIDETRACKED SCHEDULE

6:00 a.m.

7:00 a.m.

8:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. Leave bed unmade, start meal preparations in pajamas,
discover turkey is not totally thawed, skip breakfast.

10:00 a.m. Polish silver, snack on chips, olives, nuts and dip while
blow-drying the turkey. Put it in the oven with a Cornish Game Hen in the hole because you didn't make a stuffing.

11:00 a.m. Find family room in a mess, start stashing, find tweezers,
start watching, It's A Wonderful Life on television, pluck a few hairs on your knee caps.

Noon Eat more chips and dip, have a beer. Wake up kids, throw
a fit over their messy rooms.

1:00 p.m. Discover you don't have cranberry sauce, throw long coat
on over pajamas (roll legs up so they don't show) head to Minute Mart.

2:00 p.m. Call husband to come and get you because you ran out of
gas. Eat some of the snacks you bought, while you wait. Race home, take a birdbath, throw some clothes on, yell at the kids for not cleaning their rooms. Close the door to yours.

3:00 p.m. Doorbell rings. Greet guests, have husband entertain while
you set the table.

4:00 p.m. Eat like a pig. Have seconds and thirds, pile on butter,
salt heavily, drink several glasses of wine, don't save room for desert but then have it anyway. Tell everyone you'll do the dishes later, drag yourself to the living room and crash on the couch.

5:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

9:00 p.m.

10:00 p.m. Head for the Alka Seltzer, hit the bed and toss and turn.

2:00 a.m. Sneak into the kitchen and fix a turkey sandwich, wash it
down with milk straight out to the carton, polish of the last piece
of pecan pie you bought at Minute Mart.

9:00 a.m. Wake up with a splitting headache, weigh yourself and sulk
all day.

I'm a whole lot closer to "Off Track" than I am "On Track", but I do seem to get better every year....so maybe one day, I'll actually get "On Track"!! Hope your preparations go according to your schedule.

Just a Few Words

I'm only writing a quick update tonight...in case you are wondering how I am doing. I went to the surgeon last Friday for a follow-up visit from my sinus/septum surgery. He said I am doing great! No complications, surgery went extremely well. He pulled the plastic splints out and told me everything inside my nose looks great! I was thrilled! He freed me to bend, lift, drive....all my normal stuff, just take it slow...don't over do it, he said. YEAH!! I'm good to go....and that's exactly what I did Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and even Sunday! I went, went, went! By Sunday night I was pooped, but I felt accomplished.

I spent time with That Kid -- after he got home from camp; which he thoroughly enjoyed, spent time with That Other Kid - even going to see Wall-E, and doing some shopping for new bedding and shoes, preparing to start exercising again. Monday I was pooped out...so I just did stuff at home; ya know laundry, dishes, and general cleaning up. Monday night I went out with my best friend and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory, yum!! and then we walked the mall and went to Wally-world. It was a great, relaxing evening.

About an hour before I came home I started having a pain in my right side that felt like a stitch in my side, you know the kind you get when you are running? I figured I once again was over- doing things, so didn't think much about it and went home and went to bed. Tuesday morning it was still there, so I just laid around all day, taking it easy. The pain was constant, but not extreme. It lasted all day Tuesday, so I took a left-over pain pill from my surgery and went to bed early. Wednesday it was still there and getting more severe. By 3:30 p.m. I decided it was time to go to the doctor so I made an appointment for today. My regular GP had no opening so I made the appointment was the PA for 10:15 a.m. The rest of Wednesday I just laid around popping pain pills.

This morning I got up and went to the doctor. She ordered a urine sample, did a pelvic exam and poked and prodded my stomach/side. and avoided being hit in the face when she did so! Then she order a CT-Scan STAT, meaning she would have results back within a couple of hours instead of a couple of days. She was concerned about 1) kidney stones, 2) gall stones, 3) appendix. She told me to go straight to the Imaging Facility and prepare for the possibility of going to the ER tonight.

Short version -- I am in A LOT of PAIN and I have kidney stones that are 2 -3 millimeters in size. She said to take Vicadin and they should pass pretty soon. She said the pain level would be somewhat like the pain I experienced while giving birth to my children--- without the aid of an epidural!!! Oh boy, I can hardly wait for this weekend!!! If the pain continues to get worse or I start running a fever I need to go to ER. Gee, what I way to spend Independence Day!!

Anyway, I hope you have a great weekend....PAIN FREE!! and don't forget all the soldiers in the Middle East that are helping us have Independence!!!

Are You Still Here?

I am....I've just been busy enjoying the beginning of our summer! Let me start off saying -- we had A GREAT TIME this Sunday at my (step)mother-in-law's house! (Sounds weird, huh?) Oh well, I'm weird and you guys have probably already figured that out....

We left our house around 10:30 (which is later than I had planned, but that is nothing new for me). Once on the road things were going well, That Other Kid was watching a movie, till we got about half way there, when he proceeded to lose his breakfast ALL OVER HIMSELF, including his clothes. I forgot -- my kids get car sick, just like I used to do! He did this several more times, with several close calls. After several delays to clean up vomit and change clothes, which for some strange reason we had a pair of shorts and a couple of sweatshirts in the car. We stopped at Walmart in the town where grandma lives and got a couple of acceptable "summer clothes". He vomited one more time -- in her yard! Then he was fine the rest of the day...go figure! He even ate a bagel right before we left and had no problems keeping it down!

We met lots of relatives and had a nice visit with everyone. That Other Kid got to go FISHING!!! for the first time and he caught his first FISH....he was sooooo HAPPY you could hear him screaming all the way up at the house! I didn't think to bring the camera down to the lake, of course....but I did get a picture with my phone. I just have to figure out how to put it on the computer!!!

The rest of the day was uneventful....and we came home with NO more vomiting, yeah!! And an hour nap!!! but of course that meant he wouldn't go to sleep till 11:30 p.m.!!

Monday, we just laid around and watched tv, did laundry, and all those fun things!! I did fix burgers and hot dogs on the grill...so that was nice. I need to do that more....they tasted really good.

Yesterday was a BIG day for me....it was Allergy Testing Day and CT Scan Day! After that I got my hair done....before my hairdresser leaves for a month to take care of her momma...say a prayer for her.
Her momma had a stroke a few years ago and is not doing well. It will be a LONG month for her and she's gonna need all the prayers she can get to stay strong enough to care for her 24/7 for a month.

Anywhoooo, allergy testing confirmed I have A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGIES....Burmuda grass (in my front yard), OAK (in my back yard), Ragweed, Marshelder, Pigweed, Lambs Quarter -- all weeds, which I'm sure all reside in my yard! Dustmites -- no wonder I hate to dust, huh?, and the saddest DOGS. Fortunately, they are going to concoct a medicine for me to take every day so that I don't feel like I'm going to die in my own house/yard! This should help with my allergy problems so I'll feel better...

I will find out the results of the CT Scan next Tuesday when I see the ENT again. I am hoping for some definitive answers then. I have a feeling those answers will mean surgery, but I am prepared to go through surgery to finally feel well enough to function like a normal person again. Right now I struggle with breathing through my nose so bad I snore at night and can hardly breathe well enough to do the most basic of outdoor activities, like walking a mile -- from Sonic to my house! I did it this afternoon and was so exhausted and winded when I got home all I could do is SIT!!

I want to get moving again, so I can shed this excess weight. But I know that is a process...and I'm moving in the right direction!

I heard from my dad last night and he is doing well with his radiation and chemo treatments. He has the rest of this week and next, then he will see the doctor, who will determine when his surgery will be. Please pray for his continued strength. He is doing so well, he is walking 2 miles a day and feels good!! I'm soooo thankful that God the Father is taking care of my father!

Well that's it for now....hope all is well with you!

Memorial Day Weekend

Today has been a typical HOT, Texas afternoon, but I didn't have the luxery of sitting around in my nice comfy air conditioning...

About 3 weeks ago, before the heat set in here in Texas, That Other Kid found 2 bags of water balloon that I had left over from a previous year's birthday party for That Kid. He asked about them, so I told them they were water balloons for HOT days! He could hardly wait for a hot day...Today was the day! He found them again and BEGGED to play water balloon fight with me. Where is That Kid when you need him??

Ok, I agreed to fill up 1 bag of the balloons with water and we would have a balloon fight. I told him to go put his swimsuit on and we would go outside and play with them. It took all of 5 minutes to explode all 30 of these balloons and I made sure he didn't really get too wet...I wasn't sure how he would react to be pounded with water. After this was done, he wanted to do the OTHER bag. I refused, and made him mad!

Then he remembered our gym has a swimming pool! Let's go swimming at the gym! I wasn't too sure about it, as it really hasn't been that hot yet. I like my swimming pools to be pretty warm before I swim, not to mention I wish I was at least 50 pounds skinnier. He continued to negotiate/beg and I gave in. We went and had a GREAT time! The water wasn't too cool and he actually let me take him into the water deep enough to get my whole body wet, not just his!

We had a great afternoon of memory making activities, and I want to try to have as many of these as possible, since I know soon he'll be all grown up and wanting to hang out at the gym/pool with girls, not mommy, like That Kid!

Tomorrow That Other Kid and I will go see DH's step mom and hang out with her and some of her family....more memories in the making!

Hope your weekend is full of memory making activities!

Mothers Day

Mother's Day is a special day to pay tribute to your mom. It is a time to tell her how much you love her and appreciate all that has been done for you!

My mom and I have had our rough times and still struggle to get along, but I think we have come to a place where we can at least get along for a period of time without having an argument about something. It is working for us....Hope you had a great day, mom!

My Mother-in-law on the other hand --- WE GET ALONG FABULOUSLY!! She is my sanity when things here at home get out of control. I pick up the phone and rant and rave and she listens to me and gives advice or sometimes just listens. I LOVE HER....I don't know how I would get along without her....she keeps me from running away from home! She is everything I ever imagined in a mom...and I have her in a MOTHER-IN-LAW...I'm soooo blessed. I just want to say, I love you....Mom-in-law...you are my sanity!! Hope you have had a great Mother's Day today.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my dh's step mom. She is a wonderful person, who put up with a lot of crap from my now deceased father in law :). She raised my dh from the time he was 10 till we got married at 19 and if I do say so myself she did a pretty good job. She is back living in the Lone Star State after living in California and Colorado and I'm looking forward to seeing her again. When we lived with her in CA for about 6 months she treated me just like she would her own kid instead of "a daughter-in-law" who just caused trouble or whatever. It was a trying time for all of us then and we did have some problems but what family doesn't have problems living in a home with 4 adults and a baby??

Sooooo...in short/long I just want to say Happy Mother's Day to 3 special MOMS. Hope you all had a great day!

I Had High Hopes

A couple of weeks ago I talked about the exciting possibilities of actually being ready for Christmas well before the big day. Let me tell you IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN! It's 22 days till Christmas and 16 days till That Other Kids birthday and I have barely touched the edge of Christmas/birthday purchases. The house is not decorated, Christmas cards are not addressed, the Christmas letter I had hoped to write this year still isn't even in the draft form. I also want to get the boys' picture taken again this year...the list goes on and on.
The days just seem to fly by....you know. I get up about 8 every day and I lay around till 10, cuz I can't function that early, then I have breakfast to fix, shower to take, laundry to start, and whatever else is on the agenda for the day and the stuff for Christmas just slips on past me.

So... how are you doing on your Christmas preparations???