March 7 & 8 or "Let's talk about what a slacker I am....or not"

Sunday evening, while Jeff was on the computer looking at fun apps we could get for us and the kids,  (Macs have apps now that transfer to iPad, iPhone, and iPod-you can share all of them between devices and it is wicked cool!)  I was struggling with how to go about losing weight.  To be honest, I have tried nearly everything.  I had some terrific success with Weight Watchers a few years ago-I lost almost 50 pounds.  Then I went through a four month period where I gained and lost the same 5 pounds about fifteen times.  And that isn't an exaggeration.  No matter what I did (how much extra I exercised, how much less I ate) I could not break through that plateau.  Eventually, I ended up gaining all the weight back even though I tried really hard not to.  So I had decided Sunday that it was time to get my butt in gear and do something about it.  I am not getting any younger and as I get older, I know this struggle is only going to get more difficult.  So-I found an app for it!  I downloaded the Calorie2 app to my computer (I had to pay for it) and I have been using it to keep track of my diet and exercise.  It's really simple.  I just type in what food and when I ate it or what exercise and the app tells me: the breakdown of my intake (carbs, protein, fat), how many calories I need to consume, how many calories I burn by the exercise I do.  Then it goes even further and has things like weight loss graphs, breakdown of nutrients and vitamins consumed based on the foods you eat, and a lot of other neat things.  So I got on the ball with eating healthy and exercising.  As it turns out, I was once again eating about half the food I needed to consume.  Essentially my body is starving, so it stores everything as fat when I eat.  Over the last three days, I have consumed the amount of calories that my body needs and I have lost 6 pounds.  I'm sure a lot of that is water weight-but I don't care.  I'm just praying that I can continue to do well.
In other news, Sunday night and all through Monday we got a massive snow storm.  It was coming down about 2 inches an hour.  So of course, there was no school Monday morning.  I was supposed to have a house full of daycare kids.  We spent the day doing school work and then a couple of hours in the afternoon shoveling.  I burned a ton of calories....shoveling is great exercise!  We ended up with over two feet of snow.
Tuesday was sort of a nutty day as well.  I had daycare kids, which doesn't normally happen.  Jeff has One Acts opening this weekend, so the missed day of school and rehearsal messed up his tech week.  We signed up for a marriage class at our church which was meeting Tuesday night. So it was a pretty busy day.  I had the daycare kids all day, Jeff had school, rehearsal, p/t conferences and then we met up at marriage class.  When we got home it was time for bedtime for the kids and we watched a couple of shows before crashing ourselves.
It's been a crazy couple of days and I haven't actually had the time to sit down at the computer.  I did finish reading a book on my NOOKcolor yesterday that I borrowed from the library.  We also watched "Let Me In" which I actually really liked.  I put the book on my NOOKbook wish list because I am positive that since I liked the movie, I will love the book even more.
I don't mind all this snow at all.  But for the first time in several years, I am really looking forward to Spring.  I love taking my morning cup of coffee out on the deck with a book and enjoying the morning sunshine before anyone else gets up.  I love letting my kids play outside for half an hour before we start school.  I'm looking forward to puttering around in my flower beds and putting in the new one we planned this year.  But for now, there is still snow on the ground and things to be accomplished inside.  I guess I should get back to work on accomplishing them!  Have a great day!

March 1 or "The day that tissues did their job"

Holy cow!  I slept until almost 9 this morning.  Even more amazing, Hayden slept until almost 9 this morning!  That hardly ever happens!  I woke up and the first thing that I noticed, much to my elation, was that the sinus headache that has been plagueing me for the past few weeks was gone!  No pressure, no pain, and no swollen eyes!  I should have known that with Hayden sleeping so late and then wanting to snuggle and the no sinus headache was not a signal of wonderful things to come...
I sent Hayden to get dressed for the day and hopped in the shower.  Literally, as soon as I stood, my nose started running.  I used tissues and hopped in the shower, thinking how glad I was that all that ickiness was finally leaving my body, thereby causing my head to not hurt.  Except ever since I stepped out of the shower, I have been reaching for one tissue after another in a constant stream.  I have gone through nearly two boxes.  Now, I am NOT complaining about all of this....even if that is what it seems.  I am happy to be feeling better, but I am completely grossed out by having to blow and wipe my nose all day.  It is just so nasty and unladylike!  Also, even though I have tissues with lotion, my poor nose and face are a sore, raw mess.  And my hands are cracked and bleeding from the constant washing and sanitizing because I do not want to spread my germs to everyone else.  I have been using all manner of lotions, creams, and ointments today....but still.....ouch.
As for Hayden, turns out he isn't feeling too great either.  I know this because he has been bouncing off the walls wild and crazy all day long.  Cebelle is also not feeling great.  I know this because she has been whiny and clingy all day long.
So of course, homeschool was a bit of a trial.  All three of us are a bit crabby and short with each other, and the smaller ones are having issues with their listening ears....But thank God, all the schoolwork was finished and all the lessons learned.
I tried to do some cross-stitching, but quit after about an hour.  I have no interest in reading or knitting, either, and that is very unusual for me.   I really hope that we aren't all coming down with something.  I don't feel badly, just very tired and worn down.  Hayden says that his head hurts and Cebelle said her ears are itchy, so I am thinking that some Claritin and an early bedtime tonight might do everyone some good!
I think I'm going to make some comfort food for dinner-Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets and some french fries.  I will probably eat my nuggets diced up over a salad....or on a sandwich.  I had some peaches and cottage cheese for a snack earlier, so I am not terribly hungry, but in order for early bedtime we are going to need an early dinner.
Today was trash day, and I forgot to take the trash out this morning.  I think that the garbage men must get completely annoyed with me.  Our company calls us if we forget to pull the trash out to the end of the driveway.  Honestly, they have to call me at least once a month.  I feel bad because it must be very frustrating for them.
I got my Schwan's home delivery today.  I got one of their frozen fruit blends that have pineapple, mango, strawberries, and peaches.  I thought that it would be really delicious stirred into my Stonyfield Farms French Vanilla Yogurt with my toffee almond granola.  I LOVE yogurt and granola for a snack.  It's filling and good for you and it satisfies a craving for sweet.  I sometimes get Bare Naked Granola in chocolate and Stonyfield Farms Chocolate Underground Yogurt and then strawberries....it's to die for.  So delicious!
People are generally surprised by how healthy we eat.  We don't generally have a ton of junk food around.  Dad loves potato chips and diet soda, so we always have those around.  I don't really care for potato chips.  I would much rather have tortilla chips with some great salsa or something like that...or some Wheat Thins or Triscuits.  I don't generally drink diet soda.  I find that if I drink one, it generally makes me crave some really unhealthy foods.  So if I want soda, I will drink a regular soda.  I allow myself one a day, though I don't always drink one everyday! Mostly I drink decaffeinated iced tea with a little bit of equal.  Cebelle is mostly a vegetarian (she will generally only eat chicken...occasionally, we can get her to try something else....but we are working on it!)  so we eat a lot of legumes...we love beans, lentils, hummus, etc.  We also eat salad with nearly every lunch and dinner.  My kids love most vegetables, fresh and cooked, so we usually have a salad plus two more cooked vegetables at dinnertime.   They usually don't eat much veggies for lunch except for olives, cucumbers, or carrots with dip.  That's not to say that we don't have a junky meal once or twice a week.  But, when we have that meal-I try to make sure it's the best that we can do.  Our Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets are breaded in whole grain...and the french fries that I get from Schwan's are actually pretty low in fat and calories compared to other brands.  Hopefully, I can teach them to eat well and keep making good choices so that they never have to struggle with weight like I do.
I am very much looking forward to Jeff getting home.  Mom and Dad took off for their casino trip today since the both of them were feeling much better, so I have been alone with the kids all day.  I very much need a quiet moment or two.  My kids have no sense of privacy, even though they made signs on their bedroom doors that say, "KEEP OUT!"  For some reason, they don't think that it applies to them.  They will even bust in while I am going to the bathroom, even if there are three other adults here to help them. The irony is that it is never anything very urgent.  They come busting in and will throw out something like, "Can I watch my favorite show in two hours when it comes on?" while all breathless from running. Since we have no locks on our bathrooms, the dogs are also able to open the bathroom doors.  If they can't manage it, the kids will help them out.  So often for me, a quick trip to the restroom ends up in a party with two dogs who stare and make me very uncomfortable and two kids who need to ask me an urgent question about something happening within the next six months.  So, quiet moments are hard to come by for me.  Having Jeff here to keep everyone out of the bathroom for five minutes is an awesome thing...even if it is very small!  Truth be told, I can't function without the madness, though.  I have to have a tv on to go to sleep because quiet weirds me out.  The day that I went to the allergist and spent over two hours in a quiet room by myself, I nearly had a panic attack.  So, while most of the time, I'm glad for the craziness (its where I'm happiest!), I need a break from it...even if it's just for a few seconds.
I hope your evening is spent in your happy place!

February 23

Today has been an okay day.  The kids did a great job with their school work, as usual.  Cebelle is eating up a storm and she has been since yesterday.  She is also having some joint pain and she is sleepy and grumpy.  All those symptoms = growing.  At least I hope so.  Cebelle has had some problems with growth.  She dropped down to the fifth percentile after her first year.  Then when she was two and having horrible asthma problems, she plummetted down to the third percentile.  We have had numerous tests and visits to many specialists but everything always checks out just fine.  She doesn't eat nearly enough most days because she is extremely picky.  So, she has some trouble growing.  She still sees an endocrinologist every six months because they want to make sure all is well.  After everything they have put her through (blood tests, examinations, etc.) they have come to the conclusion that she is a mostly healthy child who does not consume enough calories.  In kids, calories=growth.  Let's face the facts, she is never going to be six feet tall.  Truthfully, with ALL the short women that are in Jeff's family and in my family, she will be lucky to top out at five feet when she is fully grown.  So anytime I suspect she is growing, I am thrilled.  We have been through discussions of putting her on appetite stimulants, using human growth hormone, and on a roller coaster ride of health concerns.   But at the end of the day, she is healthy and growing and has no issues that would say to us that anything is seriously wrong with her.  Her asthma symptoms are improving,  we have been able to lessen her medication and hope to wean her off of it soon.  I'm sure any parent out there knows the drama that I go through.  We all just want our kids to be happy and healthy and anytime there is something wrong with them it's very stressful.  And Jeff and I are generally very cautious about medicating our kids.  I don't hesitate to do it at all if I think they need it.  But giving her appetite stimulants to help her gain a few pounds when she is already a very healthy child? I question that and the reasoning behind it.  If she eats as much as she wants and is full, why would we start messing with her body's natural signals?  I mean, I have struggled with weight my entire life.  As I was growing up, I didn't know how to be healthy.  It wasn't something that people were really aware of at that time.  And now that I'm an adult and very overweight, I face tons of social stigma.  People look at me and automatically assume things like: I must be lazy.  I must eat junk food all the time.  I must not exercise.  I must not care about my appearance.  None of which are true.  I would like to be lazy and eat junk food all the time.  That would be nice.   The truth of the matter is:  my body doesn't work right.  Even if I drop my calorie count to 1200 calories a day and exercise an hour a day, it is still a struggle to lose weight.  My doctor and I have explored so many options, including gastric bypass.  I think it's a last resource option.  So you can see why I'm hesitant to mess with Cebelle's body telling her that she should stop eating.  I would never wish the issues that I have on anyone, especially my children.
On a brighter note, I was able to borrow two books that I had requested from the library and download them to my NOOKcolor today.  I got an email when they were available, which is just unbelievably awesome.  Anyone who knows me well knows that there isn't very much I love in life more than books and reading and the pursuit of knowledge.  So I'm sure those people can imagine my girly screech at 6am when those emails came through.  Unfortunately, I had other responsibilities to attend to before I could sit down and get lost in some books.  But I honestly relish every second of it.
Cebelle and I started dinner as Jeff should be home soon.  We decided on lemon-rosemary chicken breasts, garlic mashed potatoes, peas, and salad.  The chicken cooking right now smells absolutely amazing.  We've been eating a little bit later of an evening because Jeff doesn't get home until 6:30 or after.  One of the benefits of homeschooling is that I can adjust my kids schedule so they get to spend lots of time with their daddy!  If we were a traditional two working parent family with kids in public school, I don't think we would ever get to spend time together.  I thank God everyday for being able to be here with my kids and for them being able to spend so much time with their daddy.  I don't know how all my friends do what they do.  I have so much respect for the parents that work all day and then come home and squeeze in family time and kids activities and time with their spouses.  Honestly, I could do it if I had to.  But I would probably be an emotional wreck constantly.
There are a ton of other things on my mind, especially dealing with the state of our world and the state of affairs in our country and even our hometown.  But that would be a discussion that would take all night...and I have dinner almost ready and a husband due home any moment.  So we will save those adventures for another day!

January 19

So what were my adventures today?  I don't even know where to begin!  Do you ever read the thing on Facebook that says, "what's on your mind?" and then feel completely overwhelmed?  I would say that normally happens to me at least 5 days a week!  Honestly, it's not that my life is insane or that I am so boring that I can't think of anything.  It's that so many thoughts occupy my mind on a daily basis that sometimes it's difficult to pick a single one of them out.  I am many things to many people everyday.  My parents live with us, so I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a teacher, a daycare provider, a friend, a maid, an artist, and I could think of a thousand more.  But that's not unique to me!  I think that every mom out there faces those challenges.
But today-one of my dogs puked.  On the only carpeted floor in the house.  Twice.  He just has a little tummy upset-no worries....but I can tell you that there were major freakouts all around when he heaved.  I am not ashamed to say that I was among the first to freak out.  And then I wonder-with all the other rooms in the house-why did it have to be the carpeted one?  Because now-in addition to the normal cleaning that I do on the weekends, I have to shampoo the freaking carpet.  (And what I mean by that is my husband will shampoo the carpet because he loves to do that....but, still!)
And so much for my dieting.  Because we are going to Virginia Beach on vacation this summer, I wanted to lose weight so that I don't feel so gross in a swimsuit.  But thanks a lot to mother nature and her inopportune timing, I am now eating everything in the house that includes chocolate, salt, cheese, or potatoes in the ingredients list.  No control whatsoever.  Sheesh.
And yet-as I am getting ready to close this and tuck my kids in bed, none of it matters.  They will kiss me and hug me and if I'm lucky for the next couple of years they will still believe that I am the most beautiful, wonderful mother in the whole wide world.
Until they become pre-teens and hate me desperately just for existing.  But that's an adventure for another day.....