random musings of a Mommy

2009-07-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

this blog is being retired from lack of use... mine, that is. i've decided to take my thoughts in a new direction... come see it at at my new blog, messages from the edge of sanity, at www.messagesfromtheedgeofsanity.com.

2008-05-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

And life goes on.

It's been awhile sine I last posted.
Precious Baby is "there" with potty training. Occasionally ther eis an accident, but it's rare these days.

The game room is almost finished. We just have to do the floor and it's done.
Of course, our property taxes went up (AGAIN!) this year.
Boy is 13 and staring to think that he wants to live with us full time.

But today, something happened that deserves it's own, special mention:

We went out to dinner at the local pizzaria. We've been going there for almost four years now, since it first opened.
We came in order and found a table, and sat down to wait for our order, Next to us was a rather rotund gentleman, who was engaged in a freindly disagreement with another patron over the current state of the NBA playoffs.
I recognized the gentleman... he's also a regular.
We were eating our dinner, when.... suddenly... the noise... it seemed like the whold building shook. "Are the walls still standing?" Hubby asked.

"Excuse me," the rotund man at the next table said.

Yep, that's right... the public fart.

I was flabergasted. So were Hubby and Boy. I just couldn't beleive what we had witnessed.

Anyone else ever, well, been in the company of this sort of thing?

2008-03-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Day Four since we said bye-bye to diapers.

And Precious baby is doing pretty well... we started on Friday. As I expected, she had quite a few accidents on Friday... I think six. The last one was at Plucker's, hubby's favorite wing restaurant, while she was sitting in her high chair! Luckily, I had changes of clothes and underwear for her, as well as a plastic bag for the wet clothes, and I was able to take her to the bathroom, clean her up and re-dress her without any problems.

Saturday and Sunday were much better. She had two accidents on Saturday, and two (or was it just one?) accident on Sunday.

Last night I got together the required five changes of clothes and underwear (and socks too!) to take to nursery school today. I had to use laundry basket to tote it all in! While I don't expect her to stay dry all day, a mom can hope, right?

Really, I'm very proud of her progress. And I think she's really excited about it to... I know she likes wearing her "Big Girl Pants" and her eyes just light up when she goes in the potty.

Of course, as proud as I am of her, and as happy as I am to say good bye to diapers, it does mean she's growing up... and in a way, that makes me a little sad. I feel like she's growing up so fast! Sometimes I really wish she could be a little baby for just a while longer.

But then again, every night she reminds me of how sweet and babyish she still is, when she snuggles up against me to read stories and wind down before bed. I wouldn't trade those sweet moments cuddling with her for anything.

2008-03-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday.

Hubby and I aren't religious. In fact, we're aethiests, but we love to celebrate holidays like Christmas and Easter... because, let's face it, the holidays are just so much fun for young children.

Last night, after Precious baby went to sleep, I got out the plastic eggs and the chocolate candy. After filling the eggs, I hid them (in plain sight, more or less) around the living room. This mornig when precious baby woke up, we told her that Easter Bunny had come and left eggs for her to find.

2008-03-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day is a sacred day in our family. Hubby is Irish, and darn proud of it. I am not, but, I'm (almost) always up for a party, and I've always loved St. Patrick's Day, especially since it it's right after my birthday and just contributes to the whole "long weekend" aspect of my Birthday.

This year, as we always do, we went to the St. Partick's Day restival at the Dog and Duck Pub. Precious baby, age two and a half, has been every year since she was born, that little Irish Lassie!

The festival is a lot of fun though... Irish folk music, Irish punk bands, and even Bagpipe and drum units do the Festival every year. Of course, it's also a really good excuse to drink Guiness (I passed but Hubby drank enough for both of us!) and eat fish'n'chips. Dog and Duck does have the best fish'n'chips I've ever tasted, and Hubby says they are as close to what you get in Ireland as can be. But. given my desire to loose weight (yes, we aregoing to discuss it!) I managed to resist the temptation... except for about three "chips"... and I am proud of it.

2008-03-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

It's time to ditch the diapers.

Precious baby is two and a half. She's been showing interest in pottying from the day I showed her the potty... about two weeks after her second birthday. She's been pretty hit or miss about pottying, but getting better... but she still wants to pee in the pull ups.

However, recently, two of her little friends at school have started underpants. And she has said that she wants to potty train, and that she want to wear underpants.

So I've decided that it is time to put her in panties. And we are going to start this weekend, specifically, tomorrow, since I'll be off work for good Friday. I figure she'll wet herself a few times and she'll get the picture...

So in preparation, I've bought about 15 pairs of cute little girl panties... Dora and Hello Kitty. But that probably isn't enough, so tomorrow I'll probably go to Target and have her pick out some more. I figure I'll need about thirty pairs, along with many, many pairs of leggings and tee shirts, and easy little dresses, since her nursery school requires five (!!) full changes of clothes for everyday while they are potty training. It seems like a whole lot, I know... but I sure would want to have clean clothes to change into!!!

Wish us luck!

2008-03-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Time for a Birthday week-end wrap up.

Friday (the day before my birthday):
Hubby took me out to dinner at Vespiao Enoteca. Fantastic! As it should be, since they share a kitchen with Vespiao, the best (at least in my opinion) Italian restaurant in town. Enoteca is kind of like the kid brother of Vespiao, a little less expensive, and a little more casual... But still, so good. We ordered an apetizer plate of procuitto di parma, jambon, and duck rillets. Yum. Hubby ordered a margarita pizza and I had the gnochi with tomato sauce and a little cheese. Delicious. We would have probably just gone to a bar, and had another drink or two, and gone home early, except that my friend Brit called as we finished dinner... and she was ready to party!!!

Was she ever! She met us at some new bar on west 6th street (away from the SXSW crazyiness) and we had a few drinks before going over to The Brown Bar, the swankiest gin joint in town. Had a few more drinks. Then Brit talked us into going to Elysium, a dance club down town, right in the middle of all the SXSW insanity. So we hailed a cab. We got down there, and found out Elysium was participating in SXSW and the cover charge was outrageous, since we didn't have passes, so we got a bike rickshaw to Oil Can Harry's, the best gay dance club in town.

At Oil Cans, Brit began her "inspection tour" which consists of her walking through the club, "inspecting" (that means groping!) each attactive male behind that she saw... and given that we were at Oil Cans, which was full of well dressed, well maintained gay men, it took a long time.

After Brit had checked out every behind at Oil Cans, we went across the street for what would turn out to be our last drink at a Pub. Time to go home. Good fun, but I couldn't do that every weeked!

On Saturday, hubby gave me my birthday gift: an adorable little Micheal Korrs black patent leather clutch. I love it, it's so cute, and I can't wait to use it! Precious baby and the Boy had a gift for me too: The Kite Runner, ( a novel) and some nice socks.

Later that afternoon, all of our friends (except Brit... she was recovering!) came over to our house for chicken and veggie kabobs. It was great to see all of our friends, and Precious baby got to play with her cousin, and S, the daughter of our friends, S and C, who is just two weeks older than she is.

Yesterday was nice, quiet time, to relax and recharge... except for hubby who was resting up for today, St. Patrick's Day.

Last night, Hubby made dinner for me: roasted chicken with forty cloves of garlic. It was so good. I made parmesan mashed potatoes and french onion soup to go with it. It was a classic french bistro meal. Certainly a departure for our usual healthy eating, but then again, I don;t think it was too bad, in terms of fat and calories.

Besides, it was a birthday meal, and everyone knows that those don;t count. Right? Right? I wish.

2008-03-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we had some friends over for dinner and drinks. My SIL and her adorable little boy, age three, were there. After dinner we were all talking, drinking wine and listening to music, when my nephew and precious baby decided to take off all of their clothes and dance around in the living room.

As parents, we all just let them be. They are so young, we thought it was just harmless, and also probably one of the last times it would ever be OK for them to be naked anywhere except the bathroom.

Well, Precious baby has kind of taken a shine to being nakey. Last week, she asked me to put on some music, saying she wanted to dance. When I turned on the stero, she started taking her clothes off and got upset when I told that no, it wasn't time to be nakey right now.

Last night, she woke up crying. I went upstairs and was quite suprised to find her totally naked in her crib, crying. I guess she was cold, and she was wet too... I found her PJs and her overnight diaper in the crib, and the sheets were wet, which told me she'd taken her clothes off before she went to sleep, and had then been awakend because she was wet and cold after going pee-pee in her bed.

I of course, dressed her in dry pjs and a dry diaper, changed the sheets on her bed, and rocked her back to sleep, tucking her in with a nice warm, dry blankie.

Let's hope this nakey thing isn't indicative of a career choice.

2008-03-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are trying to eat healthier, and cleaner.. less or no processed food, more whole grains, fruits and veggies. We've been buying more whole grains lately, like quinoa, which makes a great substitute for rice or cous cous, but it's hard to know what to do with some of the other whole grains... but I've come up with two good recipes for wheatberrys. I love the texture of wheatberries... nice and chewy, and the flavor is good too... but they are, in my opinon, a bit boring on their own, so I came up with these two ideas:

Wheatberry and edamame salad:

1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 shredded carrot
1/2 cup cooked edamame beans
three chopped scallions
1 T chopped chives
1 T chopped cilantro
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

toss together and serve! Delicious cold or at room temperature.

Mediterrantian wheatberry salad:

1 C cooked wheatberries
1/4 C shredded sundried tomatoes (packed in oil and drained)
1/4 chopped purple onion
2 T chopped fresh basil
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Toss and serve. Even better the second day, after the flavors have married.

2008-03-03T12:09:00.001-08:00

I did it!

I ran my first half marathon! I ran the Moe's better half-marathon in San Marcos, Texas on Sunday. 13 miles of rolling country roads in 2 hours and 28 minutes. It was a nice run, and a nice course...rolling hills, only one really steep up hill in mile three. Once i got past mile three, it was pretty much smooth sailing until the lat mile.. that's when I started to feel like it was hitting the "wall" and running out of steam. But, I ran the whole thing! I never did stop and walk.

Here is what I learned, in preparation for the next long run I participate in, or (gulp) a full marathon next year.

1. No drinking the week before the race. I drank two glasses of wine with dinner on Friday night. I had no other alcoholic beverages for the week prior to the race. I don't think the two glasses I had really hurt me, but I won't repeat that for the next race.

2. Eat oatmeal for breakfast that morning. I did this, and it turned out to be the perfect breakfast for this runner.

3. Bring a banana and have it handy to eat during the run if you need it. I meant to bring one, and I forgot as I was going out the door (in my defense, I got up at five on the morning of the race!). I would have definitely eaten the banana at the start of mile 12 if I'd had it. I think the extreme fatigue I was experiencing at that point meant that I needed to eat. I will definitely bring a banana if I run a marathon... there's no way I could do that without some kind of snack... banana... protein bar, something.

4. Make sure you go to the bathroom, one and two, before the race. I kind of forgot about "two" in my keyed up state before the race. About mile 6, I realized I had to go. No bathrooms until about mile 8... not fun to run when you have to go!

5. Drink detox and laxative tea regularly for the week prior to the race, to help with number 4. I did not do this, and I wish I had. I will next time.

6. Shoes... wear better, newer ones next time! I realized about two weeks before the race that I probably needed new shoes... but everyone knows that you never debut new shoes on the day of the race. I especially can't do that, because even running shoes are likely to cause blisters for me until I break them in. that's right, I have to break in running shoes! I should have bought new shoes about six weeks before the race, so that they would be properly broken in, but in good shape, by the time race day came. Instead, I wore the shoes I had, which were far past their prime, and now my knees really ache, which I am sure is due to the fact that my shoes weren't tip top.

7. Get plenty of sleep the night before the race. I went to bed at 9:30 on Saturday. Before I went to bed, I took a long, hot Epsom salt bath. It really helped relax me so I could fall asleep.

There a some other races this spring.. that Capitol 10,000, and the Texas Round Up. I think I'll run both of them... might as well, they are both ten K races, which means that they are half the distance I ran on Sunday. That, I can do.

2008-02-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

We've been back and forth about that to do with the "game room" at our house. The "game room" is actually a large, long room that runs along the back of our house. It was originally a covered proch and was enclosed by a previous owner.

I had previously lobbied to return it to that state, and I still wish that we could, but, I have accepted that we really do need the space as a play room for precious baby and a video game and computer area.

About a year ago, we had a flood in that room. During a really bad rainstorm, the backyard flooded and water seeped in to the game room. Fortunately, we caught it immediatly and were able to control the flooding, shop-vac out the water and we removed the wet drywall to prevent mold growth.

We addressed the drainage problem in the backyard by digging a drainage ditch and lining it with rocks... it looks kind of like a woodland stream now, and works really well to direct the water away from the house.

But we still didn't know what to do with the gameroom, until we finally decided what kind of flooring to put down. So hubby started scraping up the old floor a few weeks ago. It took a while because it's a big room, but he finally got the old vinyl floor scraped up. I patched up the drywall yesterday. It was horrible, exhausting work... cutting new drywall pieces, fitting them in to the spots where the old drywall had been removed, trimming and fitting over and over, and then nailing it in place. Then I applied fiberglass tape and joint compound to the seams.

Now that the walls are fixed, it looks so much better... even without the flooring. But I want that room done. I want to paint this weekend and put the floors in the next weekend. I just want the room done, so that it can be used, and I need someplace to put all of precious baby's toys! If we can't get that room done, we're going to need a bigger house just for the toys!

2008-02-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

I found the best beauty product ever.

I'm sure any woman out there has bought manybeauty products that promise to deliver something...

shiny hair? Clear skin? Long lashes? Effortless sex appeal? Perfection?

and been dissapointed (but maybe not too suprised) when the product failed to deliver what it promised.

So, if you are like me, you are very skeptical and have drawers full of half used products. But I found a product that really does deliver what it promises.

Lip fusion. WOW. I bought the lip pencil, because I already had a lip plumper that I like (Big Fatty by Urban Decay) but I wanted a pencil that also had plumping properties because I often foung that the plumper would smear and look messay after a few hours. I wanted a product that would stay in place.

Well, Lip Fusion does what it promises. A bigger, fuller pout, without stinging or burning, and the nuetral color is just perfect on me... Nice, but not too made up. Even Hubby noticed that my lips looked lusher and fuller... and he's a "Lip man" so he would notice.

Honestly, I like the product so much, that I'm going to get the gloss to go with it... I figure that the two products would work together even better than just the pencil.

Finally, a product that will be used down to the nub!

2008-02-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

THIS is why america is fat.

http://www.dlisted.com/node/23499

I just about barfed reading those nuitritional (or lack thereof) stats.

And no, I would NOT eat it... even if I wasn't trying to loose weight!

2008-02-07T09:39:00.001-08:00

There is more going on in my life than precious baby and running. I've noticed that almost all of my posts lately have focused on one of those two topics. There is, actually, more than that going on in my head lately.

Super Tuesday has come and gone, and with it, the collapse of several presidential campaigns. We are now left with two Democrats and one Repulican. The Democratic Race seems pretty open right now, and it's hard to say which of the two candidates, both of whom I have tremendous respect for, will win the nomination.

It's the Republican race, that has concerned me. The Republicans have, in every past election in recent memory, run on a platform of religous faith, to one extent or another. Our current president (thankfully a lame duck) has made much of his personal faith and has attempted to expand federal funding for "faith based initiatives".

This has long worried me. I believe in the strictest separation between church and state. I feel that Government has no business funding, or even discussing, religion. And I feel that religion has no business in Government. I feel that the President, and by extension, presidential candidates, shouldn't discuss religion and that it should play no part at all in government or politics.

Which is why I, a registered Democrat, became more and more concerned watching the Republican field.

Mit Romney is a Mormon. I know what Mormonism is founded upon (and whom) and I honestly believe that anyone who can believe in it has questionable judgment at best, and at worst, is down-right delusional. (Not to mention Mormonism's shamefull history of bigamy and racism.)

Mike Huckabee is a Baptist pastor. I can't see how this man would have any business in government and I cannot see how he would be able to separate his religious faith (which afterall requires the failthfull to actively go out and convert those who don't share their beliefs) from his responsibility to govern without respect to religion.

You can imagine my relief that it appears that niether of these men will be the Republican nominee. After Super Tuesday, John McCain seems to to be the clear front runner, and in fact, this morning Mit Romney suspended his campaign.

At least on the topic of religion, John McCain has followed what I (and George Carlin) believe to be the most important of all commandments:

"Though shall keep they religion to thyself!"

2008-02-06T06:55:00.001-08:00

Last night's Dinner was something I sort of made up... and it was too good not to share.

Asian Fish with vegetable "Noodles" (serves four)

Ingrediants:

four white fish fillets
1 T fresh minced ginger
1T fresh minced garlic
2 T fresh minced cilantro, divided
Juice of one lime, divided
Three large carrots
Three zuccini squash
1 C sugar snap peas
1C edamame beans, frozen, shelled, rinsed
1/2 C white wine
1 1/2 C Chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray or 1 T vegetable oil

Shred the carrots and zuccini into long thin noodle like strips, set aside. In a large skillet, over medium low heat, add the cooking oil or pam, and saute the ginger, garlic and half of the cilantro until fragrant, about three minutes. Salt and pepper the fish fillets, and add them to the pan, and cook for one minute on each side, just to get some of the flavor of the ginger, garlic and cilantro on them. Remove from the pan, and increase the heat to high. Add the wine and half of the lime juice, deglaze the pan, and reduce the liquid by half. Add the broth, the rinsed edamame beans, the snap peas, and the vegetable "noodles" to the pan, still well, coating the veggies with the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, lay the fish fillets on top of the veggies, sprinkle on the remaining lime juice and cilantro, and cover, reducing heat to low. Allow the pan to steam until the fish is done, four to six minutes, unless your fish fillets are really thick.

To serve, place the fish fillets in a bowl, add some of the veggies, and spoon some broth around the mixture.

I added Siracha sauce to my bowl and boy, it heated it up, cleared out my sinuses, and just made this dish sing!

this is a really fast recipe, I'd suggest that you do all of your chopping and shredding before you start cooking, because once you start, the whole cooking process takes less than ten minutes total, so this is a really great dish to make on a weeknight, because it's really fast, and really healthy. And Precious baby ate it too... she especially loved the carrot "noodles"!

2008-01-30T12:09:00.001-08:00

"he just won't eat..."
"Oh my kids won't eat anything other than chicken fingers..."
"My little one wouldn't eat a vegtable to save her life..."

Get together with any group of mothers and you are bound to hear something like this. I, personally, just don't get it. Don't these kids get hungry? Don't their parent make them eat fruits and veggies? And what kid doesn't like fruit?

I might be being really smug here, because we never had any problems with boy when he was younger. I came into his life when he was five, and at that point, he ate just about anything, except lettuce. Veggies, fruits, just about anything else, he was good to go. He even ate chinese and indian food at that age.

Precious baby isn't picky either. At two years, four months, she eats most things, and will try just about anything. Last night she ate chicken breast (not fried or nuggets!), broccoli (no cheese sauce) and quinoa for dinner. She eats just about any kind of fruit, most veggies (she's not a big fan of asparagus) and loves rice, noodles, any kind of cheese, nuts, loves every type of bean we've ever fed her, etc.

We try to eat very healthy at home, because Hubby and I are concerned about our health (and weight) but we also want to be a good influence to our children. We've made a point of eating dinner as a family and eating healthy foods and having the kids eat the same things we do. We don't fix special meals for the kids.

Recently, there have been several cook books that promote the idea of hiding veggies and fruits in foods that your kid will eat... like adding pureed cauliflower to macaroni and cheese, for instance. I am of two minds about this. I have a real problem with the idea of hiding healthy food in what appears to be "junk" food... it seems like you, the parent, aren't doing what you should be doing here... which is teaching your child to appreciate healthy foods so that they will make good food choices when they are old enough to do so. And your kid isn't going to learn to eat his veggies this way, he could get the wrong information... that macaroni and cheese is actually good for you.

On the other hand, I know that there are some parents out there with kids that will only eat a few things. I suppose for them, these books are a great idea... But I just think it wins the battle and not the war.

I always wondered about the picky kid, and about what his parents eat. I have an answer. I have a friend who is a very, very picky eater. She often turns down dinner invitations with friends becasue she thinks they will cook something she doesn't like. Her son, age three, is just like her. won't eat anything, other than strawberry yogurt. Which I suppose is better than nothing, but geez, he won't even eat cheerios!

So I guess the question is, is this learned behavior or is it genetic? I've heard of developmental theories that say that children develope food aversions at a certain age as a sort of left-over survival mechanisim. Wonder if that could be true?

2008-01-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

My precious baby girl is talking up a storm, and sometimes I'm not loving what comes out of her mouth.
She goes to nursery school, and has a lot of interaction with other children her age. Her teachers tell me that they are very impressed with her verbal skills, and that she is very good about using her words to express her feelings, rather than hitting, kicking or biting.
But when she says something like "don't push me!" when she is sitting in her chair eating her cheerios, it just suprises me. The other day, I picked her up and gave her a kiss, and she said,

"Don't kiss me!"

"Why baby?" I asked. "I love giving you kisses."

I guess it was more like a joke for her, because when I said that she started giggling and burried her head on my shoulder.

But I suppose I shouldn't be so concerend, after all, she is the most cuddly little person ever, she just loves to climb all over me and her Daddy, and snuggle up to us for story time, or just about anytime, for that matter.

2008-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

Precious baby is an addict. And I'm her enabler. I am speaking, of course, of the binky. Precious baby loves her binky. And at two years, nearly four months, I am thinking it is high time to wean her from it.

Yesterday I took Precious baby to Costco. She loves to go there, because she eats all the samples that store employees give out, and she likes riding in the cart. While we were cruising past the frozen food, I noticed that Precious baby had lost her binky. I hoped that she had left the binky in the car, but even then, I knew that was unlikely. At that point, we had been all over the store. I wasn't about to re-trace my steps looking for it. I went over to the pharmacy area, but Costco doesn't sell binkys (that must be the only thing they don't sell...except for ricotta cheese...). I was pretty sure I didn't have a handy spare in the car, or at home.

So I decided we would try to wean her from the binky. I didn't mention it again. We went home, and precious baby played and giggled with mommy, daddy and her big brother all afternoon. At bedtime, we went upstairs and when she asked for the binky, I said, "you're a big girl, binkys are for babies. You don't need that. "

she seemed ok until I went to put her down in her bed. And then she screamed. And screamed. She was not happy about the lack of binky. Her Daddy came upstairs to assist me. I explained that it was binky weaning time and went downstairs. Her Daddy seemed to get her to calm down pretty fast.

But, sensing it wouldn't last, I grabbed a flashlight and looked under the living room sofa, and there, back among the dust bunnies, I saw one... a bright orange and green binky. I reached under the sofa and fished it out. Dirty, but it would be just fine after a wash-off.

I went in to the kitchen and washed the binky. I heard Hubby comming down the stairs... and then, like clockwork, I heard precious baby start to scream again. I looked at Hubby.

"I have one binky in reserve.... do you think we should let her have it?"

"Give me that," Hubby said. He snatched it from the counter and ran back upstairs.

Magically, Precious baby quieted right down. So, I guess it's not time yet. It seems that Precious baby isn't ready to give it up yet, but, I don't think we are either.

Score: Precious Baby- 645,208. Mommy and Daddy- 0.

2008-01-17T06:47:00.000-08:00

1/2 marathon training continues. I'm working on running longer distances now. Last weekend I ran 8 miles... this weekend I need to run 9, and then 10 the weekend after that. Then I need to take it wasy, since the race is mid february and I'll need to lay off the running the week before the race to make sure that my legs are well rested and ready to go.

I'm just getting a little frustrated though... it seems like I'm not losing any more weight... and I really want to keep loosing, because the less I weigh, the easier it is to run, and the less stress it places on my joints. Of course, I also want to be thinner for our trip this summer... but I still have a few months to make that happen. The race is in one month, and I'd like to be lighter... it's hard to run when you're heavy, which I know from experience... when I first started to run again after precious baby was born, I weighed about 190... and boy did that hurt my joints, and even my feet, trying to run at that weight!!!!

I just want to finish the half marathon. I'm not terribly hung up on the time, and I don't have any illusions about qualifying for some other race, but it sure would be nice to maintain a ten minute mile pace. that would work out to two hours, ten minutes for the entire race... I hope I can do that, or close to it... I've been running shorter distances at they gym with an average pace of 6.5 to 7 miles per hour, which is about 8-9 minute miles, so, If I slow it down to a ten minute mile pace, that would do it, right there.

2008-01-15T07:27:00.000-08:00

I love indian food. So does hubby, and in fact, so do B and A, our bestest friends. So on Sunday, we all decided to get together and cook a big indian feast. And did we! When we got to Band A's house, B had already cooked Chicken corma, and Saag Paneer, and somekind of wonderfull eggplant potatoe curry, and a fabulous basmati rice pilaf as well. I quickly got to work on the Lamb Rogan Josh, which is Hubby's favorite... lamb cubes with potato in a rich, tomatoe-y, yogurt sauce, with plenty of sauce left for dipping Naan bread into. It takes a time, because the recipe requires that the dish be cooked until almost all the water evaporates , until the ingrediants are like a dry paste, two or three times before it's ready. So, you have to stand over it and stir it almost constantly, to keep everything from burning. But, at the end, you add in some yogurt and water to make the sauce, and you're rewarded with the best, richest, most flavorful sauce ever. It is so worth it.
Of course, for four people, one teeneager and one toddler, it was all way too much food (B even made two different riattas and made Roti as well!). So, we divvied up the leftovers, and now I have all this wonderful, home-made indian food packed into containers just waiting for Hubby and I to eat.

2008-01-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

So this week was my first "kid injury" as a mommy and boy, it was horrible. On wednesday, prescious baby fell and busted open her lower lip on the playground at nursery school. They called me and told me about it, and I came down there to see her. As soon as I saw the cut, I could tell she needed stitches, so off to the ER we went. The doctor came in , and looked at the cut, and at her teeth, which were fine, thank goodness, and said, yes, the cut needed stitches, but that they were going to have to put her under to do it. I guess I can see that, I mean, what two year old, or even adult, would sit still while someone stitched up the inside of your mouth? OUCH!
So they got her into a hospital gown, and got her all hooked up to all kinds of monitors... which was just horrible to see.... I hated seeing my little girl like that! But then they injected her with the drugs to put her under... and that was worse! I was just killing me to see her like that, so little and helpless! I stayed in the room while they stitched her up, but I couldn't watch the procedure... it was just too much. I cried quietly the whole time.
After it was over they waited about twenty minutes and then we started trying to wake her up. She really didn't want to wake up, so it took a while and she was so fussy and I felt so bad. Finally, she woke up and drank some juice and they let her go home with us. For the rest of the night she refused to eat, drank very little, and only wanted to be held by one of us. It was just terrible. I never, ever want to go through that again.
She's better now, and in fact she went back to nursery school today... but the whole episode just, well, haunts me... I was so scared she wouldn't wake up, would have some kind of reaction to the meds, you can imagine. I could envision every single bad thang that could have happened. None of them did, but still, it was an experience that I think was far scarier for me than it was for her.

2008-01-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

So we did have our cowboy christmas, and it was fabulous! Hubby's brisket turned out so, so well, that even the left overs made the best BBQ sandwitches.
The holidays just seemed to roll by this year, and by new years, I was actually glad that it was over. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, and new years especially was a good time, but it was just so busy, so full of going here and doing this and seeing so-and-so, that by the time it was over, I needed a holiday from the holiday. It was actually a relief to take down the christmas tree and come back to work.
Of course, now it's time to think about the spring, which, should start soon, here, and the half marathon. I'm still running and trying to eat better (even though I took the week of the holidays off) and I am happy to say that I now seem to be a size 8. I say that because I can wear my size 8 jeans, and a size 8 skirt, with out feeling like a stuffed sausage. Now, of course, I also have a pair of skinny size 10 bananna republic pants that are too tight... but I'm working on it. I have got to be thinner by the time I run this half marathon, but especially for our Hawaii trip. I just can't go on the trip of a life time as a fatso. And for me, where I am right now, 160, is big. It's better than I was, and I'm trying not to obscess so hard on the scale number, but it's difficult. Although, it was nice to see that I actually didn't gain (and in fact lost about two pounds) over the holiday.

2007-12-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

We are having a cowboy christmas this year. We live in Austin Texas, and our chances of having a white christmas are the same as a snowball's chance in .... oh, you get the idea. To add insult to injury, it's probably going to be fairly warm (60s or maybe even 70s) on christmas day. Add to that that Hubby doesn't like turkey all that much, even though he makes the best smoked one around, and also dislikes ham, and you run out of options when you're the hosting the meal on the big day.
So, Hubby is going to smoke a brisket. My mom is making her famous picnic potato salad and a pecan pie, which I'll serve with bluebell vanilla bean ice cream. I'll make homemade charo beans. We'll serve as much "texas" themed food as I can think of, even for appetisers... sugared pecans, chips and salsa, and grilled jalepeno poppers... which are pickled jalepenos, filled with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and grilled. So good! We're even having my brother and his family come over, so I'm really looking forward to having a good time with my family this year.

2007-12-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone? Thanksgiving seems like a distant memory. Boy's 13th Birthday was on December 2, so the family made the annual pilgrimage to Dave and Busters... my favorite place. No, really... not at all.
Then between work and getting ready for Christmas, what you have is no time to write. I have done some shopping, tonight, in fact... gotta love amazon dot com, always open and inexpensive to boot... and free shipping! I picked up some movies for Hubby and boy, and books for both boy and precious baby.
The lights are up and the tree is lit, and actually... it looks pretty good. This is the first year we've put lights up since we moved in to this house. The first Christmas after we moved in, Precious Baby was a newborn, so you know there was no way we were ever going to get around to hanging lights that year. Last year, she was still only just a year old, and honestly, I couldn't find the time to nag Hubby and boy to do it. But this year, Hubby and Boy actually volunteered to do it, or as Hubby put it, "do it voluntarily before you wear it out asking me." At any rate, I'm really glad he and Boy hung the lights. It looks so festive, and Precious baby just thinks the whole thing is so magical. Now I know why parents love the holidays; it's that look of wonder in the eyes of your little ones that could melt the coldest heart.
What I'm really looking forward to, though, is the Trail of Lights, an annual Christmas light display in the park here in town. Every year it gets better and better... it's a true spectacle. At the end of the walk (approximately a mile) you come to huge, I mean really huge (5 stories, maybe) Christmas tree. The tree itself isn't actually a tree, it's a bunch of huge light strings suspended from a moontower. Since it's actually open, you can run right under the tree and twirl around until you fall down, dizzy from both the spinning and the magic of the holiday.
But, as far as I'm concerned, the best part about the Trail of Lights is the story that Boy can tell precious baby. A few years ago, (OK, more than few) Boy won a coloring contest. As first prize, he got to actually light the giant Christmas tree... meaning that he got to stand on stage in the park on the first night of the Trail of Lights and he flipped the big switch for the tree with the mayor. Not too many kids can say they lit the Zilker Tree... and I'm looking forward to hearing boy tell precious baby this story as they twirl around under that big tree, falling down on the ground, dizzy from the magic spell that the holidays cast on all of us.

2007-11-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

So I am continuing to train for the half marathon... it's the ATT Half Marathon on February 17, 2008. 13. 1 miles of running. I've been running for a while, and I was even up to running ten mile long runs earlier this year, before I was felled by our intense summer heat. I am currently running 5-6 days per week, but to start serious training next week, I'll have to back off of that a bit. I'll be running four days a week, and I'll start with 4-5-4-7... that's four miles, day off, five miles, day off, 4 miles, day off, and then the long run, starting at 7 miles but working my way up to 12 eventually.
I'll be picking up the repaired tires for my jogging stroller this weekend, which will be great... I'll be able to do the weekday runs in the late afternoon with precious baby... as long as it doesn't get too cold. On the days we don't run, I can cycle or do some other type of work out at the Y, especially since, starting next week, precious baby will start attending pre school at the Y... now isn't that convenient! Not to mention less expensive than her current day care. And when it is too cold for precious baby to be in the stroller, well, that's another good time to be at the Y, I can jog on the treadmill.

2007-11-26T06:25:00.000-08:00

Remember that show, "Kids say the darndest things?"
Hosted by no other than the Jello man, Cliff Huxtable, aka Bill Cosby?

Precious Baby was getting a little whiney yesterday afternoon. I asked her,

"Do you want a snack?"

"yesssss! I hungwey!" said precious baby, nodding her head vigorously.

"How about some crackers?"

Precious baby's eyes lit up. "Crac-quors! Crack-quors!" She gleefully sang out. I tried really, really hard not to laugh.... it sounded just like crack whores.

Somehow, I just don't think she'd make the cut for prime time with that one.

2007-11-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

So another thanksgiving has come and gone. Hubby made a fantastic Smoked turkey again this year. It was even better than the one he made last year. I also made a oven roasted turkey for those who don't like smoked... but we sure had a lot less smoked turkey left overs than we had roasted turkey left overs. I've got the bones and carcasses on the stove right now, making a big pot of stock. Yum.

It was good thanksgiving on the family front too. We had my brother and sister in law here, along with my mother and father in law. Historically, I haven't always seen eye to eye with my MIL, but this year was better than ever... while we may never be the best of buds, we sure are getting along a lot better, and I think we are actually enjoying each other's company, rather than feeling forced into niceness.

Running continues. While I took Thursday and Friday off, I did run six miles on Wednesday, and I intend to run at least five tomorrow. I really do want to run that half marathon in february, but even more importantly, I really, really want to look good when we go to Hawaii in June 08. I've got 7 months.... to go from a 12 to 6. I've got to get there... I just can't imagine the idea of week of sun and fun in Hawaii on cruise ship, in the current shape I'm in. Right now, I can't imagine going out in public in bathing suit. While I don't think I'm going to look perfect as a size 6, well, I'm so far from that now that comparatively, a size 6 would be fantastic! But the only way I'm going to get there is to keep doing what I'm doing... running and watching what I eat. So. time to pick it up again, first thing in the morning. In the meantime.... I am trying to resist the cheesecake, calling my name from the fridge.

2007-11-20T06:29:00.000-08:00

Please check out Blibber Blabber, at www.blibberblabber.com the continuing saga of the Rafels/Wentworth-Young/Delaney Family in Cedar Park, Texas. Especially the photos! Adam and Britany are great friends, and are the Mother and Step father of Andrew, my step son, as well as being precious baby's honorary aunt and uncle.

Suburban Turmoil: Bug Bites and Tutus

2007-11-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Go and check this out....Suburban Turmoil: Bug Bites and Tutus and you'll know exactly what I've been worrying about now that precious baby is talking!

2007-11-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

still not thinner. Still working out. I think I found what works for me, though. Running. I've been douing it a lot... Since the first of October, and I know I'm getting thinner. The scale isn't really budging much and I question how accurate it is, but I know what I'm doing is working because my clothes are getting looser.

Yesterday was meat sauce day... when I make a huge vat of meat sauce and we freeze it up in portioned bags. Making meat sauce is such an effort that I wouldn't make it unless I was making it in quantity. It takes at least five hours of simmering to get it right, but at least it doesn't require a bunch of pot watching. you know it's done and the consistancy is correct when a mixing spoon will stand up in the sauce. I took a picture of that which I'll have to post.

I seem to finally be recovered from my illness of last week. I ran yesterday for the first time in a week. ran four miles and still felt good. I'll be going to run today too.... got to train for that half marathon in february.

thanksgiving this week. Hubby's family comming for dinner. We are doing two turkeys... one over roasted, and one smoked.... Can't wait to have the smoked one... it's my favorite... and Hubby does it really, really well. Everyone else is bringing sides and wine... I just have to do the over roasted turkey that day, and make the stuffing, and I'll make a cheese cake too. Of course, I do have to clean the house.... my mother in law is OCD about housework and I doubt that she's above the white glove test... Not like my house would pass after I clean it either, I mean, hey, I have a toddler and some things are just more important that house work, but at least after I clean the house will look presentable.

Speaking of precious baby, she is barely recognizable from this time last year! She changed so much in just one year! It's really hard to beleive! this picture is of her and I from the Texas Renasance Festival and was taken last weekend. She is such a big girl!!!http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadgetadam/1974286431/in/set-72157603095754866/

2007-02-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

Meh. Weighed myself yesterday. Lost about three pounds. Down to 175. I wanted to weigh less! I've been busting my ass for the last two weeks and a three pound loss was all I got! I was really hoping for about a five pound loss! Oh well. Any loss is a loss and I'll take it. On the upside, my jeans feel better than ever. Hubby washed them yesterday, and we all know how jeans shrink a bit when they are washed, and when I put them on this morning they felt just fine. Hopefully in two weeks they will be loose.

Maybe I'm just getting too hung up on what the scale says. Hubby says I need to be more concerned with how my clothes fit and not concerned with the scale... maybe he's right. It is just a number... but, right now, it's a big number! I guess I wouldn't feel so bad if I were a smaller size... but I guess that's what I'm working out for.

On the positive, I ran at the gym last night on the treadmill for 45 minutes, with relative ease... I say "relative" because it seemed a little tough at first, like for about the first five minutes or so, until I got my rhythem... it's funny, but when I run I can really get into a "groove" where I feel like I could just run for miles (or hours). Last night I ran about 3.5 miles. I'll be running just about the same distance tomorrow, Saturday, pushing Precious baby in the jogging stroller when we do the Lil Longhorn 5K race. I'm not planning to run for time, just for fun and exercise... but I plan to run the whole thing.

Of course, all of the running is a lead up to the Capital 10K, which I want to run this year. In years past, I've run it... I didn't do it last year, and the year before, I was pregnant so I walked it. But I plan to run the whole thing this year... and I'll probably do the Texas Round up too, since by doing so I can get free leave from work, which is always a good thing.

Then of course, tomorrow I need to go shopping for Hubby's valentines gift. I would have done it today at lunch, but my car is in the shop so I'm not going anywhere today. But I've decided what to get him and I know where to go to get it. I won't say what, since, for all I know, he is reading the blog and I don't want to spoil the suprise. But since I will have to go to the mall to get it, that will give me a chance to visit with the bag again at the Coach store. Nothing like a little motivation to keep me going to gym and eating right!

2007-02-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

The weight and handbag obsession is growing! Don't tell, but I went to the Coach outlet yesterday and almost walked out with a Zoe clutch.... cutest thing ever! Also checking out a few authentic satchels on a "popular auction site".

It's so hard to resist! I didn't see any really great (read, cheap) prices yesterday, other than the clutch, but I managed to hold out. I did not see my Legacy handbag... but was not surprised that it was not at the outlet. I did, however, allow myself to purchase a $10 key ring... a shiny, glittery star... so cute! And some leather conditioner to keep my bags looking good.

Getting on the scale today for a weigh in... worried. I've been working hard, and I really want to see some progress... I am afraid I'll only see a one pound loss after two weeks. Any loss is good, but I want to be thin now!

I know, I know.. being obsessive. Hubby would just shake his head in wonderment if he could read my inner thoughts... heck, if he read this blog! I've invited him here, but he just smiles and says no thanks... just watch though, he really is reading it... and probably sitting somewhere, shaking his head in wonderment at how his wife could be so OCD.

2007-02-06T10:49:00.000-08:00

So the contractor who was supposed to come and give us a bid never showed up on Saturday and didn't even give me courtesy call to say he wasn't going to make it! Some people. Well, I just won't be spending my hard earned dollars with you. It did tick me off though... because we planned our Saturday morning around that appointment... we all went to the gym... I worked out while precious baby went to the playroom, and Boy and Hubby played basketball. I cut my workout short just to make sure we would be home on time, and then he no-showed. I really just don't want to deal with someone who doesn't take my time seriously.

We had such a busy weekend! We had our annual superbowl party on Sunday night and it was fun...of course I had no emotional investment in the game and I barely watched it... I was more interested in the much hyped Kevin Federline commercial than I was in the game. But, I did work out this weekend, both days, and I sure am glad I did so, since we had so much good food at the party! I still felt guilty about eating it... deep dish pizza, hot dogs, sausage... but at least I had worked out, so I felt a little less guilty... so hopefully the one day of pigging out didn't make too much of a negative impact.

One other thing I did this weekend was to get started on organizing my/hubby's closet. I found all kinds of clothing that I had forgotten that I had... a lot of which hopefully fits, now that I'm losing weight. I also filled a huge bag to the top of clothing and shoes to give to charity. It felt really good to purge all that junk from my closet and neaten up... I feel better just walking into the closet now that I can see all of my stuff, hanging up or neatly folded. Now I just need some open shelving for my growing handbag collection... I'd like to have nice open shelves with some lighting... and I'd like to hand a door sized mirror on the inside of the closet door so I can see myself full length.

Speaking of handbags, I'll be weighing myself this Thursday... two weeks since the last time. Hopefully I'll be able to post some good progress. I am wearing a size 10 A-line skirt today, but skirts are much more forgiving than pants, and especially jeans. But my 12s are nice and comfortable... not to tight, not too loose... so I think I'm making some progress. Can't wait to get that handbag... it's taking quite some restraint not to go buy it right now. But, I know it will be all the sweeter since I'll have earned it, and I'll look so much better carrying it, since I'll be thinner.

2007-02-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

The renovation quest continues. We've got one bid for cutting the doorway through our living room wall. We have another contractor coming this Saturday morning to give us another bid. I'm going to buy the flashing and arrange for the concrete to be poured next weekend. I am ready to get this show on the road! I want my new (old) porch as soon as possible! By my birthday (in weeks) if possible!

I'm just so ready to get this done. I'm also excited about the fact that it is going to make us throw a lot of things away, or give them to good will. We have bunch of stuff in boxes in this little storage area of the game room. Hubby said to me the other day that we should leave that room there instead of demolishing it along with the rest of the game room. When I asked why, he said "well, we have all that stuff in there." I for one, think it should all be thrown away, except for his guitars and amp... the rest of it, well, I don't think we've gone looking for anything in those boxes in the two years we've lived in the house. If we haven't needed the stuff in the last two years, we don't need it period, in my book, and we should pitch it. Throwing things away like that makes Hubby a bit nervous... I think he'd be an outrageous pack rat if given half the chance.

I continue to work out. I did weights yesterday and started to get a little bit of a headache again... Hubby says maybe it's because I'm not hydrated enough. So, I'll be carrying a water bottle with me at the gym from now on.

I think I'm getting somewhere with it too... I tried on some of my pre- pregnancy clothes last night and noticed that they were fitting a lot better... In fact tomorrow I'm going to wear a suit that I haven't worn in almost two years... thank goodness it's plain and classic, and therefore not out of style.

2007-01-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

Went to go visit my motivation for losing weight today. Sigh. Even Prettier than I thought it would be from the website. Especially in the whiskey color. Took everything I had not to walk out of the store with it.
But I did get myself a little something... a purple leather photo frame heart charm. Just right for a little picture of precious baby.
I went to the gym last night... and got the worst headache ever! I had just started lifting weights and was using the leg press machine when suddenly I got the most horrible pain, right on the top of my head! It was so bad it brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't finish the work out. I couldn't even finish the weights. I grabbed precious baby and went home, trying really hard not to cry the whole way, my head hurt so bad. I took a 600 mg motrin... which didn't take the pain away completely.. it just took the edge off. Hubby thinks that the headache was caused by not eating enough protein. Maybe he's right... he works out religiously, so I guess he would know. And I didn't eat much protein yesterday, so hopefully, that's it. I'll go to the gym and do cardio today (no weights). I'm just going to have to work out on Friday, which is usually my off day, but since I left the gym yesterday after doing one set of weights, I'm going to count it as my off day. That way I still get my six days in --- especially after visiting the Legacy today...you better believe I'm going to get one!!!

2007-01-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, so no size 10. I think the 12s I bought on Friday at old navy were actually 14s and were Mislabeled... I compared them to other 12s and they were definitely much bigger. So I bought some real 12s, and they fit. Now my 14s are too big.
I worked out on both Saturday and Sunday too. And I watched my portions and ate healthy, not junk... Except for Friday night, when we met friends and ate buffalo wings. But at least I worked out like a fiend on Saturday, so maybe that helped.
I did portion up plenty of healthy snacks for this week, so I won't be snacking on junk when I get home. Endame, celery sticks and even blanched asparagus. Yummy!
I'm really committing myself to working out, eating better and getting thinner. I really want the legacy bag, but I think it's even getting beyond that now. I just want to feel better and to look better. I saw my friend Brit at a birthday party on Saturday night and she even commented that I was looking slimmer. It made my day.
So here it is... I will work out six days this week and I will watch my portions, drink water first, before I eat, to make sure I'm not just thirsty, and just drink more water PERIOD. I will eat healthy and not eat junk.
That's really going to be hard on Sunday... Superbowl Sunday... And we are having our yearly superbowl party... Which means junk food. Ouch. But Brit will be there, and she's committed to healthy eating too, so I'll have an ally to help keep me in line. I'll also make sure that we have lots of veggies and low calorie dip to eat, so I won't be so tempted by the queso and buffalo wings.

2007-01-26T06:23:00.000-08:00

So, as promised, yesterday I weighed myself. Shudder. 178. 2 pounds lost. God, is that all? I had really hoped for more than that! At this rate, the Legacy Handbag that I want will be discontinued before I get my hands on it.

So, I'm going to have to step up on the work out and work much harder to control my portions at dinner. Last night I didn't do so well with the portion thing. I made a chicken and rice dish in the crock pot for dinner. It had carrots in it, but there weren't enough veggies for my taste. I sauteed some red pepper, yellow squash and zucchini (my favorites!) to add to my plate. Problem is, I had two more plates of chicken and rice after that. I have got to stop the seconds and thirds. So, I'm going to start preparing a lot more veggies for every meal. I figure, If I feel the need to eat more, then at least let it be veggies, and not things like rice or other starchy stuff. Also, I need to drink more water before and during the meal. Maybe if I fill up more on water I'll eat less?

I'm also going to have to work out more. The four day a week plan that I've been on obviously isn't doing enough. I'm going to have to start working out six days a week. I figure that Friday will be my off day, which makes sense, since we always seem to be so busy on Fridays... Especially the Fridays when we have to pick up Boy for the weekend.

So, the plan is...

More water at dinner both before, during and after... In fact, if I feel the need to eat more, I should drink a glass of water first.
Watch my portions... No more than one portion of the meat or starch at any meal
More veggies at every meal
Work out six days per week

Starting now.

Update:

I went shopping at lunch at old navy. My size 14 jeans were just too loose. I had purchased them on new years eve and they seemed tight then... I know they stretch a little but even freshly washed they are too loose. I purchased a pair of very comfortable size 12s. Maybe Hubby is right. Maybe I am getting thinner. Eating snap beans and low fat ranch dip in celebration. Told you I would eat more veggies!

Yet Another Update:

After wearing the new 12s for about 10 minutes, I am convinced that they are too big too... especially in the waist... they feel like they are going to fall off and there semms to be about 2 inches to spare in the waist band! I'm going to stop by Old Navy on the way home... and try on some 10s!

2007-01-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

So as mentioned some time back in this blog, I mean to take better care of myself. That means, primarily, eat better, exercise more, and lose weight. I've been doing pretty well on the eat better front. Every time Hubby has to have LJS (evil, fried fish and chicken... And 990 calories for each meal he eats, and he eats 2!) I have resisted. I eat fruit, or a salad or veggies and dip. I eat oatmeal everyday for breakfast. I eat fruit every day... Lately I've been on a grapefruit kick... I eat a large one every day. I eat a salad or soup for lunch. I try to eat a sensible dinner. That has been my downfall... The dinner is usually sensible, but I think my portions at dinner are just out of control. Yesterday I ate a salad for dinner and two helpings of spaghetti, when I should have only had one. I also find it hard to resist snacking right when I get home... So maybe I need to be snacking on something good... Like carrot sticks and celery, instead of cheese. I have been going to the gym regularly... Well, except for last week, when the entire city shut down for three days due to icy conditions... I didn't go to the gym at all last week. But I went right back this week. And I'm trying to run more because I want to run the big 10K race this year. And I want to look ok doing it... No really, I want to look fabulous, but I'm not sure I'm going to get there that fast.

Last time I weighed myself, I was so disappointed. 180. Horrible. I think I might have lost a little... Hubby says I look thinner, and I recently bought some jeans that are smaller... And they feel a little big... But maybe they stretch when I wear them? I don't know. I guess I need to weigh myself. And the place to do it is at the gym. So I guess I'm going to face that monster today. ***shaking with fear*** I am not looking forward to it. I'd really hate to see no progress at all, since I've really been trying.

But I want to motivate myself. And If I can stick with it, and see some results, I want to get myself this. http://www.coach.com/content/product.aspx?product_no=8555&category_id=68
Beautiful, Isn't it?

2007-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

So as I mentioned before, we had some seriously wild weather last week. Snow and Ice. Between the MLK holiday, snow days and Confederate hero's day, I was home all of last week with Precious Baby.

It was wonderful. I could so totally be a Stay at home mom. It felt so good to play with her all week, to chase her around, to read stories whenever she came to me with one of her books (pretty much all the time) and to just be there with her. I wish, wish wish I could stay home with her, but we just can't afford it.

Boo.

2007-01-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

Insanity continues to ensue. Last Saturday, January 13th, we had torrential rainstorms here in our part of Texas. As a result, the game room at my house flooded. Yep, that's right... Water coursed in, under the walls and soaked my rugs. Luckily, my antique desk, the computer tower and hubby's big screen TV were all spared.

Hubby and I had been planning to renovate the game room and make it nicer, and in fact had planned to start that weekend, but not now. The game room had, at one time, actually been a covered porch that ran the entire length of the back of our house. At some point, a previous owner decided to enclose the porch. It was obvious that they hadn't done the best job, which is why Hubby and I were planning to renovate. But, after the flood waters receded, Hubby started cutting away at the lower walls to determine the extent of the water damage. That was when he discovered just how badly the job had been done. He also found evidence of another, previous flood, and that a section near the back door was rotted out.

"We should just tear it down and expand into the garage," Hubby said after spending some quality time with a saw and a prybar on the gameroom drywall. "It's going to cost us more to fix it than it's worth."

"Are you serious?" I asked. "Can we please do that?" I suddenly had visions of the gameroom replaced by a large, covered porch that ran the length of the back of the house. Posts covered in climbing, flowering vines. My lemon tree nested among potted ferns. A large rattan sette covered with pillows and my outdoor dining table and chairs suddenly having a proper home.

So, we are going to do it. We looked at the garage and consulted Brother in Law, who worked for his dad, a general contractor, for many years. The garage needs to have some concrete poured to raise the foundation to the level of the rest of the house, and we need to install an interior wall to partition the laundry area from the new gameroom. We will recycle the windows from the old gameroom and install them in the opening where the garage door is. This will actually work perfectly because the windows from the current gameroom match the windows in the front of the house, so reusing them will create a sense of continuity when the addition is finished. Once the garage is finished, we will need to hire a contractor to cut an entryway into the new gameroom from our living room wall.

Once that is finished and the furniture is out of the old gameroom, the fun will really begin. We will have to install posts and lintels to support the existing roof, and once that's done, it's time to knock down the walls! I've promised Boy that he can wield a sledgehammer on this project. He is genuinely excited.

Finally, I will have the back porch I've always wanted. And it just took a flood to get there.

2007-01-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

So it's 2007....
And the holidays are over, thank goodness. I'll go into THAT later. But right now, I'm going to get shallow and snipey. Mr. Blackwell issued his Worst Dressed List yesterday, and so I guess it inspired me. It's time to talk style, and being that it is 2007, I think it bears mentioning... And that something is... Mall bangs.

yes, mall bangs. Circa 1988.

We all know what I'm talking about here... They start very high on the head and are curled, teased and sprayed until they stand about 6 inches off the head. Often, they were worn with a poodle perm, but it was also quite common to see them with long straight, stringy hair too... This was the WT version of the mall bang.

This came to my attention this morning, as I walked through the cube farm to my office. A resident of the cube farm sports an outrageous WT version of the mall bang. http://www.naughtysecretaryclub.com/BigBangs.htm (Please note that the pictures on this site are merely examples... None of them actually depict the offender I am discussing.) I'd noticed it before, but what really called my attention to it this morning was that (we'll call her) HJ had the rest of her hair pulled back in pony tail, which just really seemed to highlight the insanity that is her mall bang. In fact, HJ's mall bang is so impressive that when she sits at her computer with her back to the lane between cubes, her bangs are clearly visible above and to the sides of her head to all passers by. That's right... Her bangs are visible above and to the sides of her head... from behind.

Now, I don't know how old HJ is. I would guess that she is a few, maybe three, years older than me. I am thirty three, so she is maybe 36? My point regarding her age, is that for crying out loud, mall bangs went out in 1988!!!! It is 2007... That is almost 20, yes TWENTY years ago! I am trying to imagine being stuck in the same beauty rut for 20 years. Dear me. 20 years ago, I was 13. I thought merlot colored hair and fedoras were cool. Thank goodness I'm passed that phase. For proof, click the link. I'm the one without bangs. http://www.flickr.com/photos/gadgetadam/341343665/in/set-72157594452738704/

I really wonder about these folks who get themselves stuck in ruts like this. I can't imagine wearing the same haircut that I had 5 years ago, or wearing the same lipstick shade. Twenty years? Whoa! You have to wonder if these folks have lost their eyesight? And why, oh why have their loving families and friends not staged an intervention on them? Would you let your friends walk around sporting mall bangs? I sure wouldn't. On my planet, at least, friends don't let friends wear mall bangs, or flash dance sweatshirts, or mom jeans, or Christmas sweaters... You get the idea.

Honestly, ***snarkeyness follows*** I really want to just go get a garden hose and spray down HJ's bangs until they are flat on her forehead like bangs should be... like my friend Brit's bangs in the photo I've linked. Of course, given the insane amounts of Aqua Net hairspray that the mall bang requires, a garden hose might not be sufficient. Maybe a fire hose.

I made a lot of new years resolutions this year. One more that needs to be made by all is to take what ever action is necessary to eliminate the mall bangs. Really, mall bangs are the female equivelent of the mullet... and I think we can all agree how much that needs to go. Yes, you, Billy Ray Cyrus. And if you are the one wearing the mall bangs, well, time to find a fire hose, OK? Before I do it for you.

2006-12-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

The holiday hoopla just keeps coming. Last Friday, Precious baby particpated in her school's christmas pagent. Her group was first, the 12 to 18 moth olds. All the cute little kiddies were dressed up in their holiday finery and they sat on the stage and were supposed to ring jingle bells while the music director played and sang two christmas carols. As you can imagine, there was one kid who got up and ran around, and one who cried. Some of the kids remembered what they were supposed to do and actually rang the bells, but not Precious Baby! She decided that it was better to chew on the bells. In the time it took to hear two short songs, she managed to completely soaked the ribbon that tied the bells together.

But she looked so cute! She was wearing this dress http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?cid=16260&pid=422955
with a pair of white tights. I had also purchased a little pair of mary jane shoes for her to wear, but when we got her dressed, we discovered that the size five shoes were WAY too big! She tried to take a step and stepped right out of the shoes! She ended up wearing the little blue and green "froggie" robeez that she wears every day. Ok, it might have looked a little funny, but at least she had shoes on her feet that she could walk in! Hubby said, "well, we just won't take pictures of her feet!" She still looked so, so cute.

Christmas shopping continues. This weeked I'll have to buy a cordless controller for the #@!% xbox that we purchased for the Boy (really for Hubby!) and gifts for precious baby. I've already bought Hubby a gift... shhhhhh... tickets to the Alamo Bowl, so he can cheer on his beloved longhorns. The only other thing is that I guess I'm going to order that short sleeve Ireland rugby from Canterburry of New Zealand for Hubby for our aniversary. I don't know what we were thinking, with Boy's birthday, Christmas and our anivesary in the same month.

The exercising continues. I have managed to get to the gym at least twice a week since I first posted about it... I haven't been running as much as I should though, and I really should be working out three times a week. But although I may not look better (I can't tell) I think I am stronger. On saturday night we made dinner for my BIL and SIL and their two year old, C. C likes to play in the kitchen while I cook. On this paticular night, I decided to pick him up and balance him on my hip while I cooked dinner. Precious baby was in the highchair at the table, so I scooped C up and talked to him about what I was doing while I cooked. He's a big boy, but I found him easy to hold. Later, his mom told me she was surprised that I had held him so long because he is so heavy. She told me that he weighs 30 pounds! I must be getting stronger, because I know that not long ago I would have had to put him down after just a few minutes!

2006-11-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

So I usually don't admit this to many people, but, take deep breath... Big confession coming.... I enjoy celebrity tabloid type gossip. It' s silly. It's pure escapism. And it's funny. That said, I am sad to see that a certain newly single, mother of two pop star has been photographed repeatedly in the past week or so without undies! What is she thinking? Come on Britany, I was never a big fan of your music, but after you had kids, I felt for you... It seemed like you were having some problems adjusting to motherhood and boy, did you make some big mistakes (the car seat, the highchair, etc) but I really was pulling for you.

That is, until you started hanging out with youknowwho, the super skank, and adopting her underpantsless habits. What is up with the crotch flashing?! Come on now, you're a mother of two! I realize that you are young and want to just get out and party some... And that you probably have a lot of steam to blow off after putting up with your scum of a soon to be exhusband.... But really, keep in mind that your two sons are your priority now! After all, do you really think that what you are doing is setting a good example for them? Do you really want them to google you name and see these pictures as soon as they are old enough to reach a keyboard and spell Mommy's name? How do you plan on explaining the pictures to them? What are they doing and who is taking care of them while you are partying all night with the superskank? And who takes care of them while you sleep it off? How much time are you really spending with them anyway, between your hard core partying and the hangover that is sure to follow? Doesn't seem to leave much time to be a parent, now does it?

I have a daughter who is just a month younger than your oldest. I know how much attention they need at this age... And I remember how much she needed when she was an infant. You have two under two... I can't see how you have time to pee in private, much less get a bad weave and party with the skanks all night.

I feel really sorry for your children. Based on how much your photographed without them, I can't see how you spend much of any time with them. They are being raised by nannys and servants, huh? What they really need is you.

Wake up Brit. Stay home with your kids and stop flashing your vag. We know you have one. After all, that's how you got the two kiddos, no?

2006-11-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a very good turkey day. Hubby smoked a 14 pound turkey. It was so good! He had never smoked a turkey before, so, he did a lot of research as to temperature and cooking time. He also determined that we should brine the turkey overnight before smoking. So, the day before thanksgiving, we made a simple brine and dropped the turkey in, overnight. The next day, Thursday, Hubby woke up at 6 AM to start the fire. I was hoping that Precious Baby would sleep for a bit longer so I could prep the turkey before we put it on the fire, but no such luck. She was giggling and grinning at me as soon as her daddy got out of bed. So, she got up with me and played on the floor while I made fresh herb butter (rosemary, italian parsley and sage... mmmm!) and then smeared the butter all over the turkey. I also placed a some carrots, celery, an onion, an apple and some rosemary inside the cavity of the bird to add flavor. Finally, I covered the breast with pancetta. The turkey went into the smoker at half past 7. that left me the rest of the day to make green beans almondine and some dressing. The rest of the side dishes were made and brought by our guests. My friend Caroline and her husband brought pumpkin bread, sweet potatoes, and apple piue and some bruchetta. My sister and brother in law brought mashed potatoes and a pumpkin pie. My parents came and brought plenty of wine. We opened our antique dining table out to comfortably seat eight adults and it was just perfect. The turkey came out wonderfully... it took eight hours to smoke to absolute perfection.. it was juicy and tender and so flavorful. Everyone loved it... my dad, who kisses no one's ass even told Hubby that he really had done it perfectly. The deserts were excellent too. All in all, it was a great thanksgiving and honestly, I look forward to doing it again next year.
Of course, now christmas is coming. And the fun really starts this weekend... which is Boy's 12th Birthday! His grandparents are coming from Houston to see him and we'll put up the tree this weekend. I also plan to make Boy and Hubby hang lights outside. We didn't do it last year, because we were so consumed with precious baby, who was just a little newborn, and I really missed having the lights. I want Hubby and Boy to wrap the columns of the front porch, run lights along the roof line of the porch, and put lights in the trees. We also ordered a wreath and I'm waiting for it to arrive so I can hang it on the front door. Watch out, Martha Stweart! Rrrrright.

2006-11-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

It's cold today!
I'm so glad. Here in our part of Texas, it seems like it's never winter... In fact we never have seasons... Just warm and hot. I actually got to wear my favorite 3/4 length leather coat and I dressed precious baby in her new winter coat... A little velvet swing coat number! So cute! Now she just needs a cute little fair isle knit cap with ears that ties under the chin!

Ok, I'm closet fashionista... I just lack the execution. I really want to look nice, and put together and wear makeup, etc... But I end up looking like a frump. I think part of it is that I'm still carrying around more pounds than I'd like. I've been running, and for a while it seemed to work, but I think I've hit a plateau. I've read up on best shape of your life and something called the five factor, and I think that kind of a blend of these two approaches might work for me. So, I'm going to try to work out at the gym every other day, doing a few "major muscle group " moves to muscle failure, and then do some intense cardio for about 15 minutes. On the off days, I'll continue to run. I like running, because it allows me to be with Precious baby... She loves the jogging stroller! She just giggles away the entire ride.

Now, if I can just stick to that, and see some results, I think I'll be more motivated to do more with my appearance... I'd like to have a more fashionable hair style. Right now, my hair is long- to the middle of my back, all one length, uncolored and badly in need of a trim. I've had long layers before, so I'd kind of like to go back to that, maybe just longer overall. Really, what I want is hair that looks like a shampoo commercial... Long, thick, bouncy... And with totally no effort. Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen. Realistically, any style I choose over what I have now is going to require more than the wash and wear I do now. Funny, there was a time when I got up every morning and did the wash/dry/style routine.... What happened? Oh, yeah, I had a child. I suddenly learned to value sleep over style.

2006-11-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

The sickness train continues. Hubby came home last night, complaining that he still didn't feel well. He took his temperature and he did have a low grade fevor. Apparently, he thinks that being sick means that he is entitled to lay in bed complaining and not doing anything around the house. While I know he didn't feel well and I can certainly sypathize, it really is hard to do everything your self while holding a cranky 13 month old who cries as soon as you put her down. Parenting doesnt stop because you don't feel well. I know I was sick the night before, but I still had to get up and take care of precious baby everytime she woke up. Oh well. He calmed down soon after. I think his outburst was just prompted by not feeling well.

Then, last night right before she went to sleep, precious baby threw up again! She hadn't been sick since Sunday. And boy was it a lot. All over me, all over the bed. Poor thing! She was so scared! It took me a while to calm her down, then she nursed and went to sleep. Luckily, she wasn't sick during the night, but, of course, now I'm pretty worried that she hasn't really gotten over being sick.

At least Hubby seems to be recovered this morning!

2006-11-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

Being ill sucks.
Precious Baby was sick this weekend. Now it seems that I have gotten a minor version of this illness. Last night I felt crappy. Crampy, tired, sore... and it got worse. Nausea, but no vomiting, and (as Hubby calls it) "the big D". ugh. Of course, I got very little sleep, since I was getting up and going to the bathroom every hour of so. Precious Baby must have known something was up... she wasn't very wakeful last night and when she did wake, she was back to sleep pretty quickly and with minimal fuss. It's the next day now, and I still feel off, and pretty out of it too, since I didn't get much sleep last night.

Oh, and to make it even better, Hubby just emailed me and described the same symptoms I had last night! Ugh! I just can't win.

Although, I should be grateful that my illness wasn't even close to what Precious baby went through. She threw up for about 12 hours and had several bouts of the "the big D". So I should probably just shut my big yap and be glad I'm not experiencing that.

2006-11-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Precious baby was sick this weekend. Sicker than she's ever been. She had some kind of stomach bug and was vomiting and had diarrhea. Poor little thing! It started on Saturday. She woke up at about 3 am, crying. She threw up in her little bed. I picked her up and tried to comfort her. In the dark I hadn't realized that she had thrown up until she did it again, this time down my back. She was so upset and scared, and so was I! Hubby, meanwhile, got up and pulled the sheets off her little bed and put a towel down. I got her cleaned up and calmed down and back to sleep. She woke up about two hours later, and puked again, several times. So it went. She'd puke, nurse, calm down, sleep, and then wake up and repeat. She puked in her bed, our bed, down my back, down my front, on the floor, on Hubby... You name it.

she recovered on Sunday... She was sick a few more times, but each time it was further apart and a lot less than before. By Sunday evening she was reclining in Hubbys arms like a tiny baby, holding her cuppy, drinking a mixture of juice, pedialyte and water. She was wakeful on Sunday night, but no puking! I was so relieved.

The amount of laundry produced by Precious Baby's illness was staggering. I think Hubby and I did 5 or 6 loads yesterday. The sheets for our bed, her bed, all the towels that she either puked on or we used to clean her or ourselves, the multiple sets of jammies for each of us, it was just unreal.

I'm just so glad it's over and she's feeling better. There is nothing worse than knowing your precious child doesn't feel good.

But the laundry was a close second!

2006-11-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming.
Dont get me wrong, I love Christmas, and this one is going to be really exciting, because it will be the first one where precious baby will be old enough to know what is going on! that, alone is really exciting, and it will be even better because this year Boy is with us for Christmas (we alternate with his mom) and it always seems so much more like the holidays when he is with us, so it really means a lot to me.
it just seems so soon... the day after Halloween, I was driving past a shopping area near my home and they had already put out the christmas decorations! It just kind ups the ante, I guess, that now it's time for the holiday hysteria...
We are also going to MILs for Christmas this year.... I'd prefer to have Christmas at our house, because of all the stuff that we have to take with us for precious baby.... but I also realize that it means a lot to Hubby to see his family for Christmas.... guess I just wish they would come here! It really doesn't seem like christmas to me when it isn't at our house.

2006-11-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

Halloween! Boo!
We took precious baby "trick or treating" last night.. sort of. We took her around to see some of our neighbors, dressed in her oh so cute jack o lantern outfit. She was so cute it just broke my heart. Then she "helped" me hand out candy. All the little kids in our neighborhood came by... lots of princesses, pirates, Buz Lightyear, Curious George, a teddy bear.... they were all so cute.

Then Hubby wanted to watch "Hostel" an nice gory horror movie. I don't like gore. I can deal with movies like Jason or Freddie or Michael Myers... they are so campy, they're hysterical. But this movie was creepy and very gory. Honestly, when it was time for precious baby's bath, I was relieved to have an excuse to get away from the TV.

Now, for Thanksgiving.

2006-10-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Football fever!
Boy's first play off game is this Saturday. I really am excited for him... to make the playoffs the first year you've ever played is quite an accomplishment!
Hubby tells me that they will probably lose... apparently the team they are playing is "really, really good" and they've been playing together for at least two years.
As I said before, this is Boy's first year, and the first year for most of his team mates.
I want to remain optimistic... his team plays with such heart... and they've proven themselves to really be a second half, comeback team... their last two games they came back to win in the second half after as much as a 21 point deficit.
I think they can do it... and I'll be there, cheering him on and yelling until I lose my voice.
Our beloved horns also play this weekend... Tech at Tech. I've learned over the years to never underestimate Texas Tech. So, I'm sure this will be a good game too. Of course, I'm certainly hoping that it's nothing like last week's game against Kansas... that was a nail biter to the end.

2006-10-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween. Always have. When I was a little kid, my mom, who stayed home with us when we were young, would make the most fantastic halloween costumes for us! She made a cute little witch dress for me, she made a lion costume for my brother, all kinds of things. I loved trick or treating, even though at the time, where we lived the houses were far part and you didn't get a whole lot of candy.

Last year, precious baby was a newborn and we didn't go trick or treating because Boy was with his mother, but we did hand out candy and show precious baby off.

This year, we'll dress her up as pumpkin (so cute!) and take her in the stroller to a few houses early, and then hand out candy.

We haven't been to an actual pumpkin patch, but our friend, A, took this really cute picture of precious baby this last weekend while we were faux camping that really sums up the fall season.

One of the things that I really love about Halloween now, is that we live in a small neighborhood where we know just about everyone. We don't see everyone every day, or even every week, but you see just about everyone on Halloween.

Oh, and of course, the candy.

2006-10-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

I love Fall.
The weather here where I live is so hot most of the year that it seems like we don't have seasons anymore... we have nine months of hot, and three months of not so hot.
So, I've learned that whenever we have fall like weather, one must appreciate it, because it won't last!
This weekend, Hubby, Precious Baby and I "faux camped".

To explain...
Our friends, B and A, (who are actually Boy's mom and step dad!) own a popup camper and love to camp at area parks here in Texas. "Faux Camping" is when we go to the park where they are camping on day pass and hang out with them, cooking out for dinner, etc, but go home and sleep in our own comfy beds.

which we did this weeked, after Boy's football game (which his team won!). The occasion was A's birthday. We hung out at beautiful Jimm Hogg Park in Georgetown, Texas. B and A got a great camping spot, with a lovely, panoramic view of Lake Georgetown. The weather was fabulous... not too hot during the day, and then it cooled off to crisp sweater weather after dark. B and A made this great tamale pie in a dutch over over an open fire. So tasty! I would have loved to stay later and enjoy the fire they made, but Preciousl baby wasn't feeling so well, and it was way past her bedtime, so we went home early.

The rest of the weekend was great though...on Sunday Hubby and I made 2 Indian Style BBQ chickens... one was tandori style and the other was rubbed witha mixture of cumin, tumeric, garam masala, lime and a little olive oil. Yummy! I made basmati rice and a mild vegtable curry to go with it.

Guess that's what I like best about fall... being outside, with friends, and not feeling like you're about to expire from the heat. I love the fact that now that it's cooler, Hubby likes to cook out more... I just love the food that he grills... it's always good! Not to mention that I don't have to cook it!
Not to mention Halloween... my favorite holiday.

2006-10-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, rant about work.

I work for a state agency that protects children and regulates daycares, residential treatment centers, and the like. Specifically, my job is to prevent people who have prior findings of abuse or neglect against them from getting jobs in day care centers, or in any other facility that deals with children that my agency regulates.

It horrifies me sometimes how lax people can be about their children. Day in and day out, I read cases about parents who allowed their spouse or significant other to beat their children, or who knowingly allowed a sexual predator to have access to their children. How can a parent do this?! It just floors me. Do these parents have some major part of their protective instincts missing? I may be paranoid, but there are very, very few people I would leave precious baby or Boy (and he's almost 12!) with. Sadly, the sexual predator or abuser is often a boyfriend or some family member. It may just be me, but I believe that once you have had children, they come first, always, and their needs come before yours... so that means that if your boyfriend is a bad guy, your children's safety has to come first, and that trumps your love for or need to be with the boyfriend, or your need to "protect" a family member.

It's just sad, isn't it?

ok, rant over.

2006-10-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Precious baby's birthday party!

boy, what a party! I think we had about 35 people in out house and backyard! Lots of kids and parents! I was so touched by the outpooring of love (and gifts!) that precious baby received. Hubby and I had been talking earlier that week about needing to get Precious baby some fall clothes... not any more. She got so many cute little outfits for her birthday that she be superstylish for months.

Our living room looks like a the giraff store exploded in there. So many new toys! I think we are going to have to set up one end of the game room as a playroom for Precious baby... there's really no where else to put all the toys and I can't see carrying them up and down the stairs.

On another note, I found out this weekend that my parents sold their house... the home I grew up in. I am saddened. I mean, that's where I grew up, and so now I sort of feel .... unmoored, maybe? Like now I can't go home (not like I'd want to, but it's nice to have the option, right?). So, they are going to get rid of almost all of their stuff and move to the very far north end of town (an hour away) within the next month. Less than that, actually.

Dad suggested that if I wanted anything, I should let them know... have to think about that. Maybe they might not keep the dining room table? I'd take that.

And, Boy won his football game this week! If the team wins their next game (this weekend) they will go to the play offs! He's so excited, and hubby and I are so proud.

2006-10-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

She is walking!

Precious baby is walking. She's been working on it for a while... and she still is... she's walking about four or five steps, falling on her behind, and then getting up and going again. I'm so thrilled, but a little sad too... she's getting to be such big girl! I look at her and wonder what happened to my tiny little baby?

It feels like I gave birth yesterday... and her first birthday is onTuesday! I'm not ready for her to grow up!

Please, stay a baby for just a little longer?

I know, it's silly.... and I'm proud of her, really I am (sniffling a little). I guess this is what I'm in for... being proud and just a little sad at each great milestone.

Speaking of birthdays, precious baby's party is this weekend, and it's going to be quite a bash... 28 people... 10 children and their parents are attending! That's a lot of cake! I had planned to bake lots of cupcakes, but considering the size of the guest list, I'm starting to reconsider that idea. My SIL suggested that I just get cake at the grocery store... and I may just go that route. It sure would be nice to take at least one thing out of this very busy weeked. Besides Precious baby's party on saturday, the Boy (my step son, age 11) has football practice on Friday night, which means we'll have to wait around for him to be done with practice, which means dinner will be late (but I refuse to have dinner without him. dinnner time is family time!). Both sets of ILs will be in town for precious baby's birthday, so there will be family to entertain, and the Boy has a football game on Saturday, late in the afternoon, the dinner with the family after. Sunday we'll all have brunch together, and then, I guess I need to start getting everything for next week together. Meh.

Much as I love Boy, and love seeing him play, I would be perfectly happy if his game were called due to weather (it could happen... there's rain in the forecast all weekend) just so that the frenetic pace of the weekend would slow just a bit.

I guess I need a vacation.

2006-10-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Bubbles!

Finally, it occurred to me what would be a great favor for precious baby's birthday party! Bubbles? Who doesn't like bubbles? Fun for all, young and old and non gender specific!

Now I just need to find somewhere that sells them in bulk.... having just checked evite, we have a lot of yes responses... and that means a lot of kids at my hoouse this Saturday!

Now, if I can just find the time to coordinate everything else I need to do, and clean the house too, I'll be all set!

yeah, right.

2006-10-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

So, my precious baby will officially turn one year old next tuesday, but Hubby, Dear Boy (my stepson, age 11) and I will be throwing precious baby her first birthday party this weekend. Hubby and I thus made the "Birthday gift pilgrimage" this weekend at the bulls eye store.

Picking out the plates and napkins and decorations was fairly simple... I didn't want anything too girly (per Hubby, who scorns pink) or anything themed... I figured there will plenty of time for her to ask for all the princess stuff when she she's old enough to be aware of it. I quickly picked out some cute plates and naps with a brightly colored birthdaycake slice on them. They coordinated well with the evites I'd sent out the week before. Decorations were a cinch... multi colored balloons and streamers that I already had at home.

I was totally stumped, however, by the issue of party favors. Until recently, it had never crossed my mind, but precious baby and I had recently attended the first birthday party for the daughter of a good friend. At that party, precious baby had received, as a "parting gift" a cute little chinese takeout style box that contained several little animal figures, some plastic, some stuffed, that were of course, all appropriate for the birthday girl's party theme, which was zoo animals.

Clearly, favors are not only important, but are required, must be age/gender appropriate, original, and cutely presented.

The bulls eye store had no shortatge of choices, however, as I stood there in the aisle, I found myself becoming more and more concerned that everything on offer was a choking hazard. What in the world could I get for favors that would be appropriate for one year olds, and yet still be fun for slightly older children as well? Bead necklaces? Maybe for the girls, but what if someone broke the string and choked on the beads? Little cars? So small they would easily fit in someone's mouth. Stickers? At the last party, precious baby tried to eat an entire sheet of them and got pretty upset when I swept them all out of her mouth, so that was out of the question. And on and on it went. There seemed to be nothing appropriate.

Dejected, I left the favor aisle. Hubby was urging me to get to the toys, his favorite part.

As I perused the toy department with Hubby, my dejection faded. I'd figure something out about the favors. Far more importantly, what would precious baby receive from Mommy and Daddy on her first birthday? Hubby and I looked and discussed for quite sometime. Finally, we agreed that some kind of ride on toy would be fun... precious baby isn't quite ready for a trikey yet but we agreed that some thing she can scoot around on would be fun.

But what kind? the princess mobile, all in pink with sparkly jewels embedded on every surface? The edu mobile, with discourse in both spanish and english? The blue puppy rider, which has 10 silly songs available at the push of a paw shaped button? Hubby and I were dizzy with choices. Finally, I saw it... perched on the top shelf, and it was the last one left. "Quick Hubby, reach up and grab it before someone else does!" I said. He retrieved the box... The kindly honey addicted bear mobile... that blows bubbles as precious baby scoots around on it! Thrilled, we placed in in the cart, made few other selections and left the bulls eye store.

Now, if I just get precious baby to be more interested in the scooter itself, rather than the box it came in.

2006-10-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

I recently read a letter to the editor that was published in my home town newspaper that just riled me no end. The writer extolled nursing mamas to "cover up!" and stated that she was so offended to see boobs with babies "dangling off the nipple" all over the place!

I (quietly) went ballistic. I sent a response to the editor, which wasn't published (too bad) but also emailed the writer (the paper published her email address with her letter). Her ignorance astounded me. She wasn't a mother, had no children. Just spouting off her own squeemish opinion.

Now I'm all for free speech, and this woman is no exception. She can express her opinions, no matter what the basis, all she wants. But to insult others who are just feeding their children.... geez!

It got me thinking. Why are we, as a culture, so offended by a breastfeeding mother but we have no qualms about a woman in tiny bikini selling beer, cars, you name it? Why is this OK? I barely show any skin when I NIP (nurse in public) and most people probably think I'm just cuddling my child. Yet I would never appear in public wearing a bikini, or for that matter, a belly tee or a "boobie shirt" yet these items are standard issue for just about any teenaged girl (and plenty of adult women too) but there's no great outcry about potential pedophiles or sex offenders getting aroused by scantily clad young girls!

In fact, there is so much squemishness about breast feeding in our culture, that my state, along with thiry-something others, has passed laws that protect a mother's right to breast feed in public. That's right all you squeemish folk... my right to breastfeed in public (and possibly offend you in the process) is legally protected. And just fyi... there is no legally recognized right no to be offended, so all of you who are need to just avert your eyes.

Why oh why has our culture sexualized the breast to this degree? For all of human history, breasts were feed bags. Think about it. Before the advent of infant formula, all babies were breastfed if they were to survive. There was no alternative. Breast feeding wasn't just normal, it was common place and everyday, and in fact, the survival of the human race was dependant upon it. But in only a few short generations, we have gone from commonplace to "wierd" and offending other people. That's right, the boobie patrol is worried about offending other people.

So, say it with me mamas, and say it loud:
IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO SEE A BREAST FEEDING MOTHER, STOP LOOKING!!!

Thank you. I'll be stepping down from my soap box for now.