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!

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.