Sunday, September 30, 2012

Going Pro

I lie in bed with my eyes closed until I hear the screaming for breakfast pitter-patter of little feet, hoping - usually in vain - that Boys 1 and 2 will sleep past 7am. One of my favorite things to do is stay in bed - not necessarily sleeping, although that's nice, of course.  I just love to lie there enjoying the soft bed and the warmth beneath the covers and ease into my day. Mornings are hard for me. I tend to stay up way too late and that makes mornings torturous.

See, for Boys 1 and 2, there is no easing into the day. They are up and running (and jumping and yelling and screeching and stomping) from the minute their eyes are open. They are also hungry the minute they wake up. I know mornings would go more smoothly if I got up earlier than they and got a shower and dressed and ready and had breakfast started. But it is so much easier to be reactive. By that I mean that I wait until something happens and then react. It's all fine and good to give it a name, but it's laziness, plain and simple.

I keep trying to organize myself -
                pull myself up by the bootstraps, 
                                     take the bull by the horns, 
                                                        put on my big-girl panties - you know what I mean. 

What it all comes down to, is that I have to decide how I live my life. I can be pro-active. I can live my life with purpose - choose how I want it to be. I can choose to feel good about how I feed my body. I can choose to go to the gym, even when it's embarrassing, and use my body the way it's meant to be used.  I can choose to do what it takes - physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Or not.

There are so many things that I don't get to choose in this life, but the way I live mine, and the way I feel about it, is totally up to me.

But living pro-actively can be exhausting. It takes a lot of planning. It takes a lot of preparation. Schedules must be coordinated. Emotions must be examined. Groceries must be shopped. Calories and steps must be counted. And when you are a parent, it's multiplied.

I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall as I wail and I whine, "I can't eat that!"  or, "Wah! Wah! I can't eat until it is so uncomfortable that it is hard to sit up, yet still I want more."  Who really wants that? It's not about what I can't have any more. I can't kick and scream about having no more potato chips and expect to live in a positive way.

This week, instead of dwelling on what  I "can't" eat, I will focus on the healthy food that I choose to eat. 

This week, I will move more and whine less.

This week, I will live according to my plan - and not resent it.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

A Tortoise With A Plan

Well, we're still a bit stinky. It's pretty much confined to our laundry room - where I bathed my poor Sophie, but I'll get a whiff every now and again. My leather purse is skunky. I'm going to try leaving it in the sun and see if that helps. And weird things stink - like clothes in a drawer in a room where the dog didn't even get. I'm re-washing a lot. Lobster left for Atlanta for work this afternoon and he has spent a tremendous amount of time de-skunking the suitcase, his leather shoes and so on. He's been asking me to smell something about 10 times a day since Wednesday. It's gotten to the point that I don't think I even care if I stink any more. I'm tired of sniffing and smelling. My smeller may be out of commission for a while from over-use.

I met with a dietitian on Tuesday. Sandy was a petite woman, but I won't hold that against her. But that's probably better for business than if she looked like me. She was very nice and we got right down to business. I was asked to bring in a written summary of what and how much I eat in a typical day. I just wrote down everything I ate the previous day.  I didn't get any new, earth-shattering information. I had a lot of good choices, a lot of healthy food. But that is the problem. There was a lot of food. It was obvious, to both of us, what my problem is - what it has been  - and what I will struggle with for a long time.

PORTION CONTROL

She had all this rubber food to illustrate proper serving sizes. So we looked at that and the importance of reading labels. She had several empty containers of different brands of Greek yogurt and I was amazed at the differences in fat, sugar and protein. I kind of thought Greek yogurt was Greek yogurt. So, I'm back to reading labels and measuring my food. I don't know why I keep thinking I can eyeball it. I SO can't. 

Measuring cups are my friend. Measuring cups are my friend. Measuring cups are my friend.......

I received this place mat.

And on the other side...
Proper serving sizes. Just what I need! Really, it is just what I need. Avocados are listed under fat. That's a bummer. So is bacon. I know - I can't delude myself anymore that it's protein. And nut butters are a protein, but I have to count a 1/2 TBS of my 2 TBS serving as one of my fats for the day. Oh, the details. All in all, I think we've come up with a plan that I can stick with long term. It's roughly 2000 calories a day. I can do that without feeling deprived. 

I have to admit that I kind of wanted her to hand me a packet and tell me, "Eat this." Although that's basically what she did, I have to do the work and the meal planning. The positive is that can make the food my family likes. But I'm going to have to do a lot of planning. I'm not so good at that. I may have mentioned my lack of skills in the organizational department.

Sandy, in response to my complaint that it will take forever to lose the weight I want to lose, told me to remember that I need to be the tortoise - not the hare. Slow is better and more apt to bring about a life change. So, here I am , a tortoise. A tortoise with a plan.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Best Laid Plans, blah, blah, blah

I know you all are running to look at your calendars. What?!? Is it Sunday already? or  Do we really have to read more from her so soon?

 Well, yes. Yes, you do. 

I just had to tell you all about my crazy Tuesday.

Tuesday was my busiest day, this week.  I had it all planned out with just enough time between appointments - busy, but not crazy busy. You know what I mean? 

  • Drop off Boy 1 at school
  • Come home, shower and get ready for dietitian appointment (woo hoo!)
  • Drop Boy 2 at my sister's and go to appointment
  • Pick up Boy 2, feed him, and get him to school
  • Actually have an hour to, oh, maybe clean up breakfast dishes, or something :/ 
  • Pick up Boy 1 early from school for doctor appointment
  • Hurry to get Boy 2 from school - fingers crossed we're not too late
  • Drop off prescription at pharmacy
  • Feed boys snack and Help Boy 1 find his cub scout stuff
  • Take Boy 1 to cub scouts
  • Fix dinner
  • Bring Boy 1 home, picking up filled prescription on the way
  • EAT
  • Clean up
  • Get boys to bed
  • Collapse on the couch
That was the plan. Guess what dis-railed this finely-tuned-train? 

Snot.

My boys got sick. Boy 1 was sick over the weekend and Boy 2 just in time to ruin my Tuesday's schedule. Poor kids - I hate colds - the runny noses, sore throat, achy body. I hate them and I hate them more when my kids have them. I feel bad that the boys don't feel good, of course. But colds in kids are just gross. They don't use tissues - they use their sleeves, hands, the couch, or the person sympathetically cuddling with them on the couch. Just gross.

I didn't want to miss my appointment with the dietitian. It took 3 weeks to get this appointment. I didn't want to have to wait another 3. But I also didn't want to get my nephews sick. So Grandma D saves the day. She seems to have an iron immune system. Thank you!

I feel good about the information I got from the dietitian. It wasn't anything I didn't already know, but a really good reminder about how important portion control is. I'll be writing more about my appointment soon.

I took Boy 2 to Boy 1's doctor appointment, which was crazy town, but it worked.

The rest of the day went relatively smoothly. The kids went to sleep. The day is done, right?

Uh.......................nope.

I live in a suburban neighborhood. I don't live in the woods. I don't have any acreage. I am surrounded by houses and yards with fences. I also, apparently, share the space with a skunk. And it doesn't like my dog.
Poor girl is exhausted after her ordeal

Yep. Our old girl, Sophie,  got herself skunked. She got skunked real good. And I'm not fast enough to catch a 12 year old dog (that can't run) trying to escape a mean, neighborhood bully skunk. She came where she knew she'd be safe - In my house. Our home was immediately filled with the scent of burnt rubber. I herded her back to our laundry room and got her in the shower and spent the next 30 minutes washing and rinsing. Breathing through my mouth did not help at all. The odor was so thick I could bite it. And taste it. 

In the mean time, Lobster gets out of bed to see what the ruckus was all about and finds  himself in the middle of a stench like no other. He immediately starts to gag and puke. Give him a flat tire, and he'll fix it. Give him trouble in the neighborhood and he takes care of it. Give him an emergency of the smelly variety, and he tosses his cookies.

At midnight, there are few choices for shopping. But Lobster went to find something to help. He arrived at a check stand in one local grocery store with about $50 worth of varying types of air fresheners. The cashier took one whiff,  a step back, and looked at the items in front of her and asked, "Skunk?"

He gets home (I'm still washing the dog) and starts emptying a container of the powder carpet deodorizer in our family room. In less than a minute, our floor looks like a cocaine factory - or what I imagine one would look like. He has 3 cans of air freshener in his two hands and is spinning around frantically, trying not to breathe, and stopping every few minutes to throw up. And then feels the need to come to the laundry room to make sure I know that he had vomited. Every. Single. Time.

We get Sophie clean enough and put her in the garage with her bed and try to figure out how to proceed. We decide that we need to get the boys out of here, so we share the smelly joy with Grandma and Grandpa D. Again - THANK YOU!

I stay home to air out the house. I set out bowls of white vinegar in every room, opened every window and finally fell asleep on the couch (after vacuuming up the inch of powder on the carpet) between 2:30 and 3am. I really appreciate all the suggestions given to me on facebook.

24 hours, an $80 dog "de-skunking", a $50 carpet cleaning, and lots of laundry later, our house is almost back to normal. And thank you to my friend that brought over dinner tonight. It was delicious!

 We get whiffs of skunk every so often, especially in the laundry room. I think we'll be doing a lot more laundry in the next few days.  Sophie is not allowed to go outside by herself, but she's only too happy to be inside with her family. She is exhausted. It was a long night and day for an old girl. The boys were tired from all the excitement as well. 

As am I - like I said, it was a long night and day for an old girl. Time for bed in my freshly washed sheets. 

Sunday, September 16, 2012

A Day in the Life of THE FAT LADY

I've had a weird food week. Food just hasn't sounded very good. Usually, that doesn't matter too much. I eat anyway. It's not a very permanent way to lose weight, and I may just gain it all right back, but I'll take it for now. I have my appointment with the nutritionist this week. I'm excited to talk to her and hopefully, get a plan in place.

Earlier this week, in another blog I read, I saw that there was a "link-up" and the topic was "A Day in the Life of..."  I followed a lot of the links and read about all kinds of ways that the bloggers spend their days. It was kind of fun. People were inviting me to peek at their lives. Hopefully, that doesn't make me sound too creepy. I decided to join the link up. So I wrote down my usual week day. It's not that interesting, but it's my life and except for the jiggly wiggly parts of me, I love it. Most of the time. Anyway, I chickened out. I didn't link up with the others. Maybe I didn't feel cool enough, maybe I wasn't ready for others to judge me. Who knows?  But, now, you get to read it anyway. Try not to fall asleep....

A Day in My Life...

Anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30am - wake up and have to pee (it's ridiculous that I can't sleep through the                                 night anymore. but then, I am getting to be middle aged). I worry that I'm peeing too loud and might wake the boys up. Yes, they sleep that lightly. I really need a master suite addition at the other end of the house. Hear that, Lobster? It's for the boys - all for the boys sleep, I tell ya! I go back to bed and promptly to sleep.

6:00am - Hear Lobster's alarm, pat him on the arm sympathetically and turn over and try to go back to sleep, hoping the boys will sleep a little longer.

6:15-6:45am - Wake up to a boy's face directly over mine, saying "MOM! What can I eat?" Tell Boy 1 to eat a banana and watch a show - and NOT to wake his brother. yeah right. 


Scare you? Yup - I know. Every - and I mean EVERY morning! Sometimes, though, he gives me a snuggle, too. I don't mind that so much. 

7:00 am - Kiss Lobster goodbye and tell him to "Go get em!" Start breakfast for the boys - of course, never quite soon enough.

7:30am - Check facebook, blog stats, other blogs, etc. while the boys eat. Eat my own breakfast.

8:00am - Turn TV off and "remind" the boys to get dressed about 50 times. Get dressed for the gym. Help Boys 1 & 2 with teeth, hair, etc.

8:30am - Herd the boys into the car, drop Boy 1 off at school and head to the Y. Park a block away and walk inside, drop Boy 2 at the Child Watch and, depending on the day, go to water aerobics (love!) or up to the family work out room for treadmill (hate!) and strength training.

10:15am - Pick up Boy 2, watch him bounce up the stairs like it's nothing and make my own climb with wobbly legs and walk back to car. Drive home.

10:30am - Set Boy 2 up with a snack and a TV show and jump (well, not so much jump as, well, you know what I mean) in the shower. Get ready for the day - which may or may not include makeup. I know, I know - I'll feel better with it on, but sometimes I just hate taking the time.

11:30am - Make lunch and eat with Boy 2, urging him along so we won't be late. Get him cleaned up and his backpack ready and out to the car. Telling him, "Let go of the garage door, it's not a ride!" and "Daddy's drill is not a toy." and "We don't spray tire cleaner on the floor!" and finally, (hallelujah!) "Get in your seat and buckle yourself up."

Don't let the cuteness fool you - he's trouble!

12:10pm - Drive to the school and drop Boy 2 off OUTSIDE. Yes, on the 2nd day of Kindergarten, he told me he didn't want me to walk him in. Half of me is sad that he's so grown up and independent. The other half is happy I don't have to get out of the car.

12:25pm - Home again. I have roughly two hours to GET STUFF DONE. Especially stuff I don't want to do with the boys. I crank the music, grocery shop, clean the house, talk to my mom on the phone, pay the bills, pray about what to do with these crazy boys, etc...

2:45pm - Leave (with the current book I'm reading) to get a good spot in line at the school. Read in a quiet car for 15 blissful minutes. Wait for the boys to come out, get them loaded up, hope a teacher doesn't need to talk to me, and drive home.

3:15pm - Fix the boys up with snacks, look through their backpacks, talk about all the amazing (or not) things that happened to them today, do homework, send them outside to play, get ready for any doctor appointment, soccer practice, cub scouts, etc. Luckily, we don't have any of those today. I just need to figure out what to make for dinner.

4:30pm - Start making dinner. Try to get boys to tidy up before Daddy gets home.

5:30pm - Lobster gets home. Time for dinner. Try, try, try to eat just one serving. Bribe boys to eat dinner with dessert - usually ice cream. Sigh, I know. How do you get your kids to eat dinner?

6:15pm - Finish up any homework, pack backpacks.

6:45pm - Start showers for boys and get them ready for bed.

7:00pm - Brush Boy 2's teeth, read books, sing songs (can I just say how much I hate the Wienie Song? I am probably going to have to take it out of the rotation), say prayers.

7:30pm - Boy 2 in bed. Boy 1 watches Top Gear or some other manly show with Dad.

8:00pm - Boy 1 brushes teeth, reads books, sing songs, say prayers - IN BED - then "remind" him to get back into bed for the next 30 minutes.

8:30pm - Clean up kitchen, do laundry, watch TV, write, read books. I stay up entirely too late relishing the quiet house - well, quiet except for Lobster snoring from the couch.

12:00am - Bed. For one who loves to sleep, I sure don't get enough. It's always a battle between solitude or sleep. Solitude usually trumps, but sleep always sneaks in a sucker punch. This last week, I have fallen asleep in the middle of reading, watching a movie, and watching TV. I even fell asleep for a couple of seconds while reading a book to the boys (nothing like an elbow in the side to wake you up). I guess I needed to catch up.

Well, there you go. Aren't you glad you stopped by today? Maybe we'll have to start our own link-up. Whatcha think?

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Catching some ZZZ's

This Fat Lady's totally beat.
 She's falling asleep on her feet.
 She cannot resist,
 Her soft bed does insist
 That she hits the sheets, 
NOW! Tout de suite!

 I need a weekend to rest from my weekend. We'll be back to our regular programming soon.

Good night.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

It's Amazing What You'll Find When You Look

It's amazing what you find when you upload pictures after a long time. Lobster is usually my personal photographer. He takes the photos and then "processes" them and then I do what I need to do - which  usually consists of loading them onto Facebook. He has his whole set-up that requires a whole big bag to go anywhere. Well, I have a little point-and-shoot camera that I use. I'm not what one would really describe as technologically savvy. I know enough to be able to get my email, send attachments, upload photos, etc.  So when I took some pictures of my flavored water experiment, I was really surprised to find a whole lot of photos that I didn't even know about. Apparently, Lobster used my little camera for a car show and our family reunion and promptly forgot about them. I'm going to share a few of my faves.

First of all, let me tell you about making flavored water. As you know, I've been trying (only partially successfully) to give up THE DIET COKE. I thought by making my water have fancy flavors it might help me drink more water. And, it does - but it does NOT make me want to drink less DIET COKE. Anyway, I first tried a blend of cucumber, lime, and mint. It was good, but the lime in the water made it a bit too bitter, so the next batch I mixed up I left out the lime and I'd just add a wedge in my glass and it was perfect! 


In one gallon of water, I washed and added 
  • one cucumber, sliced
  • 10-12 mint leaves, torn or chopped to release oils
Let sit in the fridge over night. Strain, serve over ice and add a wedge of lemon or lime. 
I have to say that it is very refreshing and definitely quenches a thirst!

In July, my family reunion was at Fort Stevens State Park on the northern Oregon coast and I had a lot of fun. Boys 1 & 2 did as well. Although it's a bit blurry (you try to get 2 crazy boys to stand still for a second!), I loved it best of all so I'm sharing it.
Oh, those boys crack me up when they're not ticking me off! Here's another goodie...
I love how Boy 1 is checking himself out. He's ripped! Oh, and isn't the cabin in the background fantastic!?! Loved it!
Here they are at the beach.
Boy 1 is worried about his pants getting wet - in fact, I finally suggested that he just take them off and play in his undies. Boy 2 just didn't care. And yes, it was July and only about 65 at the coast. 

I loved this.

And this...
The boys love fishing with their dad. It doesn't matter that they haven't caught anything yet.

And from the car show,
I think Boy 1 was told to "stand still."

Can you just hear the conversation?
"Oh, looky here."

And,
"Wow! I wonder what this wire does!"

And, of course, the obligatory self-portrait


I'm glad to have ended the day this way. I'm having some very tender feelings about my little guys right now. After the day today has been, I needed that!

I didn't feel like I could put any other family members' pictures up without their permission. That's what Facebook is for.  ;)   

Thanks for indulging me. It was fun to share.

All content and pictures on this blog belongs to Song of The Fat Lady and may not be copied or used without permission.