Saturday, April 4, 2009

Good and Bad

So today was good and bad.

The bad is, Peanut had to go live at a friend's home. He now has another dog, his size, to play with. Also a house full of kids. They are our friends and we can visit Peanut whenever we want. I am seriously contemplating George having to go as well. I know!! My doggies I love so much. The problem is my asthma doesn't like them at all. As you may know I have been so sick for months now. I can't take it anymore and need to do everything I can to make me better. It breaks my heart to see the kid's sad faces. I wish it didn't have to be this way.

On a lighter note. The good news is I went out and got some more yard work done. I planted two trees today. A pear tree and a peach tree. I am so excited for them to bear fruit someday. Hopefully next season. The Moonglo pear tree already has leaves and is about 5' tall. The Elberta peach tree already has pink buds waiting to open and is also about 5'. I planted some Jalapeno plants, a Sweet Banana Pepper plant, and a Cheyenne pepper plant.

My 3 tomato plants are growing like crazy and starting to flower. I planted a strawberry plant in a pot about 2 weeks ago. (It was so tiny I wanted to help it along.) It is doing great, so I decided I am going to plant it. I tilled up the soil today. I will transplant the one I have and the 3 more I will get, tomorrow. Jimmy wants to put in some corn. Mom would want some cucumber. I want zucchini. Noah wanted cauliflower. I think I might try some of them. We have such a huge yard. Plus veggies and fruit are so expensive that this is a great solution!

I have wanted a garden for so long. I am usually good with plants, so I am going to cross my fingers. Wish me luck!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

7 lbs

I am very happy to report that in 13 days I have lost 7lbs! I can not even explain how thrilled I am.

I even went to work out today without Jimmy. And yes for a moment, about 10 minutes into the workout, I thought I could get Mary and go home. Jimmy would never know. But then a strange thing occurred to me. I WOULD KNOW! What the heck is happening? Me, the chick who was happy not exercising on purpose. Me, who never thought of sweating profusely in front of strangers. Me, who thought why in the world would you want people to actually see what a wimpy amount of weight you could lift. Me, who personally would think everyone is watching me struggle through whatever exercise I was doing.

Today was a break through. I did more ab exercises without my masters whip. I went in and did more mileage on the treadmill then ever. I increased my speed and incline. I out lasted some of the scrawny chicks with their sports bras and tight daisy-duke shorts. You know the ones I am referring to. The ones with perfectly manicured nails. With the perfectly done hair. The ones with makeup and earrings on. To go to the gym? Please!!! You are not here to workout, you are here looking for a date!

I am so thrilled that I am pushing myself. I so did not want to go to the gym when I woke up, but I gave myself NO chance to get out of it. I woke up, went straight to my bathroom and put on my workout attire. Which includes sweats, t-shirt and sweat shirt. Notice no make up, perfect hairdos, earrings or nails done prior to entering the gym. But I digress. I sat eating breakfast reminded by my attire what I needed to be doing. I turned on my computer to see the weather and what emails I might have gotten while sleeping. Still the clothes were yelling at me to go to the gym. The only thing I could do to remove the gym attire was either go to the gym or hang my head in shame and face the music when Jimmy came home. You know which one I picked.

I am starting to feel some pride in doing this. Some self gratification knowing I am still in the running and don't have to sit on the side lines any more.

I am motivated!
I am powerful!
I am NOT a quitter!
I will do this!
I will succeed!
I will overcome this extra baggage!

I have a dream, that one day I can run in the park with my children and not have to sit on a bench and suck air. I have a dream that I can go into a store and not have to pick clothes out of the "plus size" section. (What I find funny, is that it's the smallest part of the store.) I have a dream that my favorite old jeans will fit again. I have a dream that I will be able to go to a doctor appointment and my weight not be the first thing they want to talk about. I have a dream that I can be able to see a number 1 as the first number on the scale. I have a dream that I will feel more energetic, and keep up with Jimmy and the kids.

Wait a minute! I think I channeled Dr. King. You don't think he would mind me changing his speech a little, do you? I hope not.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Mary's eyes

Mary went to her eye appointment today. Mapquest of course gave me the wrong directions. I went right on the road when it was a left. I got to her appointment at 9:59am and her appointment was scheduled for 10 am. I like to be 15 minutes early so I was not to happy.

Anyway, Mary did great with all the machines. She looked in and saw the barn. She looked for the flashes and got to push a button every time it flashed. She loved it because it was like a video game. Then they did the dreaded puff of air in her eyes. She was squirmy after the first puff but sat still for the second. I was so proud. Then they took the pictures of her eyes. She of course loved this. She thought the inside of her eye looked like a chicken egg...LOL.

So they took her in to the optometrist and he did some simple eye exam on her. At this point I realize he is the best eye guy we have been to. He sat and explained everything in plain English. He even drew a diagram of how Mary's eyes work.

He was showed Mary his magic. He could snap his fingers and the chair rose. He snapped them again and the chair went back down. He had her in the palm of his hand. (She is determined to figure out how he did it.)

He then decided to dilate her eyes and come back in 30 minutes. Luckily the Doctor's office is in Walmart. Mary got to pick out a toy for being so cooperative. (She picked out a flapper dress, shoes and a crown.)

So we went back in after the 30 minutes and didn't get the best of news. Most kids with Mary's sightedness have like a +0.75. Mary's is a +6.75! Her eyes are so bad. He is surprised how well she is cooping. She is having great difficulty seeing anything within her arms reach. In fact she is pulling everything to her face because even though it is blurrier she can see it better. Sounds weird I know. Her eyes are worse than Morgan's and Noah's. She also has two lazy eyes. Yes both are lazy!! Jimmy had 1 lazy eye when he was a kid that required surgery. Morgan has 1 lazy eye that is corrected by her glasses. Mary's should resolve with her glasses on as well.

She picked out a cute pair of pink glasses that should be ready in a week. We go back to see if she is improving with her glasses on in 6 weeks. I know it is wonderful that she will be able to see. Don't get me wrong I will love that. But it is so sad that she has been trying so hard to see and her prescription is so high. At least she will be used to them by the start of Pre-School in July.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Update

Well what to talk about today............

Jimmy will be going back to work tomorrow. He has basically been off since the 2nd week in December. It has been great having him home but he is definitely ready to go back. I am feeling better. Yesterday wasn't so good. Had trouble breathing and coughing up a lot of crud. I was outside a lot of the morning so that probably didn't help.

No more lice, I can happily report!!

I have lost 4.5 pounds now!! WOOHOO!

Mary went to her eye apt on post and failed. She went last year and they said she needed glasses. I was skeptical on the prescription strength. The doctor wasn't very interested in waiting on Mary to decide the shape. Being three I figured they could give her some leeway. So it wasn't a shock when she failed this time. With Jimmy's gene for eyes it isn't a surprise that it hit all 3 of them. So Mary goes to an eye specialist on Wednesday to see what the deal is.

The kids and Jimmy were wrestling yesterday. Morgan got elbowed in the head. She is still not 100% yet. Her head hurts. Poor baby. Right now she has her room to herself. Mary is bunking with Noah tonight. Morgan is watching one of my favorite movies, Cleopatra. Yes the movie with Elizabeth Taylor. It is so good.

I made turkey with all the fixings tonight. The kids wanted to pretend it was Christmas. They set the table like Christmas and used the fancy plates and glasses. We drew names for secret Santa's. I got 2 movies from mom. Morgan got a nice poem from Jimmy. Noah gave Mary his dinosaur book, she is always taking. Jimmy got a beaded key chain for his keys. Mary glued pictures from a magazine on some paper for Noah (they were things he likes). I am drawing a picture for mom.

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow, that I really don't want to go to.

Other than that not much else going on. Hope this update finds you all well.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Update on working out

This morning I weighed myself and (drum roll please) I have lost 2.5 lbs!!! Now this may seem like a small amount compared to the Biggest Loser, but my goal is to loose 2 or more pounds a week. I have worked out everyday but Sunday and Monday. Now Sunday was laziness on my part and my trainer as well. Yesterday though was my day off for the week. It is weird to work out but strangely fun in a way. The best part is getting in shape. The second best thing is spending time with Jimmy everyday. It is nice to see what he gets so excited about. It will be a long journey to get this weight off at 2 pounds a week but I am determined. For all of you who know me this is something I will do. There isn't a force on Earth that can stop me if I have my eye set on something.

On a side note. I have been feeling better and was feeling like I was finally going to be over this crud. But for the past 2 days I have been feeling run down and very phlegmy (sorry). I am hoping this is just me getting all the crud out finally. I am worried, in that little part of my brain, that I am getting worse again. I hope not. I will not stop working out either way.

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Awards


Morgan and her awards.















Recieving her awards and ribbon.



So I must be a doting mom for a moment. This morning was Morgan's school award ceremony. Morgan got the most awards in her class by a mile. Now I know it is all about achieving your own personal goals. Which by the way she obliterated! I didn't gloat or goosh to her over the fact she earned the most but I am saying it here...lol. Sorry. Anyway here is a run down of her awards.




3rd Nine Weeks Achievement Award


All 'A' Honor Roll


3 AR Award ( AR is advanced Reading and the 3rd is, she has received one for each nine weeks


(or semesters to those in traditional school)


41 Math Objectives Mastered (most in her class)


Terrific Kid Award (means never got in trouble)


4 Star Reader Awards (exceeded her AR allowance for the school year before the 3rd semester was over)


So if you are keeping track, that is 9 awards for 9 weeks. I am so proud of her!!!! OK so I will stop gooshing now. Have a great day.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Life and Movies

Not much to report. The past few days have been pretty low key.

Morgan and Mary are nit and bug free. We will keep checking and crossing our fingers. I think we have washed just about everything in the house.

I am still working out everyday. Jimmy now has me under his wing. I am lifting weights, to get toned. I definitely do not want to look like those female body builders, who I secretly think are men. (Sorry just my opinion.) Anyway, I have found most of the stuff to be pretty easy. I have shocked myself with how I can do sit ups and lift more than the remote...lol. Jimmy also isn't the Nazi trainer I had come to think he would be. He has been very supportive. He didn't even laugh when I slid off the exercise ball. That's when you know your man loves you.

I have watched a few movies the past couple of days and thought I would share my insights.

MAX PAYNE: It's one of those movies you find yourself thinking why am I watching this? Do I not have anything else I could be doing? Mark Wahlberg was wonderful in it. He made a good Max Payne and there were tons of familiar stars in it. But my suggestion is wait for it to come on cable if you desire to watch it. My vote is don't waste your money or time.

The Changeling: Holy cow what a good movie. Angelina Jolie has always been one of my favorites and this movie shows why. She was wonderful!! Some other favorites of mine were in it as well. Like John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan and directed by Clint Eastwood. Any mother's heart strings will be tugged in this true story. A Must See!!!!

Australia: Now this movie is a mix of see or not. The first half hour or so I almost turned it off. It wasn't to engaging. It started to pick up and ended up being a good movie. There were about 3 times in the movie where you thought it would be over but alas it tricks you and keeps going. It is a very long movie which was made longer by children, a husband, and a mother coming in. SO I am not sure what to say about it. It is something worth seeing but I don't think it should be to high on the list of all time must see movies.

I still have to watch 'Babylon A.D.', 'The Secret Lives of Bees' and 'Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'. Yes I do like a variety in my movies. If you have seen any recent movies that you think I should add to my list, let me know. I love a good movie.



Update: I finished 2 movies.

The first was the new Mummy movie. It was ok. Not as exciting as the original 2. But if you are a Frasier fan it is a must see.

The second was 'The Secret Lives Of Bees'. I didn't read the book or know anything about the movie before I watched it. Oh my goodness it was wonderful and heartbreaking. It was a movie I would watch over and over! A must see.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Workout

So it is official. I started working out today. I went and signed up at Omni fitness. Yes I know I have had access to free gym the entire time Jimmy has been in the military. The point of getting a membership is now I have to use it because I pay for it. Yes that ultimately means I have NO I repeat NO self control. No determination to sweat to death and work out. I hate working out. Anyway, this gym is awesome. They have a daycare for the kids. There goes another excuse of can't take Mary there. They have an all women work out room. This takes away any excuse of not wanting to work out in front of guys (which isn't that big a deal to me). They also have the best thing I have ever seen in a gym before. They have a movie room. Yes you heard me right. There is a room that shows a movie while you work out on either a treadmill, elliptical trainer or a bike. Today they were playing the movie "Jumper". Let me tell you, for a person who hates walking in one place this is it for me. I walked for 25 minutes on the treadmill on an incline and it seemed like nothing. Well until I got off lol. Then went to a bike and road another mile and a half. I can't believe they have made working out so mindlessly fun. Needless to say I love this gym. I never thought in my 32 years on this Earth that i would ever say that.

It is sad really that I have paid so little attention to my health. I have let the kids and Jimmy be my first priority and now I need to make time for me. I know easier said then done. I am determined to do it though.

I want to get back to 160lbs. The doctor has said I should be about 120-140 lbs, which is never going to happen again. After 4 kids this will never be possible. Which I think 160lbs is pretty good weight even though it still makes me overweight for the Dr. Anyway more to come and I will keep all 3 of my readers up to date on my progress..... Have a good one!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The joy of being a mom!

Today I thought hey Jimmy, Mary and I will go to lunch. We snuck out and went to Subway. We started having a lovely lunch of yummy subs when my phone rang. It was Morgan. Thus the following conversation....

Morgan: "Hey mom you know how I said my head itched? Well I told my teacher that it itched and she looked and I have bugs in my hair."

Me: "WHAT?"

Morgan:"Yes, the teacher doesn't know what it is. Will you come look?"

Me: "I will be here in a minute."

Of course I show up at school and Morgan's class is in the lunchroom. She hurries and eats her lunch and we go see the nurse. Of course the nurse proceeds to show me the little vermin trapsing through Morgan's hair. We took her out of school and headed straight for the pharmacy. When we got home I spent 20 minutes combing her hair with the special comb. I think there must have been 100+ bugs and nits that I took out. I soon decided that Morgan needed a haircut. I trimmed her hair really short. Took a lot of nits off that way. The whole procedure including the hair cut took over an hour. Ugh! Just they way I wanted to spend an afternoon.

Poor Jimmy took to cleaning. He has stripped beds, started laundry, vacuumed mattresses and carpets and used the lice spry on the beds and pillow. He has all the laundry downstairs. He is looking a little ragged, but he is doing a great job.

I hope your afternoon was better then mine.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Breakfast

This morning Jimmy and I slept in until 8am. Our door kept opening and shutting but no one was coming in. We went to sit up and the door opened again. This time Morgan and Noah strode through the door. They had made Jimmy and I breakfast in bed. It was so cool. This is the first time they have ever made us breakfast in bed without an adults help. The tray was covered in paper towels. They were trying to keep the food warm. As we uncovered the goodies, we found an array of food. We had 2 small bowls of strawberry yogurt with graham crackers to dip in it (no spoons though). We had 2 biscuits and a small dish of gravy they warmed up. They also had an apple and peanut butter. Not to forget our 2 glasses of juice. They were so sweet!!! Come to find out the door was opening and shutting so much because they sent Mary to spy on us. Her job was to make sure Jimmy and I weren't getting out of bed before they were ready. So funny! Just had to share my wonderful morning.