Sunday, September 30, 2007

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Thursday Thirteen - Fall

Sunday was the first official day of fall - FINALLY! This is by far my favorite time of the year, and as much as Ohio weather drives me nuts, I'm really happy to be in a place that has a definite change for each season. Fall rocks, and here's why:

  1. The smells - There is something about the smell of leaves or when someone in the neighborhood has lit that first fire of the season that just takes me to a very happy place.
  2. Leaves - I think this is the most visually stunning season of the year. We don't get the kind of colors that you see in New England or points a little further north, but we have enough wooded areas around us that it really does look like the trees are on fire. It's amazing.
  3. Raking - Natually...because raking leads to jumping....which leads to raking....which leads to jumping....
  4. Jackets - I love the feeling of jackets and long sleeve t-shirts. It's just cozy.
  5. Pumpkin flavored food - I could eat pumpkin pie and pumpkin muffins until I was blue in the face. Yum. Yum. YUM!
  6. Halloween - I could do without the pesky little gaggle of preteen "public school students", but I will never get my fill of fairies and super-heroes. Oh yeah, and candy.
  7. Thanksgiving - It's quite possibly one of the most stressful times of the year, but the food is good and getting together with family is awesome. And we have a tablecloth that we get out every year and draw on and write our names. It's pretty cool.
  8. Temperature Drop - This kind of goes along with jackets, but I just love it when the temperature gets cooler. Cool enough that you can walk outside without melting, but not cold enough to need a coat and gloves.
  9. Hot Chocolate - I originally had typed football, and then quickly deleted it because a) I don't care about football and b) when I think of football, I think of the AWESOME hot chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps that my mom's friend used to bring to games when I was in high school. Don't worry, it was just enough to flavor it...she wasn't promoting teen drinking. But to this day, I don't like hot chocolate unless it has a mint flavor to it. Yum.
  10. Baking - I'm not a big baker, but there's something about baking in the fall that makes me tend to do it more. Jake (usually) likes to help me and it makes the house smell great....when I haven't messed up the recipe.
  11. Apple Orchard/Pumpkin Patch - A yearly visit to one or both of these has become a tradition and I really look forward to it this year!
  12. School/Activities - The kids are back in school, programs at the church start back up, and BOWLING starts again. Ah....yes.
  13. TV - Summer TV is usually pretty bad. And I am so, so, SO happy that the fall season started this week. Just give me my remote, some minty hot chocolate and a pumpkin muffin...I'm in heaven.

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Wordless Wednesday

Well, at least they come by it honestly...


For more pics, visit WW or 5 Minutes for Mom

LW 08 - Week 1

So here we are in week 1 of the Lose Weight in 2008 challenge sponsored by Tales from the Scales. I totally missed last week because of my stupid computer, so I'll just start from here I guess.

For me, this challenge is going to be more about maintaining than losing. As of today, I only need to drop 2.5 pounds to get into my "target zone". From there, I would like to maintain my weight within 3 pounds for the rest of the challenge.

Just to put it in writing (and therefore increase the likelihood of actually doing it), I am going to include my Winning Outcome for the Challenge and also include 1 new goal a week. And it might not always be outwardly about weight loss. I'm beginning to realize that so much more goes into this than just food and exercise, so I need to start bringing all those things together.

I will also include my weight every week. It makes a big difference to put that number out there, and I have found that the more people I share it with, the more accountable I become.

I did happen to weigh in last week in the anticipation of signing up for the challenge (did I mention my computer was stupid), so I do actually have results to report this week. I'm up .5 lb over last week, which means I need to lose 2.5 pounds to get back into my goal range.

Visit Tales from the Scales to check out other people's progress!

9/19/07 weight: 159
9/26/07 weight: 159.5
This week's goal - Lights out by 11:30pm

Winning Outcome for Lose Weight in 2008 Challenge
“I will to maintain my weight between 154 lbs and 157 lbs throughout this challenge. I will increase weight training to 2 times a week. I will continue to do cardio work for 3 or 4 days a week. I will walk between 8,000 and 10,000 steps a day EVERY DAY.”

Monday, September 24, 2007

How a swimsuit saved my sanity

We've been having this....um...problem with Emma.

You see, she rather likes tearing off her pull-up while she is in her crib. And she does not at all seem to mind that she ends up falling to sleep in very, VERY wet sheets....or worse. We thought after a few times of sleeping in her own pee that she would figure out that it's not a very pleasant thing to do and stop tearing off her pull-up.

She didn't.

We moved on to always putting her in a onesie when we put her to bed. That worked for a while, until she decided that no silly little onesie was going to defeat her. So with her onesie still on, she pulled off her pull-up and pulled it through her pant leg. Thinking it was a fluke, I continued putting her in a onesie at naptime and bedtime. And it was a fluke, because the next time she figured out how to unbutton her onesie. I guess she thought pulling it out through the leg hole was just too much work so she better find an alternative. At least she's a good problem solver...

After the onesie, I decided I would try putting her in a pull-up, covered by a pair of vinyl training pants, and then the onesie on top of that. I thought the snugness from an extra layer would make it harder to take off the onesie. I was wrong.

I finally called my mom, who usually is my go-to gal when I am having an unusually hard time with the kids. She's quite resourceful...and she sews. I figured she could come up with something that would make it near impossible for Emma to take off that pull-up. She suggested bib overalls put on backwards so that she couldn't reach the buckles, but that sounded kind of uncomfortable to sleep in.

And that's when I came up with what I consider to be one of my best ideas of all time...a swimsuit! And you know what? It works perfectly. I put the pull-up on, then the swimsuit, and then a shirt and pants or PJs. She hasn't figured out...yet...how to pull off her t-shirt so I know she can't get the swimsuit off, and for some reason since it doesn't have buttons, she hasn't tried to pull the pull-up off through the leghole...yet.

As I was explaining the arrangement to the babysitter a few weeks ago, she said "Hey, whatever works." And isn't that what parenting is all about?

I thought so!

Turn It On Again

I'm a big 'ol Phil Collins and Genesis fan. It's something that I kind of "inherited" from my sister since she's an even bigger Phil Fan. We went to together to see Genesis when the came to town 15 years ago for their We Can't Dance Tour. We went together when Phil came through on his First Final Farewell Tour 2 years ago.


So when we heard that Genesis was reuniting for their first tour in 15 years (aptly named The Turn It On Again Tour) AND coming to the States AND coming to our town...well, you probably heard the screams around the world. Immediately followed by tears. Immediately followed by us checking the funds in our respective bank accounts. Because if we had to give blood every day in order to pay for the tickets, well, we better get going...

Genesis - Turn It On Again
The concert was this past weekend. And can I just say....SHUT UP! Oh my God, it was so good. It kind of sucked when the lady down the row from us threatened to call security if my sister and I didn't sit down. But you know what? It's a concert! A Genesis concert! The first Genesis concert in 15 YEARS! And we were going to stand if we wanted to! At least until we both thought that if it came down to standing up or getting beer thrown on us, maybe sitting wasn't so bad. We did pop up for a few songs, but I have never seen so many people sitting before! It was nuts.


They played the familiar songs from the 80s mixed in with some ones I wasn't so familiar with (mostly from the early days), and of course there was the drum battle/duet between Phil and Chester Thompson. I'm telling you, I would pay top dollar just to hear the two of them go at it for 2.5 hours. They rock...if you'll pardon the expression.


Anyway, a good time was had by all and I'm glad that we shelled out the money to go see them. There's something about seeing a band on their last tour (poopy patrons and all) that just can't compare with many other things.


On a totally unrelated note, the answer was indeed wigs. Why on God's green earth would someone buy a wig for a dog? Do they really have that much disposable income that they are buying hair pieces for their pooch? Again...SERIOUSLY??

Fall Into Reading 2007 - Book List


It's time again for the Fall Into Reading Challenge over at Callapidder Days. I really look forward to her challenges because my reading seems to slack off between. This way, I know I'm at least getting some (hopefully) good books in every 6 months or so! I'm anxious to get started, but because I don't own a single one of these books, I'm going to have to wait for them to open up at the library. I have 3 waiting for me now so I guess I'll start with those!

Here's my fiction list:
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England (Brock Clarke)
Up High in the Trees (Kiara Brinkman)
When Crickets Cry (Charles Martin)
The Other Mother (Gwendolen Gross)
Nineteen Minutes (Jodi Picoult)

Here's my non-fiction list:
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee (Wendy Mogel)
A Life's Work : On Becoming a Mother (Rachel Cusk)
The Read-Aloud Handbook (Jim Trelease)

And this time around I would like to do a read aloud book with Jake. He's to the point now where he is reading so well, the "normal" books for his age or a little too young for him. He blows right through anything we get him. So, I am going to try reading Charlotte's Web to him everyday.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Driving me nuts!

Nothing is so unnerving as realizing how much you depend on your computer...

...WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT FOR 3 DAYS!!

argh. the internet here at the house has been going in and out since Monday and it's driving me BATTY! It'll be on for 5 minutes than off for 3 hours. I finally put in a call to the cable people (we have cable for our internet and phone which means our phone has been spotty, too) and I made an appointment for them to come out yesterday afternoon. Dave came home on Tuesday and jiggled a cord and everything was hunky dory...but I forgot to call and cancel the cable guy. Which I felt really bad about when he showed up at our door. So we've been going strong for 2 whole days.

Then I log on today and it starts getting all persnickety again!

HELLO! Does my modem not realize how much my fans need to hear from me everyday? I'm behind in posting. I'm behind in reading. I'm behind in surfing. I nearly went catatonic on Tuesday when I had to get out the actual phone book in my cabinet to look up a phone number...

So I figure I better post while I can, while my modem is being good to me. Maybe I'll give it the weekend off and get back to regularly scheduled posting next week.

If not, I may just lose my mind!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Seriously???

The following article ran this past weekend in my local paper. I like dogs, but this is a little bit whacky, if you ask me. Just to make it fun, you get to GUESS what this lady is making. Leave me your best guess in the comments!

"The must-have accessory for canines -- _______ -- made its debut this summer at the New York International Gift Fair.

Credit Ruth Regina. While visiting a posh boutique, she noticed people paying good money for tiaras, Chanel bags or dressy outfits for dogs.

"I said, 'Why not ______ for dogs?' " she said from her______boutique (for humans) in Bay Harbor Islands, Fla.

Her 50-year career in _______ ranges from stints with the Jackie Gleason and Ed Sullivan shows to her work with Elvis Presley and the Beatles to her status as a ________ for celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum and Kate Moss -- and, perhaps soon, their dogs.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association says Americans will spend $41 billion on their pets this year, from basic veterinary care to doggie beds.

Last fall, after Regina appeared on Late Show With David Letterman with only a product prototype, her Web site -- ___________ -- received so many hits that it crashed.

________, starting at $29, are made of washable synthetic material but can be made with _______ "to match the owner's," she said."

Friday, September 14, 2007

Coming Soon To a Blog Near You!

Quite a few things coming up here in the next few weeks. Well, o.k. I guess I only really know of 2, but if I had to venture a guess there's a lot more than that. Anyway.



Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Next Wednesday (September 19th) is the official start of the new challenge over at Tales from the Scales. Beth has named it "Look Great in 2008". How catchy is she? Quite, I think. And I will be continuing my job as regular contributor, every Thursday. Thea Thursdays. It's alliteration at it's finest folks! Dust off those scales, food journals and treadmills and join us, won't you? So, are you in?

And Katrina over at Callapidder Days is starting a new reading challenge on September 23rd! Basically, make a list of books that you would like to read during the challenge (which runs September 23rd to December 21st), write a post about it, and then link up to Callapidder Days on the 23rd. I did my first challenge in the Spring, and I was amazed at how much more I was able to read during that time. It's a lot of fun!

Do you know of any interesting challenges, carnivals, or contests going on? Leave me a comment and I'll check it out. I'm all about the challenge!!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Thursday Thirteen - Scrapbooking

When this whole scrapbooking fad first swept the nation, I laughed at the notion of spending time with all that "frilly" stuff and gasped at the idea of CUTTING my pictures.

Then I got invited to a scrapbooking party for Creative Memories. Yeah. I was hooked. I now spend on average about 20-30 minutes a day scrapbooking. I love it. And here's why.



  1. Creative Outlet - Now that I can't do as much theatre as I did before the kids came along, this is a good creative outlet for me. I've never been very good at art and I do better with crafts that come with a set of directions, and I can get that a lot of times when I'm scrapping. It has also really increased my desire to learn more about photography.

  2. "Frilly" stuff - Fine, I'll admit it. I like the products. Just today I spent over an hour at the craft store trying to find the "perfect" embellishments for a new album I started. Good thing I brought a snack for Emma.

  3. Scraplifting - Like I said, I like directions. And stealing being inspired by someone else's design takes a lot of the pressure. What do they say? Imitation is the highest form of flattery, or something like that.

  4. Pay attention to the little things - I look at things differently now. I am starting to pay more attention to how the kids look when they make certain expressions, or noticing the way a leaf is hanging on a tree. It's really helped me appreciate the little things.

  5. Just for me - I scrapbook very early in the morning (and I'm not a morning person) so I consider it my time. Jake will join me occasionally if I'm really close to finishing a layout and don't want to stop. I keep a stash of paper and stickers on hand and he goes to town. But for the most part, it's my quiet way of starting the day.

  6. Accomplishment - It really is satisfying to finish a layout. I like knowing that's one more page on my way to a completed album. I had a goal to finish 1 layout a week for the whole year (52 total layouts) and I have a check list in my scrapbooking space that I get to check off when I get one done. I love lists so that is really quite satisfying for me.

  7. Gifts - It's a nice way for me to remember to send pictures to Grandma and Grandpa who live out of town. They only get to see the kids 2 or 3 times a year, so I make a scrapbook calendar for them. Every month, they get a new layout with current pictures of the kids. I think they really like it.

  8. Magazines - This one is silly, but I love magazines and there are so many scrapbooking mags out there. I don't subscribe to any, but I have asked for a subscription for the last 2 years for Christmas. No dice.

  9. Reactions - There is no better payoff then seeing Jake sit down with one of the completed albums. He loves looking at them!!

  10. Challenging - If I don't scraplift, sometimes it can be really hard to come up with a design. When that happens, scrapbooking keeps my mind working. I figure it was good if that happened every once in a while.

  11. Passing it down - I'd really like to create an album about myself so that when they are older, Jake and Emma can learn more about me as a person instead of just thinking of me as their mom.

  12. Organizing - This is just one more thing I get to organize and containerize. I LOVE IT! I love labeling my pictures as soon as they get back from the printer with the date and event. And then sorting them into whether they are for scrapbooking or non-scrapbooking. And then putting them away. It sounds crazy, but I love that part.

  13. IT'S FUN! - And this is probably the most important reason why I do it. And it needs no further explanation!

Visit other Thursday Thirteen lists!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Unbelievable

I'm an old pro at taking Jacob to preschool. I've had 2 years of going through the drop off line and having the teachers take him out of the car. Easy, breezy.

But that first day, 2 years, when they took him out of the car...whoa, boy. I immediately pulled off into the parking lot and bawled my eyes out. I called Dave and he talked me down. I just wasn't prepared for that.

Just like I wasn't prepared for it this morning when they took Emma out of the car for her first full day of preschool. I thought I had this thing down! I was excited to have a few hours to myself! I was looking forward to cleaning! NO, REALLY! And still, I pulled off into the parking lot and bawled my eyes out (again). I called Dave and he talked me down (again).

Could it really be that my little girl is going to school? Could it really be that her book bag is actually a little bigger than she is? Could it really be her walking into that building, without so much as a glance back at the car (just like Jake did 2 years ago)?

Truly, truly unbelievable.

Wordless Wednesday

Come on, Get Happy!

For more pics, visit WW or 5 Minutes for Mom

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

MDWLC - Wrap up

Seriously? 18 weeks have gone by? That's crazy. It sure doesn't seem like it's been 18 weeks since we've started!


Well, my results are mixed. I am at the exact same spot as when I started. No loss, but not gain! While it would have been nice if they scale had gone down...fine...stayed down, I'm very happy that I'm not any higher than when I started.


So at 158 I will stay.


I'm excited to see what the next challenge will be like! And these challenges are SOOOO helpful when you go through a holiday season, so I'm looking forward to at least staying the same! LOL!


Check out Tales from the Scales to see how everyone else is doing DID on the May Day Weight Loss Challenge!

MDWLC starting weight (5/18/07): 158
MDWLC current weight (9/11/07): 158
Loss/Gain to date: 0.0 lb

Monday, September 10, 2007

In the minority

I live in a college town. A very BIG college town. A slightly INSANE college town.

And it's Football Season. Which means all sense of normalcy flies right out the window.

To be quite honest, I don't get it. I can understand wanting to support the home team, but seriously it's like there is something in the water around here. Normally quiet people start painting their faces. All sorts of new fashion statements are made and a new breed of sweaters with 3-dimensional adornments are born. They even have a song on the radio that mixes the school band playing various songs with Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl.

You know, cause that just makes sense.

My favorite is when we make fun of other school's mascots. I hate to break it to ya, but our mascot is a tree nut. We don't have a lot of room to talk.

Quite often this time of year, we are invited over to friend's houses to watch the game and have a party. And sometimes I even watch part of the game. But really I'm just there to see my friends, to hang out and have a good time. And my friends know that I don't get as rabid excited as they do, but I think deep down they are still a little bit surprised that I don't even own a school t-shirt. I mean, I was born and raised in this town. It seems only natural that I be infected be inflicted support the local team.

Which I do. I want them to win as much as the next guy. O.K. Maybe not quite as much as the next guy, but still. I just tend to be a little more relaxed about it if they lose. I don't cry or fight or set trash cans on fire.

You know, cause that just makes sense

Friday, September 7, 2007

Vacation planning

I'm a planner. For as long as I can remember, I've been a planner. I tend to not like surprises and I like to completely control every second of have a say in vacation planning.

Right now, I am planning two trips. One is a mini family reunion. Since I seem to have developed a reputation for having a little bit of knowledge concerning the Internet, I was designated planner. That's cool with me. But I have to tell you, It's very hard to find a date that works for nearly 30 people. I finally picked one today and we'll hope for the best.

Second, I figure it's about time Dave and I take a solo vacation. We try to get away by ourselves every year. We try to alternate every year between having just a weekend away and taking a full week. And it is SO time to take a week.

But Dave has very little time to think about anything other than work, the kids, or sleeping so we've been having some trouble coming up with a location. After we started talking about it last night, we kind of stalled. So I asked him this morning if he could take a little time today during work just to think about it.

And boy did he think about it. You know what he came back with? Hawaii. HELL YA! Now this could all change in a week or month, but as of right now I can say:

I am planning a trip to Hawaii! ADULTS ONLY!!!
Whoo. O.K. I'm felling much better now. Granted, the trip probably won't be until fall of next year, but still. I may be going to HAWAII!!
Holy crap, I think I might pass out.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Thursday Thirteen - Shows I've Been In

I have been involved in theatre ever since my freshman year of high school. Up to that point, I played sports. But the mentality in high school is TOTALLY different then the mentality in grade school, so basically I wimped out. After I quit sports, I was looking for something to do and noticed an audition notice at school and figured "Why the hell not?" The rest, they say, is history. Here are 13 shows that I have been involved in (either backstage or onstage) over the years.



  1. King Arthur's Calamity - I'm listing this one first because it was the worst theatre experience of my life. One of the actors actually called me a word that rhymes with witch in the middle of rehearsal because I "stole his light". Seriously? I came home every night in tears and Dave kept telling me to quit, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I regret ever having done that show. Ugh.

  2. Guys and Dolls - Without a doubt, one of my favorite musicals of all time. I would literally give my right arm to play Adelaide. Holy crap, that's a good role. We have the soundtrack with the 1992 US Revival cast and I get goose bumps every time I hear Faith Prince and Josie de Guzman sing "Marry the Man Today"

  3. Our Town - Rebecca Gibbs was the first part I ever had that had lines. I didn't do all that great, but it remains one of my favorite non-musicals. I cannot think of one aspect of that show that I don't like. The sets (or lack of) are awesome and the Stage Manager is a really great role.

  4. South Pathetic Pacific - My first show. Ever. I wish it weren't. I really don't like the show, but I was young and naive. It's boring and the music's bad. Makes you want to run out and rent it, doesn't it? But now that I think of it, John Kerr (the actor who played Joe Cable) is kinda hot in the movie so go ahead and rent it.

  5. Once Upon a Mattress - This one was actually kind of funny. It wasn't the greatest but there was one song that I sing to this day...despite the fact that I can only remember 3 words of it. And then who can forget the princess' name. "With and "F" and an "R" and an "E" and a "D" And an "F-R-E-D" Fred! Yeah!"

  6. Bye Bye Birdie - This one cracks me up because my friend from high school played Conrad Birdie and my mom (who did the majority of the costumes for the shows) made him a gold lam`e suit. It was awesome.

  7. Grease - Who doesn't love this musical? Well, the movie is better than the stage show, I think. But still, it's pretty darn good. And this one has a special place in my heart because it was during this production that I met my future husband. The girl who was playing Patty Simcox (and Dave's dance partner) broke her foot 2 weeks before the show so I got moved up out of the chorus to play the part and danced my way into Dave's heart. LOL! Really, I just tried not to step on his toes. It was also the first show I did out of high school, 5 long years after I had graduated.

  8. You're a Good Man Charlie Brown - This one was just downright fun. It's a small cast musical and we just had a blast. Dave directed it and I got to play Sally Brown. She remains one of my favorite characters I've ever played.

  9. Moon Over Buffalo - Kind of a forgettable show. The big dilemma in this one was that I had to have a make-out session with one of my best friends. We were playing lovers in the show, but he and his wife were our best friends off stage. Yeah. Awkward.

  10. Music Man - "He's a what? He's a what? He's a music man" The opening scene of this musical, when all the salesman were on the train, is one of my favorite scenes in musical theatre. When done correctly (with people who can keep tempo), it just has a really neat effect. I came dangerously close to dressing as a man for this scene when one of the actors kept missing rehearsal. Thankfully, he showed up in the end. Dave and I played "boyfriend/girlfriend" in this show and people always tell us that the kiss on the cheek at the end of "Shipoopi" got loner and longer every night... All I'm saying is that he was kissing me. I just sat there.

  11. Smoke on the Mountain - This is another one of those casts that just clicked. We got compliments from audience members saying that we were better than some professional productions they had seen. Not too bad for a little church troupe. I played the part of June, and I do mean played. She is the only non-singing member of a musical family so she plays all the percussion instruments. I think I played maybe 10 instruments in that show. Also, her thing is "I don't sing, I sign". I had to come up with "sign language" for a good majority of the songs. Some of my "signs" were so over the top the director told me I had to scale back because I was nearly hitting the other actors on stage by accident. That part was so fun. It was tough though because the actors never leave stage, except for intermission. That can be tough.

  12. Honk! - The entire cast was animals and I played a moorhen in this one. And I happened to be 7 1/2 months pregnant with Emma at the time. I remember just breaking down and crying after the show closed because I was so exhausted. Good Lord, I was tired. And my feet hurt. But at least I looked good in my knee high fire engine red leather boots.

  13. Godspell - This was my directorial debut. And I'm never doing it again. I just don't have the patience for it. Godspell has some really great music ("By My Side" brings me to tears every time) and the kind of ending that gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I also got to play the "tramp" in this one and flirt with a pastor. Good times. Once again, never left the stage.

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Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Wordless Wednesday


For more pics, visit WW or 5 Minutes for Mom

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

MDWLC - Week 17

I am back at 157 this week, but I realized something on Saturday. I have maintained my weight within 5 lbs (between 158 and 153) since November of 2006. So, for nearly a year, I have been at goal. And it made me think that even though I am not losing from week to week, I'm evidently doing something right.

Once again, I got caught up in the short term, not realizing (or commending myself) for the life long changes I have made. Do I still make mistakes? You know it (let me just wipe the ice cream off my face). But I also know that when the scale starts creeping up, I just need to tweak a little bit. And a little bit are the results I'm going to get. I'm not going to lose 1 or 2 lbs a week, if I lose at all, and that's O.K. Even though I'm not all that thrilled with the way my body looks, maybe my body is happy where it is and I need to be O.K. with that.

When I was picking a goal weight (155), my Weight Watchers leader told me that I had to be sure to pick a number that I would be able to maintain, not just a number that I wanted to see on the scale. And I've done that. I've tried to go lower, but it doesn't last long and maybe there's a reason for that. My ideal weight seems to be in the 154-158 range, and that's cool with me. It's more than I want to see, but less than I was. And less than I was just makes me happy.

I decided last week that even though I don't have to, I am going to start going to weekly Weight Watchers meetings again. I really do miss the meetings and I have definitely noticed that I tend to do better knowing that I have that to look forward to on Saturday mornings. I have to give up the Saturday morning free time with the family, but Dave is totally supportive and it gives him a chance to be alone with the kids during the day, something that doesn't happen too often.

So anyway, I'm up this week, but that's O.K.! I've made the changes and I'm sticking too them which is the real goal, right?

Check out Tales from the Scales to see how everyone else is doing on the May Day Weight Loss Challenge!

MDWLC starting weight (5/18/07): 158
MDWLC current weight (9/4/07): 157
Loss/Gain to date: -1.0 lb
Goal weight range for next week (9/11/07): 154-158

Monday, September 3, 2007

The Chlorine Fog

Did you miss me horribly over the weekend? I thought you may have so I decided to take a quick second to post tonight despite the fact that I feel like I am going to fall on my face.

Can it really be that we only went out of town for about 36 hours? 36 HOURS??? That's not even two full days. But we are exhausted. Dave hit the nail on the head when he said he was "beach tired". But we weren't at the beach so I am dubbing this feeling "The Chlorine Fog".

We left yesterday around 11:30 am and the drive only lasted less than an hour. We got to the lodge around 12:30 and since we knew that we couldn't check-in until 3:30, we decided to have lunch and then just let the kids loose in the attached water park. After all, that was the whole reason we took the trip.

By 1:30, all I wanted to do was take a nap. The place was so warm and the chlorine just hit you in the face. Add to that me having to carry Emma around because she was less than excited about water being randomly dumped on her head, I was exhausted. What can I say? I'm an excitement lightweight.

Dave was in charge of Jacob who was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He was going down slides that I wouldn't have imagined he would. He was dumping water on people. He was getting water dumped on him. Quite surprising for a boy who has to wear goggles in the bath because he can't stand water in his eyes. Oh, how things change once the soap is taken away.

But being the family we are, even in 36 hours we sustained a number of injuries. There were big scrapes on the legs from trying to get out of the metal-framed sofa bed. There were stubbed toes (all on my foot) from slipping on the water slide. There were scratched backs from going down water slides a gabillion times. But the biggest injury of all? Jacob slipped and fell and hurt...take a wild guess. I'll give you a second. You're right! HIS TOOTH! The child is a magnet for tooth injuries. He really is, and I don't know how much more clearer we can be than "Honey, please don't slam your mouth into things". You'd think with 2 emergency dentist visits under his belt, the kid would learn. He is quite stubborn, that one.

But overall, despite the incredibly unhealthy food, lack of naps, chlorine, and injuries, we really did have fun. It was good to get away even if it was only for 36 hours. There was even talk about making it an end of summer tradition. That's cool. That gives me a year to prepare.