March 30, 2006
And along came a spider
I really hate it when spiders land on me, don't you? I'm not necessarily frightened of them, but they just gross me out. I really dislike the hairy ones, or albinos. Bah. It doesn't really matter. They all creep me out.
I have a friend that delights in telling me that we swallow many spiders while we sleep, but are just unaware of it. That thought always makes me decidedly uncomfortable about nodding off at night. Remind me to poke a stick in his eye the next time I see him ok?
But spiders are small in comparison to humans, so even if they do land on you, it's relatively easy to flick them off of your body, or the wall. But I don't even like to do that. I just try to ignore them as best I can, and if that doesn't work, I fetch my husband or the vacuum cleaner.
I guess the whole; "eww there's a spider kill it" scenario is alot like real life. The bad things in life (arachnids) invade your life. You keep smashing them and vacuuming them and eating them in your sleep, but they keep coming back. Some days aren't as bad as others, and you might get a break from time to time.
But they keep coming damnit. And you have to learn to roll with it, know what I mean? Take the good with the bad and make some lemonade. And you know what? I'm glad I have my family to help keep them under control.
My sister-in-law wrote me an email recently and said:
It's commonly held that God doesn't give us more than we can handle - however, I'm not sure I have that correctly interpreted.....can't wait to ask a few questions in Heaven....
I wonder if God has spiders in Heaven?
Posted by Moogie at 3:41 PM | Comments (14)
March 29, 2006
This is the part where I say I'm ok
And I am.
I needed to take the time to stop in today to tell you that all was well, but due to some unforeseen circumstances I've not been able to blog lately. I'm hoping to rectify that in a day or too. I have been working with the girls on their answers to your questions. They are unbelievably excited that you all would take the time to do that.
I bet they will do you proud.
Thank you all for checking in. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming soon.
If you've a moment or the inclination, please keep our family in your thoughts and/or prayers, or whatever it is you do. We could use it.
Posted by Moogie at 3:14 PM | Comments (8)
March 20, 2006
Guest Blogger Questions
As you know, I write alot about the girls. Doh. Quite often, if I write about them (especially if it's a funny story) I'll let them read it. They really enjoy it alot and like to give me ideas of funny things that happen from time to time.
Here is where you come in.
Peeps, I need some questions for the little darlins. Chickie is 11 years old and in the 6th grade. Meelie No is 7 (ALMOST 8!) and in the second grade. Now that Meelie has participated in guest blogging, Chickie wants her chance.
So, think of some questions for them both and I'll post them all at the end of the week. Just leave them in the comments. Just think of it as a blogger in training. If it works out well, I may repeat it from time to time.
Now, excuse me but I'm off and running. My husband is going with a neighbor to pick up my car (YAY! It's ready!), and I need to go pick up the eldest from dance, then come home and make dinner. And help with homework. And give baths. Just the normal stuff. Heh!
Thanks again for helping this old blogger out.
Posted by Moogie at 6:21 PM | Comments (17)
March 18, 2006
Bored
Main Entry: bore·dom
Pronunciation: 'bOr-d&m, 'bor-
Function: noun
: the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest
And you wonder, what does one do when they hear the following:
Moooom, we're bored! Ok kids, I guess that means I can empty all of the toys out of your bedroom and toy chest now because obvously they are only taking up room.
As you can imagine, that did not go over well. So what does a mom do when she finds herself in a situation where SEVEN kids are all bored at once? And no, I don't kick them out most of the time, I totally LOVE having them around. And yes, the drugs are working just fine thanks.
She brings out her camera! Why? Hello? What kid cannot resist posing for the camera? Ever try to get them to not post and just do their thing? Easier said that done. The pictures in the extended entry will give you a bit of both.
I'd say they are no longer bored. For now.
Posted by Moogie at 6:11 PM | Comments (7)
Happy Birthday Sharon
Today is Sharon's birthday! Make sure you go over and give her some good wishes!
Posted by Moogie at 11:26 AM | Comments (2)
Sammy Savasaurus and Meelie
The picture below is of Meelie and Sammy Savasaurus. My husbands credit union (where he works) comes and visits once a week to teach kids about saving and money. They can even open up a savings account and make deposits. The green on on the left is Sammy.
Posted by Moogie at 8:46 AM | Comments (2)
March 17, 2006
Is it Friday yet?
I was asking myself that question on Monday. It wasn't a bad week really. It was just a busy one.
I wrote earlier that I had gone to visit my parents over the weekend. During the course of those few days, my eldest developed a sore throat. By the time we arrived home on Sunday evening, she was done for. She was pretty miserable.
I made an appointment with her doctor on Monday morning, and as it was my husband's turn to stay home (we rotate days off with illnesses), he got to take her. She was diagnosed with Strep Throat, which was not surprising and it seems to be going around. She ended up being sick on Tuesday as well, so I took my turn and stayed home with work.
All was well until we had the car incident, which incidentally, has a flip side. We found out the car is under warranty. We both knew we took the extended warranty, but were unsure of the mileage limits, and we made it in, just under the wire. This means that the towing and all the work will be done for free. Since we were still under warranty, we went ahead and scheduled "her" for a service (oil/filter change) and a tire rotation. It's my thought that the moons were in alignment, and the gods were pretty happy with the batch of cookies I used as an offering.
We are fortunate to have a neighbor who has, shall we say, and excess of automobiles at his disposal, and is graciously letting us use one of them while we are down one car. Yes, we could have survived with just one car, but it certainly makes the logistics of being an active family much easier when we have two. It won't be worked on until tomorrow, so I'm not sure exactly when we will get it back.
To throw a grenade in the mix, the little one had a fever last night and was the picture of pure misery. She passed out about 6:15 last night and didn't budge until about 6:00 this morning, and was no better. It was so hard to convince her that she couldn't go to school. After all, it was St. Paddy's Day! And they made a Leprechaun trap (they worked on it all week)! And they were having potato races (they had their potatoes all painted and ready to go)!
She cried, and was really upset about both of her parental units telling her she could not go to school. The whole time she was wailing about the unfairness of life, snot was running out of her nose and it reminding me of two overflowing rivers running side by side. I really did feel sorry for her. I know how much she was looking forward to it, but I made the right decision. To top it off, it only took about 5 minutes of that before she crawled back under the covers and went back to sleep. The diagnosis, same as her sister, and Dad had the duty for that one as well.
She seems to be feeling a bit better right now, so even though she can't play with others at the moment, she is happily skating on her roller blades and drawing a masterpiece on the driveway with her sidewalk chalk. The dogs of course, are by her side, helping out wherever needed.
I spent most of the day at work getting myself organized. I had piles of paper everywhere, and got to the point where I really didn't know where I was, or what needed to be done. It's much better now, even though I can't find anything.
I'm still faithfully working out at Curves, and today marks the three week point. It's getting easier, sort of, but I figure that it didn't take me three weeks to get back into shape, so it's going to take me a while to get to where I want to be. It's all good, and I've notice that I have more energy, and am alot more limber.
So that, my dear peeps, is my week in a nutshell. If you have made it this far in the post, I applaud you and will need to send you a batch of my world famous cookies. Be sure to email me your snail mail address.
Have a wonderful weekend ya'll, and stay safe.
Posted by Moogie at 5:39 PM | Comments (2)
March 16, 2006
Gnats and Cars
Both of them are irritating.
On my way from work to a little awards ceremony at Meelie's school, my car stopped running. Luckily, it started up again and I was able to make it there, and then back home. It then again ran fine when I went to pick her up after she got out of "Good News Club." When we went back out to the car, it wouldn't start. It tried, but nothing doing.
I promptly did what any mature, independent woman would do and called my husband. He headed on over to the school to help out. When he got there, I climbed back into the car, and showed him (I thought) what it did when I started the car. The piece of crap car started right up. Sigh.
As we were talking with some of the other teachers who were standing around, it stopped again. I was vindicated. But the car still wouldn't start. He got under the hood and re-seated (I think that's the term) some of the connections, mumbled alot and had me try and start her again. It worked.
Right now, he's outside checking things out to see if he can figure out what is going on. He is the one you want to go to when you want things fixed. This is primarily the reason I married him. Ahem.
During all of this time, the gnats were out in full force. At one point I had to tie Meelie down to the bumper because they were attempting to carry her off.
When we got home, the gnat situation was worse (there is a pond, and I use that term loosely, in back of our house, as well as the fact that we are surrounded by marshlands), and of course, Meelie chose this time to dawdle, and approximately 4,682 gnats invaded the inside of my car in about 5 seconds flat. Peeps, they were in my hair, on my clothes, in my mouth (gag), and she's just standing there with the door open, chatting away. In my calm, rational voice I shouted "GET YOUR BACKPACK AND CLOSE THE CAR DOOR!"
Right now? I've finished picking the gnats out of my teeth, and am trying to mellow out, while drinking a glass of wine, or six.
Snow is looking very good right now, as long as the location has some really good public transportation.
Update: I've added some photos in the extended entry. Click on the piccy to biggen them.
The pictures are as follows: The piece of crap car, redneck party light, Olympic Roller Blading and Chalk Drawing, Master M and Ralph.
Posted by Moogie at 6:25 PM | Comments (4)
March 15, 2006
The poop up the back Phenomenon
As I was checking out Ye Ole Blogroll, I came across this post by Sadie who is covering for Phin whilst he is learning the delicate intricacies of being part of a parental unit.
Bwhahahahahaha!
Until I read this post, I had conveniently blocked forgotten all about this particular child rearing fact.
While I have trouble writing about my own defecating tendencies, or my ability to fart poot in three-part-harmony, I have no trouble talking about my children's past experiences.
When Chickie was but a wee infant, she was, how shall we say, seriously irregular. There were times when she would go nearly a week, without clearing out her bowels, so to speak. For ease, I shall from here on refer to it as "poop."
As the day, turned into days, we would get up every morning with the dreaded prospect of having to change "the diaper bomb." Mornings found both my husband and I sniffing in the doorway for the tell-tale signs of the distinct odor that shouted "this is gonna be a big one." The longer the time spans, the fuller the load, if you get my drift.
As a lot of you parents remember, when your child has what is referred to as a "blow out", the mess is generally not contained in the diaper. If said infant is wearing a footed sleeper, watch out. I remember several mornings in which the parent who had picked the short stick (had the duty) would frantically yell for the other to help out.
Breathing through the mouth, picturing flowers and anything else to relieve the gagging, we would delicately peel off the sleeper, and be astounding at the results of the explosion that lay beneath. Good lord, how in the world does that work itself up the back and down to the toes? Baths were given, and clean clothes were put on the wriggling bundle of joy, who single handedly, had managed to stink up the entire house. We bought stock in air fresheners.
I do remember one memory vividly. We were flying back home to California from Florida, when Chickie decided to let loose WHILE.WE.WERE.ON.THE.PLANE. Think about it. She was in her carrier, buckled in the seat. She was wearing a little summer one piece outfit. Visualize this peeps, visualize. It (poop) went everywhere. I had to ask for extra paper towels from the stewardess, as well as a trash bag. I thought we were going to lose the poor businessman sitting across the aisle from us. I ended up having to bag up the cover on her seat, and put a couple of receiving blankets down to act as padding for her until we could get home.
Chickie? She was happy as a clam. And she promptly fell asleep while her parents were wandering up and down the aisles begging for crack.
My dear, dear Phin. Just think of the things you have to look forward to.
Posted by Moogie at 7:00 PM | Comments (8)
Magical Name Acronym Generator!
Hey!!!! OLD?
| M | Mystical |
| O | Orderly |
| O | Old |
| G | Glitzy |
| I | Irresistible |
| E | Exhausting |
Name Acronym Generator
From Go-Quiz.com
H/T to Leslie, who by the way, is feeling punie so go over there and give her some good wishes for a speedy recovery.
Old indeed.
Posted by Moogie at 6:02 PM
Dog fight!
Not really. All three of them play very well together. The biggest black dog is Tiny, the smaller black one is Ralph, and the small brown dog is Bruiser. Quit laughing.
When all three of them play together it looks like there is going to be some blod shed. It's hysterical to watch.
Posted by Moogie at 6:01 PM | Comments (2)
You are kidding me right?
I'm feeling a "scratch my head" moment coming on. I'm all for equal opportunities (yada yada) but there are some days when people take things way too far, and in my opinion, this is one of those times.
**scratch scratch**
Instead of singing “Baa baa, black sheep” as generations of children have learnt to do, toddlers in Oxfordshire are being taught to sing “Baa baa, rainbow sheep”.
I've not read anything like this before, so I really don't know if it's a common practice or not. I just can't seem to get my arms wrapped around the concept. In other words, my fellow peeps, this Georgia peach is puzzled.
Go here for the full article. It explans it alot better.
Rainbow sheep indeed.
Discuss.
H/T to Kim for the article.
Posted by Moogie at 12:37 PM | Comments (1)
Happy Birthday Bobo!
It's Bobo's birthday! Well, it was really yesterday, but go on over and wish here a happy birthday anyway.
Bobo, did you save any cake for me?
Posted by Moogie at 7:44 AM | Comments (1)
March 14, 2006
Internet, Meet Stephanie
Note for reader: This post was dictated to me by Meelie No. She is my youngest, and she is almost 8. As always, click on the image to make it larger. She has informed this blogger that if you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments and she will answer them.
This is Stephanie. She is my daughter. She is very pretty. One day when I came back from school, Stephanie had a boo-boo. When I came home I gave her a band-aid. She has red hair and she has blue eyes and she carries her sippy cup with her all the time. I had to draw her eyes on her because her real one's kept falling off. I made her at daycare.
She is a good girl. She never makes a bad mistake. She goes to pre-school. She rides in a stroller because sometimes her feet get tired. She learned yesterday what 2 + 2 was and she said 4.
Whenever we go outside and when I'm on my rollerblades, Stephanie takes a ride in the stroller with me. Her sippy cup is red.
She cannot wait until St. Patrick’s Day because she gets to make a leprechaun trap like me. She will have a potato race too and she will win!
The end.
I would like to take this time to thank Meelie No for writing (dictating) this wonderful story about her beautiful daughter. Now you know why I feel so blessed. I find it amazing that we can spend vast amounts of money on toys for our kids but their favorite is handmade, stuffed doll, riding in an old stoller, sporting a band-aid. Good stuff!
Posted by Moogie at 3:38 PM | Comments (3)
March 13, 2006
Bless her heart
A while back mom Mom and I were talking about some of the different sayings/terminology that we have heard here in the south. My folks live in Florida. My father transferred down there to work on the shuttle program right before the Challenger disaster. They came from California as well.
- Bless her heart: One of the things that struck me funny was "bless her/his heart" and how it was used. "Well, you know Mabel, bless her heart." It seems that it doesn't really matter who you are talking about either, or what the subject is.
- Fixin: And what is it about fixin? "I'm fixin to make some meatloaf for dinner."
- Sweet Tea: Of course one must not forget sweet tea. Down here, if you ask for iced tea, it will automatically come in the sweet variety unless you ask otherwise.
- Barbeque: Until I moved to the south, I was under the impression the BBQ was something you did to meat, not something you ate.
- Greens: I just can't get past the thought that I'm eating grass or weeds.
- Steamed Cabbage: I used to think that cabbage was used only for cole slaw or for wrapping up a filling (stuffed cabbage). When done right (especially with some sausage and onions), it turns out wonderfully.
- Chitlins: I never knew what those were until I moved here. Then I made the mistake of asking. I'm ashamed to admit that I have friends who love this particular item. I just can't go there.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm fixin to go make some BBQ, with a side of greens and hog guts. Walter is coming to dinner tonight, bless his heart.
Your assignment? What are some of the things that you find funny/different/interesting in our part of the country? Post them here in the comments.
Posted by Moogie at 5:52 PM | Comments (10)
March 12, 2006
I'm Back
Yes I know you didn't know I was gone.
We went to visit my parents for my Dad's birthday. It was a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect. We had a wonderful time. I might add that he looked HOT in the shirt we got him, and that the refrigerator is most beautiful with the pictures the girls drew for him.
I saw my brother, and as of now, that's all I will say. He hurts, I hurt, and there is nothing I can do, except be there. My folks, most especially Mom, are hard pressed to know what to do. Today, first hand, I witnessed why. And it hurts me, because there is nothing I can do except be there, because he won't hear of anything else.
It's what family is all about, yes? Being there, no matter what. We are a family, and we will work our way through it, together.
And no matter what, we can draw on each other's strengths. This is a good thing, yes?
Please?
Posted by Moogie at 8:48 PM | Comments (5)
March 9, 2006
Telling the truth
As parents, it is our job to teach our children right from wrong. One of the things that my parents drummed into my tiny little pointed head was to tell the truth. It will hurt less in the long run, for one thing. The other reason is obvious. My punishments were alot less severe when I confessed to my misdeeds upfront. I had a hard time learning that.
We are passing that lesson on to our children and sometimes I think that it will never work. And then there are times, like today, when I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
A couple of nights ago, my Meelie knocked my POSSLQ's Palm Pilot off the shelf. Ok, let's get real here. She was playing with it, without asking, and dropped it. The back came off, and the batteries fell out. No real big deal, but that wasn't all that happened. The screen cracked in a few places. It worked, unless you wanted to write something (graffiti). She was pretty upset but came and told me about it right away.
So I told her that she was the one that needed to tell Dad. I told her that I wasn't gong to say anything to him unless he asked me, and if he did, I wasn't going to lie. It turned out he really never asked, just noticed that it wasn't fully operational. I didn't have to say anything.
Last night, when he was out with the girls for their weekly dinner, she confessed to him that she was the one who broke it. How cool is that? Bless his heart, he didn't rant and rave about it. He ended up going and picking up a new one today (new and improved!), and all was right with his world.
I'm really proud of her. Really, really proud. We must be doing something right.
Posted by Moogie at 9:38 PM | Comments (12)
Phin Jr. has hatched!
Sometime after 1:00AM... and a lot closer to 2:00 AM... Mrs. Phin gave birth to a healthy baby boy, weighing in at 8-14. Other details were sketchy when we finally crashed.
Congrats go out to Mr. and Mrs. Phin!!!!
Posted by Moogie at 12:43 PM
March 8, 2006
Circumcised and the Seven Dwarves of Menopause
A little bit of humor to brighten up your Wednesday. I don't know about you, but today pretty much stayed in the toilet. We all have those days from time to time and I'm here to tell you that being in a really bad mood makes workouts ROCK! And when I was finished? I was a happy camper once again.
---------------------------------------------------
Circumcised
A teacher noticed that a little boy at the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch, and not paying attention.
She went back to find out what was going on. He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy. The teacher told him to go down to the principal's office.
He was to telephone his mother and ask her what he should do about it. He did it and returned to his class.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room. She went back to investigate only to find him sitting at his desk with his penis hanging out.
"I thought I told you to call your mom!" she said.
"I did," he said, "And she told me that if I could stick it out till noon, she'd come and pick me up from school."
Kids, don't you just love them?
-------------------------------------------
The Seven Dwarves of Menopause
Click on the extended entry for this one. It's worth it.
Posted by Moogie at 6:27 PM | Comments (7)
March 7, 2006
The cookie caper
Ok, I need some advice here. My new friend Surly has issued the "Greatest Cookie Evah" contest. She dared to scoff at my cookie greatness! The nerve of some people's children.
How do we judge the "who's who" of cookie greatness? That question, my dear peeps, is what I need help with. Who will be the judge?
I intend to leave Surly crying in her cookie dough.
Greatest cookie maker in the world indeed. She obviously needs a lesson from Moogie.
Any suggestions on the schematics of the judges?
Update: I fixed the links to Surly, the second best cookie baker in the world's place. They should work now. Sorry about that.
Posted by Moogie at 7:26 PM | Comments (5)
Carnival of the Recipes #81
The 81st Carnival of the Recipes is up over at Ego's place.
Go check it out!
Posted by Moogie at 6:29 PM
Questions Answered - #3
In a never ending quest to get to the bottom of the list, and because I'm bored, I thought this would be a good time to answer some more questions from my peeps.
The first one comes from Laura, who is busily readying herself for a vacation. I get tired thinking about that.
hmmm......a question.......OK - if you could live anywhere - where would it be and why???
My answer would be, most assuredly, here. I love this place, my jobs and the many friends I've made. I love the quiet atmosphere and the feeling of living in the country, even though you aren't (exactly). I love the space, both in my yard and my home. I love the fact that my girls can play up and down the street with the many different children on the block.
Yes, the bugs and the humidity are a challenge, but along with those drawbacks there are many wonderful things.
If you can't tell, I love my home.
The next question comes from Debby, who is also preparing to go on vacation. I would like to point out that Debby has just admitted to being wrong in one of her latest posts. She has to know I'm enjoying this.
My question (because I am starving..) You are going to be abandoned on a desert island. You can bring only ONE meal, appetizer through dessert that you will be eating from now till you are rescued in 10 years ..what are you bringing?
I'm only allowed to pick one? How unfair. I can't live without variety. I don't think I could choose one so I list a few. For appetizers, I would probably go with Magic Mushroom (no, not THAT kind), tortilla rolls or perhaps a bloomin' onion. I'm assuming I would have a kitchen here. Of course, there is always the choice of salad. Not much of an appetizer, but I love me some salad. As far as a meal was concerned, anything Mexican. One of the things about living here is the folks in the South don't know what good Mexican food is. That reminds me, maybe I should open up a restaurant and show them. I don't do desserts for the most part. I don't like the sweet stuff, but I would have to say if I need to choose, vanilla ice cream. No toppings.
Now that I'm hungry, I think I'll go meander in the kitchen and figure out what I'm going to make for dinner.
Posted by Moogie at 6:23 PM | Comments (1)
March 5, 2006
Closing my eyes
I took my youngest to the roller skating rink yesterday. Just the two of us. I didn't skate this time, but sat and watched. Really watched. All of my attention was focused on that little body that grew inside of me nearly 8 years ago.
It's one of my favorite things to do. Take one child, and go to wherever the spirit moves us. It matters not where the destination is, but just that we do it alone. It's our special time.
As I watched this little girl maneuver her way around the rink, my mind floated back to when I was young. Back to a time when you would rarely find me without wheels on the bottom of my feet. I remember doing all of the things that my little one was showing me now. Squatting down, sticking out one leg, standing on one foot, turning in circles.
Warmth spread throughout my body as the memories of that carefree time washed over me. The time when I had little to no responsibility, except for cleaning my room or doing my homework. My friends and I would make up routines and perform them endlessly for anyone who would watch. My parents were avid fans of ours, and my brothers never went away unscathed. In our minds we were future Olympians because we could turn in a circle really fast, without falling even! Bah...if only it were that simple.
I must be getting soft in my old age. I'm finding myself tearing up and I can't blame it on an errant eyelash. I was and am so very blessed to have the family I have. My childhood was filled with love and laughter. Whenever I screwed up there was always someone there to help me pick up the pieces, and give me the little shove I needed to move forward. They were there for me. Always.
I think that's why it hurts so much now. I have a brother who is in phenomenal pain right now. Both physical and emotional. I've called him several times and left messages, but the phone calls have never been returned. He doesn't have email at home, and I'd imagine that even if he did, he wouldn't read it. How does a person help a loved one who shuns all form of contact?
I also think it's why I'm so angry. Not at him, but at the one who has caused him this emotional pain. How do I cope with that? How do I not respond to this person that I had considered a friend? It's selfish of me to be thinking only of myself right know, but I have to be honest. I'm in a desperate fight with myself to keep the anger away. I struggle with the anger in an attempt to keep it from festering into hate. Sheer, unmitigated hate. The kind that rises up like bile in your throat. Yeah, not good.
Then I find myself turning towards God and asking him why? In the name of all that is holy, how can you let this happen? Has he not gone through enough? I suppose that turning the blame on Him is some kind of self protective mechanism. Something intangible, that I can't reach out and beat to a bloody pulp.
So I breathe, and I pray and I cry, and I heal. So that when my brother does finally come out, I will be strong. I will be his coping mechanism, as well as my parents. I will pick him up and give him the gentle nudge he needs. I will show him that there is a life that is good and fair and wonderful. I will prove to him that it is not all bad.
But in the meantime, I watch my daughter work her way around the rink. I time her to see how fast she can go. I watch her face as she peers expectantly into my eyes, waiting patiently for me to tell her if she has broken her latest record. I laugh with her when she does one of her classic falls. Her giggle is so infectious.
It melts the hatred encasing my heart.
Posted by Moogie at 10:13 AM | Comments (10)
March 4, 2006
Working out
Well, I’ve made it through my first week at Curves, and I’m still walking. Sort of. As long as I don’t sit down for too long. I tend to stiffen up then, and sort of do these shuffles until the muscles loosen up. It’s not an excruciating pain, like one would expect from a woman who becomes out of breath going up a curb, but a nice, all over, feel-good type hurt. Yes, I realize that was an oxymoron, but it was the best way I could figure out how to explain it.
The goal of Curves is to work out three times a week, for 30 minutes each time. This would preferably be on Mon/Wed/Fri, as they recommend you have a day off in between. It fits well with my schedule. I’ve adjusted my hours so I can go in early, and then I head on over to work out at the end of the day.
You would think that 30 minutes wouldn’t be much of a work out, but I’m here to tell you, it is. Basically, you have what is called a circuit. Around that circuit are various machines (I tend to think of them as Ogres) that work on every part of your body. In between most of the Ogres is what they call recovery stations. Why they call them that, I’m not sure because you have to do exercises on each of them.
You work out on every Ogre/recovery station for thirty-seconds each. Again, it doesn’t seem like much but after you make it about a quarter of the way around the circuit you begin to rethink your original idea that this would be easy. There are some Ogres that I dread, and some are not that bad. Every once in a while, you stop to check your heart rate, to make sure you aren’t over doing it. I love these moments of respite because this means I can become a slacker, and think “please, please God, make this be over soon.”
In the beginning of the workout, I’m pumped. I am so ready and raring to go. As it progresses, I reach a stage of serious hurt. I think that there is no possible way that I am going to be able to make it to another station. I hang with it, ignore my mind and body completely, and do everything on automatic pilot. Why? Because in the short period of time that I have been doing this, I have come to realize that there is a point when it really stops flattening me with exhaustion, and I become energized. I imagine (but have no first hand knowledge) this is what runners refer to as the wall.
As I stated above, I’ve not been terribly sore, just stiff. It takes me a bit after I get home to get all my bearings in order, and think logically. During this time I grab some water, surf some of my favorite blogs and answer email. Then I’m up again to do the evening routine. I’ve noticed that I’m raring to go after a short rest. It’s been a bit difficult for me to get to sleep but when I do sleep, I sleep the entire night through. I haven’t been able to do that for quite some time.
I’ve had three workouts so far. I’m by no means close to my goal. But it’s a start. I’m headed in the right direction for a healthier me. I’m doing it for my girls because I want to be there for them, and play with them without getting tired. I want to live a healthy life, and enjoy it. I want to be motivated to keep my house clean and in order. I want to care about how I look. Quite simply, I want to care again. I want to be the “me” that I know I can be. I want to get out of the hole that I have been digging myself into. I want to look at myself and see the smart, beautiful talented woman that I have the potential to be. Somewhere along the line I lost that.
I intend to find it again.
Posted by Moogie at 6:08 PM | Comments (9)
March 2, 2006
Kleenex Anyone?
Watch the whole thing. Well worth it.
Posted by Moogie at 2:33 PM | Comments (9)
March 1, 2006
My past life
I got this over at Boudicca's, and found it to be, well, interesting may be a little over the top. But it was fun none the less.
Here is my past life diagnosis, along with editorial comments.
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.
Well, phew. It's good to know that hasn't changed. At least I don't have to worry about not scratching myself in public or hogging the remote. And I don't have to worry about my damn wife asking me if my dress makes me look fat.
You were born somewhere in the territory of modern North Canada around the year 1350.
This would explain why I live in the south now. I had to find a way to thaw out. It would also explain why when it gets over 50 degrees outside I break out the long underwear and snowsuit. Snow? It looks pretty on postcards.
Your profession was that of a banker, usurer, moneylender or judge.
Cool, I've always wanted to be a judge. No wonder I've had this unexplained urge to own my own gavel. I wonder if moneylender is synonymous with loan shark? That would explain my obsession to knee caps and cement shoes.
Your brief psychological profile in your past life: Bohemian personality, mysterious, highly gifted, capable to understand ancient books. With a magician's abilities, you could have been a servant of dark forces.
I like highly gifted. Not that it explains me in the slightest, but I still like it. I love to read, so the ancient books reference is probably appropriate. If I only had a magician's ability now, I could make my children behave like angels, AND do what I wanted them to at all times. Like clean their room.
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation: The timid, lonely and self-confident people are everywhere, and your task is to overcome these tendencies in yourself and then to help other people.
Well, I've definitely overcome lonely, but I think I need to work on gaining self-confidence because I'm in the negative numbers there. I'm not timid, for the most part, unless I'm feeling inadequate, which happens alot. I figure I'll get that right in this lifetime though.
Go ahead, try it. Then let me know what you came up with.
Posted by Moogie at 6:08 PM | Comments (2)
