January 31, 2007

I was not aware I had muscles there

I know that I've mentioned before that I am working out at Curves. The goal is to work out 3 times a week, but most of the time, it's been 4 or 5. That's going pretty well so far, and I've been enjoying it tremendously. Well, I was, until Amazon Woman came on board as one of the employees.

She's from Australia and has a tendency to follow you around the circuit (how she does this when there is more than a few people, I'll never understand), and gleefully inform you, in that fabulous accent of hers, that you are not using the machine to its full potential. Lordy, Lordy, I'm feeling way over forty! Oh wait, I am over forty (slightly)! Never mind. The woman is a veritable jumping bean, and never stops moving as she hops from person to person, correcting their form.

And People? I am sore. I have discovered muscles that I didn't even know existed. Technically, the muscles aren't sore, but I can tell that I am working some of them that have lain dormant for years. "I'm buuuurrrrnnninnnngggg!" I'm finally getting my heart rate up to where it's supposed to be, which is fabulous, but man it's hard on this old body. I do have quite a bit more energy now and that's definitely a plus. It's much easier to catch my children and hang them from the ceiling fans when they get on my nerves.

What?

It's a good thing that Amazon Woman is so nice because otherwise, I could seriously get an intense dose of dislike going on. Personally, I'm thinking of hooking her up with Big Bertha, the most evil exercise machine on the face of the earth. Just ask Melli, she'll tell you. And speaking of Melli, why don't you go on over and congratulate her? She has now lost 60 lbs! Way to go Melli! You rock!

Posted by Moogie at 5:45 PM | Comments (3)

January 29, 2007

What's for dinner when you have less than 30 minutes

I'm getting good at throwing things together for dinner so that Chickie doesn't have to go to dance with no food in her tummy. Because let's face it folks, she's starving and never gets fed, according to her at least. I'm just mean that way and like to hear my kids cry.

I came home after working out and realized that I'd cut the time close. I'd talked to my girlfriend a bit longer than planned after working out and that cut down on the prep time for dinner. I had a couple of chicken breasts that I had a few nights before that were leftover, so I decided to incorporate them into dinner tonight.

Because I'm good at faking it, I grabbed some noodles out of the pantry and set them to cooking in some chicken broth. After they were done, I drained them and threw some Velveeta Cheese into the pot, and added the leftover chicken that I had diced up. I added a bit of milk to help thin things out and bing-bada-bing...dinner was done.

You would have thought I made a 5 star meal. It's amazing isn't it? How you can spend time on a new recipe and your kids won't touch it unless you threaten them with bodily harm. But when you do something simple like this? They scarf it down as if they hadn't seen food in about 3 months.

Meelie is with my neighbor and her kids tonight. It was all pre-arranged and she is having some pizza and helping paint walls. Just the thought of makes my hair stand on end but who am I to question things? When I talked to her, she asked me to keep some of the chicken/cheese/noodle concoction off to the side for her tonight when she gets home. If history repeats itself, I'll be setting some aside for both of them tomorrow and then heating it up and putting it in a thermos for them for lunch.

I'm thinking that maybe I'll just stick with simple stuff from now on. It seems to go over better than when I try to make something new. Of course, tomorrow, we are having steak (woohoo, big sale), potatoes, corn and a salad. My dancing queen has told me to save her a plate so she can eat after dance. I guess the Pop Tarts aren’t doing it. Some things cannot be beat.

What about you? What do your kids/family like to eat? Are they picky? I have one (Meelie) who will eat anything and Chickie..Oiy...I'm amazed this child is still alive. She doesn't like to try new things. She's getting better but I'm surprised that she keeps growing. And that means that I don’t understand how come she is taller than me at 12 years old.

Posted by Moogie at 7:14 PM | Comments (7)

January 28, 2007

Blog Fodder #9 is up!

Go here for the topicc and the participants this week.

Won't you join us?

Posted by Moogie at 11:24 AM | Comments (6)

January 26, 2007

Would you like fries with that?

Posted by Moogie at 7:13 PM | Comments (18)

January 25, 2007

Blog Fodder - #8

(Banner courtesy of Hootin-Anni)

This week's topic was submitted by Melonie, over at The Joy of Being Melonie. This delightful woman has SIX children and is going to school, so I somehow think this topic is near and dear to her heart!

How does one handle work, home and family (or a combination thereof) without having a nervous breakdown?

Two words. Alcohol. Ok, that's only one but if you drink enough, it will look like two. Not that I have had any experience with that.

I would fall into the category of working full time. For those of you who have been reading me for a while, you know that I have children and these children have an active life outside of school. Dance for the eldest, and soon to be Gymnastics for the child who is an accident waiting to happen youngest.

My husband and I both work full-time, and sometimes a little more, it can make the juggling act resemble something you might find at a circus. It's hard, but it can be done. I'm fortunate enough to have a spouse that is willing to really help out wherever possible.

We are both big on scheduling. We have to be, or otherwise there is no way we could do it. We have found ways of handling things that make it easier on both of us. For example, my oldest goes to dance four nights a week. We carpool with another lady down the street, so we are only doing the dropping off, or picking up each night, which is a big help for both families. Generally speaking, my husband does the carpooling, and I stay home with the youngest, helping her with her homework, cooking dinner or giving her a bath, depending upon the time he has to perform chauffer duties. Occasionally, I'll take over when he would prefer to stay home. It works for us.

I'm grateful to my employers for letting me flex my hours so that if my children have something they would like me to attend at school, I can. That means I have to work extra hours during the week to make up the time, but then my husband picks up the slack. We also take turns on getting the kids to doctor's appointments as well, so neither one of us has the burden of carrying that one alone.

Is it easy? Absolutely not. It's an exhausting schedule, to say the least but we manage.
We are a family, and we do what we need to do to make it work.

What about you? How do you manage it all?

To view other answers to this week's Blog Fodder topic, go here. I would love to see how the rest of you handle it.

Posted by Moogie at 5:01 PM | Comments (5)

January 24, 2007

Miscellaneous Emails

Below are some emails that I sent to my husband today. I'm sharing them with you because:

1. I have nothing else to write about.
2. I want to share with you just how strange I am.
3. Insert flippant comment here.

To: Him
From: Me

Subj: Itch

BOTH OF MY FEET ARE ITCHING…ON THE INSIDE…NEAR THE ARCH AND IT IS DRIVING ME NUTS AND I GO AND GET WEIGHED AND MEASURED TODAY AT CURVES AND I AM A NERVOUS WRECK AND DID I TELL YOU THAT MY FEET ARE ITCHING? WELL THEY ARE AND MY TUMMY IS ALL IN BUTTERFLIES AND I KEEP TELLING MYSELF TO CALM DOWN AND TODAY IS CRAPPY AND I AM RETURNING 2 STUPID MEMORY CARDS FOR THE THIRD FRIGGING TIME BECAUSE THE SUPPLIER KEEPS SENDING US WRONG ONES AND OMG I NEED A DRINK.

AMEN.


And then.....

To: Him
From: Me

Subj: Homework

MUST.NOT.KILL.OLDEST.CHILD.


Some people say I share too much. Maybe that explains why they run away from me screaming "TMI! TMI!"

Carry on.

Posted by Moogie at 6:29 PM | Comments (3)

Living Will

Last night, my wife and I were sitting in the living room and I said to her, "I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependant on some machine and living off fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug." She got up and unplugged the TV and threw out my beer. She's such a Bitch . . . . . . .

Not that I'm saying my main squeeze is anything like this.

Posted by Moogie at 6:24 PM | Comments (5)

January 23, 2007

It never seems to stop

Kids growing up I mean. With growing (not just physical), comes some pretty difficult times for parents, who's job it is to make sure their kids know right from wrong, and to know what dangers are out there, waiting to snatch them in the sharp, mangled claws known as life. It's our job to help them through the difficult parts, the hurts and the sorrows, as well as to celebrate with them during all of the good times. It's our job to be their never-ending cheerleader if you will, and to love them unconditionally, and to make sure that they always know that we are there for them, no matter what.

I read a post by Amalah today that really hit home for me. It's articulated well, and I suspect that many of you out there that have children can really relate.

One day, very soon, it will take a lot more than that. I'll have to explain why we have bad dreams and why we get sick; why people are cruel and why people we love sometimes die. I'll have to explain why we don't say certain words and figure out what to tell him about the book of Bible stories on his shelf.

I don't what I'm going to say when that day comes, so in a way it's comforting to tell myself that he's just not talking yet.

I remember worrying about that. What will I do when???? I don't think any of us know for certain, but we rely on our instincts to guide us. We may make some mistakes along the way, but we are trying to do our best, and I can't help but feel the majority of us learn from it. I know that I've grown up alot since having children. The responsibilities, the joys and the heartaches are endless, as well as the guilt. In my case, are my children getting enough from me because I work? Do I spend enough time with them? Do I pay enough attention to them? Am I really there for them when they need it? Am I showing more attention to one child?

As time has passed, I've learned that my children really have learned all of my buttons, and exactly how to push them, and at what time to get the desired results. It's a kid's job to know that, don't you know? I did the same thing to my parents as well.

I have news for Amalah and all of the other parents out there of small children. It never stops, it only changes, and sometimes, the job of parenting can absolutely break your heart. The whole idea of discipline can sometimes kill me. Even though what you are doing is for the best for your child because after all, if you don't teach them that there are consequences to their actions, how will they ever learn?

If this doesn't happen, then this will.

How often have we said this to our children? How often have we caved into their demands or ignored their misbehavior because we didn't want to induce a tantrum or be subject to pouting and "spur of the moment hatred" when we don't give them what they want? How often have we said to our children:

"I know you are mad at me right now, but you knew when you did this, there would be consequences to pay. I am doing it not because I hate you or want to ruin your life, but because I want you to grow up to be a child who takes responsibilities, and who has a clear vision of what is right and what is wrong. I want you to be a better person that I was. I want you to avoid the mistakes I made growing up."

In reality, they have to make mistakes in order to learn.

They say as children get older and move towards being an adult, it becomes easier but the worry never ceases. I can believe that. I've read and heard about countless families with a number of children, all of them raised the same way. If you are lucky, they all turn out to be productive members of society, but in alot of cases, there are the proverbial "black sheep" of the family. Exactly how that happens, I'm not sure, but it's a fact of life, non-the-less.

This parenting thing? It's the hardest job I've ever had, and I suspect that will never change.

Posted by Moogie at 6:11 PM | Comments (2)

January 22, 2007

Tell me how you really feel

This:

"If you get me, on the other hand, well, I learned, from a Chief Boatswain's Mate, USN, just how to go, for about two solid minutes, without swearing once, to elaborate on your personal habits, your ancestry, your current lack of discretion, your future prospects, and whether or not you have any smarts at all. Without repeating myself even once. And then, and only then, will I refer you, again, to the National Do-Not-Call Registry."


Lead to this:



"Telemarketers, on the other hand, should roundly be stomped on, hauled out, beaten with a fork, ground to a pulp, and interred with nuclear or toxic waste as an environmental improvement. If the average human belches X tons of carbon into the air yearly, if we simply entirely eliminate an unwanted segment of the population, we could all breathe more easily. Consider if we eliminated the equivalent of the population of, say, Canada, what that would do to our natural resources? It's concern for the environment, pure and simple, folks."



If my husband starts beating his chest and scratching his nether regions, he may just find himself sleeping with the hamster.

And honey? I'm thinking dinner, flowers, chocolate AND jewelry would be appropriate for Valentines Day.

UPDATE: It continues.




Posted by Moogie at 5:50 PM | Comments (2)

January 21, 2007

Blog Fodder # 8 is up!

Go here to get the topic, and see this week's participants.

Posted by Moogie at 11:41 AM | Comments (1)

Dirty Dancing and Hamsters

I had forgotten that hamsters were nocturnal creatures, and that they are continually busy on the wheel, going round and round, and burrowing under the litter, and eating, and most probably surfing the internet to find their perfect mate on eRodentomy.com. It wouldn't surprise me if that rat cute little fur ball had a laptop with a wireless connection hidden somewhere in there.

I slept with Chickie last night. It wasn't because anything was wrong, or that my husband's snoring drove me from our bed or that I got tired of him taking up all of the space and hogging all of the covers. It was just more of a "girl’s night" spending the night kind of thing, if that makes any sense.

Chickie has a hamster, named Peep, who resides on a small dresser in her room. I kept hearing him all night long. Every time he would stop for a moment, I would think that he was perhaps going to sleep, or worse yet, he'd gotten out of his cage and we would never be able to find him until he started to smell.

Last night the girls and I watched Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze (swoon). I've had a crush on him since that movie came out, and it only intensified with the release of "Ghost." Last night I found out that Mr. Swayze (swoon) still has the same effect on me. Back when I was younger, I would have trimmed his toenails and taken out his trash if he would have asked me. I lived for the day that Patrick (swoon) would ask me to bear his children. Clearly, after all of these years later, things have not changed.

With the hamster wheel rumbling in the background, I dreamt of Patrick Swayze (swoon) holding me in his arms and teaching me how to dance. It was wonderful while it lasted, but alas, I woke up because there was no more noise coming from the hamster cage. I got up to check and promptly stubbed my toe on the bedpost.

Clearly, I am much more coordinated when I'm asleep.

Posted by Moogie at 9:33 AM | Comments (6)

January 20, 2007

Blog Fodder - #7


(Banner courtesy of Hootin-Anni)


Karen, over at Write From Karen, is still without power (major ice storms), and submitted the topic for this week's Blog Fodder. Won't you go on over and give her some encouragement? They've certainly persevered during the worst of times.

This week's topic is another good one.

"Which is more important, intelligence or common sense?"

I'm not at all sure there is a correct answer for this one. It's almost like you need both. I've known alot of intelligent people with no more common sense than God gave a flea.

When I was a teen, I had a foster sister who was pretty smart. The common sense thing eluded her though and sometimes it used to drive me nuts. My brothers loved to tease her and did so often. One time, my oldest brother was talking about macaroni, and how it grew on trees. She took the bait like a hungry fish, and all the while I was slamming my head on the dining room table. As they were reeling her in, my brother said:

"You know, elbow macaroni is pretty hard to come by. It has to grow on corner plots."

No, I'm not kidding. But thankfully, she realized he was just pulling her leg. I most likely would have run screaming from the room if she would have fallen for it.

The point is, I think you need both, because one without the other is of no use. Intelligence, I think, I something that for the most part, is learned. I guess you could say that common sense is something learned by trial and error as a child, but generally, I believe it's a trait you are born with.

So what about you? Do you possess both?

To see all of the Blog Fodder participants for this week, go here.


Posted by Moogie at 7:06 PM | Comments (3)

January 17, 2007

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

Hi there! Greetings! Salutations! Hello! How are you? I am fine! Why do you ask?

I had a cup of coffee this afternoon (I generally only have two in the morning), and then went to Curves after work? And now? I have all of this energy? And so many topics to write about? That my brain exploded? What is it with all of the question marks anyway? See, I did it again? And again!

Someone brought in a "Gator" cake yesterday to celebrate the fabulous college football team that originates from sunny Florida. College football is really big around here. I'm not much of a dessert person but for some reason, I wanted a piece, so I had one. The problem is that the cake was dyed blue and orange, which are the colors of the Gators apparently. I'm not allowed to know things like this because my daughter is a Bulldogs fan. Red and black baby! All the way. Not only was the cake dyed, so was the icing. Did you know that orange and blue dye makes green when it's mixed up? There is a saying that what goes in must come out. Well, maybe I just made that up, but I found out today that it's true.




My husband went to Dr. Slice and Dice today for a regular check-up. He came home looking like the walking wounded. They performed electrodessication and curettage on two spots on his arm and sent them to the lab, and burned off a few others. Now, we wait. You know what? Waiting really sucks donkey toes. If it's that bad for me, I can't even imagine what it must be like for the World's Most Terrific Guy.

I was trying to upload some pictures to my blog and am getting an error again. I'm trying not to be frustrated. I'm not sure if I should change to another host, or change the platform I'm using (currently MT). This is getting out of hand and I'm a bit worried that I'm going to go belly up again.

This week's Blog Fodder question is a good one. I'm hoping that you folks will decide to participate, if only for this week. I'm not sure there is a correct answer to it. I've been thinking about how I am going to respond to it ever since I've posted it. I'll wait while you run over to check it out.

Hey! You're back! Glad to see you. I don't want to embarrass you but you have something stuck between your teeth. It looks blue. Did you have some of the Gator cake? Don't worry. Everything will come out ok in the end.

Carry on.

PS: Why does my spell checker tell me that “color” should be spelled “colour?”


Posted by Moogie at 5:30 PM | Comments (9)

Thursday Thirteen - #12


(Banner courtesy of Chaotic Home)

Thirteen Useless Facts

For my 12th edition of Thursday 13, I have decided to make a list of 13 Useless Facts. Why? Because I couldn't think of anything else. How many of them did you know?

Enjoy!!

1. Richard Milhouse Nixon was the first US President whose name contains all the letters from the word "criminal". William Jefferson Clinton is the 2nd.
2. Giraffes are the only animals born with horns. Both males and females are born with bony knobs on the forehead.
3. Before 1859, baseball umpires were seated in padded chairs behind home plate.
4. The short-term memory capacity for most people is between five and nine items or digits. This is one reason that phone numbers were kept to seven digits for so long.
5. In the movie "Toy Story", the carpet designs in Sid's hallway is the same as the carpet designs in "The Shining."
6. Mageiricophobia is the intense fear of having to cook.
7. Ice Cube's real name is O'Shea Jackson.

8. Dennis the Menace's favorite drink is Root beer.

9. The only insect that can turn its head 360 degrees is the praying mantis.

10. When Coca-Cola began to be sold in China, they used characters that would sound like "Coca-Cola" when spoken. Unfortunately, what they turned out to mean was "Bite the wax tadpole".
    
    
11. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing.
    
    
12. Despite the fact that 77 percent of Americans go to the grocery store with a list, it's estimated that half of everything bought there is bought on impulse. Supermarkets report very strong sales of almost anything they stock at the check-out line.

13. Golf was banned in England in 1457 because it was considered a distraction from the serious pursuit of archery.
    

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments, including mine! It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! All comments are welcome, even if you don't want to play.

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



Posted by Moogie at 4:30 PM | Comments (4)

January 15, 2007

Welcome home Daddy

You have proved to me once again, that miracles do happen.

I love you.

Posted by Moogie at 5:37 PM | Comments (6)

Child Labor

I obviously don't adhere to the child labor laws enforced in this country. Chickie and her friend just cleaned the dining room, living room and sunroom today. I was amazed. It looks wonderful.

I guess that will teach Chickie to call me at work and tell me she is bored. Seriously? We did pay them, but I put a bit of a twist on it. They have a tendency to start the work and never finish it, which quite often means, I have more of a mess than when I started. I told her that if she wanted to receive compensation for her work, she had to complete all of the tasks. They worked really hard and it shows. My furniture is even polished, the rugs have been vacuumed, and the sunroom floor mopped. To top it off, all of the Christmas decorations are now packed away, waiting to be put up.

The bonus? They even cleaned the guest bathroom, all except for the shower.

I could get used to this. Maybe I won't have to hire a maid after all.

Posted by Moogie at 5:27 PM | Comments (3)

January 10, 2007

Play Dates and Spilt Milk

Oh my. It started off good and went downhill from there. Ok..not so much downhill as, well, ok, downhill.

Work was good today. Busy but good, not crazy but good. That kind of day. Life was good and I was going to work out! I mean, look at my muscles. Why just after two days of working out I am firming up. Go with me here people. I am on a natural high. After all, I gave all my Captain Morgan to my neighbor after the waffle incident. We are drinking unsweet iced tea here, with lemons from my neighbor that are bigger than...well they are just big!!!! Think cantelope...only smaller.

I get home from my workout and I am so up for cooking dinner. I have it all planned. I get the meat in the oven (turkey tenderloin in lemon garlic), and the other stuff like rice and then some snow peas and mushrooms in the skillet. I have the milk in the freezer getting chilled (the girls like it sort of frozen)..and that's where the hamster stops running in his wheel.

The love of my life opens up the freezer door and WHAM..out come the glasses of milk. On to the floor. And it's all in pieces. And milk is everywhere, And we are blaming each other and of course it's his fault because people..he opened the freezer too fast. That took us about 15 minutes to clean up in which time I let him know in no uncertain terms that it was his fault and he was lucky I was still around. I know...I'm so supportive aren't I?

We got through that and dinner was eaten and snow peas were consumed...ok Meelie ate two, Chickie gagged one down, and ice cream was given and life was good.

And I? I'm going to bed. Well, after the youngest is done taking a shower and all of her hairs are brushed.

There is only so much spilt milk a woman can handle. Especially if it comes with broken glass. All over your kitchen floor.

Even if it's your husband's fault. Even though that's not fair because you didn't tell him to open the door slowly. Because, he should read your mind. And he loves you even if you do blame the whole thing on him.

How cool is that?


Posted by Moogie at 8:51 PM | Comments (9)

January 9, 2007

Back to the schedule and I am a snob

Phew. School has started again. This means that all the other extra curricular activities have started as well. I'm not so naive has to think that others aren't going through the same type of thing, especially if you have kids.

Chickie goes to dance 4 nights a week. Soon, Meelie will be starting gymnastics, which, if you have read my blog at all, scares me more than you know. And then there are the choir practices and the band practices after school, and orthodontics appointments, and my job, and, homework, and book reports and science projects, and look! My head just exploded! Could I sound any more whiny and pathetic? Trust me, I could, but I am holding back.

Dinner has become something of an Olympic feat, trying to fit it into the schedule. Feed this one here, then the other one here, and make sure this one has "dinner" to take to dance, so she has something to eat between the two classes. It's interesting, but it can be done. Over the holidays, I planned things out to make it a little easier. I do some cooking over the weekend, as well as extra during the week, so sometimes I just have to warm up a meal, and we're ready.

This is where the "Oh my gosh I am a snob and look at what I have been missing" comes in. We went to Walmart to do our weekly grocery shopping yesterday. There is something about doing it in the morning, when everyone else is at work, that just smacks of ecstasy because there are no crowds, or lines, or screaming babies!

They always have Mrs. Sample Lady, and this time, she was giving out Stouffer's Lasagna with Meat Sauce. Meelie went for it, without even blinking. I'm not sure, but I think she inhaled the sample without swallowing.

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this but Chickie is an extremely picky eater. When we have spaghetti, she just eats the noodles with butter and Parmesan Cheese. She doesn't like hamburgers, and the only vegetables she will eat without me force feeding her are carrots and corn. She can spot an onion from a mile away. You get the picture. Even with these habits, she is a healthy and growing child. Ahem. She is 12. She is taller than me. I am 5'7", so I am not short. I have threatened her with grounding if she grows anymore, but that doesn't help. The child has no respect for me, I tell you.

The point is, she wasn't going to try the lasagna. Then she snuck a noodle from Meelie's sample (probably because Meelie told her she was a chicken) and proclaimed "hey, this is really good!" I looked closely at her, trying to tell if she was saying that to please me or if she really meant it. I told her to go take a sample, and eat the whole thing without gagging once. And she did. She went the way of her sister. SLUUURRRPPPP!

I have always made my own lasagna. Lasagna that was not enjoyed by Chickie. She would eat her small helping, taking about an hour to finish it and then ask for some yogurt. Given that I have a rule that you don't have to enjoy it, you just have to try it, I would get her some yogurt, and maybe make her a sandwich or something. Frozen Lasagna? Surely, you must be joking. Bah...that frozen stuff would NEVER enter my house.

But what did I do? I went ahead and bought the family size, frozen Stouffer's Lasagna with Meat Sauce for dinner that night. I was so excited that Chickie liked it. Do you remember the Life cereal commercials? "He likes, it! Hey Mikie! You really like it!" I may start addressing Chickie as Mikie from now on.

We had lasagna last night, and she loved it! (she really loved it!) So, being the nutritionally conscious mother that I am asked Chickie, "would you like a little salad to go with that?"

She looked at me as if I was perhaps, the stupidest thing since chocolate covered pickles, and said "don't push it Mom."

Posted by Moogie at 6:23 PM | Comments (5)

January 8, 2007

A little bit of me

I went back to Curves today. I hadn't been back since being sick and then having surgery. The funny thing is, I had lost 11.5 lbs since the last time I'd been there. Now that is one heck of a motivator if I do say so myself! This is not a subject that I'm entirely comfortable sharing with you, but I thought I would put it out there and see what happened. I've struggled with my weight for quite some time, and for whatever reasons, I've come to the conclusion that it's time to do something about it.

I'm not going to go on any special diet, or join any special program. It's all about exercise and eating healthy, and establishing a pattern that I will follow for the rest of my life.

I have high blood pressure. There is a history of heart disease and diabetes in my family. I need to do what I can to combat it NOW and learn a new lifestyle so that I can live to enjoy my children, AND grandchildren (NOTE: My children will not be allowed to date until they are 30 so the whole grandchild thing won't be for a while yet).

My goal? One day at a time. Yes, I do have an amount of weight I want to loose, but I'm taking baby steps towards it. My first is to loose 20 pounds. We'll go from there. My girlfriend and I are committed to going to Curves three days a week. I can't tell you how much easier it is to exercise when you have a buddy to do it with. We will motivate each other.

That being said, I'll probably update from time to time (at least the monthly check-ins) so that I can mark my progress. If I get brave enough, I'll put a ticker up to track the loss of pounds. I know alot of my self esteem issues come from my weight, and I'm also hoping that the exercise will help me with my moods, as well as anxiety. Time will tell.

After the workout I felt wiped out but by the time I got home, there was a bit more bounce to my step. My stomach is burning right now but at the same time it feels good.

Now, I need to go take a shower before I cook dinner or else I'll be eating at the table alone.


Posted by Moogie at 5:29 PM | Comments (6)

January 7, 2007

Blog Fodder - #6


(Banner courtesy of Hootin-Anni)


This week's topic was brought to you by Kim, over at Kimbofo. I have to tell you people, just trying to pick one thing made me so hungry. Thanks so much Kim for submitting the topic! I look forward to seeing all of the responses!

What is your most memorable meal? Why?

That growling you hear is my stomach. There were several meals to choose from, but if I had to pick my favorite, it would be one of them from our honeymoon.

For the first week, we stayed at the Lake Quinalt Lodge, located in Washington. It was beautiful. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. There were no phones in the rooms, and there was only one big screen TV in the bar, in which the sound was broken. There was a huge bearskin rug in front of the fireplace in our room. The only restaurant was located near the lake, and each table had a fantastic view. It really didn't matter where you sat, because you could see everything.

They had a special for honeymooners, in which you could have a free meal, from top to bottom, no matter what the cost. I remember this because I had Fillet Mignon and LOBSTER. I don't know if I had ever, or have since, tasted such a wonderful meal. The atmosphere only added to the perfection.

I'm sure alot of it had to do with being newly married, but much of it was due to the ambience that the lodge had created. I remember we ate at the same restaurant most evenings, and we always waited for a table at the window because we wanted to have the very best of views.

Some days I wish I could go back to that day, but it probably wouldn't be as special as I remember it. I would just assume leave the memories as they are, and bask in new love, which has only become stronger and deeper as time has gone on.

To see other Blog Fodder participants, go here, and check out the blogroll. Won't you join us in the fun?

Posted by Moogie at 5:30 PM | Comments (8)

His name is Harold, the family pet

There is something about the holidays and kids being out of school that can drive a parent insane if they are not willing to consume massive quantities of alcohol and take their medicine faithfully. As the day of return beckons, I find myself holding on to my last string of sanity, which, at this very moment is being stretched across the Golden Gate Bridge. There are times I'm tempted to jump.

I know that I'm not alone in this because I just got off the phone with my neighbor. Her two year old just fed a waffle to the VCR (with syrup). She told me this after she asked me if I had any Captain Morgan at my house. I wasn't sure if it was for her, or she was going to put it in a sippy cup for her two year old.

Melie spent the night at a friend’s house the night before last. Per usual, they stayed up late, and as most of you with children have experienced, late nights means tears, and tantrums, and an incessant amount of whining. I had just sat down in front of my computer to write a post, when she approached me sobbing. It didn't take me more than a blink of an eye (or wringing of my ears) to see she was headed for a complete meltdown. I listened to her bemoan the fact that her sister had to live with us, and she ate all of the Oreo Cookies. Those big sisters can be such a pain, can't they?

I agreed with her that life was unfair and that her older sister was certainly wicked, and needed to be punished. At this point I asked her what she thought we should do about the situation. Should she be spanked? Should she be grounded? Should she be hung by her toes from the ceiling fan? Should she be made to clean the toilets? Should I make her eat brussel sprouts? The scarfing of cookies is taken seriously in our household. The punishment should fit the crime should it not?

Melie pondered my suggestions for a while, and I could see that she was concentrating hard. After talking about if for a while, we decided to give the evil sibling one more chance. She was obviously happy with the fact that I was on her side, and skipped out of the room, singing about Harold (it's a song that the girls learned from their cousins over the break).

After I heard the front door close, I did something that no self respecting parent would ever do.

I laughed. I laughed out loud and really hard! I think I even snorted.

And then I blogged about it.


Posted by Moogie at 11:08 AM | Comments (7)

January 6, 2007

Classical Gas

Absolutely amazing!

Posted by Moogie at 11:45 AM | Comments (8)

January 5, 2007

Overheard in the restroom at work

So, I'm checking out the conditions (going potty), and this is what I overhear in our restroom at work today.

Co-worker #1: Well, you know how my husband is 18 years older than me?

Co-worker #2: Yes.

Co-worker #1: Well I like to tell people that before I met him I was looking for a Sugar Daddy. What I got was Sweet 'N Low.

Posted by Moogie at 5:08 PM | Comments (9)

January 4, 2007

Did you know?

Because Blog Fodder only has one topic per week, and I've been plagued with massive brain farts for quite some time, I totally stole borrowed this idea from Melli over at Insanity Prevails. If you want a good laugh, read her post about the hangover that wasn't supposed to be.

Anyway, I digress, but only because it makes the post longer.

I've been hesitant to make any New Year's resolutions, because I really don't want to hit 2008 and have to admit that I failed and each an every one of them by the first hour. I have a few, and I've yet to decide whether I'll post them or not. There's nothing like admitting you're a loser in front of the entire internet and then opening your door one Saturday morning to find the entire team of 60 minutes standing on the front step. Ahem.

Back to the subject at hand, which I had to go look up again because my short term memory has gone the way of the Pterodactyl. I was trying to think of something about me that you wouldn’t know. I came up with a few, but I will only post them after my Mom promises to remove her tongue out of her cheek, ok Mom?

What you may not realize is that I lack any form of self confidence. If I had to describe it I would say that it is lower than pond scum. No matter what my accomplishments are, I have never felt that I was good enough. I've been working on it, but it's pretty much a two step forward, 12 steps backward scenario. A losing proposition. Lord knows I feed on that. It's much easier to accept the fact that you are a complete and total waste of oxygen than to accept the accolades of a job well done.

I don't often, if ever, write about it here, because I don't want you to know that I am weak. Blogging is a wonderful thing because you get to choose exactly what you want to write about and what side of you that you want to share. It was kind of difficult to write this post because I'm rather private with the personal stuff, for the most part. I can share about my health issues, and the problems that I'm having with my children, but anything that gets remotely close to who I am makes me cough up a hairball. No joke.

I'm working on it. I'm so very blessed to have a family that loves me, even though I don't love myself. Granted, I'm sure they all think I need a stint at the Green Hills Institution, but they haven't come out and said it yet. As I grow older, the anxiety levels have made it difficult for me to handle being in crowds, or in small places where there are too many people. The good thing about all of this is that for whatever reason, I'm finally beginning to realize it and am taking the steps to reverse the process.

I'm finally looking at that light at the end of the tunnel and realizing that it's not a train heading in my direction, but a soft, glowing light held by those I love and cherish, beckoning me to move towards it and become comfortable with who I am. For once in my life, I hunger for that. The trip down that tunnel has a lot of instructions, and bridges, and family and friends holding my hand to get me through it.

And for that, I am grateful.


Posted by Moogie at 5:58 PM | Comments (6)

January 2, 2007

Blog Fodder - #5

For the first week of 2007 the topic comes from Marie, over at PractiGal.

"Tell us something about your in-laws (funny, memories, etc.). If you don't have any in-laws, pick a relative like siblings, parents, etc."

One of the funniest things that I remember about my Mother-In-Law was the time I first met her. It was over the Thanksgiving holiday. Mr. OWW were not married at the time, and we went to visit his folks for the holiday.

It was a big family get together, complete with "the boys," whom my Mother-in-Law had informally "adopted over the years. Keep in mind that these guys had known each other for quite some time, and some had even served in the Navy together.

During dinner, they started to tell really bad jokes, and some of them were, how shall we say, not something that should be told at the dinner table. Everyone was laughing and groaning, and my Mother-in-Law calmly got up from the table and went into the kitchen. When she came back into the dining room and had her hand behind her back. She walked over to one of the "boys" who was sitting closest to where she was standing and promptly started whacking him with a wooden spoon. At that point, all the boys quickly jumped up from the table and ran away. She then calmly went and got a glass of water.

I thought it prudent at the time to get out of the way, so I went and sat on the stairwell. My Mother-in-Law went after my husband who was doing his best to avoid her while laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. He spotted me on the stairwell and quickly got behind me, only my Mother-in-Law didn't realize that I was in front of him until it was too late. She through the water at him, which, since I was in front, landed squarely on me.

She was mortified but by that time, everyone was laughing so hard, including me, that she realized that I wasn't offended. Just wet.

Needless to say, she always would give me a warning before she ever went after one of the boys again.


Posted by Moogie at 1:16 PM | Comments (10)