HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING...

I'm a little late but I sure hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday. I sure did.

I started out the day with all intentions of eating healthy all day so that I wouldn't be famished with an all out pigfest for dinner. I failed miserably.

I did have my healthy cereal for breakfast but it all went south fast from there. Dinner wasn't until 4pm and with a busy day, I failed to eat again until then.

Gooey and I took a disappointing trip to KMart. They didn't have the phone I wanted *not a surprise by any means* so I chose the next best choice that was supposed to be for $19.99 but didn't ring up for the sale price. The rude checkout girl informed me she couldn't do anything about it, I would have to go to customer service. The even ruder customer service gal told me it wasn't the phone in the ad. I knew this already. I told her it was the one with the regular-non-Thanksgiving-sale sign on it. She called back to electronics (after an incredibly long sigh that to me meant I was ruining her day). Evidently, someone was going to look because they left me standing there waiting for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, several other people were there because their sale items were ringing up as regular prices. People, check your receipts! I finally ended up just getting a refund and will NOT go back to KMart. It's no wonder they're a failing business around here.

Anyway, I've wandered from my original thought once again. I made Grandma Mary's cauliflower casserole (Thank you, Bama Sherry for sharing this glorious recipe!). By the time I got everything done that needed to be done, it was time to head to mom's house.

My mother is an awesome cook. She completely outdid herself this year. The turkey was amazing along with the mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, dressing and hot rolls. Yes, I ate every bit of it. There was no diet today. My famished body sucked up so many calories, fat and cholesterol, it'll take me until January to recuperate. But I don't care.

It was Thanksgiving and I have much to be thankful for.

ASK SANTA...

For the past month or so, every time a toy commercial comes on tv, Gooey announces, "I want that!"

At first, my answer was "You'll have to ask Santa."

Gooey then began to announce at the first beat of any toy commercial, "I want that. I'm going to ask Santa."

I had to come up with a new answer. I settled on "Well, you'll have to be a good boy or Santa won't bring you all the toys you ask for."

He then began to recite "I want that! I'm going to ask Santa and be a good boy!"

Sigh. My answer: A simple "OK".

Now, when a toy commercial comes on television, we hear "I want that I'm going to ask Santa and be a good boy OK!"

Yes, it comes out all in one breath. No punctuation required. No response needed from me.

Will Christmas hurry up and get here? Please!

HOW IRONIC...

I was on my way home from work tonight and the car in front of me had a bumper sticker that said something about when George W went into office, the price of gasoline was $1.46.

When I passed the next gas station, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded was...$1.46.

Ironic.

THE BIG BANG THEORY...

If you're ever having a bad Monday, just turn your television to The Big Bang Theory on CBS at 7pm CST. A few minutes watching (and laughing) at this show will make you forget about whatever big pile of Monday you stepped in.

The show is based on 4 scientists, 2 are roommates and the other 2 are friends that hang out at their apartment. I think I connect with this show so much because I'm such a nerd at heart. Yes, I am and always will be a nerd.

I'll post more about this fantastically funny show another time but for now I'll leave you with this:

"I believe the appropriate metaphor here involves a river of excrement and a Native American water vessel with out any means of propulsion" - Dr. Sheldon Cooper

Get it? LOL

IT'S SUNDAY...

and I'm being incredibly lazy. I'm sitting here in my bedroom and it's a disaster. I'm not kidding. I'd post a picture to prove it but somehow, word would get to my mother and she'd come spank my butt for not cleaning my room.

In my defense, it's not my fault that the bedroom is such a mess. Well, not entirely. Daddeee is a slob. There's a hamper right outside the bedroom door, yet his dirty clothes are in a pile right inside the bedroom door. An entire 3 feet away.

He also has tool issues. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars worth of tools that he owns in this house. When he uses one to do whatever little honey-do, he leaves the tool where the project took place. Then he gets mad when he goes to get a tool and can't find it. Well, honey, just like I tell the kids, if you'd put things back when you're finished, you'd always know where it's at. But I'm not that kind of wife. I don't preach to my husband. At least not to his face anyway. It's usually under my breath as I trip over a pile of screwdrivers left in the oddest place.

But I've wandered from my original thought. Yes, my bedroom is a mess and I'm lazy. I know I need to do something about it but I don't want to. I think it's because I just don't know where to begin. Do I start with the pile of laundry or do I tackle the pile of papers on the desk? I could start with making the bed, I guess. Sigh.

What I do know is that as long as I'm sitting here, nothings getting done. Well, nothing except my butt spreading across this chair. How many calories do you burn cleaning house? As messy as my house is, I should burn tons of calories by the end of this day.

ABSOLUTELY LIVID!!...

Yes, I'm mad. I'm completely, utterly pissed off.

Daddeee corresponds with his sister in Chicago via email. They're both pretty busy so this allows them to keep in touch. Their latest conversation turned to politics and it totally went downhill from there. They have completely opposite views regarding everything political.

Within their heated email conversation it came out that his sister thinks we're bad parents. The Teenager visited her with the grandparents a little over a year ago and the zipper broke on a pair of his jeans while he was there. In her eyes (and this is what she said), we don't provide adequate clothing for our child so she took him to the GAP and bought him new jeans and a hoody. Daddeee had the money to go buy himself a motorcycle but not enough to buy jeans for his son that the zipper wouldn't break on. WTF???

A little about this wonderful sister in law: She's a couple years younger than me, has been married for 9 years, has a soon-to-be 5 year old son, and is a career woman.

I don't have a problem with any woman wanting a career and family but she travels 4 out of 7 days a week and has a live-in nanny that takes care of her child. She has someone else raising her child.

Evidently, she has yet to learn that once a son reaches a certain age, a mom no longer has complete control over his wardrobe. I can no longer pick out clothing for The Teenager like I used to. My tastes aren't "hip" enough. He doesn't tell me if something has a hole in it (and who has the time to inspect every piece of clothing while during laundry?).

And how does 1 pair of jeans with a broken zipper translate into child neglect? He had other jeans with him that fit and had functioning zippers. No one asked her to clothe our son.

So you can see why I'm so angry. I've never, EVER not provided things for my children. Compared to when I was their ages, they have a whole lot more that I ever had. And for someone who barely even sees her own son to judge me. At least I'm home every night with my children. I cook their meals and I tuck them into bed EVERY night. Oh I could go on and on.

We mailed her a check for $50 for the clothing she bought for The Teenager. That's the end of it for me.

CREATURE OF HABIT...

Anyone that knows me well knows I'm a creature of habit. If I don't do things a certain way, I'll forget something. It's borderline OCD for some things but it's mostly just to keep me sane.

I have a ritual for getting ready for bed. I'm usually already in my jammies prior to bedtime so that's not really a part of it. Once sleepy-time hits, I take my nightly pills in the kitchen, then go into my bathroom for a teeth brushing, face washing, and hair combing. Then I head up to my comfy bed, set the alarm clock, and turn on the tv to flip channels until I fall asleep. I get quizzical remarks from Daddeee because when he comes to bed the tv is usually on some shopping network, the weather channel, or even worse, the golf channel (none of which are *my* channels).

Well, after a little escapade the other night, I've had to add a new item to my ritual: toy patrol. I was fast asleep when I awoke to a sharp pain in my thigh. At first I thought maybe Daddeee was beating me in my sleep or possibly a charlie horse payback for not drinking enough water. But no, it was a matchbox car embedded in my thigh. There's nothing worse than having a miniature Ford Mustang almost permanently attached to a part of your body. No doubt a small gift left by my youngest.

This isn't the first time for such a thing. I've experienced the parental rite of passage of stepping on a lego only to have 4 neat little circular marks on my foot for days.

Evidently, I've added another.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT...

I wanted to do a post to answer the question I've been getting from most people. How are you losing weight?

My meals go like this:

• Breakfast: I eat a Fiber One bar every morning. I'm usually in a hurry so this is perfect for me to eat in the van on the way to work. I also have my travel mug of coffee with milk and Splenda. This usually lasts me most of the morning.
• Morning snack: usually an apple or a banana.
  
• Lunch: A salad. Sometimes, if I've been to Sam's Club, I'm lucky enough to have the spring mix lettuce, otherwise, I use iceberg. I keep containers of black olives, black beans, garbanzo beans, shredded cheese, and mushrooms in the fridge so I can add these to my salad if I want. I also include a protein, whether it be a boiled egg or a meat leftover from the night before. I love salad dressing and lots of it so I use one that's low in carbs, usually 2 or less. My current fav is Green Goddess. Some days I'll also eat a piece of fruit with my salad.
  
• Dinner: I know I also have to feed 2 growing boys so dinner is usually where I get the most calories. I make a meat, mostly chicken, along with a vegetable or 2 and once again, I eat my salad. I do try to stay away from starches.
  
• Evening snack: If I get hungry in the evening, I normally will grab a piece of cheese.
  

I don't drink any regular soda. It's been all diet pop for over a year now. I really love the Diet Coke with Splenda, Pibb Zero, and Vault Zero. I make iced tea at home with only a small amount of sugar. I know all the experts say to drink water but I'm just not a water drinker.

If I get hungry for something sweet I'll eat it, but only a couple of bites. It's just not possible to watch the entire family have dessert and not enjoy some too.

It's a pretty simple plan. I've been doing it since June and it's working for me.

OWL UPDATE...

I haven't done an update in a while on the whole weight loss thing. It's not because I've stopped losing. I just figure maybe people would get tired of hearing about it.

I know in years past when I would hear of someone, even close friends, losing weight I would be so jealous that I would wish they'd just shut up. Now I'm on the other side and it feels so great that I don't want to shut up.

So when I first began this journey, I set a goal for myself for the end of the year. I sort of reached that goal today. I only say sort of because a couple of months ago, my scale went ballistic so I had to buy a new one. The new one weighs 4 lbs heavier than the old one. Figures, right? So if I had been using my old scale, I would have reached that goal today. But since I'm using the new one, I still have 4 lbs to go. Not bad considering I have until the end of the year. I know I'll make it. I'm challenging myself to reach it by the end of this month.

So all in all, I've lost 46 lbs. I know, a huge accomplishment. I'm so excited. It really motivates me to continue on (I still have a long, long way to go).

A lot of people have asked me how I've done it. I've done 2 things.

I walk. I walk with the boys. I walk when I can at work. I've found I really love to go walking. I'm hoping to venture out and find some new places to go walk.

My second thing I've done is portion control. I no longer sit down and eat a huge meal, most times having seconds. I've also added new foods. I eat a lot more fruit than I used to. Fruit is all natural, one of God's diet tools. I've even gotten some friends started on this too.

In the future, I'll post some sample menus. Just not tonight. I'm whooped. I don't work tomorrow (WOOHOO, PTO day!) and I want to spend the day getting a lot done so I need to go to bed.

In the meantime, WOOHOO for me!

MARRIAGE EXPIRATION...

Today at lunch, the girls and I had a rather interesting conversation. Let me fill you in on my lunch friends.

S is my age and has been married for almost 16 years. She has 4 kids. Her husband is an alcoholic. They stay married for the kids and because they're barely making it and can't afford a divorce.

R is my age also and is on her second marriage. They've been married for 7 years with each bringing their own children into the mix. This alone causes friction in the relationship.

Y is married but separated with 3 kids. She hasn't seen her husband in more than 8 years. He doesn't pay child support. He hasn't even seen the kids all these years. Not only can she not afford divorce, but she can't even find him in order to divorce him.

Daddeee and I are coming upon our 15th anniversary. We have issues. Not serious issues, really, but thought provoking issues.

So here's the idea we came up with. We should just completely do away with divorce. Instead, marriage should come with an expiration date. We all agreed that 5 years sounded good. At the end of your 5 year marriage, you have the option to renew or just let it expire and go your separate ways.

Anyone getting married knows ahead of time that for at least 5 years, they're tied to this person. No more option of divorce. Now, we did think about the what ifs that can arise such as abusive spouses, etc. Those situations would have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

So what do you think? Is this a good idea or just the warped idea of a bunch of grumpy women? Would you renew your marriage at your next 5 year interval?

TODAY'S THE DAY...

Yes, today's the day we will make history. Either we will have our first black president or our first female vice president. I'm sure other things will make history today but this one is at the forefront.

I'm not going to go into who I voted for and how I voted on issues. That's something I believe is for me to know and that's all that matters.

What I do want to say about today is that IT'S OVER! There will be no more he said/she said, he did that or didn't do that, he associates with this person etc, etc, commercials. I never, ever thought I'd look forward to the annoying Sonic people sitting in their cars discussing what they will order or talking about what they did order and how they will eat it. I look forward to more of the incredibly annoying "beep beep dot com to shop for cars online" jingle. I want to watch the creepy woman eat a nasty, dirty $5 bill on the Quiznos ad. I yearn for Dominos to tell me they'll deliver pizza to me in just a half an hour, even though it's no longer free if they don't make it in time.

I can't believe I'm saying this because commercials annoy me to no end. But, all of these annoyances are so much better than political ads.

A WHOLE NEW ME...

Thirteen years ago, I went through a major change in my life. I was no longer the carefree, no worries 20-ish year old. That day changed forever who I would be.

Thirteen years ago, I became a mom. It was a Thursday. After 14 long hours of labor and delivery, at 5:41pm, my first son was born. I fell in love immediately. No one can ever make me believe that love at first sight doesn't exist.

The Teenager, as he is now ~officially~ known, came into my life as this sweet innocent little baby. He is now this obnoxious, annoying person that, the majority of the time, I can only say "get away from me" to. He's learned where and how to activate every one of my buttons. Why he does this, I still haven't figured out. We do have our wonderful moments occasionally, though. They're just not as often as they used to be. We're working on having them more often. I'm trying to be more patient and he's trying to be less annoying (or so he says). We'll see how this new mom-to-teenager relationship goes.

I cut him slack because I know, just as my whole life changed 13 years ago, his life is changing constantly now. He's becoming a brand new person. He's expected automatically to be more responsible, to make better decisions, and to be more grown up all the while, strange hormones are invading his system like mold invading the block of cheese in my refrigerator. No one sees it happening, it just creeps up and there it is. Plus it begins to stink.

I'm still in love with this wonderful creature that came into my life those many years ago. I just have to learn to accept the new person he's becoming, whether I like it or not.

HALLOWEEN PAST...

Yes, yet another Halloween has past. I'm so glad. I'm such a Halloween Scrooge.

Gooey has talked about being a scary pirate for months but when the time came, he didn't want to wear his costume. I'm such a mean mom, I made him put it on. Once he was in it, he was fine.





We trick-or-treated our way over to the babysitters house so that he could show off his costume. All in all, we had a good time. Once we got home, we handed out candy to the creepy sounds of a CD that Daddeee dug up from our old CD collection. The Teenager and Daddeee bought some dry ice and had a really creepy fog going across the front lawn.

It was a fun night for all.

*No pictures posted of The Teenager at his request.