slack-time’s over…

Hey.

So, yeah. This whole blog thing. Let’s pretend I’ve just been really busy. Which I have been. But with exactly what? I just am not sure.

3 kids.

Constant disorganization.

2 giant, dirty, crazy, still-sort-of-puppy dogs.

Laundry.

Laundry.

Laundry.

Yes to all. Times a million.

But enough of that. Moving on…

How did it become the end of the school year? My middle is done next Tuesday (with a party on Thursday, but still)! My oldest is only in it for another 2ish weeks after that.

Which means there will be two weeks of CONSTANTLY entertaining the middle. With little help.

How did the smallest just turn 6 months old? And does my doctor REALLY think I’m going to encourage him to crawl? Hellz no.

Can you believe that I up-and-decided to start running again? And by this, I mean that I jogged for a minute or two, then walked a minute or two, for a total of about 30 minutes.

Here’s the harder thing to believe- I REALLY LIKED IT. Probably for the first time ever. Yep, I didn’t even like it when I ran 26 miles in a row. Not much of a bit. At all.

Not sure if that will stick, but I’m going to keep my fingers crossed.

Another hard thing to believe…Weight Watchers really has worked pretty well for me. To quote a wise friend, “I guess that Jennifer Hudson really knows what she’s talking about”. Ha.

Of course, I should have written a post about that a few weeks ago, before my three week plateau that may or may not have been because I sort of just gave in and ate and drank what I wanted most days. Still, I’ve started to lose a little again.

But it’s summer. And let me tell you, my good friend beer stops by quite regularly during the warm months. He’s not shy. And he’s so cold and tasty.

So, I must exercise. And apparently I’ll try running for a while.

I feel like I have so much to tell you. But it’s Sunday, so I have to finish folding and putting away laundry.

I mean, did you think I was going to say that I had to REST?

Anyway, I have to finish the laundry. So that my friend beer can come over to play.

 

 

a list for monday…

Because list-making is the new blogging, didn’t you know!?

1. I feel like I can share the fact that my husband had a computer server blow up in his face last week. It involved several eye doctor trips, no less than 8 different eye medications, and a lot of complaining about eye drops. I can say this now because it seems that his eye will be fine. Who knew that computer-work could be so dangerous?!

2. This “event”, as it shall be called, put us into a state of chaos last week. He couldn’t drive because we had to keep his eyes dialated for 48 hours, which mean school and extracurricular activites times 2 kids (and with one infant) were on me. He wasn’t at work, but he couldn’t really play with the kids. Which confused them. Which caused whining. Which exhausted me. Which meant we went through an AWFUL lot of wine last week.

3. I am eating brussel sprouts for about the 5th time in a week tonight. I have FINALLY perfected the roasting of them in only a SLIGHT bit of olive oil (causing them to “cost” me very few weight watchers points even when I eat 40 of them). Yum. I can’t believe that I used to HATE them. Ridiculous.

4. I made my husband eat a brussel sprout last week. He still hates them.

5. I have apparently decided that any pang of hungry is a reason to make/drink coffee. It is also no points (in weight watcher world now, sorry), even if you put a little bit of yummy creamer in it, it’s only one. So, not only am I going to need coffee as much as I need wine, but I also now understand why skinny people drink it all the time. Or why people who drink it all the time can be skinny. However that works.

6. What I’m saying here, folks, is that I drink coffee throughout the day (along with my other addiction, fizzy water from my soda stream- at least 3 liter bottles a day, so don’t yell at me about my well-being) and then move into wine. Can’t say I’m not well-hydrated. And folks always know what I need if they are looking for a gift…or what they can expect to have to drink if they just come to visit.

I am sort of boring myself now, so I’ll leave you with this:

7. I finally bought some new hair products, so as soon as I manage to shower and have time to dry/style my hair I’ll report on how they work. Which may be next year.

oscar monday…

…or the post after my husband was gone for a week.

Good Morning! Let me tell you about three things that I take for granted:

1- How wonderful it is to NOT be a single parent. I have (even more) mad respect for those who have done/do that. Including my mother!

2- How nice it is that my husband takes my child to school (30 minutes away!) every morning on his way to work. Meaning that I don’t have to be ready at 7:15 with all three of my children dressed, fed, lunch packed, etc. to take him there every day.

3- Having someone to share extracurricular activity drop off/wait/pick up/etc. responsibilities with.

I do know that 2 and 3 fall directly under 1, but they all needed to be said.

Needless to say, having three kiddos (one of them still an infant) and being left to parent on your own is not for the faint of heart. Particularly when you aren’t used to it. Probably not ever.

 

And, of course, on a totally other note, last night was the oscars.

I watched them all.

Summation: The singing made me aggravated. Jennifer Garner made me happy/jealous/happy. I love beards on men. I think monologues from the hosts of awards shows are totally overrated and unnecessary. People who get a lot of (noticeable) plastic surgery in Hollywood are pretty much a rough looking bunch. Quentin Tarantino is bat-shizz-crazy. Adele is awesome and beautiful and it seems like people are very hesitant to criticize her fashion choices and I am guessing it’s because they don’t want to get a rep for picking on the bigger-than-size-6 crowd. I mean, she looked amazing, but it’s hard to believe that no one on E!’s red carpet special had ANYTHING critical to say. Bradley Cooper bringing his mom to the awards and helping her through her red carpet interviews did nothing to assuage the intensity of crush I have on him. The way they tried to “lighten up” the ceremony was really sort of cheesy and ridiculous. I mean, I love Mark Wahlberg, but the Ted thing…ugh. I know I already mentioned the singing…but Chicago and Dream Girls probably didn’t need tributes, or reinactments, or whatever was going on there. Though I do love seeing JHud sing. I am sure my crankiness could have been directly attributed to the fact that I ate pizza for dinner and didn’t have enough points* left over to have much wine while watching.

I am sure there is more to say, but I need more coffee since the awards lasted till midnight and I have the abovementioned infant waking me up around 3, if not at 2 and 5, every night. He doesn’t care that there was an awards show on last night. Although he was transfixed by Reese Witherspoon…and I don’t blame him.

xo

*silly weight watchers.

rain and cold: a rambling.

I am a lover of fall. And most of winter.

I really, really, really love when it gets dark early.

But, admittedly, I like an hour or two of sunshine every now and then.

Unless it’s during the five o’clock hour, when the sun shines “just right” through the windows and doors and shows off all the dust that we manage to collect around here.

Even when I just dusted this morning. Or whenever.

And cold rain isn’t for me.

Really, rain isn’t for me. Just because we never have rain coats or rain boots in the right sizes around here. Times 3. Or times 5 if you include adults. That’s a lot of ill-fitting rain gear.

So, I guess I won’t move to Seattle. But I think that if someone said “here’s a job for your husband and a really awesome house out in Portland” I would get on out there in a heartbeat. And visit Seattle a lot. Because I really do love it there. And I want a reason to own some Hunter boots. In original green, so they are “bargain” priced.

Speaking of Seattle, though, I think I need some coffee.

Because it’s cold and rainy here. And I have kids and whatnot and can’t just lay around and watch movies like “in the good old days”.

And I’m old enough to say “in the good old days” and really mean “back when I was young”.

So, I think I’ll go get some coffee so that I can try to fold three loads of laundry before I pick up my middle child from school.

And then take him through the McDonald’s drive-thru because I promised him that I would if he would wear his ill-fitting rain coat to school today. Without complaining.

He wants to go to McDonald’s because he wants to get the Hello Kitty happy meal. I love this about him.

He is my child. He dances to commercial jingles, loves Hello Kitty, wants to read piles and piles of books every day, and really enjoys a good home improvement store.

The end.

valentine’s day…

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I know that people have mixed emotions about this day. I have always liked it.

When I was younger, it was a special day usually celebrated with my father’s mother- my Nana. She and I shared a love of anything with hearts.

I had a heart bedspread. She found a heart shaped laundry basket. My first piece of jewelry from Tiffany’s was a heart bracelet.

I still wear that bracelet every day.

In any case, I’ve never really had an aversion to this day.

And sure, there were years when I went to dinner with a girl friend or two and we bashed boys in general, because welltheysucked.

And certainly there were some dates with boys that were, um, lackluster. But expectations are HIGH when you are first dating/young/skinnyandlovetoeatchocolateonholidays!

But now I’ve got kids. And a husband. And I buy them all candy and little trinkets and make them cards that all greet them on the kitchen table in the morning.

Then I smile and make a dramatic statement about OF COURSE I DON’T MIND THAT YOU ALL GOT SOMETHING AND I ONLY GET HUGS AND KISSES!

(womp womp)

Then I let them eat some of their candy. Because I am mom of the year and want to see how crazy they can make their teachers today.

Then (at least today) I drool and moan and groan because (DUMMY!) I gave up dessert food/candy/the like for Lent.

Later I’ll help with the kiddos’ school parties. Then I’ll drink wine with my youngest while their Daddy gifts me with 2 hours of free time (free time with an infant, but still) and takes the oldest two to Tae Kwon Do.

And in all honesty, the hubs and I will probably get take out for dinner. But HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO ME! that means that I don’t have to cook or clean up the kitchen! And that I can stay in my comfy clothes! And that we can catch up on some TV!

So, in conclusion, Happy Heart Day! Eat lots of chocolate! Don’t buy the super overpriced flowers! Drink wine! Wear red!

Love.

weekend lessons…

1. When I use the guest bed (which is in the nursery, btw) as a dumping ground for clean laundry, the whole weekend goes by without any folding. Which results in what seems to be hours of laundry folding and putting away for Monday morning. Unfortunate.

2. Faith Hill has braces.

3. Prince dresses up for no one. And also has a cane. And looked incredibly UNshort (although I know that he’s barely 5 feet tall). Double lesson/reminder: famous folks are short. Except for this guy. Swoon.

4. When on Weight Watchers, I tend to hoard points so that I can have alcohol. I am not sure what this says about me, except that I OBVIOUSLY have my priorities straight.

5. I love the Lumineers. Apparently so does all of Hollywood.

6. There are many virtuoso’s in the music world. Including a sitar virtuoso. I wish to be a virtuoso.

7. Folks cover Elton John songs in spanish.

8. Congested babies like to be awake from 2 til 5 a.m. Approximately.

9. Little boys’ haircuts go a lot faster with clippers. And a lot shorter.

10. I will never sleep in again. This is something I’ve known for a while, but I re-learn it every. single. weekend.

Happy Monday!

starting things…

Hey!

Here’s something about me- I think it’s totally going to jinx something if I start it on a 1st or a Monday. Which is probably irrational.
I also think that in order to start, say…a diet, I have to get all the food that is bad for me that I would eat if given a chance out of the house.
And by that, I probably mean that I need to eat it. Before starting a diet. On which I hope to lose some weight. From eating all this stuff.

Ooooohhhh, cycles.

Also, I hate the word “diet”.

It means that I’m going to be hungry and cranky and hard to be around.

So, probably I should just say that I’m going to make some changes to how I’m eating (which is still like I’m preggo- which I haven’t been for 3 months). Maybe I’ll monitor a little bit more. Maybe I won’t finish the food left on my kids’ plates from dinner. Probably I don’t NEED dessert after both lunch AND dinner.

Honestly, I’ll join Weight Watchers. It worked some after I had Hobbes. And some after I had Finn. Just got me down a bit at a time. Nothing drastic, but it worked. Though I never really got “back to where I was before”. Not that I’m dwelling on the past. More like learning from experience. And knowing what works for me in the long run.

Anyway. Since it’s not a 1st (it’s February 5th) and not a Monday (it’s a Tuesday!), today should be the day.

But I just finished off the buffalo chicken dip (with celery, though! not chips!).

So, tomorrow will be the day! Yay changes! Yay vegetables! Yay for saving points for wine at the end of the day! Yay for possibly wearing something other than yoga pants and still being able to breathe!

Yay Yay Yay!