tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698514689881565572024-03-14T00:56:57.811-07:00The Life of BeekLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-86403191969413794772011-09-15T06:21:00.000-07:002011-09-15T06:28:40.595-07:00The Right DecisionLast night, Dave was going to a baseball game that he won tickets to at work. He called and said he was going to grab a bite to eat with his buddies before they went. That's cool. No problem. My first thought after I got off the phone with him was "Maybe the kids and I can go out to eat, too."<br /><br />*sigh*<br /><br />But we're trying to not really eat out, and trying to save money. We're getting close to paying off everything but our mortgage, so now is not the time to start spending money on the fun stuff. So I made myself cook. I really really didn't want to. My plans for dinner did NOT sound good to me at all. But I cooked anyway. I tell you, that was a hard decision to make. But it was the right decision. (Man I hate that) So, while I know it was by no means a life-changing event, I'm still semi-proud of myself for not giving in to what I REALLY wanted to do. (Taco Bell and the Mt. Dew that goes with sounded really fantastic)<br /><br />And it turns out that my hubby and his buddies didn't go out to eat after all. So when he got home to change, he got to eat dinner with us. <br /><br />I guess God was giving me props for making the right decision. =)Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-67278071205362194802011-06-18T07:07:00.000-07:002011-06-18T07:10:26.435-07:00Saturday's AgendaDishes. Really need to do dishes.<br />Laundry.<br />Work.<br />Meet to plan a wedding shower.<br />Work.<br />Cook.<br />More dishes.<br />More laundry.<br />Make some sort of something for Father's Day.<br /><br />Sounds fun, doesn't it?Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-12832672899174802812011-06-15T05:36:00.000-07:002011-06-15T05:40:03.603-07:00Today's To-DoSo I found out last night that my uncle might be "dropping" by today (it's a 1200 mi drive, so maybe it'll be tomorrow that he gets here). Crap. My house. Is. A. MESS. So here I sit, not quite in a panic, but nearly. Today's agenda: CLEAN my house! I know, I know. That's a little vague. But it can't be helped. I don't have time to list everything individually. ;) So I'm off. Wish me luck.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-35180604125410776212011-06-12T11:09:00.000-07:002011-06-12T11:16:05.744-07:00Back to the To-Do ListI've decided to get back to the daily to-do list. I think I'm a lot more efficient when I have a list to check things off of. (I hope I'm not the only one that puts things on the to-do list that have already been done, just so they can be crossed off) I have a lot to get done in the next week and a half, so I really need to be more efficient. Hopefully this will help. I NEED it to help, Dudes. Seriously. I fail lately. And if I'm getting things done more efficiently, then there's more time for the fun things in life, and boy do my kids need some more fun in their lives. I'm ready. I'm quite sure they're ready. Let's do this thing! (don't remember where that quote is from, but it fits quite nicely, don't you think?) <br /><br />I think that if I'm going to become more efficient, I'm going to have to set myself some limits. Particularly with internet usage. I'm going to give the timer method a go. Set the timer, and I have to get everything done in that time or it waits until tomorrow. Yikes. That's going to be a little tough. It's so easy to get sucked into the computer and all it's secrets for, like, hours. Yeesh. That's not happy. I'm not sure yet what my limit will be. I DO have some things that HAVE to get done, so I need to leave enough time for those things, but not too much more. Hmm.... I guess it'll take some trial and error to figure out a good amount of time. But hopefully it'll help me like I'm hoping it will. We shall see. Let the games begin.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-60528148520383587012011-05-11T14:23:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:23:26.302-07:00One More ThingSo, TMN (TheMommiesNetwork, for those of you lame enough to NOT know ;) ) is always looking for more bloggers. I've thought about it before. I always remind myself how inconsistent I am, and forgetful, and lazy, and BUSY. But here I am, thinking about doing it again. And I only post on my own personal blog (which I'm sure not many of you are going to actually read) every once in a while. So I probably shouldn't do it. But I DO like to write, though I am not nearly as witty as Miss R. or as sarcastic as Miss M. I'm probably a pretty lousy writer (It's so hard to judge myself). But I'm still thinking about it. I am my own worst enemy. *sigh* Sometimes (okay, maybe all the time) I wish I had someone that would just make my decisions for me. Anyone want the job? <br /><br />I drive myself crazy. So I hate to think what I do to the rest of you... (please keep your answers to yourself)Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-17556951332638255572011-04-04T06:53:00.000-07:002011-04-04T06:58:40.877-07:00April ChallengeMost of you already know this, but I have issued myself a challenge. And y'all know I can't turn down a challenge. I've committed myself to getting up before the rest of the fam. to get a workout in. I'm still trying to hit the gym every day that I can, too, so 3-5 days a week, I'm exercising twice! <br /><br />I had to miss the 2nd (craft fair... I was already getting up too early) so I started a day early. So far I'm 4 for 4. I'm always glad that I got up early. The day usually seems to go a bit better. But the getting up part is REALLY hard. I have trouble getting up at 7, so getting up at 6 is killer. I know, I know.... other people get up that early, or earlier, all the time. I'm lame. I can't help it. ;) <br /><br />I really hope that by the end of April I will be more in the habit of getting up earlier, so it'll get easier. I hope. It'll totally get easier, right? Right. That's what I thought. <br /><br />Yikes.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-5539724971115986102011-01-21T05:59:00.001-08:002011-01-21T09:37:41.783-08:00Funny KidsMy kids crack me up. Let me tell ya. They are so stinkin' funny. I have no idea where they get their goofiness. Must be from Dave... (are you picking up the sarcasm that I'm putting down?) On Saturday, I had been gone most of the day. When I came home, the first thing I saw was Nathan rocking out on his paper jams guitar. He was wearing his favorite shirt, a green dress shirt. It was totally unbuttoned. His hair was spiked. It was SOOOO funny. So I put the groceries away like a good little housewife, grabbed the camera, and took my place in the audience.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmULTxNkcI/AAAAAAAAAD4/-A1N9PqaPPk/s1600/IMG_4886.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmULTxNkcI/AAAAAAAAAD4/-A1N9PqaPPk/s320/IMG_4886.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564641736599114178" border="0" /></a><br />This is one good lookin' kid. I think I'm in trouble when he hits Jr High and High School...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmWAt8us0I/AAAAAAAAAEg/mvPnFVkV2Fo/s1600/IMG_4906.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmWAt8us0I/AAAAAAAAAEg/mvPnFVkV2Fo/s320/IMG_4906.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564643753671439170" border="0" /></a><br />Isabel opted to lecture (imagine that) rather than put on a concert when it was her turn. She has decided that the whole family will take turns caring for her tiny stuffed penguin. One week at a time. She wrote down what needs to happen daily. VERY thorough instructions. It's what she does...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmULmXYQWI/AAAAAAAAAEA/y6__PUxtIEY/s1600/IMG_4891.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmULmXYQWI/AAAAAAAAAEA/y6__PUxtIEY/s320/IMG_4891.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564641741591036258" border="0" /></a><br />Bringing out the goofy side of her lecture...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmUL_HUaqI/AAAAAAAAAEI/PBWzsG3zOxw/s1600/IMG_4892.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmUL_HUaqI/AAAAAAAAAEI/PBWzsG3zOxw/s320/IMG_4892.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564641748234562210" border="0" /></a><br />THEN it was Alex's turn. He of course started to throw a tantrum because he wanted to play Nate's guitar. But we convinced him to use his own, and Rock he did. He's even got the rocker stance down. Try to ignore Isabel... she dashed into the picture. (I'm rolling my eyes, so you can too...)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTnDg9nYMxI/AAAAAAAAAEw/Gw_qoW1ufKM/s1600/IMG_4899.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTnDg9nYMxI/AAAAAAAAAEw/Gw_qoW1ufKM/s320/IMG_4899.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564693785655915282" border="0" /></a><br />What a family. It was quite the "show" Too bad you missed it. ;)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmUMnf9n7I/AAAAAAAAAEY/jo79JQuRNco/s1600/IMG_4902.JPG"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xwAhn_6brkM/TTmXJRBs1DI/AAAAAAAAAEo/2R6wCCDzwGs/s1600/IMG_4902.JPG"><br /></a>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-62418005444470212122010-04-12T08:55:00.000-07:002010-04-12T09:01:22.412-07:00Whew!Okay, so I'm going to get back in gear with this blogging thing. Life got really crazy the past few weeks and it just didn't happen. Rats. Oh well. <br /><br />I am really looking forward to this week. I'm really in the mood to clean this house up! So far today I have already cleaned up most of I and N's room... dug everything out from under dressers and from under the bed, things like that. Awesome. Feels good already! <br /><br />A has taken it upon himself to clean out the hallway closet. As in he has pulled out just about every game we own and dumped them on the floor. Oh well... I needed to clean that closet up anyway. Now I just need to find a way to lock those doors so he can't do it all over again once I get it cleaned up. Cleaning it up will be rather interesting, too, since the closet is directly across the hallway from his door. So we'll see if he gets a nap today. Ugh.<br /><br />Gonna wash the walls this week, too, and keep up on laundry, dishes, and bathrooms. I really need to steam clean my carpets, but I'm not sure if that will happen this week or not. Hopefully... but not likely. <br /><br />And thankfully my foot is starting to feel better. It still hurts when I walk on it a lot, but mostly it's just achy. (is that how you spell that? it looks funny) <br /><br />So, all in all, life is looking good!<br /><br />Rock on.<br /><br />Peace out, dudes.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-73915903754674449392010-03-24T05:54:00.000-07:002010-03-24T06:15:04.056-07:00Rock On3 days in a row now I have gotten my fat ass up by 6 to exercise. OH. MY. WORD. Sooooooo tired. I know plenty of people get up that early if not earlier for whatever reason, but man alive do I miss that extra 30-45 minutes of sleep. Holy Moley. (dude, how the hell do you spell that?) <br /><br />***Please excuse the swearing. Apparently losing sleep makes my IQ go down and my need to swear go up*** <br /><br />I'm so dang glad that I have made myself get up. Though I was going to Turbo Jam it up this morning, our DVD player isn't working so I just did Just Dance. Which is fine by me, cause man that shit is fun. (see, there I go again) I'm so glad that no one has ever filmed me playing that game. I'm sure I look like a bigger freak than usual. But that can't be helped. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. Especially with a friend or two or three. The calories burned by laughing alone makes it worth it. <br /><br />Okay. So. Spring cleaning. Over the last two days I have gotten out ALL of the kids' clothes. I have culled out the ones to donate and throw away. I have sorted them according to size and gender. And I have boxed and labeled. Sadly, I can't find my duct tape so I'm not sure that the boxes are going to stay closed, but it's close enough, right? Right. That's what I thought, too. Now I have to get it all put back somewhere. Great. Though it'll be nice to get my living room back. <br /><br />Unfortunately, when I do projects like this one, the rest of my house goes down the shitter. About the only thing I have kept up on is the dishes. A person needs plates and glasses and forks and such to eat, so they must be done. And dishes these days take longer to clean up. Wanna know why? Our dishwasher is leaking. Awesome. So... I had to go out and buy one of those dish drying rack thingys (bought 2, actually) and the kids and I have been washing all of our dishes by hand. Most of the time I don't think it's too big of a deal. It would be easier if Alex didn't feel the need to help. But there's no stopping a 1yo when he's got his mind set on something. Well, short of putting him in a straight jacket and locking him in his room. And I just can't ever seem to find a straight jacket in his size. Maybe I should check craigslist. <br /><br />Okay. So my goals for today (drum roll please):<br /><ul><li>Put these blasted boxes of clothes away</li><li>Laundry</li><li>Dishes</li><li>Sweep AND Mop</li><li>Maybe bathrooms</li><li>Clear out some kitchen clutter</li><li>Go for a run<br /></li></ul>Not sure that all of that will happen, but as long as I cross some of them off, I'll be happy. Cause seriously dudes, I am TIRED. *sigh*<br /><br />Peace out, friends. Thanks for reading. =DLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-17386423901832172182010-03-22T05:30:00.000-07:002010-03-22T05:37:07.047-07:00Back to itI actually got my butt up this morning to exercise. Finally. It was really fun. I'm soooo tired, but it was totally worth it. Rock on.<br /><br />Today I'm going to start going through ALL of the kids' clothes. Heaven help me. I used to try to sort through them when I pulled them out of their drawers for good. Then I just started shoving it all in boxes as I pulled it out. So. I have a lot of work to do. It'll be nice to clear up a little bit of space though. I still have to save a lot of it for passing on to my brother and sister, but I'm sure some of it can go. =D <br /><br />So today I will be focusing on that, plus doing some laundry and dishes. I don't think I'll worry about much else. <br /><br />Yay for spring cleaning!Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-90057452509843501752010-03-16T06:10:00.000-07:002010-03-16T06:16:52.985-07:00Anniversary LamenessSo.... yesterday was our 7th anniversary. Woot! Which is why I didn't blog about my cleaning plans. I didn't have any. =D We didn't really do much, which is just fine with me. It's was nice and low-key. The best part of the day was bed time (and no, not for those reasons, thanks to Aunt Flo) but Dave had sneaked a present into my pillow case. (this is definitely where the lameness begins) So I was prepared to give Nathan a talkin-to in the morning for hiding something of his in my pillow but when I pulled it out I just started LAUGHING. Dave totally bought me a topsy-turvy. ROCK ON! I really wanted one (I want a few more, actually) so this was awesome. Totally. Good job, Dave! <br /><br />Yes. Lame. I know. But happy and funny lame. <br /><br /><br /><br />Okay, so for cleaning today... I pretty much have to do the whole upstairs. We have a friend coming over for supper. So bathrooms, sweeping, vacuuming, dishes, plus lots of laundry. Sweet. *sigh*<br /><br />Later dudes.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-34502059742190801892010-03-13T06:19:00.000-08:002010-03-13T06:29:19.147-08:00YesterdayYesterday went pretty darn well. I didn't get to my room, but I got a couple of other things done. I ran an errand for Dave before I went for my run. My run felt SO good. I didn't get all "meh" in the middle like I sometimes do. Ran a solid 2 mi. which isn't bad for my third run in 2 weeks. I'm really trying to get back into a groove. Maybe I will finally start to lose some of this fat! Wouldn't that be awesome? Heck yeah! Maybe I will no longer be asked when my baby is due. That would definitely be happy. =)<br /><br />So for cleaning, I think I got to everything other than my room. I swept/mopped, did the kids' bathroom (didn't get to mine), dishes, laundry (got 2 loads folded and put away) and I vacuumed. Awesome. <br /><br />Nate and I played the Wii for almost an hour together. That's always a blast. He totally beat me a bowling. I accidentally beat him at baseball. I felt really bad. I didn't mean to! We did a connect-the-dot, too. Nate really needs to work on his coloring/writing skills. <br /><br />So, overall, a pretty good day.<br /><br />Oh, and Dave took us out to eat, and then we went to family swim. Totally awesome!!!<br /><br />Peace.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-84112157734965930282010-03-12T04:43:00.000-08:002010-03-12T04:49:39.237-08:003/12Goodness I hate when I don't sleep well. I'm rather proud of myself for getting up earlier than I "had" to this morning. =) Yay me.<br /><br />Okay. So what should I do today? I have no idea... <br /><br />Maybe I'll start with the basics. Fridays have lots of basic cleaning anyway so I don't know if I'll manage to add any extras, but I'll try.<br /><br /><ul><li>Sweep/Mop</li><li>Vacuum</li><li>Dishes</li><li>Laundry</li><li>Bathrooms</li></ul>Yuck. I hate bathrooms.<br /><ul><li>Work on my room some more</li></ul>That might be about it.<br /><br />Some non-cleaning goals would be good for today, too, though. <br /><ul><li>Run at the Y</li><li>Play some games with Nathan</li><li>Family swim! (assuming that Dave gets home in time)</li></ul>I sure hope I can get everything done. =) And maybe even in a timely fashion. Though that might be pushing it...<br /><br />Later, dudes. I really wish I could go crawl back into bed. *sigh*<br /><br />Peace.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-90533130545922957842010-03-11T04:41:00.000-08:002010-03-11T04:47:01.713-08:00Here We Go!Good Morning World! *yawn*<br /><br />Okay, so I'm not up very early, but it's still earlier than usual. So in my book that = mission accomplished. Sweet.<br /><br />*yawn*<br /><br />It's times like these that I wish I was a coffee drinker. Oh well.<br /><br />Okay, so what am I going to get done today?<br /><br /><ul><li>Sweeping</li><li>Dishes</li><li>Laundry</li><li>Make a list of spring cleaning fun</li><li>Clean my room!!! (it's messy... yuck)</li></ul>Okay. I think that's an okay list. Mostly the basics that I would probably do anyway. But I've got a couple of extras on there. Sounds good. See you tonight!<br /><br />*yawn*Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-64643380834461690762010-03-10T13:56:00.001-08:002010-03-10T14:17:50.616-08:00A New Game PlanOkay, so the first thing you need to know before I even get to the game plan part is that I am the QUEEN of lack-of-follow-through. I'm not kidding. I really really stink at following through on anything. Okay. Now to the important part.<br /><br />The Game Plan:<br />~Get up earlier and post a bloggy about my goals for the day.<br />~Work on my goals.<br />~Post another bloggy or at least a comment at the end of the day letting the world know what I did or did not accomplish. <br /><br />Awesome. <br /><br /><br /><br />So now you are asking... "Why are you doing this?" I know you are. I can already tell that you're hanging on my every word. I hope you're not hoping to be blown away... cause it ain't gonna happen friends. I, however, feel much more content now that I have my little game plan. <br /><br />Okay, so why I'm doing this. #1 is to blog more. I enjoy sitting and writing, and this will give me a topic without any effort whatsoever on my part. #2 is that I am EXTREMELY lazy. I am trying to improve on that. I need to get more done. Plain and simple. And that would in-turn lead to me being a better mommy/wife, which is super super important. Cause I kind of stink at the whole mommy thing. #3 is so that if any of you happen to randomly read one of my blogs with what I'm going to do that day, then you can totally call me on it via facebook or whatever. <br /><br />Sweet.<br /><br />I'm excited. <br /><br />Now, before any of you jump in with a "you're not that lazy" or "You don't stink at the mommy thing" which we moms all automatically do when someone points out one of their faults, let me explain a little further. I believe very strongly that it is super-extra-important to be aware of our shortcomings. Not to dwell on them, but to improve on them. I know too many people that are too okay with how they are now. There's ALWAYS something that you can improve on. I think that the moment you are content with who you are is when you have to start all over. Okay, so maybe that's a little harsh, but you get the picture. <br /><br />None of you knew me when Isabel was little. I can promise you that I was horrible as a mother, wife and housekeeper. Really. There's no excuse. I have had some people try to give me that "young" excuse, but I refuse it. Seriously. The way I was was not okay. I was very depressed, but I feel like mostly it was poor choices and trying to avoid reality. So. I have come a LONG way. My house is still cluttered, but it's not as dirty as it used to be. Nate watches too much TV so that I can sit on my lazy butt, but not as much as Isabel watched when she was his age. I feel like I put truth to my faults and because I did that I have been able to make changes. They have been small changes, but I have gradually become much better at all of them. I still have so far to go, though! Depression is always kind of lingering and trying to move in again. I have good days and bad days with everything. But I just want to take the next steps.<br /><br />Now... if only I could find some good parts about myself to also focus on! lol I fail at that part, dudes. It's good to find things that are good about yourself. It's MUCH easier to find the bad stuff. *sigh* If any of you figure out the secret to that, please let me know. ;)<br /><br />So... here's to follow-through! I hope I can pull it off. And blow you away with my awesomeness. <br /><br />Rock.<br /><br />Peace out.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-21442003780201442010-01-31T11:17:00.000-08:002010-01-31T11:24:32.431-08:00Good times...Oh my goodness did I have a good time this last week. I got to go to a yummy restaurant with some girlfriends and then I got to celebrate the 3rd birthday of MOM. Totally awesome. =) And THEN I went with some friends to a karaoke bar after the party. That was a super good time. I miss getting to go dance and all that like we did in college. So I really enjoyed myself. Made a fool of myself, too, but that' nothing new. And I'm pretty sure the only reason I was invited was because I had given one of the ladies there a ride to the party, and she wasn't sure how to tell me she didn't need a ride home because she wasn't going home, etc. But I had fun anyway. =) I'm trying force myself into more situations that typically make me uncomfortable and self-conscious. It's really hard sometimes, but I think it's important to do. So I went. I laughed. I danced (poorly). I just had a good time.<br /><br />I didn't get up and sing (which is perfectly okay because I'm a lousy singer) but I keep hearing songs and thinking how fun they would be to hear at a karaoke bar. And maybe one day I'll even sing one of them... as long as I have some friends join me. Seriously. I'm BAD at singing. <br /><br />So there ya go. I hope this week is as fun as last week was. =)<br /><br />Peace.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-22578753960209153372010-01-24T13:15:00.000-08:002010-01-24T13:38:16.116-08:00My "Fit"So yesterday I was chatting with a friend about how we moms can very easily lose ourselves as we become Mom. And we talked about the things you can do to reconnect with yourself. Finding your style, making your health/fitness a priority, finding hobbies, and most importantly, finding friends. Our girlfriends can be our life-line when we're sinking down into the motherhood vortex. Some women don't ever seem to have a problem with knowing who they are and what they need to stay sane and happy. Others of us don't have it so easy. And, of course, there are several different levels of disconnect. <br /><br />So friends can be our saviors. (and our husbands, but honestly I think girlfriends help more) I have come a long way with finding who I am, but I still have so so far to go. I'm much happier than I once was. But it's still a struggle. <br /><br />For the most part, I get along with pretty much everyone. But here's the problem. I have never in my life felt like I 'fit' anywhere. I don't have best friends. Mostly what I have are acquaintances. People that I enjoy being around, and seem enjoy my company. But they are not people that seek me out for the extra little things. Granted, part of that is my own fault, as I don't ask people to join me in things. But that's only because of that little bitty hidden part of my personality that I'm pretty sure very few people even see in me. I am very self-conscious and typically assume that people are nice to me only because they have to be. So it sort of feeds itself. I drive myself crazy. It's a very lonely world when you feel as though people only pretend to like you. And really, how do you know for sure that someone does enjoy being around you? <br /><br />And it's because of this issue about not fitting in that I have been contemplating leaving my position (well, 3 positions) with MOM. It would break my heart to do it, but I can't help but wonder if they wouldn't be glad to see me gone. I've thought about this for a long time, but I haven't been able to come up with a solution. I would really like to someday have a group of friends that I 'fit' with. Maybe someday. <br /><br />So I wonder how everyone else defines "friend" I think I have a different definition than most people. I think what most people consider a best friend is what I think of as just a regular friend. I can only think of one person that I would consider a best friend. But a friend is someone you can talk to about pretty much everything. They know a lot about you, they put effort into the friendship, they read between the lines and notice when you're struggling. Things like that. <br /><br />Ugh! I hate when the big "D" sneaks up on me. It's so hard to fight your way out of it. Even being aware of it doesn't help. Maybe it's the lack of sunshine.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-12307795710311134492010-01-07T19:45:00.000-08:002010-01-07T20:03:45.535-08:00Changing it up...Today I am NOT going to discuss boot camp (which kicked my ass on Monday) Nope. Today I'm going to branch back out into something that has nothing to do with fitness. The anticipation is giving you tingles, isn't it? <br /><br />Now. Anyone have a topic? Oh, I guess I should have thought of that BEFORE I started this, eh? Oh well. We'll just improvise. I'm good at improv. But, my dear friends, are YOU? <br /><br />So I guess this is going to be a 'freewrite' We used to do those in Soph English in HS. (WOW I'm lame) Basically a freewrite is, well, writing without rules. You're supposed to just write and if you get stuck you're supposed to write about being stuck until something pops into your head. You're also not supposed to use punctuation, but I just can't tolerate that, so I'm going to bend the rules a little. Hope you don't mind. And please, please, don't tell Mrs. B. Thanks.<br /><br />I've been thinking about writing again lately. I've wanted to be a writer for a long time. So I thought to myself tonight that maybe I should write in my blog more. Maybe that will get the juices flowing. Maybe. It's not really working so far. hehehe Instead I'm just rambling away. I get the strangest urges to do things like writing sometimes. I don't know why. I'm not good at it. I get the urge to go take pictures, draw, cook a fancy meal, etc. It's very strange, and definitely sporadic. Maybe there's some creative part of me that's trying to break out. The walls are pretty thick though. LOL Seriously, I fail at ALL of these things. And all the others I try. Lame-o dudes. LAME-O.<br /><br />Maybe I should just take classes in one of them? But that would mean picking something and sticking with it long enough to make it worthwhile. Yeah, that's not likely. Not likely at all. Sticking with something is something else I'm not so good at. =D <br /><br />I better end it with that. I don't see this having a 'high' point to end on, so... *shrug*<br /><br />Later, yo. Peace.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-10515245477369868502009-12-17T20:34:00.001-08:002009-12-17T21:09:09.664-08:00ConfirmationYes people. We now have confirmation that, under these layers upon layers of chunk, I do in fact have abdominal muscles. I was starting to think that with each pregnancy they just stretched and ultimately shredded, then dissolved. I was wrong. How do I know this? Because they scream bloody murder at me every time I move. Mostly I consider that a good thing. Re-introducing myself to my abs is good. Right?<br /><br />Monday's boot camp was okay. Not super, but okay. My bandanna weighed it's usual 15lbs by the end (no glistening in my family, just good old-fashioned sweat) and the dips made my arms a little weak, but otherwise it was just "meh" to me. <br /><br />Wednesday was a whole nuther ballgame though people. It kicked my arse properly. My legs aren't as sore as I thought they would be (those buttbuster things on the exercise ball... wowzah). But my abs... OOOOHHHHH my abs. We only did two ab exercises, as opposed to the eighty-thousand leg exercises. But the were certainly effective. I haven't done the whole yourpartnerpushesyourlegsdownandyoustopthemfromhittingthefloor thing since HS volleyball. I don't rememer it hurting this much back then. Hmm. I wonder why that is... ;) And the punching thing was good because you have to hold yourself up long enough to punch both sides. So overall, the best ab day yet. I was a little sore when I woke up today, but overall, not TOO bad.<br /><br />And of course I went to Body Pump today. Because I'm smart like that. But seriously I love body pump. LOVE it. I like to lift weights. Besides a killer ab track that I'll talk about in a minute... during the tricep track we did pullovers. Which can be a great ab workout too! YIPPEE!!! On the first one, and I loaded up the bar thinking that I really wanted to get a killer ab workout (I *heart* pullovers), and I....... almost dropped the bar. Because my abs burned SO bad. HOLY mother. Oh my word. *insert appropriate swear words (is that an oxymoron?) here* And then, after the wimpering finally subsided, came the ab track at the end of the workout. We did some SSSLLLLLOOOOWWWWW bicycles. owowowowowowowow And then... it got better! We go to do something like what you do with an ab wheel, only we use the bar/weights to, yes, you guessed it... roll out then back in. It was super. <br /><br />So I kind of took the rest of today off. There was one point this evening when someone needed something (it's hard to remember specifics when this is how you spend your time...) I was sitting (slouching) on the couch and, I kid you not, I almost didn't make it up. I had my arms OUT IN FRONT OF ME trying to will myself into a sitting position. I don't think I had that much trouble when I was 42 weeks preggo w/Isabel. My kids just kind of looked at me like I was some strange and unknown vegetable that had been plopped on their dinner plates. <br /><br />Oh the joys of boot camp. But at least I have found my abdominals again after a long-estranged relationship. =)<br /><br />Peace.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-43709464102218492542009-12-08T19:23:00.001-08:002009-12-08T19:23:44.089-08:00Total DisappointmentI'm a little disappointed by Monday's BC. Parts of it really stunk while doing it. But I think that that was mostly because of the excessively dry air. But as soon as I was done, I wasn't really tired anymore. And today there's not a single part of me that is sore. So I'm kind of disappointed.<br /><br />Okay. I'm disappointed that I'm not sore. Maybe I need a mental evaluation...? ;)<br /><br />The whole kicking the wall thing was a pain in the arse. Seriously. But I'm not really feeling it today.<br />The ab part kicked my butt, so my abs should be screaming every time I move. But they're not.<br /><br />Rats.<br /><br />And I'm guessing that BC is canceled tomorrow. I can promise you that I'm not hauling my tushy anywhere.<br /><br />Thank goodness for shoveling, right? At least it's a workout. And it's out in the fresh air. And I can throw snow on my kids. And bury them. And laugh a lot. I really hope Dave doesn't have to work tomorrow. If he's home, I can leave Alex home with him and take Isabel and Nate sledding. Now THAT is the best way to spend a snow day.<br /><br />Peace.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-8221670728665041672009-12-02T12:25:00.001-08:002009-12-02T12:50:15.208-08:00Boot CampMy bloggy friends Jessica and Megan reminded me that I haven't blogged for quite some time. So maybe I'll post on my experiences during boot camp, too. Nothing like stealing an idea. ;) Though, to be honest, I feel like mine will be from a different angle than theirs. <br /><br />A little back-story...<br />1. I actually LIKE to exercise. I am just having a hard time finding the time/motivation to get my fat ass moving.<br />2. Related to #1, I was actually certified as a personal trainer for a while. So I know a little sumthin sumthin about exercise.<br />3. As someone that was formerly somewhat athletic, being fat has probably been the most difficult thing I've ever dealt with.<br />4. I've been going to the Y semi-regularly for a couple of years now. Not that that has given me any sort of leg up with Boot Camp. I haven't actually gone regularly for about 6-9 mo. So I'm pretty out of shape.<br /><br />So day #1 wasn't too bad. We did some basic fitness tests that we'll compare on the last day of boot camp. Hopefully we will all have improved. I opted to push myself pretty hard so that I have a better indication of whether I actually improved or not. We shall see. I'm not feeling overly optimistic at this point. I mean, seriously, my belly flops more than my 'girls'. <br /><br />My upper body was semi-soreish on Tuesday. I have a love/hate relationship with that feeling. Love it because I know I actually USED my muscles. Hate it because it makes the most basic things, like scratching my back for crying out loud, burn like crazy. <br /><br />Today's run was harder, I thought. All that blasted sprinting just about did me in. Cold weather+asthma+interval training= asthma attack. SUPER. But I wheezed my way along, secretly hoping the lead person would take pity on the rest of us and slow her ass down. And somehow I ended up with the leader chick right behind me. Greeaaaat. So when I'm in front, I can't slow it down to what can barely be called jogging. No. I have to keep freakin jogging for real. Awesome. <br /><br />And then came the real joy of boot camp. I had kind of planned on the whole running thing. Otherwise, I wasn't really sure what to expect. The whole progressive thing bit. Totally. I hate pushups. Of course that was the thing we did the most of. Don't really like dips either. But I did them (not with my legs straight though. SHH! Don't tell Jessica. Please. I'm begging. Don't tell her.) But the one thing that I really truely loathe with all of my being is burpies. SER-I-OUS-LY. I can see no physical benifit to burpies. I hated them in Jr/Sr High when I was actually in awesome shape (and looked damn good, I might add) And I hate them even more now as a fatty. Do you know what a burpie is? Well, just in case, I should tell you. You really need a visual, though, to get the full effect.<br /><br />How to do a burpie:<br />1. Jump in the air w/ your arms up.<br />2. Land.<br />3. Squat down.<br />4. Shoot your legs out behind you to a pushup position.<br />5. Bring your legs back in.<br />*repeat*<br /><br />Now here's the thing. I can do 1-4 okay. Some people have issues with #2, but we don't judge at boot camp. ;) It's #5 where I run into problems. I feel like my 1yo when he's standing back up after falling down. I never seem to make it back into that proper squat position. Instead, my legs are apart and only somewhat bent. And my ass is sticking way up in the air. Awesome. Really really awesome. Can't wait to do it again.<br /><br />And I have one more word for you: CHAFING. My fat thighs rub together so much that it's starting to hurt! Okay. TMI. But that's the fun of boot camp. =D<br /><br />Starting weight for BC: 175. Yuck. Ick. Blech. <br />Time to bring that baby down a bit.<br /><br />Peace.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-37200516380851283852009-10-28T09:09:00.000-07:002009-10-28T10:31:21.037-07:00Again...About a year and a half ago, my mother's brother took his own life. Yesterday, my dad's brother did the same.<br /><br />I did not know either uncle well. <br /><br />This uncle was a friend of mine on Facebook. However, I'm pretty sure that in the months of our 'friendship' there that I didn't even send him a note to say hi. How incredibly sad is that? I'm so very disappointed in myself for that. He suffered from a great depression (I guess we could say that's a given in this case) but I didn't take the time to let him know that I cared, even though I didn't really know much about him. And I can't go back and fix it. <br /><br />The part that makes me angry with this is his wife. She has been intending to kick him out of the house (and not for the first time). She has sent emails to his siblings trying to find somewhere for him to go. He hasn't had a job for a few years. His wife apparently was constantly making fun of him for it. That's helpful. The last job he had... she made fun of it. I'm sure at some point he thought to himself that he should maybe seek help. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the main reason he didn't was because SHE WOULD HAVE MADE FUN OF HIM for doing it. <br /><br />Now, I'm not trying to say that all of the blame lays at her feet. Obviously it all really starts with him. Depression is just so hard to overcome, even more so when you don't have a solid support system. And let's face it. That's part of being married. I don't care if you aren't in love anymore or whatever. You still have an obligation and responsibility to be supportive. My dad kept in contact with him... calls, birthday cards, etc. It was very one-sided, but he still did it. But that's just not enough for someone so deep in depression. <br /><br />I really would like to be like my dad in that way. To keep in touch, even if the other person doesn't really. It says a lot about him, I think. But that's just how my dad is. He has never, and I'm sure will never, held a grudge. He's friendly and respectful to everyone he meets. If they had lived closer, I'm sure my dad would have made every effort to include him in the things he was doing and just finding time to do things together. But when you're hundreds of miles apart, it's kind of tough. <br /><br />*sigh*<br /><br />I'm sorry, Uncle D. for not doing my part to let you know you had family to lean on. I will miss you.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-84280680944393288572009-10-20T10:56:00.001-07:002009-10-20T11:05:45.967-07:00This week...will be VERY interesting. I'm curious to see how it will end. The beginning... some good and some bad. So we will see.<br /><br />Right now Nathan is snuggled up watching tv while I wait to see if his fever will spike again after the IB wears off. Alex has a low grade fever, too. But he's sleeping so I haven't had a chance to take his temp. again. Rats. Isabel seems fine so far. Though of course she has a 4 day weekend coming, so she has plenty of time to catch whatever the boys have. Super.<br /><br />I'm being smart (well, compared to usual anyway) and I've started a log of their illnesses. If it gets worse, I'm happy that I'll be able to tell a nurse/dr. exactly what's been going on. Though seriously, getting a 4yo boy to answer questions is a little difficult. Here's our convo from earlier:<br /><br />Me: "Are you hot?"<br />Nate: "Yeah. Just a little hot."<br />Me: "or are you cold?"<br />Nate: "I'm really cold."<br />Me: "Or are you just right?" (hopeful here)<br />Nate: "I'm hot. And a little cold."<br /><br />Veeeeerrrry helpful. Sheesh. And I don't even know how to go about asking him if he's achy. He'll just say yes in some way, shape, or form no matter what the question is. Crazy kid.<br /><br />But here's the good news of the week: I went for a run last night! I was out for about 20-25 min. and I ran the WHOLE TIME. I was very proud of that. I haven't run regularly since senior year of HS. I'm planning on going again tonight. And Thurs and Fri. Woot! Maybe even this weekend. <br /><br />Sadly, though, I was supposed to go for 2 MNOs this week, and won't be going to either. That makes me sad. But that's life. The running more than makes up for it. =DLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-53592400027210678792009-10-12T09:52:00.001-07:002009-10-12T10:02:27.171-07:00Coupons!So of course I have clipped coupons in the past. Who hasn't? It's so exciting to see the pile building and thinking about saving all that money just makes you feel good. But today was different. Today, my friends, I USED those coupons. I not only remembered to grab the stack, but I went through them to see which ones were relevant for this shopping trip, took them with me, and remembered to use them at checkout. <br /><br />I know what you're thinking. But I have actually gone to the trouble of getting them to the store and completely forgot to use them. And most of the time I just plain forget to grab them in the first place. Plus, the whole situation intimidates me. I tend to be very self-conscious anyway, so when I'm trying something that I am not 100% positive on how to do it, I get a little freaked out. Even the little things like WHEN to hand the coupons to the cashier get me all flustered. (seriously, this is how I am with <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">everything</span>) Plus, I'm just a very forgetful person.<br /><br />So this was a very big deal for me today. Conquering fears, big or little, and bad habits like forgetting things, are such great things. It doesn't happen often, but I will take any little victory I can get. =)<br /><br />Yay me.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369851468988156557.post-63425102049060312642009-10-10T21:04:00.000-07:002009-10-10T21:24:57.880-07:00Long DayWhat a looooooong day people. Seriously. The end was especially fun.<br /><br />Nate wet his pants. Great. He was in the bathroom, just didn't make it the rest of the way I guess. *rolling eyes* He did that a couple days ago, too. So now I'm on to having to give him a consequence the next time. A big one. (Nate also spent the entire morning having breakdowns any time he didn't like what he heard. We almost didn't get to go somewhere fun this evening, but the afternoon was a bit better. A bit.)<br /><br />But wait. It gets better.<br /><br />As I was putting Alex in the bath, and settling down on the very comfy floor to read my book (yes, I'm that bad of a mother. I read while my not-yet-1yo takes a bath. So shoot me.) Anyway, as I sit down I notice something on the cabinet next to the toilet. Hmm. That looks an awful lot like marker. On the <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">wood</span> is a picture of a very fancy halloween pumpkin. Directly above the picture, on the edge of the counter top is "by Isabel." The only silver lining I can see is that at least THAT part will come off. <br /><br />I<br /><br />Was (and still am)<br /><br />LIVID<br /><br />I sent her to sit on the couch until I cooled off enough to speak to her. While I did so, I did my usual inventory of what her favorite things are. A very essential piece of information when it comes to giving a child a consequence, I might add. *if you really want to throw them off, ask them nicely in the middle of a 'bad choices' conversation what their favorite things are. it's fun.* The only toy out in their room at that time was her barbies. JACKPOT! <br /><br />My words to her exactly: "Isabel, come here please." *shuffle shuffle* "I want you to go to your room, pack up your barbies, put them in my room then go sit back on the couch." *insert tears streaming down cheeks here* But she did it. <br /><br />I should NOT have to remind my 6yo that the ONLY thing we write/color on is paper. Really. I shouldn't have to. *sigh* I also shouldn't have to remind my 4yo to hold it until his pants are down and the lid is up. *bleepity bleep bleep bleep*<br /><br />Now, when is SNL going to realize that kenan thompson is NOT funny and plays every character in the exact same way?Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11585028250219673676noreply@blogger.com1