I wish we had a video camera

Or that VOD hadn't taken my camera on her field trip.  (I know.  I'm just hoping they both come back intact -- the girl and the camera.)

Baby girl was having a nap earlier and I sat down with Little Mister at the table to work on my chores list (updates coming soon).  He was doing "homework" -- coloring pictures and bossing me around.  He asked me to draw a letter though I can't remember which one ... and I drew a different one that I didn't know he knew.  He said, "No, that's a B!"  So I started asking him what all the letters are.

I went completely out of alphabet order, writing them down (sideways so they were right side up to him, but that's why they were a little wonky).  He got confused on J and E, calling E a phone (hence the picture of a phone in pink), but then he got them.  He knew ALL the letters.

I was so proud, I let him boss me around drawing other pictures too.  

I never claimed to be an artist.

I can't tell you the last time we worked on letters.  It's been months.  But he was paying a LOT of attention to Super Why this week when he saw that it was on Netflix.  Maybe TV isn't all evil after all.

An Overnight Field Trip

VOD is going on an overnight field trip tomorrow.  It's actually for two nights.  We went through the packing list last night and I went to the store today to get what we didn't have. 

I didn't buy sunscreen or bug spray when they were on sale over the summer.  Things were so tight and we had decided not to go camping and we still had some sunscreen, so I just didn't.  I had to buy both today.  In addition to a couple of new bras.  Ha.  (That might embarrass her.  I wonder if I should edit...)  And some makeup remover cloths.  Because I need the Cetaphil and she can't just take the whole bottle but she would if I didn't stop her.  Ahem.  Oh, and I had to get some lunch stuff for her to take.

With couponing and signing up for free samples, we already had shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrush, extra deodorant, feminine hygiene products, snacks, paper, pencils, etc.  So we had almost everything. 

She is very excited and I'm just glad I still had a valid coupon for the sunscreen and lunch meat, etc.  Still debating on loaning her my camera ...

Happy Friday!

We have been super busy all week:  Two volleyball games (different days), VOD's dentist appointment for fillings, and yesterday we went to Hyz's house to say goodbye.  VOD was supposed to go to school but she called me saying she had a headache.  I didn't take her home because I was already on the road.  I "made" her go say goodbye too.

I first met Hyz online 9 years ago (I think).  We were both single moms of one and had an instant bond.  She was my first friend when I moved to Utah.  Our kids became friends too.  We decided to be roommates and, even though things were rough at times, we managed to stay friends through it.  We are still good friends and see each other a couple of times a year because we live an hour away from each other.  She got remarried to a good guy a couple years ago and has a cute little baby and ...

I'm going to miss her.  Them.  VOD is going to, too, and she was sad she didn't get to see Hyz's son yesterday.  *sigh*

After 4 days in a row of being gone for several hours every day, the littles were just ready for a down day.  Neither of them would go to bed on time last night, lots of terrorizing, and both of them looked at me with tired eyes this morning and I decided today is a down day.  We are staying home and chilling, and I am getting caught up on homework and housework.  We've been gone so much, home just long enough to make messes but not long enough to really get cleaned up.  The house has definitely taken a hit.

So while the littles were eating breakfast and watching a movie, I did the dishes once, wiped off the part of the counter that we can see, swept, mopped, took the trash out of every room, tidied up my room, and cleared off more of the kitchen counter.  I scrubbed the toilet, cleaned the mirror and sink and counter, and cleaned the floor around and behind the toilet.  I've started two loads of laundry and folded and put away two others.  Dug through the freezer and pulled something out to make dinner for The Rock because the kids and I are going to some school thing this evening (though thankfully it should only be an hour or so and not 5 or 6!).  There is more to do, and I know that doesn't sound like a "down" day, but it's 10:15 and the house looks much better.  I won't feel guilt about doing my homework later, and can handle that during naps.

And now I get to cuddle and nurse my sweet and sassy baby girl.  Have a great Friday!

It's not a happy thing

To be forced to see yourself in someone else's eyes.

I'm talking literal here, not figurative.

At WGU, you take tests at home with online proctoring via a webcam, OR you can go to one of their approved testing sites and take it there.

I did mine last night via webcam.  (that sounds slightly dirty.)

As I was setting up the camera, I kept thinking, "Do I really have that many chins?  That many rolls?  When did my belly get THAT big?  Who is that fat woman sitting in my chair?"  I mean, I know it's me, it's my face, but I had somehow managed to convince myself that it wasn't that bad.  That I wasn't that big.  That I'm not the fat woman sitting in my chair.  Living my life.

I guess the good news is that I'm more aware of myself now.  I'd started to track my calories and have been trying to exercise and cutting out junk.  I didn't manage to exercise yesterday, but I'm not beating myself up for that.  Just moving on today.

When I went back to livestrong on Sunday, they redid my estimated caloric intake and it's  no surprise why I wasn't losing before -- the calories I was supposed to be consuming were 550 over what livestrong says now.

As of this morning, I've lost 5 pounds since Monday.

5 of the 8 I put on since last December.

That gain is not really surprising either.

What IS surprising is that I'm still going over those calories and still losing weight.  I've been working on it more every day and yesterday I was close.  And I wasn't super hungry at all.  Which also surprises me.

I do deserve to feel better about myself and be the woman I know is hiding under all this flab.  I now have a buddy to report to (though I've slacked on that too, grrr).  I'm taking this a day at a time and being patient with myself.  And by next term's first final, I won't have quite so many rolls or chins when I go to plug in that camera.

I'm an idiot.

Saturday night, I was feeling under the weather.  The littles have a cold that has been going on for a while and they were miserable and kindly shared it with me.  So, I went to the store to get some OJ, Sprite (because they weren't keeping anything else down), and some OTC feel better drugs.  And we were out of printer ink and both of us needed it for school, so I picked that up too.

When we got home, The Rock was leaving for work, the littles were ready for bed, and I just sort of ... forgot.  VOD put all the fridge stuff into the fridge (good girl) but that's as far as my mind went.

Until Monday.

I'm obviously feeling better and didn't end up taking any drugs, because it took until about 11 a.m. Monday for me to realize I had no idea where the drugs or ink were.  Since VOD was at school, I checked the car again, tore apart the house, and came to the conclusion that either it got thrown away (and the garbage truck just left), OR I'd left it at the store.

It was $85 total.

I almost threw up.

I called the store and got disconnected, so I went in and talked to the gal at the customer service desk.  She said usually they will just give you whatever you've left behind, but since it was high ticket items, she had to get management involved.  Awesome.

Manager disappeared with my receipt, which I was glad was handed to me and not put in the missing bag of stuff.  She reviewed the security tape and guess what?

Little Mister turned the bag holder around after the cashier had turned it to me, and we all missed the fact that I left that very expensive bag of stuff sitting there.

So I was able to run through the store and get all my missing things, but wow ... for about 5 minutes there, I felt like a criminal.  or like they were judging me to be very dishonest.  Ugh.

p.s.  Little Mister is SO grounded.

Oh goodness

I pulled out an (old) VHS of Denise Austin's abs workout this morning, after running the carpool and vacuuming crackers up off the living room floor.  I really wanted to do a little workout and see if I could start off my week right.  Little Man asked me what I was doing and I told him I was going to work on my tummy, then asked him if he wanted to help me with my tummy.  He pulled up my shirt and said he was helping.

So we put the video in and Baby Girl decided she HAD TO NURSE right that second.  Off to nurse.

Of course, this time she had to nurse a LONG time instead of just a quick drink, so 30 minutes later, I put the video back on.

Grabbed the towel, laid down, and started the workout with Little Man on my left and Baby Girl running around the house.  She hid in a corner the first two minutes (of the 10 minute video) and then ran over and patted my face, blowing snot bubbles out one nostril and suddenly, I could smell her.  I knew why she hid in the corner.

Little Miss Stinky Poopy Pants ran off, so I did more of the video.  Little Man jumped up and ran away yelling, "I hafta go potty!"  "Hey!  Shut the door so the baby doesn't get in the potty too!"  He did.  Then he came back but left the door open.  "Run run run and shut the door!"  He ran back and shut it, then laid down on the floor right.next.to.me.  So close that when I rolled back after doing a crunch, he was under me.

I think I was halfway through the video at this point.

Little Miss Stinky Poopy Pants came back and patted my face a bit more, then grabbed my boob while I was trying to do a crunch.  After I laid back down, she climbed on my tummy and sat there while I was supposed to be doing lower body crunches.

Did I mention she was really REALLY stinky?

Little Man decided to sit on me too, and about this time Denise said it was time to stretch.  So we did.  Sort of.  And then I changed the stinky bottom.  But Little Helpful Dude decided he needed to wipe her butt too.  I managed to convince him that handing me the wipes one at a time was helpful instead, and then after we finished, he put the ones we didn't use away while I was washing my hands.

And that, my friends, is why I had tried to work out at the gym.  But they melt down when I'm gone for an hour every day and VOD and The Rock both can't cope with the hysteria and all hell breaks loose when I get home, so I shall persevere and continue to try to work out with little ones sitting on me, grabbing my boobs, and sticking their stinky butts in my face.

I hope tomorrow's planned cardio sculpting workout doesn't end up with all of us in tears.  Or worse.

woohoo!

My first final is coming up on Tuesday.  It's for a health class, which I scored 86% on the pre-assessment, so I've just been reviewing stuff since Friday night and will get it knocked out Tuesday night.  The Rock rearranged his work schedule so he can take care of the kids if they wake up while I'm testing.

I had intended to study yesterday while Little Mister was getting his cavities filled, but uh, VOD "accidentally" left my homework home.  I got very frustrated.  I yelled.  But she watched the kids in the afternoon so I could work a bit.  Love her.

So, since Friday night, there has been a lot of fitness stuff going through my mind.  I've been in denial so long about how much I eat and what I'm eating and it has to stop.  I have to fix this.  So I started tracking my caloric intake again today, on livestrong.com, and am getting the videos and DVDs back out of the closet so they are in my face more ... so hopefully I'll get cracking on that, too.

VOD has her second volleyball game tomorrow after school.  I'm driving.  They actually do 3 games, which are about an hour each, so with travel time, we'll be gone about 4 hours.  She will be gone about 12, from the time we leave in the morning.  I'd better get my homework done before the games because I think it'll be too noisy to focus, even if we remember to take it with us, and I'll probably fall asleep with the baby after we get home.  Wish us luck!