Fighting temptation and acting like a 2 year old

It has been raining here a LOT in Columbus. I think the news said had it been snow, it would be 40 inches. UGH. This weather makes me slow and sloth like. On my way home from another grueling day of FOUR hours of lunch lady land, all I wanted to do was stop at McD for some fast food so I could take a Sumo nap.

But something in my slow, tired brain told me not to. It told me it would take that many more minutes of working out to burn it off and did I really want to spend the money on it? The answer was no. So I came home, made a salad of chicken and salad stuff (the stuff in the bag) and made a nice salty dressing of Chinese chili sauce and a light Asian dressing. It hit the spot. Sometimes, if you stop and think what you really want in fast food, you can probably make it at home and it will be better for you. I like salty so I go for the dill pickles and ketchup. But actually, anything salty will do.

My weekend is too busy for me to be happy about. Fri night Daughter has a school function and we pick her up at 8:30, I work at the catering place  Sat morning from either 7-9am or 8-10am, Middle child has basketball Sat from 1-2, Daughter has to be at her school at 5pm for an hour long bus ride to a Christmas party where her band will perform and not be back until close to 11pm.

All of this is going on on my birthday. This is where the 2 year old comes in. I want the day to be about me and everyone should celebrate me all day. Reality: it isn't going to happen. Insert pouty lip here. When you have kids, it is rarely about you anymore. Shouldn't I know this all ready?? Anyway, boo boo lip is out.

Side note: had a can of mustard greens with my chicken for dinner and they were ok. Drain and sautee with lots of garlic, salt and pepper. Kind of like spinach, actually, a lot like spinach. I love anything green.

Have a nice Wednesday. I plan on knocking out most of the rest of my Xmas shopping. Then crawling into bed, sloth like.

Cat

A good place

Sometimes it is hard to feel like you are in a good place with your life. Kids homework, babies not sleeping thru the night, if at all, kid's illness, car trouble, rising bills, lower pay. We have ALL been there. All of us.

Happiness is not as far as you think. Most of the time, I think it is staring at me, asking me for more pizza, mac and cheese, cold water in a coconut cup, yoga pants from Pink, basketball shoes, a sandwich, a back scratch, clean clothes, a homework answer, a kiss, a hug, some dog food.

This time of year it is really easy to get caught up in what everyone wants for Christmas. Husband and I have been having somewhat serious discussions with the kids about the difference between Wants and Needs. For example: I WANT a laptop but what I really NEED is to come up with a schedule so everyone can take turns on this computer.

Our days of having a kazillion gifts under the tree for the kids is coming to a close. They all want expensive things so that means the get what they want and that is it. And while it may sting a little on Christmas morning when they open their few things and are done quickly, I think they will get over it by lunch time.

We have the kids go thru their toys and clothing to find gently used items to donate every Christmas to several charities and we also help with local food and clothing drives. It is really important for us to instill in the kids how fortunate they are and they should share what they have with those in need.

For my birthday this year, I asked for underwear. Having lost 40 lbs, I really do NEED some new undies. But what I really want? I really want my kids and Husband to be happy and healthy. That's all.

Have a great day and look for happiness all around you. It probably needs you to tie it's shoes right about now.

Cat

Redefining Goals and post Turkey day babble

How was the Best day EVER for you?? Did you eat until your pants burst?? I managed to rein it in but still enjoyed everything, but I mostly enjoyed my family and Husband's Family. We stopped at Husband's mom house on the way to my brother's and got to see everyone for a bit. I want to give a BIG shout out to my Husband's brother and his wife: they have lost some SERIOUS pounds. I didn't get a chance to ask my sis in law how she has done it but both of them look fantastic. PLEASE keep up the good work!! You need to stay healthy to chase those grandkids around!

The afternoon and evening at my Brother's was really great. The food was delicious, my other sis in law makes a mean gravy and everything else for that matter. The kids behaved and everyone were good sports and wore the "feather headdresses" my Daughter made. The paper feathers were a little too long, so they flopped over and we all looked like Jesters. It was really, really a great day. Oh, this is what a grilled turkey looks like:

Jealous? You should be, it was over the moon good. Still eating it, as a matter of fact, that was a big bird!

Other things that we worked on this weekend:

Tree is up and done, so is most of the outdoor decorating and all of the indoor.

Our big dog, Teddy, caught a squirrel today. But I wanted to show you these pics of him over the weekend. If you look between his paws, that is his squeeky cow that he is clutching as he looks out the back door towards the squirrels. Thought it was cute. Not the dead squirrel I had to get rid of, but the pics of him with squeeky cow.

After all the accolades I received over the Holiday weekend about how much weight I have lost, I have decided that losing an additional 13 lbs is unreasonable. There is honestly nothing more I can cut out of my diet and I don't have the time to workout more than I all ready do. I am sure I could do some crazy things to lose 13 lbs but weight loss is something I want to be able to maintain without doing crazy things. My new goal is to lose about 5 more pounds and that would put me at a respectable 142 lbs. I believe that is something I can achieve and maintain without starving myself. Life is too short to starve yourself!

So with that said, it is time to go down and do my Shred. I walked, ran, and did workout dvd's over the Holiday and managed to lose a pound. Yay!

I hope you had a great holiday and are looking forward to Christmas or what ever it is you celebrate. This is a stressful time of year but take the time to make some time for yourself. A less frazzled you is a gift to everyone!

Cat

Loose ends...

It is the day before the best day Ever and I am happy to report that I no longer have the raging sore throat that had me on the couch most of yesterday. My mother in law's concoction of whiskey and honey worked like a charm. Not to mention it helped me sleep like the dead.

I did not get my white trim painted before the holiday. Oh well. It will get done sooner or later I suppose. Or not. Meh.

I continue to do the Shred though I am missing more aerobic activity. So I am going to alternate between the Shred, running, and doing workout dvd's. This will help me from getting bored, too. Went for a run today and it felt great. Such a nice November day here. Thanksgiving last year, we had a little bit of snow. Not this year though, thank goodness!!

The green apple is still in my tree. I bought more apples, too.

Middle child, who is 9, just got new basketball shoes. A men's size 9. Holy cow, those are some big hooves!!

Daughter spent the entire day laying on the couch. Ahh to be 14 with no ambition or drive at all. I did make her fold laundry but even that she did on the couch.

I continue to try to eat mostly Paleo, though I have incorporated toast back into my breakfast. Youngest used to eat an insane amount of white hamburger buns and he is off that kick now and I do believe it was affecting his behavior somehow. He seems more agreeable and he is not eating near as much as he used to. No joke: he would eat three or four turkey sandwiches on hamburger buns when he would get home from school. Then he would eat a full dinner. So I think there is something to be said for limiting white bread, for him anyway.

I haven't had any more catering training. I emailed the HR girl last weekend with my availability but haven't heard back. There is a chance she is out of the office for the Holiday? Hopefully I will hear back at the beginning of next week.

I think that is all I have to say. I need to put laundry away and clean up my kitchen for the second time today. I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow and you won't hear from me because I will be knee deep in the best day ever!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends and Family!!

Cat

Being Afraid and sweet potato casserole

My Boss at my Lunch Lady job pointed out something to me last week that left me without words. She said "You use the word "afraid" a lot. I hear you say "I am afraid of what Middle child's teacher will say at his conference" or "I am afraid to move up to level 2 of the 30 day Shred". What, exactly, are you so Afraid of??"

Ummm..stammer....silence..I never really thought about it until she made that comment. I do use the word "afraid" and "fear" an awful lot.

I think some of this stems from my inability to think on my feet. I am a planner and anything that is not planned throws me for a loop. I don't know how to verbally react to things sometimes, so I worry more about my reaction than the actual situation. What if I get to the parent teacher conference and she tells me Middle child is on the road to being a Serial Killer? What do I say? I am Afraid of how I will react.

What I really need to practice is: Silence is Golden. If I don't know what to say, just don't say anything. This is hard for me because I go for the laugh as much as possible (Youngest got in trouble in school last week for being "too much of a comedian". Heh heh..) So I am working on it. I am working on being less Afraid and Fearful of things that may never happen or even if they do, I will find a way to get thru them. Quietly.

Now to the sweet potato casserole.

I have never made such a thing because, well, it grosses me out. But, all the ingredients were on sale and I thought what the heck (don't be afraid of the casserole!) and I made it tonight. I did not have all the spices needed but made it with sweet potatoes, maple syrup, light brown sugar (this is a GREAT body scrub if you have some left over), and marshmallows. Husband liked it (he was the one that wanted it in the first place) but thought it was too sweet. I thought the whole point of this casserole was to melt your fillings?? I took a small bite and thought it was ok but can't imagine eating a whole bunch of it. But he went back for seconds so it couldn't have been so bad. 

I am closing in on 42 and I seriously need to lighten up and let things go. I know plenty of people that live this way and they are happy and still here, so I need to go that route. I don't want to become complacent but I really need to learn to relax more about everything. 

Two more days till the best day ever.

Cat

Being Thankful

As you all know, we are THREE days away from the best day EVER. I like to think of myself as a very thankful and grateful person. I had a great childhood (though I may have taken it for granted most of the time), have great kids, an over the top, out of this world Husband, and several jobs that I actually like. I know those things seem like every day things but I know too many people that cannot list those things as things they are thankful for.
 Here is my quirky list, that I will no doubt add to as the week goes on, of things I am thankful for:

*The microwave and toaster oven: without these, I would not be able to make my kids breakfast and lunch.

*My dogs' soft ears: rubbing their ears when I am down gives great comfort. And I think they dig it, too.

*The first Austin Powers movie. I still laugh like a loon 14 years after it's release.

*Non stick pans. They make clean up soo easy.

*The Earnhardt family: thank you for so many years of great racing (and Jeff Gordon, because I think he is cute).

*The way "Don't Stop Believe'n" has taken over a new generation.

*The internet. Doing homework with the kids is a breeze with Google and all the other search engines.

*Chevy Chase. You can catch either a Fletch movie or National Lampoon flick starring him anytime of the year on tv. Or on Community on Thurs nights.

*Being able to say "I am sorry". Those three words are imperative in being a humble person. Wars have been started over the inability of people to say those three words. USE Them.

*The green apple out in my dead Elm tree. There was a Cardinal sitting on it this morning. I still feel like it is trying to say something to me but I don't know what. Maybe I am out of apples??

*Squirrels. We have a lot of them around here and I love how fat they get in the fall and how skittish they are. I can completely relate.

*My dental hygienist. She does all the dirty work and my wad of a dentist (can you tell I don't like him?) pokes around for a second and is done. 

*All of my women friends and family that have started their own business. You rock. I will post a blog, soon, of these such sites. You all deserve a shout out. You know, to all of my FIVE followers.

*That I can make my Husband laugh. A good, deep belly laugh always brightens my day.

*Second chances. Lots of good things have come from second chances.

*The people that work with victims of abuse and rape, albeit adults or children. To have to listen to their stories day in and out is more than most people can bear.

*Refigerated pie crusts and wonton wrappers. All kinds of goodies can fill these easy to bake wrappers.

*Friends that text me funny things thru out the day. Keep them coming!

I asked Husband and kids what they are thankful for:

Husband: healthy kids and a smokin hot wife (ok, I may have embellished what he said about me. But it was close to that).

Daughter: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Middle child: that my mom is working 4 jobs so I can get an Xbox for Christmas.

Youngest: That I am getting a Nintendo DS for Christmas (wait, what??? No no, you asked for the TRex and that is what Santa is working on...no Nintendo for you young man.)

The moral of my tale is this: there are all kinds of things to be thankful for. Doesn't matter how small or silly it may seem, if it gives you joy, be thankful.

Gobble Gobble.

Cat

MIA

I apologize for not blogging for the last couple days. I have been running around doing things for the kids, trying to get thru the 30 day shred, and spending countless hours laying awake worrying about my new job that I start this morning.

So of course, Youngest was up most of the night not feeling well. I will be starting my new job on about 4 hours of sleep (as I was drying my hair this morning, he came in and said 'Whew, that was the longest night EVER). Amen to that!

I have also been busy annoying the crap out of my sister in law about Thanksgiving. I do think worrying about the details helps me relax, or maybe it is keeping my mind off being anxious about starting this job. Either way, I promise to stop. I will sit back and let her handle Thanksgiving.

Two close friends have had family members diagnosed with cancer this week. This is not the way to start the Holiday season.

I turn 42 in two weeks. My goal between now and then is to either maintain my weight or lose 2 lbs. I am up a little, this happened last time I started doing the Shred, but I refuse to gain any weight over Thanksgiving. Flat out refuse. Then Husband bought a big tub of salted assorted nuts at Sam's club and I am having  a hard time staying out of them. Darn you, Husband!!

I need to get ready for work. I will report on how it went when I get back..and after a nap...

I am back from a successful morning of training! And as usual, the was nothing for me to be so worried about. My worry stemmed from going to the staff meeting Monday night and the Head Chef seemed a little...well....grouchy. I was worried that he would be that way this morning and that I would suck at everything. Head Chef was there but his Sous Chef was the one that trained me. And I love him! Nicest kid, really helped me out, taught me how to make chicken stock (the really yummy kind you can eat right out of the pan with nothing else in it!) and really showed me the ropes. I think I am going to like working there. Physically it is a lot of hard work but I really enjoy that.

Here's an odd thing: looking out my kitchen window, I can see our half dead elm tree. All the leaves are off so you can see all the way thru the tree. Looking out there this morning, I noticed a green apple sitting at the cross of two branches. Where did THAT come from?? Husband and I guess a squirrel or one of those big, scary brown hawk things left it there. It's just a funny contrast between the grey, dead branches and the bright green apple. I almost think it is a sign, but I am not sure for what. I kind of hope it stays there so I can continue to get a chuckle out of it.

I think I am back in my groove again. Though I did skip the Shred today for a big fat cat nap instead. After last night, I needed it. I am thinking Youngest will be in bed by 7pm, he looks whipped, too.

I hope everyone has a great rest of your weekend. Thanks for reading!!

Cat

I think she hates fat people

An odd title, I know, but it has been one of those days.

My Boss, who I really like and am thankful every day to have as a boss, has been kicking ASS at losing weight with Weight Watchers. She and her husband are on it and are cranking out fantastic numbers every week. Then she told me she lost close to 4 lbs last week. I stopped in my tracks. I know how hard it is to lose the smaller you get. "What are you doing differently?" I asked. To myself I am thinking she is popping pills, doing the Kardashian  Kleanse....

But the answer was much worse than I thought.

I have this dvd and near died when I did it at 187 lbs. But my Boss is rocking it, looks great, so I thought "What the heck? I lift weights. I run. I can surely get thru this workout that used to make me into jello. I AM the nut that wants heavier weights for my birthday."

So today I started my 30 day shred. For those of you that are normal and would never do this to yourself, let me quickly explain what this is. It is a 22 minute long dvd that spends 3 minutes on strength, 2 minutes on cardio and 1 minute on abs. Rinse and repeat twice thru that sequence and you are done. Sounds easy.

Not so much.

I sweat more in that 22 minutes than I did on my 6.55 mile run. She has you working multiple muscle groups, up and down off the map, and other torture methods. I think I sobbed and blacked out at one point but I am not sure. I do remember yelling out loud "I think she hates fat people!!"

I know I will never look like the women in her dvd (they look like something out of a warrior/model catalog) but I am determined to see the 30 days thru. I will not be doing my normal weights since this pretty much sucks the life out of me but I hope to still run, if I can, a couple days a week.

Join me on this journey to hell, won't you??

Cat

Hubcaps and being out of my league

Recently, my Husband has been stopping in the middle of roadways to pick up these:

He says he wants a "collection" for the garage. Umm..we have a lot of stuff all ready IN the garage, so much that we can only get one car in. The first one he "collected" was a shiny one, so I could kind of see the allure. But the other day, we were going to the store and there was one on the side of the road. Without so much as two words to each other, he stopped the car and I jumped out to get it. It was kind of scuffed and in my sane eyes, not worth keeping. But he said he would "paint" it to make it shiny. Great.  I have now become an accomplice to his new found "collection". We even had Youngest in the car who was not quite sure what to make of our "pit stop". There are a lot of questions I have for Husband about this new found hobby, but I am holding them back for over the holidays when he is home a lot. We will need something to talk about.

I got the catering job.

I have a lot of training to go thru and realized as I was surrounded by people with Culinary degrees, I know NOTHING about food, how it is prepared, served. Nothing. I was VERY out of my comfort zone this evening with all the professionals and I know it showed when I turned bright pink talking about my LACK of experience in this field. They must be desperate for someone to wash dishes because I think that is all I will be good for. It is an odd mix of people I will be working with and I swear to the HEAVENS, the other new girl next to me was like April from Parks and Rec. She was just mad at everyone and the only time I got her to lighten up towards the totally out of her league person (me) was when I asked her about where to find comfy, black, non slip shoes. She brightened right up (so did most of the men there..hmmm..) and told me where to find some. As did the guys there. Seems a trip to Walmart is in order.

Lots of changes going on. I am scared to death of learning something new but boy, the money will be nice and I love the fact that it is physical work. I don't think I could work at a desk again.

Hope you all are having a good start to your week. Keep an eye out for nice shiny hubcaps (until I get further clarification as to what his "collection" consists of).

Thanks for reading!!

Cat

Catching up

This month has gone by really fast. We are almost half way thru and it leaves me feeling two things: 1) READY for Thanksgiving and the joy it gives me and 2) absolute panic that I have NOT started Christmas shopping yet! I have a really busy week coming up that is filled with an interview with a catering company, two parent teacher conferences, a band performance, and various other commitments. Of course several of these things fall on the same night at the same time so Husband and I will split up and do the best we can to cover everyone.

As I was panicking about the week to come, I thought I would think back to some goals I set and where I am and how I am feeling about things.

But first, I want to tell you about my weekend. Friday night was our Vets Day parade and Husband was in it. It gives us all such a thrill to see him part of the parade. Saturday night we went to our friends house and hung out with their friends for a bit. Nothing brings happiness like getting together with people you truly love and don't see enough of. We all say we need to do it more but as you all know, life gets in the way. But I will really make an effort as I had such a good time! We also got a lot of house cleaning done, some clothes shopping for small people who aren't so small anymore and of course, a trip to the library. I love the library. I could devote a whole blog to why I love the library. But I won't. It would be pretty boring.

Ok, so back to my goals.

# My month of YES has been a weird one. I said I would eat what I want and not log anything. After one day of that, I felt out of control and not happy not knowing what my calorie and fat counts were. So I am back to tracking, still primarily eating Paleo though this time of year I become a SOUP whore and can't get enough of a good can of soup. Had three cans today. Oh lord, I just realized my mom is a soup whore, too. Must run in the family, daughter had a can for breakfast!. Note to all: buy stock in Progresso and Campbell's.

# I have not put in as much running as I should be a week though I have upped my distance to three miles when I run. I am lacking motivation primarily due to two things: I need new shoes (bday money is coming in a month) and I have not signed up for the May 2012 race yet (see above note about bday money). But despite me trying to talk myself out of running, I put some new tunes on my Itouch and hit the street this morning. It felt really good to get out there.

# I really like the way my body is responding to lifting weights. I do a full body workout three days a week with 8 and 10lb weights, nothing crazy, but arms, legs, core. I love that I can do it while watching FoodNetwork. I work up a great sweat and my new size 10 jeans are too big on me. I have toned everything up and I know it helps with my running, too. I have asked for a set of 12 lb weights from Husband for my bday. Lame, I know.

#Tomorrow I start Christmas shopping. Some of what I need is on sale and I have coupons. We are going for an all cash, no credit card Christmas. I know it can be done because I am sticking to my "only get them what they want" theory. No filler gifts just to open stuff, my mom will take care of that. Each child wants about two or three things and that seems reasonable. I also plan on socking away 20 bucks a week from now until Middle child's birthday. I will get him his much wanted Xbox plus one game. That should make for a pretty good 10th birthday, wouldn't you say? But shhh...It's a surprise :)

# I have NOT started painting the white trim yet. We are getting our carpets cleaned next Sat so I am waiting for that to be done (procrastinating) then I will try to get it knocked out in a couple days. I know once I start it will go fast. It is the "once I start" part that trips me up.

# I was able to tactfully talk to Middle child about the Penn State stuff. I asked if he knew what happened and he said that someone did something wrong and no one spoke up about it. I left it at that but fear he knows more than a 9 year old boy should: when Husband had ESPN on the days following, Middle child would not go in if they were talking about what happened to the boys. I suppose that was a smart move but he looked really afraid. The whole thing still sucks.

#Middle child starts his first season of basketball this Monday. Soo much cheaper than hockey and he has not ONCE mentioned missing hockey. Now all he wants to do is watch NCAA basketball. I hope he does well and likes it. I know nothing about basketball so I can be of no help. Of course his first game is the same time that Daughter has a Taiko drumming event out of town, so again we will divide and conquer. 

# I would like a clone of myself and Husband for my birthday. Anyone interested in helping out with that, please let me know.

I hope you all had a great weekend and a less than crazy week than I have. I do not like being busy in the evenings. I do like my sweat pants, FoodNetwork and a glass of wine. I like my Husband on the other couch with both dogs on either side, like bookends, and I do like the kids in bed before 9pm.

So facing a week I do not like, I should remember the things at home I do like. Makes it more bearable that way.

Happy Monday, friends!!

Cat

My Veteran

Husband reads my blog now and I thought it was appropriate to thank him, in public, for serving our Country for over two decades and being a hero to me and his children.

He has volunteered not once, but twice to fight for our Country. This is something, to this day, I can't fathom. I have a healthy fear of confrontation and guns and bullets whizzing by my head. But not my Veteran. He fears  nothing and was willing to risk his life to make sure his family and Country remain free.

There are so many Vets that come home from war to broken marriages, unemployment and health issues. It is really quite appalling how we treat the men and women who have fought for OUR right to be free. There will be thousands of troops coming home in the upcoming months and I hope they come back to a life that is better than when they left. They deserve the best.

If you see a man or woman in uniform, please thank them for serving our Country. They make a conscious choice to keep us safe, the least, and I mean the very least, we can do is say Thank You.

My Vet, I love you and you are my hero everyday.

Cat

Fall of a Legend

It is a very sad day for any of us that follow Penn State football. My dad went to Penn State and Joe Pa has always been revered in our house.

My 9 year old son wants to know why he was fired. I am at a loss as to what is off limits to tell him. Of course we have had the stranger danger talk, and the don't let anyone touch you anywhere talk. I suppose I can leave out the gory details and tell him the basics: Joe Pa reported on someone who was doing something bad, but he should have done more. So he was fired.

It is hard for me to explain to him that even our idols do wrong sometimes. I don't know what kind of message that sends to him.

I hope he gains an understanding that we should always do more. Never be afraid to speak up. That goes for all of us.

Cat

8 weeks left in 2011

Ahhh!! I can't believe how fast this year went. I find myself saying that more and more the older I get. Time is flying by and just as I'm finally writing the correct year on my checks, I will have to get used to 2012.

I have a couple goals I would like to see completed by the end of this year. Thought I would share them.

Start painting the white trim that is all over my house. Years of hotwheels being rammed into trim has made them very scarred and neglected.

Lose these last 13 lbs! That is less than 2 lbs a week and I know I can do it.

Continue to run and work on my speed.

Get my Christmas shopping done by the beginning of Dec.

Win the lottery.

What are your plans for now until the end of the year? Going to clean out that closet you keep neglecting? Going to finish that book you started months ago?

Whatever it is, do your best at it. That is a great way to end the year!

Cat

The Ho Hums

I love this time of year. My favorite Holiday is coming, spending time with family, all the good stuff.

But every now and then, the dark little depression monster sneaks in. It is this way for me from now until about May.

This time of year has been historically dark for us. Holidays come and go but the lack of light, holiday bills, and general malaise sets in and I feel like

I don't want to do anything, see anyone, make time to be happy. I just want to hibernate until Spring comes.

Two things saved me from spending more time than I should have last winter as Jabba: I signed up for the 1/4 marathon and knew if I didn't run as much as I could over the winter, I would die on the run in May. And 2: Husband has a new job that he really likes and is less likely to fall into the winter dooldrums with me.

But the darkness still has a way of sneaking in on me. I was feeling it a lot today until I realized that I wasn't actually unhappy just really tired. Worked 4 hours (yeah, go ahead, laugh. But that is TWICE my shift) went to the grocery and then ran 3 miles. I feel slightly accomplished that I can recognize that I am tired and not sad. Yay for me!!

I know this time of year is really tough on a lot of people. We all struggle to figure out how we can celebrate, buy gifts, and not go bankrupt all within a couple months. This Christmas I am adopting a policy of buying the kids only what they ask for, within reason. I will not buy "filler" gifts so it looks like they have more under the tree, will not buy stocking stuffers they don't want (I will be filling them with Halloween candy!!). Too often I worry about quantity when all the kids really want is what they want.

That should be an all year policy. Only ask for what you want and I bet you will get it.

Have a great Tuesday!!

Cat

PS. For Christmas, I would like one more "follower". Not a stalker, just a "follower". Thank you.

Back to reality

I had a really great night away with my friends. I am in awe of my gal pals as they are a fierce group of women that have their crap together. Everyone should have a group of friends that are as great as they are.

Some of my trip highlights are:

Not being called "mom" for a whole 24 hours
Not being asked for food or drinks or to tie shoes or to find the duct tape..
Being able to go to a mall without any kids in tow
Bowling without bumpers (though, I really could have used them. I SUCK at bowling!!)
Basking in the glow of Covington's many tobacco and liquor stores as we roamed the streets at night
Seeing a Kevin from the Office look a like at breakfast

But most of all, the best part was hanging out and talking with my three amazing friends. We have all had different paths that have lead us to where we are now, and I am so thankful that I picked them up along the way.

We really must do it more often.

Now it is back to laundry and "what's for dinner?" and thinking about parent-teacher conferences and why can't I lose these last 13 lbs and blah blah blah. You know the drill.

Now go call a girlfriend and chat for awhile. I guarantee you she needs a break from what she is doing.

Cat

Out of Office

I am excited to report that I am able to break away from a sick kid (Who at the moment is having a motherload of a fit about spilling some water) and tired Husband (he has been working a lot this week, or at least it seems like it) to go south for a night with some of my closest friends. We started doing this a couple years ago and have tried to do it yearly, though it is tough with everyone's schedules.

But 4 of us were able to clear a night and we are going to Party like Kentucky Girls!

Minus the short shorts and hay, but it will be a good time regardless. I plan on drinking a lot of these

and enjoying adult conversation with three of the best gals on the planet.

It took me a lot of years to get to a place within myself to feel ok about leaving Husband with the kids. They aren't that hard to handle but seeing as they have become my life's work, I don't think anyone can do it nearly as good as I do. Or as right as I do. It's all about being right, am I right??

Husband does a great job with them and in fact, I think they like when I go out of town. Lots of pizza and donuts are eaten, bedtimes are stretched to an inch of their lives, no one has to bathe..you get the idea. Guy stuff. Stinky, yucky, guy stuff.

So it is with a BIG smile on my face that I will be leaving soon. I plan to enjoy every second of adult time with my friends, take in the sights, and just enjoy being away. Neighbors, if you hear Husband screaming, there is a good chance the boys got hold of the lighter fluid and duct tape. You may want to call 911.

Cat

PS- I am backing down a little on the Month of Yes as my pants have started screaming NO when I put them on.

BFF

BFF

For a time in my adult life, I didn't see the value of having a best friend. I did as a kid and thru high school, I had some great friends that I still talk to. But once I got married the first time, I closed myself off to most female relationships. I didn't feel they were worth my time and they usually ended up dissolving over some silly argument.  I am happy to say that now, I have a lot of great female friends that I rely on, laugh and cry with and would do anything for. If you don't have a BFF, you really should get at least one, two if you can. Three is even better.

What prompted me to write this blog is this: women put other women down. We judge other women as we are far superior to them, more than happy to point out someone's flaws or shortcomings. Why do we do this?? We don't judge men this harshly and men don't judge each other this harshly. I subscribe to a couple blogs of women who do weight lifting, Paleo eating, etc. A few of these ladies have had breast augmentations, mostly because they have had kids, lost a lot of weight and want their boobies to look good. I think those are all great reasons and really, who cares? They are their boobies to do with as they please. If someone would like to pay for me to get nice boobies, let me know, I will set up a Paypal account. But I digress...

But women get on their blogs and BLAST them for being "fake" and how can they promote a clean lifestyle when they have fake boobies? I mean, they just tear them apart. Why would you follow this person's blog if all you are going to do is tear them apart? Would you do that to a friend who had fake boobies? I think not.

Women, PLEASE stop being so hard on each other. We need to support each other, help each other and stop being so darn critical.

So next time you are tempted to comment on a gal who's butt looks big in her jeans, ZIP it and tell her how nice she looks today. You will make her day and you will feel better, too.

Cat

The month of YES!

I have decided, after a month of Paleo, that November is going to be my month of YES to any food I want to eat. I didn't loose any weight with Paleo eating, though I did have more energy. But a lot of my hair fell out. Huh??

This is my favorite month and I have decided to celebrate it with whatever I want to eat. I weighed in this morning and we will see how it all shakes out by my birthday. My personal challenge is to still lose 3-4 lbs this month.

Did I mention that I was up most of the night with a feverish child? And that I ate too much Halloween candy? And that I had to call in sick to work today which makes me feel ill? And that I feel like I am really close to losing my mind??

Basically November is a free for all. Eat on people!!

Cat
PS-I really could use some rest....

Halloween

Last night was Halloween. It was cold here and not many kids stopped by, but I did get a chance to talk to one of my favorite moms (shout out to you KD!!). Here are some pics of what the kids went as.

 Middle child is hockey player, his best bud handed out candy with his Blue Jackets jersey on, Husband went as Pirate...again.

Daughter didn't trick or treat tonight but went as a gypsy to a Halloween party last Sat night. We bought the dress at a used clothes store and she worked on the rest herself. She even wore makeup to the party. Gasp!!

Youngest was Iron man at his school Halloween party on Friday

Tonight he was....

sick on the couch with terribly mismatched clothing on. He didn't feel well enough to trick or treat so I asked his brother to take his pumpkin and get some candy for him. Brother said "I will just share what I get". WHAT?? Is this a TRICK??? Nope. Brother went out for two hours and got as much candy as he could and let Youngest pick what he wanted.

Just when I thought all hope was lost between them...

Here's to hoping Youngest feels good enough to go to school tomorrow (for the record, he is home sick today)

I ate a Reese's peanut butter cup and a little snickers and I feel like I want to throw up. Husband was going to hide the Reese's from me but I told him there was nothing to worry about. I don't want to feel this yucky just for a peanut butter cup!

I hope everyone had a great time. Consider sending your left over candy over seas for the troops. By the time they get it, it will be Thanksgiving for them. I know they would appreciate it!

Cat