I don't have time for a heart attack.

Hi friends!

I hope the holiday season is treating you well and you are enjoying some down time and time with family. I am thankful we got enough snow for the kids to go out and play and take them sledding. We have all been too plugged in lately, time to go out and have some fun!!

After several months of neglecting myself, I am back on the nutrition and exercise band wagon. I had the most horrific case of heart burn on Christmas Day, so bad that I thought I was having a heart attack. In those moments of sitting in my room, in absolute pain, with Husband sitting next to me, I had that moment of clarity. That moment of "NO!! I will not go back to having heartburn and feeling crappy all the time. And NO! I will not die so Husband can marry someone younger and hotter to raise our kids". Ok, you think weird things when you are sobbing in your pink fuzzy jammies.

And as if a sign from above, at Aldi's the other day, they had a scale that measures weight, body fat, body water, and muscle mass. It was super cheap so I have no doubt it won't last long, but I thought "What the heck" and I bought it. You can save up to 16 people's profiles on it so Husband and I set ours up and I am going to post my progress on my blog.

I am giving myself until the end of February to get to my goal weight of 143. Kind of an odd number, I know, but it feels like an attainable goal and a maintainable one as well. I am not going to do anything drastic or try any new fads. I know I have to eat well, exercise more, and plan for those times when I want to eat everything in the fridge. I do really well making sure I prep food on Sunday for Youngest's lunches but I realized that I eat the same stuff he does (a lot of ground turkey or turkey burgers) so I am going to make sure my lunches are packed for the week. I have slacked on eating breakfast but I know I need to to start my day off with a bang. Going to hard boil a whole bunch of eggs for a quick breakfast or snack. 

I know what to do, I need to make me priority again (I hear all you parents out there cheering!).

I have a couple days off when the kids go back to school and am going to research some good, quick new recipes. My kids are getting more adventurous with eating (They have GOT to be over pizza and mac and cheese!). Youngest devoured a bunch of the ham I bought, claiming "It is really hammy!". Middle child will try anything at the neighbors house so I am going to start getting a little more creative with meals.

Ok, so down to the nitty to the gritty. Here is what my stats should look like:

Weight: between 119-149 lbs. Ideal would be 134 lbs (hahahah.oohhh that's not a joke??)

My BMI is 25, a little over the normal. My scale measures FAT not BMI (I track my BMI on sparkpeople.com)

Body fat between: 23-34 %

I won't bore you with the water stats bcz who cares??

Muscle mass: 30-38%

I am 150.6 lbs, goal 143

Body fat is at 31.6 %. This freaks me out that 1/3 of me is fat. My goal is 25% (please know that I know there is a huge margin of error in this number on this cheap scale but A number is better than NO number)

My muscle mass is at 36.5%. Hey!! On track with that one!

I know most of us resolve to get our crap together in the New Year but I can honestly say that I feel like I have most of my crap together NOW, so once this last piece is in place, I am good to go for the New Year.

I will weigh in on Saturday's and Wednesday's and post a blog about my progress. If anyone else is really committing to it, let me know. I am a really good cheerleader!!

Cat

Santa

Hi Friends!
I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas break. I know I need the break and we have been having a great time with my folks here (though thanks to all the cheese and peanuts I am more "fat cat" than "fit cat" these days, though I have been making a point to get out and walk and run almost every day. But I digress..) Had to turn the news off tonight with all the recent fire fighter and police shootings across the States, it is really hard to stomach anymore. So much sadness and tragedy going on in our Country, hard to get past it some days..

Which is why I am bringing you quite possibly the BEST Christmas event I can tell about one of my kids!! If this doesn't make you feel a little lighter, I don't know what will.

Me, Husband, my folks and Youngest were at Sam's Club Saturday afternoon. I didn't even think about it, but Santa was there for pics with the kids. While we waited for Grammy and PopPop to check out, Youngest and I sat on the bench of one of the picnic tables they have at the check out (side note: does anyone really eat a meal at Sam's Club? Why are there so many tables? Is it the staff lounge, too??). Husband said he was going to say Hi to Santa and asked Youngest to come along. Youngest gave a very resounding "Noooooooo" so Husband went over anyway. I sort of lost track of what was going on as Youngest and I were debating which was the better Combo Meal: Hot Dog and Coke or A Slice of Pizza and Coke. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Red and I hear "Hello Youngest and Merry Christmas!". Holy Crap! It was Santa and he KNEW Youngest's name (Husband had asked him to come say hi)!! I wish to heaven I knew it was going to happen because the look on Youngest's face is forever etched in my mind. He was stunned, sacred and excited all in 4 seconds. It was so priceless and Santa took the time to talk to him and Youngest wasn't quite sure what to do. He looked like he wanted to either shake his hand or tackle him. The Santa was a dead ringer, too. Kudos to Sam's Club.

Youngest is the last of my kids to believe. I struggled with this this year because there was a part of me that wanted him to know there was no Santa. But after seeing his reaction and the kazillion questions he asked after about if that was the "real" Santa, I want him to believe until he is 40. It absolutely made the Holiday season young and innocent for me again.

This is a tough time of year for some and with all that is going on, it is understandable to feel less than Jolly. My advice is to hang out with some little kids that still Believe in Santa. That is the best medicine in the world. And shhhh...don't tell Youngest about Santa...not just yet.......

Merry Christmas!
Cat
On a tangent: thank you to my friends that send cards to us this year. I spaced on the whole card thing and only sent out to family this year. I did not forget you and I really appreciate all the cards I got. I will do better next year, I promise!

Triple over time and kale chips

Hello Friends,
I won't comment on the tragedy in CT because I know we all basically feel the same. It is nothing but a tragedy and that, for me, is the end of the story.

Middle child had a basketball game this afternoon against another team in our town. This team was rumored (yeah, I had to laugh that there are rumors in boys basketball!)  to have beat our other 5th grade team by 38 points. Pshhhhh...that can't be right...no one in the 5th grade league scores that much.

We get to the game at 2pm for a 2:15 tip off. The first half we stunk. There is no prettier word for it though I am seeing a pattern with our team: no matter what time of day, they play like they are asleep the first quarter, sometimes the first half. We were down by a good 10 by half time. It must have been some pep talk at half because they came out pissed off and came back. They played like a great team and really made some spectacular shots. This was all enhanced by middle's best friend and Daughter being there. We were the cheering section at the end of the court! At the end of the game, we scored to tie the game : 33 to 33. WHAT???? We couldn't see the scoreboard so we had no idea what the score was. First overtime, we tied again at 35 to 35. Second overtime, we tied at 38 to 38. Ref comes over to let us know third overtime is sudden death: whoever scores first wins. Well, I about threw up because the other team had some great 3 point shooters and we were fouling them like crazy the whole game (they scored most of their points on foul shots). Have I mentioned we have been there TWO HOURS now?? So we go into sudden death, make some major mistakes and then, as if in slow motion, one of the best players on our team gets the ball, and makes a shot from right under the basket.

The place ERUPTED!! All the teams that were supposed to play a half  hour ago were watching and the whole place went wild!! Parents rushed to court to hug our kids and you know what I felt? I felt for the other team. They were crying and it just broke my heart. I made sure (after I told our team what a hard fought win it was) to tell all the boys on the other team what a great game they played.

Though sometimes our town does not feel like a small town, they are all our kids, no matter what team they are on. The parents were very gracious and we were all very kind to each other. Would it have been that way if yesterday had never happened? It doesn't matter. It WAS that way today. And I am hopeful it will be that way for the rest of the season.

And you know I am a total sap.

Matters of food:
I have been hearing rave reviews about making kale chips. I bought a bunch at the store and made two batches. I am not sure I am doing it right as they don't taste like potato chips to me, but I did really like the taste and crunch. They actually tasted like roasted pumpkin seeds, which I love. The family tried it and were not on board but that is ok, more for me :) Anyone else find them not to be exactly like regular chips? I was told I would never eat regular chips again. Hmmm...not sure about that but I did enjoy them.

I hope you are all well during this season. I have a busy week of work, Holiday dinners, kids class parties and a work commitment that will have me at work at 6am this coming Friday. I am really looking forward to two weeks of relaxing.

The kids will help tonight wrap each other's presents while I wrap co-workers gifts. Not much to wrap this year for family but that is ok. Time with each other is far more important that what we unwrap Christmas morning.

Holiday wishes to all of you and I am truly thankful that you follow me. I would love to add two new people in 2013 to get up to a whopping 15 followers!! So if you know your kids email accounts, add me :)

Love to all,
Cat

Technology meltdown and other trivial tidbits

Hi gang!!
I hope your start to December finds you all doing well. I know there a lot of nasty colds and stomach things going around: I hope you find yourself without said things this holiday season.

I had a great Birthday and me and the kids put out most of the indoor Christmas stuff over the last two days. I have been kind of a downer about Christmas: hard to get excited when the kids want cash, going to be a quick Christmas morning! Husband and I worked on re-lighting our ancient Rudolph tonight in the dark and the cold. Some may like to do that when it is warm: not us. We like to freeze and trip over the Santa inflatable ties that are staked to the ground. Makes it more of a challenge.

I am starting 43 with new vim and vigor. I feel like I let 42 slide. Nothing remarkable about the year and honestly, I gave up caring about a lot of stuff. But I feel like my old, new older self (??) and I want to work on eating better and working out more. Here's the kicker: I am going to have the WHOLE family eating better. I have really noticed middle child's diet sucks and he is starting to not look well. The other two kids eat a much more balanced diet than he does, so this whole darn house is going HEALTHY!! (Note to Middle's teacher: sorry if he is cranky bcz he is not getting his toaster sticks anymore in the morning!!). I feel strongly about it and that makes me feel good, to have a purpose and something to focus on again. Husband has not been feeling great again and we cannot deal with anymore outrageous medical bills.

Time to get on it and get healthy. The end.

Ok, so on to the Technology portion of this discussion.

The more technology I get, the less I want. I got my Iphone so I could do everything on it, got the unlimited texting plan, etc. But I find myself stopping before I send a stupid text, thinking "Would you call them to tell them that?". If the answer is no, I don't send the text. I am over being able to be reached 24/7.

We were thinking about getting a Kindle. Why? I honestly don't know. I think we thought youngest could play on it while at the excessive amount of travel basketball games. We have taken youngest to three and so far he has 1) played on my phone or 2) chased other siblings around the school. At this point, I really don't want one. We really need a new computer for the back room so I would rather wait and get a new one when the tax refund check comes.

We could use a Garmin as the Honda's system is really old and to get a new dvd to update it without lifetime updates is over $200. To get a Garmin with lifetime map and traffic updates for under $200 seems like a better deal. We would get more use out of that than a Kindle. But of course, I can type it into my phone and figure out where we are going, too!

The last three weeks, I have been turning on Iheart radio when I get home and not the tv. I find I am sooo much more relaxed and not nearly as hungry not watching tv. The kids love the music and I do not miss the tv one bit.

We have a crazy busy weekend coming up. Middle has three games in two days, a shopping trip with my best gals and an afternoon at my mother in laws for a Christmas party.

I plan on listening to a lot of music and trying to unplug.

Hope you are all well and getting ready for Christmas. For those with small kids: be happy for all the stuff you have to do to surprise them with gifts: they get older, more expensive and not nearly as fun. I never thought I would, but I envy you.

Happy 5th day of Christmas!!

Cat

6 days till 43

It is a little weird to see the number 43. I usually don't feel old since I am married to someone slightly older, but I can say that this birthday, I am NOT in the best shape of my life. I have neglected myself since starting my semifulltimejob. I am bored of cooking when I get home since I cook for 6 hours and my feet are tired after standing on them half the day (ok, I know my Nurse friend is laughing at me, she is on her feet ALL DAY!!). I am bored with running, I am bored with walking, I am bored of lifting weights.

Bored bored bored

I checked out a new book from the library called Eat to Live

I don't think it will give me any info I don't know, but I am in need of massive motivation.

Don't read this wrong, my weight is holding steady and though I would LOVE to be about 5-10 lbs lighter, my jeans fit and I have banned yoga pants this holiday season.

Just needing a little oomph in my stoomph!!

I am ho hum on my birthday, too. I have pretty much either bought everything for people to wrap and give me or told them what I want. Historically, I am not a fan of surprises, but I wouldn't mind if there was one or two, even if it was just an evening out.

I do not need another surprise call about Youngest's teachers having to watch him all day for signs of a concussion after he bonked his head at gym. The goose egg on his forehead is NOT a good surprise. Nope, not on my birthday list.

I need a haircut in a big way but Daughter wants me to keep growing it out. Not sure what her agenda is, but I really need a trim!!

I think I am done complaining now. Just bored with it all. Don't need any major shakeups to get me going but I need a sign. Something, anything.

I think winning the Power Ball would put me in the right frame of mind :)

Rock on Friends,
Cat

Thanksgiving Day Eve

I have been a little over zealous about cleaning the house the last couple days. After painting Middle's room, I realized the rest of the house looked like a homeless camp. Though I wasn't ambitious enough to get more painting done (will do that Fri while Husband is at mooooreeeee basketball games...), I did make a HUGE effort to wipe down each and every surface with some lemon scented Spic and Span. I washed down walls, all the kitchen cabinets, appliances, doors, the kids. You name it, I think it came in contact with some Spic and Span.

And I have to say, it looks pretty darn good. And I should not wait 8 years to wipe down the kitchen cabinets. Gross.

There is some vacuuming left to do tomorrow (darn you fuzzy black dog!) and I will probably do some laundry, though I am hoping to get that done tonight. I am really excited for tomorrow, more than usual as it is supposed to be GORGEOUS here in Central OH. We cleaned off the front porch today so there should be some good times of sitting, drinking and watching the kids. Or just sitting and drinking, the kids can take care of themselves!!

My mom would be so proud to know I even put place mats on the table. This is monumental in our house as we use the kitchen table as a homework space and a place for the Sunday paper to sit until it is Trash Day.

I am most looking forward to seeing my Brother and his family. They are doing some really great things with their careers and I can't wait to hear about it. It is really fun when people you love take risks and are successful. Small business America, that's where it's at.

Of course I am excited about the food, too!! We are pretty simple when it comes to everything, but even corn seems to taste better on Thanksgiving. Turkey on the charcoal grill: forget about it. To die for!

It will all be over too quickly for me and then the reality of basketball tournaments and painting will invade my life once more. Poo.

But for one glorious day, I will be so Thankful that all I have to think about is good food and family. And hopefully lots of leftovers!!

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!! Oh yeah, and GO BUCKS!!

Cat

Blue on Blue

As you know, Middle decided it was time to move out of his shared room and take a smaller room of his own. At first the only emotion that hit me was : oh shit, there goes my weekend!! Lots of painting and cleaning and moving furniture.

But as I stared this project early this morning, I had a lot of time (over 9 hours) to think about all kinds of things. Here are some in no particular order:
*I hate painting. I am a perfectionist and painting a house from the 80's is not good for someone seeking perfection.
*Why are we giving him the front room with the two windows to sneak out of??
*Next dog we get will not be black and it will not shed.
*A beer would taste good. Oh, it's only 9am, should wait a little bit....
*Thank god for my Iphone and the speakers my dad gave me.
*I need to work on my upper body strength

Then things took a turn towards the sad ( I was slowing down)
*This will be the room he graduates high school in.
*This will be the room he gets ready for Prom in.
*This will be the room he brings a girl into when we are out of town...
*Ok, scratch that previous comment..
*This will be the room he decides to be a Priest in.

You get the idea. Long day, lots of paint, music and fumes. Middle had a rough day of League Preview in basketball: only won one out of four games. Hard to tell how he is feeling as he retreated to his Xbox, but I imagine he is overwhelmed and disappointed.

I hope he sleeps well in his new room tonight. I know I am close to bed.

Here are some pics: Before: lots of peachy/off white

 Now it's Darby Blue! Only two walls, which is a pain in the arse to paint!

 Me, sad and exhausted, with Youngest's monkey that Middle has hijacked.

 I am not ready for Middle to grow up.

Tomorrow I have some paint to touch up, some furniture pieces to look for, and some cleaning and grocery shopping to do. I am ready for a 5 day weekend. All the walls and trim upstairs look like crap now that I did his room.

Crap.

Have a great rest of your weekend. Thanks for being interested in my ho hum life.

Cat

It's pizza week here!

I am thankful it is pizza week here this week. Each night, I will make a pep and half cheese pizza for the not so daring and then a whole pizza of some goodliness. This is what the pep (and I threw some left over breakfast sausage on it) and cheese looks like.

I got the crusts from Aldi, as well as the cheese and most everything else. Turned out pretty good. Here is the veggie version: onion, mushroom, alfredo sauce, black and green olives. YUM.
It is really tasty and I am hoping to have leftovers for breakfast.

In other news:
Husband took me to our VFW for drinks Fri night before we met our friends out for drinks. Every Fri night our VFW has a steak fry (it's not fried as I thought, but actually grilled!) and as I watched the one lone woman with her two small kids clean up, I could not help myself, I helped her clear all the dishes and helped in the kitchen.

Guess who is now a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of Post 4931? You betcha, it's me. I am going to go in after work on Thursdays to help prep for the Friday Steak "fry".

And I got lots of free drinks which explains the shortened visit with our friends. For that , I apologize!

Tomorrow, Husband will march in our parade and we will be there to cheer him on. I met so many great people at his post Fri night and I am excited to see them all march. Please support your local Veteran's, their posts are dwindling because of lack of support.

Middle child has been gone all weekend with a friend and it is kind of hard for me to not see him all the time. Daughter has her friend (we call her our other daughter) here for the day, but it doesn't make up for Middle being gone. I guess we are at that age with him that he would rather be with friends than family. I suppose I should be grateful it didn't happen sooner!!

What are your kids asking for Christmas? Daughter wants ridiculously expensive stuff: what 15 year old wants TIFFANY jewelry??? I told her she is getting a 2 dollar charm bracelet from Michael's and she can put her Tiffany bobbles on that. The boys don't really know what they want. We are thinking of a Kindle Fire as a family gift. Middle will be on the road with basketball for the next two months, any good gift ideas for him?

I bought myself, oh check that, HUSBAND bought me a vintage looking eternity ring for my bday. It is faux diamonds but will be nice to wear to work instead of my nice jewelry (right now, I wear no jewelry and I feel weird without a ring on my left). I can't wait to get it. He has it so easy ; I buy it cheap, he wraps it.

I hope everyone is doing well. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it then Christmas. Any good ideas you have for tech nuts kids for Christmas, let me know. Youngest wants more book, god love him!

Have a good evening!
Cat

Making the perfect hard boiled eggs and how I got to this point

I had Friday off again due to conferences as the high school where I work. Husband and I took my van in to be serviced so I was home all day with no mode of transportation, other than my legs. It was cold and narsty outside, so my best bet was to just stay in and get some housework done.

You have met me, right? You know that housework is the LAST thing on the planet that I ever want to do. So I stifled the urge to at least throw one load of laundry in or do the dishes (it is hard for me to repeatedly walk by the mess) and I opted for just laying on the couch. It was my day off  after all.

I watched a lot of Foodnetwork and in so, caught a new trick in boiling and peeling eggs. For those who don't know the first thing about making hard boiled eggs, here are some tricks and basics:
1) If you think about it, the night before you make the eggs, turn the carton upside down. This makes the yolks settle in the middle instead of close to one end or the other.
2) Put the eggs in a pot, cover with cold water, at least an inch over the eggs, put a lid on them and boil them.
3) When they start to boil, take the pot off the heat and set a timer for 10 minutes.
4) When the ten minutes are up, rinse them under cold water, then crack them (this is the new thing I learned! I just banged them against the colander  and put them in a bowl of cold water.) Cracking them will  help the shells come off easier. Whaaa?? Who knew??? Rachel Ray did, that's who.

I have been having some weird allergic reactions to stuff lately that is causing various parts of my face to swell up. A couple weeks ago at work, I was sauteing onions, celery and carrots for soup. A little splattered in my face and next thing I know, my eye is swelling shut. Last night, I sauteed the same combo for the chicken and noodles I was making at home and my lip started swelling up a couple hours after. I also tend to have these issues when I am really stressed. I would say I qualify as mildly stressed lately (aren't we all?) but with this stupid Sandy storm threatening my parents again, I am really stressed. So I am not sure if it is something in the onions or stress causing my faux Botox look.

Now I am sure they are reading this and willing me not to be stressed, but I can't help it. It is like telling them not to worry about me.  We worry about each other, that's what we do. They were supposed to come here next weekend and have to postpone because of the clean up they will inevitably have to do. Wish we could be closer to help, seems like they just went thru this with Irene.

Anyway, between the weird sauteing incident and being stressed, I realize that at my upcoming birthday, I will NOT be able to say I am in the best shape of my life. For the last 5 years, I have been able to say that, this year, I don't think I can. I have taken a serious hiatus to all things good for me and have become a slug.

With that realization, I sent a plea to my fellow Sparkpeople team that not only am I going to be at my goal weight of 145 by Christmas, I will work out more , eat better and reduce stress. They are on board and I am also excited that my Fitbit pedometer syncs with Sparkpeople now. Nice to have all my exercise info in one place.

It is only going to get harder for us to keep in shape, let alone lose weight. I am actually ok with the weight I am now (151) but it is the shape, or lack there of ,that makes me mad. One of my favorite quotes is "If you don't want to start over, don't STOP". No crap. I need that tatooed on my hand. I did 45 minutes of aerobics today and nearly died. This time two years ago, I was doing 75 minutes each day on the weekend and running like a madwoman during the week and weekends.

With renewed spirit and weird allergic reactions to consider, I am cleaning up my diet, taking more time for me (I checked out two books from the library today, haven't done that in months), making workouts a priority again and making sure I am healthy for my family. 43 isn't old, but it sure ain't 23!

Off to peel some eggs, effortlessly.
Thanks for listening and for any of you being affected or have family affected by the storm, my thoughts and prayers are with you. This crap is getting old!

Cat

I know you are dying to know how my day off was..

Just kidding. I know you all have real lives with real concerns and whether or not I DID stay in my jammie pants all day is NOT on your list of things to be concerned about.

But I did stay in my jammie pants, all but for the 35 minutes I went to the store. I have a small amount of class.

Here's how my day went:

Alarm went off 10 minutes before my friend's daughter gets dropped off.

Made everyone their breakfast and lunch and got friends daughter on the bus.

Race home to get Youngest on the bus.

Wait for Middle child to go to school before bolting upstairs and back into bed.

Fast forward THREE hours..yeah, I slept until close to 11:30am!! I was mildly alarmed that it was almost noon but got over it. Quickly. I felt great when I finally rolled out of bed.

Husband calls to see if I have checked the travel basketball website to see if Middle made it. Nervously scrolled thru the names and there he was, on the Blue team (they have two 5th grade teams)! Called Husband to tell him and I am fairly sure he started weeping. He's just a little bit proud of his first son. I wanted to be the one to tell him but his buddy, who's dad is the coach, told him this morning. Oh well. Needless to say, he is over the moon. And I am pretty excited, too. Remind me of this moment when we are traveling more.

From there it was: throw laundry in, put on yoga pants, hit the grocery and Target for Youngest's bday present, back home and into jammie pants, more laundry, cleaned the downstairs, paid a ridiculous amount of bills, and before I knew it, I had just enough time to shower before the boys got home.

Not much of a relaxing day but I did cancel Youngest's 4:30 therapy. Wasn't feeling like it on my day off and his other therapist comes at 6pm for an hour. That's enough therapy for me for the day.

Once we get thru therapy, I am hoping to finally do some of that "laying on the couch" stuff I was hoping to do most of the day. I am glad to have accomplished what I did and am hoping to do something fun with Husband and the boys tomorrow.

I hope you all had a great Thursday!!

Cat

Quite possible the worst job and other ramblings

I stopped at the store on the way home today and as crappy as a day as I had (boring story), it hit me when I saw the Huntington Bank girl at the entrance of the store trying to drum up business for her bank, that her job could be the worst one I have seen in a long time. Armed with a tray of cookies, a cup full of Dum Dum suckers and pens, it is 6-8 hours of her trying to get people to bank in our grocery store. Which brought up a couple of questions in my mind:

 Do people really bank in grocery stores? I can see having an ATM, but do we really need a guy/girl in a suit, with a glass office, pretending to be busy all day? 

Maybe it is like a timeout for bank workers? They get sent there when they are performing poorly?

Or maybe it is like a probation period when you are first hired: "If you can make it thru 3 months of working in the glass box in the grocery store, we will move you to the bigger glass box at the real bank".

Regardless, the lovely gal who gave me the pen made me realize that my day wasn't so bad after all.

Youngest turns 9 on Saturday. All he wanted was a small party with friends and his favorite pizza and he would be happy. I love that he is so easy to please when it comes to his birthday. Lately, that has been the only easy thing about him!

Middle child is at his last basketball tryout. He didn't have to go to this one but he wanted to to make sure they knew he was serious about making the team. We should know tomorrow if he did or not. Fingers crossed he makes it because I really enjoy watching him play. Dad, you will be getting the sponsorship email shortly......

Oldest is doing well in high school and is still enjoying cross country. It is coming to a close and she has a little time off before they start practicing for track in the spring. I am relieved she found a sport she not only enjoys but is pretty good at.

Husband and I are doing well. Had a good time at his reunion and with that behind us, I have NO motivation to get in shape. Yeah..I know I said I would get into a bikini this coming summer, but it is hard to think about summer when it is chilly out. I am determined to do it, just need a little break from thinking about food and exercise all the time.

I have been working with the older substitutes this week at work and I think their elderliness is starting to rub off on me. I have all kinds of aches and pains I didn't seem to have until I started working with them and I am afraid my friends are going to start dying. Seems like every time they work, they are going to a funeral of another friend that died! I understand it is part of getting older but it is really quite depressing. We have had little interest in my old position but a couple applications have come thru. Hoping we get the position filled before the holidays.

I am looking forward to my 4 days off and am hoping to only be slightly productive tomorrow when I am home alone. But I know me, and it will be hard for me to sit still when I know I could get a lot done. I do have to get some shopping done for Youngest's birthday and we have his social skills class to go to tomorrow night, but maybe I will get some couch time in, too.

I hope you all are doing well and I thank you for your continued support of my blog.

Now me and my pj pants are heading to the couch.....

Cat

A Boy Named Fred

Ok, that's not really his name but I am going to go with that to protect his privacy. This is a blog about school lunches, not about the govt imposing rules (though I will insert a blurb here or there on that), but about a parent's inability to know what her teenage son needs.

Fred is a Senior this year. Historically, he has been a pain in the keester but this year he seems to have his ducks in a row. He is much more polite, asks in advance to make him some meat free food (he is a sometimes vegetarian: he is until that lettuce salad doesn't fill him up, then he wants chicken!), and generally has been a great kid so far this year.

His mom put money onto his account at the beginning of the year with the explicit note that he can only buy a lunch: no diet pop, bagels, extras, etc. Well, he went thru that money pretty fast because he came in for breakfast and bought what would be considered a "meal" and then would come thru again for "lunch". I told my Boss about it and she contacted his mom and she said "He is only allowed to buy one "lunch" a day". We let him know (ok, this should be a conversation between mom and him.) and he was crushed. He is soo hungry when he gets to school that he can't get by on one meal.

My Boss called his mom again to let her know how hungry he is (this is after I spent my own money making sure he was fed. Yes, I do that for the kids, go ahead and report me). Response was the same: he can only buy one meal a day.

Here's where I get loud : MAKE YOUR SON BREAKFAST AND SEND HIM TO SCHOOL WITH A FREAKING SANDWICH OR SOMETHING!!! HE IS STARVING AND CANNOT LIVE ON ONE MEAL A DAY!!!

I get up at 5:30 every morning so I can make sure my kids have lunches packed that can get them thru 9 hours and a really good breakfast that can get them thru until lunch. Why can't she 1) Make him a good breakfast (he claims he does not eat in the morning) and 2) pack him something extra?? The fact that the Foodservice Director has called to say that the lunch lady is paying to feed him and that he is so hungry everyday, that should be a big clue that he needs more to eat!!

He came in today to see if he had money on his account to get lunch: .05 cents on his account. Needless to say, he didn't have lunch.

I know we are all busy and I know packing lunch is the last thing we want to do (I have been known to pack blueberry muffins, carrots, crackers and cheese), but seriously, think how cranky you would be all day at work being hungry.

Obviously I care a lot about my kids and the kids I feed. I want them to be healthy and happy and it ticks me off when the parents are coming up short. We all have days when we pack our kids gum for lunch but it should not happen on a regular basis. Don't punish your kids with not feeding them lunch.

Ground them from the Xbox.

Make them clean the toilets.

Onto something more personal: Middle Child is trying out for travel basketball and though I had heard about how competitive sports are in our town, I never realized it until this week. He is really good at all sports, but now he is up against some really good kids. And it doesn't look good for him making the team. This is a first in this house as he excels at sports. It is taking it's toll on him (and me for that matter!) but we have a backup plan to get him into the basketball he played last year. I am not sure how to handle him if he doesn't make the team. 

The dreaded Reunion is a mere 4 days away. I have not lost 40lbs, though I have lost a few. I have bipolar moments of being totally worried and then not caring at all. I will be glad when it is over, let's just go with that.

Work is wearing on me with no one hired in my old position yet. We are doing the best we can but the colder it gets, the busier we get.

Youngest's 9th birthday is in a little over a week. Good thing I have the Reunion to obsessive about because it would be his bday I would be crying over.

I hope everyone is well and healthy. Lots of weird health stuff going on, be safe.

Something you never knew about me: Mexican food is my absolute favorite genre of food. I have never been south of the border but would love to go, just for the food. 

I haven't run much this week. Life's events are getting in the way but I should be able to Thurs-Sun. Won't bore you with my mile times, I am sure they will be close to what that were!! Thanks for your continued support.

Cat

Things that amuse and annoy

So, in this installment of "things Youngest did at school or on the way to school to warrant a frenzied email from his Behavior teacher" goes a little something like this: Youngest is having trouble on the bus lately and is acting out. His Behavior teacher talked to him about it and he said another student was bugging him on the bus. When she tried to explain to him that maybe that student wants to be his friend he said "I have two friends, I don't need anymore". The poor woman went on to try to explain that he can have more than two friends but he had tuned her out by then. She had not talked to the bus driver yet (there are a lot of people involved in Youngest's daily happenings so sometimes things don't get communicated) but she was worried about his behavior. My first and only guess was this: Youngest reads on the bus to and from school. I have no doubt the other student was talking to him and all he wanted to do was read his book.

Talked with Straight Shooting Sally bus driver about this and her reply was "Youngest was trying to read his book and other Student was bugging him. We have since moved other Student". Problem solved.

Amused. Mountain meet mole hill.

I have mentioned that the person I have replaced at work is in some ways, irreplaceable (insert Beyonce singing here). He is a great guy and really connected with the kids. He won Win Win person of the year, even after he quit. Kids love him and honestly, I have big friend love for him. No one can make me laugh like he can.

And I am reminded e v e r y day at work about how much the kids miss him. "Oh, we like you, too" they say but I can hear it in their voices, they miss him more than they like me. As we have discussed in previous installments, I have self confidence issues. So this kills me that they don't like me as much as they like him. I do work in a high school so bear with me acting like it sometimes!

He called me today to ask if I was going to the Pep Rally on Friday afternoon. I hadn't planned on it since I leave work a good hour and 40 minutes before it starts. He said he was coming and started talking about what he was going to do with his two minutes at the Pep Rally.

Huh? "What the heck are you talking about??".

 "Oh, didn't I tell you? They invited me to be GUEST HOST at the pep rally".

Insert hysterical laughter on my behalf here. I said "But you don't work there anymore!!" What the heck. I swear if they could, they would make him Mayor. I feel like Charlie Brown with the ball pulled out from under me every time. Good Grief.

He will do a great job and of course I will be there to support him. I look forward to the weeks of hearing how GREAT he was and how much everyone MISSES him.

Annoying.

Something you don't know about me: when I read/look thru magazines, I start at the back. Thought you should know.

I have had great offers to look thru some friends clothes for my upcoming Awkward Fest and I am excited to do that. In prep for losing 40 lbs in 10 days, I will be running 1 mile sprints as many days as I can and doing push ups. I told the one Sub I have (not the Ninja but the one that is like me, but older) that if the comes in to find me face first on the floor, shove a cracker crumb in my mouth, kick me and tell me not to be such a pansy. She liked that, though she is skeptical of me losing 40 lbs in 10 days. I have seen it done on tv so surely I can do it.

I appreciate the kind words regarding Awkward Fest. I know deep (way deep, like in my toes) that it will be fine. Sometimes I am not good with chit chat and Husband has such a BIG personality that I am worried I am going to be sitting alone a lot. Or that my inner sensor won't be working and I will say something inappropriate. I keep clinging to the fact that Husband wants me to come, he has more faith in me than I do. Working on that.

Sorry so long, full of words today, thanks for letting me get them out.

Off for my run..
Cat

Well...I wanted motivation...

It is no secret that I sometimes have self confidence issues. And we can be honest, we all do or have some other issues we deal with daily. Mine came to a screeching head when I had this conversation with Husband last night:
Hubby: Hey! My 30th High School reunion is on Oct 13, I am going to call to say we are coming.

Me: Uh? Why would you want me to go? I don't know anyone. Wouldn't you rather see your friends without me there??

Hubby: We are going and it will be fine.

Me: Your Ex will be there and it will be weird because what if they don't know you aren't still married?

Hubby: It won't be a problem, it will be fine.

He calls today to confirm we are coming and the coordinator tells him "You know, Ex sent her check and she will be there, too." He tells her they aren't married anymore and she said " Ohh..I hope that won't be weird for you two".

Ok, it is all ready weird!! Why in the WORLD do I care what his HS friends think of me, or his Ex for that matter? Because I am human, that's why. I have met them before but it was over a decade ago.

Now I am a big ball of fat stress that has nothing to wear. I have 10 days to drop some weight, get a smoking hot outfit (I all ready have my shopping maven at the ready to hit the stores) and not make a fool of myself.

I wanted motivation, I got it. In spades.

Wish me luck!!

Cat

Final Day 7 was yesterday

My 7 day plan ended yesterday, thank goodness. I didn't gain any weight and I didn't lose either. I have done well this weekend with getting some good, heart pumping exercise in. That always makes me feel better and unfortunately hungrier as well.

Speaking of, Husband and I had fun at Oktoberfest last night. Listened to some good ole German music and then also listened to an 80's hair band cover. But they kind of weren't a cover, they kind of looked like they were stuck in the 80's. I am hopeful that was all part of the act. Didn't go overboard on the food or drink so that was a bonus. Though I am bummed we left without me getting a chicken hat. I guess there is always next year.

Busy week ahead and I really hope we can get someone hired at work ASAP. It is tiring doing both positions and I know my boss is getting tired of having to help me, too.

Next weekend I will be making a stuffed cabbage soup. I am really excited as I love stuffed cabbage rolls but never make them. This is just like the rolls, but no rice, in a soup, and obviously not rolled up. I want a recipe for German Potato salad, too. Now that I had it last night, I can't stop thinking about it. Nothing like warm and tangy potato salad on a cool night. Yeah I know, now YOU are thinking about it too.

Hope you all have a good week. I love that it is October, though I am sad to see the trees losing their leaves so soon. Thanksgiving is coming and we all know that is my FAVORITE day ever. So brace yourselves for a lot of turkey talk.

My parents read my blog again and are on my FB page. Hi Mom and Dad! I could use some oven mitts, pass that on to mom, dad. And I will get you that book list soon, I promise.

Go Bears!!

Cat

Day 6 of 7: losing steam

Hi gang, Happy Friday!
I am relieved that this 7 day blog is coming to an end as I am losing steam. Plus going to Oktoberfest tomorrow is not for the healthy eating set!

Here are my stat's today:
Weight 150.5 I love I can go to sleep and wake up 2 lbs lighter. Crazy
Calories: don't know, didn't track all day!! Proof of me losing steam. I actually ate well today, tons of salad (we had left over cucumber salad from work and I love it) and I didn't have much for dinner and limited myself to a half cup of black bean soup (this stuff is so good, I could eat boatloads of it!). I am kind of hungry now but almost too tired to think about what I would want.

Reviewing the past week, I have to say my biggest downfall is not consistently working out. I log about 14000 steps in an average day, but most of that is at work and though I am on my feet, my heart rate isn't elevated. I really need to carve out time in my day to get my heart pumping and get my sweat on. Even if it is just a brisk walk, that is better than nothing.

Heading to the grocery store tomorrow and will continue to stock up on lean protein and lots of fruits and veggies. Youngest has happily traded his french bread pizzas for lunch for ground turkey with cheese on a whole wheat tortilla. That is good progress for him!

Husband and Middle are at one of the local High School football games tonight. I drove by one of our other HS on the way to pick up Daughter and there were parents tailgating. At a high school football game. Wow. I had no idea parents did that. Looked fun though.

Funny moment of my day: walking into Kroger as the sliding doors were opening, I walked into one of the doors!! They start to open fast but then they stop and I misjudged how far they would open. The guy carrying two cases of beer was nice enough to stop and make sure I was ok. Yeah, I was fine. Good grief.

Funny conversation of the day: Me to Youngest: I wonder how Mrs. C is doing (his previous Behavior teacher who is now at another school)? Youngest: She better be doing well of she will get fired! Ahhh..I love his literallness!

Thanks for sticking with me the last week. I know what I need to do to stay healthy and these little weekly exercises remind me of what works and doesn't work for me. I appreciate all of your support and being held accountable by you.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I am soo looking forward to time with Husband along with German food and crafts. Daughter is getting paid to watch the boys in creme puffs and she is just fine with that. She is injured and most likely won't run tomorrow. We will be icing her up and watching Say Yes to the Dress tonight. Poor Youngest, hopefully he will pop in a movie and ignore us.

Have a great night and thank you again for your continued support!

Cat

Day 5 of 7: early addition and a lot of swearing(not really)

Hi fans,
So let's get to the nitty gritty of my day. I am feeling surly and you fine people will get the brunt of it!

Weighed in this morning at 152.5. Uhhh What?? So I am up 1.5 lbs from when I started this a couple days ago? Maybe this blog should be titled "Watch me eat well and gain weight". I am not eating as clean as I wanted to but I am pms-ing and sometimes you just have to give in to that. I wasn't able to/wanted to workout today because Youngest had a bad day so I spent over an hour doing homework with him tonight. And that my friends, is like running a Marathon. But not really. Because you are sitting down the whole time.

Not going to post my food stats because I didn't really count today. Too surly to do math. I think it is a condition of some kind.

My weight actually didn't get the better of me today. It is a number that I swear by, but my shorts were looser this morning and my rings came off in the shower. Something is going right amist the weight gain, but I am not sure what. I think maybe my next weekly blog will be "I am going to have bacon at every meal, let's see what that does to my weight". Might be fun, yes??

On to the absolute BEST part of my day: the sub I worked with today.
They have not filled my two hour position yet, which frankly, I am exhausted doing both jobs despite having subs.
But today I had the Honor of working with a gal that retired a couple years ago after TWENTY SEVEN years of Foodservice experience at the HS. She has 8 kids, the first 4 being only 13 months apart each (Husband reminded me that there was no cable back in the day), pencils her eyebrows in, wears what can only be called rouge, beautiful pearl earrings and her New Balance tennies. She is 4 feet of absolute Ninja skills and could take down a stealing highschooler without blinking. She is a low talker so you have to stand close to hear her but she is BY FAR the hippest 74 year old I have ever met. She works tomorrow, too, and I cannot wait to see her again. I would like to adopt her, or her to adopt me. Either way, I want her in my life for a long time. I may have a little grammie love going on here..

Youngest had a crap day today. He didn't eat his lunch and I KNOW that is why his afternoon was hard. Hello, he eats breakfast at 7am, doesn't eat lunch and by 2pm is a bear? Hmmm.. you don't say? I have told his umpteen teachers that he has money on his lunch account and if he doesn't like what I pack him (this is a battle I could write a thesis about.) have him buy something for lunch. Frustrates me to no end but he also needs to learn to speak up for himself.

This brings me to dinner: tonight for the Boys, I made grilled sub sandwiches. Nice sub rolls with ham, salami, pepperoni and cheese, toasted on my indoor grill. They ate 6 of them and I think they could have eaten 6 more. Just a dinner idea from me to you.

Glad the real Refs are back in NFL. Tired of my FB being bogged up with football stuff.

Have to go look for a dinosaur part. Then baths and then bed for me. I am exausted.

Rock on.
Cat

Day 4 of 7. Whole lotta nothin

Hi all,
Happy to report after my weird day yesterday, my day was redeemed with a whole lot of zilch. Work was good, kids had good days, made linguine with clam sauce for dinner. You know, standard stuff.

So without boring you with my nothingness, here are my stats:
Weight 150.5 All I can think to say is that coming in at the top of my fat intake the last two days may be killing my weigh ins.
Calories 1313, 144 carbs, 51 fat, 72 g protein. My carbs were crazy today because I had homemade black bean soup for lunch and then a little pasta for dinner. I did psych myself out with my dinner pasta intake by putting it on a bed of fresh spinach. Of course that did not keep me from the garlic bread, but we all have our demons. Mine just has butter, garlic and bread involved.

I did 30 minutes of aerobics today which was sort of pathetic by my standards. I used to do at least 45 minutes a couple days a week. Working myself back up to that.

Tomorrow and Friday should be interesting at work. My boss is out for two days and the sub for my old position is one of the original cooks from the HS. I think she worked there when it opened 100 years ago. I have been assured she is like the energizer bunny, so I am curious to see how this shakes out. Thankfully the menus for all the schools the next two days are pretty easy.

That's all from here. Need to thaw out some more things that oink and cluck so I have plenty to eat over the next three days.

Happy Hump Day!!
Cat

Day 3 of 7: rainbows and bats

Good evening friends.
I had a very weird morning today and I look forward to sharing it with you.

* Morning math problem: My alarm goes off at 5:40 every morning. My snooze is 6 minutes long. Today was picture day at work, I had to actually "do" my hair. I hit the snooze 6 times. This equals me getting up way too late but I managed to get out the door a little earlier than usual and make all the packed lunches needed in my house. Have I ever mentioned my skin breaking out? No, I haven't, because it doesn't. Except for picture day. Yep, it is High School all over again.

*My drive to work was full of lots of lightening and thankfully light traffic. People in our town cannot drive if there is any rain, wind, snow, air, clouds, etc. When I got out of my car at the school, I looked to the West and saw a red rainbow. Odd for two reasons: 1) The sun was not up yet and 2) who the hell sees a red rainbow??? The next event may explain it..

*I enter the building thru the maintenance garage doors. I have walked this walk for three years and have never noticed the HUGE chimney at the entrance. I probably have never noticed it because I come in after sunrise and don't get to see the THOUSANDS of BATS that go down into it when the sun is coming up. Holy Crap. I have never seen anything like it. I asked one of my maintmen if they were indeed bats and he said "Yup". My skin crawled for a good couple minutes. I asked my maintmen where that chimney goes and he didn't know. "So there are thousands of baths just hanging out where I walk in and out everyday?" "Yup". Gross. Skin crawling, nothing like Twilight, Gross.

*Another morning math problem: red rainbow + thousands of bats = portal of hell. Great, I work at a portal to hell. It actually explains a lot about where I work. But I love my job. And grilled cheese.

*I broke our printer trying to get new cartridges in it today. Guess we will be getting a new one. Anyone have any advice on a new, wireless printer? Just need it to print kid's stuff and pics. It can scan but I don't need it to fax.

And now for the boring part of the day, my food stats:
Weighed in at 150
1170 cals, 97 carbs, 58 grams fat, 69 protein. I just realized that the ground chicken I am eating is 11 grams per 3oz serving. Ground turkey is only 6. I am also getting killed on fat grams with olive oil (good fat, whatever, still fat) and salad dressings.

I did not work out at all today. Between spending time breaking my printer, doing the 4 plus loads of laundry that appeared over night (I think my laundry baskets are part of the portal to hell), the kids showers, homework, dinner, etc, I just couldn't muster the energy. I may do some weights while watching tv later or I may just lay my weight on the couch.

Middle child is grounded for a couple days for clothesling his brother outside while playing ( I am a seasoned Ref and can make such calls without mistake). When he treats youngest like crap, all the neighbor kids do too. That crap stops now and should have stopped a long time ago.

Have a great rest of your night. Tomorrow is Hump Day!! Thank goodness. I am ready for this week to be over all ready.

Cat
Hell's gate keeper

Day 2 of 7

Hi gang,
Hope you all had a good Monday. I won't bore you with exact details of what I ate today but let me just say it was a lot of things that cluck and gobble. And I will not mention it daily but I drink at least 64 oz of water every day. Yes, that is a lot of bathroom breaks.

Here were my stats:
Weighed in at 149 this am (down 2) (I expect my number will be back up tomorrow)
1142 cals, 57 carbs, 60 grams of fat (at the absolute max!), 94 grams protein

I did have a moment of weakness: my boss made grilled cheese for the HS kids and sent me home with the one extra we had. I put that darn thing on the counter and stared and stared at it. I will have just one little sliver of it...oh boy, that's good, before I knew it, I was wiping the crumbs off my shirt. But, I logged it and included it in my tally. No lie, my boss makes a killer grilled cheese.

I had to run some errands in the small town I work in after work today, so I decided to walk them. It was a good 25 minutes of walking, so that was my exercise for the day.

Took Daughter to Target tonight to get her some girly hair and makeup stuff (Homecoming ruined her) and I was slightly disturbed by the sight of young girl's underwear with words on the butts. Why? My mind went to Odd, then to creepy, then back to Odd. NO one should be reading ANYTHING on young girls underwear. Back to creepy now....

Thankfully, that is all I have to report from here. Watching football and doing laundry. Please, don't be jealous. You too can have this life of dullness. Though honestly, I like it BEST when we are in a place of dullness.

Oktoberfest this weekend. Hmmm....not sure how that is going to fit into my plan....Thankfully creme puffs are not my kryptonite...but fries and beer are..

Have a great night!!
Cat

Day 1 of 7

Hi friends,
Hope you are having a great Sunday of football and family. I am exhausted today after and epic day of all things Daughter yesterday. But, she had a great day, great time at the dance and I am reminded how lucky I am to have a Daughter with good friends and their parents. I cannot stress enough how important it is to at least meet your kids friends parents.

FYI: I saw some super slutty outfits going into the dance last night. Wow. I can only imagine what Prom will be like. Yick.

Ok, so here are the numbers for today:
Weighed in at 151
Breakfast: 2 cups coffee, 1 egg, 1 piece wheat toast
Lunch: 3 slices of low sodium turkey (this is not an adequate lunch but I was in between stops)
Snack: some celery
Dinner: 3oz cooked ground chicken (made it like a hamburger)
2 servings garden veggie frittata: this is my favorite way to eat eggs (though I use more whites than the actual egg since I am married to Captain Cholesterol). Throw in some eggs, whites, milk, any veggies you can nuke or saute, some cheese of choice and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. I put spinach, mushrooms and onions in mine tonight. And here is the Twilight Zone moment of the day: the BOYS even ate it and liked it. What the hell????? It was green as could be and they were still all in. Maybe I didn't feed them lunch???
1 6oz glass of wine (ok, maybe it was more like 8 oz..)

919 cals, 38 carbs, 38 g fat, 80 g protein
I also did 22 mins on the elliptical. I did my share of walking thru grocery stores but I won't count that.

Aldi has great ground chicken and turkey at really spectacular prices. I make patties and bake them to keep them moist. Easy to eat for breakfast or lunch and very satisfying.

The downside to the hours I put into food prep today is this:

Celery and lettuce draining in the dish drainer, dishes piled high because if you can see, they dishwasher just finished it's cycle and needs emptied. It will all be cleaned by bed time, I cannot stand a Monday morning with a dirty kitchen.

I am hopeful that all my planning will pay off this week like it has done in the past. Though I am really tired, I don't feel so mean as I usually do.

Thanks for reading and I hope we all have a great start to the week. Can you believe next Monday is Oct 1st? That means less than a month that my "baby" turns 9. Crap. But if I can live thru false eyelashes and sparkly heels, I think I can get thru anything.

Cat

NoMoMoJo the 7 day blog

Hard to believe I started this blog a year ago. My intentions were to share my weight loss struggle, my interest in food and exercise, and some funny quips about my life. I believe I have accomplished most of this over the year.

Though I have to admit, my interest in the exercise/eating well portion of my life is getting dangerously close to my old, bad habits. I did well when I was training for the Quarter Marathon a couple years ago, but once that race was over, I had had it with running. The thought of hitting the pavement sent me straight to the couch. The only redeeming thing about running was it kept my weight and depression at bay. I did not like it, I did not get the "runner high" all I got was numb feet and aching knees.

I had lofty goals of getting into better than ever shape this summer but the heat was so bad here, it was difficult to find a time of day that wasn't close to 90 degrees. Plus it was summer, time to slack off, right?

My new job has thrown all of our schedules into new territory and though it is going well, I feel like I constantly come up short somewhere. Throw in the kids sports and therapy schedules and well, you will find me in the McD drive thru more than the last three years combined.

I am relying more on processed foods frankly for the convenience. I do like to spend time Sunday getting my meals ready for the week ,but sometimes I find that to be time away from something else I should be doing. Easier to reach for a box or something out of the freezer.

These are all excuses. I feel soft all over, mentally more negative than usual, and am ticked that my jeans are tight. I have worked too hard to fall back into a bad place.

I felt my absolute best when I was blogging what I was eating on a daily basis and when I was doing some kind of exercise. I felt better when I was eating way less processed food and took time to take care of myself. I don't need to be as obsessive as I was before about it. I don't have time to make it a part time job like I did before. But I can certainly take the time to make sure I am doing what makes me feel my best.

Starting tomorrow thru next Sunday, I will be blogging about my meals, my mood, and what kind of exercise I will be doing. Ultimately I need to be accountable to myself but sometimes, it is easier to be motivated if I am accountable to everyone else. I am weird like that.

Meanwhile, I have a bathroom full of girls getting ready for their Homecoming dance tonight. Look for pics on FB later. I am happy to report that the sight of them dressed up is not making me a sobbing mess like I thought I would be. I actually find it slightly comical the lengths they are going to. And when I say "lengths" I mean the false eyelashes, they look like Kardashians. Sigh.

Thanks for reading!

Cat

My Bi Polar Day

I would like to first acknowledge that being Bi Polar is a very serious thing. It requires medication, therapy, and a life of living differently.

My Bi Polar day wasn't as serious as all that, though at one point, it felt like it. To my knowledge, I am not Bi Polar nor is anyone in my immediate household.

My day, in a nut shell.

Happy Side:
Didn't realize that our new gloves at work (all good lunch lady's wear gloves) have powder in them. They have not in the past. As I took my apron off to use the restroom, I went to brush some sweet potato crumble  off my purple shirt. I surprised myself by noticing that I had left nice white hand prints on my boobs from where I was wiping off the crumble. A Happy Moment that I laughed about all day and even texted people about. I mean come on, white powder boob prints?? That's funny.

Down side:
Youngest has really struggled with his behavior the last few weeks. Today was no different and it has escalated to more than I expected. He is grounded from everything and I am thinking about trying medication again. This whole process makes me sad and it is even sadder that he can't explain to me why he does what he does.

Happy moment:
Daughter and her friends are going to Homecoming together and are coming here for makeup, hair, pics, and dinner. I am thrilled to be such a big part of her Homecoming and am excited that my neighbors are excited, too.

I know we all know this, but life is a series of ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like one more than the other but I think it evens out in the end.

I have been running again. More to follow. I hope you are all doing well and thank you for your continued support.
Cat

New Math and Thank You's

Hellooooo!! (said in my best Elaine from Seinfield voice)

I hope you are all doing well and that the start of the new school year is going well. We are experiencing some homework meltdowns with Middle child, but in his defense, he hasn't had homework since 1st grade, so any amount in 5th grade seems totally overwhelming to him (and me!!). This issue leads me to my first topic: New Math.

I have VIVID (read: horrible) memories of being in Elementary school and bringing home math homework only to have my mom tell me she didn't know what I was doing because it was "New Math". Thus she could not help and I was on my own. On the flip side of this, my dad was so good with math he would make me do math problems on paper napkins while we were eating dinner. This memory is just as VIVID as the first.

Middle child has brought home math homework and though I am familiar with most of the terms (array's, math triangles, etc) sometimes I am not quite sure what the directions are. And since Middle child listens more to his friends (No, you don't need to bring home the reference book) than to his teachers, sometimes I am winging helping him. Back in the day, we memorized all our multiplication facts, we didn't know how we got to the answer, we just knew our facts.

He had math homework again today (OMG mom, I have tons of math homework. 6.34 minutes later, he was done) and I was trying to help him but all of my ways were "wrong" so Husband tried to help. Husband is not familiar with how they teach math now, and in a moment of horror, told Middle child that he didn't know what he was trying to do since it was the "New Math".

I think I gasped and may have punched Husband in the arm. Over the years, I have learned that there is no "new math", only new ways to teach it. 1 + 1 = 2 no matter HOW you teach it. I was quick to dismiss Husband's comment and looked thru Middle child's math book to find out what we were supposed to do. I have no doubt that Google will be a good friend to me in the future as Geometry is NOT my gig. I can do Algebra, to some extent, and should be able to help. I will have to help him how I remember doing it but it is better than not being able to help at all.

Second topic: Things/People I would like to sat Thanks to.

My good friend Laura did this on her blog and I thought it was really nice. I don't think we thank people enough for what they do, and saying thanks can be the highlight of someone's day. I am big on the "I appreciate what you do for me" but sometimes don't get to the basic thank you. I will try to keep this list short and light and thank only those who come quickly to mind (keep in mind, I did New Math today, so my brain is a little fried).

1. I thank him a lot but I don't think he really realizes how thankful I am to be married to him: my Husband. He does a ridiculous amount for me, the kids, other people's kids, while never complaining. He willingly drives Daughter all over the place so she can be with her friends, plays with the kids outside, puts gas in my van, and is still has time to chase me around the house.

2. My girl friends. This encompasses quite a few gals. I am referring to my Junior High bestie (Hi Zip), my High School girl friends (most are Kim's), my college roomies (you know who you are!!), and the group of wonderful ladies I hang out with now. Our lives are busy and different but we can get together, talk, laugh, call each other out, and still remain friends at the end of an evening.

3. My griddle. Only my griddle can make quick work of 2 or 3 dozen pancakes on a busy morning.

4. My boss and co-workers. Though I work in 92 degrees (this is NO joke), am on my feet for 6 hours, get a steam bath every time I open the dishwasher, and usually come home with food in my hair, I cannot imagine being in any other place. The kids seems to be over Lunch Lady Steve being gone and are embracing my mom-ness and willingness to help them with whatever they need.

That's my top 4. Want to know the math facts that are related to 4.....???

My workouts are non-existent since I am on my feet all day. Still doing weights and have started back to the eating clean movement. Was feeling really sluggish but I am back to protein, vegs, fruit, and trying to stay away from stuff that is processed. Certain things I will give up but not bread and cheese. Not extreme amounts of either but I have to have something to dip into my egg and I like light cheese sticks for work. Will let you know how it goes. I am still within my normal weight range and at work average about 7 miles of walking in 6 hours. Lots of lifting, too. Right now with my schedule, focusing on food is easier than fitting in extra exercise.

Have a great Labor Day weekend. I will be sleeping and spending time with my Brother (LOOOONNNG over due) and his family, and then sleeping some more. I am sure there will be laundry involved, but that's easy, there is no math involved.

Rock on peeps!!

Cat

The start of something good

Hello friends!
I hope you are all doing well. Summer is coming to a close and as most of you know, I am back to work at the HS and am working 30 hours a week as opposed to the 10 I worked the last two years. It has been a great undertaking securing sitters for the boys (they go back to school Tues) and making sure things run smoothly when I am gone. Husband has been a huge help and there is no way I could have taken on this new job assignment without his support. My neighbors have been unbelievably willing to help me out as well. It takes a village, right??

I have been very pleasantly surprised at how well the boys are doing with me gone. They have been great with the sitters and have been helping me without grumbling when I ask. It is a little bitter sweet to know they aren't counting the seconds until I get home, but I am happy and sooo relieved to know they can be fine in trusted care.

Went to Freshman orientation last night. Nothing too eye opening there, with the exception that it seems the drug of choice in Daughter's school district is heroin. WHOA!!! This information was not provided to us by the student council or school counselors but some of the nice parents of kids that have been thru the HS. Do I worry about my Daughter and her goofy friends doing heroin? No. But it is good (yet scary) info to have.

The boys are ready for school, which is also a relief. In the past, Youngest would be obsessing about how many days until he goes back but I told him how many and now he is more focused on what kind of Cheerios I can pack him for lunch. Is it possible that too many Cheerios can be bad for you? Can it lower your cholesterol to a non existent level? Because I have to tell you, these boys can put away the Cheerios like they are candy (and really, aren't they?? Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Caramel and Fruit?? It may as well be life savors they are eating). I am ready for all of us to get back into the swing of getting up before 10am and getting home at the same time every day.

I was apprehensive about taking this new position for a couple reasons: Everyone LOVED Lunch lady Steve and I literally had size 15 shoes to fill. I knew the kids would be disappointed he's not there and hearing how much they miss him makes me feel somewhat insignificant. But I have received a lot of positive response from the kids and staff about me filling the position, so my ego is feeling a little better. It is also a very physical and hot (not like sexy hot, but like I am sweating like I ran a marathon hot) but I find, so far, that I enjoy the physicality of it. I like lifting the boxes and doing that kind of stuff. I love the people I work with and I love seeing the kids every day and helping the Freshman when they need it.

I read a quote or part of a quote the other day that kind of put things in perspective for me:
You have to trust that where you are is where you are meant to be.

It is difficult for me to trust a lot of things, but in this case, I will give it a try. I believe this is where I am meant to be right now.

I hope the start of school goes smoothly for everyone. Make sure you stay in your kid's business, know their friends and their parents, keep in touch with their school. I know it's hard and I know it is tiring to keep up with all they do but that's our job. Like it or not, we wanted these kids, let's act like it.

Have a great weekend everyone and stay safe. I am hoping to have some good work stories now that I am there a lot more!!

Cat

Summer update

Hi,
I hope everyone is doing well!! I have just a couple things to share, nothing earth shattering, but just fun (?) to catch you up on.

1) Our weather. Ok, I am a geek and I love the weather. I loved studying clouds in school and atmosphere stuff. Our weather here in Central OH has been really wacky. I think we started mowing in April because it was hot and it rained enough to make our grass grow at unreasonable rates. Now, our grass is dead. We have had terrible storms, another one just rolled thru and there are more on the way. I am thankful for the rain but am over the lightening. And thunder. And the big, hot dog that is terrified all the time.

2) Bike wrecks. In the last two weeks, Middle child has had more bike wrecks than he has had in the 6 years he has been riding his bike. I literally went today and bought FIVE boxes of band-aids hoping it will last the rest of the summer. I do believe some of it is the cute Alaskan gals we have visiting in our neighborhood this summer. I do believe he has been "distracted" while biking.

This leads me to number 3..

3) Teenagers. I have been very fortunate to spend a lot of time with teenagers this summer. This is heaven to me because I work with teens and then I get to spend the summer with mine and their friends. They are the funniest people I know and I love how they are all so confident and kind. I like to think when we are all in the pool together people mistake me for one of their teen friends....ok, just let me live that dream, ok?? I enjoy how Middle child tries to be a teenager and how Youngest isn't sure if the teens are cool or just plain weird. But he plays along with them, but I am sure he thinks he is way cooler than they are. He may be right.

4) My workout routine. What? No, there hasn't been one all summer. I have put on 3 lbs which I can live with and am still doing weights and less cardio. I proclaimed to too many to take it back, that next year is the year of the BIKINI for me. Here's why:

We were at the pool the other day and Daughter had her new bikini on with her aviator glasses. She was with her friend and when those two walked by, it was like some weird slo-mo moment. They both were stunning and even the guy friends of theirs we were with, took a breath. A big, heavy breath. The girls were just stunning. So I decided right then and there that I will get in shape so I can look like the mom of the girl in the bikini.

AND the best part was: when I told Daughter I was wearing a bikini next year she said "If you do, I will wear a ONE PIECE all summer next year". OH MY, SCORE!! So I can get her out of her outfit, me into something totally inappropriate for my age?? This is the best deal ever.

I start work in two week and I cannot wait. I miss my co-workers and the kids I work with. I miss working. There have been some rough patches this summer but so far, this summer will just go down as the summer that was hotter than hell.

But I am in my own heaven. Hope you are all well.

Cat

911 What's your emergency?

This is a fictitious call that went on in my head earlier this evening.

Me: It's my daughter!

Dispatcher: What's wrong with your daughter ma'm?

Me: It's...It's...

Dispatcher: Calm down and tell me what happened.

deep breath

Me: She wants to take down all the little kid stuff in her room and paint all of her furniture to make it more "modern"!!!

Dispatcher: Ma'm, how long has she had all this "little kid stuff"?

Me: Since she was born!!

Dispatcher: Ma'm, how is your daughter now?

Me: Almost 15.

Silence

Dispatcher: Ma'm, I think it is long over due for her to get rid of her kid stuff. What color does she want to paint her furniture?

Me: White.

Dispatcher: Not black, or gothic, or anything with chains?

Me: No...

Dispatcher: Go get a can of white paint and get to it.  

And once I got over the shock of her wanting to update her room, we got to painting her furniture. Husband took her to Lowe's to pick out new handles for her drawers. At 8pm on a Friday night. Love that man.

But not before he let her DRIVE the Accord out of the drive way and into the middle of the court..

Dialing 911 again...

Cat

Love and Loss: a story of technology

I love my 

I debated about getting it a couple months ago and with a few tweaks with AT&T, I have my bill where I want it and I can say I love my Iphone. It was invaluable on vacation, I do my grocery list on it, and every night, Husband and I play hours of Words with Friends with each other.

I love this phone.

And then Daughter had an Ortho appt I had to take Youngest to.

I bribed him with Angry Birds Space thinking I can load it on my Itouch.

Nope. Iphone only.

It has been two days since I have spent time with my Iphone before 9pm.

I miss you and I love you and I am sorry Youngest's sticky fingers are touching you all over. I know how that is and it is weird and gross.

Maybe we can "accidentally" delete the app?? But sadly, I have too many things coming up that Youngest will have to attend with me, so I need it.

Friends, if you need me, call the land line.

Sigh.

Cat

7 Things I love about Summer

I have four weeks left of summer and I took some time today to reflect upon some of my favorite things about Summer. Thought I would share them with you. How lucky for you.

In no particular order:

* Fresh watermelon and corn on the cob

* Not worrying about coloring the grey's out of my hair for a couple months because the pool water makes it a pretty shade of orange

* Bare feet

* Sleeping on top of the sheets

* How tan my kids get

* The endless amounts of books I can read

* Popsicles

As usual, time is flying and I will be back at work and in the school car pool lane before I know it. I am grateful every day that I have a job that allows me to be home in the summer. And yes, the kids get on my nerves but mostly when they are getting on each other's nerves.

I hope this blog finds you all doing well and enjoying summer as much as you can. Take your shoes off, grab a popsicle, and get a tan!

Cat

Nothing profound to say

Ever have one of those days when you  have so much to say to everyone around you and you cannot manage to eek one sentence out? I have been having a lot of those days lately. I have been doing a lot of sitting back and observing and I am bursting at the seams to yell at people but I am trying to keep my attitude and opinions in check. Why? Not sure. Maybe I get tired of spouting my wisdom on people who don't give a crap. Maybe I am out of texting minutes.

We had on heck of a vacation, which I will not relive since I posted quite a bit in FB. But I did want to add in some highlights to our trip:

# Middle child won the swim noodle race at my parents community pool. He was behind but powered on to win when the other kids were getting tired.

# Daughter and I managed to get some good runs in before it got hell hot there. She continues to work on her cross country conditioning and I am proud of her for sticking to it when it is so stinking hot out.

# Seeing an alligator a couple feet away from where you have been fishing is both scary and really exciting at the same time. It was a little one but that only meant the parents weren't too far away.

# Seeing the dolphins in my parents creek and at the beach was the highlight of my trip. It has been a life long dream, no joke, since I was little, to be able to swim with or even just pet a dolphin. Neat to be so close to them. I think it is because they travel in a school but are so peaceful together. Maybe someday my "school" will travel that peacefully together.

(ohhh...so you noticed there were no highlights with Youngest...there weren't many, however the funniest thing he said to my dad was "Is your wife coming to the beach with us??" We all laughed out loud, err yes, Grammy is coming. I think he was just trying to show us he got the relationship but the timing was hilarious. Thank goodness for that or he would be at a rest stop somewhere in WV)

It is nice to be home and the summer is ripping by as usual. I need to get my butt in gear and find some sitters to watch the boys mid-August. I start back to work almost a full week before they do and I don't want to ask Husband to take anymore time off to be home with them. If you have any teens to offer up to watch them for a day or two, let me know. It is less than three hours and I will pay them.

I have gotten back into running, though not as much as before. Have also been doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and I really have seen my body change. I still have those 5 non-budging pounds to go, but at my doc appt this morning, I was only .5 away from a healthy BMI. She told me I am so close to my ideal weight, which is my goal of 145. I want to get there before all the schools start. I have been walking/running in the evenings when Husband gets home as a way for me to take a time out from the kids. Seems to be working well so I think we will stick with it.

I hope everyone is doing well and is recovering from the crazy ass storms we had over a week ago. There is no way to describe what we saw heading to my parents, other than it looked like something out of the zombie/apocalypse movies Husband has been watching. I think at one point, I made sure all the doors were locked, it was surreal. There are still those without power and I honestly don't know what you do. No showers, no clothes, no washing clothes, no food, no air. Say a prayer for those still in need and let's hope that is the end of the nutty weather.

Have a great rest of your week. I am going to try to write more as I know it helps my psyche, even if you delete me from your inbox. I noticed I picked up another follower and I need to see who it is. But thank you! to whoever it is.

You pal,
Cat

W I D E

I would like to make a couple disclaimers before I write this post:
1) I am surly, bitchy, witchy, exhausted, mean, mad and every other pissed off word you can think of today. Several reasons why, nothing I am willing to share (except that half of it is hormone related), but hang in there with me.

2) I was fat for a long time. No one ever said it to my face and sometimes I wish someone had. Maybe in a nice way, maybe in a mean way, I think it would have kicked my butt into gear faster. I believe you have to be very close to someone to tell them they are overweight. I make sure my kids do not comment on people's body shape.

3) I am the first one to admit that my kids do things that are wrong. If there is a scuffle or argument, I believe my kid is the root of it, until I hear otherwise. I believe them when they tell me what happened but I do not ever think my kids are angels.

So here was my day today:

Daughter sprung a last minute trip to the pool with her friend in tow. Middle boy didn't want to go, had to make arrangements for him to stay with neighbor to play. I didn't plan to go to the pool because we have Youngest's Social Skills group here Weds afternoon and I am frantically cleaning and putting away anything I think a Mid Level Autistic kid could use as a weapon. Didn't get that done because we were at the pool, still have a day and a half to do it. Breathe...

We have been going to the pool for years and Youngest has been on his own there for two years now. He has never had an issue with ANYONE and if anything, has made more friends than I have on Facebook. He just has to come back to our towel at break. And he does.

I had to use the restroom today, and I didn't get a chance to tell him over the rushing water of the giant bucket that drops on them. I was gone for maybe 4 minutes and I come back and a mom is having a very serious conversation with my son and her two kids. I can see the look of panic on his face as he is looking around for me, but I let him deal with it on his own. I had a book to read.

At break, I asked him what happened and he hemmed and hawed and finally told me that they were calling him an "idiot". Nothing gets my ire up more than a kid being mean to any of my kids. I asked if he yelled at them and he said "no", I asked if he hit them and he said "no". He said one of the kids shoved him so hard he almost fell off the water thing and then he told the one girl she was "too wide" to go down the little slide. Here's where the real fight starts.

I know my kid, he was not making the "too wide" comment as an insult, to him, it was fact. Here's where I get nasty: the mom was grossly overweight, as were her kids. This makes me mad on so many levels, but I won't go all Michelle Obama on you. I am running out of steam. You cannot force a 150 lb fish into a 85 lb tube. It just doesn't work. It's not insult, it is physics. And I know nothing of physics.

Youngest was so upset by the exchange that I swore at that moment that if that mom came at me, I would take her out then and there at the kiddie pool. That would have been fun to watch, I am sure.

I don't think there is a moral to this story, I am too tired to be morally entertaining. This is the crap I deal with daily. Sometimes I handle it well, sometimes I tell my kids to punch people. Sometimes I want to punch people.

Have a great Monday, folks!!

Cat