Writes For Chocolate

Addicted to ... healthy living?

2012-01-16T21:26:00.000-06:00

I've heard of people being addicted to exercise. I usually picture marathoners, long-distance runners that just can't get their day started without a morning run. Or maybe they can't get to sleep at night without sweating off the stress of the day. Never thought that would be me.

I eased off my workout schedule, bit by bit. I certainly didn't go cold turkey, and I can't go back to it just like that, either. I kept thinking, if I just took a day off here and there, everything would be fine. The pain would ease just enough for me to try again. Should've known, when I couldn't actually put myself on the sidelines until all was completely well. No, I had to pretty much lose all use of my arm before I gave up completely and sought medical advice.

Turns out, that old rotator cuff strain that never completely healed ... got worse. Pretty much as bad as it gets without actually needing surgery. Thank God for small miracles.

At first I was in too much pain to even think about any kind of a work out. But I still kept walking. Every day the weather cooperated, I kept on walking. Three to four miles. Sometimes twice a day. Even when it hurt. But that's not addicted, no, not at all. And the days when the winds were too strong, the freezing rain just too much to be outside and still pretend to be sane, I paced the house. And watched my yoga dvd's. And got crankier and crankier by the day.

So when the physical therapist gave me exercises to do at home, you can bet I did them. Twice a day. And celebrated every milestone (Look! I can turn on the faucet!) And went back to doing things as normally as possible. And then it snowed.

That's my job, the shoveling. Except in cases of huge blizzard, I pretty much handle it on my own, at the break of dawn, peacefully shoveling my own little driveway all by myself. We've been blessed by unseasonably warm weather during my recuperation, and I am so thankful for that. But then it snowed. And I had to delegate. But could I help just a little? Should I? (no) I could use the baby shovel? (No) Maybe just to show the boys how it's done? (NO!) But I don't want them out in the street with school buses racing by! Maybe just a little ... shouldn't have done that.

Back to my exercises. Back to being patient (not!). Back to watching yoga, maybe trying out a little Hip Hop Abs (I have to MODIFY Hip Hop Abs!). Back to being cranky, until I can work out again.

Because I am addicted to exercise.

Winter ... better late than never (um, maybe not)

2012-01-14T18:42:00.000-06:00

Yup, that's real snow out there. Had to make the minions shovel it so they would believe me. Real snow. Real winter.

And yes, that is real homemadefromscratch soup on the stove. And real homemade brownies. And bunches of other homemade items to warm the tummy after working and/or playing out in the real, cold winter.

I may be out of practice, but I can still do the whole keep-a-cozy-home-for-the-winter thing. So you can all head for Florida now, I've got this covered. We'll be sure and save some winter for ya!

2012-01-11T20:37:00.000-06:00

Anybody else sick of election news already? It's January, and with a Republican debate every couple days now, I am officially done with this shit. That's all it has become, a pile of dinosaur shit. Interesting only to paleontologists, wouldn't even make a decent museum exhibit.

I've already made up my mind. I will settle for the least repulsive option. And I will cast my ballot. But I will not participate any further, other than rolling my eyes and trying not to vomit, should the subject ever come up in conversation. Even the jokes are stale already, and we've got 10 months to go!

I miss Michelle Bachman already. :P

This is a test ...

2012-01-09T20:22:00.000-06:00

This is just a test. Another test, to see what I can and cannot do with all the distractions surrounding me. As in surround sound. Rock Band is truly a test of my abilities.

Don't get me wrong, I like Rock Band. I like anything that gets the boys out of the xbox cave of solitude and conversing and cooperating and otherwise enjoying other people's company (other people include me, their mother, which is such a trial for them). And right here, in my "office" smack in the middle of the living room/dining area right off the kitchen. Can't get much more distracted.

And since I seem to be spending more time correcting spelling and typos than actually putting words to paper, we'll call this a win. And quit while I'm ahead.

2012-01-08T21:17:00.000-06:00

Chicken Medicine
Disco Pirates
Wave to the Hammers
Team Elephants
Plastic Mountain
Dinosaur Trolls
The Tasty Goat
Exploding Bugs
The Amazing Cheese
Delicious Princess
Introducing the Window Frame
Children of the Green Ones (who are the Green Ones?)
Dreaming About Dudes
Let's Play Clean-Up
Chicken Fish
Hey It's the Caterpillar
Over To You Honey
Sunshine Broomsticks

OK, you get it. The boys are trying to name their band in their new Rock Band game. Any favorites? I still want to know who are the Green Ones?

Saturdays are for ...

2012-01-07T23:50:00.001-06:00

Cooking. I got the whole day to cook a whole bunch of food that will last the brood till about ... oh, I don't know, Tuesday? That's been my routine lately (with summers off for good behavior, and swimming). Did the shopping yesterday. Got the whole pile of wholesome food all put away nicely in the fridge, awaiting Cooking Day.

Got tired just thinking about it. So it was a nice afternoon for a nap.

Baseball? Already?

2012-01-06T23:44:00.002-06:00

January is full-on basketball season around here, as in Bulls Basketball. And the beginning of baseball.

What? Baseball in January? Yes, and in February? Yes, yes. It's called Winter Training Camp. And the season starts in March, so after a Christmas Break filled with XBOX, well ... winter training camp is sounding like a good idea. Wish they had it when I was a kid.

Of course, I was busy with actual winter sports during the winter months. Like figure skating ... come to think of it, that actually stretched out to include almost an entire school year. But NEVER as long as Hockey Season, which I believe now covers 11 months of the year (I think they get July off, but don't quote me on it. I will never be a Hockey Mom).

Let's Play Ball!

This might be some sort of record for me ...

2012-01-05T21:58:00.000-06:00

but it's not pretty. Nothing profound today.

Maybe a couple weeks in, after much practice, I'll finally get the hang of it. Maybe there will be something to read. Or maybe not.

Just not today.

The Challenge is ON

2012-01-04T22:14:00.001-06:00

Yes, only day four and it has become a challenge to show up every day. Especially when I fail to make the morning appointment and have to jump in for a quick post before beddy-bye.

But I'm still here, baby! Morning pages were filled in today, and I managed some semblance of a workout this morning. Baby steps.

Setting the alarm again. Stuff to do in the AM. I just might have to get used to an end-of-day visit. And that means the Brain will have to Stay On after 3PM. Now that would be a trick.

Hang in there ... something profound is bound to make an appearance.

I'm Baaack

2012-01-03T22:38:00.000-06:00

Yep, it's Day Three, and I'm still here.

I have yet to get back to my original schedule of morning pages, workout, more writing and blogging. All in the morning. Because my brain works best in the morning. It also works best undisturbed. Which is totally not happening these days, at least not in the morning.

So here we are, left with the end of the day bleh. It is relatively quiet (as long as I can block out the screeches coming from upstairs, they don't sound like someone's bleeding or anything). But part of me has already gone up to bed, and the other part is fiercely trying to drag my body away from the 'puter.

Apparently, the sleep-in-and-forget-the-workout me has taken over. It's been several years since I've seen her (probably back in the days of diapers and night-nursing) so I'm not as familiar. And I don't really like her all that much. So tomorrow, there's going to be an alarm going off, followed by a dvd. Probably Sean T and his Hip Hop Abs. Sounds like it can't hurt my shoulder, I really don't remember, but I've got to start somewhere.

Baby it's cold outside. But it's gonna get a lot hotter in here.

Day Two

2012-01-02T19:48:00.000-06:00

January 2nd already? Felt like another holiday, or rather a lazy, do-nothing day. That's what happens when the Post Office is closed. I feel like I have nothing pressing, no daily errands, if I don't have to go to the PO. Whatever will I do with my weekends if they start closing on Saturdays?

Maybe stay home and be productive? We actually took down all the Christmas decorations and put them away. And then I even vacuumed up all the detritus left over. Yes, even artificial trees shed needles, don't ask me why.

And lazing around leads to actual conversations with my children. So the topic of interest today happened to be Assassin's Creed and the veracity of the historical references (mostly all true), and Lost Planet, which I'm still trying to get the gist of, without actually playing it. Tricky, but not impossible.

So as winter begins to settle in (yes, it actually got below freezing today, might as well accept the fact that it is, in fact, really and truly, winter), time to get back to our studies, along with the rest of the real world. And plan our next vacation, because we never get enough of them.

Day One

2012-01-01T21:08:00.001-06:00

First day of the new year. Feels the same ... and yet ...

Feeling grateful. I feel thank you's are due all around, but especially to my darling husband (really earns the DH designation!) who has stepped up and cared for us all, even while working extra hard himself. He's been trying to cover everything I normally do around here that has become too hard to reach, and still showering me with love on top of it all.

The Peanut and The Pumpkin have also stepped up and taken on more responsibility, and being generally more helpful around the house. They're growing up despite regular protestations, and I like what they're becoming.

Friends have been indispensable, especially these last few weeks. I made it through to the end of 2011, and begin 2012, with a little help from my friends.

And now, tonight, I am also grateful that the NBA/owners tiff has been worked out in time for some semblance of a season. This girl needs her Bulls to get through the long, cold winter ahead! ;)

Here's to a healthy, productive 2012!

Out with the old ...

2011-12-31T15:16:00.001-06:00

Last day of the year.

Tomorrow's another day. Every Sunday begins a new week. But tomorrow begins a whole new year. We start anew, or we can keep on doing things the same old way. My way. I don't really do resolutions, more like a few goals here and there.

Number one, fix my shoulder problem. Which means letting go, letting someone else take charge (letting my little therapist find the most painful spot and DIG IN). So far it's working. Add in a little patience for good measure.

Right now I feel like a lot of other things will fall into place once I'm no longer dealing with "oh-I-can't-do-that" or "ow-it-hurts-I-should-go-lie-down" and a bunch of other excuses for not getting shit done. And a little daily post will make it all better.

That's my second challenge of the year. I feel like I can sit here long enough for a quick post at least once a day. So maybe some days it will be short. Some days will be totally nonsensical. But once a day, every day, I will stop by and say Hello. Or something like it.

Off to ring in the New Year with friends and loved ones ... Happy New Year One and All!

2011-12-27T09:35:00.000-06:00

Whew! Made it!

Not that The Holidays are over or anything, but the work is, for the most part. Now I'm left with clean up. There's still time for ringing in the New Year, which brings a few more chores with it ... update my calendar.

Oh yeah, need to get that new calendar. I always seem to wait till the last minute to turn over to the New Year. You know how you can get a calendar that starts in September and goes for 16 months? Well I never get around to putting that one up until January anyway, so those first few months are just wasted on me. And come next January, I still need a new calendar.

So what I need is a calendar that starts in January, and ends in September, when I will be forced to put up that 16-month calendar. They should come as a set, so that you're covered for two years.

Or I could just update my Google calendar and forget about posting the paper one in the kitchen altogether. That's it ... go completely electronic. Which I've tried. And will try again.

I got a Kindle for Christmas, so that should help me go electronic, right? Not really, just gives me more stuff to read. Endless stuff to read. I will never be without something to read. And it fits in one of my new notebooks, so until that gets filled up, I will never be without something to read or write.

Life is good. Even without organizing my calendar.

Life is Good

2011-10-26T12:43:00.001-05:00

Homeschooling, travelling, traveling-while-homeschooling, more homeschooling ... it all adds up to some pretty full days. Throw in some writing, reading, a little more writing, even more reading and the days fly by.

The faster I go, the behinder I get. But if I slow down, spend more time enjoying the last days of sunshine and warm (relatively warm) weather ... I get even more behinder. I may never completely catch up on my email, but then again, it's nice to always have something waiting for me in my inbox.

And Halloween is coming. Immediately followed by NaNo. I have yet to make a decision on that little activity. I have, in the past, attempted it quietly. As in, not bothering my family about it, just doing it. And I have failed every time. But there are so many other things to do during the day, that I'm not sure I'm willing to actually devote a month of my time to this project. I don't have any new ideas that are screaming to get onto paper right now. Nothing worth devoting an entire month to, anyway.

NaNo? Probably not this year.

As the weather cools and I spend more time indoors, there are still tons of projects leftover from previous years that need attention. And a whole host of new projects, sewing, art projects for the boys to do, maybe get started on next year's Halloween costumes (never too early!).

But first, the outdoors, my gardens. The bulbs are planted, the last of the tomatoes have been harvested, it's time to put that whole mess to bed for the winter. It's not a particularly large mess, it just seems that way when it's time to clean it all up. Kind of like the boys' bedroom.

And we are ready for Halloween, somewhat. Still working on various jack-o-lanterns. But the warm, autumn decor is in place. Not exactly what I was picturing for my front entrance, but the men of the house insisted it was appropriate.

It's a new year all over again

2011-09-06T13:46:00.000-05:00

What's old is new, what's new is old. Homeschooling has become old hat to us. It's just the way we are. So, yesterday, on Labor Day, when everyone else had the day off, we started the new school year. Yup. Why wait til Tuesday what we can accomplish just as easily (or not) on Monday. And then we can take Friday off, when everyone else is IN SCHOOL. That's just typical around here.

And it was a LONG day. So, long days belong on Mondays, whether the rest of the world has declared a holiday or not. And today, not so long. And that's just how it goes.

Doesn't he look miserable? And today, can't even get them to pose at all. No, no, too busy on projects up in the dark recesses of the cave. Until the kids get home from school, that is.

Now, what was I doing?

2011-08-31T13:54:00.000-05:00

Almost let the entire month slip away without completing and publishing a post here. Note that I didn't say beginning, or attempting, or maybe going all month without being interrupted before a post could land on the page.

But I have been writing today, so now I'm checking in. With readers ... all 2 of you? Still there? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe posting into the void. If only I could be sure of that. A lot more would get posted if only I could be sure nobody would ever read it. Nah. (edit) (delete)

I've been planning. Lots and lots of planning. School starts soon (yes, I'm STILL on summer vacation, don't rush me!). Plan a schedule for that. I have more writing to do ... need to schedule time for that. Traveling, always have a trip to plan (which I usually leave to DH, but alas, still requires SOME planning on my part). Birthdays, holidays, field trips, coffee with friends, maybe another girls' weekend.

And more and more to post here. It's been an exciting summer, and there's much to report. Specifically, I know I promised to someone I would write about the girls' weekend. And I will, maybe today, even. Maybe tomorrow ... there are stories to tell that need to be told, um, delicately.

Like how about this one (here) about requiring breaks for babysitters. Besides offering us an option for the most twisted state in the union, here's CA public servants in action:

Under AB 889, household “employers” (aka “parents”) who hire a babysitter on a Friday night will be legally obligated to pay at least minimum wage to any sitter over the age of 18 (unless it is a family member), provide a substitute caregiver every two hours to cover rest and meal breaks, in addition to workers’ compensation coverage, overtime pay, and a meticulously calculated timecard/paycheck.

And how about we just not hire any babysitters over the age of 18? That's right, you're an adult now, go and get yourself some kids of your own, and by the way ... NO BREAKS! That's right, no playing Xbox with my kids on my dime! You can still come over for a "play date" if you bring pizza. :)

You see the stuff I find when I'm sitting here too long? It's not all my fault, ya know. I get emails, lots of emails, pointing here and there with stuff I absolutely MUST READ NOW. No, really. I do have a delete button, and I use it often. So often it's getting a little worn out. Like the space bar.

But read I must. It's an addiction. Put a box in my hand and if someone typed or wrote on it in any way, I will turn it over and over until I have read all sides. And yet, still distracted by the drivel on tv, which I didn't even turn on so don't blame it on me. Where's the story?

On another tab somewhere.

I swear these clouds were GREEN

2011-07-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

My camera just didn't capture the eerie glow, so use your imagination.

They rolled in swiftly, then the wind picked up, then lightning, thunder, downpour, and now it's tapering off already. But I swear, they really were GREEN.

Reading Deprivation Week

2011-07-19T09:59:00.000-05:00

I'm following The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and I just got to the part in week 4 titled "Reading Deprivation". That's right, she wants me to give up reading, all reading except the assignments in the book, for an entire week.

You might as well take away my coffee and my chocolate while you're taking away my books.

Yes, I am an addict. I read ALL the time. I have a pile of library books, I keep several tabs open on my desktop even while I am writing (but not today!), I have too many magazine subscriptions, and yet I read everyone else's in the house, too. I read cereal boxes, even though I've been eating the same cereal for, I don't know, years?

I read junk mail.

It's probably a good thing, to give it all up for awhile. But it's like food, I'll still be required to read SOME words. Street signs while driving. Food labels. The assignments for the week, emails from my fellow sufferers in my writing group, and of course, I procrastinated so I have a deadline this week. So writing, which inevitably leads to reading.

I may find it necessary to read the directions on the bottle of laundry detergent.

The rest of the time, I will not read news on the internet, I will return the pile of books to the library so I'm not tempted by them, and someone else will have to pick up the mail, cause I'm not reading it. And no FB or Twitter, either. (maybe just a peek? no?)

Oh, and no audiobooks or tv or other "media stimulation" is allowed either.

So, looks like the kitchen cabinets will get re-organized after all, as well as the school closet, and my closet, and maybe all the closets in the house.

My favorite time of day

2011-06-28T07:07:00.000-05:00

Nice quiet morning.

It helps that the sun is shining. Nothing like the threatening storms we've been having, clouds, clouds and more and darker clouds. Just blue sky and peace and quiet.

It'll all be blown to hell in a handbasket in just a few moments ... when the carpet cleaners get here. Have you ever heard the noise of their machines? Even though it's early and the kiddos are still blissfully sleeping (and one of them may even sleep through all the noise!) ... soon the day will be full of noise and chaos and machines and ... and ... noise.

And then they'll be gone and my carpets will be clean again. And we'll re-arrange the furniture and then it'll be time to clean out the fridge and get ready for yet another serviceman and his clutter and chaos.

My house is very small. There's isn't much room to maneuver when there's more than three people in it at a time. Yes, I know, we have four of us living here, but we manage to spread out. Or get outside and use that as an extra room. But when you add in moving around large appliances or heavy-duty machinery and industrial hoses and such it gets ... claustrophobic. And the noise! We just don't have the room to hold all that noise!

I'll just step outside while you take care of that. Yes, I'll just be right outside the door, looking for a little bit of peace and quiet.

Best of Summer

2011-06-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

The best part of summer is the heat. Because cooling off is So Much Fun.

1. Fudgesicles. I made some of my own last night and I can't wait to try them! Recipe from Baking Bites right here: http://bakingbites.com/2010/08/homemade-fudgsicles/
Of course there are tons and tons of fudgesicle recipes all over the place, so feel free to hunt down your own favorite. I'll probably give a few different ones a try and post results here.

2. Pool. Swimming. Whether doing laps for exercise or just a soak in the roped off 18+ section (Yes, I go to the public pool, do not have my own here). My Pool Pass is my most treasured possession when the temp goes up to , oh, 75?

3. Frogs. and Tadpoles. Because they are in water and to catch them you most certainly will get wet and icky and then have to go swim in the pool again. And because my boys like to go frog hunting. You can substitute fishing here if you want, but I object to hooks on the grounds that they usually end up embedded in somebody's thumb. Usually mine.

4. Beach. If I lived close enough to one to actually spend summer days there it would be #1. But I usually manage to get there at least once a year (stretching out summer into fall, winter, spring, whatever). Sand is icky you say? Oh go wash it off in the water!

5. Snow Cones. Because I really do need another blue stain on my favorite T-shirt. Yes, ice is always good on a hot summer day, especially when covered in red or blue chemicals that are Very Very Sweet.

6. My gardens. Yes, I get all hot and sweaty when playing in the dirt. Then I can head for the pool again. And I get to enjoy this:

Technical Difficulties ... or not.

2011-06-05T10:32:00.000-05:00

Oh right, NOW it works! Too bad the bloggermouth ate my earlier post. I guess it just wasn't as witty or compelling as I thought it was.

Still, it IS summer. So outside I must go, dancing between the raindrops, ducking inside for the "isolated thunderstorms". Farmer's Market opens today! I think the official name is the O***** COUNTRY Market, because "Farmer's Market" is so, so ... agricultural-sounding. And we must be welcoming of any and all who wish to sell stuff outdoors every Sunday, whether it is farm fresh vegetables, my favorite olives and tapenade, or some up-cycled jewelry.

and there she goes ... outside again.

summersummersummersummersummerSUMMER!

2011-06-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

Summer has finally arrived! YAY!

School's out, because I said so. The pool is open. The sun is shining and it is HOT! Outside,that is. Inside it's rather chilly, AC maxing out. Sweatshirt time. A necessary evil in our humble little abode. I will not question nor complain, I will simply move myself OUTSIDE.

Because OUTSIDE is where I want to be. In the garden. At the baseball game. Swimming in the pool. Lounging in a chair with a good book. Riding my bike (yes, I got a bike! Whee!)

and this is one of our summer creatures.

Coming out of hibernation

2011-03-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

It wasn't intentional, but that's what happened. The blog went into hibernation while I tried my hand at ... earning some money? Not exactly successful. Several online writing pals suggested that I give Demand Studios a try, and I did, along with a few other content mills. Even though I had no trouble getting accepted as a writer, finding topics I can write about, quickly and with authority, well, that proved to be a problem. I have a feeling they'll accept just about anyone as a writer, but the articles have to follow such a rigid structure, which changes for each and every title, that there are way too many reasons to not get paid. And let's face it, the pay is crap.

Not to say that I'm giving up. Just exploring other avenues. And practice, practice, practice!

But now, for spring, I think some nice nature photography is in order.

Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading

2010-11-27T19:24:00.000-06:00

That's the title of a book I've been reading, by Maureen Corrigan (book reviewer for NPR's Fresh Air, and professional book reader). No, it's not something I've ever said, at least not to my family, who are my main sources of interruption no matter what I'm doing. But you could put that sign over my head on any given day, and it pretty much covers it.

I read everywhere, and pretty much everything. It's just recently that I've begun NOT reading some of my numerous emails, or even unsubscribing from some really interesting newsletters, simply because there is not enough time in the day to cover it all. And I don't want to waste another minute on the same old complaining that finds its way into just about every aspect of media. I find the cereal box on my breakfast table far more uplifting.

I rarely watch TV (at least not without a book in my lap, which inevitably winds up being far more engrossing), can't even begin to "keep up" with any series that requires that sort of involvement. I will, however, read ABOUT TV series, and video games that I will probably never play, and celebrity gossip, even though I barely know who any of today's celebrities are anymore, and music, so I can keep up with the latest and greatest. Entertainment Weekly pretty much covers it for me. And still, I spend more time in their book section, reading every single word, even though it's much shorter. Gotta have more books to read.

So this week, in addition to Maureen Corrigan, I read some Edgar Allen Poe, some of The Householder's Guide to the Universe (a current favorite), some art books, a lot about Ancient Egypt, a little about how to build a trebuchet, Rhyming Dust Bunnies, several baseball stories, a whole bunch of magazines, several cookbooks (but no turkey recipes), The Man Who Wore All His Clothes, Maggie Stiefvater's Ballad, The Art of Non-Conformity (by Chris Guillebeau ), the Teacher's editions for both math texts my boys are using, david levithan's Are We There Yet? and at least three other books that I already returned to the library and now their names have escaped me, but their contents will stay with me always, lumped in with all the tea bag philosophy, chinese fortunes, umpteen sales flyers and catalogs and maybe a couple hundred emails. Oh, and let's not forget every single small print label on all the groceries I bought today ... several bags worth. I'm sure I've left something out.

Reading keeps me sane, and it gives me something to write about.

Making some noise

2010-09-17T11:19:00.000-05:00

I hate election season. I hate all the fighting, all the lies, all the urgent requests for contributions, as if my vote isn't good enough. Sure, I have my preferences, I may even have strong feelings for a candidate here and there. In Illinois, it's more common that my strong feelings are that the candidates belong in jail.

So, since it is inevitable that we WILL send a number of crooks, liars and outright lunatics to Washington with plenty of power to make our lives even more miserable, I found a little comfort in some pending legislation in the US Senate, the Secret Holds Elimination Act. Its purpose, simply to add a layer of accountability for the dirty tricks that mask as business-as-usual. Will it pass? Not without some noise from the peanut gallery.

Here is some noise. Please join me in adding your own.

The following is in quotes because I did not write it. I simply endorse it wholeheartedly.

"I just added my name to Senators McCaskill, Durbin, and Whitehouse's petition calling for swift passage of the Secret Holds Elimination Act in the U.S. Senate.

Senators with something to hide are using “secret holds” at an unprecedented rate to sabotage legislation and nominations that they don’t want to see the light of day.

The McCaskill/Wyden/Grassley Secret Holds Elimination Act would take the “secret” out of the secret holds process by forcing senators to identify themselves when they want to stop progress, and is up for a vote as soon as next week. We have to act now.

Will you join me in helping to make sure this bill passes? Add your name to our petition now!"

http://www.StopSecretHolds.com

Thanks!

If you can't say anything nice ...

2010-08-08T19:19:00.000-05:00

I know, nobody wants to read a bunch of whining and complaining. So I've kept quiet.

Here, look at this pretty cloud picture.

Stare good and long, now ... meditate on it awhile. While I tell you about the DUMBASS next door that thought a nice hot, muggy Sunday morning looks like a good time to pile up all the damp yard debris and set it to SMOKIN! I didn't take time out to photograph the event, as I was racing to shut off the AC before it dispersed a smoke cloud throughout the house. Then we got the hell out of there, in search of breathable air.

Environmentalists like to promote denser community living. Well, my little corner of the world has gone way past dense to completely STUPID. I think if you're going to live less than a mile from the nearest neighbor, you should have to pass an IQ test. Everyone who fails has to live in the same one-room condo all together. I doubt they'd improve their score, but it should also inhibit reproduction. Then again, maybe not.

On the plus side ... looks like my tomato plants just may produce after all. Slowly, but surely, the zucchini and squashes are showing up, too, mostly one at a time. Despite all that my garden has suffered this summer, it seems only the pepper plants will disappoint. I can live with that. So I won't be doing any canning or preserving this year, at least I can enjoy the fruits of my labor for awhile this summer. Live and learn, better luck next year.

my world

2010-07-24T20:43:00.000-05:00

The sky looks like a painting tonight.

Feet up, butt in chair

2010-06-13T20:07:00.003-05:00

Pen in hand, notebook on lap, tis the season to write, write, write. Yes, summer is my very favorite season of all. And I begin every summer with the best of intentions. And yes, I do find much FUBIC time on my hands. Not without its interruptions, of course, as any mother will tell you, but they are becoming fewer, spaced out more. I'm talking about the children, the ones that are growing up and quite happy to be off playing with friends and escaping too frequent parental inspections. Those I can deal with.

So there must be a new annoyance in the neighborhood. There's no construction vehicles. Loud car stereos are becoming more infrequent (local police patrols are quite frequent, and they have a thing for those car stereos). So it must be ... new neighbors ... close neighbors ... dog owners ... big dogs ... barking dogs ... whose reasonable requests to come inside after the morning thing seem to take FOREVER. And also, they miss their owners quite sadly and loudly every afternoon around 3:00, which is at least a couple hours before anyone comes home to greet them.

I wonder if the BarkOff works.

Wii doesn't teach sportsmanship

2010-05-11T10:21:00.003-05:00

Wii cheats.

I just ko'd my little pro boxer while still figuring out which buttons to push. Oh, and you don't push buttons, just punch the air. So while he was wailing on me, somehow he got knocked out. I even had big brother check to make sure we were holding the correct controllers, so he wasn't punching himself out. Nope.

Wii cheats.

So we tried baseball. I got a home run. On a screwball. After 7 strikes in a row. Totally believable. And then, as pitcher, I caught every single one of his line drives.

Wii cheats.

Sunday sanity

2010-05-02T20:24:00.002-05:00

The rest of the week is insane, but Sunday is my day off. No workout, rest, relax, recover. Yoga is the answer. Gardening, or rather, yanking weeds and dead stuff out of the gardens, is my therapy.

The local posse broke the cover to the sandbox yesterday. It was 9 years old, and one of these days the kids should have figured out they were too big to fall all over it. Plastic grown brittle by years of sunshine and rough-housing boys ... it was inevitable. Without a cover, the sandbox must be officially retired.

For the last several years I have added my collection of shells found on east coast beaches to the white sand. One of my favorite ways to spend a summer afternoon was to pull up a beach chair, bury my toes into the warm sand, and open up my notebook and write away the hours while my boys play in the yard, or take off to play with their friends. I must admit the loss of my beachfront property has me in a bit of a funk.

So I spent much of the afternoon planning, visualizing more raised beds for vegetables in the back, more perennials and rose bushes in the front. More work, more money, but also more therapy. Big dreams for now, but we shall see what actually comes to pass. Once school is out, there's no stopping me, except for the money part.

It might be easier just to get a new sandbox.

Roller coaster of Insanity

2010-04-25T09:19:00.003-05:00

I went back to the Y ... to confront the scale. It's still evil.

My tape measure is much friendlier, so I will stick with that. The ultimate goal is to be fit and healthy, and be able to wear old summer clothes and not have to go out and buy bigger ones. And I'm well on my way, Yay!

But my body aches. And most days I'm ready for a nap by about 4PM.

But every morning I have tons of energy, (after 20 mins resting with an ice pack on my swollen ankle). Even before coffee.

And I feel stronger ... when I'm not too tired to make it up the stairs. Or too sore.

A hot shower feels good. And a day of rest, well earned, feels even better.

Moving in the right direction

2010-04-18T08:35:00.002-05:00

I haven't been to the gym all week, and I feel great! Okay, not really great. I've used muscles that have been in retirement for far too long, and they are screaming! But even though I haven't really "dieted", there has been change for the better. Numbers heading down to where they belong. Just a smidge, but in the right direction. (No I haven't weighed myself, I don't have a scale. I'm going by the Almighty Tape Measure)

Yes, this new program I started is truly Insanity. When half the "class" is dropping, I don't feel so bad that I can't even begin to keep up. But I can keep getting back up and keep at it. And I've done more push-ups than I ever thought possible!

At the gym, I'm my own trainer. Even the occasional times when I've used a personal trainer, nobody ever pushed me this hard. And that's the whole point. Everybody says No Pain, No Gain, but I've never seen anybody at the gym, including the Boot Camp classes, push themselves to the point of failure. Yes, seriously smacking my face into the mat when I thought I could do one more push-up, then getting back up and trying again.

I get up early, don't have to wait for anybody, don't have to drive anywhere, don't have to be cheerful and chit chat in the locker room, don't have to wait for any equipment, don't have to clean off any machines, don't have to remember my tunes ...just get dressed and push play. Right in my own livingroom I have a high intensity cardio workout, with a motivating trainer. Every day is different, so I'll never get bored. And all done in less than an hour, including warm-up and stretching. And if we head out on a road trip, I can take it with me.

I may never go back to the Y.

I am Insane

2010-04-11T19:47:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow's the big day.

I'm starting a new program. I am sick of working out at the gym 5-6 days a week, and looking like a couch potato. The mommy-belly has got to go. Unfortunately, no sane person has devised a program where teenager-appetite meets mommy-metabolism, and it all evens out.

So it's time for Insanity.

60 days, starting tomorrow. It's going to hurt. I may cry. But I absolutely can NOT quit.

I sure don't look like the professional athletes and dancers on the dvds, and I don't expect to. I have realistic expectations (I hope I don't pass out from exhaustion!), but having a cheering section will go a long way in getting me through the first week. And my husband is my biggest fan, having plunked down the cash and ordered the program. He's the one who got me back into the gym habit a few years ago so that I am now ready for this. And he's the one who actually looks like he works out 6 days a week.

I'm ready to look the part, too. Who's with me?

Collateral Damages

2010-03-25T06:58:00.004-05:00

Democrats in Washington passed sweeping healthcare reform this week and the President signed it into law, leaving lots of tiny little details still to be worked out. Leaving hope for the Republicans to still block it, there's plenty of room for political maneuverings and all kinds of grandstanding to keep fighting.

And they've ramped up the rhetoric, the inflammatory language, the incitement to violence in an already overly violent society. Threats of gun violence on posters is so yesterday, now they've stepped it up to voice mail messages warning of sniper attacks. Bricks have been thrown, and a gas line cut at the home of a family member of an elected official, and they called it "collateral damage".

Collateral damage ... that's what the military refers to innocent bystanders who stand too close to the target.

And just look at all those targets. Are you standing too close to any of them?

Don't stand next to Nancy Pelosi, she's been put on the "firing line" by the RNC Chairman himself. Sounds like an American fatwah. Or just maybe an old-fashioned Chicago Contract. Is that what they mean by their Contract With America? Is it just another one of their code words?

And let's not forget the call to eradicate the evil cancer that surrounds us ... the Liberals! (don't stand too close to me, now!) Sure Glenn Beck has been poisoning the airwaves with his calls for violence, fear-mongering the Faux News way, and nobody will hold him responsible for the deaths that have occurred in his wake.

What about the Republican representatives in Congress that stood out on a balcony and waved "Kill the Bill" signs at angry supporters? Will they accept responsibility for the angry mob's actions? Even after they fanned the flames?

Threats and intimidation are just business as usual for the right-wing extremists. From the lynchings and cross burnings, bombing women's health clinics and murdering doctors, it's all business as usual.

And now elected officials and their families are the targets. For standing up for their constituents they now have to seek out security experts to protect themselves. Or back down. Now is that democracy in action?

They say they are afraid. They are afraid of government taking over our lives. They are afraid of "socialism" without even knowing what socialism is. They are afraid of our President, the one elected by a majority of the voters.

Well, I'm afraid of them.

An internet vacation

2010-03-11T19:27:00.003-06:00

Yes, I did it. I took a real vacation, an entire week with no internet. And proved to myself that I am not addicted.

It was easy, actually. Simply made sure I had enough memory for my camera to hold all the photos I planned to take, so I wouldn't need to download them to the computer until I got home. My dear husband made sure he also would not need any computer, so we didn't even bring one. And since I never did get the data plan for my phone, there's no temptation to log on there, either.

As for temptation, apparently we're not supposed to travel without our internet gadgets. Airports had wi-fi signs everywhere, even charging stations. Good for business travelers, but not good for vacationing families, especially if somebody has trouble dis-connecting. And American Airlines has taken it to the next level ... wi-fi in the air. No, not kidding. Now you have no excuse not to keep your head buried in your Crackberry for the entire duration of your flight, except for take-off and landing, of course. It's only a matter of time before we're all permanently tethered to the world wide web.

I'll give Disney props for keeping their internet references to a minimum. Even the Photo Pass photographer said to log on "when you get home" to see the photos. A wise suggestion to just keep on having fun. Which we did. At least we tried.

A bit of this, a splotch of that

2010-02-24T22:28:00.002-06:00

First, I have to say ... does anyone else have trouble concentrating with Super Mario Bros theme music playing over and over again in the background? Hmmm? Or how about Donkey Kong Jungle Beat? All those bananas make me hungry all the time.

Tonight it's Rabbids Go Home. I may have to try that one. In secret, when nobody shorter than me is around to witness my apparent inability to control the controller.

And thanks to a recent re-do, as in trade in a desk for a smaller desk substitute, thereby moving my "workspace" from one side of the room to the other, and resulting in said background music pummeling its way into the back of my head, there has been a marked decrease in output. Which means I've been dithering away my time watching pointless you-tube videos and catching up on the all-important FB updates. Oh, and deleting just about every original idea that pops into my head that actually gets typed on a nice blank space here. Delete.

Not going to do that tonight. Well, not too much anyway.

Called my senators today. Yep. I was afforded the opportunity to have an impact on impending healthcare legislation by leaving a message. I'm so underwhelmed.

I tried. And even though I did not fail my stated goal, I still feel like so much of an insignificant peon. Thankyouverymuchohesteemedsenators. Seriously, can we just fire the whole bunch of 'em and start over?

How 'bout them Olympics?! Go World! And for the record, YES I do watch figure skating. The commentary from the Peanut/Pumpkin gallery added a humorous twist, particularly the ice dancing. Note to ladies: too much makeup makes you look OLD! And what's with the men and their Hair Wars? Did Blue Lagoon guy get extra points for difficulty?

It's late. It's snowing. Again. In December it was pretty, and fun and festive. In January, I could still see the beauty in new fallen snow. Now I just want Spring. Now. Sun. Warmth. Now.

my toes are freezing.

This May Be Our Last Hope

2010-01-22T19:40:00.001-06:00

Democracy in action

2010-01-13T09:09:00.006-06:00

It seems we have an election coming up. The primary, actually, but still an important election. Or so I try to convince myself. Up till now I've always prided myself on being an informed voter. Never missed an election. Never. And it's unlikely I'll miss this one. But that doesn't mean I'll actually cast a vote for any of the candidates that show up on my ballot.

For most of my life I was a true believer in the system. Democracy in action! Yeah! Power to the people!

I'm not swallowing it anymore.

You can blame it on the "Change We Can Believe In", that hasn't really changed anything other than adding a garden and some playground equipment to the White House lawns. You can blame it on the last two governors (not one but two! and I voted for both of them! so much for being an informed voter!). You can blame it on the so-called Healthcare Debates in Congress, which are more about who's going to make more money and how they're going to do it while making us peons think they're really trying to help us. And you can blame it on the budget mess down in Springfield, which gets worse every year. Every. Single. Year.

But most of all, you can blame it on the crusading hypocritical politicians, whose claims to high-and-mightiness get higher and more outrageous with every breath, and who are then crushed by the many skeletons that come out of their closets, their mistresses closets, and mens' restroom stalls. And the greed. The never-ending greed.

Who elects these public servants? Individual voters who go to the polls in the hopes that they mean what they say. And then who do they serve? Their corporate paymasters. So why bother, says the cynic.

I will forever remain an independent voter, you can count on that. But in the primaries here, we independent voters can choose any ballot that is available. Republican? Can I screw up some frontrunner's plans? Democrat? Do they really serve progressive interests?

The Green ballot looks like a ray of sunshine in January. At least I can be counted in opposition to the business-as-usual two-party system.

So it's not as easy as it looks ...

2010-01-04T19:32:00.002-06:00

I've always taken a multivitamin, ever since I was a child. I give them to my children, too. And I really haven't bothered to read the ingredient labels, until now.

In addition to a morning jolt of caffeine, my one-a-days contain ingredients from FISH.

1. That explains why I can get up and go to the gym before coffee. Until this morning, I thought it was OK for me to operate a motor vehicle on a public parkway without the advantage of the morning java. Apparently I was wrong.

2. The reason I was reading the label in the first place ... I suspected something fishy. I got FISH. I have nothing against fish, personally. I happen to like fish. I have a pleasant conversation with our beta, Dragon, pretty much every morning. He sits on the kitchen counter (absorbing the warmth from the dishwasher) right below the cabinet where I keep the fishy fish pills. I had no idea, as I set out on this journey to veganism, that I was ingesting fish every morning.

But wait, there's more! More fish, that is ... in my afternoon fizzy-drink supplement, Airborne-wannabe-but-really-store-brand. Damn, and I liked that stuff, too. Well, maybe I'll have to check out the Airborne label, maybe go back to the real thing, with the real pricetag to match. There's no mention of fish on their website, only whole plant materials, so there's hope there.

I really am thrown for a loop here. I feel betrayed. While I was planning out my day to make sure I didn't accidentally scarf down a cup of yogurt or absently sprinkle some cheese on my lunch, the fish snuck up on me ... before coffee, even! So not fair.

Well, I'm on to you now, sneaky fishy supplements. What's next, lard in my veggie burger?

What? Me Vegan?

2010-01-03T19:13:00.002-06:00

It's not a New Year's Resolution, exactly. I'm not in control of the timing, I'm just taking advantage of yet another free diet program on the internet. Remember the Go Red for Women? 12 weeks over the summer. So now it's a 21-Day Vegan Kick-off, and it started January 1st. (But you can jump in anytime, right here!

Yes, another diet. Or, as I prefer, another strategy to improve my eating habits for a long, healthful life (at or near my perfect weight for me, of course). Since I don't eat much meat anyway, and the more I know about factory farming, the less I want to eat anything that's not chocolate. This is a way to make sure I'm getting the nutrition I need when I'm not getting any animal protein. So far, it's not much of a stretch for me.

Okay, so it helps that my closest friend in this little town is vegan. Her whole family is vegan. So we often exchange recipes anyway. Not that strange. And my family is not going to be giving up anything. I still cook them their steakums and pizza (with real cheese) and eggs. I still butter their toast with real butter. I've been cooking restaurant style for a few years now, since nobody ever wants to eat the same thing, and never at the same time. I doubt anybody will even notice. (so far I'm not telling, just to see, shhhhh!)

Will it last? Will I get the rest of the crew on board? Who knows. Will I find my ideal weight and easily maintain it? Hmmmm .... I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve on that front.

Number One: Keeping the Y membership. 6 days a week, changing it up every now and then. And adding in Yoga, trying to get some in most every day.

And then there's the book. A Christmas gift from my dear husband, who supports me in my efforts to maintain a healthy weight. Yes Really! He's in better shape than most men who are not professional athletes, so we just want to give our boys a couple of good role models. So there it is: Crack the Fat Loss Code, by Wendy Chant. Reading it is challenging ... not because it's all technical and detailed and stuff. No, just the opposite. It reads like one looooooong internet marketing letter ... with a few bits and pieces of real information thrown in to make me think it's worthwhile to finish. And believe me, if it ends up to be total fluff, Ms. Chant is going to hear from me!

But so far, she seems to have a plan for "outsmarting your metabolism", and she just dumbed it down for your average yo-yo dieting idiot. Because, for some reason, smart people don't read? Or smart people don't read diet books? I read lots of diet books, and cook books, and nutrition books, and mix it all up and do my own thing anyway. And I maintain a size (ranges from moderately tight to not really tight at all, but pretty much all within one size). So I can get through this one. There's plenty of Dr. Seuss around here to keep my brain working at full creative capacity.

By the way, that Go Red for Women? Really works. When I finally went for labs this past fall, my Dr's response to the results: Ridiculously Healthy. All I have to do is keep it up ... for the rest of my life.

Happy Holidays ... All of Them!

2009-12-23T16:48:00.002-06:00

The Holiday Season started early around here .... waaaaaay early (like Halloween!), and it's been nonstop fun ever since. Yep, just one fantastic holiday after another. After Halloween we embarked on a celebration-a-day, with Sandwich Day and Guy Fawkes Day and Chaos Never Dies Day and Veterans Day and World Kindness Day followed by World Peace Day (didn't work, send more troops) and Children's Day and Go For A Ride Day and Thanksgiving and Black Friday (next year it's Buy Nothing Day, promise!) and Red Planet Day and ... that was just the month of November.

Then we started in on Santa's List Day, St. Nicholas Day, Pearl Harbor Day, National Ding-a-Ling Day, St. Lucia's Day, National Chocolate Covered Anything Day (didn't think I was going to miss that one, did you?), and Chanukah and Humbug Day and Winter Solstice and tonight we have Festivus (which is also my mom's birthday, Happy Birthday Mom!). There's still Christmas Eve and Christmas and Boxing Day and New Year's Eve (and probably one or two I'm skipping). Once we get into the New Year, though, I'm calling a moratorium on holidays. Just way too much fun going on here.

So when I say Happy Holidays to you, I mean I hope you are enjoying every single holiday you can scrape out of an otherwise cold and grey season. The days start to get longer, and hopefully sunnier soon, and I'll be clearing a path through the debris left over from all the revelry for at least the next month. Maybe I'll even finish the laundry.

Friends and (internet)neighbors just helping out

2009-10-25T14:16:00.003-05:00

Today I am feeling grateful. Especially grateful for friends who listen (or just read my emails) and care, and want to fix things even when I have to fix it myself. Thanks guys!

And grateful to strangers on the internet. Particularly those unselfish techie folks who help out complete strangers with free advice. Kudos to Bleepingcomputer.com, whose mission is to make life easier for the un-tech who must depend on their computers, "no strings attached". Really and truly! And for the moderately-techie, they are indispensable. Also, since I practically need to be hit over the head three times before I get it, PCWorld.com, and the great minds at antivirus.about.com also led the way back to a working computer.

You see, in this family, the computers are my responsibility. Yes, we have too many but I still back them all up! I've known them, lived with them most of my life, taken them apart and put them back together, and banged the crap out of them when I needed to. Yup, it's my job to make sure that everyone in this family is connected at all times. And yet, it's that pesky internet connection that trips me up every time and I gotta get my husband to fix it, cause if I have to call Comcast, they'll disconnect the entire house and then EVERYBODY gets upset.

Thanks to Bleepingcomputer.com, I only took 4 evenings out of my busy week (and a few mornings, too) to completely eradicate the pestilence that had invaded my son's laptop. It's supposed to be an educational tool, but he has learned myriad ways to download anything and everything his little heart desires. McAfee Antivirus has met its match, and lost.

Oh, and did I mention ... I did not have to pay any money. None. Nada. And still, all that wonderful free advice comes with a pleasant little "have a nice day" just for the heck of it.

The Peanut is back in business, downloading and uploading and searching for stuff to do, to play, to buy. And I'm having a nice day.

Making a buck off of Flu Season?

2009-10-11T19:58:00.002-05:00

Get your flu shots! Every day!

Walgreen's on every corner, all advertising flu shots anytime, anyday. Target has it, CVS, the grocery store practically sticks you as you come through the revolving door. All accept cash.

My medical clinic, staffed by real doctors and nurses, where my insurance is accepted in lieu of cash, has no flu shots available. Sorry. Try Walgreen's.

Isn't that where I'll be purchasing my various flu symptom relievers? When I get the flu, that is, because I can't seem to get the shot, as covered by my health insurance ... (so much for my excellent coverage).

Oh I know, the insurance companies have screwed more people out of their life savings until they just die and poor lil ole me just wants to NOT get sick. I'm not asking for much. Or am I?

Slugfest

2009-09-27T20:52:00.011-05:00

I have been very patient. Waiting and waiting for the tomatoes to ripen, maybe even show some color? Just a bit? I have two tomato plants in my little 5X3 raised bed garden. Both were gifts from another, more experienced gardener. One is your basic large beefsteak type tomato, and the other is cherry tomatoes. Nice combination.

I underestimated the ... um, heft of the larger tomato plant, and they kept falling down. Most of the summer, actually, even before the tomatoes started coming. So I finally gave up and just spread them around a bit, trying to give each one enough room to grow and be fruitful.

More than 2 dozen large (4-6 inches across, I don't buy them this big at the store!) green tomatoes on one plant. Would've been nice to share. But the slugs had other ideas. I didn't discover them until it was too late. I may have saved 2 or three, but the rest are ... ick. Mush. Slug food.

Okay, so maybe letting the tomato plants just lounge around, filling up the box where the cucumbers were now drying up and away, covering up a few basil plants, shading the peppers that I already knew weren't going to produce any peppers ... go ahead and say it. The perfect environment for slugs. And boy did they have a feast.

Well, not anymore. I cleaned up. I hacked it all away. Not even composting this stuff, in case I missed any live ones. And the surprised little buggers got a nice warm soapy bath (they can't swim, mwahahahaha!)

All that's left is one cherry tomato plant, and it's propped up all over the place. Not much shade to be found in the garden anymore. But I'm watching, and waiting. Patiently.

BetterMe Week 12 done and gone ...

2009-09-04T09:33:00.002-05:00

but not forgotten. Nope, still have to work at these weekly goals and rewards. I think this will work for me on a regular basis, as long as I keep writing it down. Not that I'm going to keep blogging my weekly goals all the time. No, that would be boring, as I have to repeat some of them pretty regularly.

But Week 12 of the BetterU Program is done. In fact, I lost track sometime during that last Family Road Trip. But I keep on my diet, looking for the healthy eating in a sea of southern fried whenever I can. And the garden, it is bursting with ripe vegetables. Well, a pretty good supply of cucumbers and lettuce, anyway. We need a bit more HEAT to spur the tomatoes on, to ripen enough to eat. There's tons of green ones out there, I won't know what to do with them all if they ever do get to full ripeness. Well, then again, maybe I will. Lots of recipes, just have to make some room in the freezer.

So am I actually healthier than when I started? Since I didn't actually get any official numbers to start, and not going to get them for a few more weeks yet, I guess I'll just have to do the year to year comparison. And for starters, I'm a size and a half smaller. Not two sizes, that would make life too easy, one size and it's plenty roomy. Leaves room for improvement.

Still working on the family's healthy eating, but with my dear sweet husband grudgingly trying out new recipes, occasionally, he sets the example for the boys. And I crack the whip when necessary. But still they grow, those darn boys who barely eat any food at all. One day they'll get hungry, and then I'll be sorry.

But I think the Program has been good for me, good for all of us. BetterU, BetterMe, so I can Live Long and Prosper (and annoy my kids for many more decades to come, mwahahahahaha!)

The Health Care Debate Simplified

2009-08-28T09:07:00.003-05:00

This is totally worth your time. Many thanks to Dan Roam for this presentation. Check out www.backofthenapkin.com.

Healthcare Napkins All

www.slideshare.net/">documents from Dan Roam.

Another Family Road Trip

2009-08-26T09:39:00.005-05:00

It's good to be home! Especially after a marathon driving day like yesterday ... about 700 miles worth. (Ok, so I only actually drove about 150, but I was still in the car for the rest of it!)

Our cabin in TN was beautiful!

Oh wait, that's not it! That's an old farm in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There's a few of them dotted around the mountains. Pretty spare accomodations. Not exactly our style.

Now here's our rented cabin ...

A little more modern, including all the conveniences of home (and a hot tub on the back porch!)

So the scenery was beautiful, the bears stayed in the woods, at a respectful distance ... in other words, my one and only picture is too blurry to make out more than a black splotch, but we did see one, and we also saw lots of ... um ... "evidence" of their presence on the trail, which we carefully avoided stepping in.

Of course, it was so much more than nature hikes in the woods. Our trip was loaded with the usual touristy stuff, Dollywood (open wallet, insert straw), healthful (HA!) ok, Good Eatin', where the vegetables are either fried or just plain soaked in butter, get yer Fried Bologna Biscuit for breakfast! Um, yeah, we ate in quite a bit. Mini golf, where you have to take a train to the top to start the course, lazer tag, Incredible Christmas Place (Singing Santa had the day off), and lots of pool in our very own game room. And the hot tub, of course.

We do enjoy our family road trips. Looking forward to the next one, actually. But, for now, it's good to be home!

2 Weeks in One!

2009-08-20T07:52:00.002-05:00

That's right, we have weeks 10 AND 11 all rolled into one here today! Fun, Fun, Fun! Almost Done!

Well, almost done with this BETTERU Program, that's all. Nothing else is almost done. Habits are still being learned, changed for the better. We are a work in progress, and there is always more to do. Now ... for the results...

Planning Menus and Food Journaling ... all that writing things down seems to be a problem, for some strange reason. I pick up a notebook and paper and write down everything on my mind, and I avoid the food issue. This one is going to be a constant thorn in my side. I know it will work wonders for the whole family in so many ways: budgeting, not wasting food, eating healthier meals and snacks, not eating too much (me!) as I write everything down. And especially while the gym is closed, I particularly need to watch my intake more carefully (that's my weigh-in, so no reminders from the scale for a couple weeks!). So this goal has not yet been reached. Still working on it.

Week 10: the focus is on family history and family health. Well, as I've said before, not much in the way of family history and heart disease. Got the genes on my side, so I better just work with them. As for my family, well, they're pretty active, but the guys sure do love their snacks! Meals, not so much. One of my goals was to get them all to sit down to a heart-healthy meal. My cooking is pretty heart healthy most of the time anyway, so the sitting down part is no problem. It's the getting them to eat it part that's a chore ... a work in progress.

Goal number 2, get the family active together, with one new activity per week. Well, we've all been "working out", both at home and the gym. The boys have been paying attention to their muscles, and they like to see improvement in their physique. They do sit-ups and push-ups nearly every morning, with us parents coaching them on, and joining in to show how it's done. (ok, I'm still working on my push-up form!). Activity is a family habit ... hope it stays that way.

Week 11 (that's right, 2 for the price of 1!): All about cigarette smoking. We are a non-smoking family. Even the extended family are non-smokers. I have no smoking friends. Restaurants are smoke-free here. My family lives a smoke-free lifestyle. My kids even equate smokers with criminals (and yes, I correct them and say it's a bad habit, not a bad person!).

But that's not to say that this week does not apply. No, no, no, no, no! A smoker's biggest obstacle in achieving the smoke-free lifestyle is the lapse, often caused by "high risk situations" (for me that could be just a schedule change, jeez!). Anyway, that is what I must be alert for: the lapse, the sitting back and letting old habits just sneak their way back in to my life. It's all about the cookies for me, and while they don't harm those around me, never heard of second-hand cookie breath, I must still be vigilant and not let the cookies take over.

So, the goals for this week: Watch out for the cookies! Just keep writing things down and pay attention to what goes in ... and work off the extra beer I had at the Journey concert the other night. And pay attention to the schedule change: no gym does not mean no workout! Neither does rain or travelling ... just do it. Actually that's an easier one to keep, because I know how I feel if I don't move ... stiff and achy. I work my muscles, and reward them with a soak in the pool (oh no, the pool is closing for the summer soon! another obstacle!). Well, there's always the tub, I guess, in a pinch. I think I need to look for a healthclub with a pool close by, or it's going to be a long winter.

And now it's Week 9 ...

2009-08-07T09:03:00.003-05:00

Yes, Week 9. Out of 12 weeks, we've done 8, two months now ... so what are my results so far?

1. Weight seems to be stabilized. Plateaued. Not sure if this is where I'm going to stay forever, but it sure looks like that's the plan for now. In the meantime, I'm getting much better with the habits. The trick will be to continue them through the changing seasons. Summer's easy, I'm pretty much on my own schedule. Once I start school again ... well, it's still my schedule. Just a little fuller.

2. Last week's goal of adding in balance and flexibility, aka Yoga: needs work. Still on it, because I feel the benefits when I do. So maybe 3x a week may be more realistic than every day. But then again, a little bit every day may go further in the daily stress reduction.

New goals for this week: The focus is on diabetes (type 2), and pre-diabetes, which really have no symptoms. Just getting my blood sugar checked, which won't happen until my next scheduled check-up this fall. Another perfect score on the quiz, but awareness isn't going to prevent anything. Basically they just say to keep up healthy living habits for life. (From there I guess we just cross our fingers? And hope the genes are in our favor?)

So a good habit to keep is the Planning Menus habit. We eat better, and I shop more wisely, if our meals are planned out ahead of time. Save money, eat healthy. So what's the problem? Well, I don't have the organizational skills, for one. The stick-to-the-plan mind set, for another. The family resists healthy eating, especially the children, who would live on sugary cereals, cinnamon toast, candy and cookies, if I let them. Not that they're any different from any other kids, just a bit more stubborn with the not eating real food when it's served to them.

This could get ugly.

And goal number 2 is back to the food journaling. Need to stick to the plan, and put it in writing. So that's what I'm going to do today. Plan, plan, plan ... and then go shopping. This would be so much easier if I actually liked the shopping part ... sigh.

Welcome to Week 8 (better late than never!)

2009-08-01T08:47:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I know, it's Saturday. Not even close to Tuesday or even Wednesday. Well, so what. I can't see my puter screen so well outside, and that's where I like to spend my days ... OUTSIDE.

Yes, while I may notice it's not as hot as I like my summer days, it sure is pretty sunny, only partly cloudy, which still requires certain amounts of shade, but not the indoor kind. Baseball caps, beach hats, the table umbrella in the back yard, and the occasional tree on my neighborhood walk, all suffice for shade. Because it's not really that hot out.

So how'd I do this past week? Goal #1 was read labels. And my boys reaped the rewards this week, when I picked up a box of fruit snacks. They haven't seen fruit snacks in ages. All that Red #9 or whatever number it is, that phony coloring stuff and high fructose corn syrup and all the other ingredients I can't pronounce or spell, just plain scare me. So. Enter Annies Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks (they do not contain any actual bunny parts, whew!). And a chance stop at my nearby Fruitful Yield, where reading labels, and price tags, illuminated the fact that there are plenty of items that are cheaper than Target, and better for me, my family, my whole damn neighborhood (aka the environment). Yes, label reading was a success.

I just have to save the fruit snacks for the children. Just step away from the fruit snacks. Just Keep Walking.

Which brings me to item number two on my goals list: Identify negative thoughts and replace them with more positive thinking. Well, not very good at finding the negatives. I think I just blithely ignore them anyway, and therefore they can't be very damaging. I mean, if I can't even notice a negative thought. A Temptation, though, now that's the real danger. So every temptation (and the grocery store is full of them!) has to be drowned out by Just Keep Walking. And it works, mostly. I tried it, I use it daily. Hard to bend down and reach into the back of the fridge to get at the last chocolate chips when I Just Keep Walking.

I said hard, I didn't say impossible.

So this week's emphasis is on blood pressure. And the first thing I did was get a perfect score on the quiz. Well, again, I have the genes on my side here. Low bp is more my norm. And as for managing stress, well, I have two little boys who have been giving me lessons in stress management for the last ten years. I think I've got this one.

But I'm following a new suggested goal: adding balance and flexibility to my exercise regimen. I found some yoga workouts at yoga-tv.net, and some other exercises at my homeschool fitness trainer's site (fithomeschoolmoms.com, coach Angela Ramos is one tough trainer, I love her!)

So making time for Yoga, adding it to my afternoons when I can, reduces stress, and may improve my terminal balance problem. I've done it before, how else do you think I made it through two pregnancies without any major falls? Yes, it works. Just have to squeeze it into the day. And as for the stress reduction ... well, I know a couple of little guys, and one bigger guy, who are glad I do yoga, even if they don't know it!

It's Movie Time!

2009-07-26T20:59:00.002-05:00

Yep, I did it. I contributed to the shifting of the universe, the tilting of the time/space continuum, the DE-THRONING of (gasp) Harry Potter. No, I'm not proud.

Opening Day: G-Force, with two very happy boys.

Good thing it was funny. Good thing I can still relate to the kinds of stories thought up by 5-year-old boys. Good thing Disney makes movies with stories thought up by 5-year-old boys. (I believe the soon-to-be released Aliens In The Attic was the brainchild of some over-grown gamer living in his mom's basement, but I'm not sure)

Somebody owes me big time. Like, Harry Potter in IMAX. And an entire evening with the nice big TV devoted to an uninterrupted Pirates of the Caribbean Triple Feature, and a bottle of rum. A FULL bottle of rum.

And speaking of the versatile Mr. Depp ... only 8 more months until the Mad Hatter! In 3D! Mwahahahaha!

Happy Happy Better

2009-07-23T08:32:00.002-05:00

Oh I know it's not Tuesday, not even Wednesday ... so what? I'm here, still working on my heart health, still shaping up and improving my eating habits. What are we on ... week 7, I think.

Results for the last week: Not good, not bad. I was sick. I could barely get to the gym. I could barely drive the car to go retrieve food for the family. And Yet ... weight stayed the same. Clothes appear to fit the same. And, even though recovery is slow (day 8 of antibiotics and I still hear the ocean in my right ear, but not much else), back at the gym things are going well. Look in my fridge and all you see is fruit, fruit, some veggies in the bottom drawer, more fruit. Fresh blueberries, sitting atop a mountain of watermelon slices, lounging next to the bowl of fresh pineapple. A pitcher of Sangria in the back (LOADED with fruit!). Yes, my fridge looks like a summer bounty, with nectarines, apples and plums rolling around the bottom shelf. All within easy reach of lazy children.

But I'm the only one enjoying all this natural sugar.

Goals for next week: Well, this week at BetterU the emphasis is on cholesterol. Lowering it. Which you really can't know if your efforts are working unless you actually have your numbers checked. And I'm not scheduled for my next check-up till the fall. But, since those numbers have never actually been a problem in the first place, I'm fine with doing the work, and just delaying the gratification. I'll know when I know.

But, one thing I am not doing, just not. I do not like margarine, and I will not replace real butter with that fake stuff. No. Just Not Doing It.

I don't use much butter for myself. DH has cut down, watching his own cholesterol, now barely uses much at all. Even the children use just a tad on their toast. To go and switch now, to something with a totally different flavor ... it's just wrong. Better for us to use the REAL THING, only sparingly. I use oil for cooking, mostly. And for baking? Try some vegan recipes, no butter at all. You would never know. Seriously!

There I go, bucking the system again. Going against the flow. NO, we are not giving up butter in this household! Moderation works way better than total denial.

So what AM I doing? Reading food lables for saturated and trans fats. Like that's anything new. I practically ELIMINATED those nasty trans fats a long time ago, with an occasional exception for the children. Maybe now they're gone for good. As for saturated fat, another infrequent visitor around here ... except for a few of the boys' favorite treats. But for me? Except for cookies, not really a fan. And I've been pretty good about the cookies, for the most part.

And for goal number 2: Find a new place to be active. The gym will be closing soon, the library is also closing, leaving me without that weekly library/playground meetup with friends. So, time to find something new to add to the mix. Most likely more walking, but I need to come up with some alternatives in less than ideal weather, as well. Because that happens, too.

Adding in a goal number 3 this week, at the suggestion of BetterU: Make a conscious effort to identify my negative thoughts and turn them into positive ones. Only because it seems like everybody has these sneaky little confidence-busters, so I must too. Right? I just don't know it.

It's the cookies! Or the penguins (they're taking over the world!)

Let's not forget rewards! Hmmm ... I did want to go to the County Fair this week ... but that's a minefield of saturated fat. Maybe not a good idea just yet. ENDORPHINS! YES! That is a good reward, happens nearly every day, when I put in the effort and go all out. But what about rewarding good eating, sticking with menus (like I nearly did last week), identifying those pesky negative thoughts?

Coffee with a good friend. (Black, nearly no calories) Lots of Laughs. Good One. And I TOTALLY Deserve it.

Weekly Update, relatively speaking

2009-07-16T07:40:00.002-05:00

The brain, she stayed at the beach. The Temp is not quite up to speed. And yet, there is work to be done. It only takes twice as long ...

I had to go back and read last week's goals. It's not like I actually worked at them. No, just keeping up with some regular strenuous exercise while on vacation and eating all kinds of Cape goodies was work enough. But I did manage a new recipe: homemade Bran muffins, (from my vegan friend, not sparkpeople, that's next though). Oh they are so good, especially with a touch of blueberry preserves, then heated a tad, JUST a tad. MMMM, hard to stop at just 1. So I keep them in the freezer. (nobody else around here wants them anyway)

Yoga? does not go well with Sinus Infection + Ear Infections. Might make a funny video for YouTube, but I prefer to maintain what's left of my dignity and keep both feet on the ground ... except when they are joining me in the backyard lounger. Which is where I prefer to spend the majority of my "recovery period". I've been told I have about 2 more days before the meds kick in and I actually start to feel better. So ...

Results are mixed, and no, I did not got back to that cute little boutique downtown and buy any jewelry. BUT, I did hit the ole internets up for some organic skin care. Since it's probably about 2 weeks away, via free shipping, that should be enough time to EARN a new reward. But how?

1. Ramp up the intensity 3x a week. I still have a couple days of rest ahead, but then I can sweat it out at the gym and at home with the boys the rest of the week. No problem.

2. The hard one: Plan Meals Ahead, Make Shopping List, Stick to the Plan.

I can do it. So far I've been pretty good at maintaining current weight, while still slimming the bod a bit here and there = Building Muscle. Always good, especially as the boys grow bigger and stronger ... I can still stay ahead for awhile longer.

And the best part? Salad/veggies is pretty close to becoming a Habit. Almost there, I won't know for sure till the seasons change and there's less fresh stuff to choose from at the store, once the farmer's market is closed. But still, looking like a habit from here. And ... big one ... at least one child hesitates and actually checks out what I'm eating before he says "no thanks". Baby steps.

Gettin Better All The Time

2009-07-09T06:29:00.002-05:00

Hey, hey, it's Week 5 now? I can't keep up. Whatever, it's still go time!

Results:

1. New workout is working out just fine. In fact, I'm quite sore, having worked some muscles that had been sneaking around by the bench, just relaxing. Well, no more!

2. Salad, salad, and more salad. I think it's officially a habit. Oh, and the extra fruit with breakfast is quite scrumptious! Even the boys looked on, interested, as I plopped a handful of fresh blueberries on top of my Coco Puffs (oh yes, blueberries and chocolate in the morning, good for you in so many ways!).

But, alas, we have decided to skip the lobster this year. It's the butter, really. There are more diets in this vacationing household than people, I think! And the bookstore, oh the illusive bookstore ... right smack dab in the middle of the most traffic congested downtown area. At least I think it is, since I haven't had the pleasure of finding a parking place so I can get out and hoof it. Today, I try again, earlier this time. Maybe if I get there before the lunch crowd ... just maybe there will be a space left.

Must get on with it, get in another power walk and weights before breakfast. Oh, but I need new goals for this week, don't I ... hmmm.

Goals:

1. Try a new recipe. A healthy recipe, maybe a sparkpeople one. They seem to have some good ones. Oh, make it a dinner/lunch recipe, not snack. I've already got that cake in a mug, not to be replaced anytime soon. (Chocolate cake + coffee mug = True Bliss)

2. Squeeze Yoga back into my life. It was good once, it can be good again.

Reward: There's some real nice jewelry at a gift shop I've got my eye on. I may have to reward myself early, before we head home. Maybe I'll have it wrapped, so I can open my reward once I've earned it.

Well, off to the beach! (No, it is not sunny and 80 degrees, do not be jealous ... it is cloudy and 70)

Still Getting Better Week 4

2009-07-04T10:48:00.002-05:00

Still working on it, anyway. Success is fleeting ... obstacles at every turn. Mostly my own laziness, my own carb addiction, my own fault. But I keep at it, because I can be stubborn, yes I can.

As for that goal of logging food and fitness ... well, let's just say it's a work in progress. Good thing I didn't actually come up with a good reward, because I didn't earn it. So it's still a goal, but it will have to be a 3-week goal, not a 1-week goal. I could go on a 10-day streak, but then forget for the rest of the week. So, it'll take 21 days, or 30, to make it a habit. And I can't seem to work out which is easier, notebook or my Spark Page online. Sparkpeople offers calorie counts, which can be helpful to let me know when I'm going overboard, but sometimes it's a drag to have to remember all the different tasks I need to do when I go online. And with occasional travel, I don't always have that internet connection, nor do I want to.

But on to some new goals:

1. Incorporate my new homeschool fitness routine. Eventually the boys will be invited to join (as in PE) but for now I'm still working on myself. Besides, they mostly take care of their own needs for physical activity, especially if the weather's nice outside. Me, I have to schedule it.

2. Eat lots of salads and veggies while on vacation. It's much harder for me to eat well when I'm away from home, not doing all the meal prep, eating out, taking out, PIZZA! But the goal is to start each meal with a vegetable (fruit for breakfast), and as long as I keep the log, I shouldn't gain any weight. Together with the fitness plan, and lots of walking, my heart will heart me back.

Reward

OK, so the lobster is practically a given. Could I really deny myself if I failed? No, so definitely START WITH SALAD. But the real reward: a bookstore, where I browse, and purchase. Not just buy myself a book to read, no, no, no, no, no. It's the Experience. The Browse. Really, do you have any idea how much I get to Browse? Anywhere? I should probably start searching for the perfect bookstore now. Because it will be a Cape bookstore. And I Will Not Fail.

Weekend Warriors at Work

2009-06-20T10:38:00.002-05:00

They finally hired a service to mow the grass at the vacant house next door.

see more Fail Blog

I wonder how much they're paying?

What day is this?

2009-06-17T11:15:00.003-05:00

Oh, Wednesday ... again.

So ... what's new? Oh yeah, I'm updating here, my results, my week of being a BetterU kind of better me. Well, let's just say, goals achieved.

Yes I Did Have Three (count 'em, 1, 2, 3!) servings of vegetables every day. And my typical three fruits a day, because that's what I do. I eat. Plenty. Sometimes too much.

And increased resistance on the elliptical machine. That really wasn't very difficult. Not much of an effort, extra effort, that is. And so, for the reward, my very favorite Skinny Cows ... um, well, they're good. Very. Very. Good. And gone. Give me some credit, I actually made the box last two weeks, 2 1/2 weeks, actually. So there.

I need a better reward. One with no calories, doesn't cost too much, but one that'll entice me to work a little. And better goals, too. Because the almighty scale has settled quite comfortably on a plateau, and I'm not as comfortable there as the scale is. A plateau is a dry, hard, flat place. I would prefer to rest comfortably in a nice soft valley, maybe with a cool, bubbling stream nearby.

Goal 1. Swim, swim and swim some more. WHEN we ever get to the pool (Mr. Sunshine can help here) I will actually go into the water NO MATTER HOW COLD and swim. If there's room in the lap lane, then it's laps I will do. We'll start small, maybe 4 laps. We'll have to see how my shoulder holds up for this new activity. And, since this is weather-related, I will have to have an alternative ... still thinking.

Goal 2. Go back to my SparkPeople page and update. And keep up the food and fitness logs. SparkPeople is free, the logs are easy, detailed, maybe a tad time-consuming. If I jot things down on paper, then update once a day, that should work. Really, this may sound easy, but it is harder to keep up than to get started.

Reward: Hmmmm, suggestions?

On the plus side of activity, my raised bed garden is shaping up. The box is built, and settled into the ground (digging the holes twice counts as two workouts!). The birds and the bunnies have thoroughly investigated it, so I will be shopping for some good rabbit fencing soon, right after I get more garden soil. Yes, I need more dirt, before I can plant the two tomato plants that are quite happy on my kitchen windowsill. I have a sneaking suspicion that once I put them into the ground, that will be their demise. Oh well, there's still the seeds. And I'm still on schedule to get fully and completely planted before July 1st. So I'll be harvesting in October, what's wrong with that? We still have our farmer's market to get us through the summer.

But today is not shaping up into a pool day, once again. It may be a Bounce day. Dare I? Bounce with the boys? (shoulder says lifting weights this morning was quite enough thankyouverymuch and maybe we should just rest now) Then again, who needs Bounce. Not when you've got every Star Wars video ready to play back all those Light Saber duels, for re-enacting. Substitute remote for light saber when in close quarters, such as the living room. Not to mention the house rule that we do not extend our light sabers until we are safely OUTSIDE. We do not need any more laser markings on the walls or ceilings.

Hmmm ... I wonder how many calories I can burn with a good Light Saber duel?

I know, it's not Tuesday ...

2009-06-10T09:54:00.003-05:00

I said I would blog my BetterU stats on Tuesdays. One thing you should know about me, especially in the summertime, that days of the week are relative. I'm pretty good with "tomorrow" and "today", even "yesterday", but actual day names like Tuesday, are flexible.

So this is Week Two

Goals: 1.Eat at least 3 veggies every day. That's not going to be easy, because as in most things, I get lazy about meal prep. So I put some carrots in a clear plastic container, front and center in the fridge. I can't miss it. Of course, I'll get bored with carrots every day, but by then I should have a better strategy for adding in the veggies, besides salad (that was week 1 goal, which I still work on).

2. Push the elliptical machine up one level, making me work harder. Since I can't increase the time (it's at the Y, we have to share!) I can increase the exertion. Last week I added one more exercise to my routine, every other day, but I was forced to drop one. The rowing machine is out of order till further notice, as in, maybe they won't bother getting it fixed. So still tweaking my routines. That will continue to be a challenge, as I fight boredom, and complacency, and plateaus.

And I still have to come up with plans for a vacation week, and the impending closure of the Y. They're moving, and yes I will follow to the new one, but there will be down time in between, maybe up to two weeks. And also the switch from walking to the gym to driving. That'll eat up time, but not calories. No time to get complacent, I guess.

So that's my journey to a Better Me. Weight remains the same but the "tight" jeans are no longer tight, not even snug, will probably need a belt, actually. Time for a new pair of jeans?

School's Out ... Now it's Me Time!

2009-06-07T17:06:00.003-05:00

It's taking me all weekend to even get started, but I'm finally getting around to all the projects that have been on hold while we finish up the school year.

1. Garden: Still digging. Since I dig out new plots completely by hand, with my trusty rusty shovel, it has to be done in little bits of time. Today I snuck out between what was supposed to be thunder storms, and turned out to be just a spot of rain, followed by clouds and temps on the cool side (perfect for manual labor) and I stopped just before the blisters formed (no need to wait for healing this time!) and then the sun came out. Perfect timing, for once in my life. And the next few days look to have much the same forecast, so as long as I get going in the am, this baby will be planted by week's end ... maybe.

2. Finish novel #1: It's going. That's all I've got to say for now.

3. Catch up with friends, playdates, email and online communications: Almost there. This week, for the friends, at least. The rest may take a bit longer, but I'm starting to get things under control, and some of the online stuff will have to be ... how you say ... weeded, thinned out, eliminated altogether. A person can only do so much. And when you're as organizationally-challenged as I am, well then, maybe not so much.

4. BetterU: Doing It! Even officially registered and everything. Goals in place, obstacles identified and dealt with. For some this is a program to help avoid heart disease. For me, sure it'll be good for my heart, but more specifically it is a PLAN to maintain the weight loss I've worked so hard at this spring. Even though I'm not exactly at my goal weight, I still need a plan to maintain this weight forever. Not just for the next decade, for the rest of my life (which should be quite a few more decades, if I do things right!). And the rest of me will reap the benefits, too. And really, how many of us have reached perfection, especially at this stage of life?!

You can join the program, too. Link below, click away!

BetterMe Coaching Tool

2009-06-07T16:34:00.001-05:00

Back again

2009-06-02T20:12:00.002-05:00

Summer's almost here ... starts any day now. Summer vacation, that is, from school. This year the teacher needs it almost as much as the kids do! Oh what am I sayin, I need summer MORE than they do!

Stuff piles up.

Projects pile up.

Home gets neglected.

Me-time is rushed.

(blog and social networking ... what's that?)

Everything revolves around school ... even weekends are filled with planning, or looking for supplies, or cleaning out old supplies that'll never get used up.

Just a few more days ...

Back to Reality, or is it Virtuality

2009-05-05T05:00:00.004-05:00

Funny how the days just slip away, practically unnoticed. Monday turns into Friday, week after week, and it barely registers until the seasons change. Winter, cold, plan Florida vacation, April here, boom! head for airport. And finally ... slow down.

Or not. Not at Disney World, anyway.

Because we didn't need to slow down. Day after day becomes the same old drudgery, and slowing down is not the answer. No, just a respite from the every day tasks of home and school and cooking and cleaning and driving and watching TV and checking email and reading and reading and writing and writing ...

Yep, even the writing was put down for an entire week. And no computers. None. At. All.

Just walking and walking and shuttling and walking and eating (without cooking!) and riding little cars shaped like clamshells or teacups or spaceships or really fast roller coaster trains or floating log-shaped boats and hearing "it'sasmallworldafterall" in ten different languages over and over and over. And lots of strapping seat belts and pulling down shoulder braces to sit in seats that don't go anywhere but sure feel like they're soaring hundreds of feet over mountains and oceans or landing on Mars or engaging in a quick time travel to pick up a friendly dinosaur.

Total and complete escape from reality. I highly recommend it.

And now, as everyone says when they return from a vacation, it's Back to Reality. And back to life online, which is not exactly reality, is it? I returned to an unmanageable pile of email, most of which was unceremoniously deleted, oops! And while not exactly rested, I am certainly refreshed and renewed. But not ready to go back to the same old grind.

Ready for the home stretch of the school year, Yes. Ready to get outside and enjoy what's left of spring and look forward to sunny summer fun ... Yes Yes. Ready to spend hours reading every single email, following Tweets and updating Facebook, and reading every single blog on the World Wide Web? Save it for the insomnia.

Too Much Twitter?

2009-04-17T15:12:00.003-05:00

It was like a Twitter Convention, only we all stayed home. And it was all for a good cause.

Seriously, the occasion of Ashton Kutcher's millionth follower (closely followed by CNN's million), combined with Oprah's Twitter Debut, was both a television and internet Event. And I was there. Sitting in the big chair, watching the Oprah show live, and watching the Tweets show up on my computer screen.

That's it ... I just watched. I could tell others were Tweeting away, because AK, known as @aplusk to the world of Twitter, was retweeting questions to Oprah (from his office in CA). And she was answering away, all while talking about other things totally unrelated on her show. BFF Gayle was at it too, and so was mrs. kutcher, from home. Jimmy Fallon was sharing his lunch order at a NY deli, and Ryan Seacrest was taking AK's donation of 10,000 mosquito nets to combat malaria, and getting matching promises from all over Twitter (there's using your powers for good, go Seacrest!).

I felt like I was eavesdropping, watching and listening to a multitude of conversations that were all going on simultaneously. And on my Twitter feed, there were also a number of Other Conversations going on, as well, outside the realm of millions of followers.

But then I had to get on with my day here in suburbia. Homeschooling, errands, deadlines, stuff. But I can't wait to get back to check out the rest of the day on Twitter. Eventually, I'm going to have to pare down my "following" list, back to the manageable stuff that I can keep up with. But it was fun hanging with the celebs and the rest of the Twitter world for a little while. A fun way to start the weekend!

The sun is shining!

2009-04-11T08:33:00.002-05:00

Enough gloom and doom! The sun is shining! The robins that feast in my backyard are so fat I thought someone left a football on the lawn. And I saw a reeeally fat bunny the other day ... and today she's not looking quite so plump. Time to head out in search of the first litter. We only keep track of them for lawn mowing purposes ... to avoid a potentially messy situation. I haven't seen our neighborhood eagle yet this spring, so I figure the first litter is pretty safe for now.

It doesn't matter what's going on in the rest of the world, eventually spring shows up anyway. Whatever survived last week's snowfall will just keep on growing. The seeds that I will eventually toss onto the ground may, or may not. But every year, I toss some more.

Hope, like spring, keeps on showing up at the door.

Why so gloomy?

2009-04-04T00:57:00.003-05:00

"The crisis will end when those who have too much, when those who control the wealth of the world realize less may be better." (Jim Goodman, http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/04/03-5 )

Yikes. That would be ... like when teenage boys stop being hungry, when children decide they don't need Santa to fill stockings at Christmas, when the unemployment rate drops to ... 0! ... oh hell, when I don't want any more chocolate!

Not. Happening.

But I don't think us "little people" are sitting around waiting for the crisis to end all by itself. We simply adjust our needs according to what is available to us. No credit? No problem. Keep your money. Sit on your pile 'o cash. See what good it does you, all by yourself.

Those who have no money, pay no taxes. Without taxpayers, where's the government going to get their cash for Corporate Handouts? Hmmmm ... other corporations?

Careening Towards Disaster, and taking my Hope with it

2009-03-30T20:32:00.001-05:00

Since when has throwing money at a problem ever solved anything? I thought electing one of the best-educated, most intelligent Presidents we've ever seen was a step towards REAL CHANGE, as in attacking problems with NEW and INNOVATIVE solutions. Well, here we go, fooled again.

Obama Administration Careening Towards Disaster (And Taking the Country With It)

By Dave Lindorff

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17361.cfm

Finish this sentence ...

2009-03-22T08:44:00.003-05:00

Finish The Sentence Survey

1. My ex... ercise routine is on hiatus this morning.
2. Maybe I should... have another cup of coffee.
3. I love... the early morning quiet, just before the boys roll out of bed and mayhem begins.
4. People would say that I'm... quiet, but my thoughts can be pretty noisy.
5. I don't understand why people... actually believe what they see on TV.
6. When I wake up in the morning... I streeeeetch.
7. I lost my... job when I discovered who I truly am meant to be.
8. Life is full of... opportunities to make the world a better place.
9. My past is... good experience for the future.
10. I get annoyed... when I am not taken seriously.
11. Parties are... celebrations of life.
12. I wish ... for world peace.
13. Dogs... love unconditionally.
14. Cats... are descended from royalty and don't you ever forget it.
15. Tomorrow... is a new day with a clean slate.
16. I have low tolerance for... intolerance.
17. If I had a million dollars... it must be Monopoly money.
18. I'm totally terrified... of penguins. They're organizing to take over the world right this very minute!
19. My spouse... is my soulmate.
20. My life... is good. It's all good.

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-03-20T18:43:00.006-05:00

It's here! It's here! It's here!

The First Day Of Spring!

but it's cold.

So here's an ooooold picture of our annual planting ritual. Just for fun. Cause there's only two more months of frost before we can plant again, YAY!!!

I really miss gardening. Even though I let the old veggie patch go back to lawn, I still manage to carve out spots for gardening, raising squash right up against the house, sunflowers along the fence, and the ever present rose garden. Year after year, there's always something new to plant.

Time to start some window sill plants. And a worm habitat, for science.

Happy Monday!

2009-03-16T20:24:00.005-05:00

The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and Spring is within sight ... just the end of this week! Yes it is indeed a happy Monday around here.

I'd like to introduce the newest addition to our family. His name is Dragon, totally suitable for a red Beta fish, don't you think? The Pumpkin is his proud papa and chief caretaker, and is he ever attentive to his new friend. He chose a spot right next to his big, comfy TV chair, so they can watch their favorite movies together. (I wanted to post a picture, but Dragon is not yet ready for his close-up. So Pumpkin drew a portrait for us)

And speaking of movies, what better way to spend a gorgeous Monday afternoon than at the movies. Yes, this family is weird. We were the only ones in the theater, which is exactly how we like it. And, big surprise, Race to Witch Mountain is a good movie. A little intense at one point where my Pumpkin snuggled in closer, but still appropriate for most family members. Lots of good car chases, and I always love a good car chase.

The previews, on the other hand ... well, I suspect that nobody is actually taking in account that they're being shown at a Disney movie, with a Disney audience, when they rate those "appropriate for all ages". Because Dragonballs, the movie ... not so much. I never allowed the boys to watch the cartoon, and now I'm glad they're not even interested. But even the animated kiddie movies. The trailers are intense, explosion-filled neon-bright headaches in the making. I can't wait for the movies, rah, rah.

So yes, we are a movie-going family, but we (or maybe it's just me) are also a serious book-reading clan. And although I've been disappointed by quite of few of my recent choices (from the best-seller list, I don't know what I was thinking!) I heartily recommend the new novel by Zoe Heller, The Believers. Talk about dysfunctional families! A reminder to question everything, and to keep an open mind.

Oh, and I bet it would make a good movie, too. Just not the Disney kind.

Escape from DELETE

2009-03-12T20:00:00.004-05:00

It's been a strange month. The usual busyness, a bout with the flu, icky weather and bad news heaped on top of bad news. So my posts have been a little ... you might say, dreary. Which causes the DELETE button to erase them away forever. Because I'm really not a dreary person. I may get cranky and whiny, but I make sure to laugh every day. So here's another try ...

I admit it. I watch American Idol. And I like it, too. And this year there doesn't seem to be the usual spoiler, the girl/guy we love to hate till they get the boot. Except for that extra judge, Kara, who doesn't seem to be getting the boot anytime soon. (but we can always hope!) But the talent is all that, and I can't wait to see what they bring to the stage next week. It's pretty clear that whoever fails to give their best performance will be the one to go home. And I don't want anyone of them to go home!

Which is why I may be skipping the results shows, aka Loser Night ... especially after last night with Kanye West. He never would've made it as a contestant.

25 Things About Me

2009-02-08T12:27:00.003-06:00

This meme is all over Facebook, all over the blogosphere, and I've been tagged enough times that I fear retaliation ifn I don't play nice. Now let's try not to yawn ... maybe you should just skip to the bottom if you're not a speed reader, or haven't had that 2nd cup of coffee yet ... Hey, I know ... who said all 25 things have to be true? Hmmm ... maybe just one little fib, to liven things up a bit.

1. I married my soul mate over 20 years ago. Best decision I ever made. TRUE.

2. I HATE grocery shopping. I hate the bright lights, I hate the huge stores, I hate running around to various stores to get the best prices, I hate the way prices are up one day and down the next, how milk is cheaper at one super-huge supermarket today, but the eggs are cheaper at the discount store just a couple blocks away, and some days the apple juice costs 2.74 and two weeks later it's 4.19, and there can be a dozen employees hanging around the aisle "stocking" (talking to each other about the latest video game) but there's only one lane open, with only one cashier and no bagger and she's ticked off so she's going as slowly as she can and inspecting her nails between each and every item she drags across the scanner as she sighs heavily.

3. I often write very long run-on sentences.

4. I reduce, I re-use, and I recycle, I bring my own grocery bags. I walk to the gym (when the sidewalks are not covered in ice), I try to remember to turn off lights and unplug things, keep the thermostat down even on the coldest nights (there are other ways to keep warm!). I try to teach my boys by example, waste not, want not. But I'm far from perfect ...

5. I drive an SUV.

6. I've got a long way to go to 25, don't I.

7. I write in pencil. On paper, even. I mean, sure, I write on the computer a lot. More than I used to, but still, my trusty pencil and notebooks are the old standbys. The ones with the stories, some of which may come in handy someday ... if I could only find them.

8. I've got no useful filing system. For writing stuff, that is. Except here on the computer, there is some sort of "system". But the stuff in the notebooks? I write, I skip pages, leave room for notes, go on to something else, come back later, only to find I didn't leave enough room, and just flip forward to an empty page and continue. If I like it, and it flows well, and I get a chance, I type it in the computer (editing along the way, of course, till it resembles nothing like what I started). If I get interrupted ...

9. I am easily distracted. Which is just another way of saying I get interrupted a lot. Sometimes I can blame it on my little darlings. Most of the time it's due to shiny objects, like shoes, on zappos.com. Or chocolate. Oh, I need another cup of coffee ...

10. We are a travelling family. Whenever I tell friends we're either going to be heading out of town, or are just back from a trip, the response is always "Again?!" I come by it naturally, my parents took us on summer camping trips, always going someplace new, always looking for a new adventure, and a nice camp fire at the end of the day. While we may do things a little differently, we're still instilling in our children a curiosity about new places, and discovering things together, as a family. And hot tubs.

11. I read too much. I don't know what constitutes too much, just that I passed that point a long time ago. At least that's what I'm told.

12. I'm a terrible housekeeper. Possibly related to #11. or #9. Or maybe I'm just lazy.

13. I work out at the gym every morning. Well, most mornings. So why am I still ... uh, pleasantly plump? Maybe because ...

14. I love food. Pretty much all food. I mean, besides chocolate and coffee. And yet ...

15. I live with, and feed, three men who do not share my love of all things edible and nutritious. It's enough to drive a sane woman batty. Good thing I wasn't sane to begin with.

16. Hey, we're making real progress here! Positive feedback helps me reach my goals.

17. Are you bored yet? Do you really want to keep reading? Cause we can stop anytime, really. Take a short break, come back tomorrow? No? You think there might be some secret to the fountain of youth in here somewhere? Oh that reminds me ... my "RealAge" is 36. Which is nice, since that birthday was quite some time ago. And there ya go ... the fountain of youth must be here somewhere!

18. I really want a Red 1964 Mustang. Fire Engine Red. (but updated with power steering and power brakes, otherwise it's good for nothing but a long straight road)

19. I once played the organ for an audience of over 5,000 people.

20. I like Miley Cyrus. So does the Peanut.

21. Hannah Montanna makes me laugh (the tv show). ICarly makes me laugh harder. No, you won't find me watching CSI around here. Comedy is King, and so is the Daily Show and Colbert Report. So, I'm not totally shallow. Mythbusters is about as serious as I get.

22. I'm a beach bum at heart. Warm summer sea breezes, blustery November winds, frigid winter wind chills and spring time kite flying ... it's all good at The Cape. But most any beach will do in a pinch, including the sandbox filled with sea shells in our backyard.

23. getting close to the end here PURPLE! sorry, that just slipped out.

24. Family comes first. And that includes my parents and the rest of my family. I kinda like them.

25. We're DONE! I started this list 9 hours and 16 minutes ago. And no fibs, in case you were trying to guess.

Twitter-facing the blog

2009-01-25T20:49:00.003-06:00

I got this laptop to help me with my writing. And I am writing ... a new profile for Facebook (which really could be better ... why do I have so much trouble writing about myself?), a Twitter here, a Twitter there, all in the quest to get more readers for my column.

What column? Oh yeah, for awhile here I kept my two selves separate. My blog self was just a housewife with a couple of kids and an occasional interesting anecdote. My writing self stayed away. No real names, no faces ... oh well, a feeble attempt at anonymity. No more.

Please go read my column at FamiliesOnlineMagazine.com . Read it every month, you'll love it, really. My practical self, writing Parent-to-Parent "advice" ... okay, suggestions really. A lot of "this is what works for me" kind of stuff, or "heard on the playground" (and in the teacher's lounge, what a gold mine for inspiration that is!). News you can use.

Then come back here for more of those anecdotes, maybe a movie review (since we seem to hit just about every one ... go see Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino!) and maybe I'll get around to letting you know what I think about all the books we read around here (the usual Wimpy Kid and Magic Treehouse stuff, and I'm currently working my way through Wally Lamb's latest).

And lots more art. Maybe some food mishaps, but those can always be turned into art, too.

So go. Read (that's http://www.familiesonlinemagazine.com Parent-to-Parent column, and then stay for the rest of the goods). Befriend me on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter (link at left). Just don't show up for dinner ... not yet anyway.

It Finally Warmed Up!

2009-01-19T07:36:00.003-06:00

Ice Sculpture!

Yes, we needed it to warm up before we could complete our art project of the week. Here it looks like some kind of strange balancing act. We actually started it several days ago, but when the temps went below zero, it was too cold to build the final structure. So, yesterday, it got up to 14 degrees when I asked to boys to head out with me and check on our assorted pieces.

Since we used plastic cups and bowls for our molds, many of them were cracked and broken. But not my Tupperware! (good thing, I would've been a little miffed if I lost some Tupperware in the process).

The boys are so proud of their work, it is right out front, just steps off the sidewalk. I explained that I can't guarantee security for such a prominent position, but they insisted. So there it stands, for all to admire.

And admire they did! The whole neighborhood posse came out to see, and stayed to play. Until they, like the sculpture, were frozen solid (with lots of red faces!).

I just checked this morning ... it's still there.

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T21:51:00.002-06:00

You know you're getting old when a couple of six year olds can outlast you on New Year's Eve. Not to mention, they totally smoked me on the karaoke.

At least I got to drink champagne (pbbbt!).

So another year is done, a new one just begun. No resolutions, maybe just a few good intentions. Like more singing. Because no matter how bad it sounds, it still makes somebody smile (as they cringe). Yes, my boys may cry "Please Stop," but they're laughing the whole time.

Happy New Year, everyone!

A Day To Do Nothing ... in which a lot gets done

2008-12-27T13:25:00.002-06:00

Best day of the year!

Stay home. Go nowhere. Not even to pick up the mail, or some milk. Nope, we got plenty of milk. (okay, I went to the gym, but that's all, I swear!)

Good day to putter with MY computer. Not the shared family computer, not dh's laptop, no, this one is MINEALLMINE. And it works, too. Actually, it has been working for a few weeks now. The early Christmas present, fancy-schmancy Gateway laptop. In RED. And The Pumpkin wrapped up a cute little wireless mouse to go with it ... also in red.

Not the cute little Acer that kept going to black. No, this one really works. Bigger and better and more powerful than anything else in the house, and it's MINE! Yes, dh got tired of the failure rate of the budget model, and got something that will be useful for the entire family, as long as I'm the one using it. Of course, I put most of the school stuff on it, for when we travel (no days off for my students, ever! Mwahhaha!), and pretty much all the family pictures, and videos that should be edited into home movies, and now ... the music.

Since I never actually rebuilt my Itunes library when the old family computer died last spring, I've got a lot of work to do, here. Mostly loading cd's, which is time consuming. Especially since I need not worry about how much space it takes up. Oh no, we got UNLIMITED capacity now! All I needed was a nice stretch of time ... uninterrupted by the needs and demands of the family.

A day like today. When the weather outside is truly frightful (yes, temps in the 50's in January can be frightful when accompanied by drenching rains, piles of snow that won't melt, flash flooding, tornado watch, and the impending ice storm later this evening ... somebody remind me what's so wonderful about living in the midwest). It's dark in here already, in the middle of the afternoon, but I don't mind because I can see fine with my backlit keyboard.

And the children are busy with their Legos, which will be replaced by another new movie, once they get bored, or their fingers get sore. As for meals, we're all still grazing on leftovers (so the boys are living on milk and cookies, what else is new?).

So stuff is getting done around here ... that's something new. I'm even on my third load of laundry ... okay, so I haven't folded it yet, but at least it's clean! Can't have enough clean towels ... especially when they're holding off the flood waters.

Didja ever wonder, when everybody's basements are flooding, what happens to the folks who don't have a basement? If we're lucky, all the water heads for the neighbor's basement. If we have no neighbors with a basement, well, then we ought to be sandbagging. Because a roll of Bounty doesn't last as long as you'd think. (And I just replaced the carpet in the living room!)

One step forward, two steps back. Still, a lazy day in which I am very productive. Best day of the year!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T16:23:00.000-06:00

and a Happy New Year to one and all!

Not a Winner, But Still a Dreamer

2008-11-30T06:55:00.002-06:00

Just so you know, I won't be crossing any NaNo finish line today. Congratulations to all the writers out there in NaNo Land who have completed their goals. I will carry on with my story, with all my stories in their various stages of incompletion, but once again there is no finish line for me this year.

Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

As for establishing a writing routine, well, that's been a work in progress. It's still a work in progress, but steadily improving.

As for my family respecting my writing/computer time ... they went way beyond expectations. DH especially ... by buying me my own laptop!

And it was woderful! For 4 days I played with it, tinkered with the settings, transferred my pictures and documents, yes even the latest Work In Progress. And typed away, sitting on the sofa, until ...

On the 4th day it would not boot. Nothing. Black Screen. (latest additions to WIP not backed up)

So I took it to the Geek Squad, who happily replaced it with a new one. Yay! That was so easy!

Too easy ... the new one lasted only 1 day. One measly afternoon and evening. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

And I'm back to square one. Back to using the Family Computer, which the boys have renamed the Peanut/Pumpkin Computer. No, it didn't take them long to get used to NOT SHARING. So I have to sneak in while they're still sleeping. Which was actually the original plan for establishing a writing routine ... get it in before everyone wakes up and the house explodes with all the noise and activity.

So back to where I started. An idea. A Plan. And an alarm clock.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T18:31:00.002-06:00

And while we're being thankful for the bounty that is ours ... let's not forget those who have less. Go on over to freerice.com and play some games. Improve your mind. Give free rice.

The Greater Good

2008-11-11T07:05:00.003-06:00

I've been busy writing, writing, writing, and enjoying it tremendously. And I see, when I post here, people actually come and READ! Wow! That's exciting! Really, truly. So I want to tell you about something that I think is really cool.

Oh, wait .. first. ... it's Veteran's Day. So, a great big Thank You to all our veterans. THANK YOU!

Have you ever been to The Hunger Site? http://www.hungersite.com/ You just go and click the big yellow button and sponsors give free food to the hungry. That's right, you click, somebody else pays. Pretty cool. And they've made it so easy to give: there's a tab for Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest and Animal Rescue for all you pet lovers. And you can click each button every day (once a day) so you can give EVERY SINGLE DAY!

But Wait, There's More! There's always more, right? There's SHOPPING!!! Ah yes, and you can find stuff on the Greater Good Network that you cannot find anywhere else. What better way to start off your Christmas shopping than on a site that rewards your spending by GIVING FOOD to hungry people, or pets, or other cool things.

http://www.greatergood.com/emails/2008/news-111008-GGN-w.html

Plus, it is the BEST remedy for a November Funk that I can think of. Works better than chocolate ... no calories ... you can even BUY chocolate!!!!

BTW, the ceramic coffee travel mug ... is breakable. Get 2.

How's It Going?

2008-11-08T21:27:00.002-06:00

It should be going well. The novel, I mean. The whole Nano thing ... SHOULD be going well.

I mean, I have the dedicated time in the morning, not usually interrupted for at least an hour (as long as I get up early enough). I have nice quiet morning computer time. SHOULD be able to get in a thousand words or more. I also get in a few hundred more in the PM sometimes. For those who don't write really terrible first drafts, or anything at all, the trick is not in writing the words, it's in keeping them, not editing them out, which I am prone to do.

The subject ... this should be an easy one. (News Flash: I NEVER talk about my stories while I'm writing them, so this is a FIRST. Just sayin ... ) Simply put, I took one of the major aggravations of the past summer, namely the Neighborhood Posse, with all their personality quirks and fighting and playing and constant getting into trouble, and gave them superpowers, an unexpected stash of cash, some cool gadgets and some cranky adults to foil their plans. Should be PLENTY to write about.

Nobody said it has to be good, just make the work count, with a beginning, middle and end. If I make 50,000 before I get to the end, all the better. At 2000 a day, I would have been done in 25 days.

I'm a bit behind. By my calculations, I SHOULD be at 16,000.

I'm not even close. So here I go, back to the Posse.

Totally Done and Moving On

2008-10-31T23:15:00.002-05:00

... to Nano. Yes, it starts Saturday. I will be here at the puter, typing away ... exactly what I have no idea. OK, I have about 10 ideas. I have until tomorrow to pick one, or at least narrow it down so I'm actually writing one novel.

So about 6am I will sit the butt in chair and stare at the blank screen. Until 2000 words miraculously appear. And then on Sunday, somehow I will plop the butt into the chair and attempt to add another 2000 words ... and so on, and so on, until there is a total of 50,000 (or more) and I can finally call myself a Nano Winner, and not merely a participant, which means total and complete failure. That, I am familiar with.

Nowhere in the rules does it say anything about actually having to be good. It can be total crap, as long as I make my word count. I can do that. I think. Sure, no problem. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Cast your vote, and let it go

2008-10-20T09:01:00.003-05:00

Man, this election is driving me crazy. Or it was. Until I voted.

I'm done now. No more watching politics on TV. Pretty much means no more TV, the kids have free rein until the very end! And no more political emails or blogs, either. Done, don't forward it to me, don't even ask me to read it. Just go vote and get it over with.

Gotta love early voting! Everyone should try it ... vote early, vote often (as in every election, c'mon!).

I'm done now. On to Nano in November! ... maybe.

Is the Election Already Lost?

2008-09-25T08:29:00.002-05:00

Here's the cynic speaking: of course the last two Presidential elections were stolen. I mean, really, look what we got. Not once, but twice. Are the American people really that stupid? A lot of Europeans probably think so.

But the problem is, we're not that stupid. In fact, we have some of the smartest little innovators in the world. Unfortunately, those smartasses are working on ways to vote their pocketbooks. Reeeeally vote their pocketbooks. Look how much money the fat cats have been rolling in since Bush & Co took over. So why wouldn't they do it again?

Steal the election, I mean. I don't know if McCain is what they really want, he can be unpredictable. The maverick, he likes to call himself. I call it borderline dementia. We've had a president with Alzheimer's before ... we got Iran-Contra.

OK, enough babbling nonsense. There's some fact behind my doom and gloom. Before the election, there's a whole bunch of Republicans trying to de-register as many Democrats, and supposed-Democrats (if you live with or near Democrats, or are close in age) as possible, while the Democrats are trying to register more, and make sure everybody checks to make sure they are properly registered. Because if some clerk in some county office made a mistake, or forgot to have you check a box or initial someplace, you may not find out till you show up to vote. And they won't let you. Or maybe they will, but they won't actually count it. And fortheloveofgod PLEASE make sure you bring your driver's license/state ID with you. And then bring it back after you vote to make sure they count you. And then bring it back again a week later while they're working on the re-count. And send a copy, a COLOR copy, both sides.

I'm not kidding. Check it out for yourself: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14750.cfm

So what are we going to do about it?

Hope for the Cynical Optimist

2008-09-23T07:31:00.002-05:00

Politics is getting me down. Economics is getting me down. Well, at least we're having some nice weather.

I can't sell my house. Because there's too much inventory, and not enough buyers. Actually, there are plenty of buyers out there, they just can't get financing. And the perfect house for my family is probably sitting, vacant and abandoned to the elements, until I win the lottery. And that would be, oh ... directly related to the banking "crisis". Disaster is more like it.

So dig deep, oh thrifty taxpayers. All those new programs the presidential candidates want to put into action (another "stimulus" check? Why Thank You, Mr. President!) are just about being wiped out. Because the Big Men in Suits need a mind-boggling severance package to walk away from the mess they created. Don't worry, we can make it all better.

At least the sun is shining. Another perfect day to not be stuck in a classroom all day.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

2008-09-12T06:58:00.003-05:00

OK, now I can say we've made it through the first FULL week of school. After today, that is. And things are settling down to a routine already. I must finally be getting the hang of this thing we do, this homeschooling.

The key is planning, not one of my strong points. But with lots of breaks to keep the kids moving throughout the day, I'm also giving myself little planning breaks, too. I used to let the boys sleep late and we always seemed to be getting a later and later start. Which led to later and later evenings where we were still "doing school". Now they have to get up and dressed and head right outside for morning stretch, which often leads to giggling, all before breakfast.

Happy, smiling, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready for the day's adventures.

Swimming Upstream

2008-09-06T13:21:00.004-05:00

We made it through the first week of school. Not too hard when the first half of the week was spent at a waterpark, celebrating the fact that we didn't have to start school yet. But we finally came home and started school.

I caught dh planning another vacation this morning. He really loves to get away from it all, which makes public school pretty much impossible for us. We've gotten so used to just taking off when everybody else is coming back home. Going against the flow. But I think we're going to stick around for at least a few weeks, or months. For now.

One thing homeschoolers do especially well are lots and lots of field trips. So I returned to a mountain of invitations in my In Box. It would be impossible to fit more than a small fraction of them into our days, and still plow through our Math books at a reasonable pace. So this year, at least for now, I'm skipping out on most of the scheduled field trips. Once again, going against the flow.

Scheduled Activities seem to have become the most important thing these days, among both our homeschool friends and our ps friends. I like them too. We are lucky to be surrounded by a wonderful park district, countless sports clubs and art and music centers. But I see my fellow parents turning into chauffeurs right before my eyes, and that's not for me. Don't get me wrong, my boys are not sitting in front of the tv every day. They get one scheduled activity squeezed into the weekly calendar, and lots of flexibility to go do fun stuff and play with their friends. That is, when their friends can squeeze them in.

Against the flow, yet it seems to be a whole lot easier. Not following the crowd means less time in traffic jams, less time spent getting ready to go places, rushing to be on time. At the waterpark, there were no lines for the water slides. No bumper to bumper holiday weekend traffic (it was headed the other direction!). Play dates can be set up at the last minute, because we're usually free and available for any adventure that may arise.

I still have much planning to do for our year of homeschooling. But within those plans there is much room to grow, expand our studies to include new interests, and discard those that just don't work out.

And always, room for another cup of coffee, and maybe a quick trip to the mountains somewhere.

Sucked In

2008-08-30T23:20:00.002-05:00

It was a nice summer, wasn't it? I wish it wasn't over, but really ... school starting, Labor Day, political conventions ...

Yes, I was sucked in. I watched. I actually turned on the TV to watch politicians give speeches. I must be getting old. Actually, I just wanted to be able to laugh at the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, and so it was homework.

I really do try to stay informed. Not totally interested, just a bit more informed than the next guy (not much effort there). I have to keep up with DH when he wants to discuss issues and candidates and stuff like that. But my real beef is with Fox News. They have to talk over the convention and give their smug opinions all through the convention. No, I'm strictly a PBS gal. They stay respectfully quiet. (Key word: Respectful)

Anyway, I've got to hand it to McCain for really shaking things up. If anyone doubted his ego, how totally out of touch with reality he is, well, he really showed us now. I may have rolled my eyes at the "audacity of hope" line, because we can only hope as far as the corporate sponsors are willing to let us. But really, picking a right-wing ultra-conservative and thinking that she's going to steal away all the disgruntled Hillary supporters? Because, like, females don't really study the issues at all, do we? We're all about the shoes. And change... change is good.

And, for the record, I LIKED Hillary's outfit. I also liked the movie Speed Racer. And I like that word, "audacity". I think we're going to be hearing that one a little more ...

Buzz cut

2008-07-24T08:37:00.003-05:00

Summer's whizzing by, and still no buyers for this wonderful home in a peaceful neighborhood. Peaceful now that the loud, obnoxious neighbors have been removed to other ... um, locations. And the house is cleaned out, vacant. So no one lives there.

So why is their lawn now getting mowed every two days? They hardly ever mowed it while they lived there, during the rainy season, when it grew faster than the corn on the farm. Now we are having our dry season (no drought this year, but still, a little dry). The grass doesn't grow much anymore, even turns a little brown between showers ... and there's a lawn service, or another neighbor, or some stranger out there almost every day mowing the lawn.

Mostly when I'm outside trying to enjoy the little peace and quiet, and maybe write a little.

So how long before one of them notices it isn't growing anymore?

Playing House or whatever they're calling it now ...

2008-07-06T06:56:00.002-05:00

.
Apparently, playing "house" has changed with the times. With blended families being so common, they've even made it into the neighborhood play time. We are not a blended family, by the way, just your garden variety, Mom and Dad, married forever, with two sons. I can't be sure about the rest of the neighborhood. Really, I don't ask their playmates parents, "Are you married to so-and-so's father, and if not, are there any step/half-siblings?"

I get my best information by watching the "game", and listening: Peanut played Dad, only he was a single father with a teenage daughter, Nice Girl. Pretty Girl was Mom, also single, with a little boy, Pumpkin. Nice Girl orchestrated the whole thing, including a scene to get her "Dad" to ask out the "Mom" on a date. All while pretending the that real Mom (me) isn't out there watching the whole thing.

I give them as much "privacy" as I can, all while still supervising the little guy ... so I'm still privy to the game even though I try to blend in, pretend to be writing ... oh wait, that's exactly what I'm doing.

The faked accident to get Pretty Girl's attention was a hoot (they're out on their scooters, just coasting along). Peanut is no actor, and also totally embarassed to be courting a lady right in front of his mother. I keep seeing his mouth saying "stop looking at me", while Nice Girl is really getting into character as a teenager telling her Dad how to get a date.

Too bad it's lunchtime, I was hoping for a wedding. But then again, they'd probably move in together first, anyway.

Authentic Smoky Flavor

2008-07-03T09:07:00.003-05:00

I admit I'm not the best cook around, but at least I try. I'm always trying out new recipes, even though my family usually just turns their nose up, or makes faces, or just says "Gross!". And I'm always trying to save money, cooking from scratch, cooking in bulk .... oooh there's a disaster just waiting to happen.

Cooking in bulk means when you make a mistake, it's a BIG one. So when I dumped out an entire bag of garbanzo beans to soak the other night, ... ok, so I can't screw up overnight soaking. But then they had to simmer for more than an hour. And for the first hour everything was fine, I was in the kitchen, preparing breakfasts and generally cleaning up. But then I got busy with something else and forgot all about the beans, until ...What's that smell?

It wasn't that bad. Only the bottom layer was burned. There was still a big pot of beans, all cooked and ready to go. Except for that "burned" taste. Which is really just Authentic Smoky Flavor. Threw in some corn, chopped tomatoes, topped with barbecue sauce ... Voila! It was actually quite good.

And now we all have a new recipe to bring to those summer cook-outs!

Raising Entrepreneurs

2008-06-21T06:41:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin: Mom, can I have a pink lemonade stand today?

Mom: We don't have any pink lemonade.

Pumpkin: So make some! I'm gonna charge $2 a cup.

Mom: That better be a really big cup.

Pumpkin: These ARE big cups (shows 5 oz dixie cup)

Mom: Who's going to buy it at that price?

Pumpkin: You will!

Peanut: My box came! Now I can sell my Fart Bomb bags and make some money! Pumpkin, how much money do you have?

Mom: Let your brother try out a couple for free. OUTSIDE! Go sell them to other people's kids.

Peanut: Okay, I can sell some to Nice Girl and Pretty Girl and Brother and Sister next door ...

Mom: How about selling them to kids whose parents don't know where to find me?

(just doing my part to support the economy)

Crazy Neighbor Lady

2008-06-09T07:05:00.003-05:00

I've gone over the edge. I've crossed the line into ... STAY OFF MY GRASS!

This home selling bit isn't easy. Always trying to put your best foot forward. I feel like I'm trying to get a date with every single person that either walks or drives by my house. And every tiny little weed stands out like a neon sign. DON'T CLIMB ON THE RAILING!

And there's an entire army at the ready to thwart my plans of ever moving away from this Nice Neighborhood. GET THAT SWORD OUT OF MY GARDEN! They are small, but organized. MY FLOWERS! GET AWAY FROM MY FLOWERS! It's too late, the irises are decimated. Just greenery now. (heavy sigh)

And the back yard isn't a safe zone anymore either. STOP CLIMBING THE FENCE! Even though it's mostly grass, the army has plans there, too. DON'T THROW MUD! If there is something that can be broken, it will be. Or at least they will try.

My kids call them their friends. But they are my enemy. If I am not vigilant, they will destroy me and all that I own here in my modest little home that is FOR SALE so DO NOT TOUCH!

Casualties of the Blustery Day

2008-06-06T17:46:00.003-05:00

Ah, Summer is finally here.

I mean, it's really, really summer here. School's out. Our homeschool is also on summer break. The kids are out playing/fighting (whatever it is they do out there). It's 86 degrees outside, mostly cloudy and ... WINDY.

Just when it looks like everything in my gardens is in bloom at once, even the roses are budding, along comes our trusty blustery day to flatten it all. Oh, and we got showings, too, lots of 'em, thanks to St. Joseph planted in the back yard.

So the house is clean (looks like we've already moved, actually), the weeds are picked, the lawn is freshly mowed, (even my neighbors mowed, yahoo!) and my 40-inch tall irises are flattened. Before I had time to take pictures to prove that Yes, they are actually 40 inches tall. Maybe I can prop them up again after the wind dies down, if there's anything left.

Bunny season in the suburbs

2008-05-10T07:55:00.002-05:00

Our first litter of bunnies is all grown up. Yesterday, just as DH was getting ready to mow the lawn, they scrambled out of their burrow and tried out their hopping skills.

I found him out front with the trimmer, muttering about how is he supposed to mow the lawn when he can't see the baby bunnies in the grass. Yes, I do believe for a moment he was more worried about possibly running over a bunny with the mower than in tripping in the now empty burrow.

Under normal circumstances, we generally leave "our" bunnies alone. When I discover a burrow in the back yard, I only take note of it for lawn mowing purposes. And I check, just once, to count them (in such cases as when they all scramble while mowing is in progress!). Otherwise, I'm all about the circle of life, and whether they all survive or not is not my business. If the eagle comes back and happens to catch one or two, as long as I'm not a witness to any such murder, it's all right with me. The circle of life ... it's fascinating.

But the lawn mower is not a part of that circle. So I went out back, and one by one, I found them, picked them up and carried them over to the safety of the shed. All except one. He got himself into a corner by a fence post that I just couldn't reach. But I figured he was scared enough to stay put for the mowing, which he did. The rest of them didn't take much effort. Their hopping skills were sorely in need of practice.

Later in the afternoon I let the boys in on his hiding place, so they could get a close up peek. And he got a little adventurous and tried to out hop them. Poor guy didn't get far in our fenced in yard. I finally had to step in and save the last bunny from some over zealous petting, and he too joined the rest of the litter under the shed. From there, they have only a short hop to the back fence, which they can easily slip under, and then on to the tall grass.

And now I watch for our next litter. Because it's bunny season in our back yard.

Swiffer Saves the Day

2008-05-05T08:54:00.003-05:00

I'm a firm believer in my trusty box of baking soda. It can clean anything. Just look at my bathroom! You know the grainy, no-slip tub floor that gets dingier by the day? Not mine, clean as the day we moved in!

Ah, but too much of a good thing ...

We had our first house showing. Yay! Somebody wants to see my house, maybe even buy it! But then there's the kitchen floor, showing its age. Not that it's really that old, just a little ... oh, marked up? With dirt just hanging out in all the little crevices created by wearing heels on the soft vinyl tile (just once! I only did it once, I swear!). I can mop it forever, but there's still those tiny little marks, maybe I'm the only one who can see them, but I know they're there, and that's enough to drive me crazy.

Like someone's going to walk through the house and think, oh it's all so beautiful and well-kept but what's with the kitchen floor? No way can I buy a house with a floor like that!

Anyway, out comes the trusty box of baking soda and a scrub brush. Yes, I got down on my knees and cleaned the heck out of that floor! Then rinsed. And rinsed. And rinsed again. And I've still got the wood laminate floor to clean, which I then proceeded to wash with the same mop that I used to rinse the kitchen floor.

Now, it is late at night, all is quiet in the house. I cannnot scream, I must remain calm. Even though I now have a milky white film covering every inch of my floors and there's only hours before my first showing! Leave it to me to take a slightly bad situation, and multiply it for full effect. Three more rinses later and I collapsed into bed, thinking "it doesn't look TOO bad".

Up early with the rest of the house to clean and prepare, and get the family dressed and out of the house without doing any damage ... and the floors look MUCH WORSE in the light of day. Five more rinses (the mop is starting to fall apart, not used to so much work) and I finally got back down on the knees and hand polished the film off with ... SWIFFER cloths.

You didn't know this was a Swiffer commercial, did you? Well, of all the new and wonderful cleaning products in the stores, and me and my baking soda, Swiffer saved the day.

For my next showing, oh yes, I do get another chance at this, all I need to do is Swiffer dry, Swiffer wet, Swiffer dry, and the floors look BEAUTIFUL!

And the baking soda will stay in the bathroom, where there's a nice hand-held shower spray and a drain for the rinsing.

You CAN be a hero

2008-04-12T20:14:00.003-05:00

If you listen to the economists, those "experts" on cable news will tell you the dollar doesn't buy much these days. Dig deeper, and find out that a mere $10 can cover medical care for five women and children in Nepal for a year. That's TEN dollars, FIVE people, for A YEAR. Imagine what $15.00 can do!

Go make yourself a cup of coffee or tea (no, don't buy a Starbucks this time!) and then check out the programs at GlobalGiving and see how far a dollar really can go. Click on the donate link in my sidebar to join BlogHers Act, and change the world.

"Our goal is to find out how many women's lives we can save by blogging to raise small donations -- $10, $15, $25, $50 --for critical clinics and educational programs for women, children and girls specifically in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Darfur, Nepal and South Africa. Denise and Erin chose these programs in partnership with the terrific team at GlobalGiving because GlobalGiving guarantees that your money will get where they say it's going. They research their programs carefully, and send your money to a well-defined project instead of to funding general operating expenses. And -- this is my favorite part -- if you're not happy, you can get your money back. More here."

A little really does go a long way. Donate your latte-money today.

Johnny Depp in my midst

2008-04-08T08:12:00.003-05:00

That's right, the man himself, had very important movie-making to do less than ten miles from my home. And I, the busy mom, was just too busy to notice. Until he's gone, of course, and all the throngs of fans are chatting up the experience of waiting all day for him to make an appearance.

Too busy reading books and listening to my son read aloud. Too busy working out math problems and logic with the Pumpkin. To busy conducting writing practice and more reading and more writing and ... errands. Just busyness. And cherry pie.

The radar was down. I was totally clueless, until I read it in the newspaper. The local yokel newspaper whose deadline came too soon. So I may never know IF Mr. Depp made the promised appearance to wave at his adoring fans in the middle of the night. Until I hear it on the playground.

But I missed it. I guess I'll just have to wait for the movie.

In case there was any doubt ...

2008-04-05T11:54:00.000-05:00

More fun quizzes by Settlement Quotes- structured settlement buyers.

Hijacked

2008-03-30T09:22:00.002-05:00

The email gremlins got me. Some hacker got into my email account and then used it to send spam. I can thank my lucky stars it was a harmless message about some electronics equipment or something like that. Because it seems they sent it to my ENTIRE address book. Complete with my automatic signature. Which includes a link to this here blog. So if that's why you're here, then I'M TERRIBLY SORRY for that weird message. THAT WASN'T ME!

How did I find out? Did anybody complain? No. Amazingly, I have not received a single complaint. But, since I almost never update my address book, as in purge old worthless no-longer-working email addresses, I'm getting a bunch of "failure notices". Lot's of them, actually.

The first thing I did was change my password. Then I went to my "important information" folder, and changed all those old passwords. Then I went to the SENT folder, to see the damage.

At least it wasn't porn. At least it wasn't porn. At least it wasn't porn. At least it wasn't porn.

If you know anybody that plays those kind of dirty tricks, that hacks into strangers emails just to mess with them. SMACK them good for me, will ya?