Erika

Something very strange just happened to me. I noticed that a couple hours ago I was feeling, well to put it bluntly…pissy. I could not figure out why I was in such a sour mood, and then it hit me….I wanted to hit the treadmill.

I totally forgot that I was having my grandmother’s piano delivered this morning, so I didn’t even have a chance to do my toning tape. Don’t get me wrong, I still loath exercise, but there is clearly a part of me that wants to do it! I’ll be damned, how crazy is that? I think I’m going to try and do the treadmill after the baby leaves this evening, if I’m not too tired and when he takes a nap this afternoon, do the toning. This is really a surreal moment for me.

Anyway, the piano is about 2 inches wider than I thought it was, so it kind of sticks out of the nook I put it in, but I can live with it. Hey, it gives me an excuse to go shopping for some more decorations, I have a whole new flat surface to put things on. I’m thinking a nice holiday runner and some candles, and maybe one of those light up houses. The piano is about 70 yrs old, and I have threatened each of the children that if they touch it without permission, I will take all of their toys hostage. Hopefully they are sufficently frightened.

Oh buddies, I am having a moment.. I am sitting here watching my 3 guys playing with a Matchbox race track set and watching the Steelers game, having the time of their lives, only to be interupted by an impromtu tickle fight. It is such a full circle moment for me. All the Christmas lights are lit, as well as the pumpkin pie scented candles and it is so very Norman Rockwell-esque I could cry.

I came from a very broken family, full of hatred and abuse. I know that it was directly related to my weight problem and subsequent food issues. So here I sit watching my children play with their Dad, and I am truly moved to tears. But tonight I sit here as a woman on a mission, a mission of health and happiness I can call my own, but one that will directly benifit those 3 wonderful goof-balls in the next room.

Ethan came upstairs while I was on the treadmill and tacked up a picture of the three of them at eye level today , he just simply said, ” just in case you need a little more motivation “. I am feeling such a sense of peace, contentment and love tonight. I just had to share it.

Why, why did I get on that stupid scale this morning? I knew it would be bad, I knew that TOM and his buddy water retention were going to screw everything up, but I did it anyway. I gained 3 lbs. Oh, the burden of womanhood……Don’t worry, I’m not ready to climb a water tower with a machine gun yet. Although if that 3 lbs isn’t gone by Thursday, I just might consider it!

I did 2.5 miles on the treadmill yeatserday and I’m getting ready to do it again this morning. I’ve decided that I will do the treadmill on Fri through Sun, and again on Wed.  Mon, Tues, and Thurs I will do the toning, those are the days I have the baby. I’m just not ready to get up before dawn in order to have time to workout, and it’s just not safe to have a toddler near a treadmill, so this little plan of mine will have to do.

Today will be a busy one. I’ve got a ton of shopping to do, and the laundry is overflowing. The kids are off school again on Monday, so that means I’ll have 5 little monsters running around tomorrow. So I had better get everything done today. Once again, everyone is coming over today to watch the Steelers lose, and they probably will want to be fed. So I had better get cracking!

Well here’s an incentive to work out, there is a Star Wars marathon on Cinemax today. Kill me, just kill me. As I have mentioned before, Star Wars is like a religion to the men-folk in my house, and George Lucas, is like Buddah! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a communist or anything, but 14 straight hours of Star Wars could push anyone over the edge.

So I’ve decided to try and dodge the twirlling light sabers, and rapid fire of laser blasters that is going on in my livingroom ( what fun is watching Star Wars if you can’t re-inact the fight scenes while simutaniously watching the movie ) and attempt to make my way to the 3rd floor and hit my treadmill. Maybe I’ll try to offset the rampant testoterone in my house by watching Beaches or some other chick flick while I walk.

I’m going to put off my candy shopping until tomorrow, because it is supposed to rain all day, and some of the stores that I want to go to are starting some great sales tomorrow. So one more cup of coffee ( decaf of course ) and I’m off to exercise.

Have a great Saturday everyone, and although it goes without saying…

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU….

Hello, from Christmas crazyness! I am finally done decorating and cleaning my house, well almost done cleaning…is it ever done????  Ethan just got home and was so very impressed, it’s not like we’ve never done the house up like this before, but he was so sweet. He said that every year he kind of forgets what a showplace I turn our home into, and agrees with Jarod that it looks like a magazine. He went on to say that with one look around he has this overwhelming urge to have some egg-nog, bake a ham, and make a baby!  Maybe I over did it on the lights!

I am currently retaining enough water that my fingers look like sausages and I may actually now qualify as a cactus, so I’ve decided to for go the weigh in this week. Tomorrow I will go candy shopping for the gingerbread houses, I have to go early so I can buy out all the stores of their holiday colored Nerd Rope, I use it for garland on my houses. I’m going to try and post a picture of my castle I made last year, but the picture is too big, so Ethan will have to crop it for me, or at least try to.

Finally, I ordered the tackiest decoration for my bathroom, and it came today. It’s a toilet wrap. Picture this… The tank wrap is a snowman’s face, the tank’s lid is the brim of his hat, the tissue box cover is the rest of the hat, the lid cover is his belly, with mittened hands on his ” hips “, and the floor mat are the feet. CAN YOU STAND IT??? Anyway dear friends, I am off to read your blogs as I have neglected you so over the last few days.

Hey everyone, I hope I did not give any of you the wrong impression with today’s blog. I am not intentionally starving myself, and the fridge is well stocked with food. I’m just very easily distracted when it comes to projects. It’s one of those moments where between whatever it is that I’m doing and taking care of the kids, and the neighbors’ kids, that I more often than not look at the clock and realize that 3 hrs have gone by in what seems to be an instant.

While most people tend to gain weight over the Holiday Season, I always, be it intentional or not lose. It’s just from being do incredibly busy. The odd thing is that I never forget to feed the kids, so I’ve decided that when I stop what I’m doing to prepare a meal for them that I will do so for myself.

Thank you all so much for your concern and encouraging words. I’m cool, I just need to slow down and take some time for me. My mother is taking the kids tonight, and for the first time since the day after Christmas last year, I will have an entire day to myself tomorrow. Ethan will be at work and I’m not babysitting. I will catch up on all of your blogs then. Then again I may just lay around the house in my bathrobe and veg out.

Again, much love and thanks to all of you. I have to get back to my decorating as my house looks like Santa’s workshop threw up in here.

Well buddies I totally blew it lastnight, I ate a soft pretzel and about 5 mini candy bars. I was so hungry, and it was there. The chocolate was strictly TOM’s impending visit tomorrow. I made the kids a tray of munchies to eat while they were watching Cars, and I just grabbed a pretzel from there. I spent the whole day sifting through the decorations and putting up all the lighted garland around the doorways in my house. I must have been up and down the ladder 50 times.

I’m definately seeing a pattern here, I eat breakfast the run like a maniac all day, not taking time to eat, then evening comes and I’m so hungry that I’m getting dizzy and I eat whatever is at hand. That has got to stop.I just get so involved with whatever project I’m doing that I don’t want to stop and eat. I think that the big difference for me this week is that there are usually leftovers in the fridge that I can just grab, that was not the case this week. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t made our normal dinners and instead opted for sloppy joes or pizza over the normal roasted chicken or pot roast. The kids love weeks like this, but it’s wreaking havoc on my diet. So I’m going to make myself a meatloaf, that I can pick at for the rest of the week.

On a happier note it’s looking pretty damned festive around here. I’m going to work on the trees and the holiday nick-nacks today. Jarod is so funny, he told me lastnight that our house always looks like something straight out of a magazine for Christmas.

Hello buddies, I am currently up to my ears in Christmas decorations. Jarod is on vacation from school for Veteran’s Day, and we are expecting the onslaught of children for his impromtu sleep-over any minute. I hope you all are well and I will be checking in on all your blogs in a few hours.

Although this day has been a very busy one I am happy to report that it included exercise and no poop!

So let’s see, where to start?  I know, let’s start at the beginning. On the way to the bus stop this morning the baby stepped in dog poop, so after we got home I spent about 20 min carving it out of the treads in his shoes. ( be warned this is not the only poop reference of the day )

After that was cleaned up we started walking up-town to buy some more X-mas lights, about half way there a bird on an above wire pooped on me and my favorite shirt. I had enough tissue to somewhat clean it off, so we continued to the store, where in about isle 3,  I changed my hand position on the stroller and found, you guessed it…more bird poop.

I went over to the cooler with my clean hand and got a bottle of water and headed outside. This was after I told the clerk I had to wash my hand and that I would be right back in to pay for it. Despite the fact that I told her what I was doing and that I am in there at least 5 times a week, she sent the manager after me. This little man who looked like he was straight out of munchkin land came barreling out the door, to confront me… aka. the infamous Aquafina cat burglar. I explained that I would be more that happy to bring my shit covered self and my shit covered stroller back into his establishment, at which point I extended my hand ( yes that one ) and formally indroduced myself. He told me to take my time, and sent out some paper towels via the tattletale clerk.

Later on my dryer, which is 2 mos old broke. Jarod informed me that his teacher never got my request for a parent-teacher conference that I sent in 2 weeks ago, ( they’re scheduled for Thurs) and finally, I got a shut off notice for our cable. The most interesting thing about the shut off notice is the fact that I cancelled our cable in August when we switched to Direct TV.

I have absolutely had an absolutely horrible day, which is why I am absolutely having an Absolute vodka and tonic. 

So what’s new with all of you?

Thank you all for your support over the pizza roll incident. I still can’t believe I did that. I shall move on and no more rolls of the pizza for me. I have to do my toning tape this morning, this will be an interesting experience with the neighbor’s toddler running around. We could end up wound together with the toning cords and require the jaws of life to free us.

Ethan was stunned lastnight to come home and see the house lit up like a…well Christmas tree, it’s early and I’m not awake enough to come up with a willy metaphore. The kids were so excited to show Daddy all the decorations, unfortunately our 9 ft inflatable Grinch seems to be having so technical difficulties, yes we have one. So I have to rig that sucker this afternoon, I also have to go to the store and get some more lights for the inside as most of mine have gone MIA.

Ethan was so funny lastnight, he drove past the house before he came home, he had to gas up the car. He called on the cell, and all I heard was ” You crazy b*tch, tell me you were not on the roof today.” He said he was a good 5 blocks away and could see the lights and was thinking, that can’t be my house, yup it’s my house. I don’t know which he was more excited about the fact that the house was all done up, or that he didn’t have to help this year.