He*: "Friday night is the best TV night on Cartoon Network! First, Clone Wars, then Ben 10 right after. How cool is that?!"
She: "I'd rather be watching What Not to Wear."
...a little while later...
He: "That's awesome!"
She: "What?"
He: "That Transformers animated Optimus Prime!"
She: "Well, you can ask Santa for it -- although I'm not sure if he accepts letters from 37-year-old boys."
* See this previous post.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
I am NOT the Biggest Loser.
About a month ago, I joined Weight Watchers. I figured, thirteenth time's the charm, right? Anyway, after today's weigh-in, I knew I just had to come tell you about my progress. In four weeks' time, I have lost...drumroll, please...0.4 pounds! That's right. Almost a half a pound in four weeks!
Actually, the first week I lost 3.2 pounds. I was pretty pleased with myself because I hadn't actually followed any particular plan. I didn't write down what I ate. I didn't count any points or measure cups of pasta.
"I am practicing mindful eating," I told myself. And it worked to the tune of 3.2 pounds.
The next week, I didn't weigh in because the kids were on Fall Break. Mike took them to see his parents and I stayed behind to catch up on work and to rid the house of the "Goodwill store just exploded" look.
And I mindfully ate things like a hot Italian sub sandwich chased by two big chocolate chip cookies; a sausage and banana pepper pizza, stretched over dinner and breakfast the next day; and potato corn chowder, hot rolls and brownies. Not exactly "diet" food, but I was working up quite a sweat in my de-cluttering marathon, so I figured I was working off anything I was putting in.
Not quite. The scale at the next WW meeting showed a 1.2 pound gain. Of course, it's hard to tell how accurate that was because the weather had turned colder and my warmer clothing probably weighed more. Besides, I was still 2 pounds ahead of the game.
Then came Halloween. I proudly avoided the snack-size sweets at the neighbors' party and stuck with liquids -- namely martinis.
"This liquid diet is sure to pay off at the scale," I thought, congratulating myself on the addition of fruit into my evening consumption in the form of raspberry and lemon drop martinis.
After the haunted holiday was over, I performed the sacrificial act so many moms share in to protect their children's dental health: I ate the snack-size Snickers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups out of the treat bags so my children wouldn't have to.
Once the treat bags were polished off (I actually threw some of the candy away -- the DumDum suckers and anything containing coconut -- blech!), I did begin to worry a little about this week's weigh in. So I made whole wheat pasta and salad for dinner on Monday night and vowed to be the best Weight Watcher ever for the rest of the week.
Then the election happened and the next morning I thought the folks in my office might be in a mood, either celebratory or sorrowful, and might need a little something. Pumpkin donuts seemed to fit the bill.
Willpower, where art thou?! Buried under the donuts, I think.
I wished it were me buried under something at today's weigh in. Up another 1.6 pounds for a total one-month weight loss of 0.4 pounds. I could have saved the money, had one bout of intestinal flu and lost more than that.
So, it turns out I am NOT the Biggest Loser this week. But I am not discouraged. They say the longer it takes you to lose the weight, the more likely you are to keep it off. So I figure if I hit my goal by the time I turn 67, then I'm home free for the rest of my days!
'Twas the night after the elections
'Twas the night after the elections
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring...
but Mom and a very annoying mosquito who keeps doing a fly-by next to my ear.
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring...
but Mom and a very annoying mosquito who keeps doing a fly-by next to my ear.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wordless Wednesday: A Shout Out to My DH
My laptop lives, thanks to a hard drive transplant!
It's great to have a nerdy husband willing to sacrifice his computer so I can blog another day.
(P.S. -- You can buy the shirt at ThinkGeek.com. Click here for more Wordless Wednesday fun.)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Woo hoo! Aw shucks! Oh @#&%!
Woohoo!
I took Robbie to the oral surgeon today for a consult to have three baby teeth extracted. Our dental insurance only covers 60% of the bill, so I was not looking forward to the estimate, not to mention the thought of having my little guy go through all that.
The surgeon came in today, looked at Robbie's teeth and pointed out that all three of them are a bit loose. The prescription? Wiggle the heck out of those teeth for the next month in hopes that we can get them to come out on their own. Even if the Tooth Fairy left him $100 for each of those teeth, it would still be cheaper than paying for the oral surgery. And a whole lot more fun for Robbie.
Aw shucks!
There is a McD's right near the oral surgeon's office. I suggested to Robbie that we get a little snack after his appointment in celebration of the good news. You could've knocked me over with the Tooth Fairy's wing when he said "no." Boy, I was looking forward to a milkshake. So I drove real slowly and asked the question in about three different ways. Unfortunately, the answer was always the same. "No thanks, Mom, I just want to go home." Bummer for me.
Oh @#&%!
Last night I woke up about 2:30am and decided to do some laundry. (I told you I don't sleep.) While I was waiting for the washer to finish so I could move those clothes to the dryer, I opened up my laptop to do a little mid-of-the-night surfing.
This is what greeted me:
At this point, it was about 3am and I'm thinking a blank screen with a question mark file folder can't be good. But I didn't panic. I re-started the computer. Hello, flashing question mark file folder.
I re-started and unplugged the computer. Nope, that didn't do it.
I re-started and unplugged the computer, took out the battery and put it back in. Apparently, that doesn't make the blinky question mark go away either.
So today, Mike took my laptop to the Apple store. This is where the "Oh @#&%!" comes in. The hard drive is dead. As in non-functioning, as in no time to ask it its last wishes or to deliver the last rites. And the warranty expired about 8 weeks ago. Again, "Oh @#&%!".
Tonight I am using Mike's laptop, surfing on borrowed time. Guess I'll have to sign off here and go wiggle Robbie's teeth.
I took Robbie to the oral surgeon today for a consult to have three baby teeth extracted. Our dental insurance only covers 60% of the bill, so I was not looking forward to the estimate, not to mention the thought of having my little guy go through all that.
The surgeon came in today, looked at Robbie's teeth and pointed out that all three of them are a bit loose. The prescription? Wiggle the heck out of those teeth for the next month in hopes that we can get them to come out on their own. Even if the Tooth Fairy left him $100 for each of those teeth, it would still be cheaper than paying for the oral surgery. And a whole lot more fun for Robbie.
Aw shucks!
There is a McD's right near the oral surgeon's office. I suggested to Robbie that we get a little snack after his appointment in celebration of the good news. You could've knocked me over with the Tooth Fairy's wing when he said "no." Boy, I was looking forward to a milkshake. So I drove real slowly and asked the question in about three different ways. Unfortunately, the answer was always the same. "No thanks, Mom, I just want to go home." Bummer for me.
Oh @#&%!
Last night I woke up about 2:30am and decided to do some laundry. (I told you I don't sleep.) While I was waiting for the washer to finish so I could move those clothes to the dryer, I opened up my laptop to do a little mid-of-the-night surfing.
This is what greeted me:
At this point, it was about 3am and I'm thinking a blank screen with a question mark file folder can't be good. But I didn't panic. I re-started the computer. Hello, flashing question mark file folder.
I re-started and unplugged the computer. Nope, that didn't do it.
I re-started and unplugged the computer, took out the battery and put it back in. Apparently, that doesn't make the blinky question mark go away either.
So today, Mike took my laptop to the Apple store. This is where the "Oh @#&%!" comes in. The hard drive is dead. As in non-functioning, as in no time to ask it its last wishes or to deliver the last rites. And the warranty expired about 8 weeks ago. Again, "Oh @#&%!".
Tonight I am using Mike's laptop, surfing on borrowed time. Guess I'll have to sign off here and go wiggle Robbie's teeth.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Accidentally on purpose?
My mother-in-law often tells the story of how they were on vacation when Mike was young and her turn at the wheel happened to come up as they were driving through the mountains of West Virginia. She takes great delight in recalling how my father-in-law Tom and the boys were cowering in fear when she came perilously close to the edge where the road dropped off into nothingness and how there was nowhere to pull over and change drivers for 20 miles.
Whenever she tells the story, she happily reports that those were the last 20 miles she ever had to drive on a vacation. So happily, in fact, that I sometimes wonder if she eeked her way to the edge of the road a little bit (subliminally perhaps?) on purpose.
She also tells how the last time she had to pick up an iron was when she scorched my father-in-law's navy whites in the early years of their now 40+ year marriage. A fortuitous accident, I wonder? Or something more deliberate?
The same question came to my mind today when Charlie was in charge of vacuuming the basement carpet.
Now, I know that Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. But in our house, Saturday is more our day of rest (ok, play) and Sunday is a day of "Crap! We have a ton of work to do before we go back to work/school tomorrow."
So after church today, we came home and made the assignments. Annie and Robbie were to pick up the family room, while Charlie was on basement duty. After he'd adequately picked up the clutter in the room, he was ready to vacuum. I heard the sweeper turn on and run for a few minutes. Then I heard a bit of a strangling sound and then "Mom! I need help."
I ran downstairs to find that Charlie run the sweeper over a loose end of the carpet, which was quickly sucked up and wrapped around the bristle roller. By the time I got down there, he had pulled out about three inches of fibers that had once been the carpet.
After assessing the situation, I unplugged the vac and sent Charlie to fetch the scissors. Fifteen minutes later, I had freed the vacuum and had enough carpet threads to knit a sweater for the cat.
As I stood the vacuum upright again, Charlie (not so) innocently asked "Should I finish sweeping, Mom, or should you do it so I don't accidentally get it jammed again?"
Accidentally? I think Charlie's been talking to his grandmother.
Whenever she tells the story, she happily reports that those were the last 20 miles she ever had to drive on a vacation. So happily, in fact, that I sometimes wonder if she eeked her way to the edge of the road a little bit (subliminally perhaps?) on purpose.
She also tells how the last time she had to pick up an iron was when she scorched my father-in-law's navy whites in the early years of their now 40+ year marriage. A fortuitous accident, I wonder? Or something more deliberate?
The same question came to my mind today when Charlie was in charge of vacuuming the basement carpet.
Now, I know that Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. But in our house, Saturday is more our day of rest (ok, play) and Sunday is a day of "Crap! We have a ton of work to do before we go back to work/school tomorrow."
So after church today, we came home and made the assignments. Annie and Robbie were to pick up the family room, while Charlie was on basement duty. After he'd adequately picked up the clutter in the room, he was ready to vacuum. I heard the sweeper turn on and run for a few minutes. Then I heard a bit of a strangling sound and then "Mom! I need help."
I ran downstairs to find that Charlie run the sweeper over a loose end of the carpet, which was quickly sucked up and wrapped around the bristle roller. By the time I got down there, he had pulled out about three inches of fibers that had once been the carpet.
After assessing the situation, I unplugged the vac and sent Charlie to fetch the scissors. Fifteen minutes later, I had freed the vacuum and had enough carpet threads to knit a sweater for the cat.
As I stood the vacuum upright again, Charlie (not so) innocently asked "Should I finish sweeping, Mom, or should you do it so I don't accidentally get it jammed again?"
Accidentally? I think Charlie's been talking to his grandmother.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Bite-size bits
Sharing is a good thing
On Thursday night, it was "girls night out." Four of us went to a popular downtown restaurant because one of my friends had a $100 gift card. Now, at this particular restaurant, $100 could feed about 1-1/4 people. So we did the sharing thing. We split a bottle of wine, ordered two shrimp cocktails, split a pestolicious Tuscan pizza, divvied up an appetizer of bacon wrapped scallops and saved room for an amazing chocolate brownie with candied pecans and vanilla ice cream. Of course the best dish was the girl talk!
***
Last night at about 8pm, all our trick-or-treaters had come back home and were counting their loot. The bowls of candy to be passed out were gone when a few last minute stragglers came to the door. I was about to turn them away, but Annie brought her bag to the door and gave them treats from her own stash. She's a great kid.
Shout out to my sisters
This one is long overdue -- thanks to my sisters Angie and Shelley who both made a special effort to pass along my blog URL to their friends. Now that's love! If you're reading this because one of my sisters told you to, please leave me a comment and let me know.
Blog awards
Now, these are a little bit like popularity contests in high school, I think. But since I would have killed to win one of those -- ok, I was voted "Most Outgoing Female," I'm just as happy to be tagged by a couple of other bloggers with following:
Gold Blogging Friends Forever. Thanks to Vicki over at Bittyman for this one.
The Blogging Friends Forever Rules are:
So I'm passing the Gold BFF to:
Shannon at Gabi's World nominated me for the "I Big Red Puffy Heart Your Blog" award. Thanks Shannon! So I'm passing it along to:
I have to ask
I've noticed several people have landed on The Fourth Frog from MOPS.org. Just curious how you all found me from there. So if you're visiting here from over at MOPS, leave me a comment and tell me what brought you over to my lily pad.
On Thursday night, it was "girls night out." Four of us went to a popular downtown restaurant because one of my friends had a $100 gift card. Now, at this particular restaurant, $100 could feed about 1-1/4 people. So we did the sharing thing. We split a bottle of wine, ordered two shrimp cocktails, split a pestolicious Tuscan pizza, divvied up an appetizer of bacon wrapped scallops and saved room for an amazing chocolate brownie with candied pecans and vanilla ice cream. Of course the best dish was the girl talk!
***
Last night at about 8pm, all our trick-or-treaters had come back home and were counting their loot. The bowls of candy to be passed out were gone when a few last minute stragglers came to the door. I was about to turn them away, but Annie brought her bag to the door and gave them treats from her own stash. She's a great kid.
Shout out to my sisters
This one is long overdue -- thanks to my sisters Angie and Shelley who both made a special effort to pass along my blog URL to their friends. Now that's love! If you're reading this because one of my sisters told you to, please leave me a comment and let me know.
Blog awards
Now, these are a little bit like popularity contests in high school, I think. But since I would have killed to win one of those -- ok, I was voted "Most Outgoing Female," I'm just as happy to be tagged by a couple of other bloggers with following:
Gold Blogging Friends Forever. Thanks to Vicki over at Bittyman for this one.
The Blogging Friends Forever Rules are:
1. Only five people allowed.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new, or recently new to your blog, or live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the 'Blogging Friends Forever' award.So I'm passing the Gold BFF to:
- Liz at Eternal Lizdom
- Shannon at Gabi's World
- Annie at Junior Mints and Reese's
- April at Enchanted Dandelions
- Denise at DancingMama
Shannon at Gabi's World nominated me for the "I Big Red Puffy Heart Your Blog" award. Thanks Shannon! So I'm passing it along to:
- Sharon at The Bird's Nest
- Sue at Happy Meals and Happy Hour
- Sensei at A Guy's Guide to Oprah
I have to ask
I've noticed several people have landed on The Fourth Frog from MOPS.org. Just curious how you all found me from there. So if you're visiting here from over at MOPS, leave me a comment and tell me what brought you over to my lily pad.
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