How to Deal With Unruly Children: 8 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

Just a fun and informative article. I really know how to do the one where you just ignore them! It works!

How to Deal With Unruly Children: 8 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow

Pain Scale

I am sure that most of you have seen the pain scale before used by doctors especially for children.  Well, during the fun I have had with peripheral neuropathy #8's sad face has been a big part of my life.  Of course, my pain scale ends at gall bladder pain which is the worst pain I have ever had.  Not much can ever catch that one!  Well, tonight for some reason my feet feel like I am standing on hot coals!  Everything is ok but I am at an 8 or 8 1/2 on the feet tonight.  So in the future when I throw out a number for the pain you can either smile or cry with me!  Maybe heading for some ice soon!

Reasons You Know That You Should Have Stayed in Bed

• Everything you touch hits the floor
• You are running late even though you got up early 
• You took your meds timely but the heat pain is already starting
• Your daughter ponders every decision and takes her time getting even one thing done
• All of the above happened before you left the house
• You have to go back into the house twice to get things you forgot
• As you are going down the road both you and the daughter sneeze and need tissues but there are none in your car.
• The only think to handle the sneeze are baby wipes and neither of you can reach them so you have to pull over and get them (again already running late).
• The radio talk show you are listening to decides to go on and on about politics so you have to just cut that off.
• People at preschool look at you and know it has not started off well
• You leave McDonalds after getting only a $1 drink and run over a curb trying to get back on the main road.  This of course, scares you to death.
• Work starts well but quickly proceeds downhill.  
• Emails get mean
• Systems get mean
• Callers get mean
• Supervisors get mean
• Alicia gets MEAN!
• Lunch with sister only bright spot in the day
• Husband calls asking "Where are you in your work day?"
• That can not be a good question
• Me - "uh  why?"
• Husband - "My vehicle does not have a booster seat in it and I have the little miss standing here with me."
• Me - "uh do I need to come now?"
• Husband - "No I can handle it."
• Me - "ok, be careful, call me when you get home."
• Me after hang up - why exactly did he call me, just to mention that we forgot the booster seat so we can both share in the blame!  That's what you do in marriage.
• Leave work having not heard from husband.  
• Dial husband's cell phone
• He answers
• I ask "Getting back at me for forgetting to call you the other day?"
• Husband  - "No, we are at home.  I don't feel well."
• Me - "I'm sorry, what is wrong?"
• Husband - "Throat sore."
• Soup Discussion - I will make sure there is soup and medicine when I get home.
• Me after hang up - "Well shoot I feel pain everyday maybe I need pain free soup or something to let me sleep too."
• Shame on you Alicia!
• Get home finally
• Hugs and kisses from my daughter - Everything will be ok and tomorrow is another day!

Things I Have Learned From My Daughter

...greater patience
...smiling makes everyone happy
...how to make new things like gingerbread houses, paper crowns, overcooked cookies
...resting is not a necessity
...put all of your effort into sleeping when it is time and you will have a lot of energy
...how to make up even funnier songs than her daddy that mean nothing or are just about what you are doing right then
...Shakespeare has nothing on her for creating plays out of the blue, directing is her forte
...just pretending is really the most fun
...sometimes you need your "alone time" but usually only from certain friends and not from mommy
...Pacific Coooooooler is the Capri Sun of choice
...Mac & Cheese is only good when out of a box with powdered cheese, every other kind is too cheesy
...love can not be put in a box (a song she made up with her Uncle John)

will add more as they come to me!

...only two things really make you mad  - blankie in the washer and not getting your way at the exact moment!

What "Thank You" Can Do For You

I have made a major effort recently to say thank you to any and everyone who does something for me especially at restaurants, stores, etc.  I have found out that a simple smile and thank you really improves the treatment you receive and seems to make some people's day.  It is really easy but you have to do it consistently so it becomes common for you and something you intend.  I have had waitresses completely turn around their attitude, drive through staff not know what to say when I thank them after they take my order and sales people remind me of discounts.  Just a thought, maybe if we all did this - just thank those who do things for us - we might find life easier and all be more happy.  So say thank you and smile!  It will not only be appreciated but smiling is considered an exercise!

Deep Thoughts....

...Milo's french fries and tea are like a meal in themselves
...Rolling your eyes at 5 just means at 15 you will be your Dad's to deal with
...Brothers are super cool especially when they just love the little things
...Sisters are cool too but when they close in on being thinner than you they have to move out (LOL Jen)
...Two Christmas trees in one room is overkill but just beautiful lit up at night.
...Finding that your hidden strength sits right next to your pain points is quite hilarious sometimes
...Being pumped full of hormones for over 7 years must do great things to your system.  Kristy are you starting to glow, my friend!?  Let's not talk about my issues!
...Did you know that there is a song about Christmas that requires you to jump, bounce, etc?  Erynn sang it to me.  I got video.
...Mother in laws can be almost as good as mothers if you don't bother them too much, actually that goes for mothers too.
...40 is the new teenager, except better!  We already know this is how we look, we don't stress about it and still have tons of fun when we are not asleep at 10pm!
...Girls, Christmas Tree lighting is the best for almost all endeavors that require that you look good no matter the amount of clothing. A swimsuit contest maybe or a pedicure!  Just saying, take it anyway you want!  It has been a good month here!
...Elves not on the shelf can be more fun for you than your child.  "Now Okie, tell Santa that my presents go here and be sure to put that ornament back when you go out tonight."  Yep, she said it!
...Life is what you make it so go for cheesecake instead of oatmeal!

This kind of thing happens at midnight!

18 Years - Really?

Yesterday was mine and Scott's 18th wedding anniversary!  Time sure has flown by.  Scott and I met in college.  He was a semester ahead of me because I for deep personal reasons had changed my major mid stream.  Basically I did not like how they tore up my articles as a Journalism major.  So I took hold of my minor in History and it became my major.  Yes, it was deep all around!  Anyway, had this not happened along with many other things that Scott can quickly enumerate for you, we would have never met.  You see it was in his last semester and my next to last one that we both attended a Historian's Craft class (a requirement to get your deep degree in History).

We were in this class for 10 weeks, folks!  Keep in mind 10 weeks for 3 hours each week!  We spoke to each other one time in 10 weeks during a break were we talked about the school newspaper.  I being a previous high school newspaper editor always read the school newspaper and it appeared he found this interesting.  Also, for the entire 10 weeks I thought his first name was Perry because that is all anyone called him even the teacher!  He thought I was older than him because I came to class "dressed up," meaning not jeans and tshirt.  Let me explain why this was.  I worked full time (40 hours) during most of my college experience and attended classes full time.  Perry here, just got lucky that this was the one class during that whole time that I did not work on the day of the class nor did I have any other classes.  So I was pretty bummy all day and usually put on big girl clothes for this one class.  Who knew such things would pay off!

So how did we get past the one conversation to a lifetime of wedded bliss? Well, all in all that was a rough semester for me in the personal realm.  I had given up on men, boys whatever you wish to call them.  By the way, they do say that is when he comes along.  Anyway, on the very last night of our 10 week class, I had my hand on the door handle of my car when I hear, "So are you going to stop and talk to me?"  Yes, always as cocky as ever my sweetie!  Well, I thought I might because I at least knew him and he seemed intelligent and if he was a serial killer I did have mace on me!  Anyway, we stood in that parking lot and talked for a couple of hours.  We then talked on the phone the next three nights for several hours.  Went on a date, met the parents, dealt with parents divorcing, had a beach trip, dealt with some other really personal and important issues, lived together for 6+months and decided we would get married on November 27, 1993.

FYI - our first date was on May 27, 1992, we married exactly 1 year and 6 months later.  We moved into our first house on March 27, 1999.  The 27th is just a good date for us!

So that is how we met and amazingly throughout the last 18 years we have never really stopped talking or accepting both the good and bad in each other!  Perry, it sure has been fun and I know because I am independent that way, that we will see many more together!

Benefits of Yoga - Why Yoga Exercise is Good for You

Benefits of Yoga - Why Yoga Exercise is Good for You

As I have become a devotee of yoga and the benefits it has especially for those dealing with pain, I thought I would start providing information about the value of yoga and the things you should know about it. Enjoy this first article about the benefits of yoga.

I am thankful....

...for my wonderful husband

...for my beautiful daughter

...for my excellent and crazy family

...for my supportive yet honest friends

...for the ability to see, feel, taste, hear and touch everything around me

...for the pain that makes me more grateful for each moment

...for the beauty that is found in books, music and the laughter of a child

...for the love that I find in all of these things.

I am thankful this year more than I think in any other year for each feeling and thought that I have.  All of you please know that I love you and am very thankful that you are in my life.

Miss These Days

Today was a good day!  I had some pain but not as much as I have been and I had a great attitude for some reason.  I use to be this way all the time!  I miss that girl who smiled because she wanted to and not because she was using it to hide how she really felt.  Even now there is pain in my hands and neck but it will be ok.  Infertility was tough and you can read that in all of the previous posts but this stuff I have now has been much worse.  My only hope is that it will one day go away and my old self will be here more often.  It seems ever since we started on the quest to have a child that I have had to learn more medical terms than you should have to.  Neuropathy so far has been the most vile of terms.  But they do say what does not kill you does make you stronger.  I think weight lifting is in my future!   Yoga is now my best friend so you too will learn those words too if you keep reading here.  Did you know that I sit most of the day with my shoes off under my desk so my feet don't hurt as much?  Did you know that two fans in a room that is already 65 degrees is really cool?  Did you know that cobra pose is excellent for toning your arms?  Give it a try!  Trying to post more!  Tomorrow night I will be heading with my sister to the the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn I!  Yes, we are crazy and I am going to work on Friday too!  I figure I usually wake up at midnight anyway why not have some popcorn and see a movie!  Maybe I will post some pics of us in our PJs at the movie. (Easier just to drop into bed afterwards)! Talk to you later!

Sick Days - What Are Those?

No this will not continuously be a forum for me to regale you with all of my pains but some days are just annoying.  My alarm went off at its usual 4:30am this morning and I drug myself out of bed and down the hall to my yoga mat.  I kept telling myself that I would feel worse if I did not go in there and get on that mat and do crazy poses.  I made it through that and then finished getting ready and Erynn also.  By the time I got to the car I was worn out.  Luckily I carpool with my sweetie and he drives in the mornings.  This gives me extra sleep time and more opportunities to make cute faces at my little girl.  When I finally got to work, everywhere ached and my head was killing me. So began another day I wish could be a sick day.  I think I have taken two maybe three days this year due to not feeling well.  I try not to focus on the fact that if I stayed home every time I felt bad that I would be laying in bed 24/7.  I have a hard time remembering a day where there was not some kind of issue or pain.  Right now I sit here typing this with burning pains in my face and arms.  But this is becoming normal.  I get very frustrated with people who have no family to take care of who are constantly taking days off for illness.  I think we should have more days off.  We as a country spent less time off than most other countries and what has it done for us?  Heart attacks, stress, increased cancer risk, obesity, and it goes on and on.  Anyway, I wish I understood what a sick day really was.  Of the two or three I took off I think I might have rested for a couple of hours.  Always too much to do!  Not anymore!  I am striking against not resting!  I am striking against being stressed.  People, my house will need more cleaning and I will be ignoring your bad attitudes and constant questions.  Life is too short for me not to let go and have a restful sick day!

Surviving Pain

I try very hard not to bring my pain to work - it's there but hopefully you do not see it.
I try very hard not to bring my pain to my daughter - it is toughest when we spend all day together.
I try very hard not to bring my pain to my family and friends - they want to help but can't.
All of this hard work is difficult but is how I survive the pain.  The medicine helps but some days like the last three are really a strain.  When you constantly feel like there are hot pokers in your back, head and neck.  When your hands and feet feel like they belong to someone else but are on fire too.  The hardest part is that I can walk around with this and no one really knows how it feels.
HOWEVER,  people have died today in much more painful ways.  Others are dealing with much worse conditions than I am.  So I will survive the pain another day and be happy to have that day to spend with my daughter, my husband and all my family and friends.  Thanks for helping me survive the pain!

Cannot Speak Therefore I Type

It appears that I spent too much time out in the great outdoors recently so I am now full of allergies and other lovely congestion.  This has led to an evening where I have almost lost my voice.  Some would say that probably is a good thing!  Others would just ask me to speak up!  All of my children are asleep and I have sat here tonight thinking alot about where I am in life.  The dreams of an 18 year old were much different than where I am now.  I will be the first to say however, that I am happy because I choose to be so and because had I followed the path of the 18 year old I would not have my wonderful husband and my beautiful daughter.  That girl was going to Egypt to dig up history or at least restore it at home.  I miss that but think maybe I did it before in another life so move on girl!  Anyway, I also thought a lot about the friends I have had and lost along the way.  Those who have left us too early - Angie.  Those who have chosen another path - Brannon and Heather.  Those whom I miss but are right next door - Tricia.  These friends are still apart of me in that they helped shape who I am now.  I thank them and all of you who are here with me today!  Each of you has brought into my world a little part of yourself and for that I am thankful!  My only hope is that I honor that by being the best friend, mother, wife....that I can be!  I truly do want to leave this place someday with the knowledge that maybe I helped someone just a little and that I left a little part of myself with you!

Yes I know deep thoughts! Sometimes they happen when you can not speak!

Update

Well the update is no better.  The Amberen has not done much that I can tell so far and may actually be lowering the assistance of the other medications I am taking for the burning pains.  I am giving it a full 30 days from when I started which was a couple of weeks after my last post before I say thanks but no thanks!  I am actually now gaining weight instead of losing.  Uggghhh!  This week has been rough!  Erynn has been particularly needy and I never sleep through the night.  Also have been having loads of dreams involving varying members of my family.  After being up a couple of hours now I am sleepy again so off I go since tomorrow will be a busy day!

Amberen

Over the years I have told some detailed things about living with infertility and the after effects of that and pregnancy. I guess I should not stop now. Along with the apparent nerve issues I have had numerous other symptoms that most of my doctors are just blowing off. I am now 41 and these symptoms match up almost exactly to me being in perimenopause so I have decided to begin taking Amberen. I have done a good bit of research and read all sorts of comments. It is a natural supplement that is suppose to help with most of the symptoms. The only truly negative comments I have seen is that it just did not work. So I placed my order for the free trial today and we will see how it goes. Just as an update I have been doing yoga and it has been great. Weight is not leaving which I think is part of the symptoms that maybe the Amberen will help. I am determined to feel better! I will keep you updated on what happens.

Remembering the Radio

One of my very first memories that is clear and stays with me is my first radio. It was red and white and the FM stations sounded great. I was probably 8 or 9 when I got it. It was a huge deal for me because I loved music and wanted to listen at night in my room. One day my dad took me down to Radio Shack (this was before Walmart, folks!) and let me pick it out. I was so excited! That small radio went everywhere with me. I clearly remember sitting on the front porch of my grandparents house listening to country music with my cousin. I thought it was the best thing ever! For some reason it was the first thing that I really thought of as mine. My daughter will never have the joy of that front porch where we played all day and listened to music. But I hope that even with all of the tech gadgets we have now that someday she will enjoy the simplicity that once was my red and white radio.

Grumpy Day

Sometimes I just want to be grumpy!
Why exactly is that not possible?
Why do I have to always be up?
Admittedly my family would probably say that I am grumpy all the time!
Read the blog - DUH!
However, today for some reason I really just wanted to be grumpy and go off by myself but work, sweet little girls and other things just would not let me!
Sometimes I think I must be a bad wife, mother, sister, friend, boss, coworker, etc for just thinking this but there are just days when I would like to spend the whole day not speaking....
not answering questions...
not solving a problem...
not worrying about what I had to get done next...
not having pain...
just being.................................................

Organics Are In

When you are dealing with the many fun conditions I seem to have you start looking for reasons like amazing amounts of sulfates and preservatives. Especially with my face breaking out like a teenager's and my hair being like peanut brittle, I have become a fan of Whole Foods and all of the lovely organic items that they have. Fresh fruits and vegetables, interesting seafood and wonderful salads. However, the best of the best is the organic health and beauty section. Now I am not saying that it is an inexpensive section to shop in but they have many different choices sometimes too many. Also, if you are buying Lancome, Sephora, or any of those other lovely items you have to get at a specialty store then Whole Foods prices will not faze you.

I recently discovered my all time favorite thing and I am recommending it to all my friends - Burt's Bees Lemon Poppy Seed Facial Cleanser. It exfoliates and moisturizes and you can use it in the morning and again at night because yes it is ORGANIC! No preservatives in it at all. If you like the smell of lemons then you need to run out and get this! Within a couple of days my face is already smoother and my pores are smaller! So as I find more super wonderful things to help with all of my woes then I will share with you.

Travel Woes

Yesterday started off fairly well. I felt much better than the day before which was horrible! I got loads of work done in the 5 hours I was at the office and then Scott, Erynn, Jen and I headed out toward Kentucky for our weekend trip. I think we might have had a small curse or jinx on us. It began with me driving the Alabama stretch as that is my favorite part. All of the sudden there was wood in the road in front of me that I had to roll over because there were no other options. It appeared that a truck ahead of us was carrying some things and was using wooden pallets to keep the tarp down well it was windy enough one of the pallets blew out and a couple of cars in front of us got the brunt of that event. They had to pull over but we turned out to be fine (so far). Later Scott was driving when he noticed that a car was veering toward the median on the other side of the road. He made a noise that had us all looking and as we looked back the car flipped in the median and did finally end up on its bottom. We saw that others on that side stopped to help but it was quite stressful to watch. Finally, we are near the Kentucky line when a uhaul style truck in front of us that was pulling a boat shredded a tire on the boat trailer. We had tire fly up on us and we had to get the driver to roll down his window so we could tell him that he had lost his tire. This all happened in a 5 hour drive. What a wild ride. We had a wonderful dinner in KY at Patti's and nothing else happened during the evening so hopefully the curse is over! You might want to avoid us on the interstate!

Purple Mat of Peace

I decided last week to begin yoga full time. It is easier on my tired and weak body and yet still provides very useful exercise that may help with the weight loss goals. To help encourage this I bought a lovely purple yoga mat and after using it I understand why you need one. It is non skid and helps you keep your balance while doing some of the tougher moves. So in the mornings when I wake up feeling like I never slept and with an achy body I go to my guest room and begin the yoga. So far it has been really helpful and worked out the tiredness. I will probably end up buying Erynn a mat too because she also thinks she needs to do yoga. Starting her early sounds like a good idea!

So at 4am when you are still asleep you can have a dream of me on my purple mat of peace because most mornings at that time it is where I will be.

Beach Time

The beach was great and for a little while my neuropathy (burning in my head) seemed to go away. You would think one would be more stressed with 4 kids running around screaming but apparently not. We spent alot of time in the pool out back of the house we rented. Scott who can swim, spent some very patient time with Erynn helping her to learn. I never really learned how to swim either and he worked with me some but I am not sure that it was really that effective. I just have some strange fear of water in the face. By the end of the week Erynn was becoming a pro at bouncing and getting around the pool. Still not officially swimming but much better. It was great to spend time with Scott's brother's family and we ate alot of seafood. Between dolphin cruises, beach time, pool time, movies, etc, we were pretty busy but in a fairly relaxing way. It was nice that I did not gain weight while we were gone but I did not loose weight either. I made an effort to have my usual low point breakfast and a salad made by me for lunch which helped. Got to do more exercising!

Memorial Weekend in Kentucky

Had a very nice weekend in Kentucky visiting with Scott's family. My sister went with us for the first time and got to have some very good home cooking from Scott's Mother and Grandmother. We visited the areas affected by the recent flooding, many people dealt with irreparable damage to their homes. It was not as obvious as all of the horror that happened on April 27th in our area but was still as devastating for people who were not prepared. The weather this year has been incredible and I feel so very lucky to have survived it to this point. My brother's home was in the path of the largest tornado that occurred that day and even now he is still traumatized by hearing it roar over his house. He was also very lucky as it appears that the tornado lifted right before his house leaving him with minimal damage. Others just next to him were not as lucky.

Still working on the weight reduction and received some real incentive today when trying on swimsuits. I had planned to have a wonderful cheeseburger for lunch but after looking at myself in different suits, I decided a salad and water was in order for at least the next 10 years. It was truly laughable and I just hope the coverups do their jobs. We will be heading for a week in Destin with Scott's brother and family next week. I am looking forward to the beach. Working on that invisibility spell so I can be heard but not seen in the swimsuits. I will get over it soon, hopefully!

WEP - Frustrating

I apologize that it has been nearly two months since I last posted. Been working alot and dealing with the heat issues still. I am now just calling it perimenopause and saying it is an ugly hotflash that might last for several years. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! My last post told you that I had lost over 6 pounds. Well I am still only at over 9 pounds lost. I have flip flopped alot in the last two months but am trying hard to focus on tracking more of what I eat and making decisions that are better. I am going to get to buy clothes in the Misses department again, I am determined. My husband started his own blog today. He has interesting thoughts so this should be good! I promise to do better. Getting ready to visit family during Memorial Weekend and then off to the Gulf Coast with the sister and brother-in-law and their three children. It should be great and I plan to find some quite time in their somewhere!

WEP - Continues

Kristy and I have been doing Weight Watchers for three weeks today and I am down 6.8 pounds overall. Yes, I was in a size 20. How horrible! I read something the other day that said to encourage more weight loss once you leave a size you should get rid of those clothes and never look back so the 20s are out of my closet. I am now into 18s that are a little loose. I have a ton of size 18 as I have been in those for years.

This week was a tough watch the points week but I am still managing to stay under the overall points for the week. I was so excited to have actually lost weight that I smiled for the rest of the day! I truly think that so many of my problems stem from being so overweight. What does plague me some is that I don't think when I look in the mirror that I am fat! I see so many people walking around that look so much worse that I worry for them because they have to be doing terrible things to their health.

I eat loads of fruits and veggies now but still manage to have pizza and cupcakes on occasion. That is the beauty of Weight Watchers in that you are going for a lifestyle change that does not make you deprive yourself of things.

It has been great seeing how many of my Facebook friends have been doing the same thing and that they have lost a good bit of weight. I am excited that maybe I will actually be more healthy and feel better as I keep losing it.

Kristy and I have bravely signed up with a local trainer for a boot camp in April. We want someone to show us how to work out correctly and get toned for the summer.

Do you think it is possible that I might actually look good in a bathing suit this year!? You bet!

Remembering My Grandparents

Yesterday would have been my Grandparents 70th wedding anniversary. There are so many things that I could tell you about William Edgar and Sylvia Lucille Harper and even then I could not show you how much I love and miss them. My memories of them have always been wonderful. I know from my mother that as parents they had a hard time with 3 boys and 2 girls and did not always treat them like they treated us as grandchildren. But I think that is the way it always is with parents. You just have to be tougher than you would ever be on your grandchildren.

I was very lucky in that I got to spend lots of time with them as I grew up. We lived fairly close when I was younger and almost every Sunday afternoon we would go and visit with them. They lived in a small white house with a hand built carport and what my Granddad called the pump house. It was named this because of course it had a water pump in it to get well water into the house. Also behind the pump house was a coal pit. You ask what that was. Well, for a very long time the little house was heated through a coal furnace that sat in the middle of the main living room. (More about the living room thing later.) So every month a truck would come and dump coal in the coal pit. During winter I know that I carried many a bucket of coal from the coal pit into the house for Granddad to pour into the furnace. That was grandchild duty by the way.

The front of the house had a porch that went from one end to the other and had a white swing where we would always gather after a meal or just to hang out. Also, in the back of the house was a very large tree under which was built a storm cellar into the ground. My grandparents lived very meagerly but somehow they managed to have someone dig out and build a storm cellar for them. We played there alot as kids and I remember a couple of times running into it during the middle of the night in my pajamas. A couple of tornadoes passed over head during my time down there.

This little house and these other locations sat on the front right corner of over 4+ acres of land that included a large swampy area and a forest section. During the summer another grandchild duty as you got older was to get on the riding lawnmower and cut the grass on the areas that were not flooded. Of course, Granddad always stood out in the middle of the yard pointing out where you should go and that one blade of grass that you missed. We all learned to drive that way.

There were more oddities about this house. It had two living rooms. You would come off the front porch into the 1st living room that most often was quiet as it held the better furniture. Off the left of the room was a bedroom where my cousin and I would sleep when we were older and just be silly teenagers. If you went through the 1st living room you would go to main living room which really was just a continuation of the 1st one because all that separated them was a large arched entry. In this room was the comfortable furniture, the ancient TV and the furnace for many years. Straight through was the kitchen. To the left of the main living room was a small area off of which were two bedrooms and a bath. No shower in this bath room folks. What I remember most there was the green walls, the absorbine Jr that Granddad insisted cured everything and the wonderful smelling powders that Grandmother always used.

The back bedroom next to the kitchen was their bedroom and it always had two full size beds in it. What was great about this room when we were kids is that we could sleep in the smaller bed in the same room and they always slept with their heads at the foot of the bed. Can't really remember why but it was neat as a kid. Another thing, the main cooling supply in the house was a large window fan that was in the kitchen window. You could not hear yourself think when that thing was running. Later they purchased a window air conditioner for one of the front windows on the house but Granddad didn't really want you to use it. I remember one day he was out and Grandmother told me to go turn that thing on before we all roasted.

Grandmother was the most loving and caring woman that I ever met. If she ever told you anything that she found out to be wrong, you would know that she would call and apologize and make sure she had told you correctly. She always wore some kind of high healed slingback shoe when going out and I spent many a Saturday with her at the beauty shop while they put her very long grey/white hair up into a bun. Every night you could find her bobby pinning paper towels to the back of the bun to keep it from getting messed up. She had a sweet laugh and could always be counted on for a hug.

Granddad was just always so funny to me. He was often very serious but when it came to us grandkids he was mush. He would take us walking down the road and tell us all about who lived where. He showed us how to make whistles out of twigs too. My brother's favorite memories includes us walking to a local convenient store where he would buy us a drink and chocolate candy footballs. He was once a truck driver and he always had issues with moving his arms above his head because of how he had to hold his hands to drive a truck. When Grandmother passed away we knew either he would go soon or he would fight and enjoy life! There would be no middle. We were right but surprised. He decided to fight and did so up to his last moments.

There is so much more like how there was always Dr. Pepper, pork skins, Pringles and very red hot dogs in their house. Other things like the kids table that would be set up in their bedroom because it was next to the kitchen. Scott had to sit with me in there even after we married. We were still too young! Oh and the very interesting relationship that they had. My grandparents married in their early twenties which was later than most and for all the years I knew them they had separate checking accounts. Whenever we went out for lunch they would each pay for their own meals. They also each paid different household bills. It was just so strange considering when they grew up. They seemed very equal in how they handled house cleaning, financial matters and just living together. You could tell even though they were not overly affectionate that they loved each other and us too!

Most of the time I seem to act fairly calm about them being gone and I feel that I need to as it affects my mother so hard sometimes but for some reason today I just want to cry because they are not here and I so don't want to forget them. Maybe this post will help a little.

WEP

WEP is a new word that my friend Kristy and I have come up with instead of using the hated word diet. We have decided that we will be serious about weight loss and will be starting Weight Watchers on Thursday of this week by going to our first meeting. She only wants to lose 15 pounds and that is great. I however, want to lose more. Fifteen pounds doesn't even get me below an acceptable number much less into the good area.

It will be great to have a friend to do this with and hopefully my overwhelming knowledge of counting points and eating only the right things will rub off on the family. As I am the main shopper it could be they will be forced to eat better or have to buy their own food!

I also started up my meditation exercises again.

You see it really hit me Sunday night when I tripped over a cord and fell down scraping up my legs and jarring my body! This weight does nothing but hurt my body and soul! It has to go!

Bring on the WEP!

Feel Like I Am In Tyken's Rift

Today started off fairly well. Got up, enjoyed breakfast with my family, nice long shower and then got the Irish stew started. Around that time is when things started going downhill. Erynn was very emotional and everything was making her cry. Luckily Jen worked on lunch while I worked on getting some pics on our Shutterfly website. But I started feeling rough myself around that time. We managed to get ready for a party Erynn had to attend but we almost did not get out of the garage because Erynn had another meltdown and I had to dig deep to put on the patient face. The party was fun for the kids and Erynn had a great time even though she was in tears at least 4 times during it. I noticed later that I was not the only mother who looked like she was tired and needed a break.

I just felt like today that I would easily lose my mind. No true pain today but the meds effect my sleeping patterns and when I want to sleep I have a child to spend time with or am at work. At night when I should want to sleep, it takes a little more effort and I don't sleep longer than a couple of hours at a time before I wake up again! Therefore Tyken's Rift. Of course, only truly devout Trekkers will understand this reference. Honestly, I remembered the episode and not what exactly caused it so I looked it up. In the 4th Season of Star Trek:The Next Generation, there was an episode where the whole crew started acting crazy and violent. Eventually they figured out that they were caught in Tyken's Rift and were not getting REM sleep. I always remember this episode when I am waking up constantly in the middle of the night. So today I will be Dr. Crusher and push through until it is resolved.

Get me out of the Rift!

Goals

Recently I discovered that I am the heaviest that I have ever been. When Scott and I married in 1993 I was in a size 2 people! Today you can add a zero to the back of that! Horrible! I am concerned about my heart health and my overall health due to this. I could blame part of it on the medicine I am taking now and maybe that is true but honestly my eating habits suck! They are based too much on thinking I am hungry and eating more than I need to at a sitting. Exercise comes and goes for me. I have to do better and I will! I plan to document on the blog what I am doing in hopes that it will force me to follow through.

Need your support! The worst are the flabby arms! Seriously annoying! I have begun doing arm exercises with weights every morning in hopes that will help also.

Smaller portions! Better food! Exercise!

Catch Up, Losing Weight, Finally a Potty Breakthrough

Ok, I need to do better on this. Not sure if the Cymbalta is working as well as it did before. I have to take the Lyrica also on time or I start the burn again. The last week has seen me with ice out again but at least it is still not as bad as before!

I need to lose weight desperately. I know what to do. Eat better, smaller portions, watch the junk and exercise. However knowing and doing are quite different! It is amazing to me how I have such willpower with other things in my life but food is not one of them. I am determined to do better! Every time you see me, ask how I am doing on the weight loss so I keep going!

My darling daughter has finally mastered all potty skills! Keep in mind that she has been going to the potty on her own for well over a year and that at school you would not know there is an issue. The child has only ever wet on the bed twice since she started going on her own. However, many of you know about the main issue. It seems that all children have a problem with pooping in the potty. There is some feeling of loss of fear about it and Erynn has taken this to the extreme. We were at the point where she would not even tell us but would go to her room change out of her panties and put on a pull up just to do the poopy thing! Folks this is called stubbornness! But it appears that we have finally overcome this issue. Last weekend she wanted to go see Gnomeo and Juliet and just before we got ready to leave she had to go. I convinced her to sit on the potty for this. It worked out well and she was completely surprised! She was lavished with praise by everyone and told all her grandparents that she really was a big girl now! Since then she has been marching herself in the bathroom, picking out a book and having her time without help until cleanup! I am so proud and excited that maybe the pull up days are completely over! The patience it took to get through this, I did not realize that I had!

I promise to talk more!

Snow and Ice

Been busy dealing with illness in our house. Erynn and I came back from Texas sick and she stayed that way off an on until the first of the year. She had bronchitis and then a chest infection. Two rounds of antibiotics, steroids and breathing treatments. Scott has also had bronchitis and is still fighting his too. Christmas was great with family and as always we had way too much food.

It appears that Erynn brought snow with her. Every year since she was born we have had snow and that was rare before her birth. Right now we are sitting in the middle of a winter storm with ice settling all around our deck. Hope the power stays on!

The Cymbalta has been a life saver. Yes, I still have pain but it has been dulled and my bad days are now closer to what a good day use to be. I go back to the neuro this week and we will see where we go from here.

I hope everyone is doing well and having a good winter.