Come Again??

I need to brag for a minute:
I am a very pretty woman. I take good care of myself. I dress well. I have curves where they should be. I'm confident and self posessed. I moisturize.
Here is why I tell you this:
I was playing with my daughter, acting all silly when I collapsed onto the couch laughing. My daughter takes this moment to give me a little advice. With a hand on her hip she tells me,
            "You know? You should really work harder on being pretty and girly and less hard at being a dork."

Okay, yes. I readily admit that I have a dorky streak and maybe it is bigger than I like to admit. But did my baby really need to say that to me???
            My immediate response was to say, "Hey, I am pretty!"
            To which she replied, "Well, yeah, but only 'cause you look like me!"

So true, she is a five year old version of myself. Same hair, same eyes, same nose and smile.  We differ is our fashion sense though. She thinks shorts are for boys only and if it is not pink, purple or "matches our eyes" it is not to be worn. And hair is NEVER to be in a pony tail unless it is for cheer leading. I am constantly getting grief from her for not having on heels and not having gloss on my lips.  But this - this insult! It's just too much! Maybe a mom who no longer has toddlers has to let go of the goofiness.......or maybe I'm going to grab her when she comes into my room to wake me up in the morning and tickle her until she takes that comment back!

Went Fishing, Caught Duck

I have a fear. It is embarrassing but I can't help it. I've had it since I was very little. Worms freak me out. My boys keep asking me to take them fishing and my first thought always is, then I'll have to touch a worm....

 I recently discovered that you can fish with tiny crayfish (which I don't have a problem touching). However, yesterday evening when they asked to go fishing there wasn't time to go to the stream to catch crayfish and then go to the pond to fish. I came up with a brilliant (cough. I thought) idea. The last time we went to the pond we brought bread for the ducks and the fish went crazy so I figured (OK. I admit. It was a bad idea) we would fish with bread! I grab a bag, the poles, the kids, put everything in the van and we headed out. When we got there I looked for a good spot. Being the smart person I am I picked a spot away from the ducks. I rolled little bits of bread up and put it on their hooks. I also threw crumbs into the water to attract the fish. I, uh, attracted the ducks first. The kids quickly pulled in their lines but one duck just wasn't having it. He chased that line and kept trying to grab the moving bread. He had made his mind up to get that piece of bread.

Finally he caught that bread and made a triumphant noise which was cut short when he realized his beak was caught. Another duck was hurling himself at him and we were trying to pull him in to unhook him. It was mayhem. We got him to shore, shooed the other duck away and managed to get the hook out.  Poor duck. Thankfully he will be fine. Being the smart person I am, we did not pack up and go home. We moved further away from the ducks and tried again.  This time I am pleased to say we actually caught a fish!

Bus Comes When?

      My daughter started pre-school today.  We were told to have her out side by 9:15am. Being who I am, we were out there at 9:10. Not bad. It was a beautiful day and we were having fun. 9:15, 9:20, 9:25, 9:30....still no bus. Finally at 9:40 I drove her to school. When I tried to figure out what had happened and what to expect tomorrow I was told there is only one bus for ALL the preschoolers and my daughter would be on the bus for 30+ minutes each way and no one knew when I should expect the bus to arrive in the morning. THE SCHOOL IS 3 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE!  When school was done she wanted to ride the bus home so I figured I'd let her.  I put her on it and went home to sit on my porch and wait for her. I had just opened up my book when the bus pulled up and dropped her off. Okay....
    So this time I talked directly to the Bus Driver. (I apologize to all the cars stopped behind him) Apparently there was a major accident he got stuck behind. Apparently he will be at our house between 9:30 and 9:40 every morning and apparently she will only be on the bus for about 10 minutes.  How does this information get so skewed?  Seems pretty simple to me.
       Anyway, she had a great first day. I guess she will be riding the bus tomorrow.

Communication

With that big communication fiasco eating up time the only thing I had time to do was head to the gym.  With a friend on each side of me on the elliptical we got into a bit of a discussion about communication (granted it revolved more around spouses than school staff). We agree that the biggest problem between the sexes is communication; the technique, the quantity and the desire for. What do you think?

run away weekend

This weekend hasn't turned out quite like I had hoped. I was hoping to go to the coast to watch the waves from Earl Friday morning but at the last moment my ride backed out. Saturday simply didn't exist beyond the sports.  We had planned to go out in the boat today but alas, I had a sick kid.

I however, am going to enjoy my life no matter its form 

Friday - (Since I wasn't leaving at 2am anymore) we bought the boys a futon for the basement and transformed their "kids" playroom into a "guys" space.  It's so cool I'm spending time down there. 

Saturday - watched my youngest son practice his position as goalie. I watched my oldest son DOMINATE a football field and I saw my baby girl cheering her little heart out in her adorable little cheer outfit.  Okay, I admit, it really rubs me wrong that she wants to cheer.  But, she is supported all the way. I even (gulp) help the cheer coach at the games. 

Today -Thankfully it was too cold to go out on the boat anyway so instead I managed to whip up some delicious crepes for breakfast and some fresh bread.  We played board games, ordered Chinese food for dinner which we ate in the sun room and watched Wizards of Waverly Place (my kids have gotten me addicted to it).  

Not too shabby for a weekend gone wrong. Ahh but the week still awaits and, yes, my house is a mess...

When Time off equals No Time

My husband has four days off work because of the holiday. My school age children have three days off. Big Frickin yay for all of them.  Not that I don't like spending time with my husband and kids, I do. I really do. But as a stay-at-home-mom I don't really get "days off" and everyone else being around the house means it will get messier making my work harder.  It's not just that though. Hubby decided with so many days off big house projects need to be taken care of. I totally agree. The problem? Instead of working on my own stuff or enjoying the weekend I'll be his wing man on these projects.  Don't get me wrong. I actually like manual labor (read my last blog about exercise?) and I like watching something I am working on come together.  But this also means I can't relax when it's done because everything else will be backed up - especially with the kids running free while we do this stuff.  But this isn't the whole problem.  On Saturday I also have a 9am practice for my soccer player, an 11am game for my football player and a 3pm game for my cheerleader.  Sunday and Monday being the holiday there will be a gathering with the In-Laws. So, come Tuesday the "Days off" will actually have been filled with TONS of work and the days ahead of me will be spent playing catch-up.  Hey, this is life, I get that. And I know, I chose to get married, have kids and put them in sports. I do love all of this. It just sucks when you hear "Time Off" and just KNOW it means "No Time" for you.


By the way: This rant partly comes from no sleep since Darling Hubby tossed and turned all night shouting out random things and keeping me wide awake. Don't worry though, he's been sleeping soundly for the past hour or so......................................grrrrrrr

Skinny: Worth It?

I have worked out for the past 15years - if not daily - then close to it. I work out because:

(A) I like being able to play around with my kids
(B) I like feeling strong and master of my own body
(C) I like how I feel after a workout
   and
(D) I like to look good

My sister (who also stays fit) and I were discussing this and I wanted some opinions. Some studies say it is better to have a little extra weight on you. Some say that that might be true but not if it is on your middle. Some still say we women need to keep our BMI between 18-25.  Besides the Health Factor there is also the Public Opinion Factor which leads to my other question:  Are girls trying to be skinny because THEY think it makes them prettier than other girls or because guys REALLY PREFER thin girls to their curvier companions? 

I recently read a book called Hungry by Crystal Renn. She believes that every one's body has a set weight it wants to be at - a weight that is easy to maintain. She believes that this weight range is rather large and all places on it are equally healthy. I'm not exactly a fan of the book but I didn't necessarily hate it either.  

I know that I can eat less without feeling hungry and quit working out and only put on about 4 -6lbs (all on my arms, hips and thighs)  before my body hits a maintainable weight. I also know that if I do this my flexibility and strength go out the window and I feel more drained throughout the day. So my questions are these:

1. What are your thoughts on a healthy weight?
2. Are girls the cause of the skinny craze or are guys?
3. Is working out worth the time and effort or something to let go of?   

My Life has two Faces

I'm married, I have children - all by the same man, I have a dog, I cook and bake, clean, tend my flower garden, I volunteer, help with the children's activities, I'm a Christian......... 

This side of me is not a fraud.  I like all these things. Yet, there is another side of me which is equally real. I love adventure and travel.  I've visited between 10 and 15 of the States and 3 other countries, I've eaten strange foods,  I've swam in both oceans.....

The problem is I cannot have both these lives at the same time.  To do one I have to take a break from the other.  Don't get me wrong, I still camp - but the kids come with. We took the motorcycle to Atlantic City this summer, but that meant setting up a weekend babysitter.  I still travel, but my last long trip was a road trip to Disney World.  Part of me aches  for the freedom to move around as I use to.  Part of me is REALLY enjoying calm hours in the garden while a New York style Cheesecake chills in the house which, we eat later that night while playing Monopoly. 

The older the kids get, the more freedom I get. The older the kids get the more time I want to spend with them. Time goes so fast.  It will be over so soon. So, my conclusion is this: I did what I could, I do what I can. My time will come again.
 My children are having some fun adventures. I am being the engaged mother I want to be. The best part is, my children get to see that I am a real person with wants and dreams.  They get to see that I am not a slave to the family or society and that taking care of ones self is healthy - not selfish.