Thread: Random Happenings

I’m so easy to cry right now, it’s just ridiculous, and of course over stupid things. Anyhoo, the kids both had a good day at DC and mine was made even worse when I got home to find a yellow sheet of paper from the a-hole cops in town stating our Cavalier is in parking violation. I called and *****ed about it with one cop to be told to call today to talk with the cop that put the notice on the car. Just got done talking with that dickhead and I’m not happy at all, I guess it doesn’t matter that you pay your taxes and follow the law by god don’t park in front of your house! I did not need to deal with another a-hole this week. Once B got his outdoor play in we went inside and I cuddled with him for a bit before calling my mom to tell her what the hours were for the WoF conference. DH was late so B and I ate before he got home, I made pancakes so it didn’t really matter. Once we were done with dinner we got the kids in bed and then I went to bed myself, I felt like total crap last night.

B didn’t sleep well, at one point he told DH that the green light was scary, so I didn’t sleep well. He was up crying at 5:40 so I had him leave the room so he wouldn’t wake L, this has got to stop. Our morning was fine and so far work is OK, I just want to be done. I have a meeting this afternoon but I’m working through lunch so I can leave early, I just need to veg for a bit. DH is taking B in for a trim (aka buzzcut) this afternoon. I’m going to miss his hair but I think this is the only way to get his hair short as quickly as possible.

Since I had L AF has arrived early morning after I take my first sugar pill, I was prepared for this yesterday morning but there was nothing to wake up to. I still have no sign of AF, a little bit of cramping and I’m emotional is all, it’s just weird because my body is so much like clockwork. One weird thing is my boobs are really itchy, it’s driving me nuts. I guess if I don’t see AF by Sunday I’ll POAS just to at least put that thought at ease. Well knowing me I’ll put it off even longer.

I don’t have much planned for this weekend and that’s OK by me, I need some down time. There’s the normal cleaning, laundry, bills, etc but I think I really need some fun time with the kids and I’ll probably try to bake a little bit. It’s supposed to be cold and windy so it doesn’t look like we’ll get any outdoor time, oh well.

B’s haircut went as terrible as always on Friday, it was at least fast since they used the clippers though. It also turned out really nice and he’s cute as a button. He had to have a bath as soon as he got home to try to get rid of all the hair clippings. I was feeling somewhat OK so I decided to make chicken and dumplings, my dumplings didn’t turn out at all. They were chewy like gum and pretty nasty, at least the chicken part tasted OK. I think if I try it again I’ll just make biscuits and top them with the chicken & sauce. Once the kids were in bed DH and I crawled into bed ourselves and ate M&M’s while we watched Iron Man. It wasn’t a bad show and it was nice having a lazy night with DH. B’s molars are still bothering him and he woke around 2 saying his cheek hurt, I gave him more Motrin and he’s so cute drinking it out of the cup like a big boy.

On Saturday the kids were up at 7:00 and DH actually got up with me, that was a nice surprise. I’ve been in the mood to make breakfast lately so I put together some bacon & French toast, had to use up the dried up bread somehow. After DH left for work I did a quick clean in the house and then B played with his moon sand. I had him sit in the highchair in the kitchen to help with cleanup, it was everywhere. He had a great time and L enjoyed watching him play. We had a really nice morning and somehow the kids napped at the same time for about an hour so that was nice. I used the time to watch I Survived and get the kitchen cleaned up. B’s only been napping for 1.5 hours lately so he was up shortly after L woke up and he continued to be a good boy for me. I was in the mood for pizza (DH thought I was making the frozen pizza) so I made a white sauce that turned out really good but I need to cut it in half since it was too saucy. B thought we were having pizza the night before so he was happy to finally see some. DH was working on projects most of the night so I watched a little bit of TV then went to bed.

Sunday the kids were up at 7:30, well they were up before that but the yelling for me didn’t happen until the 7:30 mark. We had some nice snuggles on the couch before breakfast and DH got up once L was down for her morning nap and I was getting ready to shower. We had about an inch of snow and it was 0 so we knew we were in for a chilly day. I had some shopping to do so we first went to Target then we stopped at the grocery store. The kids again napped at the same time so DH went downstairs to work and I was busy in the kitchen. I first made the beer bread I’ve been wanting to try, B loved it and I was happy with the result. I initially thought it was going to be too big for my bread machine so I did everything by hand, I think it would have fit just fine. Once the bread was rising I made puppy chow since DH has been asking for it for quite some time and I had my Christmas Lima beans in the crock pot. B woke right when I was finishing up in the kitchen so I snuggled with him (he watched Wow Wow Wubbzy on my lap while I fell asleep) and then DH got him bundled up to play outside. He did not like how loud the snow blower was so he stood inside watching DH snow blow. Once DH was done I sent B outside with his lawn mower so he could help, they apparently snow blowed along the neighbors sidewalks. I was thinking of how great a daddy DH is, he played outside with B for a long time and it was only 5 degrees outside. Once they were in the house I made sure to get DH hot chocolate and B chocolate milk while they warmed up under B’s blanket. I started making rice and chicken breasts since dinner was fast approaching and while we waited for the chicken to bake L and I joined the boys in our bedroom playing on the bed. B loves climbing up and down our bed, I’m not sure what’s so exciting about it. Dinner turned out OK (I improvised on my chicken and coated it with rice Chex instead of corn flakes, it turned out pretty good) and L getting a bath while B was still at the table motivated him to finish his chicken and try a bean so he could jump in too. L was super tired so she went to bed a little early and B was a handful so it took awhile to get him to bed. I was feeling exhausted by 7 so once the kids were down and everything was ready for today I went to bed myself.

L was crying around 5:30 this morning so I had to sneak in to get her before she woke B, that didn’t work because he started crying but I at least got him to go back to sleep a little longer. She was soaked through and poopy so I know why she woke, at least she was in a good mood and let me finish getting ready. The three of us snuggled on the couch and then I put L up against the pillow while I got breakfast going. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep on the couch, it was pretty sweet. We also have another cold day, -13 when I woke up and I’m happy winter is back.

DH and I have been talking about how to motivate B to want to potty train. I ordered a couple DVD’s that are supposed to be here on Wednesday and we are trying to use L to make him want to use the potty. On Saturday we sat L on the little potty and read to her, B was with us but he wouldn’t sit on the potty himself. She peed in the potty (way to go on her first sitting, I’m so proud) so we had a celebration and gave her an M&M (this of course was us pretending to feed her one). B got mad that he didn’t get a treat but we told him that he has to use the potty in order to get one. On Sunday we bought him a bigger potty to use and when we got it out of the box he actually sat on it willingly for DH. I came over and praised him for sitting on the potty and then he ran to get L’s little potty. We then had both kids sitting on the potty and B actually peed in the potty. He was concerned because some pee got on the seat but we told him that’s OK, we just wipe it up and he was fine with it. We did a big song and dance and DH had B help him dump and flush the pee. He of course got a treat and was so very proud of himself, lots of hugs and I love you’s from him. I hope we can ease this back into his life and get somewhere, we’re both frustrated with the lack of anything up to now.

B is quite the sweet talker with me. On Saturday he was bothering me while I was typing an e-mail, he had his own computer to play on so he had something to do. He knew I was annoyed so he’d lean in and sweet talk me with I love you’s. I felt like I was at a bar and being hit on, the little terd. Last night at dinner he was being a mess and breaking rules and when I’d get on him he’d start singing “You are so beefaful, to me” (the to me is in a high pitched voice). I am so wrapped around his finger and he knows it.

AF did show up on Friday, of course right before DH and I decided to DTD. I had mentioned my concern to DH about it not arriving yet (I think my body has just finally normalized because it’s not as heavy as it’s been and it seems more like it was before) and he had apparently put some thought to it. He commented that if I would have been pregnant he wasn’t sure what to think in regards to timing. I told him it just felt too early and like L would have been jipped out of her baby time with us not that I wouldn’t have been happy to have been pregnant. I’m still trying to figure out if I want a 2 or 3 year difference, I guess I’ll see this Fall if I feel like it’s time. Part of me thinks it would be nice to go for 2 years and to be done plus I like the age difference between B and L. Another part of me thinks I could give L more baby time by waiting 3 years and I want her to get enough from us and to not feel left out on anything.

I have some happy news. I just got off the phone with the guy we bought our van from and he's going to cover the costs to get a second set of keys, yeah! I didn't bother pushing for the battery because really I'm tired and want things to be over. I'm feeling really clogged right now so I sound terrible and feel like I'm suffocating when I talk so I'm putting of my other two calls for tomorrow. One is to schedule L's dedication, I'm really behind on that, and the other is to chat with a police sergeant or chief about the a-hole cop I talked with on Friday and how what he says doesn't jive at all with what the ordinance says. I think the guys confused and he needs to be straightened out. I know this could possibly make me a target but he needs to know that he needs to understand what it is he's saying and be able to back it up. I know I'm a ***** but someone has to stand up to this BS.

B made an igloo at DC (paper plate with cotton balls on it and an Eskimo at the opening) and he is very proud. He showed it to me and other parents as we made our way to the car and he even slept with it. L was a tired girl and slept from when we got home until I woke her at 6:45 to eat, I hope she’s not getting sick. B and I played a bit and I talked with my mom while I was getting dinner made and cleaning up the kitchen. I convinced her into talking to SIL to encourage her to tell me about L so we can just have everything out in the open with the immediate family. I’m tired of the secrets and my mom has been getting too close to slipping up. We also talked about WoF and I will be staying with Carrie at a hotel, it should be a lot of fun. The night was pretty normal and the kids went down fairly easy. B stated he wasn’t scared of dinosaurs in his room, we’re taking it as he is scared of them. He also told DH he was scared of the red lights in his room, I’m not sure where this scared stuff is coming from but I hope it passes soon. I was exhausted once the kids went to bed so I didn’t exercise and went to bed a little early, not early enough though. I’m feeling better in ways but this thing has gone on too long, I just want it to be done. B slept great and neither kid was up early so that was nice. We had a good morning together but I forget to make sure DH was up on time and he started his morning about 20 min late, oops. At least I had the kids mostly taken care of by the time I left, B just had to work on eating breakfast. It was -22 this morning, quite a bit colder than they expected and still fine by me. We’re going to do an easy dinner tonight, we have so many leftovers that I need to give us time to catch up. I can’t decide between hamburgers and bagels with eggs, bacon, and cheese. I’m thinking the bagels are sounding best right now.

I think I’m officially over my cold symptoms, I can tell I’m not 100% yet but I’m on my way. I had a nice evening with the kids and even though my dinner wasn’t as good as I had hoped it turned out OK. Tonight we’re doing hamburgers and I’m going to try a recipe I found for buns in the microwave, at the worst we’ll throw them out. They have cottage cheese in them and I mix it in the blender so it’s interesting if nothing else. L didn’t take her cat nap so she was extremely tired and fussy, she went to bed a little bit early. B was a good boy and I was able to get laundry put away while he was in the bath. He likes to stick his belly out and say “you do this” then he’ll suck it in, it’s kind of funny to watch. Once the kids were in bed I tried out my new Cathe video, Kick Max. It was a good workout and had me sweating and cringing with pain, always a good thing. I did her preset mix and plan to try another one tonight, I think there’s a total of 5. I really need to kick myself into gear and work hard at losing this weight, I’m focusing on 10 more pounds for now and will focus on the remaining 10 after that goal. I just feel like I’ve hit a comfort level but I don’t want to stay here, I can’t stay here. So I’ve cut out my snacks while at work and now I’m working on not snacking before dinner or after dinner. I just need to focus on water and/or my tea to help me through these cravings and keep my overall goal in mind.

I set up L’s dedication for March 1^st, I can’t believe I’ve put it off for so long. I sent the e-mail letting the family know and I have the meal mostly planned out. I want to try a cupcake cake made in the shape of a cross so I think I’ll take one of these weekends to do a trial run so I can experiment with frosting it. I also will need to do some searching for GF decorating options, I think I want to do an outline of some sort. I also need to figure out what we’ll be doing for an outfit, she has a cute little velvet dress but I don’t know if it’s inappropriate to do red and not the traditional white. It may not even matter but I’m obsessing on it. We have L’s 6 month pictures Friday morning and then her 6 month appointment Friday afternoon so I’m taking the day off. I need to figure out what I want to do with her pictures and get outfits lined up, I’ve really been slacking at night and I need to motivate tonight since I’m feeling better. I also have some ripe bananas in the freezer that are begging to be made into a bread, maybe I can whip that together on Friday if I don’t have time before then.

DH thinks I have hives on my breasts but I have no idea what it is. I can see red areas that itch but I don’t know what would be causing it. I’m just going to wait it out, if it’s still there when I have my annual appointment in a month then I’ll ask her about it, I hope it’s not still around at that point. My arm is aching, I’m sure from my workout last night, not sure if it’s a good ache or a bad ache.

I decided to skip the grocery store after I picked the kids up, I can reserve that for either tonight or tomorrow when I have more time, it’s not like we’re out of anything yet. L seems to have a cold, she had a really runny nose and her eye was watery, the poor thing. She slept from the time we got in the car until DH got home at 6:30. We didn’t bother with solids and she took her whole bottle, played for about 10 min, then went to bed in our room. B was a big help with dinner, stirring and sticking spoons in things is his specialty. He helped me with the hamburger buns that have cottage cheese in them and are cooked in the microwave, they tasted good but I made them too thick. Next time I’ll not use as much batter. B was busy playing all evening and as he was exhausted we watched one of this new potty DVD’s, he seemed to like it and it can’t hurt. I think we’ll watch the potty train one tonight. I’m teetering on the fear of pushing him and having it back fire and just being fed up with the whole situation. I did get in 30 min of my Kick workout then watched Big Love and went to bed. B slept great and L woke once, I got up more out of confusion than her needing me.

I have no motivation for work today, good thing I have tomorrow off. I’m going to Colombo’s for lunch with C, all I can have is their salad bar but it’s at least a good one. I really should busy myself with the piles on my desk, boo!

It was a busy weekend but a good one. Thursday was a pretty laid back night and I was able to finally talk with the police chief, they have a lot of “reading into” what they put on my car and I think that boils down to BS. If it says one thing they need to realize that’s what people are going to take it as but the conversation went fine. Once the kids were in bed I ran to the grocery store to try to give myself some extra time on Friday, and then I went to bed. It was so nice being able to sleep until 6:30 on Friday. I got B up and we had some cuddles then I put him at the table to eat. As soon as he sat down he puked up all of the milk he had drank, not what I was expecting. I felt so bad for him too, he’d puke then cry mommy and puke again. Luckily we caught most of it on the placemat so cleanup wasn’t terrible. I stripped him down and had him lay on the couch with some water and tummy friendly foods, after about an hour he had eaten breakfast and started to get back into “Brodie” mode. I figured the puke was just a fluke since everything else stayed down so I did drop him off at DC before going to L’s 6 month pictures, I know bad mommy. L did great for her pictures and we were done in record time, she’s such a cutie. I realized when I was there I forgot her stats book for the Pediatrician so I had to run home after stopping at the Coop, typical of me. I then stopped to get gas and somehow managed to get gas on my pants, I smelled great after that. I had some time before her appointment so I stopped at Oak Street Market and was so happy I did. They had some flours no one else in the area carries (still haven’t found any sweet white rice flour) plus GF ice cream cones and other GF options no one else has. I was a happy girl and bought a few things out of joy. L and I then rushed to her appointment and sat in the waiting room for 40 min, she was busy flirting with everyone so it wasn’t terrible at least. She’s healthy and doing so well, 10-25^th percentile for length and 90^th percentile for head and weight. Dr. I said this usually means that her length will pop back up to 50^th by the next check up and she’ll probably slim down some, we’ll see. I think she’s just perfect. They also gave prescriptions for both kids to have fluoride, they never talked to me about having B take it so I was a bit surprised. Of course by the time I got to the pharmacy to fill the prescription they hadn’t faxed it yet so I haven’t picked it up, maybe I can tonight. L and I went home for about an hour and I did some cleanup around the house before we picked B up from DC, he was apparently quite the character for them. We had a nice evening and got in a walk while I pulled the kids in the sled, got a sweet picture out of it too. I did some baking and first made “rice krispies” with the bleh cereal I had and they turned out OK, not my favorite. I also made banana bread and veged on the couch while it baked, DH joined me for a little bit and we chatted about marriage until it was late and time for bed.

The kids were up by 7:00 on Saturday and it was OK with me, nothing I could do about it anyways. We had some nice cuddle time and were ready to roll for our play date by 9:40. We had a nice time but I ate more than I planned to. I did order a cheeseburger with no bun and it tasted good but my BM the next morning made it evident I ate something I shouldn’t have. Darned MSG. It ended bad when D fell and hit his head, poor kid but he’s a trooper. B wasn’t quite ready for a nap when we got home but L was out cold. I did some cleaning and started on my 5 loads of laundry then B helped me dust. Once he went down for his nap L woke up but I will still able to get a lot of cleaning done. Once she was again ready for a nap I put her down and boom B was up, ah life with 2 sweethearts. I at least had everything but the bathroom and floors done so B helped with the bathroom, had his own yellow rubber gloves and rag though I did my best to keep him from the actual cleaner. Dinner was leftovers since I was too busy as it was and then B and I moved onto the floors. He did a great job using the extension to vacuum the floor, it also took me about 20 extra minutes to clean but that’s OK. It was worth it to watch him watch himself in the stove vacuuming. I finished the floors after he was in bed and even got all of the laundry put away before I went to bed, woot! K and I talked about getting together for the Super Bowl so I also ran to the grocery store to get a few things and happily discovered they now carry Green’s beer! I almost did a happy dance in the aisle and happened upon it by chance. My last thing for the day was watering the plants and making no-bake cookies so I was one productive girl.

I woke to crying at 6:30 and I thought it was B until I went in the room, yup L was ready to get up. This then woke B up and I got him calmed down and L calmed down and tried to go back to sleep hoping my little beauties would follow suit, nope! So we were up and it was for the best since I wanted to go to church. We had our normal cuddle and feed then I jumped in the shower. I came out to find L passed out on the floor and B still happily watching his movie. DH got up barely in time to shower and go with us, I would have let him sleep. Church was fine and we worked with B to be quiet and to only whisper when he talked, he did OK but we still have a lot of work to do. We then came home and just tooled around the house. B was tired pretty early so I gave him an early lunch and put him down for a nap, it was short but that’s life. DH took B outside to play and I napped on the couch for about 30 min, it was so nice and I woke just in time to wake up and get things out for our guests. B and D played great, B is interacting more with his play and that really helps. He also did better with sharing so I was glad to see that. We just chatted and watched the game while the kids played, good food and good fun. I didn’t exercise at all this weekend and I ate terrible so I’m sure the scale isn’t going to be nice to me. I am going to stick to it this week, I’m not yet out of the running for my goal for this WLC, I can do it.

Monday was a busy day, my whole afternoon was meetings and we did a lot of walking in the tunnels, at least I got my exercise. I stopped at the pharmacy before picking the kids up and after standing there for 10 min waiting for them to find B’s prescription they tell me they’ve never sold the chewables before and their manager didn’t enter it into the computer so they don’t know what to charge me. She offered to give me a few and really what’s the point when I have to come back again? I was annoyed. The kids were chipper and DH was home when we got there, not that you’d know since he stayed downstairs and didn’t bother to give me a break with the kids and dinner, I of course don’t need any help. He did at least get the van licensed and got the key copied, it cost the dealership $190, ouch! I think car companies have gone from trying to prevent people from stealing cars to just way overboard, really do we need it to be this expensive and 1.5 hours to program everything? I had a raging headache (not sure what’s going on with me to have so many lately) so after dinner I got everything ready for today and cleaned up, knowing I’d be in bed soon. I did have my Gluten Free Living magazine and GF breads book arrive in the mail so I browsed through those a bit before going to bed.

L is such a smiley girl and her giggles are so sweet, she’s not as big of a laugher as B was but that’s what makes them special. The one thing she does that is precious is she claps her feet and does it really well. She was also clapping for the first time yesterday and that was great to see. Part of me can’t figure out where the last 6 months went, I hate that feeling. B has been more willing to sit on the potty, nothing has resulted but since he’ll sit without a fight I feel like we’re getting somewhere. He’s ready he just needs to want it.

I just read an article stating two studies have found significant mercury in HFCS. Apparently mercury can be a side effect of the process of making HFCS. Why exactly is the FDA allowing this in our food? I'm so glad I've rid our home of HFCS. Some of the foods that had mercury in them due to the HFCS were Hershey's chocolate syrup, Kraft original BBQ sauce, Strawberry Nutri-Grain bars, Smucker's strawberry jelly, frosted blueberry Pop Tarts, Coca Cola classic and Yoplait strawberry yogurt. Wow.

More people are being laid off around here and of course it has me worrying about the security with my job. I know we’re a bit different than the positions that rely on grants but it doesn’t make me think I’m untouchable especially since we’re a cost recovery group. All I can do is pray.

DH went home early to get a nap in and L had fallen asleep on the drive home so B and I played outside for a bit, mostly we ran to see the train and then petted the cat from across the street. He was so cute baby talking the cat saying it was crying and asking if it was OK. Once we were in the house I made dinner and he ate like a champ, maybe he’s going through a growth spurt. After dinner we decided to do a flashlight walk, of course it wasn’t dark enough with street lights to do a real flash light walk but we still had fun. I carried L the whole way and my back was not happy. We then did some cuddles and put the kids to bed, L was adorable lying on her side cuddled with her butterfly, so sweet. B didn’t give us any sort of issues with falling asleep and he slept all night, well at least we think he did since DH didn’t turn the monitor on. I was exhausted so I watched I Survived and then went to bed, it was nice to sleep. I need to do a few things around the house tonight so I can be plenty ready for the IL’s visit. I will just have a quick clean to do on Friday night and then a little bit of meal prep on Saturday. I really need to sit down at some point and go over recipes I want to try and ingredients I need to use up, maybe I’ll have some time Saturday since the IL’s wont’ be here until after 2, I can dream anyways.

So I'm doing a bit of a trial run, since I've been GF for almost 6 weeks I've been feeling great, less bloating/gas etc. Well at a union meeting today my co-worker grabbed me a brownie and after sitting next to it for 30 min I decided to eat it and see if it effects my body at all. It was really just an excuse to eat the damned thing but also I think this test will be good too. So, we'll see how my body reacts.