Bicycle

My daughter, B, is learning to ride her bicycle. She is 6. J was almost 8 before he learned but we did not start working with him early enough. I know that practicing everyday is the route to success but sometimes it is hard to convince children of this. B, while learning (just like J) has spent a lot of time complaining and whining (we are raising two whiners). We try and convince her of how wonderful it would be when she can ride independently, and she is looking forward to it. Right now it seems so hard. I told her everyone has to learn to ride a bike. It is like potty training or learning to drive. It seems impossible now but later it will be so natural. (She was difficult to potty train, too. I do not look forward to teaching her to drive.) She is starting to ride 20-30 yards alone but isn't very good at catching herself when she starts to fall. She also wishes I wouldn't nag her so much. (Really, I am only offering advice on where she needs to improve.) I hope that in a few weeks I will be able to report that we are all riding bikes.

Bowling

I took the kids bowling on Thursday. It was Spring Break but because I had to work the kids only got two of the five days off. They spent the other 3 days at the Day Care where they attend Summer Care and Christmas Break. Of course, there was no school work required and they did go on a field trip but I still felt I owed them some fun. J suggested bowling. Now the last time I went bowling was December of 1993. I can count the number of times I have bowled on one hand. Yet J was still excited that he managed to beat me on both games. Neither of us bowled over 90. I think I could beat him without the bumpers because he hit the bumpers more than I did. Nonetheless, he has bowled quite a few times in the last few years. Little Sister didn't do as well, the ball was just too heavy for her. We had a good time, though, and no one had a melt down.

Saturday

It is Saturday again. It is a gorgeous spring day. Everywhere trees and flowers are bloomin'. (My apologies to allergy sufferers.) I went out and walked this morning before work. (Got to work off those calories I'm having tonite from Rosie's) Now I am ready for a nap.

Mercy

I just finished reading Mercy by Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister's Keeper (which I reviewed here.) It is very unlike the previous book. The underlying theme of the story is that in a marriage one partner loves the other more. In otherwords, if the sum of your love for each other could be measured, one of you would love more than 50%. Relationships, it points out are rarely 50/50 but usally 60/40 or even 70/30. This is an interesting thought to ponder. The basic storyline also asks the tough questions about euthanasia. If someone you loved was dying and suffering would you help them end their life? Does a person have the right to end their own life? I know this has been in the news a lot and is very controversial. I don't know how many states have laws governing this. I myself understand the right to end one's life. But don't look to me for help. Nope, I will kindly take the coward's way out. This was a very interesting read and recommeded.

Diet Update

This morning the scale showed a .4lb increase. This in spite of all the exercise I have gotten this week. I've worked really hard this week. However, after 3 weeks of not gaining a slight gain was to be expected. Eating out so much last weekend didn't help, either, I am sure. I am not going to be discouraged, though. I am going to keep at it this weekend and hope for a bigger loss next week. Easter is still 2 weeks away.

You would be real proud of me. In the breakroom there are donuts, leftover cake and cheesecake. A sales rep just went out to dairy queen to buy everyone ice cream. Here I sit still sticking to my diet.

Sofa Shopping

Let me just start by saying I don't like to sofa shop but it has become necessary again.

Shortly before I got married, anticipating my new income, I went shopping for my first sofa. I was living in a small apartment with only a love seat (hand me down) and a few rockers. My husband-to-be went with me on this shopping adventure. We went to a few stores and found what I liked at Rhodes Furniture. They had great financing terms and soon I was the proud owner of a sofa & loveseat. (Later we furnished most of our new house buying furniture at Rhodes and not paying any interest.) We had this set for 10 years and it held up for most of that. Toward the end the damage was mostly due to having two small children.

So in 2005 it was again time to sofa shop. Husband and I again went to several stores. We found a sofa we both agreed on at Ashley Furniture. They had just opened a huge store in Huntsville. Their furniture was well priced and attractive and they had generous financing. To sum up this experience: we were fooled. Two years later and the sofa will have to be replaced. It has not held up to wear. (And I mean it has not held up to being sat on everyday). One of the ottomons is bursting apart at the seam. The furniture which looked impressive in the store and which we paid a good price is not built to hold up to long-term use.

Now in 2007 I have come to terms with being taken advantage of by Ashley Furniture. Of course, I will not set foot in their store again. This time around I will not be wooed by a good price. If I have to pay more for a good sofa, then I will. The sales person at the Lane Store where we did not buy a sofa in 2005 was kind enough not to laugh when we came back this week.

It is tough finding something we can both agree upon. There are several things I do not like in a sofa. My husband wants his feet to touch the floor. We both would like something that will last nearly 10 years. (Oh, in case you were wondering, Rhodes has gone out of business.) We need something in a neutral color. I'm not actually going to use it as my primary seat. (I have my own large chair.) But I want it to look good in the living room. Here is one of the sofas we have looked at.

George Forman

I recently bought a new George Forman Grill. I had one in the past but never used it. I wasn't really into cooking healthy food at the time. I thought that the GFG was all about reducing the fat in your diet. Two things have happened to change my mind. 1) A few years ago we screened in our back porch and the outdoor grill has since been moved to the garage where it is very inconvienent to use. 2) I have been dieting for several months, slowly introducing more and more healthy food into our diets. My mother had a GFG and she enjoyed it, especially cooking salmon. So after discussing it I went and bought the latest grill at Bed Bath & Beyond using one of the 20% coupons they send me every month. I never learned to use the outdoor grill and I have always hated the smell of frying beef so the first thing I cooked was hamburgers. They turned out nicely. I have also cooked salmon and porkchops and yesterday I grilled some fresh pineapple (it was heavenly). You can use it as a griddle and I am anxious to try out this feature. It comes with 5 grilling plates (which can be washed in the DW) and a recipe book. You can make a lot of non-healthy foods on it as well. And according to the manual you can bake chocolate chip cookies. That remains to be seen.

Books

I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I really, really liked this book. Did it jump around? Yes. But it wasn't hard to follow. It was told by two different people's point of view. The author did a good job of helping the reader keep it all straight. It is the story Henry who time travels spontaneously without any conscious control and the love affair with his wife, Claire. The premise is very different than my usual reads but very interesting. It poses a lot of hard questions about how much control we may have over our futures. The time travelling is presented in the most believable way I have read (or seen) thus far. I would definitely recommend this book. (It does have some (but not a lot of) strong language, Ginnie.) Some time traveling books I have enjoyed before are The Mirror and The Threshold by Maryls Millhiser and the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Thirteen Things to Pass The Time (at Work)

1. Read magazines: I have Good Housekeeping, Newsweek, Everyday with Rachel Ray, Working Mother, Family Fun, and Cooking Light

2. Play Mah Jong

3. Read a good book: Currently I am reading The Dirty Duck by Martha Grimes

4. Read blogs on the internet

5. Update my own blog

6. Shop: Amazon.com, Orientaltrading.com, walmart.com

7. Talk to friends: I talk to my friend Kim who is also at work with very little to do

8. Chat with coworkers. Actually, my coworkers have a lot of work and occasionally get annoyed when I stand around on their side of the building chatting.

9. Think about food, make grocery lists, look at recipes

10. Watch the clock. How many hours until lunch time?

11. Do a little work

12. Play Mah Jong

13. Eat

Electricity

Yesterday, after my workout and shower, I called my mother (on the landline) to disuss my Easter dress which had come in the mail on Monday and was too big. We were busy chatting away when the power went off and the phone went dead. We don't have a phone in our house that works without electricity. So, I thought I would get on the computer and send here a quick message to tell her what happened. Just as I was realizing that although the computer works without electricity the internet does not, my cell phone rang. Great! Mother and I finished our conversation. I decided I was about ready to leave to run a few errands. I heard some beeping outside and figured it was the recycle truck. I went into the garage and manually (have you ever had to do that before?) opened the garage door so I could extradite my car. There at the end of my driveway were no less than 7 men and 3 trucks and a front end loader. They were messing with the transformer (actually most of them were standing around). After some complaining on my part, (Do you think they could have rang the bell and informed me they were turning off my power?) they removed themselves from my driveway so that I could drive away. When I returned 2 hours later they were still at it. Luckily, they left soon after and I was able to microwave my lunch. The internet did not immediately come back on. The cable and the phone were okay, though, so I knew it was an internal problem. (Hubby had to walk through the house unplugging and replugging the power on all the routers, etc.) The spa did not take kindly to being turned off either, and refused to come back on. (It needs to be drained and cleaned and I was putting it off until Spring Break.) Well, at least my Sleep Number Bed remembered who it was and didn't deflate. Don't you love our dependence on electricity.

Favorite Songs Meme

I saw this mem on Rocks In My Dryer and it seemed like a really fun meme to try. I went with the prevailing idea which is songs from the past and tried not to choose any favorite from the last 10 years.

Favorite Song From Childhood: Golden Ring by George Jones and Tammy Wynette. I can still sing all the words.

Favorite High School Dance Song: Footloose


Senior Class Song: Our senior prom theme was Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone. But there are so many songs that sum up that year. A few that come to mind are Pour Some Sugar On Me, Faith and anything from the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack.

Song That Makes You Think of College: U Can't Touch This (freshman), Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Auburn)

Favorite Rock & Roll Song: Well I'm not even sure I know the difference between Pop and R&R. I looked on MusicMatch and I had very few songs listed from either genre. So instead of answering favorite Disco, Pop, or R&R I thougt I would just tell you some of my favorites that are not country songs: Come Monday (Jimmy Buffet), You and Me of the 10,000 Wars (Indigo Girls), Sun Comes Up, Tuesday Morning (Cowboy Junkies)

Favorite Disco Song:

Favorite Country Song: My Home's in Alabama (Alabama)

Favorite Pop Song:

Favorite All Time Love Song: Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)

Favorite Break Up Song: Hard Habit to Break (Chicago)

Favorite Slow Dance Song: I'll Still Be Loving You (Restless Heart)

Song That Always Makes You Cry (or made me cry when I first heard it): Skin (Rascal Flats)

Songs About Your Kid/s: Front Porch Lookin' In (Lonestar)

Favorite Christmas Song: Please Come Home for Christmas (Eagles)

Favorite Gospel/Praise Song: Shout to the Lord, Anything by Rich Mullins

Favorite Ringtone on Cellphone: War Eagle! (Auburn's fight song)

Now that was fun trip down memory lane. I had to look up on the internet to even think about what we were listening to in high school. For me a lot of songs remind me of a particular memory. (Because the guy I dated in high school is not the man I am married to some of those memories have been pushed way back in my mind.) I hope you have fun with this meme. I tag: SIL, Mom, Ginnie (should get a good variety that way.)

Random Thoughts

Not much going on here but I have to post because otherwise it would be 3 days. I am listening to a really good album right now by Taylor Swift (self-titled). Take a listen. It is country music but not what you might be used to. I am also reading a really good book called The Time Traveler's Wife (I realize I may be late to that party.) It is a beautiful spring day and I can see it out my window. (If you are a new reader you may not realize I spent the previous 12 years at a job without a window.) The pear trees are quickly turning from white to a glorious green. Spring has arrived.

Bookishness

I found this meme on Rocks In My Dryer.

1. Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Either.There are some authors I always read their new novel, others I would rather not pay for a hardback.
2. Amazon or brick and mortar? Amazon. They are just so much easier to deal with.
3. Barnes & Noble or Borders? No Borders here but we do have Books-A-Million
4. Bookmark or dogear? I never dogear. But lots of times I read a book without using a bookmark and just have to locate my place each time.
5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Well, if I keep a book on my shelf for a long time, I usually sort them by size to make it look neat.
6. Keep, throw away, or sell? Who would throw a book away? I usually donate to the library or lend to someone else. I read entirely too many books to keep them all.
7. Keep dustjacket or toss it? I keep it.
8. Read with dustjacket or remove it? I remove it and return it when finished.
9. Short story or novel? I really do not like short stories.
10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I've read all of Harry Potter.
11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Both, it really depends on the book.
12.“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Dark and Stormy, I really do not like fairy tales or fantasy fiction.
13. Buy or Borrow? Both
14. New or used? Mostly new because I am too lazy to seek out used book sources.
15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Mostly browsing though I follow others recomendations. I rarely listen to a national review.
16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Please, save the cliffhanger for T.V. I want my novel tidied up.
17. Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Anytime, day or night.
18. Stand-alone or series? I like a good series but usually prefer the books in it mostly stand on their own.
19. Favorite series? The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. You need to read these in order.
20. Favorite children's book? Call of the Wild
21. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Under the Haystack
22. Favorite books read last year? We are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
23. Favorite books of all time? Well there is no way to narrow that list down. But because you asked please see this post.
24. Least favorite book you finished last year? Big Bad Wolf. Someone lent me several of these James Patterson books and I can't bring myself to read anymore.
25.What are you reading right now? Big Cherry Holler
26. What are you reading next? The Time Traveler's Wife

If you are a book lover than consider yourself tagged.

Saturday

It's Saturday at 11:31 and I am already tired. I went out and walked this morning before work. I've also spent the morning dusting shelves, sweeping and mopping. It is time to sit down and rest now.

AtHomeDaddy called us before 8am this morning to complain about the fog in LA (lower Alabama) he and his family are on their way cross-country to Disney World. I'm not sure if he thought we were responsible for the fog or that we could do something about it. Or maybe he was up too early and wanted someone to share in his misery.

14.8

Despite my prediction last week that I would gain weight this week I again saw a loss! I am very excited. That brings my total loss to date to 14.8lbs.

I have done the Pilates Basic Workout 7 days in a row now. Of course, it is too early to comment on results. Everyday, though, I could see an improvement in how well I could follow the exercise. After a week I am able to do most of the exercises without the modifications. Pilates is not as hard as I thought.

I've also added a weight loss supplement. I have tried many of these in the past with various results. As a pharmacist I do not generally recommend these products unless pressed. Personally, though I am always looking for a boost. Of course, there is no miracle pill. Exercise and diet are a must and I have been working very hard at staying on my diet and exercising 4 days a week plus the Pilates. The supplement has really helped control those afternoon cravings, though.

Now this weekend my SIL is coming for a visit and Chinese food has been mentioned for supper. Also, Saturday night I will have my traditional Rosie's dinner. So I am not going to hold out for another pound for next week. But it is looking like I may be able to make my goal of 5lbs before Easter!

Dear Me - Part II

What a great idea that you can read about here.

Dear Me (1985),

I know that your life seems to be mostly over now. I am writing to tell you that all this will just be a bad memory someday. Those friends who you cherished and who let you down (and refuse to sit with you in the lunchroom) will only be remembered in the past. That group of girls who are so popular and make your life miserable (think Mean Girls) will marry too young, have babies, never finish college and grow very bitter.

That little foster sister that the state returned to her natural mother will grow up to be a beautiful young lady and you will see her again.

The trouble your brother caused your parents will be seen later as not as bad as it could have been. He will marry well and have 3 children for you to be an aunt to.

Quit trying to be so different. I know you want to fit in badly and your response is to stick out. None and I repeat none of this will matter in 20 years.

You will survive high school and will find college a whole lot more fun and enjoyable. You will meet someone who will love you and (gasp!) you will have children. Just hang on and try not to take everything so seriously.

Love Me (2007)

Dear Me - Part I

What a fun idea that you can read about here.

Dear Me (1992),

I know that Pharmacy School is hard and you are wondering if you will survive and if it will someday be worth it. The answer is yes! Someday, you will have the money to do many (probably not all) of the things you dream about. You will live in a nice house, drive a nice car, go on vacation, and keep your thermostat on 70' in the summer. I need to let you in on a secret, though. No one will care if you make a C. After you pass the boards no one will ever ask you how well you did in school. Those students on the front row making A's will not get better jobs or make better money. It is important to work hard but try not to take everything so seriously.

I know that you think you are in love with that boy. You believe that everything surrounding that love is the trajedy of your life. This is not true. He will marry someone else and you will get over him. You will meet a wonderful, successful man and he will be the love of your life. He will treat you well and share your goals and dreams. You will be happily married and have two beautiful children.

Someday, you are going to realize that life does not revolve around you. Please enjoy college and hang on to those friendships. Everything else will fall into place according to God's plan.

Love Me (2007),

Cell Phone Rant

Long Island Dad's article about Children and Cell Phone's and also his post about cell phone signs got me to thinking. And because this is my blog I think I will rant a bit.

In general, I do not like cell phones. I feel like they are a necessary evil and I am trying to learn to live with them (like traffic and vegetables). I do admit to having a cell phone and using it for such mundane things 1) finding out what the kids want for dinner and 2) locating my mother in Wal-Mart. But I am one of those people who use my cell phone for my convienence and not that of others. I generally, do not give out my number because you are not likely to reach me that way. My husband is very frustrated by this. I leave it in the car (often on the charger because I let the battery die.) When I am at work I do not keep it with me. In the house it is tucked inside my purse so I do not hear it ring. If I go somewhere and they ask me to turn it off (or to silence) I might take a week to remember to turn it back.

Because I feel so strongly about it, I practice not talking on my phone while driving. I believe that talking even handsfree can be dangerous. But Please do not hold the phone to your ear while trying to hold the steering wheel with the other. My kids are usually in the car with me. I don't want you to cause a traffic accident endangering their lives. I was behind a police officer doing this recently. (And no, don't shave or apply make-up, either!)

I am not going to chime in on cell phones and children. Our children are 6 & 8 and as of yet have no need for a cell phone. But did you know teens use text messaging to cheat in school?

I am going to talk about my biggest pet peeve. Do Not Talk To Me and On Your Phone at THE SAME TIME! People do this all the time in the customer service area I am a part of. I think it is so rude! I can wait until your cell conversation is finished to conduct business. Please, step aside and let me wait on someone else. I have important information to tell you and I am not going to compete for your attention. I have gotten over people walking around shopping while talking (afterall, I am guilty of this as well) I have gotten over people talking on the phone while dining (although, I think it is courteous to step away to a quiet corner). I have not yet gotten over rude people sharing their side of the cell conversation with everyone around them.

Have cell phones made our lives more convienent? Yes. Have they improved the quality of our lives? No, I don't think so.

Books

I really like the Richard Jury Mysteries by Martha Grimes. I just finished reading the Anodyne Necklace. These books are set in England,usually in small towns outside of London. Inspector Richard Jury has seemed to partially fill in the gap left by Havers and Lynley when I reached the end of the series written by Elizabeth George. I know that murder mysteries are not every ones choice of genre. Until recently, if asked, I might have said I did not particularly like them myself. I had previously found books by authors such as J.D. Robb & Sandra Brown unpleasant. However, now that I am reading through the Kinsey Millhone (Alphabet Murders) by Sue Grafton and these Richard Jury books I am reconsidering my opinion. I have also enjoyed the Anna Pigeon Mysteries by Nevada Barr. (These are all set in National Parks). And highly recommend them. I really get into these books. I rather immerse myself and get carried away to time and/or place. They are all very descriptive. They all have a commonality which I like in my books: the description of violence is kept to a minimum. You right remember how vivid I dream. I don't need any help with my imagination, thank you.

Diet Update

I lost 2.6 lbs since last week. Yeah for me!! Of course the WW website tried to put a damper on my enthusiasm by pointing out that this is too much for one week. But hey! When you look at the slump I have been on and realize I have lost only a total of 2.9lbs since 1/29/07 it is still a steady loss. I worked really hard this last week. I exercised 4 days and I really stuck to the program. I even started the Pilates workout today. (We will see how I feel about that tomorrow.) I know that the way my weight loss works I may show a slight gain next week. But I am going to try and hold on to this feeling and be encouraged. Now it is time for a reward (non-food of course!).

13.6 NET LOSS

Thirteen Things I Like About March

1. It is not February (or January)

2. Bradford Pears bloom (though only for about a week)

3. St. Patrick's Day - we all pretend we are a little Irish and it's the only holiday in March. Although, next year Easter will be in March again.

4. Spring Break - even though I still have to work and we hardly ever go anywhere. I think it holds over from childhood.

5. Green everywhere - trees, grass, shamrock's

6. Flowers blooming - daffodils, tulips,

7. Winter is officially over March 20th.

8. Spending spree (Although our tax refund comes mid-Feb with online filing and direct deposit, March is when we traditionally buy the big ticket items.)

9. Daylight Savings Time begins - What? This is supposed to be in April.

10. Okay so there are not 13 things I love about March. Can anyone help me out here?

Recurring Dreams

I was reading about AtHomeDaddy's recurring dream and after commenting I thought I would share the recurring dream I've been having for 20 years.

It started in the spring of 1987 when I was planning on flying with a girlfriend to visit her grandmother in California (the trip didn't work out). I had never flown before and I believe the expected anxiety crept into my dream. In the basic dream I am getting ready for a trip (most of the time by air but also by car). I am late or alternatively, I have just found out I need to leave. I am frantically packing. (I should cut in here to point out that in reality I am a serious planner and make lots of lists and leave nothing to the last minute.) In my dream I am rushing around trying to figure out what to take and cataloging the needed items (toothbrush, clothes, etc.) I also need to say that I dream very realistically and frequently. I have dreams that are so vivid I often confuse them as a real memory.

There are several variations. Leading up to my wedding I dreamed I was late to the church and was trying to gather up all the necessary stuff (curling iron, dress, shoes, etc.). Before the birth of the kids, you guessed it, I was late for the hospital. (Both of my pregnancies were induced.)Sometimes it is not a trip but something else that requires prior planning and lots of stuff.

I often have the dream before I am going to travel. It is not really a nightmare. But for someone like myself who plans meticulously it is very nerve-wracking and I wake up panting with my heart racing. Sometimes, I have the dream when there is no upcoming travel but something else stressful coming up in my life. So I don't need to have the dream interpreted to understand why I dream.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has had an incurring dream for a long time.

Children of Men

I just finished reading P.D. James' Children of Men. I didn't enjoy it at all. It has just been made into a motion picture and it sounded interesting. Despite that it was only 241 pages long(although in a small font) it took me almost 4 days to read it (I read through East of Eden in 5). Several times I thought of giving it up but I thought surely the critics were not wrong and it would improve. My apologies to those of you who liked it. The premise is very original. The book was written in 1991 but is set in 2021. The last human child was born 25 years ago and the human race is in danger of extinction. Sounds interesting to you, too? The story is told both by diary entries by the main character and in third person. The main character spends pages and pages in profound and quite boring intellectual pondering. I kept waiting for the story to get interesting. But sadly, I was disappointed. Well, decide for yourself but I don't think I will attempt anymore of James' books.

20 (or 25) Questions

I found this meme at Old Horsetail Snake, a humorous blog I sometimes read. Since my SIL last week had tagged me for a meme I thought I would do this one and send it on to her. I know it is a bit long. It is perfect for days when you have little to say.

1. What is your occupation? Pharmacist
2. What color are your socks right now? White. They are always white.
3. What are you listening to right now? Country Music
4. What was the last thing you ate? Raisin Bran Crunch
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes. I learned many years ago.
6. Do you like the person who sent this meme to you? Do I like myself? Yes.
7. How old are you today? Do you want my actual age (30 something) or the age I feel (27)?
8. What's your favorite drink? Sprite.
9. Have you ever dyed your hair? No.
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Auburn football
11. What was the last movie you watched? Miami Vice (don't make the same mistake!)
12. What's your favorite day of the year? Christmas Eve
13. What's your least-favorite day of the year? Fourth of July
14. Hugs or kisses? Definitely, Hershey's Hugs and Kisses.
15. What did you do last night? Played Zoo Tycoon and tried not to snack
16. What's your favorite smell? Coffee (although I don't care to drink it much)
17. What inspires you? Real people keeping it together everyday and blogging about it
18. What are you afraid of? Falling down on hard, cold snow while skiing
19. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese, always cheese.
20. Your favorite car? 1966 Mustang Convertible, preferably red
21. Number of keys on your key ring? 2 - house, car
22. Your favorite day of the weeks is? Sunday
23. Your favorite holiday? See #12
24. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? I believe I briefly drove my dad's tractor
25. Pets? No, but I wish I had a cat

So now I can tag other people, right? Who reads my blog anyway? I tag Cherry, Gina, Terry, Mom, and Ginnie if you are reading.

Saturday

I got up this morning and did 40 minutes on the NordicTrac before coming to work. I did this because every other Saturday night we have take-out from Rosie's. Rosie's is a great Mexican Restaraunt in our area. They have the best quesadillas and queso. I have been looking forward to this all week. I am not going to let this diet defeat me.

Finally Friday

Did I say that I would weigh in on Friday and update you on my diet? Well, no good news. I am holding steady at an 11 lb loss. My goal of losing 5 more lbs before Easter is looking more difficult. Easter is only 6 weeks away now. I think I am going to have to work harder. Gosh, I don't think I can work any harder. I need some encouragement people!

I worked at my other job yesterday. I had been working there every other Monday but because school was out Monday I agreed to Thursday. So now I have Friday and Saturday at my regular job. Now I am really tired. Last night because I was exhausted but not really sleepy I stayed up too late. This morning I am kinda in a fog. I am tired and moody.

My mother let me know this morning that she and my dad were driving to Alabama on Sunday to visit my grandfather. My "Granddaddy" is 91 years old. He has been very healthy for most of his life. He has caught and infection in his bones that modern medicine cannot defeat. Until last week he was in a rehabilitation home receiving treatment. He has now been sent home and Hospice has been called in. I know that I need to go visit. I have been finding exuses for several weeks not to make the trip. I am going Tuesday. You can hold me to that.

On the postitive side the weather here the last few days has been incredible. The temperature has reached the high 70's. Blue skies and sunshine (and I can see them out my window!). Maybe the groundhog was right. I saw some daffodils blooming yesterday. I can see the little buds on the Bradford Pears. I AM SO READY FOR SPRING.

5 Things My SIL May Not Know About Me

Even though I did this meme a few weeks ago, and even though I previously said there wasn't that much unknown about me that I wanted to share, because my SIL at RoadRage tagged me, I will do this again. I am trying to be a good sport.

1. I have never seen American Idol. Not once. Not even when flipping through the channels.

2. I took dance lessons when I was 3 years old. We even had a recital. I have the pictures and the little shoes and tutu to prove it.

3. My hair has always been long. The last time my hair was above my shoulders I was 2 years old.

4. In high school, I once rocked in a rocking chair for 24 hours to help raise money for our band.

5. I have an inherited, illogical, almost pathological confusion of left and right. Be careful if I ever give you directions.

Weekend

This past weekend was a 4-day holiday for us. The kids were out of school both Friday & Monday so I was off work, too. We spent the weekend at my parents house in Memphis. I had a really good weekend. (You can read all about it at mom's blog.) It was very restful. We went to the movies and to the Children's Museum in Memphis. The original plan was to visit the zoo but it was too cold. (When we visited in July it was too hot.) The trip there and back was also very pleasant (4 hours of mostly open road). Sunday was hubby's birthday so we returned in time to take him out to dinner. Monday I got to sleep late and redeem myself with 40 minutes on the NordicTrac. The last week following the discouraging weigh-in on Monday I went a little out of control. I am not even going to weigh this week. I'm going to take a week to get back on track and will report to you next week.

Oh and I finally watched that Pilates Video (watching counts, right?).

Books

I read over at Thinking About about the Winter Reading Challenge and the Chunkster Challenge. I read a lot but not many of my books are over 400 pages. So not to be left out I followed J's lead and read East of Eden by John Steinbeck. This book qualifies as both a chunkster (600 pages) and a classic. This was quite a good read. It's setting begins right after the Civil War and continues until WW I. Most of the book is set in/near Salinas, California where John Steinbeck grew up. It is an epic in many ways. I don't think I had ever read Steinbeck before and now I think I will give him another look. I just saw that this was made into a movie starring James Dean. How did I miss that?

Now that that is out of the way I am reading something light and juvenile: Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares.

Star Wars Lego

Okay. I have a confession to make. Perhaps, it will paint me in a bad light. Perhaps, some of you will decide to quit checking in on my blog. Perhaps, you will shake your head and say, "I thought she had a job?", or "I thought she read all the time." Here it goes:

I have become addicted to my children's Star Wars Lego game.

I don't know how it could have happened really. I have never been a big video game player. Until this Christmas we had not owned our own game console and our games were restricted to computer games. I have enjoyed a few of these over the years, like Zoo and RollerCoaster Tycoon. My son and husband enjoy a lot of others which I couldn't begin to name.

To start with the new Nintendo GameCube (becuase we don't buy what is the new "thing".) is still in the living room. I had planned to move it to the playroom when my mother gives us her old T.V. (she having inherited a t.v/dvd/vcr). So it has been taking up the living room floor since Christmas. We've all 4 played MarioKart which is mildly entertaining until the crying starts and my son really likes Need For Speed. But it is Star Wars that has me hooked (line and sinker).

The game is fairly easy although there are some challenges too difficult for my 6 year old's skills. You can play with one or 2 players and the second player can drop out at anytime. Perhaps, the game appeals to my goal-orientated personality. Maybe, it is the cute Lego characters. Maybe it is because it is just challenging enough to keep you playing. I have played through the entire game and am now trying to unlock the bonus chapter.

It's starting to disrupt my sleep. I told my husband, "I can stop anytime I want." But I am not so sure. Last night, he suggested a TiVo program (because we are so far behind on our viewing we are running out of space) and I managed to turn the game off. I can only play after the kids are in bed, you see.

My husband doesn't even get to play because the game only has positions to save 3 games so he has been left out. I'm going to finish soon, though. And then I can start on Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy.

I just saw on Amazon that this is available for the PC for under $20. But it looks like I would need a special game controller and some special video card. It is probably for the best.

A little Moody?

You Are 29% Borderline

You're a little moody, but you probably don't have a borderline personality. Everyone has their ups and downs. Just don't make too much of them.

Do You Have a Borderline Personality?

Post-Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is not a big deal at our house. Why is this? Is it because I am married to a man? Does any man really like Valentine's Day? Most men probably only recognize V-Day because they don't want to risk the consequences if they miss it. Silly me let my husband off the hook several years ago and so this day passes by almost unmentioned. The conversation we had last night went something like this:

Hubby, "You know a lot of people really detest Valentine's Day, especially single people."

Me: "Did you know it was Valentine's Day?"

Hubby: "Yes."

Me: "Wouldn't it be better to plead ignorance?"

Hubby: "Huh?"

But I am not totally off the hook either. I didn't do anything special for him, either. I don't want to make him feel bad when there is no reciprocity.

I think I'll go out and by myself some flowers.

(Hubby's blog can be found here.)

Happy Valentine's Day

I am Bert

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Seems a little too close to the truth.

Update

Update on Glasses: Yesterday I had the spare pair of glasses repaired. J also cleaned his room. I don't think he liked that his sister was playing Nintendo without him. Didn't find the other pair of glasses, though.

Diet: Monday afternoon I was feeling really blue. I don't know why I let the scale dictate my moods but I do. In fact, I let a lot of things dictate my moods. I am somewhat of a chameleon in that I reflect the moods of the people around me. This is good if everyone is cheerful but I am also easily brought down. I also sometimes get into a funk because of the book I am reading. So Tuesday I was really bummed. It was raining when I took the kids to school so I decided not to go on J's field trip (he really hadn't wanted me to come anyway). I went home and layed in bed a while but then guilt (or something like it) got me up and on my NordicTrac. At least I can be proud of that.

By the afternoon I was feeling a little better (following my nap). I baked cookies for the kids for Valentines since I have to work today. Then I ate cookies. I made chili for supper but not with the turkey ground so that wasn't good either. Then I ate more cookies after supper.

Today someone is buying us lunch and I was really not in the mood for the WW meal in my little freezer especially since I forgot my jello. So overall, I am being a little self-destructive. Friday, the kids and I are driving to Memphis to visit my mother. I probably won't stick to my diet this weekend, either. Hopefully, I will get out of this funk by next week and get back on track.

Glasses

So I mentioned that I took my son to the eye doctor on Thursday. When we returned home J had lost the screw for his glasses and the lens had popped out. (Not before the appt, when we might have gotten them repaired at the office.) I couldn't find my little screwdriver. No problem. I bought two pairs of glasses the last time we purchased them for just this occasion. Out came the spare pair. I'll take these others in to WM on my next trip.

Yesterday morning trying to get out the door to make it to SS (we have to leave at 7:30am) J can't find his glasses. We proceeded to church without them. J apparently didn't wear them at all on Saturday. (I was at work.) The last time we are sure he had them was Friday morning though I think I would have noticed them missing on Friady night. Most likely, he took them off before his shower on Friday night and layed them down somewhere in his room. His room is a disaster area. How could anyone find anything in there?

So I went into Target yesterday to pick up milk because I hate to go to the WM on our side of town and we were in the same shopping area getting a haircut. The Vision Center in Target is apparently closed on Sunday. So I bought one of those little repair kits. I get home and somehow between Thursday and Sunday the pair missing the screw now has a warped frame and I can't get them back together to use the repair kit.

We had some words over the messy room because I felt certain the glasses could be located if only the room was clean. I would have liked to clean it myself but he dares not let me. (Trust me, lots of stuff would find its way to the trash.) So there will be no more Nintendo for J until the room is clean and or the glasses are found. Who do you think can hold out longer?

Diet

I am not even going to post what my weight was this morning. Needless to say, it wasn't DOWN. I think I am going to start weighing in on Friday. The weekends are the hardest and weighing on Monday is just self-destructive. Better to weigh on Friday after 5 days of careful dieting. Also, my new scale at home is much kinder than the one at the clinic. So I am just going to forget what that number was this morning and weigh again on Friday after exercise.

40 Years

My parents 40th wedding anniversary is today. Forty years ago today my dad stopped the car at the Georgia State Line and took the wedding picture you can see at her post.

Congratulations!

Adventure Books

I just finished reading Lincoln Child's new novel, Deep Storm. I have read everything this author has written (both alone and with Douglas Preston). I am a big fan of the "Adventure Thriller" as I like to call them. My favorites in this class include: Amazonia, Subterranean, Excavation, Deep Fathom, Ice Hunt (all by James Rollins), Riptide, Utopia, Thunderhead, Ice Limit, Relic, Codex (all by Douglas Preston and/or Lincoln Child), Temple, Contest (by Matthew Reilly), Sphere and Jurassic Park (by Michael Crichton).

The basic premise is the same for all the books. A group of scientists/adventurers/ordinary people find themselves in an unfamiliar landscape (dessert, underground, icecap, underwater, jungle, etc) and unearth mysteries while trying to stay alive. The books all describe these unfamiliar settings with great detail. I often find myself transported there myself. There is some "suspension of belief" in all the books requiring you to accept some things as fact which may not be realistic. But these books are fiction, afterall.

Lincoln Child's new book is set in an underwater laboratory (a similar setting to Deep Fathom). It is not as exciting as his previous books but still a good read. I wonder though how many of these books are possible before exhausting the genre. How many exotic landscapes are there anyway? None of these authors has addressed a novel in outer space, though.

If you like "Adventure Thrillers" like I do and like to be transported by your reading to another world I would recommend any of these titles. If I had to pick a few to start then I would recommend: Relic, Codex, or Utopia.

Eye Doctor

Thursday I took my son to the eye doctor. He was diagnosed with amblyopia (sometimes erroneously called "lazy eye") when he was 18 months old. (He is now 8.) Our excellent pediatrician discovered the condition (which has remained undetectable to the casual observer) and sent us to a specialist. In 1999 when he was diagnosed we did not have a pediatric opthomologist in our fair city that our pediatrician respected. So for 6 years we drove the 2.5 hours to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to see the specialist. He received excellent care there and we only had to make the trip 1 or 2 times per year. Our last trip was in December 2005 and I had a panic attack trying to find parking in the miserable parking garage. (There has been a lot of construction in this area over the years and things changed drastically from one trip to the next.) It is necessary to take the entire day out of school for a trip like that. So I asked our pediatrician if we could find an opthomologist here in Huntsville.

This was our second appt with Dr. Thompson at the Eye Center in Huntsville. (On our first visit in July, even though I had requested in writing (by fax) 10 days in advance for our records to be transferred they had not been sent. The personnel at the Eye Center called Vanderbilt for me and said they would take care of the records. But, at this visit they still had not been sent.) Dr Thompson was very busy and we had to wait while my son's eyes were dilated. So the visit took almost 2 hours. In a moment of desperation J put a post-it note outside the door with a message for anyone passing by to "Please send help!"

So J was not going to get back to school in time for lunch and his eyes were blurry and (he said) stinging from the drops. He wanted to miss the rest of the day. I said, "But J, you do not like to miss school." And my son said, "Your information is outdated."

So we skipped the rest of the day and went home and rested (well, I did anyway.) I had to say no T.V. or Nintendo or Computer because well if your eyes are too blurry to go to school you can't very well play games. So much like a trip to Vandy we took the whole day off. And, little sister didn't even get mad that he missed school and she didn't.

Thermostat

My husband is a bit warm natured. He doesn't really change seasons. He isn't from Florida but he did spend a lot of his growing up years in Texas. Could this be why?

When we first got married the disparity in our "body temps" (so to speak) was so large that in the winter time I slept with an extra blanket on my side of the bed. In warm weather, after he got up in the morning, I would pull up the comforter to stay warm. But after I had children and he had that nasosinus surgery to reduce snoring (or so he wouldn't stop breathing in his sleep) we evened out enough that I no longer need the extra blanket at night. (Neither of us liked having an electric blanket. Although, in winter we do use our electric mattress pad to pre-warm the bed. Having a warm husband, though, makes an electric blanket uneccessary at night.)

I like the to wear sweaters and sweatshirts in the Winter (you can't wear them in the Summer, afterall). I like it to be cool enough to drink Suisse Mocha and snuggle under my afghan in the house. Our house is very expensive to heat and we keep our thermostat on 65' in the winter. (So when they recommend you turn down the thermostat 2' to save energy, well we don't do it.)Also, in North Alabama you have days in the dead of winter where the outside temp reaches the 60's.

My husband has yet to find a day too cold to put the top down on his Miata. He wears shorts year round. He will wear long sleeved T-Shirts and occasionally a jacket in the wintertime. However, I am not sure he has worn a coat since the last time we went skiing. (That nice yellow Columbia coat is hanging there not being worn.) The other day I commented on the fact that he put on his pajamas (undershirt & shorts) and returned to the living room. It had been in the 20's outside that day. He said, "It is the same temperature in the house now as in summer and this is what I wear then."

"Honey", I said. "We do not keep our thermostat on 65' in the summer."

We keep our thermostat at about 70' in the summer. I do not like to be hot. I like it to be cool enough in the house to need my afghan when sitting in the living room. If I am doing housework or cooking I want it cool enough that I don't perspire. I have told people that I went to college and got a degree so that I could have air conditioning. It was one of the sacrifices I made in college to pay the bills. I know that it would be wrong to cool the house to 65' in the summer so that I could wear sweatshirts and drink Suisse Mocha so I don't do it. But my husband would still be comfortable.

Julie & Julia

I just finished Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, by Julie Powell. I first read about this book somewhere on the web on someone's blog (I am sorry I don't remember whose). My mother picked it up first and passed it on to me. (That is how we work. We both read a tremendous amount and share books.) The book is written in the first person style which I really enjoy. The author turns 29 and has a "Oh, no. I'm gonna be 30" kind of crisis. For no real good reason she decides to cook through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol I in a year. The book chronicles the chaos that ensues as she tries to hold her marriage and sanity together through this project. She begins a blog (in 2002 when most of us had yet to hear of blogs) and reaps some publicity which leads of course to the book. I'm not sure what Julie's cooking experience was before the book. I certainly wouldn't attempt to master french cooking. I have always thought I could cook but reading through her harrowing experiences I am not so sure. The recipes seem to require a lot of skill and special tools. MtAoFC was first published 40 years ago and I think the recipes and ingredients are probably outdated. Julie does need to start over quite a lot and there are lots of disasters. What I liked most about this book was how real Julie is. (Although, I could have used a lot less swearing.) She is a real person who has real failures and when it is over she has little more than a sense of accomplishment (and a book deal). Also, she has apparently married a saint. The book is not, as some unsuspecting readers thought, about cooking. The cooking details are there. But this book is a lot more about relationships and the hysteria a lot of women can relate to when we take on too many projects.

If you can tolerate some 'f' words (along with some 'b', 'mf' and 'gd' ) in your reading and you enjoy first person accounts I highly recommend this book.

Diet Update

I am down another pound from last week despite how crazy I went this last weekend. It seems to go that way. If I work really hard I might gain 0.5lb but if I have some serious slip-ups I lose. Or maybe it is that I weighed on Tuesday this week. But of course, I exercised several days last week so maybe that is it. At any rate I am down 11.3lbs total now. A good reason to celebrate, you think? Maybe I deserve a strawberry slushie? (Get thee behind me, Satan.) This week I promise I am finally going to look at the Pilates DVD my sis-in-law (sil) loaned me. What good does it do to lose the pounds if you still have that belly flab sitting there in the middle? (My SIL will probably chime in now on her 25 lbs or so she has lost.)

Good luck to my mother at Bears in Exile. She is heading back to Tennessee this week and has vowed to get back on the program (as we call the Weight Watcher's plan). Last week her friend R* sent her back to my house with a pan of homemade cinnamon rolls and some sourdough bread. Talk about sabotage.

Book Update

I just finished reading Shoot The Moon by Billie Letts. Billie Letts is also the author of Where The Heart Is which was made into a movie starring Ashley Judd. Shoot the Moon is the story of Mark Albright who returns to the small Oklahoma town of DeClune in search of his birth mother and finds himself deeply involved in a 30 year-old murder mystery.

The Old Fox Deceiv'd by Martha Grimes is the second Richard Jury Mystery. I liked it much better than the first. I think I will read the entire series.

Acid Row by Minnette Walters was also very good. The last few books I have read by this author have dealt with the character's quest to solve a mystery considered already solved. This book is about the events leading up to a riot in a London housing project.

No Way Back is the second book I've read by Rick Mofina about the crime reporter Tom Reed. In this story the ususal journalist solves a murder takes on a new twist.

Finally, since my last update I also read Reed's Beach by Brett Lott. I've read quite a few books by this author including, Jewel and A Song I Know By Heart. Reed's Beach deals with a difficult issue - the loss of a child. And was difficult to read from an emotional standpoint. The writing is in a challenging style. I don't think I would recommend it.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Books I Really Loved

1. Horse Whisperer
2. Jewel
3. Such Devoted Sisters
4. Relic
5. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
6. Outlander
7. Codex
8. Utopia -
9. A Painted House
10. Evergreen
11. Blood Lure
12. Beaches
13. We Are All Welcome Here

Snow

The snow came (it is alright to say the word now that it has happened). The temperature was up, though. This morning when I left for work it was misting rain. Now at noon most of the snow has melted. School was delayed 2 hours but for the most part people had to get up and do their thing this morning. No one really profits but the grocery stores.

5 Things

Alternate Title: 5 Things You May Not Know About Me But Which Probably Wouldn't Surprise You.

I wrote about this meme once before. I said then that there wasn't a whole lot unknown about me and if there was something there was a reason it was a secret. Well my mother over at Bears In Exile put this meme on her blog so I thought I would give it another try. Sometimes it is hard to come up with something to blog about. It was really hard coming up with 5 things. I put a lot of thought into this. I mean I don't want to tell those things that make me seem neurtic or psychotic, afterall.

1. I ran track in high school

2. I bite my nails. I don't have any desire to stop. I'm not the least bit ashamed.

3. My hair is not naturally curly. Although, I haven't been seen without curls since the early 80's.

4. I'm a closet Trekker. Yep.

5. I believe in life on other planets. I just can't believe in the big 'ol universe we're the only ones. Look what happened to us when God gave us free will on this planet. We've almost destroyed it and Him in the process. I like to think He tried it again and maybe got it right.

"S"

It is cold again today. The forecast is predicting the S word. (We don't like to say it out loud around here.)

If you live in colder climates you might not realize how people react to the prediction of "S" here in the Southland. First of all, we rarely get any "S" that actually sticks to the ground or especially the road. Mostly, it is just the threat of "S" that sends people into a tizzy. This evening if you went to any of the area groceries you would find them cleaned out of milk and bread. School will mostly likely be canceled for tomorrow before sundown. No sense in getting up tomorrow if it can be canceled today.

We do not put chains on our tires or other winterizing so bad weather does create hazardous conditions for school buses and people in 2 wheel drive vehicles. Our downtown area has a lot of elevated roads and they are usually closed with any chance of icing. (Years ago, when I worked 20 miles away I would have to try and reach work without getting on the parkway or interstate when this happened. It is not easy.)

I have always worked in a business that does not usually close for weather. We are expected to be open regardless. I am fortunate to drive a 4 wheel drive. It is the other idiots on the road you have to watch out for. Many people will rejoice that their business are closed and will then proceed to go out and play in then wintry weather.

It is supposed to warm up above freezing tomorrow afternoon so if there is any "S" it will most likely be a short-lived threat and life will continue on as normal. The grocery trucks will deliver more milk and bread. But like I said it is the threat of "S" that causes the problem and not the actual "S".

Monday

This morning when I dropped the children off at school it the temp read 19'. This is very cold for us here in North Alabama. When I got to work the temp was up to 24' but still too cold to sit in my car for my morning ritual of breakfast and reading.

My Mother came back to our house to stay after a week cleaning up her parents house. She volunteered to baby-sit last night so hubby and I could go out. I wanted to be a good dieter but can you really turn down free baby-sitting? So we went out to Maccaroni Grill and of course I had Penne Rustica (I did bring over half home with me) and this morning I am up 0.5lbs. That is the nature of my dieting saga, though.

So I am a little down this cold Monday. Tomorrow, though I have a lunch date with friends from my homemaker's club and the entire day to spend with my mother. Tomorrow will be a good day.

Saturday

Well it is Saturday and I have caught up on reading blogs and still I have found nothing witty to say. No exciting memes have I come across. Nothing worth commenting on. Really. So instead I give you this thought for today.

The best things are nearest; light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life.

Unknown

123 Meme

I tagged myself from AllyBean for this meme.

This is how it works:
1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag three more folks.

I am currently reading The Old Fox Deceiv'd by Martha Grimes. I haven't gotten to page 123 yet so I hope it doesn't spoil anything. I started counting with the first full sentence on the page.

"Not 'unhappy' nor 'poor' young woman. Maud Brixenham didn't waste time feigning

sympathy. She drank some of the sherry and set the fluted glass on the table."

Okay, if there are 3 book lovers reading my blog - "Tag, you are it."

Memories

I just returned after two days out of town. I was helping my mother and various other relatives sort through the lives of my grandparents. My grandfather passed away late November. The house he and my grandmother (deceased in July 2005) had lived in for over 40 years is being sold. Fortunately, someone in the family is purchasing the house.

The house is small - only two bedrooms but it is where they raised their 4 children. It originally had 3 bedrooms but a wall was removed to make a larger living room many years ago. It seems they hardly ever threw anything away. They had an outbuilding and a "shop" full of old memories and quite a bit of what must have been worth saving to them but now is merely trash.

We divided up the memories - or the sentimental trappings of a family first. There was very little of real value but everyone wants something to remember. We divided up the pictures, dishes, furniture and linen. I was fortunate enough to take home my Mama's Bible, my Papa's binoculars and many pictures.

Went through boxes and boxes of pictures. I do not know why they were never sorted into albums. One box chronicled the youth of my mother and her siblings, another box told of my growing up years with my cousins. Framed pictures of the grandchildren as adults as well as the great-grandchildren covered the walls.

It was a time of letting go but I could feel their presence everywhere. I could hear my Mama say, "Don't throw that away!" I could see my Papa working in his shop.

I miss them but I am glad I was able to keep these memories and the sentimental items I kept from the house.

Choice

Yesterday, January 22, was Blog for Choice Day and I missed it because I was at my other job where they expect me to work ALL DAY and not just read blogs and stuff.

Why I am "Pro-Choice"

I am coming out of the closet (so to speak) here an addressing a controversial subject. So far I have avoided anything highly charged or political and written about mundane subjects. But I felt the need to write this post after last week reading an article at www.powerpak.com titled, "Emergency Contraception: A Guide to Over The Counter Availability" as well as well written blogs by J at Thinking About and Maya's Granny.

I am ProChoice because simply, I believe in the right of a woman to have a choice about her own body. I believe ProChoice is as much about legal abortions as it is about the choice to plan when and if to have children. I admit that this directly conflicts with many of my other conservative Christian views. I know that many people I know disagree with me. But I can not in good conscience support any decision to restrict women's decisions about their own body by men.

I am ProChoice but I believe that a life is created at conception. I believe that life has a soul and that abortion ends that life. I believe that abortion often has long lasting emotional consequences for women (much like pregnancy and parenthood). I believe young women should have education that comes before this choice needs to be made. I do not believe I would make this choice given any circumstances. But that is my choice. That is the choice of a young, middle-income woman from a loving family and in a happy marriage who has not been faced with that decision. I do not believe that other women with far different situations should have to make the choice I do. They should be allowed their own Choice.

I am ProChoice but I believe in the sanctity of life. So I do believe more needs to be done to prevent the unwanted pregnancies that lead to abortions. I do believe abstinence is a good alternative for some people but preaching abstinence to today's generation of girls (and boys) as a form of birth control is ignorance at its most shocking. No one has ever been able to show that providing birth control to teenagers encourages promiscuity. What encourages this behavior is the media and our culture's promotion and preoccupation of sex everywhere we turn. We promote sex but we do a poor job of providing prevention. I do think girls are having sex too young. I do believe they would be better off if they waited and programs that promote Waiting are a good idea. But believing that teenagers will not have sex if they sign a "Pledge to Wait" is ludicrous and naive. Even the best intentions will go awry in the right (or wrong) circumstances.

I am ProChoice and a strong believer in birth control. Sexually active teenage girls should be taking the "pill" or other form of contraceptive as well as being responsible for providing their own prophylactics. (We still have to protect against those STDs.) I have been taking the "pill" off and on (I do have two children) for over 10 years and find it the best choice for me. But consideration should also be given to other hormone contraceptives such as the patch, the shot, or the ring. For some people the costs of these methods is prohibitive and they rely on barrier methods with a lower success rate. That is why there is a great need for PlanB.

I am ProChoice and I support the sale of PlanB over-the-counter. It is currently legal in Alabama to anyone over age 18 or by prescription to someone younger.

"All currently available hormonal methods of contraception have been shown to act by the following mechanisms: altering the endometrial lining, altering the cervical mucous, interfering with fertilization or transport of an egg, or preventing implantation. There is good evidence that Plan B prevents or delays ovulation as a primary mechanism of action; however, the product works when taken throughout the menstrual cycle, which means that additional mechanisms may be involved. The contraceptive activity of Plan B can be fully explained by mechanisms of action that do not involve post fertilization effects."

PlanB prevents pregnancy in the first 72 hours after intercourse primarily by preventing successful fertilization and implantation. Just like the "pill" it is not a form of abortion but of pregnancy prevention.

So all women of childbearing age not using a form of hormonal birth control should keep on hand PlanB for contraceptive failures. I will even go a step further and say that all mothers of teenage daughters should keep PlanB on hand. Because some of you need to get your heads out of the sand and face reality.

Yes education is important and any money this country spends on educating young women on how to prevent pregnancy is money well spent.

I am ProChoice because I want there to be choices for all women.

For references to the above information on PlanB please see the referenced article at www.powerpak.com. Tomorrow, back to mundane subjects.

1.5 lbs

I am very pleased to share with you that I lost 1.5lbs last week. This is very big for me because I have been losing less than a pound a week. This brings my total weight loss since I started (what was it, in October?) to 10.7lbs. Yeah! This is as they say in Weight Watchers A MILESTONE. Now I think I will celebrate my loss in true dieter's fashion by binging on chocolate! Just kidding.

Quote of the day:

The best things are nearest; light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life.

Unknown

Goals

This post is in response to the Write-Away Contest I read about on Scribbit.

In January, for some traditional reason I don't know the origin of people like to make new year's resolutions. They make a list of goals for themselves for the new year.

I don't really like to make goals. I don't participate in this January madness with an unrealistic list that will bring discouragement and self-loathing later on in the year. When I do make a goal I like to make it vague enough that if I don't quite make it there is still room to pat myself on the back. I want to lose some weight and am trying to diet but I refuse to put a number on the goal. I would like to raise confident, intelligent, Christian, sensitive, selfless (well you get the picture) children. But the reality is I would settle for surviving parenthood and all its numerous pitfalls and raising my children to become happy adults.

When I was in college I was very focused on the goal of graduating and getting a job. I did these successfully. Soon after that I got married (a goal also) and my husband and I settled into young married life. We made a goal of buying a house and we bought a house. We decided to start our family and we had children.

But since the children have come along I have floundered around in the goal department. I tend to just keep doing what I've been doing. I have all these vague goals for the future - save for kid's college, pay off the house, save for retirement. But I tend not to think of them too much.

What happens, I think, in the middle adult years, is we just focus on raising our families and working our jobs, and the mindset gets stuck on survive. This is the title of my blog and it comes from the lyrics to the song, "Deep Water" by Jewel:

"And you wake up to realize Your standard of living somehow got stuck on survive."

I don't think it is a negative thing, really. It doesn't mean I am not motivated or inspired or that I have difficulty following through. It just means I go on about my life.

And so I don't really like to make goals. I would like to just keep on living and loving and being.(Or is that a goal?)

Book Update

I just finished reading Michael Crichton's new book Next. (I ended up buying it for myself because no one took my hint.) If you are familiar with Crichton's other work Prey and State of Fear than you are familiar with his ability to take on controversial novel subjects. Next did not dissapoint. If you are unfamiliar with these titles you may know Crichton as the author of Jurrasic Park (made into a blockbuster movie) and Lost World (a different movie was made with that same name but not based on his book). He has also written several other great books including Congo, Sphere, Timeline and Prey. His books are well researched and well written. Next jumped around a bit and the characters were sometimes difficult to keep track of. But overalll, I feel Crichton did a good job of developing a novel around genetic engineering and its moral, ethical and legal pitfalls.

Also, this month I read the book, Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. This was a novel where the heroine was a pharmacist. Quite a great idea, I think. Wish I had come up with it. It was a good read and I am looking forward to more books by this author.

Earlier I finished Valley of Bones by Michael Grueber, author of Tropic of Night which I reviewed here. It's subject matter is somewhat similar in style and if features one of the characters from the earlier book. Again, I really enjoyed this author. The writing style is a bit different as is the subject. But it was well written.

Just to round out this update I also read the first Richard Jury mystery, A Man With A Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes. Like many books at the beginning of a series (where I have read a later book) it lacked some depth but did not turn me off to the series. I plan to read all of these mysteries eventually.

Weather

I keep reading on blogs about this terrible weather that has attacked the country. People are without power and forced to leave their homes for shelters. Ice has school closed and people stuck at home. I'm sure any of them would trade their weather for mine.

On Sunday it was 70' here. Yesterday it did drop below freezing but today it is partly sunny. It has been years since we have seen any weather like the above. In fact, it snowed pretty hard on New Year's Eve 2000 and that is the last real snow we've had. My six year old daughter has yet to experience any real snow. When I was growing up (in this same area) we got out of school for snow or ice at least once yearly. Since I have lived in Huntsville we have had a few winter storms but nothing in the last 6 years. Is this the global warming I hear so much about? The last few years we have had very mild winters. I have a closet full of sweaters and sweatshirts and cute pull-overs that never see wear.

I'm not saying to send some of the bad weather my way. NO, that would be tempting things. I can't really handle school being out because I would still be expected to be at work. However, a few snow flurries would be welcome.

10 Things I love that start with P and 10 things I don't

J at Thinking About tagged me for this meme and assigned me the letter "P".

1. Presents - doesn't everyone love presents.

2. Pink - it is really not my color

3. Pears

4. Persimmons - actually, I'm not sure I've ever eaten one

5. Pleasant Weather - not like today

6. Peas - English mainly, yuck!

7. Parties

8. Palenontologists - just kidding

9. Pancakes

10. Private number - when it shows up on my caller id

11. Promises kept

12. Promises broken

13. Packing and unpacking - too!

14. permission - who needs it?

15. Pickles - dill or sweet

16. Pacifiers in children over 2 years old

17. Pharmaceuticals- the prescription kind - they are my livlihood

18. Pigs in general, although I do like pork

19. Peanut Butter - especially in Reese's Cups

20. Politically Correct - who can remember all of it?

I had an easier time coming up with P words that I love, they just popped in my head.

Tuesday

Today is the first day of a 3 day-in-a-row workweek for me. (I know some of you work 5 days in a row. But please remember that I work 10 hour shifts and am not allowed to leave for lunch.) I have caught up on my blog reading and now must come up with something witty to blog about. (Tomorrow, I'll read all the magazines - what will I do on Thursday?)

"Today you will feel completely in control of your life and it will feel as though nothing can fluster you. This will be very useful as there is likely to be something of a crisis at school or in the workplace that will need your input. A positive aspect between the Moon and Saturn will allow you to cope with ease. "

This is my horoscope for today. The crisis could be that my previous employer (WM) has begged me to come back and offered me more money and better hours than I was making with them before. I am having a hard time with this decision. I hope the Moon and Saturn will help me out.

I read about this quiz called Weffriddles on Chichimama's blog and I am stumped. I only got to level 3. Someone help me out here.

I got several comments on my jeans blog. It seems at least 5 people are reading my blog. Wow!

I weighed in today and have lost a total of 9.2lbs. Yeah for me!

Jean's, Sneaker's, and Face Paint

I read this great post and all the comments that followed on BooMama's blog today. It was about blue jeans. In it she refers to being a southern girl. Now I am a southern girl (born & bred as they say) and I grew up in jeans. I love blue jeans. I remember my very first pair of designer jeans. I was in the 4th or 5th grade and they were Chic Jeans (does anyone know if they still make these?). I believe they were a size 7/8 or some ridiculous number like that. Later in high school and college I discovered Levi's. I wore jeans all the time in high school and college. I did not own anything else but dresses (which I reserved for church). I love Levis' because they come in LONG which I need. After 2 pregnancies and some serious weight gain and loss and gain and loss I no longer wear Levi's. Last year I discovered Gloria Vanderbilt. They have these wonderful stretch jeans and colored denim and I have about 6 pair. I wear the colored ones to work. I am definitely a jeans girl, though. I wear shorts in the summer but I do not own any capri's or other cute, dainty summer pants. I do own some dress pants but they require wearing dress shoes which I reserve for church or "dressy" events. That brings up another reason I wear jeans. My footwear of choice is sneaker's. I wear sneaker's to work and everywhere else but church. I own 4 pair of dress shoes (2 summer, 2 winter) and I've had one of them since high school. I own 2 pairs of sandals, two pair of casual footwear (boots) and at any given time several pairs of sneakers in various states of newness (I buy a new pair about once a year). So I am a female who owns only about 10 pairs of shoes.

And as long as I am confessing to my lack of qualifications to be a girl. Let me say I don't wear make-up anymore. I wore it when I was younger but somewhere after the 2nd child I gave up. It isn't really that I don't like it or that I have any objection to it. The truth is I am just a bit lazy and hated the whole process of putting on and then taking off again. I have learned to accept my make-up less self (and I think my husband has, too. We kind of compromised. I quit wearing make-up and he quit shaving.) and am quite comfortable with it. So between my wash-and-go hair (no blow-drying), no make-up, and limited wardrobe I can be out the door in under 30 minutes (not counting getting children ready). There aren't really that many people out there like me I've found. My salt of the earth, truck-driving sis-in-law even wears make-up.

So, more than you really wanted to know, right?

Planned Obsolescence

J at Thinking About wrote a really good post about Planned Obsolescence. You always knew it existed. Did you know there was a term for it? Don't give in to the machine. Do you remember when manufacturers built things to last? This is before they realized that you don't want things to last. You want people to buy bigger and better. Why do you think the fashion people keep changing the fashion? They all want to stay in business. We've had 3 or 4 T.V.s since we were married (12 years). We've had two washers and dryers in the last 12. My parents still have the dryer they bought 18 years ago. I bet they still have that 3 legged waffle iron, too.

Diet Update

Well, despite a week at Disney World eating high on the hog when I weighed this morning I was at the same place I was before Christmas. So YEAH! No net gain since Christmas. Now I can get serious again about Dieting. I am trying to ease into it this week. (Can you ease on to a moving train?) I started cutting back slowly and arrived at Thursday following the Weight Watcher's Point System again. (Last night, I went to a meeting and left before the refreshments were served!) I am encouraged by the scale this morning. Next week, I am going to start back exercising and take a look at the Pilates DVD my sis-in-law loaned me. Meanwhile Sis-in-law has been doing fantastic! on NutriSystem. Mother is also dieting because that is what women do in January.

School

What do men do in January? My husband started back to school last night. He has been trying to complete an educational degree so that he can quit his high-paying job to do something less stressful and more satisfying. He is only taking one class per semester so it is a slow process. Our long-term plans are for him to attend school full-time starting in Fall of 2008. First, we have to trim down our financial responsibilities (spelled d-e-b-t). I think that if we live for 1 year on only 1 income then when he does start teaching it will be like getting a raise.

Lots of people we know live on only 1 income and we often wonder how they achieve this. We tried it for a short time while my babies were small (actually I did work part-time) and managed okay. Then my husband tried an upstart company for a few months working without a salary and we managed that okay. The truth is it doesn't take long to live up to your means whatever they are. We are still making payments on one of our cars and we have a home-equitly loan we are trying to pay down (from building a detached garage for hubby's many hobbies). We try to contribute to our 401K and IRA and we do save some. I have a goal of paying our house off before my oldest starts to college. (We have the Alabama PACT fund for tuition.) But in general we spend what we make. We go on nice Vacations (DISNEY), we dine out alot, we buy what we want and pay off our credit cards every month. Every spring the IRS sends us a big check and we go a little CRAZY.

So I am hoping that we can trim back and send my husband to school and live on only my income for 1 year. Luckily, I work in a profession that is always hiring. (I often joke, I could quit my job this morning and have another one this afternoon!) And also, it is not hard to pick up extra shifts for more income.

Backwards Children

My children are a little bit backwards. While we were at Disney World I had to threaten, cajole, etc to get them up and moving everymorning (I actually had them up before daylight one morning) so we could start at the parks early. They easily took an hour each morning to wake up, dress (no baths) and eat a pop tart before they were ready to go. We came back Monday night. Tuesday morning my son is asking if he can get in the car (to go to school) before I have my teeth brushed. Daughter, though, had to be dragged out of bed and actually taken to school late. So, it is just the son who has his priorities confused.

Children

While we were in the airport trying to get through security in Orlando my daughter looks up at her parents and says, "You are entering an area where turn by turn directions can not be provided." Sometimes children are hysterical.

Home At Last

I am home after a week in Florida where the weather was in the 70's and 80's all week. I visited Mickey and I am glad to be home. I haven't even looked at our pictures yet. Anyone interested in reading my review on the trip check out the Orlando Forum on Tripadvisor. My name there is GMRPH.

So, kids are back in school, I am back at work, and I am fighting a nasty hacking cough. Don't you love winter. Don't you love January? I've got a lot of blogs to catch up on.

Interestingly, my husband took his laptop to Disney and did not get it out until we were in the airport on the way home. We did have internet service for a fee. I really don't know how he made it 6 days without it. Granted, I drove the family on a pretty full schedule. Still, who knew he could live without it? Makes you think...