Gym Class Hero - NOT (PT 2): I'm On Fire!

Okay, let me start from where I left off yesterday. I now have a trainer.  This is my first day and I'm thinking we, the trainer and I,  are just going to sit down, get to know one another, have a drink and set some goals.  WRONG!  


He tells me there will be a very basic workout today so that he knows where I'm coming from.  Good Lord I could have told him.  I come from nothing.  Well that is a little bit of a lie.  I do practice yoga.  


When he laid out the game plan for today I thought, "No problem." Here is what he had in mind:


  5 minutes on the treadmill (warmup), squats, sit-ups, pushups, chin-ups and I'm done.  


5 minutes on the treadmill was a piece of cake.  I was walking at 3 MPH at a 5% incline.  Not bad.  I'm feeling good!! Then off to the side of the gym, in full view of everyone. Okay, now I'm nervous.  He demonstrates the sit-ups. Legs in butterfly position and all the way back and all the way up.  There is a wedge in place to assist at my backside.  Only 20 right?  Well, 20 felt like 50.  It was harder than I thought it would be. 


Next up squats.  40 of those. Thank goodness the squats came second on the list.  I managed to do those but I think the last...oh...15 were not so good. I'm sure I could have bent my knees a little more but I wanted to be able to stand back upright. My thighs were on fire by the time we got to 10. 


Push-ups?  I don't think I have ever done a "real" push-up.  Ever. This was crazy.  5 push-ups in and my belly drops to the ground as I try to push my body up.  I'm sure it was a sight. Kind of like those horses in the pasture that either aren't taken very good care of or they are a little past their prime or both. I did a little better than I thought. Of course they were "girl" push-ups.  When he mentioned girl push-ups I was a little bit insulted. 


Lastly?  OMG the chin-ups.  He takes me back into the CrossFit room.  Seriously???  I couldn't even finish the warmup from the Insanity program.  It's a DVD program I have at home. At home, sitting on the shelf.  I thought about getting P90X but then pinched myself before I got sucked into the infomercial.   "CrossFit is like P90X on steroids," as the owner explained to me the day before. I couldn't even imagine.  


We are back in the CrossFit room and he is demonstrating how to do a proper chin-up on the bar.  He rethinks this and breaks out this large rubber band.  He loops the band around the bar so that I can use it to help lift me into the air and up above the chin-up bar.  He explains that by putting my foot in the center of the band and crossing my other leg over in the front, the band will support me in such a way that I will be able to pull myself up.  It just reminded me of a huge archaic sling shot used to launch artillery in time of war.  I guess it depends on how you look at it.


"My foot goes where?"  Got that squared away and now the other leg crosses over and up I go.  I did go up but had absolutely no control over which direction.  My leg shot up between his legs.  My god how embarrassing!  I steady myself and pulled up.  I think I even let out a little grunt.  My body went nowhere. I came no closer to the top of the chin-up bar.  The only thing that was closer to anything was my foot to his crotch.  No seriously!


Without a word, he grabs the mother of all rubber bands to help me achieve this goal of getting my chin above the bar.  He's not giving up so I guess I shouldn't either.  This band is about as long as the conveyer belt at Target and as thick the tires on my car.  I drive an Expedition.  It has larger than normal tires.   It was too much.  I almost lost it.  Scary thing was I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.  Now I really have to do it.  


He adjusted the belt and moved out of range, in case the thing catapults me into him or into the next room, and I was in business.  I managed to crank out 2.  Yes, 2.  Better than 0.  


I went home feeling good even though I was a little sore and embarrassed.  The next morning I woke up and thank goodness the bed sits up really high.  I used my agility skills then.  I had to roll myself off of the bed and onto the floor.  I was on my feet, but I didn't think about bending again until going to the bathroom which unfortunately I do every morning.  


Somebody was playing a joke on me.  Someone had lowered the seat.  I had to use my hands on both sides of the seat to help lower me down.  Handle bars that the elderly and disabled use really would have come in handy today.    Thank goodness I brought my cell phone in with me.  Texting or calling for help might be the only option for removal. I did manage to use the walls to help support me.  


For the next 3 days I cursed that trainer as well as cursing myself for not wanting to show any weakness.  I got through it all though :0)  Keep your eye on the prize!

Gym Class Hero, NOT!!

Here I am and I'm just a little bit bigger than I should be.  I finally got fed up. I'm tired of being overweight.  SO tired of it.  I decided to do something.  I needed help.  I started believing that I couldn't do this without some help.  My husband, while supportive of my decision,  didn't share the same goals for himself.  This makes things very, very difficult.  The above picture in particular sent me over the edge.  "Do I really look like this?"  Holy crap what happened???" No, seriously? I know my boobs aren't really that big!  Uhhh, I just measured and yes they are. 


I guess all the margaritas and incredible dinners have finally caught up with me.  It didn't help that I only occasionally walked.  Once in a blue moon.  That was my workout.  I tried to blame all of it on menopause but, ...  that really isn't fair.  It isn't fair at all.  I need to share the blame.  


For 2 weeks I checked out the gyms, trying to decide what to do; so many choices.  Do I choice the closest one or the one that has the most equipment?   Finally, after making a gym decision, I had to decide what to do next. Do I just sign up to use the equipment or do I sign up for a trainer?  I was totally immobilized for a couple of days.  I had to make a decision.  I had to commit to doing this.  I was scared.  What would this mean? No more margaritas or chips?  What about cheese dip?  You think I'm joking?  I'm not :p.  


I took a deep breath and signed.  It all looked perfect. One of the owners let me know I would meet with the clinic and then the trainer.  TRAINER!!  Really?  I had to make appointments for these which I did.


The appointments were back to back; clinic first and then trainer.  The clinic appointment probably wouldn't be so bad except for the stepping on the scale.  The trainer appointment means measurements would be taken.  That, my friends, is embarrassing.  I know what some would say, "Well you got yourself into this mess!  If you would have chosen activity and life opposed to working your day around food and margaritas then you wouldn't be here!"  This is true but not helpful.  


Trainer time!  We sit and talk about goals, diet (Paleo), and then a trial run.  WHAT!  I didn't know I was actually going to do something today.  I thought we were just going to talk.  No really!  I thought the next appointment would be the first workout.  


He tells me there will be a very basic workout so that there is a baseline.  5 minutes on  treadmill, 40 squats, 20 sit-ups, 10 pushups, 10 pull ups and I'm done.  5 minutes on the treadmill was a piece of cake.  I was walking at 3 MPH at a 5% incline.  Not bad.  I'm feeling good!!


Next comes the other stuff...                                  
                                                                           TO BE CONTINUED>>>

Ghostly Father's Day

Father's Day can be a bit daunting, with regards to finding something for my husband; gifts you can open.   I struggle with this because I don't really believe in giving someone a gift just to give a gift. That bothers me.  It's also difficult to do when you live a life like we do.  If you can afford clothing whenever you need it, or most anything for that matter, then why wait to buy.  That is my husband's philosophy.  I agree with part of that.  If I truly need something, I will go and get it.  


I am very grateful that we live a comfortable life.  I couldn't even imagine not having the basics.  We are very fortunate.  Unfortunately though this quality of lifestyle makes it difficult to find my husband gifts for the major events: his birthday (which now we've deemed a celebration of life and not a number), our anniversary, Christmas and Father's day.  If you can buy whatever you need and most of what you want what's left to give as a gift?  Not much.  Not much especially if your significant other doesn't really have any hobbies outside of watching his kids play sports and doing things with his family.  VERY commendable but, ...


I love him dearly but he is difficult to buy for.  Very difficult.  This year I have been stumped.  His celebration of life day was in May. I'll omit the number now.   For that he unwrapped an iPad, along with several other smaller gifts. Next comes Father's Day,  June 17th.  So I feel it is my duty to come up with just the right gifts in a very short amount of time.  


Half of the year I racked my brain trying to figure out what to get him for Father's Day.  Something unusual.  Pondering what he likes led me to Waverly Hills; Waverly Hills is in Louisville, Ky.  It is a sanatorium no longer in use.  Yes, it's haunted and they have tours.  Actually they have a variety of tours to choose from.  Some of these you spend the night.  The only problem is Waverly Hills is in Ky and we are in Ga.  We have family in Louisville but won't  be visiting for a few more weeks.  Thank God that didn't pan out.  I would hate to have to send him there by himself but, ...


How about a ghost tour here?  There were a couple tours here that I checked into.  One was in Decatur and the other in Roswell.  Roswell was closer to Canton but no tour on Sunday. I signed us up for a tour the Friday before.  We were all set.  


The kids knew but didn't say a word.  They were awesome about it.  I have a feeling though that even thinking about it would make it real so they opted out of that.  They never said they were scared but my 12 year old daughter kept asking those little questions like,"Are we going to see ghosts?" and "Do we go on the tour when it is dark?"  My son didn't really say anything except,"I'm not scared."  He's 15.


We left Friday around 6 PM for dinner.  We ate at a (surprise, surprise) Mexican restaurant in Roswell. Pretty good food and excellent margaritas :0).  Yes, margaritas.  After all, we are going on a ghost tour; nothing wrong with a little liquid courage! Finally we let Dad take a couple of stabs at figuring out why we were on this side of town.  Finally the flashlight clue gave it away.  He guessed one of his gifts.  Away we went.


The tour lasted 2 hours.  A lot of history, picture taking, and possibilities.  We only had a few paranormal events.  I heard careful whispers and my son witnessed the flicker of a street light.  After returning home, my husband was quick to download his pics and videos.  He thought he saw something in a couple of pictures.  According to the Roswell Ghost Tour people, they were probably nothing.  It did get my husband thinking though.  


We all had a great time and Father's Day was true to celebrating what Father's Day is all about. 

My AHH HAA Moment: Post-It Notes

SOooo, I woke up this morning with a game plan: Treadmill for 20, weights for 20, shower, mail, volunteer @ historical society.  Reality bites.  This is what actually happened.

Treadmill for 20.  Well, okay it was close to 20 but more like 10 minutes.   The first 5 minutes of my walk/jog I was occupying my mind with guessing who would come into the bedroom I was in.  See we don't exactly have a workout room. The treadmill, weights, yoga mat, ... share space in the spare bedroom.  The spare bedroom is rarely used by guests so most of the time it is a place to workout. You say,"What's the problem with that?"


Every mom in the world can tell you that when you need to have time for you, it is nearly impossible when you have a husband, kids and pets sharing the house with you. For instance,  when I need to make a call, almost as soon as I get the person on the line that is when the kids and pets argue with one another.  It's almost like a warning shot before a race starts.  If the kids are outside playing then it's the dogs that start going after one another.  You think by now I would make all phone calls in my closet.  


Disturbances, distractions also happen when I need other types of alone time  to read, workout, or meditate.  Working out is the worst time though.  Imagine, you are on a treadmill.  You are jogging on an incline on a treadmill for 5 minutes and suddenly  you hear a knock or the handle vigorously jiggling.  Sometimes I hear my kids try to quietly pry the door open to the bedroom.  What is so stinking important that you just have to come in right now.  This is a pattern.  They do know I am in there.  They also know the standard applies, "Unless there is blood or an obvious broken bone do not come into this room when I am in here."  A door with a lock on it is a necessity for me, but even then what's going on beyond the doors can be a distraction.


 A closed/locked door means nothing to another person  (AHEM husband) who isn't so quiet. When I workout at home I always need to make certain both doors, the one leading into the hall and the one leading into the bedroom (where the treadmill is), are both locked. Why?  My husband will keep trying doors until one pops open. It's nice our guest room has an adjoining bathroom.  It's nice for our guests.  Usually we get guests once every three years or so.  Which brings me back to my bright idea of what a necessity a guest bedroom was. "It will cost a little extra in the long run, for that extra bedroom, but it will be worth it for our guests."  Funny how your perspective changes when reality bites back. Seriously!!

SO when I hear my husband trying the door leading from the bathroom to the bedroom I recognize what I did wrong. My fault for not locking the bathroom door.  Oh wait a minute, I can't lock it from inside the bedroom because there is no lock on this side.  He wins because he can still get in.  SO, when he can't unlock the hallway door, because I can lock that one,  he will knock.  It's like rapid fire knocking. Really!  To get my head back in the game after this in nearly impossible because now I have the dogs to contend with.  Three dogs barking their heads off because they don't realize where the knock is coming from as well as who is doing the knocking.

Door from the hallway with "Do Not Disturb" Post-it 

Then today nothing.  I kept waiting for it but nothing.  Then I really started to get paranoid, took a break and made signs, out of Post-it Notes, letting everyone know not to come in. I now ate up some more of my time being concerned about others taking it away from me.  That was an AHH HAA moment.  Not a soul tried to steal my time.  Today my distractions were all in my head.  

Door from bathroom to bedroom with "Do Not Disturb" Post-It

I walk out of the room, sit in my chair to go through emails I need to respond to.  All 3 dogs are nearby.  The puppy, now 9 months, is using the older dog as a chew toy.  No really, it's pitiful.  She drags him around by either his collar or his neck.  The bigger dog comes over to me wanting a little attention.  She trys to put her nose under my arm, lifting my arm up to initiate a petting.  I begin to pet her and along comes the puppy. The oldest dog flies up into the chair next to me.  He is shaking and his eye is draining.  He has Horner's Syndrome.  Poor baby.  The vet assures me he isn't in pain but he is quite a sight.  


Shower and off the the Historical Society for 3 hours.  I love going there, helping to document history. So much to pour through and piece together.  After I leave at 12 it's  lunch and then home to wrap things up for the day.  You know the usual phone calls and bills to pay.  Before I know it the clock says,"Time for dinner."

Heavenly Sedona, AZ

An absolutely beautiful place!  I could live here :0)

We were only gone 5 days, not really enough time to take in the sights and shop.  We decided to do a little of both.  The views were spectacularly breathtaking.  I highly recommend putting Sedona on your list.  Take a least a week and a half if you can.  It is sooooo worth it!

Salsa Recipe

Okay, here goes.  

Easy Peasy Salsa Recipe

4 tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 to whole jalapeño, diced
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt and pepper to taste
As Rachael Ray says, "Yummo!" 

BKS: An Unconventional BLT

I just finished breakfast.  I'm one of those that can eat just about anything for breakfast.  Usually I eat the norm.  I will fry a couple of egg whites in some Pam (Canola oil spray).  Sometimes I just season the egg whites with salt and pepper and other times I add onions, sweet pepper, salsa, ... whatever I feel like and have on hand.


Today was one of those days that didn't feel like having the conventional.  There weren't any leftovers that sounded appealing.  We are getting toward the end of the week so not a lot of options.  I have been known to make tuna salad, have leftover Chinese or pizza, or a kale salad.


Yes, kale.  I prepared a kale salad yesterday.  It's really easy and satisfies a sweet tooth.  Really??  Yes.  It's super easy too!  All you do is combine fresh kale (cut in bite size with pine nuts, Craisins,  balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil and a little agave (stevia, honey or regular sugar would work).  Yesterday I had some kale leftover so ...


After spying the turkey bacon, leftover from Sunday, I thought a BLT sounded pretty good.  I know, it's 7AM but I like to think outside of the box.  Looking through the fridge I remembered that the lettuce had to be discarded last night.  I did however have kale.  Where's that tomato?  Oh, I used it for salsa last night.  Instantly I thought I will just substitute a few ingredients for my BLT.


Turkey bacon, kale, salsa and light fat-free mayo on 7 grain wheat bread, thinly sliced,  made a really delicious and extremely healthy BKS sandwich.  Fresh salsa is a little time consuming but sooooo worth the time. I will post the recipe.  Try my BKS sandwich and the salsa recipe and let me know what you think!

Cell Phone Indiscretions

Cell Phone Indiscretions:  Do You Respect Others?

There is a certain type of etiquette I expect from those using a cell phone. The main idea here is when you are talking on your cell phone, look around to make certain you aren’t bothering anyone else.  That would take care of it all right there.  The only issue with that is many really don’t believe they are offending anyone else.  They don’t realize how they are being rude.

There is no reason to talk on your phone while you are in close proximity to someone else, unless you are on a conference call.   This applies to being out in public or in the privacy of your own home.  For example, if you are seated in a restaurant or standing in the checkout lane there is not a reason to have a conversation on your phone. It is just plain rude.  If you recognize the number to be that of the school your child attends,  or your aging parents who never call,  you do have the option of calling them back once you are outside of the establishment or inside your car. A couple of minutes isn’t going to matter to the person who called.  That is the reason for the answering system on your phone. 

Speaking of talking on the phone in your car, it is acceptable as long as no one else is in the car with you.  My husband thinks this is ridiculous.  He doesn’t see a problem with this.  My problem is he is a loud talker.  Well, he is a loud cell phone talker,  when talking with anyone other than me.  When he leaves a message for me, he whispers.  It’s almost as if he doesn’t want anyone to hear him.  Interesting since the message he usually leaves is “Call me back.”  Any other time look out.  He really cranks up the volume when talking with his hearing impaired mom.  Couldn’t it wait?

 It is amazing how many people don’t find cell phone curtesy to apply to them.  Cell phone rudeness knows no boundaries.  I’ve witnessed cell phone indiscretions in both young and old, male and female from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.  As a matter of fact an incident occurred over the weekend that I feel I must share.  Are you sitting down?  

I was sitting down in a restaurant in the lovely city of Nashville.  Nashville, Indiana.  My family and I drove to Nashville for a little shopping.  We stopped for lunch.  Right before leaving the restaurant I stopped off at the restroom.  The restroom had 2 stalls and 2 sinks, not a large area.   Upon walking in, there was a middle-aged woman on her cell phone.  She proceeded to walk into one of the stalls while she was on the phone.  No, really!

I couldn’t help but overhear part of her conversation.  She was talking with her son.  Seriously??  Yes, she was using the restroom while carrying on a casual conversation with her son.  It wasn’t even my son and I was embarrassed.  The poor kid.  I finished up and almost decided not to flush right as I heard her “finish up.”  At that point I thought , “To heck with it all,” and flushed.  So, I flushed, she flushed and then we both washed our hands.  She was still on her phone.  Yuck!!  When I left the bathroom the shock and horror left me completely incapacitated. 

As my husband has recently stated, “Nothing surprises me anymore.” Is it just me or does this bother you too?

Hunger Games: Did This Happen To You?

 When the theater ushers opened the doors,  it was like watching Walmart shoppers on Black Friday. Bumped and jostled, with popcorn and a drink in hand,  we made our way to our seats.  Parents and kids were trampling one another to get a good seat.  That was the first disturbing thing.  I have an in-law that likes to use that term liberally.  "How was the trip to the store?" He would answer with a sound resembling  the old Buick my parents had.  He stopped, started and then he would say,"It was very disturbing."  His forlorn tone would immediately evoke, "OHHHH! Why?"  From there he would go into an in-depth synopsis of why someone's behavior, or lack there of,  was disturbing.  Interesting...

On the screen are the endless previews.  I hear screams coming from all around me.  Mainly from girls.  I know, go figure.  They can't wait.  The movie starts and the screams in stereo come full circle.  Between this, the  50 X 100 screen, and the increasing volume of the previews it was a little too much.  That's about when the Blair Witch like recording began.  

Jerky camera moves, greasy popcorn and I do not make a good combination.  Then the plot begins to unfold.  If you haven't seen the movie or read the book don't worry.  I won't give too much away.

 It wasn't that clear to me if it was the present day or future.  It looked like Coal Miners Daughter meets Alice in Wonderland.  Basically, in this particular place areas are divided up into districts. Kind of like counties.  In this state, for lack of a term that adequately describes the area as a whole, there is a lottery.  The lottery is for ages 12-18.  Parents bring their kids to this outdoor arena and the ruler of the state draws names from a glass jar.  She draws 24 names total, 12 girls and 12 boys.  

After drawing the names she says, "May the odds be ever in your favor."  The children are then taken to a remote, jungle like, area.  They are visibly scared, not really knowing what to do but they know what they must do.  Out of 24 only 1 can come home.  The 24 children fight to the death. The clock ticks and each time a killing happens everyone knows it, including the parents.  The killings are basically Skyped to everyone.

Before agreeing to take my middle schooler to see the movie, I did know what the premise of the movie was.  I knew but until it was right in front of me it didn't hit me.  

It took 3 days before I began to feel better.  My stomach was upset.  It was so upset I couldn't eat a lot.  I was literally sick to my stomach.  Maybe it was because I couldn't stomach what I was seeing.  

Hunger Games: I'm Not Hungry Anymore

Well I'm not as hungry as I used to be after last Friday evening.  Hard to believe it's almost been a week ago.  I'm still feeling it.  I'm trying to look at the bright side of what happened.


So my daughter's friends were very excited about going to see a movie.  Most of her friends had read all of the books.  Her best friends had even bought the clothing.  All of their hair is now like "her" hair.  Can you guess the movie?  Yes, The Hunger Games.


When these books first came out, the only reason I knew anything about the first book was my involvement in book fairs.  I coordinate book fairs for elementary and middle school.  This book was one of those books heavily promoted.  All the kids loved it.  I, at the time, had only briefly read the back cover.  At the warehouse sale I picked up all three because kids were falling in love with them.  


This was awesome news for me.   I have a son who, at the time, was required to read a certain amount of books during the school year.  I knew that he wasn't anywhere close to his goal of  25.  How did I know,  you ask?  Since I coordinate book fairs, I am close with the Media Specialist.  The Media Specialist, in conjunction with his reading teacher, knows what he has read.  It's good to be involved.


Every kid, okay every kid from 10-15,  was raving about the book.  Parents were letting me know that their nonreader blew through the books.  Blew through the books! YES!  OMG, it is so difficult to find something for my son to read so this was a no-brainer. 


I bought the books, brought them home and proudly laid them on his bed.  He comes home from school and I say, "I bought you something today. I laid it on your bed."  His eyes lit up a little too quickly.  Maybe I shouldn't have been so enthusiastic.  


He looked at the back cover and said, "No."  I said in one breath, "What do you mean? All the kids love these books!"  "Just try to read it!"  He replied by saying nothing.  The book just sat at the end of the bed until he put then on the bookshelves in the living room.  Oh well, I tried.  I'm always trying.


His sister found out about the books after her friend talked about how good they were.  She couldn't put the book down.  In a short amount of time she had blown through all of the books.  I was impressed.  She was a nonreader just like my son.  She couldn't get enough of these books.  For Christmas she was given the last of the series along with a "Hunger Games" t-shirt.  Her sister, the reader of the two, followed suit.  


Both talked to my daughter.  They also talked to another friend.  They were all pretty intoxicated with the characters just by discussion, not because all of them had read the books.  It was kind of cute.  It was kind of cute until the movie started.


The other moms and I decided to go out to dinner before the movie.  The timing was a bit tricking.  We agreed on 5:30 @ Zaxby's.  Zaxby's would be quick.  Apparently there would be a tremendous waiting period.  WHAT!  I had already purchased the tickets.  Actually WE had already purchased the tickets AND picked them up.  One of the friends knows about the chaos and frenzy associated with the release of movies that have this much of a following.  We arrived a hour and a half before the movie started.  There were people already lined up outside of theater.  Already outside of the theater!  No, seriously.  I'm not talking about he people standing in line to purchase the tickets. This was the line INSIDE of the the theater.  We were already 6 deep on both sides of the doors leading into the actual theater.  It was CRAZY!


This will have to be continued...

The Fine Art of Complaining

Ginger is soon to be 7

I've been inspired, by another blogger,  to write about the fine art of complaining.  Their story was a bit technical in nature but basically said complaining isn't good for you.  Just in case you are interested here is the link, gillisfitnessconsulting.com.
 Their entry has very legitimate points.  Here are a few glowing reviews of those points from my perspective.

Ruffles is the old man of the bunch at 10 or 11

Okay, first of all the only members of my household that don't complain are my dogs.  My older dogs that is.   The puppy still complains in her own way.  She's in her kennel now because I really have things to do, like write.  I can't write and chase, retrieve things from a puppy mouth, keep her from eating the sofa as well as protect my older dog from her puppy teeth. Take a look at her picture. She looks scary but really isn't possessed and she doesn't have cataracts.  I'm still learning how to take a picture.  I'm 45.  You would think I would have an understanding of the basics of photography by now. 

Bella is the devil puppy.  She'll be 7 months old soon.

As I'm writing,  the whimpering and whining, while she is in her kennel,  is almost unbearable.  It reminds me of when my kids were babies and felt they were being tortured (restricted) while in their crib, carseat or Exersaucer.  In particular, my daughter.  No, we didn't put her in a kennel. Although...  Her Exersaucer was kind of like a portable kennel.  It allowed me to shower occasionally. 


When she was an infant/toddler/preteen she wanted to be with me all of the time.  I'm not complaining, only stating a fact.  I'm a stay-at-home mom.  This truly means that she could be with me 24/7.  Now that she's in school that is a little harder for her to do. When she was a toddler, her room at night was like a jail and her crib was her cell.  Very fitting because she was also an escape artist.  Many a morning I would find her next to me. I'm not complaining!


 As the article in Pure Women's Fitness stated, complaining is not healthy for anyone. The more people you complain to, the more people are fed and the more the complaining continues at an alarming rate.
As the years have flown by the whining, huffs and puffs, sighs, moans and groans, head thrusts, head banging, feet stomping, and verbal assaults continue.  It isn't all of the time.  Usually when one member of the family isn't complaining the other one is. When it's at it's best,  complaining is like a chess game.  


If I do/say _____  I hope they will notice and do ______. 






My husband and I started the game of hidden complaints.  We are filtering what we say but figure out other ways to get our complaint across.  It looks like my son will finish it with a combo of implied discontent and in your face verbiage.  He's working on his filter. When my husband and I complain we would probably say that we aren't complaining.  We are only stating a fact.  


On the subject of dinner-


My son...


                                Son: "Mom, what are we having for dinner?"
                                 Me: "Baked chicken, asparagus and a salad."
                                Son: "Please don't tell me it's crock pot chicken.Crock pot chicken is completely disgusting.  It makes me want to throw up.  Okay, now I can't eat dinner."


My husband...


                         Husband: "What's for dinner?" (I sense in his tone, and the pleading in his eyes,  he's hoping I'll suggest going out for Mexican)
                                 Me: "Baked chicken, asparagus and a salad."
                         Husband: "Ohhh"  


Now how motivated do you think I am to come up with something other than microwave quick or take out? Not that I'm complaining or anything. What are some of your complaints?

Is It Just Me?

Yes!! I did it!  Always knew I could.

I know it's all a part of the journey but ... don't you wish at times you could pick out the frustrating lessons of life and recycle them.  Why not give them to more worthy individuals? If everyone would just behave and do what they are supposed to do we wouldn't have these problems.  We wouldn't need jails. No really?!!  Why should someone else's shortcomings fall on my family's shoulders.  Let me breakdown the recent weight of the world.

First there is school.  Both my daughter's and son's schools have a problem with communication.  Let me begin by saying I like my daughter's and son's schools. I like the administration and I like the teachers.  They all seem to be personable and nice enough.  Personable and nice enough in person.


 Generally speaking, it seems as if my daughter's and son's needs are being met.  She really doesn't have many needs aside from a little extra help in reading.  She manages to always stay motivated, even when things were not going so well.  They weren't going so well last year and the year before.  Teachers couldn't offer up any other options to increase her comprehension.  At the school she is at now, they have other options. This is awesome! 


What she doesn't lack, some of her teachers do.   Motivation is a problem for some of her teachers.  You can throw some of my son's teachers in there as well.  These teachers do not seem to be motivated in the area of communication.  That is, responding to communication from me.  I'm a little disturbed by this.  I need clarification and I need it pronto.  I don't know how long the "issue" has been going on so I need for the teachers to respond to my questions/statements within a reasonable amount of time.  I'm usually good with a few days.  I understand they are not just waiting for me to email them so that they can respond.  They have a thousand and one things to do.  Well, so do I!  Communication with the parents should come in second, right behind teaching.  If a teacher doesn't communicate what is going on,  then parent doesn't know.  If it's a parent like me they will either assume the worst or just want clarification so they don't assume the worst.  If they need to they try another route to get what they need.  What I need are answers.

Award's Day

 Comprehension isn't my daughter's strong suit.  If there is a comprehension  "issue" it needs to be addressed in a timely matter because the class will move onto the next standard or subject.  How will negating my email  help my daughter who struggles with comprehension?  It puts her behind the 8 ball.  She will be left behind which will leave her frustrated and eventually less motivated.

This Certificate of Achievement Is Stupid

My son has motivation issues himself but he is a freshman in high school.  He is not an adult nor a teacher.  He claims his "issues" are that he needs to be in all advanced classes.  "The classes are too easy and I get bored.  I don't hand things in when I should or do them when I should because I don't care.  I am bored."  Really.  Wow!  My response was, "Sorry, you have to do the work or you'll end up being 30 and working at Dairy Queen.  If that is your goal in life so be it.  That is your choice." At least I know where he sits with all of this.  


Emails to his teachers are to voice concern so that maybe they can talk to him.  They might be able to say something that will snap him out of it.  I can always pray for that lightbulb moment. The switch can't be flipped on if there is no switch.  I'm not getting anywhere when I email some of his teachers because they aren't motivated enough to respond.

What Just Happened

SOOO Close!

Moving on to sports.  Both of my kids have always played sports.  They need an outside activity.  We live in the burbs and it's either a playing a musical instrument or sports.  Sports it is!  


They have played all types of sports.  Currently, I coordinate games for my son's high school team.  I am in touch with the coaches in the league to figure out who we should play and when.  The less experienced teams we should play first.  This makes the most sense because many of our kids are new to the sport.  We need time to develop our team and we can only do that by playing not by getting creamed.  


When I first started speaking with the coaches, to schedule games,  I thought they were being honest.  I believed them when they said 1/2 of their team is new to the sport and 1/2 of their team have some experience.  This hasn't proved to be correct yet.  I know. I know.   Honestly,  I think I'm a little too naive.  Why would a coach lie to me though? I didn't lie to them.   Why would a coach say their team and our team would be evenly matched when they know that isn't the case?  Are they in it for the win?  Looks like it to me.  What is this teaching the kids?  What is this teaching adults?  Domination is a good thing.  That's just life.  Winning is the most important thing.  Do whatever it takes to win because that is the name of the game.


Nice, huh?? Okay, I need a glass of wine. It after 4:00 pm somewhere.  What's wrong with a glass or two after 12?




Is it just me?

Are You Talkin' To ME!!

Wardrobe Malfunction: Check Yourself Before You're Exposed

Down Dog

Yoga Lessons:


Lesson #1: Stay in the moment and quiet your mind. Focusing on yourself you will not be your worst enemy. 


Lesson #2: If it hurts, you should not be doing it.  It is one thing to push yourself a little, it's another thing to be HeMan.


Lesson #3: Do not wear any perfume


Lesson#4: If you are late, do not disturb meditation at the beginning of class.  Wait until after meditation before opening the doors and entering the studio. 


I love yoga.  I will do anything to be able to go to yoga.  As usual, I'm rushing to get to yoga.  I should say lately I've been rushing. If someone were to ask me, "Why do you think Pam is late to yoga?"  My standby theory is, "If they want to do something they will do it, they will be early or on time, they will not make excuses."  My behavior kind of blows this theory of mine.   I don't think my tardiness indicates my level of enjoyment.  I do enjoy yoga.  I like everything about yoga as a practice.  The studio is awesome, the instructors make me want to come everyday and I don't want to leave, the atmosphere is inviting, the classes are just what I need.  It's just been this past year that I've been running behind by 5 minutes, give or take.  I'm trying to make it seem less damaging.  At least I arrive before meditation.  I'm getting there just as everyone settles in,  so I'm good.


I know that I have at least 5 extra minutes.  My yoga instructor usually gets us nice and relaxed by telling us a story.  He truly has the best stories.   Not only does he teach yoga but he also teaches piano and he writes music.  He used to cut hair.  I'm sure you can only imagine the stories he has.  It's funny though because his best stories are about him.  My daughter goes with me to yoga when she has a day off from school.  She goes to hear his stories.  He doesn't tell his stories then.  That fact just occurred to my daughter after our last visit.


Okay, so I blame my tardiness on getting my kids off to school, the long traffic lights, the pokey drivers, the unexpected school zones and farm equipment.  I'm usually eating breakfast, a bowl full of yogurt with berries, in the car.  I don't know what's gotten into me.  I just need to pay better attention to the clock.


I also need to pay better attention to what I wear to yoga.  I don't have enough of the right kinds of clothing for all of the bends and twists.  My pants scoot down before I can catch them and my top gets twisted and pulled down so far that I'm flashing the instructor as well as anyone else not "in the moment."


On this particular day I was, as expected, running late to class.  As I dressed, I realized way too late that my top was too short and my yoga pants were not quite long enough.  Maybe it had something to do with those martinis? I got to class just in time.   We finished our meditation and began our salutations.


Sun salutations are a continuous and very fluid movement.  I struggled with this.  Every lunge I was tugging on my top and my pants.  Of course I was in my place in class.  The front left position was the one I claimed.  I really wish I hadn't done that.


Forward bends, back to down dog, to plank, forward bend, over and over again.  The last forward bend into down dog had me off balance and trying to reclaim hips distance as best I could.  As I spread out my stance I hear threads popping the same time I feel air coming in.  Air is almost flooding into my behind. 


 Now, if my top was long enough I would have done a pull down and cover.  Another choice would be to tie my fleece sports jacket around my waist.  No, wait!  I was running late so in an attempt to shave off 2 minutes I decided not to run back into the house to grab my jacket before I left.  


Okay, so I'm in down dog, exposing myself yet again, only in ways I never could have imagined.  The really sad part is I waited a while before coming out of down dog because I thought the cool breeze had to have been coming from somewhere else.  I was in total denial.  That couldn't possibly have happened.  It sure did.


I made a quick exit to the bathroom where low and behold the seam had split in the most compromising of places.


Yoga lesson #5, always check your attire before coming to class.  Just like in a gym you inspect your equipment, in yoga you need to inspect what you are wearing.

One Hot Body

Okay, today was a new experience for me.  It was my first body wrap.  Normally a body wrap wouldn't even be on my radar but Sweet Jack shot me an email and the discounted price was too tempting.  I called to schedule my appointment.  The man on the other end of the line sounded very professional although a bit robotic.   You know, like your typical inside salesperson.  He also sounded a bit harried so I didn't ask a lot of questions.  "It wouldn't be a traditional wrap.  It will not be a nude wrap.  Drink extra water, ...."


 Immediately, after wishing him to have a good afternoon, my mind went into "What's it going to be like?" mode.  When my mind jumps there I'm literally  trying to calculate what it will be like down to the parking situation.  I know the person on the other end of the phone could answer my questions but some of the questions would definitely pinpoint my quirks and other questions would zero in on areas that are just naturally revolting.


I try to always be prepared, period.   I am prepared.  Every detail is laid out in my head and on paper, especially if it is a place I haven't been to before, a job interview, ...  I'm okay with change as long as I can prepare.  That is how I cope.  


I don't think most people are this way.  I actually go to the extent of visualizing myself in a particular situation just to see what I might need.  It's the physical needs I'm concerned with.  For example, when I first ran across this deal, I thought I wouldn't be able to do it.  The reason?  When I get hot, I get really hot.  No, I mean REALLY HOT.  I have been known to pass out due to the heat. It has nothing to do with how hot the temperature is outside.   I have passed out in Best Buy and I came within a millisecond of dropping to the floor at a very crowded funeral. 


So now I'm paying to be wrapped in heat. Dear God, help me!


TO BE CONTINUED...