January 30, 2009

I have such a bad cold. Stuffy head, cough. The sore throat is gone. That was the last two days. Seems like I get rid of one symptom and then I get another one. At least now when I blow my nose, it is actually productive.

The weather is nice and sunny today. Yesterday was too. Too bad I felt too yucky to really enjoy it. Tuesday night it rained soooo bad! Yesterday morning everything had turned to ice but it all melted during the afternoon.

John Updike is dead. Sad news. I liked the Rabbit series and of course The Witches of Eastwick.

Rosie is no longer blogging. Naked is no longer blogging.

Yay and OWWWW!

I worked out for 62 minutes today. Hayley and I are finishing up week 3. Our week 4 begins on Sunday. I give myself a regular work out 3 or 4 days a week and one day a week I really push myself further than the previous week.

Tanning is great. I am still about 2 shades lighter than I am in the summer but I'm glad to see the paleness go bye-bye!

January 29, 2009

I have today and tomorrow off. The kids have mid-terms all week so they don't have to be at school until 8:30 and they get out at 10:30. Unless they have a second test then they get out at 1:30. It has been nice having the extra hour in the morning. They are in much better moods. Seriously, I think school for teenagers should be like 10-4. They are much more alert. I mean seriously, how much work are they getting out of the kids between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30? According to my adolescent psych class I had to take to become a teacher, kids this age NEED to sleep like 12-14 hours and naturally their bodies stay up later and sleep in later. As you age, you require less sleep. I remember needing 12 hours from about age 15 until my mid-twenties. Now I can't imagine sleeping in past 8:30.

I am going to make something nice for dinner tonight. Mitch and I have been trying to out do each other with dinner, inventing our own recipes. We're about tied and we've both agreed that we're quite talented.

Now I have to look online for some recipe ideas.

January 23, 2009

Mitch, Zach and I are going to a hockey game tonight at Brown. I really don't want to as I am tired from work but it will be good to get out and I know I will be glad I did when it is all said and done.

The kids and I saw a seal basking on a rock on our trip to the post office this afternoon. I will post the pics soon. It was such a nice sunny day today. Warm too!

Hopefully we'll go out to dinner before the game. Otherwise, I will be extremely tired AND hungry after the game!

What a pain! Last night, I realized Sierra was out of dog food. It was too late to get her some because the pet store closes early and I don't buy her grocery store brand food. Anyway, typically she eats in the evening and she knows this. She was such a pain last night whining and sulking. I knew she could wait until morning and I got up first thing and bought her the food she likes. She sniffed it and is now all snuggled on the couch with me sleeping. She looked at me like, "You know I eat in the evening," and she hasn't even touched it! Yet she couldn't have just made it thru last night without all the fuss?

I am a bit sleepy right now, like I could take a nap but that would mess me up for the rest of the week. Maybe I will get a chance to go to bed a bit earlier this evening.

January 22, 2009

Congratulations to Teresa and Joe and family! Quinn is beautiful! Lucky lucky!

Looks like the girls and I will get to Maine on the first of February. Only to the Portland area. My cousin Jamie is having a baby shower and I very much would like to attend. Hopefully lots of extended family will attend and I can kill lots of birds with one stone! Plus I will only have to drive 3 hours as opposed to 5 and we'll be able to drive home after. Probably hit up Eggspectations and the Portland Mall. Who knows?

Tanning is doing wonders for my mind set, as is working out. By Friday I will be on week 3. The first week seemed endless and week two really disappeared fast. The detox diet is technically over, but I have continued to eliminate most of my added sugar. I am feeling a HUGE difference in mood, energy and overall health. I seriously think it was the sugar. I've also increased my water intake so proper hydration might have something to do with my feeling well also.

I picked up some overtime this week. The extra money is nice and I added the extra hours onto the days I normally work, so I still have the same days off. I'm a little tired but better off than if I let the overtime cut into my days off. I really need those to recharge.

MItch and I watched The Strangers on Sunday and it was soooooo predictable. Not in a good way. It was ok. Probably a two out of five rating.

January 19, 2009

I don't know what is worse, being bored on my day off, or having the kids and their friends here because they have Martin Luther King Day off. I have Mondays off anyway, so this isn't a holiday for me. I have Fridays off too! I love my schedule!

I am in a ticked off mood. I wanted to go tanning this morning but of course it is closed for the holiday. Let me just give you some background. The guy that owns the place where I tan takes days off without even letting anyone know. It could be Flag Day and you go to tan and there will be a locked door. I am frustrated because I just bought a new package after waiting like 6 months to go back there because he decided to just close in the middle of summer. The girl assured me that wasn't going to happen again. He is closing for the summer in June and we'll all know about it. I wasn't going to go back at all because I was one of the few that lost part of my package after he decided to close. I appreciate that he was probably losing money seeing as how we are surrounded by beaches, but it just wasn't good business.

Anyway, I got a new package because it is two minutes from my house and super cheap! I could drive 10 minutes out of my way and pay $65 a month for a place that never closes except Christmas and Thanksgiving, or pay $60 for three months and deal with a jackass...

Freezing!

Oh my goodness! It is like 13 degrees here today! SO cold.

I am now onto week two of our Shape Up 2009. I'm also going to hopefully start tanning today.

The kids have Monday off and then I think they have maybe three weeks until February vacation. February really flies by for us, so it will be March before we know it. March means warmer spring weather and the occasional day at the beach. March will drag on. No days off for them at all so I am hoping for at least warm weather so we can plow through.

Looks like Teresa will be having her beautiful baby boy Quinn on Saturday! I am sure things will go wonderfully.

January 15, 2009

I am feeling 100% better. The sluggish feeling is gone. I have tons of energy.

Mitch and I just had a meeting about Zach at his school. Didn't tell me a lot that I didn't already know. Zach is a good kid. He is one of their favorites. He has lots of friends. He had his IQ tested and he is upper-above average range in most areas. Has a touch of laziness because he can never seem to get his homework done, but other than that, he is NORMAL! My son is a delight. Always has been. All three of my children are delights, although I will say that my least favorite year with Kayla is this "almost 19" year. Little I can do but love her and try to veer her in the right direction. A part of me is like well, you know what? She is going to college, she isn't pregnant, she doesn't drink or do drugs, JOB WELL DONE! Another part of me is like, NO WAY, she is going to major in what I want her to major in and live her life according to the little plan I've been dreaming of for her her whole life. Needless to say, we've butted heads more these last few months than in her entire life. Hayley just cracks me up. She can't wait to leave me. She tells me all the time. Joking of course, but she really wants to "grow" up. I've always just let Hayley be Hayley and consequently, she is fantastic. She will be great on her own. I'm not sure why I didn't do as good a job with Kayla. Maybe it is just because she's never had an independent streak and was quite content letting me be mommy and her being baby. Zach is just Zach. A slightly over-indulged little brother who loves his family and likes to cause some trouble here and there when he gets bored.

SOOOOOOO, Mitch and I have had our talk. The baby talk. We do talk about it often, but this time we actually set up a time frame when all of the medical intervention will go down. Where, which doctors, etc. Our goal is to be pregnant within the next year. We're excited.

Work is okay. Better than okay but I don't want to jinx it. My schedule is great. Part-time will be better. After the baby, I am not working at all, unless I do the home daycare option, which I will probably do because I can't stand not doing anything. I also talked to Mitch about homeschooling. He isn't opposed to the idea. That of course is a ways off, but the more research I do on homeschooling, the more I love the idea. Let's not forget, I am a teacher. Of course, I may always change my mind as that time nears. I love being a mom but I love being a productive member of society too.

me

me
Originally uploaded by jennluvsgable

In my car

Meee

Meee
Originally uploaded by jennluvsgable

I have a great husband!

January 12, 2009

I am feeling so much better since cutting out the sugar! I have been loading up on veggies and good for you things! Drinking lots of water. Still keeping my two cups of coffee. I'm not completely off my rocker! Week one has been quite successful. I love that muscles retain their memory for a few months after not really doing a whole lot! It doesn't take as long to start seeing definition again. My abs are back in shape. Lower back is feeling better. That bloated icky feeling is gone after drinking so much water and cutting out the sugar and unnecessary carbs.

The only thing I will probably fail at is keeping my exercising to a minimum. I am an addict. Once I get in a groove of exercising, my body and mind crave the endorphins exercise releases. Unfortunately, this past fall, before my schedule change, I really over did it and burned out at work and exercising, combined with the fact that I was dealing with the loss of someone close to me at work, and some crazy spiritual stuff after visiting a place I now feel was haunted. Not to mention, Mitch wasn't around as much because it was soccer season. The past fall really seems like a big blur to me. I started coming out of it around Thanksgiving. I guess what I'd like to do is maybe take a yoga class for the days I'm not doing a cardio. It might help me keep the peaceful calm without overdoing it. I don't want to burn out.

In like 3 days, January is half over! YIPPEE! I know I will definitely start feeling STUPENDOUS once I start tanning again!

I have an inservice to go to today in Newport. Mitch is going with me and will hang out till I get done and then we'll do something fun. We had a nice long talk last night. Another this morning. It is so easy to think you're both working together, and you might quite possibly be working together, yet without communication, it is easy to feel alone and overwhelmed. When I am stressed, I get quiet and am used to figuring things out on my own. Marriage is tricky for me in that area. Satan definitely knows how to worm his way in and isolate the both of us from each other and God. However, my God is a mighty God and Mitch and I have an incredible bond to begin with, so anyway, we're feeling better after remembering to let God lead.

January 11, 2009

Feeling a bit grouchy today. I know I will feel better after my walk and shower. I have to run to the store and make plans for dinner tonight. I might make some soup tonight. Other than that, it is a nice quiet day at home. I am going to de-clutter a little today...old mail and magazines, etc.

January 9, 2009

Day two of week one of my 2009 shape-up. I've roped in Hayley and Kayla. I've given us a 6-week goal and my hope is that we accomplish what we've set out and then that will motivate us to step it up a little with another 6-week plan.

These first two weeks will probably be the toughest. We're on what I like to call a detox plan along with our three-day a week exercise program. We are cutting out all sugar except what is found naturally in fruits. All excessive fats and oils not found in lean meat or nuts. We're keeping complex carbs but cutting out unnecessary ones found in most bakery items. Whole grains and lots of veggies are what we're keeping. LOTS of WATER TOO!!! We're cutting out all juice and soda for these next two weeks and limiting ourselves to water, one or two 6-8 oz. cups of coffee and tea. I feel it is important to flush out the body of harmful toxins and water is an excellent resource to do just that. We'll also be taking our women's daily vitamin to make sure we're not depriving ourselves but I am pretty sure we'll be fine with a low carb, high protein, low fat high fiber diet. Basically we're just cutting out excessive sugar and all fast foods. None of that can be healthy anyway. I also think I will be adding a fish oil supplement to my diet. I've heard and read about some amazing positive benefits of this, but until I try it for myself, I won't know for sure.

After the two weeks, we'll start adding little amounts of the "good" stuff back in, but increasing our exercise program by adding an extra day. Eventually what I'd like to see is the three of us eating like we are, just a tad bit healthier, but definitely and most solidly back on the exercise train. My theory is that you can eat pretty much what you want (in moderation) as long as you are exercising. It is definitely easier to stay in an exercise routine when you're looking good and can see results, which is why these first two weeks have the detox plan. It kind of kick starts your metabolism and makes the exercising more effective.

I do have to say I've never thought myself to be a fan of cold weather exercising outside, but my extremely brisk walk yesterday was exhilarating. My body is still thanking me. I got some much needed sunshine and cold air to get my sinuses actually working, which all led to a good night's sleep. My mind tends to want to hibernate in the cold months but my body LOVED the activity yesterday.

Other than all of that, I am still feeling a bit weird. I know some changes need to be made for me professionally, but at the same time, I hate so much the process of change. I often will hang onto a bad situation way longer than I have to just to avoid the change and every single time so far, I've loved the outcome. It is just the process that I hate. There is also a different kind of pressure on me with this job. I am needed in a different way, not by my bosses so much, but by the people we support. I don't want a completely different job, just maybe another, so I can have two part-time jobs as opposed to being full-time where I am.

January 8, 2009

My 2009 shape up is underway! I am on week two. Hopefully I start tanning next week. I wanted to start on Tuesday but I was pretty beat after work. I am limiting myself to three or four days a week of working out. I want to enjoy it, not obsess about it. My main goal is to make it back into my bikini for another summer. My friend Beth at work is on a similar exercise resolution, so maybe we can partner up. Actually what I'd like to do is some kind of "Biggest Loser" thing at work. That would be fun! Of course the competition would make me obsessive and that is a resolution I would like to keep!

I also have some other goals for the new year. I want to start biking again. I didn't get to it last summer. I also want to write more. Even if it is just essay kind of stuff. Every day. I never really consider blogging writing, but I could alter my view. I want to READ more! I am seriously slacking! I blame cable television mostly. Bad tv is SOOOOO addictive! Maybe limit my watching to just my favorite shows and to an occasional all day marathon when I am feeling blah.

Hard to believe spring really is just around the corner. Once January is over, February flies by and then March is HERE!

Another goal is to pursue my professional plan a little more ardently and to at least refine my goals. Toss out ones that really don't fit in anymore and start taking baby steps to get back into the swing of things.

Speaking of babies, another goal of mine (ours really!) I want Mitch and I to really sit down and plan what steps we're going to take and when we're going to take them. Ideally, I would like to be pregnant within the next year, although, anytime is fine with us!

Other goals: eat out less and get a better house, or should I say, bigger.

January 6, 2009

I was driving into work this morning and all of a sudden different thoughts started coming at me...different but similar in their topic...a new job. I like my job, it pays pretty well, I get good benefits but I know it isn't what I am "supposed" to be doing. I need to get back into grad school. My doctorate will never happen at this snail's pace I am going. My mental vacation is over I guess I realized on the drive to work today. Time to get back to the brain grind. If Mitch and I do ever consider moving back to Maine, it won't happen unless we're both guaranteed 50,000 each. I won't do it otherwise. There is nothing there, financially speaking. I need to get back into writing mode. I have former "people" in the writing world wondering why they haven't read a thing from me in almost 2 years, except for book reviews. My current job was definitely a breath of fresh air, creativity-wise and I think it will take my writing to the next level.

God is amazing in how He plants seeds in your mind. You know how in social studies as a kid you learned how farmers plant their fields but eventually give the much used fields a break to kind of re-energize, moving onto another field. That is how I feel the last two years have been. God let a part of me that He's been working on and working on rest and re-energize while investing some time in some other areas of me. This morning, I felt him tilling the soil a little in the former fields and sprinkling some seeds. Not sure what He planted yet! I will probably be thinking corn and He will be harvesting pumpkins. He really does have His own sense of humor.

I know God doesn't care if I am guaranteed $50,000 or not. He will expect I will go where ever He sends me. But Man, I like my stuff! I don't look around and think, Oh gee, look how great I am, I have all this stuff...I look around and think how lucky I am that I have a wonderful father that loves me and provides for me. I am thankful to Him for my lean times because they've made me strong and unfazed by this recession. I am thankful the recession doesn't seem to be affecting either my job or Mitch's and that I am not scared like some people are. I am not scared because I KNOW what God pulled me through and I have great faith He will always continue to do so. I also recognize that God doesn't expect me to sit in the house and do nothing. I need to be seeing to His business.

Mitch and I and the kids played Jenga yesterday. Extreme Jenga. I bought two sets and so we play with a huge tower. Tonight Zach and I played Battleship. And earlier, Mitch and Zach were outside throwing around the football. It's this "stuff" I take such great stock in. The greatest thing I ever did for my children was turn them over to God. I still have to parent, but not in the make yourself insane kind of way because the way I see it, they are HIS problem. My kids will screw up. My kids will do good things. They will do bad things. They have good and generous hearts and they are loved. My job was and is to love them unconditionally and guide them to seek Him during good times and bad. Zach is a terrible procrastinator and he will wake me up early in the morning sometimes and want me to lay with him and pray with him so he can get through whatever big mess his procrastination has gotten him into. Even though I feel bad for him during those times, I can't help but smile because he knows and trusts God will get him through. And I'm not sitting here thinking I have all the answers or I am a perfect mother or my kids are so great. Like I said, the single greatest thing I've done for them is turn them over to the only being that could possibly love them more than I. It is harder to watch my oldest. It kills me to watch her get dragged through the muck by some guy she's convinced herself she loves. She will be 19 in a month. It is almost impossible to sit on my hands and not take matters into them. Most of me is saying, she is a good kid, she doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't have sex, and he will never deserve her and why is she throwing all of that down the drain. One small part of me is reminded daily by His voice and it is all I have to cling to. My Father, my Saviour, saying, "I have her, I love her more. Give it to me." I don't worry as much about Hayley. She is so much like me, except well-behaved. She is a tough cookie and strong in her convictions. God will use her as a pillar of strength for all of us to cling to and she will be such a great mommy when she grows up and the time is right. There are just some people in the world that are made to be mommies and then there are most of us that God has His work cut out for. I don't see her just as a mommy to her own kids, I see her doing great things for a lot of children. Loving those kids that society does not.

This was a long unintended post that started out as nothing but turned into something for me. Goodnight everyone.

Oh

And my show's new season starts tonight at 8 PM! Secret Life...love it! Don't know why except that it is good to have Molly Ringwald back and the show is just GOOD! Plus the girls like it too, so it is one of those shows we can all watch together...like Gilmore Girls and 7th Heaven.

January 5, 2009

January 5th already? Things are almost back to normal. The tree is down. Most of the decorations are put away. I am sad to see Christmas go but glad to have my living room back! Shannon and Alexa were here this weekend. Good visit but I've been fighting a sinus infection that seems to be giving me a migraine-like headache and some neck pain. Shannon thankfully has lived with me long enough to know how to make herself at home without me needing to be an overly attentive host.

We went to Providence Place yesterday. I got some new Ugg shoes. I will post pics later. SOOOO comfy. Zach got his Chuck Taylors. He kept telling Mitch and I "I love my shoes," every 5 minutes. I have the low-cut Chucks that I love love love. Nordstrom's was BUSY yesterday. Man oh man! There was hardly a soul in Providence Place when the kids and I went shopping two weeks before Christmas. Yesterday the place was packed. I guess people must be using their gift cards? Didn't seem like a recession yesterday. And people are stupid if they think they are getting sales right now. I was there a lot before Christmas and saw a lot of items that were more expensive yesterday than even before Christmas.

OhMyGosh, while I am remembering...I found the cutest pair of infant Uggs in pink! I am so getting them! AND the cutest infant girl Juicy Couture clothes!

I need to go grocery shopping today. We have next to nothing really. I need all the basics and stuff for a couple of dinners this week. We usually have one or two fend for yourself nights and a take-out pizza night and usually on the weekends we overdose on the fast food. I am craving salads and fresh veggies and juice.

I will be glad when this month is over. January is one of my just make it thru months. Nothing exciting happens in January. It is B-O-R-I-N-G! February is broken up with Valentine's Day, February vacation and finishes up with Kayla's birthday! Then it is March and things finally start warming up around here. We usually have a beach day or two...not for swimming of course, still too chilly unless your name is Zach, but warm enough for tee-shirts and capris and flip-flops. April brings a few more beach days and come May, unless we're unlucky, we are at the beach most afternoons, relaxing, watching the waves, the kids do their homework, and Sierra can enjoy it. The beach opens for the season in June and Sierra can't go again until the season ends in September. I am so excited for this summer! The kids and I had so much fun last summer and this year, we finally feel like this is our town, we feel home and not like we are on some kind of long vacation.