Clumsy Old Me
November 29, 2007 
As a youth, I was athletic. I played volleyball, softball, basketball, tennis and excelled in PE class. However, I was always clumsy. I was famous for falling up and down stairs. I broke both arms. Sprained a knee, and ankles. Broke several fingers and toes. Crashed on a sled and whacked out my back. Kind of amazing that I have never had stitches. As I got older, I grew out of this a little. It has been awhile since I injured an extremity or fell on my face.
Cut to yesterday. Oldest and daughter and I were playing Hearts by the fire (just like some perfect family out of a magazine) while youngest and DH were at the bank. After a couple of rounds we decided we were done and I went up stairs to get a hair rubber-band. My hair was making me crazy. I hadn’t been upstairs for more than three seconds when screaming and crying started on the floor below me. I came down the stairs hollering about how I can’t leave the room for more than 30 seconds without fighting starting, and, just as DH and youngest were walking in the door, I fell. On my bum. And bounced down the stairs. I sat there and tried not to cry while youngest repeatedly asked me if I was okay (at least he didn’t tell me I was “stoopid” for falling!) while DH stared at me in unbelief. Now, my arms are bruised, my bum is bruised, my back hurts and my head hurts (from having my brain bounce around inside my skull and all.) I guess, once clumsy, always clumsy.
My turn
September 17, 2007 
I used to be very athletic. I always played basketball, softball and soccer. And volleyball and rode bikes and walked everywhere. Not so much anymore.
If you have read My 100 then you know that I need to lose some weight. I was doing pretty good and then we moved. Apparently, I have been eating to soothe my home-sickness. It hasn’t helped, but what it has done is make me 5 pounds heavier. My clothes don’t fit as good. I am getting heart burn more often. So I have decided that it is my turn to lose weight. I have been reading and being totally inspired by this woman and this woman, so I am using them as my inspiration to get on track and lose some weight!
I have set a goal.
I have made a tracking chart.
I have decided on some awards for various points along the way.
I have added exercise (bike riding when it is just A and me, and step aerobics on other days).
I have cut back on some of my snacking.
I set up a challenge with my siblings: we are each putting $10 in a pot and whoever loses the most weight at the end of three months gets all the money.
This time I. Am. Going. To. Do. It. I can do it. I will do it.
After week one, I am down one pound. It isn’t much but it is a start. I will track my progress here as a motivator, and reporting in with my siblings should help as well.
Wish me luck. Please.
Caffeine
August 30, 2007 
Anyone that knows me very well knows that my favorite drink in the world is:
So good! However, in Oregon we have to pay a deposit on every can which makes each 12-pack of Pepsi 60 cents more than it was in Utah. And ALL groceries in Oregon are more expensive. Also, I haven’t been able to sleep at night for like a month. I blame the caffeine.
I had a can of Dt. Vanilla Pepsi with my lunch each day around noon, but it still affects my sleep. I think. It might be our bed….it is getting old. Of course, it might be what my dad says: “Too much sleep, not enough exercise.” Probably not the too much sleep part but possibly the ‘not enough exercise’ part.
Anyway, with the cost and lack of sleep I have decided to cut out caffeine. And carbonation. May as well cut out all soda while I am at it, right? I guess. I am going on:
9 days.
I have slept a little better, but now I am tired (due to the lack of an afternoon pick-me-up) and have a headache.
Snacks
Sometimes I feel like snacks are taking over. I will admit that I love to snack. Apparently, I am passing this on to my children. They also love to snack. I try to make sure that they are eating healthy snacks but….
We used to take snacks to church for the kids to eat. We had hopes that they would be quiet and entertained. But then it got to the point that if we stepped into a church building, they were begging for snacks. So, no more snacks for the older two. They still beg though…and it didn’t keep them quiet and entertained.
When I did weight watchers after A was born I would eat very points during breakfast and lunch and dinner so that I could eat “snacks” that weren’t good for me. If this is my attitude, I am not going to lose weight. Is this what I am passing down to my kids? Are they going to have my same snacking addiction? Are they going to have the same issues with their weight that I have?
Today, before I had finished lunch T was asking if he could have a pudding later. I just bought pudding yesterday for the first time in ages. I told him, “if you are still hungry go and eat some more sandwich. Have a banana. We aren’t thinking about snacks yet.” But, I have noticed that this is how my kids have been lately. After each meal they are calculating when they can ask for a snack and what they will have. If anyone is eating anything and A comes along then he is demanding that he “needs” some. I tell myself that he is a growing two year old but… who knows.
Am I being paranoid? Typically they can have a snack that is sweet and then they have to have something better for snack, say an apple or a slice of bread or a string cheese. I guess what I need to do is stop buying the crackers, and zingers and cookies and only buy the apples, string cheese, pretzels and other things.
BUT, then am I making it so they aren’t having it and will want it all the more?
Any thoughts, suggestions or advice?
Cold Feet
I think that something is wrong with me. I want to know if this happens to anyone else. Everytime I read or concentrate on something really hard (think scrapbooks) my feet get cold. Freezing cold. My theory is that all the blood has to rush to my brain to process my thoughts and the info that I am taking in.
It doesn’t seem to matter if I am blogging with the laptop on my lap, if I am sitting at the table, if I am leaning against the counter reading a magazine or laying in my bed reading. Any ideas what is wrong with me?
And yes, I wear socks. Sometimes. I prefer to be barefoot, but it seems like when I wear socks it is worse! I think that my feet sweat and then turn to ice. Am I crazy? My DH can vouch that this is true, this really happens to me. I have been nice and have not rubbed my cold feet on his stomach or feet for a while.
Dentist Questions
Just returned from the dentist. I want to know how jabbing each tooth with a metal pick does any good? I have never been a fan of the dentist. I dread going. It is one of my biggest fears. T has the smallest mouth I have ever seen so they have never been able to get x-rays (except when they put him to sleep a few months ago). He gags and crys and lays there so tense. Luckily, he has no cavities. BUT, he chipped a tooth and it needs to be fixed. How did he and or I not know that he broke a tooth? Then it was N’s turn. She has a larger mouth but it was hard to get her to hold the little things in her mouth so that the x-rays would take. I swear that I read that if their teeth aren’t touching, you didn’t need to floss as long as you were brushing. Well. Why isn’t she flossing her teeth? Hmm. It turns out she has one cavity. He tells me that he isn’t going to numb her mouth to fix it. Are you crazy? That is what I am thinking. I guess though that it is his choice, not mine. I don’t have any cavities but they want to pull out a filling to see why my tooth is turning strange colors. And there is two spots that they want to watch. What does that mean? We left with two more appointments scheduled for next month. I bribed my kids with lunch out so we went to McDonald’s, drove through and picked up A from the neighbor. Now, I am vegging on the couch and watching Buy Me! from last night on HGTV. Why does going to the dentist make me want to come home and take a nap?
Weight
Shortly after A was born I joined Weight Watchers online. I lost 17 pounds before I quit doing the program. I have stayed where I was when I quit but I realize that I need to lose weight still. It is something that I struggle with constantly. I have realized that I will have an easier time doing the Hand Cart Trek (walking 28 miles in 3 days) this summer if I am carrying around less weight, so I have started doing weight watchers on my own again. My first week I lost 4 pounds! I am so pleased. I just hope that I can keep it up.
Some things that I have found that help: Kozy Shack No Sugar Added Rice Pudding. Only 90 calories and 3 fiber. 1 point. Delicious. Also, the Quaker Chewy 25% less sugar granola bars are 1 point. The 90 calorie bars are 2 points. The Hostess 100 Calorie Packs that are chocolate cake with chocolate icing are good and they are also only 1 point. And tasty. Mission makes a torilla that is a flour tortilla but it is called “Carb Balance” and they are also 1 point.
We have had great weather so I have been out doing a lot of yard work so I am sure that helped with the weight loss. My parents anniversary party is a week away so I have been working like crazy. I spent about three hours outside yesterday weeding. I planted a couple of bushes and some impatiens. Looking forward to when they are all established and doing well. Of course, today it is raining cats and dogs and it is expected to rain for the next six days.
If anyone comes across any good meal or snack options let me know. Any exercise tips, I’ll take too! Pray for some sun shine for me!
Poor Baby
A had a fever for a couple of days last week and he slept a lot. We knew that he wasn’t feeling good but it never crossed my mind that he might have an ear infection. On Saturday night, he was asleep in my bed and I went to check on him. I checked his temperature and it was 103.8. Then I rubbed the side of his face and there was stuff on my hand and when I looked, his ear was oozing green goo. I took him to the hospital and his ear drum ruptured. Thank goodness for good anti-biotics! He is on a super strong one and seems to be feeling better. Thank goodness.
I got an email today that is interesting. It is a way to stop kids from coughing in their sleep. Might be worth a try. It said that instead of giving cough suppressent, you should rub some Vick’s Vapor Rub onto their feet and cover them with socks. It claimed that the cough would stop in five minutes and would stop for hours. I hope I can remember this the next time, one of my kids has a cough.
Eyes
I now think I know that cause of my “funk” yesterday. I woke up in the night and could not open my eyes. I pried them open and looked in the mirror and they were oozing and red. I went back to sleep and woke up to get the kids up and could not open my eyes. My left eye was so swollen, I look like I was disfigured. My eyes hurt so bad and had so much gunk on them. I dropped the kids off to the school and went to the doctor. Pink eye. In both eyes. Uggg. He gave me two presciptions. One for eye drops and one to take orally if the swelling doesn’t go down today. I decided that I had better call my eye doctor to double check that I could use those drops since I just had Lasik done two months ago. I talked to him and he said that they were fine but could I come in and have my eyes checked just to be sure that this isn’t going to affect my surgery? I did and my eyes are fine. Just incredibly sore. Not quite so swollen though. So, I spent the morning running here and there and ended up spending $55 seeing two doctors and getting a prescription filled. I am planning on napping this afternoon and feeling better when I wake up.
