Random Writings

Today is a free flow "Stream of Consciousness" blogging day for me. Here we go....

OMG... Instead of exercising in the water today I WALKED. WTF was I THINKING? Well, lemme tell you. Exercising in the water is a great no impact work out, but it doesn't get my heart rate up or my respiration's. There's no cardiac work out for me with it at this point. I walked for all of 13 minutes... in 2 or 3 minute increments per time. I had to rest to catch my breath between but other than that it went well. My legs are EXHAUSTED right now. My knees, well, we're not really on speaking terms except when they YELL at me, but I feel good about having done it. I think I'll walk several days a week and only do the water exercises on the days its just too damn hot to walk. We'll see how it goes.

Weight Watchers Core plan... I LOVE IT. I know I've said this before but I really do. I eat ONLY when I'm hungry. It drives my mom bonkers because she feels like I'm not eating enough but I'm satisfied when I quit. Not full, yet not hungry. I feel better eating this way. No bloat (I'm not eating much bread), very little in the way of carbs except fruits and starchy veggies and almost no junk. Ok... I DID say ALMOST no junk. I do occasionally splurge and have a No Pudge Brownie or one cookie or something of that sort but that's just once in a while. (Hey, I'm SO not perfect....)

There's a young girl here at the lake named KT. I have a LOT of regard and respect for this 11 year old. She's doing the Weight Watchers Flex Plan. SHE decided to do it and SHE figures it out for herself. Her mom is encouraging her and so am I. I wish I had that sort of fortitude and drive to better myself at her age. Way to go KT!

Shecky had his first test yesterday. THIRD day of school and he had a test. It was vocabulary and he ROCKED IT! He got 105% on it. (Everything including the 5 bonus words! GO SHECK GO!) He also got 100% on a math paper the same day. He was SO proud of himself and I was THRILLED. THIS is what I'm trying to instill in him about school. I WANT him to be excited to do well and upset if he doesn't. He got to get a "prize" out of the Reward Bag for doing so well on his very first test. He was loved it. To top it ALL off... that was a pre-test for Friday's test. Since he scored a perfect score he doesn't have to retake the test Friday. This is gonna be a weekly thing. I have a feeling I'm going to need more "prizes" for the Reward Bag. Anyone have suggestions for smallish rewards for a 7 year old who's obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean, Yugio, Star Wars and various other little boy things?

I hope you all have a great day! /end random thoughts.. for now

Hangin' By My Fingertips....

Today... I am tired. Bone weary. I have no clue as to why. I didn't exercise in the water. I didn't do much of anything. I helped with laundry, did dishes, helped Shecky with homework, hung out with him this evening upstairs watching him play games, watching TV with him and reading. Nothing strenuous. I took a 2 hour NAP today from 11am to 1pm even. Yet, I'm so tired I can barely think.

I've eaten some oatmeal with peaches in it and some soup with cabbage, tomato, chicken and zucchini in it. Its not like I'm not eating. Its not like I'm eating junk. However, my energy level just doesn't seem to exist on any REAL level. Meh.

I'm afraid after last weeks massive weight loss this week may be a gain. I'm not eating much but I'm not DOING all that much either. Sometimes this whole weight loss roller coaster is more than I can handle mentally.

Mom is burned out. She's not on plan right now and I can't really ding her for it. She's already DONE this and lost over 100 lbs.

I'm just really struggling mentally right now. Tomorrow will be better, Right?

Where the Eff is Mr. Sandman When You Need Him?

Anyone know how to get a 7 year old to go to bed WITHOUT World War III breaking out? I am completely exhausted after our nightly tussle. He whines, he cries, he pitches a fit. I've tried being understanding. I've tried being stern. I've tried cajoling. I've tried fussing. I've tried everything I can think of short of spanking him (Which, it seems to me would be counter productive by its very nature) and I'm out of ideas. I'm out of patience. I'm ... just... out. Oh wise Internets... HELP?

School Daze

Lunch Made-- Check
Clothes Ready-- Check
Alarm Set-- Check

Today was the first day of 2nd grade at the new school for Shecky. It was a whole new world. Parents, COUPLES, walked their kids into school and to their classrooms. THAT never happened in Houston.

Overheard statement by High School Kid : "I don't know. I've never gone to this school before. Its different. Everyone is so FRIENDLY!"

There was no organized pick up after school. No line of cars picking up their kids as the teachers funnel them to the appropriate car. Just a mingling of parents and kids, cars parked here and there, where ever they could find a spot.

Shecky found us IMMEDIATELY, a huge smile on his excited little face. "I had a GREAT Day! I was GOOD on my first day of school!"

He enjoyed himself immensely. We got home, he did his homework and predictably HATED it lol. His old school didn't believe in homework. (Which I HATED BTW. I never knew what they were working on or how he was doing unless I got a report card.) But, he was a trooper. Got it all done... and then RAN out the door to play. I have a feeling this lil country school... is gonna be a GREAT thing for him.

WEIGH IN DAY UPDATE

I weighed a day early this week. Today is Dad's Birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!) and we are all going out to eat. Mom, Dad, Husband, Shecky, myself, and my brother and his family. We're going to a Cajun buffet place. We baked Apple Pie and made Dad's favorite addition to it... Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream. I'm eating what I want today. Hence, the day early weigh in.

::Does Happy Dance In My Chair:: I lost NINE pounds this week. That's right, 9 pounds!!!! I've lost a total of 40.6 pounds to date. I'll hit 10% of my body weight lost in 6 more lbs. I'll have lost 50 pounds shortly after.

THIS PLAN IS WORKING!!!!! For the first time in DECADES, and that's not an exaggeration, I feel hopeful that I can actually loose this weight. That it is POSSIBLE to loose this huge amount of weight on my own. (When I say on my own I mean without surgery. I couldn't have come even THIS far without a lot of love, support and help from family and friends.)

I... yanno... I almost have no words to describe how I'm feeling right now. I KNOW I have a long way yet to go but I've come a long way in just 7 weeks. Its one Hell of a ride so far. I can't wait to see what's around the next corner...

The Right Stuff... Or... Not?

I have a hard time understanding the trend I'm seeing in parenting.

Granted, I live on a lake. Yes, its a very laid back lifestyle. However, I am noticing that the parents of the children that live here are taking VERY little interest or hand in what their children are doing.

Let me back up a bit. In our VERY small community there are 4 families with children. There will be 9 kids from here going to the same school. They range in age from 5 to 11. We pretty much have K-5 covered. I keep track of Shecky. I know where he is and what he's doing almost all the time. (No one EVER knows what their kids are doing all the time, I'm not naive enough to think that.) He carries a walkie-talkie with him when he's out in the neighborhood and reports in to me if he goes to someones house or goes riding or what have you. I don't allow him to go into the woods or swimming without adult supervision. He still has the freedom of being able to play pretty much anywhere else he'd like. He has a set bedtime, even in the summer. (Yeah I know, I'm not anal about making him stick to it in so far as being ASLEEP but he does have to be in bed.) He has to stop playing outside or with his friends by 7pm. He has to shower and get ready for bed at that point.

The other kids that live here... have NO such restrictions. They go wherever they want. Do whatever they want. By their own admission, their parents don't have a clue what they are up to or where they are a great majority of the time. I actually had a parent tell me yesterday, "They just do their own thing. I usually just say go!" Several of these kids, (all but one or two) aren't in the grade they are supposed to be in. They've either failed a grade or been held back... or both. School isn't a priority in their families. The parents don't put any emphasis on it. The kids have virtually no desire to attend.

The kids are defiant and disrespectful of their parents.

I. Don't. Get. It.

Its not like these women work full time jobs outside the home. They have an opportunity and a RESPONSIBILITY to shape these kids into who they are going to be as adults. Do they not SEE that? Do they just not give a damn?

I've already started a "Reward Bag" for this school year. Shecky points out things all the time that he wants. I buy them up and when he does well in school he will be rewarded with an item from the bag. The stuff ranges from Yugio Cards to Pirates of the Caribbean Figurines to DVD's to PS2 games. Depending on the achievement he'll receive a reward of appropriate value. If he does POORLY in school, gets bad behavior reports, fails tests or God Forbid, gets a D or an F on his report card he'll get penalized. He'll be grounded from SOMETHING depending on how bad the infraction.

When I bought his school clothes I made sure they were dressy-ish. 3 button shirts with and without collars etc. Pants. Shorts and Logo Tee shirts are for playing in, not going to school. Its to help him realize School is different. Its important. Its SPECIAL.

I THINK about these things and when I talk about it to these other parents or when their kids hear about it I just get these blank looks. These, goggle eyed, WTF is she TALKING about looks.

I'm I thinking too hard about these things? Am I being a helicopter mommy? Is it WRONG for me to put the emphasis on this stuff? Should I be more lax? Am I doing all this wrong? I have no clue. I just know the kids in these other families... they choose to hang out here with the rules, with the family atmosphere, with adults that TALK to them and LISTEN to them. They're starving for attention and that really pisses me off.... and wears me out.

WalMart Is Teh EEEEVILLLLL!!!

Ok, I think WallyWorld and I need to come to an understanding. I spent 3 HOURS in there today with my mother and my 7 year old son. Why is it that EVERYTHING in WalMart is irresistible to a child that age? He had to touch EVERYTHING.

Shecky: Momma, what's this? Wanna buy it? Why not? What does it do? What does it taste like?

Me: I have no idea. No. Because we don't need it. We just don't. It makes Mommas eye twitch. A snakes butt cooked in monkey brains....

And then... AND THEN... they put the frickin' Yoogie-OhNOYouDin' Cards at the frickin' check out lines along with candy, gum, cookies and fifty trillion OTHER things he doesn't need that he HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS to have.

Walmart... you are the Devil! Shecky... you are a marketing man's best friend.. sigh.