Yesterday was my 35th birthday. Not really a milestone, but I guess sort of.
The day started out a little normal. Kaelyn had her one year checkup. Roger has been taking her lately, but I wanted to go this time. I actually enjoy them and missed going. She is doing great! But, she had to get some pretty painful shots, which broke my heart. I was the one that had to hold her down. She looked up at me with her sad eyes and her boo-boo lip and I wanted to cry too.
After the appointment, we both had to go to work. Roger gets the pleasure of taking Kaelyn with him sometimes. This makes me jealous and I was feeling that way even more yesterday. The thing is, though, once I get to work, it's a sprint. Yesterday was no different. I rarely have to think about home...though I catch myself doing it often.
After work, Roger met me downtown. He had planned a sushi dinner with my best friends here in Sac, Vickie and Klara. Since I weighed in during lunch and discovered I lost another 3.5 lbs (yeah) I totally relaxed and just enjoyed myself. We racked up a pretty big bill, but it was fun. What's so great about these dinners, is that I'm really the only one, out of the four of us, that likes sushi...and I love it! But my friends and Roger don't. Even though they can get other food there, it's still pretty nice that on my birthday, they go to my favorite place and try my favorite foods even though it's not all that appetizing to them. Pretty great....especially considering I won't eat peas for anyone (it's the only food I truly don't like).
For my birthday, Roger got me a maid (and flowers...lilies, my favorite). He also bought me a crock pot (the one he wanted to get Vickie for her birthday...and one that I told him I wanted). I know what most people think. A husband shouldn't get his wife a crock pot and a maid. He needs to by jewelery or something else. Well, I'm different. I get jewelery from my family. They live in Greece and can get it easier than us here. I have more jewelery than I'd ever wear. It's a waste for anyone else to get it for me. But, here's what was on my birthday wish list: A house cleaning service, a crock pot, and an apron. I got it all, plus a sushi dinner. Not bad! I guess I'm not like other women. I don't get all bent out of shape about him getting me something I would never get myself. I want the things that I want. I love to cook and I like things clean. It's pretty simple with me.
If it sounds like I'm getting defensive, it's because someone said this to me yesterday. Before I even got my presents. I told her what I wanted and she wrinkled her nose and said "A maid? That's insulting! He should by you jewelery and clothes" Well, I'm not skinny yet. He can buy me clothes when I'm skinny and I already explained the jewelery thing. I love to cook and I love a clean house. I do most of the housecleaning...it's a trade off for Roger doing all the home improvement projects I want. I really like having someone come in every now and then and really deep clean the house...but that's pretty expensive...over $250 for our entire house. We don't get to do it that often, and I'm really looking forward to it again. We don't spend that kind of money frivolously. So, to have him set that aside and get me a maid is a pretty big deal.
Anyway, enough of that. I have a busy two days ahead of me as we get closer to the end of the fiscal year. Then I'm taking Friday off. Overall, it will be a great week!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Yin and Yang...the Garage Sale
I'm a planner. I prepare...and when I'm done, I plan and prepare some more. Roger always says he doesn't know why I plan so much, because everything always works out for me anyway. This is true, but that's because I prepare, and make back up plans, and back up those back up plans.
Roger, on the other hand, is not so much of a planner. He's more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of guy. And somehow things always work out for him too. This drives me crazy! As I'm planning things out, he's usually relaxing or working on something else he waited until the last minute to do. While I'm fretting about things I may have forgotten, he's betting on those things never happening to begin with.
A couple of weeks ago, Roger told me that he wanted to have a garage sale at our other house. Since we're not going to rent it furnished starting October, we needed to get rid of things. And if we sold it all, then we wouldn't have to move it. I liked this idea. I immediately told him that we should take an ad out in the Penny Saver, or the Sac Bee. I would make signs that people could actually see. (Who really thinks that people can see much less read the garage sale signs that are usually out?) I looked on Google Maps to find all the entrences to the neighborhood from the main road and decided that 11 signs was the perfect number. I made a list of things to go through in our current house that Roger could take over there. This all within about one hour of being told we were having a garage sale.
Roger's response to all this? "Relax Babe! I got it...you don't have to do anything." I wasn't sure. We never had a garage sale together before. But, it was a busy few weeks for me. Between work and Kaelyn's birthday, I had my hands full with other projects. It was nice to take this off my plate.
As the garage sale date got closer, I began to have doubts that we were actually having one. Roger was working a lot too and the weekends leading up to it were filled with other activities. He never once mentioned having to go over there and go through stuff. Finally, Friday morning, just before I left for work, I asked him..."Are we having a garage sale tomorrow?" Yes, we were! But nothing had been done. No ads, no signs made, no merchandise organized. Roger's plan was to go over there after work on Friday and sort through stuff and make a list of general prices for things.
I helped him. But not much. I picked Kaelyn up and met him for dinner first. Then we went to the house and as he saw things he called them out to me. I wrote them down with a price on an old sheet of music he had lying around. Ten minutes later, Kaelyn was screaming and her and I were on our way home. Roger came home less than two hours later. I couldn't possibly see how we was done already! He said it was "good enough". I asked about signs...he thought he would stop by Home Depot on the way there in the morning and buy a couple to put up.
Saturday morning was a wreck. I managed to get Roger out the door just after 7, then showered, went through Kaelyn's clothes, and got her ready. We were there just before 8. I was happy to see signs up...they weren't the best, but at least they were there. I followed them in only to discover they weren't ours at all! There was another sale just a few houses down. Their signs were leading people to ours. Roger already had several customers when I got there, he never put up a single sign. He was going through things during the sale. We were there until 2pm and made $1500!! That's right. Roger was pretty proud that after all my doubts, we had such a successful day.
I normally don't love garage sales, but this one was fun. Not only because we were making a ton of money, but because Vickie came over and kept me company. Plus I met a lot of really great people. I swear some of the nicest people in the world stopped by our place. I lost my phone at some point...still don't have it...so, deduct another $100 off our profit for a new one, but other than that the day was perfect. Kaelyn enjoyed all the people coming and going, and after it was over we went out to dinner with Vickie and her brother, Michael. The best part, was that the garage sale served as a sort of open house. Several people were interested in it and I'm pretty sure that one guy (came back twice to look at it), will be signing a lease with the property management company this week!
I have to give Roger credit. He has the magic touch. I'll still plan and prepare, but I won't worry about him so much anymore.
Relaxed yesterday and getting ready to head back to work this morning. It should be a mellow week...the only big thing we have going on is a wedding to attend on Friday. Should be fun. Roger and I will be going out together without Kaelyn. We're both looking forward to some adult time...
Roger, on the other hand, is not so much of a planner. He's more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of guy. And somehow things always work out for him too. This drives me crazy! As I'm planning things out, he's usually relaxing or working on something else he waited until the last minute to do. While I'm fretting about things I may have forgotten, he's betting on those things never happening to begin with.
A couple of weeks ago, Roger told me that he wanted to have a garage sale at our other house. Since we're not going to rent it furnished starting October, we needed to get rid of things. And if we sold it all, then we wouldn't have to move it. I liked this idea. I immediately told him that we should take an ad out in the Penny Saver, or the Sac Bee. I would make signs that people could actually see. (Who really thinks that people can see much less read the garage sale signs that are usually out?) I looked on Google Maps to find all the entrences to the neighborhood from the main road and decided that 11 signs was the perfect number. I made a list of things to go through in our current house that Roger could take over there. This all within about one hour of being told we were having a garage sale.
Roger's response to all this? "Relax Babe! I got it...you don't have to do anything." I wasn't sure. We never had a garage sale together before. But, it was a busy few weeks for me. Between work and Kaelyn's birthday, I had my hands full with other projects. It was nice to take this off my plate.
As the garage sale date got closer, I began to have doubts that we were actually having one. Roger was working a lot too and the weekends leading up to it were filled with other activities. He never once mentioned having to go over there and go through stuff. Finally, Friday morning, just before I left for work, I asked him..."Are we having a garage sale tomorrow?" Yes, we were! But nothing had been done. No ads, no signs made, no merchandise organized. Roger's plan was to go over there after work on Friday and sort through stuff and make a list of general prices for things.
I helped him. But not much. I picked Kaelyn up and met him for dinner first. Then we went to the house and as he saw things he called them out to me. I wrote them down with a price on an old sheet of music he had lying around. Ten minutes later, Kaelyn was screaming and her and I were on our way home. Roger came home less than two hours later. I couldn't possibly see how we was done already! He said it was "good enough". I asked about signs...he thought he would stop by Home Depot on the way there in the morning and buy a couple to put up.
Saturday morning was a wreck. I managed to get Roger out the door just after 7, then showered, went through Kaelyn's clothes, and got her ready. We were there just before 8. I was happy to see signs up...they weren't the best, but at least they were there. I followed them in only to discover they weren't ours at all! There was another sale just a few houses down. Their signs were leading people to ours. Roger already had several customers when I got there, he never put up a single sign. He was going through things during the sale. We were there until 2pm and made $1500!! That's right. Roger was pretty proud that after all my doubts, we had such a successful day.
I normally don't love garage sales, but this one was fun. Not only because we were making a ton of money, but because Vickie came over and kept me company. Plus I met a lot of really great people. I swear some of the nicest people in the world stopped by our place. I lost my phone at some point...still don't have it...so, deduct another $100 off our profit for a new one, but other than that the day was perfect. Kaelyn enjoyed all the people coming and going, and after it was over we went out to dinner with Vickie and her brother, Michael. The best part, was that the garage sale served as a sort of open house. Several people were interested in it and I'm pretty sure that one guy (came back twice to look at it), will be signing a lease with the property management company this week!
I have to give Roger credit. He has the magic touch. I'll still plan and prepare, but I won't worry about him so much anymore.
Relaxed yesterday and getting ready to head back to work this morning. It should be a mellow week...the only big thing we have going on is a wedding to attend on Friday. Should be fun. Roger and I will be going out together without Kaelyn. We're both looking forward to some adult time...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Happy Birthday Kaelyn!
Today is Kaelyn's first birthday...I can't believe it. The other day, a friend of mine brought over some pictures that she took of Kaelyn at our Superbowl party. She was only four months old...she looked so tiny. Now, she doesn't even really look like a baby. Her mess of curly hair makes her look like a toddler. My little girl is growing so fast!
We had Kaelyn's birthday party on Sunday and it was great fun. Roger and I put a lot of work and energy into it and were exhausted when it was over. Saturday, Roger had a bachelor party to go to and I had made plans to take Kaelyn to Lance's Virgo party. I had spent that morning grocery shopping, then making fondant for the cakes and the potluck dishes for Roger and I to take to our respective parties. While Kaelyn was napping, Roger and I wrapped her presents (we give them to her tonight). The day went by so fast! Before I knew it, it was 5. Our parties both started at 6, but we were both pretty late.
We didn't get home from the Virgo party until close to 11pm. I put Kaelyn to bed (she had long been asleep) and proceeded to make potato salad for the next day and clean up the kitchen. Roger came home around 1 am. We stayed up for another hour hanging out and talking. I had brought some cupcakes home for him and he decided to eat them then, which meant that he stayed up pretty late with the sugar rush. I fell asleep long before him. The alarm went off way too early.
Sunday morning was a scramble. I had to make 3 cakes (one lemon, one chocolate, and batch of giant chocolate cupcakes), make the frosting, and decorate the cakes. Vickie came over a couple of hours early with the sugar cookie stars and rainbow she made for the cake and to help me roll out the fondant. I was nervous, but the cake turned out beautifully (pictures will be on Facebook soon). I also made the bbq sauce for Roger's baby back ribs, which takes about 2 hours to reduce. Roger did the rest of the cooking, ribs, tri tip, pork tenderloin, corn on the cob, and chicken kabobs. Our friends did not go hungry!
The party itself was a blast. We ate and played with Kaelyn...who enjoyed all the attention. I let her splash around in our water fountain outside. She was such a ham and with the encouragement of our friends put on a very good show. Michelle was taking pictures. I can't wait to see them. After the fountain, I stripped her down and we sung Happy Birthday and gave her the cake. Again, she did not disappoint. Without me trying to prevent her from makin a mess, she dug into her chocolate cake, smeared it everywhere, and even threw peices around the kitchen. She also managed to eat quite a bit of it. I bet there's nothing like your first taste of chocolate! Too bad, I can't remember mine.
By the time we were done with cake, Kaelyn was pretty tired. We had some presents to open but she wasn't that into it. I ended up opening them myself while she sat on the floor rubbing her eyes. Our friends are so great. Klara stayed up all night making her a Strawberry Shortcake outfit for Halloween...deciding to sew it when she heard me say at Lance's the night before that I thought she'd make a cute one. Vickie stayed up all night making and decorating the sugar cookies. And I thought I was a hero for making potato salad! Ha!
I had a pretty big headache by the time the party was over. Kaelyn and I both went down for naps and Roger cleaned up by himself...he's so awesome.
Tonight, it's just us and I'm really looking forward to it. Dinner and presents, nice and relaxing. I can't wait...
We had Kaelyn's birthday party on Sunday and it was great fun. Roger and I put a lot of work and energy into it and were exhausted when it was over. Saturday, Roger had a bachelor party to go to and I had made plans to take Kaelyn to Lance's Virgo party. I had spent that morning grocery shopping, then making fondant for the cakes and the potluck dishes for Roger and I to take to our respective parties. While Kaelyn was napping, Roger and I wrapped her presents (we give them to her tonight). The day went by so fast! Before I knew it, it was 5. Our parties both started at 6, but we were both pretty late.
We didn't get home from the Virgo party until close to 11pm. I put Kaelyn to bed (she had long been asleep) and proceeded to make potato salad for the next day and clean up the kitchen. Roger came home around 1 am. We stayed up for another hour hanging out and talking. I had brought some cupcakes home for him and he decided to eat them then, which meant that he stayed up pretty late with the sugar rush. I fell asleep long before him. The alarm went off way too early.
Sunday morning was a scramble. I had to make 3 cakes (one lemon, one chocolate, and batch of giant chocolate cupcakes), make the frosting, and decorate the cakes. Vickie came over a couple of hours early with the sugar cookie stars and rainbow she made for the cake and to help me roll out the fondant. I was nervous, but the cake turned out beautifully (pictures will be on Facebook soon). I also made the bbq sauce for Roger's baby back ribs, which takes about 2 hours to reduce. Roger did the rest of the cooking, ribs, tri tip, pork tenderloin, corn on the cob, and chicken kabobs. Our friends did not go hungry!
The party itself was a blast. We ate and played with Kaelyn...who enjoyed all the attention. I let her splash around in our water fountain outside. She was such a ham and with the encouragement of our friends put on a very good show. Michelle was taking pictures. I can't wait to see them. After the fountain, I stripped her down and we sung Happy Birthday and gave her the cake. Again, she did not disappoint. Without me trying to prevent her from makin a mess, she dug into her chocolate cake, smeared it everywhere, and even threw peices around the kitchen. She also managed to eat quite a bit of it. I bet there's nothing like your first taste of chocolate! Too bad, I can't remember mine.
By the time we were done with cake, Kaelyn was pretty tired. We had some presents to open but she wasn't that into it. I ended up opening them myself while she sat on the floor rubbing her eyes. Our friends are so great. Klara stayed up all night making her a Strawberry Shortcake outfit for Halloween...deciding to sew it when she heard me say at Lance's the night before that I thought she'd make a cute one. Vickie stayed up all night making and decorating the sugar cookies. And I thought I was a hero for making potato salad! Ha!
I had a pretty big headache by the time the party was over. Kaelyn and I both went down for naps and Roger cleaned up by himself...he's so awesome.
Tonight, it's just us and I'm really looking forward to it. Dinner and presents, nice and relaxing. I can't wait...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Birthdays Galore
This week is all about birthdays. So many of them that I feel like I have to break the blog down into a mid-week and end of week summary. This week alone, we have Vickie, Lance and Michele's birthday's, Kaelyn's birthday party, a Virgo Birthday party, and a bachelor party (which I know has nothing to do with actual birthdays).
Monday, after work, I had to get my car smogged (ok smog checked...one of the joys of living in California). I also needed to go shopping for birthday cards and presents...having focused so much of my time getting ready for Kaelyn's upcoming birthday means that I've neglected all my other friends. I feel sort of bad about that, but not really considering that I'll probably never be so organized with Kaelyn's birthday again, and I'm pretty sure that the times of me being well prepared for birthday month are also gone for good. Besides, I got it all done so far.
Anyway, I had a brilliant idea that I would drop my car off at the smog place after work and have Roger come pick me up so we could go shopping together, then pick up my car and go home. What I didn't realize, is that it literally only takes 15 minutes to do the smog test. Since my car was new when I moved here six years ago, I didn't need a test, so I had no idea. Roger apparently did know, but didn't tell me for some odd reason (because that seems like one of the things he would normally tell me). So, the smog place was completely finished with my car and gave it back to me just as Roger pulled up.
We decided to go to Target because, well, that's where I go for just about everything lately. The thought behind Roger shopping with me was that he would save me some time by helping me make decisions or at least splitting up our friends and shopping separately. I don't know why I thought this since shopping with Roger usually feels like I'm with a 10 year old. It took forever! He wanted to get Halloween candy over a month early. (He says so that it's out of the way, but I know it's so he can eat it all...mark my words, we'll be buying more before Halloween). Then, he wanted to look at the sale racks. After 45 minutes, we finally got around to actually shopping for our friends. At that moment, Roger informed me that it takes him forever to pick out cards and has no ideas or opinions on what to get anyone else. Exasperating! After another hour, he suggests that we buy Vickie a crock-pot cook book. I let him know that she rarely cooks and probably doesn't have a crock pot. He then decided to call Vickie and ask her weird questions about crock pots and after that call, decided we should also buy her a crock pot. Instead, we bought her a necklace and I got a crock pot. By then, I was starving, so I went into "super efficient Beth" mode and ran around getting everything else, found the fastest moving line, and got us out of there. Then, Roger says to me "You know, if you just came here by yourself, you'd probably be home by now and I would have had dinner ready for you." Really? I swear sometimes he does this to me on purpose.
Tuesday night, was Vickie's birthday dinner. Roger spent a lot of time trying to gauge whether or not the crock pot would have been a welcome gift. He's so fixated on this. I bet he suggests we buy her one for Christmas too. The dinner was great fun. It happened to be just after I weighed in (lost another 4 lbs), so I was feeling pretty relaxed about just enjoying the dinner. Kaelyn was with us and blessedly very well behaved the whole time...even though we stayed out past her normal bedtime.
Yesterday, was Lance's birthday, but he likes to celebrate that at his annual Virgo party...that is this weekend, so instead, Roger and I went to the mall after work to get Kaelyn's birthday pictures taken. We spent quite a bit of time there since our appointment was at 6 and we got there at 4, but Kaelyn stayed in a good mood the whole time. We got some cute pictures, but I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. I don't know why exactly. They are cute (because she is) but, to me, they looked like pictures we could have taken. And I don't think they captured her magnificent eyes and long eyelashes. Still, we ordered a lot and I'm sure I'll change my mind about them soon enough.
Today, is Michele's birthday, but since her party is tomorrow, we actually have a night that we're not doing anything birthday related...except for shampooing the rugs. And we wouldn't be doing that if it weren't for Kaelyn's party on Sunday and the absence of any time to clean carpets between today and then.
Tomorrow, we are going to Michele's for her birthday celebration. Saturday, Vickie and I will be making cookies and fondant for Kaelyn, Roger will be going to a bachelor party, and Kaelyn and I will be going to the Virgo party. Lance has always included me in the Virgo party because my birthday so close to everyone else's, but I'm technically a Libra. At least this time, I'll be bringing a real Virgo with me! Sunday, is Kaelyn's birthday party, her actual birthday is the following Tuesday and exactly one week later, is my birthday...followed by Stacy's two days later. By the time we get to mine, I'm usually done with birthdays all together. Now that we throw Kaelyn's in the mix, I'm even more averse to having any sort of celebration for just myself. It's too much. If I'm sick of it, I'm sure everyone else is too. Oh well...I just won't age anymore. For the next 50 years, I'll stay 34 and be a medical miracle. Great plan!
...........
I noticed that when I'm on my personal blog page, it says this is my 79th post...but the blog roll seems to be stuck on 75...wonder which posts are missing or are they? I only count 75, so some of them must disappear. I wonder what will happen when I post this...will it say 76 for once? Hmmm....
Monday, after work, I had to get my car smogged (ok smog checked...one of the joys of living in California). I also needed to go shopping for birthday cards and presents...having focused so much of my time getting ready for Kaelyn's upcoming birthday means that I've neglected all my other friends. I feel sort of bad about that, but not really considering that I'll probably never be so organized with Kaelyn's birthday again, and I'm pretty sure that the times of me being well prepared for birthday month are also gone for good. Besides, I got it all done so far.
Anyway, I had a brilliant idea that I would drop my car off at the smog place after work and have Roger come pick me up so we could go shopping together, then pick up my car and go home. What I didn't realize, is that it literally only takes 15 minutes to do the smog test. Since my car was new when I moved here six years ago, I didn't need a test, so I had no idea. Roger apparently did know, but didn't tell me for some odd reason (because that seems like one of the things he would normally tell me). So, the smog place was completely finished with my car and gave it back to me just as Roger pulled up.
We decided to go to Target because, well, that's where I go for just about everything lately. The thought behind Roger shopping with me was that he would save me some time by helping me make decisions or at least splitting up our friends and shopping separately. I don't know why I thought this since shopping with Roger usually feels like I'm with a 10 year old. It took forever! He wanted to get Halloween candy over a month early. (He says so that it's out of the way, but I know it's so he can eat it all...mark my words, we'll be buying more before Halloween). Then, he wanted to look at the sale racks. After 45 minutes, we finally got around to actually shopping for our friends. At that moment, Roger informed me that it takes him forever to pick out cards and has no ideas or opinions on what to get anyone else. Exasperating! After another hour, he suggests that we buy Vickie a crock-pot cook book. I let him know that she rarely cooks and probably doesn't have a crock pot. He then decided to call Vickie and ask her weird questions about crock pots and after that call, decided we should also buy her a crock pot. Instead, we bought her a necklace and I got a crock pot. By then, I was starving, so I went into "super efficient Beth" mode and ran around getting everything else, found the fastest moving line, and got us out of there. Then, Roger says to me "You know, if you just came here by yourself, you'd probably be home by now and I would have had dinner ready for you." Really? I swear sometimes he does this to me on purpose.
Tuesday night, was Vickie's birthday dinner. Roger spent a lot of time trying to gauge whether or not the crock pot would have been a welcome gift. He's so fixated on this. I bet he suggests we buy her one for Christmas too. The dinner was great fun. It happened to be just after I weighed in (lost another 4 lbs), so I was feeling pretty relaxed about just enjoying the dinner. Kaelyn was with us and blessedly very well behaved the whole time...even though we stayed out past her normal bedtime.
Yesterday, was Lance's birthday, but he likes to celebrate that at his annual Virgo party...that is this weekend, so instead, Roger and I went to the mall after work to get Kaelyn's birthday pictures taken. We spent quite a bit of time there since our appointment was at 6 and we got there at 4, but Kaelyn stayed in a good mood the whole time. We got some cute pictures, but I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. I don't know why exactly. They are cute (because she is) but, to me, they looked like pictures we could have taken. And I don't think they captured her magnificent eyes and long eyelashes. Still, we ordered a lot and I'm sure I'll change my mind about them soon enough.
Today, is Michele's birthday, but since her party is tomorrow, we actually have a night that we're not doing anything birthday related...except for shampooing the rugs. And we wouldn't be doing that if it weren't for Kaelyn's party on Sunday and the absence of any time to clean carpets between today and then.
Tomorrow, we are going to Michele's for her birthday celebration. Saturday, Vickie and I will be making cookies and fondant for Kaelyn, Roger will be going to a bachelor party, and Kaelyn and I will be going to the Virgo party. Lance has always included me in the Virgo party because my birthday so close to everyone else's, but I'm technically a Libra. At least this time, I'll be bringing a real Virgo with me! Sunday, is Kaelyn's birthday party, her actual birthday is the following Tuesday and exactly one week later, is my birthday...followed by Stacy's two days later. By the time we get to mine, I'm usually done with birthdays all together. Now that we throw Kaelyn's in the mix, I'm even more averse to having any sort of celebration for just myself. It's too much. If I'm sick of it, I'm sure everyone else is too. Oh well...I just won't age anymore. For the next 50 years, I'll stay 34 and be a medical miracle. Great plan!
...........
I noticed that when I'm on my personal blog page, it says this is my 79th post...but the blog roll seems to be stuck on 75...wonder which posts are missing or are they? I only count 75, so some of them must disappear. I wonder what will happen when I post this...will it say 76 for once? Hmmm....
Monday, September 13, 2010
Patriot Day and a Jazz Party
This weekend was really busy. After an extremely busy and crazy work week, I was looking forward to some time to relax. That didn't come until later Sunday night, but at least I was prepared for a crazy weekend this time.
Roger worked late on Friday and didn't get home until just before 7:30. By then, Kaelyn was more than ready for bed. She's been going to bed a little earlier lately due to how cranky she's been. I think another tooth is on the way. She got this way when the first one broke skin. But, she's also going through a growth spurt, so that could be the culprit too. After Kaelyn was asleep, Roger and I spent the rest of the night cleaning the house. Fun times were had by all! Ok, not. We were exhausted after that and went to bed early ourselves...Friday night mayhem...whatever.
Saturday was crazy. Roger had to meet a contractor at one of the construction sites he'll be working on soon in the morning and Kaelyn and I had a million errands to run....including going to the post office to pick up her birthday package from my mom. That was not the best idea I ever had! First, it was huge...and trying to carry a baby and large awkward package to my car was not the easiest thing I ever did. Add to that, the fact that Kaelyn thought it would be fun to practice her drumming on the big box while we were transporting it...well, let's just say that luckily nothing was breakable inside. When I had to choose between dropping her and dropping the box, I chose the box...I'm a great mom aren't I?
We got home in time for lunch. Putting away groceries, making lunch for the three of us, and getting ready for guests at the same time...what fun. Kaelyn also used that exact time to practice climbing the stairs for the first time. Roger had to finally stop helping me and play with her just so we could rest a little easier that she wouldn't kill herself.
Vickie arrived around 1 and her and I left for a trip to Michael's and Target to buy birthday supplies for Kaelyn. That was actually a break for me, because Roger stayed home to put Kaelyn down for a nap, make the chicken wings for the Jazz party, and put snacks out for our guests....all who arrived around 4. Our house was the meeting place for a caravan up to a winery in Camino where we were having a very big, end of summer Jazz party. Roger and I went to this same party last year, one day before Kaelyn was born. Because there were over a 100 people going to this thing, there were several pre-parties set up around Sacramento for people to meet at, get to know one another and drive up together. Our group was pretty great...we were enjoying our convesation so much, that we actually left 40 minutes later than we were supposed to....my fault for talking instead of getting ready.
The party itself was wonderful. We started it with a moment of silence and pledge led by Roger, then good music, good food, dancing and friends. Kaelyn came with us. She ate dinner, then spent about an hour being passed around all our friends and getting all the attention she loves. After that, she easily fell asleep and we were really able to enjoy some adult time. We got home at midnight...exhausted and sleepy. Bed was immediate.
Yesterday was pretty mellow, but still packed. We slept in, then decided to go to the Home Show downtown. For the first time ever, we didn't get anything! It was great restraint on our part, especially considering all the home projects still on our list. We got home late in the afternoon, and I immediately started cooking dinner (Salmon and steamed green beans...the Salmon needed marinating time). We ate, called Roger's mom to talk about our upcoming trip to Ohio, put Kaelyn to bed, and then finally got to sit down and relax. We watched 2 hours of tv together...until Roger fell asleep, started snoring, and woke me up...I guess 2 hours was too long for both of us. I slept well and am now ready for another crazy week. It will be busy this week, both at work and at home. Will have lots to write about.
For now, I'll sign off with Kaelyn's latest favorite word. "Bob"...
Roger worked late on Friday and didn't get home until just before 7:30. By then, Kaelyn was more than ready for bed. She's been going to bed a little earlier lately due to how cranky she's been. I think another tooth is on the way. She got this way when the first one broke skin. But, she's also going through a growth spurt, so that could be the culprit too. After Kaelyn was asleep, Roger and I spent the rest of the night cleaning the house. Fun times were had by all! Ok, not. We were exhausted after that and went to bed early ourselves...Friday night mayhem...whatever.
Saturday was crazy. Roger had to meet a contractor at one of the construction sites he'll be working on soon in the morning and Kaelyn and I had a million errands to run....including going to the post office to pick up her birthday package from my mom. That was not the best idea I ever had! First, it was huge...and trying to carry a baby and large awkward package to my car was not the easiest thing I ever did. Add to that, the fact that Kaelyn thought it would be fun to practice her drumming on the big box while we were transporting it...well, let's just say that luckily nothing was breakable inside. When I had to choose between dropping her and dropping the box, I chose the box...I'm a great mom aren't I?
We got home in time for lunch. Putting away groceries, making lunch for the three of us, and getting ready for guests at the same time...what fun. Kaelyn also used that exact time to practice climbing the stairs for the first time. Roger had to finally stop helping me and play with her just so we could rest a little easier that she wouldn't kill herself.
Vickie arrived around 1 and her and I left for a trip to Michael's and Target to buy birthday supplies for Kaelyn. That was actually a break for me, because Roger stayed home to put Kaelyn down for a nap, make the chicken wings for the Jazz party, and put snacks out for our guests....all who arrived around 4. Our house was the meeting place for a caravan up to a winery in Camino where we were having a very big, end of summer Jazz party. Roger and I went to this same party last year, one day before Kaelyn was born. Because there were over a 100 people going to this thing, there were several pre-parties set up around Sacramento for people to meet at, get to know one another and drive up together. Our group was pretty great...we were enjoying our convesation so much, that we actually left 40 minutes later than we were supposed to....my fault for talking instead of getting ready.
The party itself was wonderful. We started it with a moment of silence and pledge led by Roger, then good music, good food, dancing and friends. Kaelyn came with us. She ate dinner, then spent about an hour being passed around all our friends and getting all the attention she loves. After that, she easily fell asleep and we were really able to enjoy some adult time. We got home at midnight...exhausted and sleepy. Bed was immediate.
Yesterday was pretty mellow, but still packed. We slept in, then decided to go to the Home Show downtown. For the first time ever, we didn't get anything! It was great restraint on our part, especially considering all the home projects still on our list. We got home late in the afternoon, and I immediately started cooking dinner (Salmon and steamed green beans...the Salmon needed marinating time). We ate, called Roger's mom to talk about our upcoming trip to Ohio, put Kaelyn to bed, and then finally got to sit down and relax. We watched 2 hours of tv together...until Roger fell asleep, started snoring, and woke me up...I guess 2 hours was too long for both of us. I slept well and am now ready for another crazy week. It will be busy this week, both at work and at home. Will have lots to write about.
For now, I'll sign off with Kaelyn's latest favorite word. "Bob"...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
What Project Management Has Taught Me About Parenthood
Last night, during dinner, I watched in wonder as Kaelyn very precisely picked little pieces of chicken off the tray of her high chair and fed herself. She is growing so incredibly fast. As we approach her first birthday, I often wonder how I’m going to do as a mother. I don’t feel like I have the skills needed to really raise her and teach her and protect her. How am I going to make sure that she has the skills necessary to be a well-adjusted, happy, and productive adult? I posed this question to Roger, who in is infinite wisdom said, “I haven’t yet seen a project you can’t manage.” Honestly, I don’t think he was listening, because he seemed to still be stuck on my reiterations of work and not realized that I had switched to talking about Kaelyn.
But, he has a point. My child is not a “project” I need to manage, but I can probably use what I learned as a Project Manager and apply them to Kaelyn. For example:
1. Schedule is everything. First, you have to have a good schedule and realistic expectations. You also need to have enough flexibility in your schedule, that small deviations don’t cause a major disaster. This is true both for projects and children.
2. When someone cries…everyone (over)reacts. Whether it’s a baby, customer, team member, or boss, crying gets everyone’s attention. The problem is that the reaction usually doesn’t address the root problem. And if the goal is just to make the crying stop, then the message to the crier is “If I cry, I’ll get exactly what I want. This works.” Bad results.
3. Change is inevitable. Even with the best planning, change is going to come. The key, is to create an environment where the change doesn’t cause massive panic. Parents and project managers alike have to remain calm, take time to evaluate the change, and respond accordingly.
4. Expect the unexpected. I’ve seen some crazy things in my career, but I have a feeling it’s nowhere near the curve balls my daughter is going to throw at me. Bracing myself now.
5. You will be tested. Team members, subordinates, customers, and children will test you, no doubt. How firm is this deadline? What are the real consequences for not doing my homework? If I cry, will I get what I want? Be prepared and stand firm. I often remind myself at work that I am not making friends...it's impossible to be authoritative with your best friend. Same with Kaelyn. I love her, but I'm her mom, not her girlfriend. That is a very clear and necessary distinction!
6. Present a united front. In running a project, it’s sometimes challenging to balance the different goals and priorities of the groups you’re working with. When something is really important, then the PM has to get buy in from everyone and create one united front. Same with parenting. It does no good for me to enforce a rule if Roger is just going to undermine it. Even if we don’t agree, we need to be on the same page when it comes to Kaelyn.
7. Respect is earned. Yes, even with the parent/child relationship. I learned a long time ago not to ask for anything I wouldn’t do myself, hold others accountable, and praise them often for their good work. I also learned to not make promises I couldn’t keep. There’s nothing worse than going back on your word. Trust is everything.
8. Let them be part of the solution. Situation: Something isn’t getting done according to schedule. I talk to a team member about it. I can dictate that he “get it done, or else” or I can say “what would it take for this to happen? “ or “Here are some options, which one works best for you?” It’s easier to get what I want, if I let the problem help with the solution. It’s perfectly ok for a team member or a child to give me their input and thoughts. The final decision is always mine…but, if they figure out how to solve the problem themselves, they are more likely to follow through.
9. You will be bombarded with a lot of useless (and some useful) information. Almost every day I’m sent information on best practices, management techniques, and new ideas to have a better project. The info can be overwhelming and it’s tempting to scrap my old methods for the new trendy ones. I’ve noticed this with parenting too. Newsletters, mailings, books, tv shows, all giving me the new trendy, and often conflicting, ways to raise my child and ensure that she’s the smartest one in class. Some of the info is good. But I have to trust myself enough to wade through all the crap to get to the good stuff. Not as easy as it seems.
10. You have to love it! My job is highly stressful, demanding, and often exhausting. But I love it. I couldn’t imagine putting myself through this much everyday for something I hated doing. Parenthood, so far, has been even more stressful, tiring, and difficult than anything I’ve ever dealt with at work…but the rewards are so great and my love for Kaelyn is so intoxicating that it’s easy to ignore the hard stuff for all the good I have.
I wish that Kaelyn had come with a users’ manual…and even though there are plenty of books out there that claim to have the perfect parenting techniques, the truth is, Kaelyn is an individual. I’ve read a lot about how to be a good mom to her and I’ve implemented quite a bit of what I’ve read. The fact remains, though, she, Roger and I are going to have to “learn as we go”. I’m sure even if Kaelyn was our 10th child, she would be uniquely different from all the previous 9. Maybe that’s my number 11: No matter how alike they seem, no two projects (or children) are exactly the same….
But, he has a point. My child is not a “project” I need to manage, but I can probably use what I learned as a Project Manager and apply them to Kaelyn. For example:
1. Schedule is everything. First, you have to have a good schedule and realistic expectations. You also need to have enough flexibility in your schedule, that small deviations don’t cause a major disaster. This is true both for projects and children.
2. When someone cries…everyone (over)reacts. Whether it’s a baby, customer, team member, or boss, crying gets everyone’s attention. The problem is that the reaction usually doesn’t address the root problem. And if the goal is just to make the crying stop, then the message to the crier is “If I cry, I’ll get exactly what I want. This works.” Bad results.
3. Change is inevitable. Even with the best planning, change is going to come. The key, is to create an environment where the change doesn’t cause massive panic. Parents and project managers alike have to remain calm, take time to evaluate the change, and respond accordingly.
4. Expect the unexpected. I’ve seen some crazy things in my career, but I have a feeling it’s nowhere near the curve balls my daughter is going to throw at me. Bracing myself now.
5. You will be tested. Team members, subordinates, customers, and children will test you, no doubt. How firm is this deadline? What are the real consequences for not doing my homework? If I cry, will I get what I want? Be prepared and stand firm. I often remind myself at work that I am not making friends...it's impossible to be authoritative with your best friend. Same with Kaelyn. I love her, but I'm her mom, not her girlfriend. That is a very clear and necessary distinction!
6. Present a united front. In running a project, it’s sometimes challenging to balance the different goals and priorities of the groups you’re working with. When something is really important, then the PM has to get buy in from everyone and create one united front. Same with parenting. It does no good for me to enforce a rule if Roger is just going to undermine it. Even if we don’t agree, we need to be on the same page when it comes to Kaelyn.
7. Respect is earned. Yes, even with the parent/child relationship. I learned a long time ago not to ask for anything I wouldn’t do myself, hold others accountable, and praise them often for their good work. I also learned to not make promises I couldn’t keep. There’s nothing worse than going back on your word. Trust is everything.
8. Let them be part of the solution. Situation: Something isn’t getting done according to schedule. I talk to a team member about it. I can dictate that he “get it done, or else” or I can say “what would it take for this to happen? “ or “Here are some options, which one works best for you?” It’s easier to get what I want, if I let the problem help with the solution. It’s perfectly ok for a team member or a child to give me their input and thoughts. The final decision is always mine…but, if they figure out how to solve the problem themselves, they are more likely to follow through.
9. You will be bombarded with a lot of useless (and some useful) information. Almost every day I’m sent information on best practices, management techniques, and new ideas to have a better project. The info can be overwhelming and it’s tempting to scrap my old methods for the new trendy ones. I’ve noticed this with parenting too. Newsletters, mailings, books, tv shows, all giving me the new trendy, and often conflicting, ways to raise my child and ensure that she’s the smartest one in class. Some of the info is good. But I have to trust myself enough to wade through all the crap to get to the good stuff. Not as easy as it seems.
10. You have to love it! My job is highly stressful, demanding, and often exhausting. But I love it. I couldn’t imagine putting myself through this much everyday for something I hated doing. Parenthood, so far, has been even more stressful, tiring, and difficult than anything I’ve ever dealt with at work…but the rewards are so great and my love for Kaelyn is so intoxicating that it’s easy to ignore the hard stuff for all the good I have.
I wish that Kaelyn had come with a users’ manual…and even though there are plenty of books out there that claim to have the perfect parenting techniques, the truth is, Kaelyn is an individual. I’ve read a lot about how to be a good mom to her and I’ve implemented quite a bit of what I’ve read. The fact remains, though, she, Roger and I are going to have to “learn as we go”. I’m sure even if Kaelyn was our 10th child, she would be uniquely different from all the previous 9. Maybe that’s my number 11: No matter how alike they seem, no two projects (or children) are exactly the same….
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Diet Update
I started this blog with the intention of using it to keep myself accountable on losing my baby weight. I gained 80 pounds during pregnancy!! So far, I’ve maybe lost 30…that leaves me 50 to go. Almost one year later. That sucks.
Anyway, I had good intentions. I was going to be painfully honest about my weight, my food, etc. I was going to get it through my thick skull that the days of me eating whatever I wanted had caught up to me. I was going to eat right, realize that my body has changed forever and be skinny again by Kaelyn’s first birthday.
So, that didn’t happen…and neither did using this blog to keep myself accountable. The truth is, it’s just too hard for me to own up to my shortcomings and I’d much rather talk about the everyday things in my life, than my diet…the bane of my existence.
I was hoping that blogging about it would help, because the thought of people, including myself, knowing my weight is terrifying to me. And, therefore, pretty motivating. I wanted to lose weight quickly. Breastfeeding wasn’t the miracle diet that it was hyped up to be. Weight didn’t just start falling off me. So, I tried some extreme stuff. I tried no carbs…that lasted for two weeks and I lost 10 lbs. Then, after I pigged out on pasta, I quit. After that, I tried Michael Thurman. I didn’t buy the program, just sort of cheated off another friend who’s had some success with it. That lasted for one week in which I lost 8lbs…but as good as it was, it’s just not realistic for me to cut out all sodium, all wheat products, all carbs, etc. So, I quit that.
I’ve been pretty depressed about this. I’ve never been fat a day in my life. I never really had to worry about what I was eating or how much I exercised. And if I ever wanted to lose a dress size for a party, a vacation, my wedding, I just upped my workouts, ate more vegetables and would lose weight in an instant. Those days are over. My metabolism has taken a nose dive. I’ve lived this past year as a fat person…and the majority of the year before that as a pregnant person. I don’t like it. It makes me feel like crap.
Five weeks ago, I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting. I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to get on the scale. I didn’t want to face the truth. (At the doctor’s office, I don’t look at my weight…and they don’t tell me). And even though they are pretty private about our weights, the leader knows, and I know. Not good. But, facing the scale in a semi-public forum is doing exactly what I was hoping this blog would do. It’s keeping me accountable. And it’s doing more…it’s tapping into my competitive side. The part of me that looks at this as a game between me and the scale. A game I’m going to win. Every week so far, I’ve lost weight. The scale had a pretty good head start at the beginning of this race, but every week, I’m chipping away at the gap. I’m getting closer and that’s good. In 4 weeks, I lost 12 lbs. And I feel better. I’m motivated to keep going and not having to give up anything in particular…not looking at food as the enemy has made it even easier.
Now that Kaelyn is eating more solids, changing my family’s diet is even more important to me. Looking back, even though I’ve always eaten a lot of food, my diet hasn’t been that bad. Since I love to cook, most of what I ate was fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, of course pasta (it’s not the devil food…I promise) etc. I would eat desserts, but not every day. Since I got married, things have been different. Roger, although a great cook, wasn’t used to cooking for himself every day. He would grill himself a steak for dinner and make a box of macaroni and cheese. He never ate vegetables. Frozen pizzas, frozen meatballs, and hotdogs were a mainstay for him. He loves to snack, so he always has chips, cookies, crackers, etc, around. For me, these foods are triggers, so I never bought them. If I was motivated enough to leave the house and buy myself a small bag of chips, then I figured I deserved it. I never made it easy for myself to have these foods.
When Roger and I married, I didn’t want to deprive him of everything he was used to. I let him buy his frozen pizzas and his potato chips, but naively thought that if I took over the cooking, those things would slowly disappear from his diet. But, when pregnancy hit, it was just easier to let him feed me…and he fed me his stuff…and I ate it…and I gained 80 lbs. After Kaelyn was born and I went back to work, we split up the cooking duties. He has half the days, I have the other half…Sundays we cook together. This helped me out a lot as far as finding time to get everything done. But on Roger’s day, it’s usually take out, hot dogs, or meat and potatoes.
After my first weight watchers meeting, I had a talk with Roger. I told him that I didn’t want to be tempted by his foods anymore and I didn’t want Kaelyn growing up with this kind of diet. In order for her to be healthy, and me to lose weight, Roger had to change his habits too. He resisted at first. He tried to bargain with me. “What’s wrong with having pizza on Friday nights only?” “Or what’s so bad about take-out Chinese? It’s meat and vegetables, and rice.” And my personal favorite..”Kids love hotdogs! Are you really suggesting that we deny Kaelyn this staple?”
This wasn’t an easy conversation. Trying to convince him that we could still eat pizza and hotdogs and have some chips every so often, but not every day or even once a week, wasn’t easy. But he eventually decided to give me a chance. On his days, he actually cooks. Since he loves to grill that hasn’t been a problem, but instead of potatoes or French fries as sides, he cooks frozen vegetables. On my days, I’m more elaborate. I experiment with creating dishes that use fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. I put a little freshly grated asiago cheese on his vegetables to make them more appealing to him. I also cook about twice as much as I know we’ll eat, because I’ve noticed that when I do, Roger will heat it up as leftovers on his days. It makes it easier for him, sure…but it’s better food for us to eat, so I don’t mind.
We still love pasta, but we’ve cut way back. We make it ourselves. The fat and calorie content may be the same, but I figure eating it fresh at least leaves out the extra preservatives and sugar. It also tastes a lot better! Besides, having to make it, ensures that we only eat it on days when we have enough time to make it…it’s prevented pasta from being the “we have no time, what can we make in 30 minutes or less” dinner option.
We enjoy our food and savor it, but we also sit down outside and talk to each other (instead of watch tv) and we tend to eat less as a result! Another trick I use is to feed Kaelyn her dinner while we are eating ours. (I used to feed her first, then Roger and I could concentrate on our dinner and Kae would just sit with us.) Concentrating on her, makes me eat much slower, which gives time for my “full” reflex to kick in.
………………………….
Roger still struggles a little. I notice that he still eats the foods we’re trying to avoid…just not around me. The other day he was home for lunch and made himself some hotdogs…and I found a bag of potato chips stashed in the very back of our top pantry shelf (it wasn’t there earlier in the week). When I made Kaelyn’s practice cakes, I would eat one small slice the day I baked it. Roger would eat the rest…usually getting up sometime in the middle of the night to have a slice. This weekend, I saw an open box of Girl Scout cookies on his workbench and realized that he’s storing his supply of snacks in the garage and eating them when he’s outside working…sneaky!
I admit I get annoyed with this at times. Seeing the evidence of his resistance…but, I do know that he’s trying and he’s being as supportive as he knows how to be. He’s not eating these things in front of me, he’s eating more vegetables and he’s gotten into the habit of having a small bowl of grapes before bed…as opposed to the bowl of ice cream he used to eat. I also have to remember that his is harder for him. He’s never eaten the way I’m asking him to. I have. Maybe not in the last two years, but I’m returning to old habits while he’s trying to create all new ones. Plus, he’s lost weight too. He’s not tracking, so we don’t know how much, but I can see the difference…in both of us.
………………..
In full discloser, I’m not really following Weight Watchers to the tee. I haven’t logged food or counted points since the first week. But, I am aware of what is better vs. what is worse to eat. I already know what a healthy diet looks like…I just need the motivation of the scale…and so far, it’s working great.
Normally, today would be a weigh-in day, but the group voted to skip it the day after long weekends…I voted against this, but I was the only one. I still tried to act like I would be facing the scale today…so I wouldn’t lose momentum. I don’t weigh myself at home, so I have no idea how much I’ve actually lost this past week, but I’m sure I lost something. I’m hoping at least 2 lbs…which would put me at a total 14 lbs lost since starting. My goal is to register a total of 16 lbs lost by next Tuesday…that’s 4 lbs in 2 weeks. Not undoable at all.
I’m feeling much better lately too. My clothes are fitting much nicer. Buttoning my jeans isn’t difficult. I also noticed my waist this morning! I haven’t seen that in forever! I’m still nowhere near the size (4) I was before I got married, but I’m getting there…just a couple to three more sizes, about 50 lbs, and I’m guessing one more year and I’ll be there. So, that’s my new goal. As skinny as I was by Kaelyn’s 2nd birthday and a little bit skinnier every week. Mostly, I want us all to be healthy…and we are. It gets better every day…yeah!
Anyway, I had good intentions. I was going to be painfully honest about my weight, my food, etc. I was going to get it through my thick skull that the days of me eating whatever I wanted had caught up to me. I was going to eat right, realize that my body has changed forever and be skinny again by Kaelyn’s first birthday.
So, that didn’t happen…and neither did using this blog to keep myself accountable. The truth is, it’s just too hard for me to own up to my shortcomings and I’d much rather talk about the everyday things in my life, than my diet…the bane of my existence.
I was hoping that blogging about it would help, because the thought of people, including myself, knowing my weight is terrifying to me. And, therefore, pretty motivating. I wanted to lose weight quickly. Breastfeeding wasn’t the miracle diet that it was hyped up to be. Weight didn’t just start falling off me. So, I tried some extreme stuff. I tried no carbs…that lasted for two weeks and I lost 10 lbs. Then, after I pigged out on pasta, I quit. After that, I tried Michael Thurman. I didn’t buy the program, just sort of cheated off another friend who’s had some success with it. That lasted for one week in which I lost 8lbs…but as good as it was, it’s just not realistic for me to cut out all sodium, all wheat products, all carbs, etc. So, I quit that.
I’ve been pretty depressed about this. I’ve never been fat a day in my life. I never really had to worry about what I was eating or how much I exercised. And if I ever wanted to lose a dress size for a party, a vacation, my wedding, I just upped my workouts, ate more vegetables and would lose weight in an instant. Those days are over. My metabolism has taken a nose dive. I’ve lived this past year as a fat person…and the majority of the year before that as a pregnant person. I don’t like it. It makes me feel like crap.
Five weeks ago, I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting. I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to get on the scale. I didn’t want to face the truth. (At the doctor’s office, I don’t look at my weight…and they don’t tell me). And even though they are pretty private about our weights, the leader knows, and I know. Not good. But, facing the scale in a semi-public forum is doing exactly what I was hoping this blog would do. It’s keeping me accountable. And it’s doing more…it’s tapping into my competitive side. The part of me that looks at this as a game between me and the scale. A game I’m going to win. Every week so far, I’ve lost weight. The scale had a pretty good head start at the beginning of this race, but every week, I’m chipping away at the gap. I’m getting closer and that’s good. In 4 weeks, I lost 12 lbs. And I feel better. I’m motivated to keep going and not having to give up anything in particular…not looking at food as the enemy has made it even easier.
Now that Kaelyn is eating more solids, changing my family’s diet is even more important to me. Looking back, even though I’ve always eaten a lot of food, my diet hasn’t been that bad. Since I love to cook, most of what I ate was fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, of course pasta (it’s not the devil food…I promise) etc. I would eat desserts, but not every day. Since I got married, things have been different. Roger, although a great cook, wasn’t used to cooking for himself every day. He would grill himself a steak for dinner and make a box of macaroni and cheese. He never ate vegetables. Frozen pizzas, frozen meatballs, and hotdogs were a mainstay for him. He loves to snack, so he always has chips, cookies, crackers, etc, around. For me, these foods are triggers, so I never bought them. If I was motivated enough to leave the house and buy myself a small bag of chips, then I figured I deserved it. I never made it easy for myself to have these foods.
When Roger and I married, I didn’t want to deprive him of everything he was used to. I let him buy his frozen pizzas and his potato chips, but naively thought that if I took over the cooking, those things would slowly disappear from his diet. But, when pregnancy hit, it was just easier to let him feed me…and he fed me his stuff…and I ate it…and I gained 80 lbs. After Kaelyn was born and I went back to work, we split up the cooking duties. He has half the days, I have the other half…Sundays we cook together. This helped me out a lot as far as finding time to get everything done. But on Roger’s day, it’s usually take out, hot dogs, or meat and potatoes.
After my first weight watchers meeting, I had a talk with Roger. I told him that I didn’t want to be tempted by his foods anymore and I didn’t want Kaelyn growing up with this kind of diet. In order for her to be healthy, and me to lose weight, Roger had to change his habits too. He resisted at first. He tried to bargain with me. “What’s wrong with having pizza on Friday nights only?” “Or what’s so bad about take-out Chinese? It’s meat and vegetables, and rice.” And my personal favorite..”Kids love hotdogs! Are you really suggesting that we deny Kaelyn this staple?”
This wasn’t an easy conversation. Trying to convince him that we could still eat pizza and hotdogs and have some chips every so often, but not every day or even once a week, wasn’t easy. But he eventually decided to give me a chance. On his days, he actually cooks. Since he loves to grill that hasn’t been a problem, but instead of potatoes or French fries as sides, he cooks frozen vegetables. On my days, I’m more elaborate. I experiment with creating dishes that use fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. I put a little freshly grated asiago cheese on his vegetables to make them more appealing to him. I also cook about twice as much as I know we’ll eat, because I’ve noticed that when I do, Roger will heat it up as leftovers on his days. It makes it easier for him, sure…but it’s better food for us to eat, so I don’t mind.
We still love pasta, but we’ve cut way back. We make it ourselves. The fat and calorie content may be the same, but I figure eating it fresh at least leaves out the extra preservatives and sugar. It also tastes a lot better! Besides, having to make it, ensures that we only eat it on days when we have enough time to make it…it’s prevented pasta from being the “we have no time, what can we make in 30 minutes or less” dinner option.
We enjoy our food and savor it, but we also sit down outside and talk to each other (instead of watch tv) and we tend to eat less as a result! Another trick I use is to feed Kaelyn her dinner while we are eating ours. (I used to feed her first, then Roger and I could concentrate on our dinner and Kae would just sit with us.) Concentrating on her, makes me eat much slower, which gives time for my “full” reflex to kick in.
………………………….
Roger still struggles a little. I notice that he still eats the foods we’re trying to avoid…just not around me. The other day he was home for lunch and made himself some hotdogs…and I found a bag of potato chips stashed in the very back of our top pantry shelf (it wasn’t there earlier in the week). When I made Kaelyn’s practice cakes, I would eat one small slice the day I baked it. Roger would eat the rest…usually getting up sometime in the middle of the night to have a slice. This weekend, I saw an open box of Girl Scout cookies on his workbench and realized that he’s storing his supply of snacks in the garage and eating them when he’s outside working…sneaky!
I admit I get annoyed with this at times. Seeing the evidence of his resistance…but, I do know that he’s trying and he’s being as supportive as he knows how to be. He’s not eating these things in front of me, he’s eating more vegetables and he’s gotten into the habit of having a small bowl of grapes before bed…as opposed to the bowl of ice cream he used to eat. I also have to remember that his is harder for him. He’s never eaten the way I’m asking him to. I have. Maybe not in the last two years, but I’m returning to old habits while he’s trying to create all new ones. Plus, he’s lost weight too. He’s not tracking, so we don’t know how much, but I can see the difference…in both of us.
………………..
In full discloser, I’m not really following Weight Watchers to the tee. I haven’t logged food or counted points since the first week. But, I am aware of what is better vs. what is worse to eat. I already know what a healthy diet looks like…I just need the motivation of the scale…and so far, it’s working great.
Normally, today would be a weigh-in day, but the group voted to skip it the day after long weekends…I voted against this, but I was the only one. I still tried to act like I would be facing the scale today…so I wouldn’t lose momentum. I don’t weigh myself at home, so I have no idea how much I’ve actually lost this past week, but I’m sure I lost something. I’m hoping at least 2 lbs…which would put me at a total 14 lbs lost since starting. My goal is to register a total of 16 lbs lost by next Tuesday…that’s 4 lbs in 2 weeks. Not undoable at all.
I’m feeling much better lately too. My clothes are fitting much nicer. Buttoning my jeans isn’t difficult. I also noticed my waist this morning! I haven’t seen that in forever! I’m still nowhere near the size (4) I was before I got married, but I’m getting there…just a couple to three more sizes, about 50 lbs, and I’m guessing one more year and I’ll be there. So, that’s my new goal. As skinny as I was by Kaelyn’s 2nd birthday and a little bit skinnier every week. Mostly, I want us all to be healthy…and we are. It gets better every day…yeah!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Yes, We're Greek!
Well, not really. I'm half Greek, which makes Kae one quarter Greek...out of three of us, we don't even make one whole Greek person, but, we're Greek enough for other Greeks...and that's Greek enough for us!
Saturday evening, Roger, Kaelyn, Vickie and I went to the Greek Festival. We had never been before and thought it would be fun to walk around the convention center, get our dinner, and be inundated with all things Greek. It's funny to me how the vendors and other patrons reacted to us. Sacramento has a huge Greek population...one that I never really integrated myself into. Most of them were at this festival, it seemed. The non-Greeks made up a much smaller population of people at the festival. Anyway, most vendors would see us approach and be happy that we were willing to be taught about how great the Greek culture is. They were so happy to see us and answer our questions and give us their food. But, when we mentioned that I'm Greek, the joy was really there..."Oh! You're Greek!!! And the baby is Greek!!" Greeks just love other Greeks.
While we were there, we met a very nice woman named Popi (the same name as my Grandmother) who made ceramic pottery. Here work is absolutely beautiful and she was very happy to tell us all about it (well, as much as she could with her limited English and my even more limited Greek). Roger decided to ask her to make me a completely enclosed ceramic paper towel holder...because I hate looking at the paper towels on the counter. She had never made one, but was willing to try. We described it to her, drew a sketch, and then decided to tell her that I'm Greek...that sealed the deal. I can't wait for this piece! And I love Roger more than anything for thinking of it!
We didn't stay too long..we were all tired, but we had a good time, a good meal, and felt it was worth the $3 it cost to get in.
Before the festival, I attended a bridal shower for a friend who's soon to be married (obviously). This was a cooking themed shower and we even got to go back to a professional kitchen and make our own appetizers! It was a lot of fun, but it added to a pretty full day, so I was very tired by the time we made it home and went to bed right away.
Yesterday was nice and relaxing. We had originally thought that we would be taking a day trip. Kaelyn woke up at 4am (of course), and when she went back to sleep, so did I. We both got up at 8 (Roger was already awake) and had some breakfast (Kae's second helping). We started doing some things around the house that needed done...laundry, dusting, etc. By the time we were ready to get ready, it was lunch time and neither of us felt like taking any kind of long trip.
Instead, we went to the Mediterranean market...which was an inspiration from the Greek festival. We got a whole chicken to put on the rotisserie and some lamb chops....all of which we plan to cook today as a base for our meals this week. Besides the lamb chops, I plan on making some soup with the extra pieces of lamb the butcher cut off the rack for us.
I'm happy to be sitting here, somewhat doing my Monday morning routine, but knowing that I have the day off...it makes this time even more relaxing.
Coffee is calling....so, for now, I'm off.
Saturday evening, Roger, Kaelyn, Vickie and I went to the Greek Festival. We had never been before and thought it would be fun to walk around the convention center, get our dinner, and be inundated with all things Greek. It's funny to me how the vendors and other patrons reacted to us. Sacramento has a huge Greek population...one that I never really integrated myself into. Most of them were at this festival, it seemed. The non-Greeks made up a much smaller population of people at the festival. Anyway, most vendors would see us approach and be happy that we were willing to be taught about how great the Greek culture is. They were so happy to see us and answer our questions and give us their food. But, when we mentioned that I'm Greek, the joy was really there..."Oh! You're Greek!!! And the baby is Greek!!" Greeks just love other Greeks.
While we were there, we met a very nice woman named Popi (the same name as my Grandmother) who made ceramic pottery. Here work is absolutely beautiful and she was very happy to tell us all about it (well, as much as she could with her limited English and my even more limited Greek). Roger decided to ask her to make me a completely enclosed ceramic paper towel holder...because I hate looking at the paper towels on the counter. She had never made one, but was willing to try. We described it to her, drew a sketch, and then decided to tell her that I'm Greek...that sealed the deal. I can't wait for this piece! And I love Roger more than anything for thinking of it!
We didn't stay too long..we were all tired, but we had a good time, a good meal, and felt it was worth the $3 it cost to get in.
Before the festival, I attended a bridal shower for a friend who's soon to be married (obviously). This was a cooking themed shower and we even got to go back to a professional kitchen and make our own appetizers! It was a lot of fun, but it added to a pretty full day, so I was very tired by the time we made it home and went to bed right away.
Yesterday was nice and relaxing. We had originally thought that we would be taking a day trip. Kaelyn woke up at 4am (of course), and when she went back to sleep, so did I. We both got up at 8 (Roger was already awake) and had some breakfast (Kae's second helping). We started doing some things around the house that needed done...laundry, dusting, etc. By the time we were ready to get ready, it was lunch time and neither of us felt like taking any kind of long trip.
Instead, we went to the Mediterranean market...which was an inspiration from the Greek festival. We got a whole chicken to put on the rotisserie and some lamb chops....all of which we plan to cook today as a base for our meals this week. Besides the lamb chops, I plan on making some soup with the extra pieces of lamb the butcher cut off the rack for us.
I'm happy to be sitting here, somewhat doing my Monday morning routine, but knowing that I have the day off...it makes this time even more relaxing.
Coffee is calling....so, for now, I'm off.
Friday, September 3, 2010
TGIF!
It's been a pretty stressful week. I inherited a complicated project with a lot of not so great history at work. We are turning it around and I get great satisfaction from that...the problem is, when you inherit a troubled project, there is usually a host of "challenging" people and personalities to go along with it. This one is no exception.
It being a stressful week pretty much means that I bring my work personality home with me. I hate doing this and usually use the drive home to decompress. When I've had bad days at work, the short drive between home and my office usually isn't enough. That means that at home, little things bother me and become a bigger deal than they really are. This happened yesterday. The bed was unmade, Kaelyn's clothes were dirty, there were dishes in the sink. Nothing horrible, but those are the things that will really cause a funk when my mood is already bad. In my single days, when the work mood followed me home, I would stay away from people. Not go out with friends, not answer the phone...in other words, I could not subject my friends to my bad mood. I don't have that luxury anymore.
Luckily, my beautiful, happy, smiling daughter melted the frustration away and we had a mellow night.
I'm so happy it's Friday! I need the long weekend more than ever. I have a wedding shower to go to tomorrow and Roger and I are planning on a taking a day trip somewhere on Sunday.
We hired a property manager for the rental house yesterday. I'm pretty happy about this because neither Roger nor I want to deal finding new tenants after our current ones move out at the end of the month. I'm happy to pay someone to take care of things at the house for us. But, this means that we'll likely not be renting the house furnished. And that means that we have to go get our stuff out and have a garage sale. I'm not looking forward to this at all, but it's necessary and it's good. I have a feeling we'll be over there this weekend and next. Add some more big stuff to an already full month!
I'm hoping that today, being the Friday before a long weekend, won't be as bad as yesterday. Most people should be off and those at work will just be looking forward to being off...that hopefully means I can guarantee that I will be happy and relaxed when I come home and can start this great weekend off right!
It being a stressful week pretty much means that I bring my work personality home with me. I hate doing this and usually use the drive home to decompress. When I've had bad days at work, the short drive between home and my office usually isn't enough. That means that at home, little things bother me and become a bigger deal than they really are. This happened yesterday. The bed was unmade, Kaelyn's clothes were dirty, there were dishes in the sink. Nothing horrible, but those are the things that will really cause a funk when my mood is already bad. In my single days, when the work mood followed me home, I would stay away from people. Not go out with friends, not answer the phone...in other words, I could not subject my friends to my bad mood. I don't have that luxury anymore.
Luckily, my beautiful, happy, smiling daughter melted the frustration away and we had a mellow night.
I'm so happy it's Friday! I need the long weekend more than ever. I have a wedding shower to go to tomorrow and Roger and I are planning on a taking a day trip somewhere on Sunday.
We hired a property manager for the rental house yesterday. I'm pretty happy about this because neither Roger nor I want to deal finding new tenants after our current ones move out at the end of the month. I'm happy to pay someone to take care of things at the house for us. But, this means that we'll likely not be renting the house furnished. And that means that we have to go get our stuff out and have a garage sale. I'm not looking forward to this at all, but it's necessary and it's good. I have a feeling we'll be over there this weekend and next. Add some more big stuff to an already full month!
I'm hoping that today, being the Friday before a long weekend, won't be as bad as yesterday. Most people should be off and those at work will just be looking forward to being off...that hopefully means I can guarantee that I will be happy and relaxed when I come home and can start this great weekend off right!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
September
I can't believe it's already September! This year has gone by amazingly fast...I just want to slow down time. How many people feel that way the first year of their child's life?
That year is almost over. In three weeks, we'll be celebrating Kaelyn's birthday. One. I can't believe it. I swear she was born yesterday. She has changed and grown so much over the course of this last year.
Traditionally, we have a lot that goes on this month. The annual Virgo party (now, we actually have a Virgo to bring), my birthday, The Jazz and Blues Festival (we went the day before Kaelyn was born last year), getting ready for the fall/holiday season. Now, we get to add our daughter's birthday to the mix.
I've always loved September. Not because it's my birth month, but because it's the month of impending change. The last month of summer, the start of the "work holiday" season, hints of fall just around the corner. September is on the brink. To me it holds the newness, freshness, and excitement of the impending season. By the time the New Year rolls around, I'm usually grateful that the holiday season is over...life can be normal again...but in September, I'm excited for it. I start thinking about Halloween costumes, parties, Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas shopping. None of it stresses me out in September. We get to kick off the excitement of fall with a couple of birthdays and road trips. What could be better?
I'm looking forward to the upcoming long weekend. I feel like I need. Kaelyn has been sleeping better the last few days, which is nice. I'm hoping to get some rest this weekend and we're hoping to take a family road trip one of the days. I have a friend's wedding shower to go to, and lots of yummy food to cook. Can't wait to officially kick off my favorite month of the year!
That year is almost over. In three weeks, we'll be celebrating Kaelyn's birthday. One. I can't believe it. I swear she was born yesterday. She has changed and grown so much over the course of this last year.
Traditionally, we have a lot that goes on this month. The annual Virgo party (now, we actually have a Virgo to bring), my birthday, The Jazz and Blues Festival (we went the day before Kaelyn was born last year), getting ready for the fall/holiday season. Now, we get to add our daughter's birthday to the mix.
I've always loved September. Not because it's my birth month, but because it's the month of impending change. The last month of summer, the start of the "work holiday" season, hints of fall just around the corner. September is on the brink. To me it holds the newness, freshness, and excitement of the impending season. By the time the New Year rolls around, I'm usually grateful that the holiday season is over...life can be normal again...but in September, I'm excited for it. I start thinking about Halloween costumes, parties, Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas shopping. None of it stresses me out in September. We get to kick off the excitement of fall with a couple of birthdays and road trips. What could be better?
I'm looking forward to the upcoming long weekend. I feel like I need. Kaelyn has been sleeping better the last few days, which is nice. I'm hoping to get some rest this weekend and we're hoping to take a family road trip one of the days. I have a friend's wedding shower to go to, and lots of yummy food to cook. Can't wait to officially kick off my favorite month of the year!
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