Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Back it up, back it up, back it WAY up

Have you ever been in a situation where you set things and motion, then later regret what you've done? It oftentimes doesn't take much time for you to regret your actions.

Like when you're on a diet and suddenly crave some chocolate and eat an entire candybar rather than just one bite? OY!

Then there's a situation where you're tired and suddenly yell at your children or spouse?

It doesn't take much time for regret to set in. It's pretty quick.

I find it interesting that after all these months of gallavanting around, hooking up, and spending loads of money, JonG suddenly wants to go the other direction. The fact that he says "I asked my attorney to put the brakes on this divorce so I could try to regain control over the future our family. So Kate and I could join on a cooperative course that would benefit our family - not destroy it."

Really? He actually thinks we're going to believe that statement? I mean, he's the one who says he DESPISES Kate. He's the one who started dating right after the divorce papers were filed. He's the one traveling to Europe. He's the one who has an apartment in New York rather than in Pennsylvania. NOW he wants to backtrack? After all he's done?

Sure. He states that "I regret my conduct" but does anyone believe that junk? I think that he suddenly has come to terms with the fact that Kate is moving on. That TLC has had enough of him. Funny how his "regret" comes in the wake of TLC announcing that they are renaming the show to "Kate Plus 8". While JonG will still be on the show occasionally, he won't have a regular stint. So this tells me that JonG will have less money coming in. I'm sure he is now realizing that he's going to have to get a REAL job to live his current "extravagant" lifestyle.

Do you think JonG is sincere in his desire to repair his marriage? Or are you like me -- thinking he just wants to get into everyone's good graces once more so that he can continue on the show so that he can earn more easy money?

Monday, September 28, 2009

The keys to our souls

Y'all know that I've go VERY bad vision. I'm not even on the 20/20 scale. The docs just say my vision in the negatives. I'm -11.75. That's me! Because my eyes are so bad and because I've got astigmatism, I wear gas permeable lenses. For those of you with 20/20 vision that means I wear hard lenses.

Anyway, about 4 weeks ago I knew I'd got a small tear or something in my eye. Those of you who wear hard lenses know the feeling when you've accidentally hurt your eye. Your eyes ache a bit when you put the contacts in them. So what I did was to sparingly wear my contacts for when I drove the kids to school and picked them up. I'd wear my glasses the rest of the day and put in eye drops in a couple times a day.

About a week after I started wearing my contacts like I normally do, but I noticed something. My left eye wasn't focusing as well as it used to. I could see up close just fine but focusing at a distance was a challenge. I scheduled an eye appointment with my opthamologist and it was set for Thursday, Sep 24th at 8:30am.

I've been nervous about this since I figured it out. I think this is probably one of the elements in my life that made me end up with a visit to the ER last week. You see, my father has really bad eyesight. Not only has he been nearsighted for as long as I can remember, he's also got glaucoma. They tried to repair some issue with his left eye but something happened and he is now basically blind in that eye. So I've been nervous. Really nervous about something being seriously wrong with my left eye.

But last week, I ended up going into the ER on Wednesday night. And I was still awaiting testing on Thursday morning. So as I lay in bed in the ER, I called up the opthamologist office and canceling my appointment and rescheduled. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to see my opthamologist until Oct 19th!!!

In the hopes that someone would cancel, I called the opthamologist at 9am this morning as I went for a short morning walk. And the gal said they had an opening at 10am today. TEN?!? Yes. I would be there. I hustled my bustle home at a quick trot, took a quick rinse, and drove off. I called the Hubs as I got on the freeway to make sure I had the quickest route to the doc.

Thankfully, I did make it to the appointment with 2 minutes to spare. I saw another opthamologist in the practice, but I didn't care. He checked out my eyes with my contacts. He checked my sight with my glasses. He checked my eye pressure (for the glaucoma). He looked at my retina. Everything looks healthy. But he did say that my eyes are dry, so I should be putting rewetting drops into my eyes about 3-4 times per day.

That's it! Can you believe it? That's it!!! I am ecstatic. The doc said that if my eyes are dry then the contacts won't fit/slide like they normally do. If I keep my eyes lubricated, then the contacts will be able to work effectively as they should.

[sigh] One less stress off my mind. Maybe this'll help my blood pressure go down?

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Nothing gets in the way for my baby

Even though I was in the ER this week, we continued to move forward. We decided to have the Princess' birthday celebration. What was planned a month ago? We invited the Hubs family over for lunch, then the Princess' invited a few girls for a sleepover.

Since I was just in the hospital, I decided to downscale my usual cleaning routine. Yes. I did. I ended up just doing the laundry, sweeping the downstairs, wiping all the wood cabinets and furniture down, and cleaning the 3 bathrooms.

My MIL, FIL, and SIL came down with my BIL's son (who is 11 months old) around 11am. We had a simple summer lunch - hot dogs, brats, burgers, home-made fries, potato salad and fruit. They hung out and it turns out that they knew I'd been in the hospital. On their birthdays, the kids typically talk to all the family. On Thursday night, the Princess happened to let it slip to my BIL (who is in Utah) that "we're just driving home from visiting Mom at the hospital..." Of course, this sets off the chain reaction to the rest of the family and my MIL called the Hubs on Friday morning when he was at work. I ended up having to explain the entire incident to the Hubs' family on Saturday. But at least this visit was less abrasive than most. They left around 2:30pm because my nephew was tired. T-I-R-E-D!

Around 5pm, the girls started to arrive. I invited each parent/family into our house so they could see where the girls would be sleeping/hanging out. There was one girl's parents who was SO happy because they were going on a full 'date night'. Woohoo! The other Mom was spending one-on-one time with her son. I'm not sure what the last gal was going to do, but she was happy that her daughter (who was new this year) was invited to a sleepover.

Around 5:45pm, the girls and I piled into my car to go down to the local pizza joint. The girls sat in a booth together and I sat in the next one. I wanted them to have the ability to 'chat' without me hindering their interaction. They just ended up having a large cheese pizza. Yes. Four pre-teen girls consumed a large pizza by themselves. I had a tiny pizza myself. What was great was that this pizza place had a lower half-wall with some chalk paint on it. So while we were waiting for our food and after they'd eaten, the girls were decorating the half-wall like crazy. It was too cute listening to them giggle continously.

We arrived at the movie theater around 6:50pm and got our popcorn and drinks. Of course, the girls decided to sit at the VERY top row of the theater. We watched "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" in 3-D. And since it was an animated movie showing in the evening, the theater was not crowded at all. The girls ate their popcorn, talked, and giggled until the movie started. I sat in another row with the Hubs and the Bear, who drove in separately since they didn't go to the pizza place with us. After the movie, the girls decided to take photos in one of those kiosk booths. They ended up decided to take enough photos so that they'd each have a souvenir of the night. Good idea, eh?

When we got back to the house, the girls had some cupcake-cake after they sang "Happy Birthday" and then opened presents. Then they changed into their jammies and brushed their teeth. They watched "Hannah Montana: The Movie". Then they chatted & giggled for a LONG time. Since our family room is right next to the master? I heard every conversation and every giggle. Oy! Around 12:45am, I walked out and said that they needed to go to sleep. And you know what? They did.

It's only 8:15am and the girls? No. They are not still sleeping. They've been up since 7am. They're just finishing breakfast now. They were busy painting each other's toenails and fingernails. After they eat, they'll finish their nails. Then they'll change. And then probably play Wii until the scheduled 10am pick-up. Whew!

So even though I was in the hospital just a couple days ago? I sucked it up and had the parties for my girl. Because I'll do anything for her (and my son and my husband). They are the ones I love to my deepest core and I don't let anything stand in the way of their happiness.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ya just know to not mess with the unknown

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I injured my shoulder on Tuesday. I finally decided to head on down to the Urgent Care on Wednesday morning after dropping the kids off at school.

Thankfully, the doc said that I had a pinched nerve in my shoulder. That if I iced it and rested my shoulder that everything would be A-okay. If you've ever been to an ER or Urgent Care, you know that they take your blood pressure right when you come to the back. The nurse who initially took me to the back room took my blood pressure on my left arm. Then she took it on my right arm. I thought it was weird but I didn't question it.  When the doc explained about my shoulder, he let me know that my blood pressure was pretty elevated. What's pretty elevated? 165/104!!! Yeah. Is your reaction like mine?

The doc recommended that I should purchase one of those wrist blood pressure monitors to check my pressure for the next few days. If it stayed high, he said I should go and see my regular doc. And I did exactly that. I monitored my pressure the rest of Wednesday. And it stayed high. In the 150's! I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and in my neck. My chest felt heavy. I felt a slight tingling in my hands/fingers and in my feet.

I was still feeling a bit off when the Hubs came home but I didn't say anything. The Bear had a game, so the Hubs and the Bear left for that. I spent time with the Princess and then put her to bed. the boys got home late and the Bear finally crawled into bed around 8:45pm.

The Hubs and I chatted after he got out of the shower around 10pm. I finally told him how my appointment went and how I'd been feeling the rest of the day. We sat in the office and researched my symptoms online. Our conclusion? We needed to take me to get some medical help. Now. So he woke up the kids and we got them dressed. And we headed down to the hospital he works at.

I checked into the ER around 10:30pm. They took me back for a preliminary look, took my blood pressure, blood Ox level, and did a preliminary EKG. They sent me back out to the waiting room. They called me back to an actual ER "room" soon after. The Hubs and the kids stayed in the waiting room. They finally left for home around midnight.


Relaxing in the ER was difficult. I got snippets of sleep. A half hour here. An hour there.  It was definitely not the best place to get any rest. They took some blood from me around 12:30am. Around 2:30am, they gave me four children's aspirin to munch on. Around 4:45am, the nurse gave me a blood pressure med named Lisinopril along with 2 huge potassium pills. Dang it all that the potassium pills didn't have any coating on them. The 2nd pill didn't go down the first time I tried to swallow it and it started to disintegrate. Oy! The nurse had to get me more water to alleviate the nasty taste in my mouth. Around 6:30am, the nurse took some more blood.

When the Hubs called at 7am, he asked what room I was in. I let him know that I was still waiting in the ER for the test. I told him to go back to sleep and that I'd call him when I found out anything more.

But I was still in the ER. Waiting. What was I waiting for? I was waiting for a space to open up with the cardiology team. I was actually going in to get an echo stress test due to what they found in the blood tests they ran. What sucks? Is that you're not supposed to eat or drink before an echo. So I ate dinner at 5:30pm on Wednesday. I was starving and thirsty! I'd only had about 6 ounces of water since I'd arrived.

Around 10:30am, I called my nurse to find out the status of the test. She went and checked and came in to let me know. That I was in the queue. When she asked me if there was anything else I needed, I broke. I started to cry. Out of frustration. Out of hunger. Feeling powerless. Feeling that I was ruining my daughter's birthday. I felt horrible. I finally broke down.

So when the Hubs called at 11am to find out what was going on, I was not in the best frame of mind. I tried to hold it in but my voice warbled. And he got PISSED. Not at me. At the hospital. The hospital he works at. The hospital that was failing to take care of me. He ended up calling a gal and she got things rolling.

Because I was taken up to a new room around noon. I was then taken down to take the test around 12:30pm. I then took the echo around 1pm. I was able to do the running on the treadmill without any problems. Yes. it was THAT test. The one where they hook you up to leads and see how your heart and blood pressure are doing as you exert yourself. They actually calculated a target blood pressure that I needed to reach before I totally stopped so they could take about 6 ultrasound shots of my heart. It was crazy. But I was able to do it without any problems. Thank goodness I've been walking/running, eh?


Once I was finished with the echo, I was allowed to eat. I was back in the room around 1:30pm. Thankfully, the Hubs and the kids were there waiting for me. And the Hubs went down and got me a burger and some water. It was SO good to finally eat something after 20+ hours. Can you imagine how mentally and physically stressed I felt?


But I was very relieved to be in the room with my family. The kids got into bed with me while the Hubs sat beside me. I was finally able to close my eyes and sleep. The Bear did his regular twirling of my hair as he sat beside me. It was just good to have them near me so I could relax.

The doctor came in around 5pm to talk to me about the blood and echo results. There's nothing wrong with my heart. They found nothing wrong with all the blood they drew. It's just my blood pressure. And they found that it did go down after I took the Lisinopril. So I was allowed to go home with a prescription for the lowest dose of Lisinopril that they've got. I need to monitor my blood pressure and take one dose of the pill daily.

I was discharged around 6pm. We were home by about 6:45pm. So all is well.

What's going on here?






Monday, September 21, 2009

The funniest quotes I read this morning

I was looking at the regular websites that I look at each Monday after dropping off the kids. Thought I'd share the funniest quotes that I saw.
"Jon realized his look was a little immature."
You think? As a 30+ years old and he thought that he looked good in shabby jeans, t-shirts, and stud earrings? Yeah, right.
"He's focusing a lot on business and wants to make sure he looks appropriate..."
“He’s focused on work and you’ll see that in the way he will dress.” 
Focusing on business, eh? Really? What business? Why aren't we seeing where's he's visiting for his business deals? Isn't RadarOnline.com following him around New York?

I find it funny how the paparazzi are following Kate to her tapings of The View, but have somehow decided not to cover Jon at the same time. While Kate left to WORK and EARN MONEY for her family, where is Jon? Probably spending money. It's just tiring hearing the gossip-y sites/magazines trash Kate for making deals to earn money while Jon runs amok spending the money.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

The heat just saps my energy

...but it is getting cooler around here.

When I drove the kids into school this week, my car's thermometer read about 80* average. It was lovely. It's been a nice cooling trend in the morning. Granted, it's still been getting up to the high 90's during the day but the mornings are fabulous. A break from the heat. Of course by 10am, there is a definite warming in the air.

So yesterday's 10:30am baseball game was warm. Thankfully for us parents, there was a tented area for us to stand/sit under. But the kids on the field? FULLY exposed to the heat. The kids ended up doing 3 full innings.

Here is the Bear waiting for his first at-bat for the morning. The kids aren't allowed to hold the bats under they are ready to take the field. This avoids any 'accidents' in the dug-out.


There is my little guy ready to whack the smack out of a ball. Look at his face! He is so serious about hitting it.


Guess who was able to be catcher for an inning?


Yes. My Bear! There he is with the team gear on. 


But it doesn't mean that my son doesn't get bored. Look at him "stretching" while he's manning right field?

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Cat Out of the Bag

Earlier this week, I noticed a "For Sale by Owner" sign at a house at the start of our street.

Yesterday when I left to pick up the kids from school, I noticed that the "For Sale by Owner" sign was gone.

The garage door was open and it looked like the neighbor gal (NG) who lives there was just getting stuff out of the trunk of her car. I decided to pull over and say hi.

Me: Hiya!
NG: Hi! [she walks to the sidewalk]
Me: So you all decided not to sell?
NG: What?
Me: The sign is gone. [pointing to her yard]
NG: I was out of town since last week. What sign?
Me: Oh, welcome back home. There was a "For Sale by Owner" sign in your yard earlier this week.
NG: That little stinker. [shaking her head]
Me: Why? What?
NG: Musta been my husband.
Me: Uh-oh!
NG: It's fine. We've been trying to sell our other house.

Ay-yay-yay! I drove away feeling horrible. I wonder how my neighbor's conversation went with her husband. Hopefully it did go fine. I hope I didn't cause them to fight. Didn't mean to mention something that wasn't supposed to be out of the bag yet.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Getting stronger and stronger

Almost two months in and I'm still exercising! Woohoo! Consistency has always been a problem for me. Etching in that time into my schedule and sticking to it.

After I washed up after today's 2 mile run, I tried on some of my older clothes. Stuff that I had in plastic bins for the last couple of years. And these pants fit me. Not tight at all! I didn't have to put on a shaper at all. Not even close.

The result? My spirits are lifted.

In my effort to be stronger to keep up with my kids, I'm feeling better about myself. And it's a wonderful feeling.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Flipping Out can be funny sometimes

I so adore watching Flipping Out on Bravo. That darn Jeff Lewis cracks me the heck up. He's got her OCD tendencies that seem to have lessened as the show has progressed. I love how Jeff interacts with Jenni and with Zoila. Watching this show is one thing but actually seeing someone flip out in person can be all-together quite disturbing.

This morning as I dropped the kids off at school, I noticed someone's Mom (SM) talking to one of the new teachers (NT) that I don't know. The reason I noticed them as I walked up was that they were on opposite sides of the sidewalk. They were basically blocking the way for anyone going up/down the sidewalk. So, of course, I noticed them.

But as I got closer to them, I noticed that the Mom was getting louder and louder.

SM: This is unacceptable.

NT: [replied softly]

SM: Even though my daughter didn't turn in the homework on time, I found out the make-up work and it's in this folder.

NT: [replied softly]

SM: No. No! I thought we were going to have an evaluation.

NT: [replied softly]

SM: My daughter is NOT getting an F! She is NOT!

I finished walking the kids to the drop-off point and gave them their customary bearhugs. As I walked out the front gate, I waved to the administrator and he waved back.

NT: Good morning, this is SM.

SM: Mr. Administrator, I thought we were going to have an evaluation on my daughter.

Administrator: [replied softly]

SM: My daughter is NOT going to get an F!

People? She was so loud! She was going loco on the administrator as I walked away. Oh man! How embarrassing for her child. So this example is when flipping out is not funny.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

A rude awakening for the Hubs [updated]

As you all know, the Hubs signed the Bear up for Fall Baseball. It's an instructional team. Meaning? That the kids learn the fundamentals of the game versus it being competitive. Good deal, right?

When the Hubs signed the Bear up, he was by himself. It was the weekend that my sister and her family were visiting us. The kids and I were at their hotel having a pool day.

After the kids and I got home, I asked the Hubs about the baseball league. How many teams? When they'd be playing? Where they'd be playing? Apparently, the people at the sign-up had NO information. That the coaches would be sending us info as they received it. But the Hubs did say that all the games would be on Saturdays. That's fine, right?

The Bear starting practicing with the team the first Tuesday of September. The official start date for games wasn't until September 12th. This gave the teams 2 chances to practice before the first game. We were all fine with it but there was still NO SCHEDULE published. Not after that first practice. And not after the second practice. We finally received the schedule on September 10th at 10pm. That's right. Not even TWO days before the first game we got the schedule.

The Bear's first game? 8:30am Saturday morning, Sept 12. It was a half hour drive over to the field (which will be field 1 for this season).

The Bear's second game? 6:30pm Tuesday, Sept 15. This is at a totally different park about a half hour drive in the totally opposite direction (and will be field 2 for this season).

The Bear's game tonight? Is at 6:30pm. Did you all know that today is Tuesday? Didn't the sign-up people tell my husband that the games would only be on Saturdays? $!^@$^@$

You have no idea how perturbed I am about this. And what's crazy? On some weeks, the games are scheduled for Wednesday! It's true! It's not like any of us parents has any other kids in any other activities, eh? I just find it SO inconsiderate that they provided the schedule so late. And didn't tell us up front that the kids would be playing on Saturday and during the week.

[sigh]

But that's how it is when you put your kids into activities. You just have to go with the flow and try not to blow your top.

Tonight, the Hubs will be taking the Bear to his game. He wanted the Bear in baseball, so he is the one that has to bring him out. The Princess and I? We're hanging out here at the house so she can finish her homework. She's tired and cranky, so it's going to be a challenge for her to finish up. I don't know who will have a better night -- me or the Hubs.

Anyway, here are a couple shot of the kids at the pool.

























---------------update @ 8:27pm ---------------


The Hubs and the Bear are not yet home. The Princess is in bed already. I'm sure she's fallen asleep by now. I wonder if they started the game late?

Monday, September 14, 2009

Ole'!!! Touche'!!!

When we were young, my sisters and I knew when my folks were talking about us. They'd be right next to us and start talking about us. How'd they do it with us sitting there not knowing what they were actually saying? They speak to each other in Ilacano, which is a Filipino dialect.

On a day-to-day basis they'd speak to each other in Tagalog, which is the main language in the Phillipines, so we were familiar with it. But when they wanted to say something that they didn't want us to understand? They'd break out into the Ilacano.

Well, the Hubs and I try to do the same with our kids. We'll mix in some Spanish with our gestures and get the gist of what the other is saying. But you know what? This trick isn't going to work for much longer. The Princess' class is using Rosetta Stone software about 2x per week to learn the basics of Spanish. Yes! She's learning Spanish!

So tonight at dinner, I was trying to let the Hubs know about something that happened earlier in the day.

Me: So...I saw el padre of un amigo de hijo today.
Hubs: Oh yeah? Who?
Me: Last name Azul?
Princess:  Oh yeah! I saw him too.
[my head whips to the Princess]
Hubs: Okay. And?
Me: So they're having un fiesta on Viernes.
Hubs: Of this week?
Me: Si!
Princess: Si! At the pizza place!
Hubs: Thanks Princess.
Bear: Adios!

So this Spanish business is NOT going to work for us much longer. Nope. We've got to come up with another plan!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

The grass is always greener

All this week when I've been feeling like crude, I keep on thinking about a guy I saw on the road. Ummm...he wasn't on the road flat out but he was standing in the road. Next to his broken down car. Holding up traffic. He was standing in the middle of an intersection with his broken down vehicle. His broken down vehicle with it appeared to me a broken left axle while he was towing a small boat.

You think he's having a bad day?









Saturday, September 12, 2009

Making Mommy Laugh

The other day the Hubs and I were deep in conversation about the kids.

Me: So your daughter was talking to me about her birthday sleepover.

Hubs: Does she want to do anything strange that I need to know about?

Me: No. She was just telling me who she wants to invite.

Hubs: Who does she want over?

Me: She wants to invite Linda* and Sophia*. 

Hubs: Who?

Me: Linda and Sophia are new this year. They're the 5th graders who she's been hanging out with.

Hubs: Fifth graders?

Me: Yeah...

Hubs: It's so hard to believe she's in third grade already. And she's hanging out with fifth graders..

Me: Dude! I can't believe you. She's in FOURTH grade!

Hubs: What? Wait...I thought she was in THIRD grade. 

Me: Hello? She had 3rd grade with Ms. M, 2nd grade with Ms G, 1st grade with Ms D, and kindergarten with Ms. M. 

Hubs: Oh my gosh! She's in FOURTH grade!


Y'all? He totally forgot what grade his own daughter is in. Totally forgot! Can you believe it?


* Names changed to protect their identity

Beauty in the morning

I don't think you can really see how amazing the sky looks in these photos but I have to share how beautiful the sunlight looked filtering through the grey clouds

Friday, September 11, 2009

A day of reflection

On this day eight years ago, I heart became so heavy as I watched the entire horrible day unfold before me. I woke up early to exercise. I turned on the TV to see the local coverage and the TV stayed on the rest of the day.

The day rocked me to my very core.

And now eight years later? I was actually crying in my car on the drive home as I listened to snippets of the voices of those who were there. Those who are no longer here.

My heart is still heavy. Remembering that day rocks me to my very core.

To those military personnel who put themselves in danger to safeguard my freedom, you have my unending appreciation and support. I honor those who have sacrificed their lives to defend our nation.

Today is a day of reflection. Today is a time to reflect on what it means to be an American. It's not a day to point fingers or make accusations. It's a day to remember those who are no longer with us. It's a day to remember how we as a nation united after that horrible day eight years ago.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Are you a loyal customer?

Just got back from getting my hair cut. CUT!

I usually schedule my appointments for 9am, which means I'm the first client of the day for my stylist.

I've had my stylist for about 3 years now. She's young (about 28) and energetic with 2 little kids (a 9 month old and a 4-year-old). I really like her because she understands my hair and she listens to what I want. Listening to the client, go figure?

Anyway, when I first met my stylist she was at the salon next door to the coffee shop that I like to walk to with the kiddos. The couple who owns the coffee shop live just up the road. The husband would get HIS hair cut from my stylist. And that's kind of why I gravitated to her. Because if a guy would continually seek out a particular stylist then that means something to me. Because the guys I know generally don't care who cuts their hair.

So time goes by. Maybe a year and a half? My stylist gets pregnant. Then she goes on maternity leave. When she returns to the salon there's something different. The next time I go to the salon, my stylist isn't there. I got my hair cut from the owner of the salon. And it was NOT a pleasant experience. She pulled my hair and I could tell she was PISSED. Just because she wasn't having a good day it felt like she was taking it out on me. The client! Thankfully, I received a postcard in the mail from my stylist a few weeks later. Turns out she left that salon and was at another one a mile away.

And I followed her to that new salon. Just up the street. I stuck with her. Because she's nice. Because she's kind. Because she listens to how I want my hair cut.

Now today? She was the first employee in the salon door and I was the 2nd one in the place. So it was just the two of us. And I found out that she's leaving this salon. Not 2 minutes after she told me, the receptionist walked in. So we went quiet about that topic. I typically put her tip on my debit card when I'm paying for my haircut. Today? I handed her a cash tip along with a card with my name and address on it. Because this way she'll be able to contact me when she's at her new salon.

Because I'm a loyal client. She's my go-to stylist. And I'm sure I'm not the only one of her clients that's going to follow her to whatever salon she lands at.

Are you loyal to your hair stylist?

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Benefits for everyone all around

You all may recall that when the kids started their school year that I started exercising.

My quest began with walking. I'd take a loop around our neighborhood. It's a nice 2-mile loop with a slight grade, so I go down one end and up the other.

A couple weeks ago I started running the loop. I'm still not running the entire way. When I started running I walked a whole ton. Now, I usually walk for just a little bit. What's great is that I don't feel horrible when I'm running. I feel winded.

I'm not exclusively running. I alternate between the 2-mile loop run with a 3-mile loop walk. This way I give my legs/feet a softer cardio workout some days.

Y'all? I feel SO much better. My legs look and FEEL stronger. My calves are more defined. My thighs are definitely thinner. When I tighten up my thigh muscles, I can see that they're thinner and leaner. Now my tummy? I am starting to see the bit of definition along the center. My waist is gradually getting more defined. I happened to hop onto our scale this morning and I can see that I've dropped a couple pounds. But I'm more happy that I'm seeing that my body is stronger. Woohoo!

Although I felt like crap that first week of exercising? I feel SO better. I feel so relaxed after I finish up my walk/run. And another added benefit? My mood seems so much more cheerful in general. And I've been more cuddly with the Hubs. We seem to be getting along better because I feel better about me. So everyone wins now that I've etched time into my schedule for myself.  YEAH!

Monday, September 7, 2009

The wise nature of kids

On Saturday we spent the day with my ILs. Yes. We did!

We were there to celebrate the Hubs and his sister's birthday. Also to spend time with my BIL and his family and let the kids swim.Unfortunately? It was a cloudy and cool day. The water was WAY too cold to swim. So we had to spend the day inside together. Thankfully I brought a book so I was able to distract myself while the rest of them watched football.

What I did find interesting was that my new nephew (BIL's son) still gravitated to the Hubs. I mean, my SIL was on the floor playing with the little guy and he makes a bee-line slow crawl over to the Hubs (who was sitting on the couch). When the Hubs had him? The kid happily stayed with the Hubs. Seriously! They even tested it. They put the little guy at the end of the area rug and then my SIL and the Hubs sat on the couch. The little guy again made a slow crawl over to the Hubs. HA! My SIL has seen the little guy almost every weekend and this was only the 3rd time the Hubs has seen him. And the little guy prefers the Hubs!

I have to say that the little guy is VERY WISE. If I was a kid I wouldn't want to hang with my SIL either. He-he-he...

Friday, September 4, 2009

Not invited to the party

You all probably remember that my kids attend a small charter school. It's small. It doesn't have a great playground. But it's got an excellent program. My kids thoroughly enjoy going to school every day. The school has been able to achieve the highest rating for elementary schools for the past 4 years -- Excelling.

But guess what? My kids' charter school is NOT invited to watch/listen to Obama's speech next week that is supposedly geared towards school-aged kids. That's right folks. My kids' top-ranked school wasn't extended an invitation.

To tell you the truth? I'm fine with the kids not watching the speech on Tuesday. Both my kids' classes are totally busy every day. They barely have enough time to get the things they have scheduled done each day.

But I find it interesting that the charter schools in our state (and probably nationally) weren't even considered by the administration to "attend" the speech. I mean...charter schools ARE public schools. Parents don't pay for their kids to attend charter schools.