1. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are delish unless the jelly is a citrusy marmalade kind of deal with chunks of grapefruit in it. Then…not so much. My Aunt and Uncle gave us a lovely jar of locally made jam and without looking at it, B opened it and made us breakfast on the Monday after Christmas. Only when he had bitten into it and realized that PB and J should NOT come with a bitter aftertaste did he look at the jar. Oops. He warned me, but not being one to waste food, I ate it. It was gross.
2. My daughter is very silly and entirely too blunt. While at the Jax zoo with my family, K observed two little frogs – one on top of the other. “Look, the frogs are mating,” she announced to the world. The frogs are what?? Where did you learn what animal mating looks like? Apparently in science class they talked about it. Mating, you see, involves one frog fertilizing the other’s eggs. This is the same kid that STILL hasn’t asked how babies are made, despite giving her plenty of opportunity to ask questions while watching A Baby Story, and having discussions about everything else body related. She knows that women have eggs and they need to be fertilized to grow into a baby but has no interest in how that happens. Luckily it is still a God provided miracle that makes babies spontaneously grow in a woman. She did find it hilarious that the leopard’s testicles were so large though.
3. K love, love, LOVES her Florida family, especially cousin LiM and Uncle Mo. K slept over on an air mattress in LiM’s room two of the four nights we were there. Not being one to sleep in (EVER) K was up with the sun, pestering Uncle Mo for breakfast, playing with the dogs, snuggling on the couch watching sports center, and discussing the history channel. Everything that LiM does, K wants to do. She loves BiM and my sister too, but they are not as close to her size as LiM or, apparently, as cuddly and funny, as Uncle Mo.
4. Sometimes it is easier to just ignore people when they are being grumpy or making asinine statements. Sometimes it is not that easy and I want to pound something.
5. Traveling is exhausting. I knew this already from traveling for work, but I didn’t realize how sore I would be after sitting in the car. Why on earth do my shoulders hurt from sitting?? Going south was not AS bad b/c we split the trip into two days. Monday I had a great workout in the AM and was able to tolerate the 7+ hours in the car without too much problem. The next day was not as peachy minus the good night’s sleep and work-out but even those 8+ hours (traffic!) were tolerable. By that evening though, I was numb and ready for bed. On the way back north…oh heavens. Fourteen straight hours in the car? I was completely wiped out. I tried running the next day (swim stuff was still in the rental car at my parents), but could only manage about 2.5 miles before my knees quit. I limped the rest my route back home and then whined the rest of the day about how sore I was.
6. K is possibly the best child ever. She did not whine and complain at all on the way back, even when the portable DVD player gave up the ghost. She desperately wanted to be home and was so sick of the car, but she was a trooper about it and just chilled listening to her music/audio books.
7. I am no longer afraid of German Shepherd Dogs. I made friends with my sister’s dog, Mia, who had formerly tried to eat me, prompting an ER doc in Portland, OR to ask whether I was being abused while we waited for the x-rays of my foot. Mia is now my buddy and even gave me the ball to throw a few times. It makes me want a big dog; however, if I ever see a snarling GSD coming at me with its teeth bared ready to eat me, I will probably go back to being afraid again.
8. What I want more than anything is for K to want to hold my hand when she is 14 the way BiM holds my sister’s hand when they are walking somewhere. My nieces have grown into lovely young ladies. They dress appropriately, they speak appropriately, they act appropriately, they are smart, and responsible, and athletic…they are just lovely. They are tweens/teens and I’m sure given to tween/teen angst and shenanigans, but they are also very nice little girls who are little girls, not hootchy mama looking/acting future stars of teen mom. Whatever my sister is doing, I hope I can do it too over the next few years.
Christmas Recap
Christmas was pretty nice, once we got past all the work, church, etc. stuff. B once again worked nights the week before, forcing me to get creative in terms of being quiet while still getting things accomplished. While he slept on Friday and Christmas Eve, K and I ran errands and puttered around together, playing games, reading, cooking for Christmas dinner, cleaning and doing laundry. Christmas Eve B. woke up about 2pm and we all got dressed, took a few pictures in front of the tree and then headed to church. E. originally came downstairs wearing ratty khakis. “Do you have a pair of dark pants you can put on?” “Yes.” So he headed up to his room and came downstairs wearing…the ratty khakis. “E,” said I patiently. “I thought you were going to change?” “Oh, but those pants are really nice,” he responded. Hello? It’s Christmas Eve, bucko, one of only two days a year we expect you to wear something other than jeans. What occasion are you saving them for, exactly? So, he put them on, pictures were taken, and we left for church in separate cars.
We arrived at 4pm, only to discover that band rehearsals were well underway already with the new AMD leading worship. I was immediately put off because, once again, no one told me we were starting early. It was a few minutes before I got inside, got things set up in the hall for dinner, and came back. By then they were done going over the offertory song, which I did not know, and it was clear that I would not be singing with them. The AMD has made it clear in the past that I am not welcome to sing if I do not practice with them so…that and the overwhelming crowd on the altar put me off just enough that I said screw it and sat in the pew with my mom and K. It was not the start to Christmas that I had hoped for. The music was…less than great – someone was very shrieky and very loud and the timing on Christmas carols was all off – but the sermon was excellent. I am still struggling with the whole feeling useless/not belonging thing and may or may not take a break until swim season is over. Or permanently. After dinner, I took K and E home and we all got ready for bed. I didn’t even try to stay awake to wait for B. this year. I just got the presents out and crashed with the dog.
Christmas morning we did our usual – stockings only – but I hastened the process by waking up early to shower and get dressed. I walked the mutt while everyone else got ready and then we headed out to mom and dad’s for breakfast and presents there. Home to our house to put the turkey in the oven and open our presents, then it was time for lunch, more laundry (yes, on Christmas), cleaning up, last minute packing, snacks, and dinner with my parents. It was a nice day all in all.
Monday, as mentioned, we headed south, stopping in Rocky Mt., NC to sleep. We ate at what may be the worst Denny’s on earth but had a few good chuckles at our bitchy waitress (“I’ve got like 4 tables ahead of you, so you’ll just have to wait,” the cook throwing things and yelling at the few waitresses there, and the lack of utensils (B finally swiped them from another table). None of us slept very well, so we were up and ready to go early the next day. We hit breakfast when it opened and were on the road again by 7am.
We arrived at our FL hotel around 3pm and were over to my sister’s around 4 to wait for the girls to come home from swim practice. Uncle Mo had smoked a small flock of chickens for us to eat that night, which of course, has made B. crave a smoker of his own and we just hung out, ate dinner, opened presents, and played with the dogs until it was time to crash.
The rest of the week was occupied with working out, a trip to the Jax Zoo (VERY nice zoo), St. Augustine (too many tourists!), swim practice (K swam with them 2 nights and watched on the 3rd), and eating (breakfast at the hotel, lunch out, and dinner at my sisters). It was a nice, if a little hectic, visit. K had a wonderful time with her cousins and we really enjoyed it too. I REALLY wish we lived closer. I don’t think we can manage driving down more than once a year just b/c of time and $$ and that makes me sad.
The last two days of vacation were spent vegging, watching football, and doing laundry (why do I do so much frigging laundry???). Yesterday K and I spent the morning cleaning and organizing her room to get rid of things she no longer plays with, consolidate her books, put everything in an appropriate place, and make room for her (my) collectors dolls on her book case. After much bugging, she got B to get them out of the attic and we set them up yesterday afternoon. Her room looks great and her new year’s resolution is to keep it neat. We’ll see how long that lasts!
I hereby resolve
Does anyone else think making resolutions is a waste of time?
Every year, I have the same things on my list...stop picking the skin on my lips, pray more, etc. Last year I actually succeeded in stopping the lip-picking. It took until Spring, but I did it. And then the whole big thing at work happened and I reverted back to a state of unbelievable anxiety and started up again. Dang it. So, now I am back on the wagon. I figure it I did it once, I can do it again. Maybe this time it will be easier?
Another of my resolutions has to do with fitness…I want to do a better job of cross training. I’ve gotten into a bit of cross-training rut, if that makes sense. I swim 2x a week, I tone/lift weights 2x a week, and a do the elliptical the other day. I’ve succeeded in getting my cardio down to 3 days per week, which was a big deal for me, but I stopped doing other things on that non-swim day. I used to run, bike, do a DVD, or take a class once in a while, but I’ve been stuck in a rut. I am happy with my training in the pool (or at least I don’t think I will completely humiliate myself at the meet in 2 weeks), but the rest has become boring. Watching my sister workout with her trainer gave me some inspiration to mix it up a little in the coming months.
Another fitness resolution is to complete the 100 day challenge. Each day we add another pushup to the total until we are up to 100 on April 9. I asked B if I could bank some pushups now when it is easy to make the end of this a little more tolerable? For example, if I do 30 or 40 a day now, I can save up for when we are up in the 80s and 90s and I want to quit. Somehow doing 100 pushups is daunting enough, but when I think about doing 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, etc. the days before that…yikes. On the plus side, my shoulders, back, and chest will be down-right ripped. On the minus side…ouch.
I have discovered that I am a gym snob. I HATE the few weeks after new years when all the resolutioners are there – taking up space, sweating all over the machines, grunting and groaning, and getting in the way of the people who take working out seriously all year long. I know that is not a nice attitude to have and I want to cheer on the people who are going to make a real commitment to do it…but the ones who join with a major “look at me” attitude, who stand or sit around in the pool taking up space and getting in the way either after or instead of working out…I’ve no time for them. For example, when I got to the gym at 11:45 on Monday, it was PACKED. The parking lot was full, the cardio machines were full, the weights were being used, and the pool was crammed with people…three of whom I had never seen before and were just standing/sitting around taking up space, like it is a frigging spa. Luckily one of the regulars was getting out so I got in her lane and we chatted about the ridiculous “new year’s bump” while she stretched. By noon all the newbie pool people were gone and it was just us me and three bouncers who share a lane so they can talk. I know that by mid-February the ranks will thin and it will go back to being largely normal, but for the next week or two…grrrrrr.
I am officially registered for my first (only?) Master’s swim meet in under 2 weeks. My personal goals are not lofty – I want to beat my daughter’s times in the 100 free and 100 IM. I have set a personal goal of 1:20 for myself in free and 1:30 in IM. I think I can do both without too much bloodshed and maybe beat a senior citizen or two while I’m at it. I am also supposed to be swimming two relays with some of the other coaches. We have a ringer in a 24 year old former national champion swimmer, but unfortunately, our age group is based on her age and I’m not sure that her speed will be enough to make up for the 3 of us in the 35+ crowd. It should be fun though. After that…who knows. There is one in March that sounds like fun – it is a pentathlon (50 in every stroke, plus 100 IM) but I will wait and see how the January meet goes before making any decisions. Sometimes I think it would be nice to just get in and swim however much I feel like rather than worry about intervals and whatever.
Another resolution is, of course, to do a better job updating my blog. I know no one reads it, but if I don’t write them down, I forget too many things that I really want to remember. So, the blogging really is for my benefit and no one else’s.
High compliments for minis! Hard parenting "these days"... probably any days! Glad you had wonderfful visit!
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