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part one if you haven’t read it.
My reason for boring you with that long dissertation is to say, I’ve got some ’street cred’. I’ve been on both sides of the coin. I know what its like to be on the pudgy side of the spectrum and I know exactly how hard it is/seems to be to change anything. There was a period of time where I did not own a pair of jeans that fit…I had jeans, and I was sure “I’d get back into them.” But I had work clothes for the week and stretchy for the weekend. Im so embarrassed to write that but its true. The thing is, nothing was going to change until I was really ready to do something about it. For me it took getting diabetes to be my wake-up call. The writing was on the wall for me if I didn’t make some profound changes in my eating and fitness habits. I don’t want to be diabetic and I didn’t want to wear stretchy for the rest of my life. This was ridiculous.
Several weeks ago I read something that got me all fired up and propelled me to write this (and Im intentionally trying to be vague, Im not trying to stir a pot). I was bothered by the number of people (and I realize this is only a small sample of the population) who were 1) plus sized 2) attributed their size to genetics/heritage 3) felt that size does not=health.
1) I went back to the US this summer. Whats more- I was in the midwest. The heartland. People are big and getting bigger. If I sat in the mall for an hour I’d say about 98% of the people that walked by would be somewhere on the overweight-obese-morbidly obese scale. What is even more concerning to me, is that overweight people are raising overweight kids. Its worrisome. I wonder what, if anything, will cause a shift/change? Im a sucker for TV shows that are medically related and recently I saw one on this morbidly obese man (1000-ish pounds) having to be physically removed from his house– they had to punch a hole through the wall to get him out on a stretcher because he wouldn’t fit through the door and I asked PC-how do you get to that point? No. I mean really. HOW do you get to that point? How do you get to the point that you have completely lost the ability to MOVE. How do you let yourself keep eating and eating and eating and not say WHOA. Not say STOP? I mean somewhere SOMEWHERE along the spectrum I just can’t believe, can’t begin to GRASP that people lack that much self control. That you can’t tell yourself to stop shoving burgers and fries in your food hole. I. don’t. get. it. Obviously that is an extreme case but my question is still the same– how does it happen?
I weigh myself every day. Im sure some people would disagree with this. I do it because it (along with the zipper on my jeans) is my “whoa” factor. I fluctuate about 5lbs. I accept that. Any more than 5lbs and we have a problem. I refused (esp. after diabetes) to be one of those women who “could never quite lose that baby weight.” I refuse to let myself hop on the scale 6 months from now and be like “damn….I gained 10lbs? How?” I don’t obsess about weight. I don’t freak out about calories. I don’t diet. I don’t deny myself any food. I do have a serious sweet tooth. I am at a healthy weight/BMI. I wear a size 8. I want to be healthy. I want to feel healthy and for the first time (meaning in the last few years) I do. After spending so many years NOT healthy.
The bottom line is that we are consuming way way more calories than our bodies can metabolize. That is the reason we are overweight. If we consumed fewer calories it would be better for our waistlines, our wallets and the environment.
2) To copy a line from somewhere else: We are all born with different body shapes and sizes but (aside from a medical condition) there is no reason for any of us to be seriously overweight. Our ancestors have nothing (or at least very little) to do with how big (round?) we are. I’m pretty sure that as a whole we’re several inches taller than our ancestors were (thats probably because of all the milk we drink with the extra! added! growth hormone! and calcium), and Im positive we’re a hell of a lot heavier. Dudes….we aren’t heavy because we came from “German/Dutch/Swiss etc. stock.” Furthermore– if you go searching on any other country on earth there is no population that is as overweight as ours. So, I think that also sort of discredits the ‘lets blame our heritage’ theory. In fact I’d say maybe the biggest familial factor in determining our shapes are the habits we learn and the things we’re fed growing up. I will agree that there is probably something in our genetics that may predispose us to certain things (ie alcoholism, being heavy, etc.) but I don’t think that necessarily means you are resigned to having/being X. I call bullshit on the ancestor theory. Its a cop-out. Its an excuse. Its interesting how with weight people use genetics as a reason to accept that “they can’t change their DNA” and yet when it comes to, say, being genetically predisposed to breast cancer women will go pre-emptively lop their breasts off (is surgery easier than a workout?) Yet both of those can kill you, why do something about one and not the other? And as a sidenote to this– Im almost finished with the book “In Defense of Food” and Michael Pollan says in numerous instances how much healthier our ancestors were and its our Western Diet that is literally killing us. (More on food/diet in part four).
3) Right now Im in the best shape I’ve been in. Wanna feel my bicep [wink wink]? I’ll get into the exercise portion a little more in part three of this four part series (did I get a laugh?) but while I wholeheartedly agree that just because you are thin doesn’t mean you are fit (and you can easily be heavier and be in very good shape as well) by and large the less weight you are carrying on your frame, the better. Right?
I like talking with people. I like helping and offering and making a difference where I can. I don’t want to cause any hard feelings and no one should take anything I have to say personally. I myself an am OVERLY sensitive person. I was just emailing back and forth with a friend the other day who was telling me she’s still trying to figure out her ‘calling’ and I keep finding myself circulating around these sorts of topics. I’ve seriously thought of going back to school for nursing, a masters in nutrition, some sort of health/wellness degree, physiology, environmental science, or maybe just getting a personal trainer certification (note- I have no interest in being a trainer, just interested in the knowledge). Im fascinated by the science behind food as it relates to health. I’ve always loved science and always thought I’d go to medical school. Chemistry deterred me. If I want any of those degrees listed above I know Im going to have to give chemistry another go. My point is I’d like to help people because I know its not easy. Weight loss is hard- its really really hard and that, I think, is why people don’t do it. Its not because of our ancestors. Its not because you’re taking a stance against the media making us feel we need to be supermodel thin. Its because its so damn hard. I know that is what held me back, I never appreciated that I had to push myself. Oh Lord I sound like a Jillian groupie but everything she says is right on, and when I want to stop running because I feel like I might throw up my left lung I hear her voice saying, “if you want change, its not going to come for free……if you want results you’re going to have to push” and I find the strength to go at least another 10 feet. ha ha
On one side of our fridge I tear out things of magazines or or write down quotes that I like. I particularly like this one from Dean Karnazes (and his book is next in my stack to read):
“Western culture has things a little backwards right now. We think if we had every comfort available to us, we’d be happy. We equate comfort with happiness. And now we’re so comfortable we’re miserable. There’s no struggle in our lives. No sense of adventure. We get in a car, we get in an elevator, it all comes easy. What I’ve found is that I’m never more alive than when I’m pushing and I’m in pain, and I’m struggling for high achievement, and in that struggle I think there’s a magic.”
Category(s): This Is My Life, fitness!
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*I always think of my friend Viv who, when interviewing a potential nanny, asked the person to, “tell me a little about yourself” and her response was “where should I start….like when I was born?”
I won’t start quite that far back. Also, if you’re particularly sensitive (no, I don’t hate fat people) or don’t want to hear my opinions on health/fitness/size/food etc. You might as well tune out now.
All through high school I was a nice 110-115 lbs. I remember in college my roommate Melissa and I had gone to the gym and we ‘dared’ to step on the big scale there. Me? 120. I had reached one hundred and TWENTY pounds. I couldn’t believe it. I guess you can’t have french fries and chicken cosmo sandwiches at the dining hall and not gain weight. I also had no idea that going to Late Night Libby (fellow Buff’s know what Im talking about) and getting bagels or frozen mini pizzas or (gross) burritos for midnight snacks was also not a wise choice.
I obviously didn’t expect to weigh 115 pounds into my 20’s but I continued to slowly go up to my absolute max when Nathan was born: 190lbs. Many of you probably know I also had gestational diabetes with Nathan. Not surprising when I weighed ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY pounds. When we lived in Colorado and was working full time I loathed working out. We lived in an apartment complex that had a nice workout facility, pool and a “lake” (man made pond) to run around. I thought I could go “phone it in” for 15-20 minutes on the elliptical machine lift a few weights and call it a day. I can’t imagine why I never lost any weight.
When we moved into our house we lost the workout room so I joined the YMCA in Boulder, figuring it would make the sense to go workout after work and then go home. I dragged myself there a few times a week, put in my 20 minutes and went home. After working all day long the last thing I cared about doing was going to workout. I would get up at 6, be to work by 7, work all day dealing with people that “didn’t understand HOW I HAVE NO MONEY, it says right HERE in my checkbook I do,” (yes, I really did have people- many in fact, that assured me that their ‘rough math’ in their check register was correct. The bank was incorrect but they couldn’t pinpoint our error) all I wanted to do is go home, make dinner and watch TV. And for the most part, I did.
When PC joined the Marine Corps and I quit my job I made a serious effort to get into better shape. I started going to the gym in Quantico and doing classes 3-4 days a week. I enjoyed it and did it well into my pregnant days. Once I was diagnosed with diabetes I was really diligent about walking every morning. I wasn’t on insulin so I had to keep my blood sugar in check with diet and exercise.
Lets just talk about diabetes for a minute- its not fun. You don’t want to get this/have this/develop this. I wasn’t sure how I would survive the last 12 weeks of pregnancy on what I thought was a very restrictive diet. I mean pregnancy was supposed to be your one-time excuse to eat what you wanted….not hot dogs with no buns. It wasn’t fun poking my finger 4+ times a day- after a couple days all your fingers all have scabs on them and you’re repoking the ones that haven’t been healed. Your skin starts to get tougher so you have to set the needle higher so it pricks harder. I knew I didn’t want to live like that for the rest of my life. I knew I’d never take my insulin for granted again. Because I became so well versed in the diet plan it definitely spilled over into how we eat today. Turns out the ‘diabetic diet’ is pretty much how we should be eating, all of us.
Once Nathan was born I gave myself 6 months to be back to my pre-pregnancy size. I did it in 5. Here is my plug for breastfeeding, I love the breastfeeding weight loss plan. I mean-its so great I think they should find a way to induce lactation and people can just pump and pour calories all they want. Breastfeeding lowers your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it also protects the baby from both type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as no fewer than a bajillion other things. Don’t worry- Im not a card carrying LLL member or anything, but Im a firm believer in the benefits of the boob.
Once we got to Japan I got a POS jogging stroller and started walking a little more regularly. My friend and neighbor Stephanie convinced me (dragged me? hehe) to do a 5k with her one weekend. It pretty much sucked to just go run a 5k without having been running at all. And Stephanie could just run the whole thing! And she had a cool stroller! And she looked fantastic! So, I decided I should start running and once a month do the 5k’s on base as my measure for improvement. I kept running, eventually upgraded to a better stroller (when the handlebar snapped off mine while running, it made for a good reason to get a new one) and then got pregnant again. I distinctly remember the last time I went running; it was a Saturday morning, PC was deployed and we were coming back from Dunkin Donuts when Nathan puked in the stroller. A few days later I caught it. I had a dr. appt the next day and had started to loose weight at which point I was told no more vigorous exercise.
After Mackenzie was born I lost the baby weight in about 4 months. Granted, I had gained a lot less. Since having her I’ve been running some but mostly, as I think we are all well aware, I do the 30 day Shred with Jillian. That brings us to the present.
*****
to be cont.
Category(s): This Is My Life
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I should really stay up and write my health/fitness/food/wellness post that’s been rolling around in my mind for the last several days. Especially because Im all fired up right now. Get this….
I bought a box of angel food cake mix. Despite my adherence to making things from scratch I do buy cake mixes….(but I don’t buy brownie or muffin mixes… so I don’t know why I don’t make cake from scratch, anyway.) So after I popped it in the oven I quickly glanced at the ingredient list because I was curious how powder + water + mix = FOAM?
The reason folks, is that they put potentially cancer causing soap bubbles in it. Pfft. For the love of all that is holy…..shit, I guess this Iowa girl is going to have to become a FREAKING John-Deere tractor driving FARMER because the grocery store no longer sells FOOD anymore. They sell products that are food-ish. Gah….its scary….no I mean it, its seriously, seriously scary. WHAT THE HELL ARE WE EATING?
I’m reading Michael Pollans “In Defense of Food” and it is outstanding. His whole point was driven home tonight with the Devil Angel food cake debacle. Im also working on a cookbook…who knows if I’ll ever get around to finishing it but if I do, you might want a copy. I think I might title it “Eat This if You Want to Survive.”
Thanks Betty effing Crocker for putting soap bubbles in my cake mix. I fed that TO MY BABY TONIGHT.
Category(s): Because I'm NICE like that, Lets Eat!, its not just good-its just good enough
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Im aware that Mackenzie gets more detailed updates on here. There is no real reason for this other than after she was born the whole notion of keeping up on her milestones in a baby book wasn’t going to happen, so I started monthly letters. I should be doing the same for Nathan…even if it is only once every six months.
Dear Nathan,
This month you turn four and a half. FOUR AND A HALF. How we are just six months away from you being F-I-V-E blows my mind. My baby….HOW did you grow up so fast? It makes my heart ache a little that its all going so fast.
  You are a loving, caring, affectionate, tough, stubborn, determined, hard headed, brilliant four year old. You are a great big brother (most of the time). You use your sister as a pawn when you see fit. Like when we went Christmas shopping for her and you went down the cars/trucks aisle of the BX and picked out an airplane, “She’ll want this airplane…..we’ll just share it how about?” You like playing upstairs in your room (”mom—Mackenzie wants to go play in my room….don’t you Mackenzie [high pitched motherease voice] you want to go play upstairs with Nathan? Say yes, say yes?”) Mackenzie just nods her head like a bobble. So we go upstairs where the battle of toys begins. You want your sister there, but not too close. And not touching anything Playmobil. So you try and bait her with something lame and in your high pitched motherease voice say, “here Mackenzie….you want to play doctor? Here is the breast pump anesthesia mask.” Which buys you about 30 seconds before she’s back in your stuff.
 You still love airplanes. You still line them up and fly them around. Im glad you have something you’ve enjoyed since you were a wee little guy. You have started getting into legos. Playmobil, Little People, Chubby People and wood blocks keep you busy. You love doing workbooks and coloring and painting.
You absolutely think you are one of the big kids when you play outside, even though you are the youngest. You come in for dinner, dirt smeared across your face, hands black and tell me all non-chalantly that you were “playin’ Lava Monster at the park…..whats for dinner?” Gee….did you turn 16 while you were out there too? You now have a scooter like some of the other kids and it makes me smile as I watch you from the kitchen window whizzing by. How did you get so big? And so coordinated?
On the nights that your dad works late or is gone, after we put Mackenzie to bed we have what you affectionately refer to as: you and me time. It sounds more like something that would be on The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love. Its much more innocent than that and it usually involves a chat over a bowl of ice cream. Snuggling up and watching a movie, reading books or coloring. You love having my undivided attention and I get that, I like having yours.
You love to help me in the kitchen. Its what we do. We were real busy over Christmas and I think your very very favorite is frosting sugar cookies. Theres frosting! and Sprinkles! And colored sugar! You like to tell me “you’re the bestest mommy I’ve ever had” or sometimes I’m “the best mommy in the whole universe.”
You’re doing well in school even though you still have occasional protests about going. You have nice printing and can write your name as well as mine and your dads. Mackenzie’s is a bit longer so we’re still working on that. You have started reading books and doing addition/subtraction 0-10. Kindergarten is going to be a breeze for you kid. The other day you were sitting at the table and out of the blue started furiously rubbing your hands together. “This is friction” you announced, “my hands are warm, feel them. Thats friction.” Uh…..ok Albert EINSTEIN. Incidentally I think you learned that little gem from TV.
And speaking of TV….what do you like to watch? Ki-Lan and Clifford. Those are the clear favorites. You are also your mother’s son and you are all too eager to sit with me and watch a “hospital show” (something surgical and bloody) or something on animal planet like “man eating shark” or “caught on tape- snake eating entire antelope.” Hey, at least its educational. I think.
The other day when I was sick and dozing I felt you come over to me tap me on my chest and give me a kiss. You are a very loving little boy. You dole out hugs and kisses and will even cup my face in your hands and smile at me. This gives me every assurance that even on the bad days, Im doing something right. When I tuck you in I tell you I want you to be my GooGoo* for ever. Sometimes you tell me you will until you’re a grown up, other days you assure me– promise me, you’ll be my GooGoo forever. I hope so.
Love you forever,
mom
*in case you’re wondering-I’ve called Nathan GooGoo since he was a wee one, when he was a baby he’d always make the sound “nnn-goo” so I started calling him my N-Goo baby, then goo goo and the name just stuck. He’s also my Nath-a-lathe, Nathy, and Nate the Great. He does not like just ‘Nate’….he promptly tells me thats not his name.
Category(s): Nate the Great
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Mackenzie,
You turned 15 months old this week and you started walking (for real this time). I love watching your face as you toddle across a room, part exhilaration and pure excitement of your newfound freedom, part fear of toppling over. I had forgotten how much fun this stage is– just a few short days of learning the new skill. Soon it will be old news.
We still call you Kiki or little Macky or Kenzie or little SAAHSAAY (sassy). Or Little Mama or BooBoo or KeeGee or Keek. I’ve also started calling you MYkenzie which will probably just throughly confuse you as to what the correct pronunciation of your name really is. And when you climb all over your brother and giggle with delight– that’s called a MAC ATTACK.
I was just thinking today how cavalier I’ve been about your words, I mean, compared to a 4 year old that can talk AND walk, you’ve still got a ways to go, but compared to when Nathan was this age- he had a few sounds/signs but you’ve got actual words. Nathan really didn’t speak at all until just after he turned two. Today you started stringing a bunch of nonsense together and it was like “mom, don’t you get what Im saying?” After dinner you’ll start pulling on someone’s leg for your “baah baah” (bath). You ask for “wa wa” and you like things that are “peee” (pretty). You are totally your mother’s daughter in that you can spot a baked good a mile away “EEH EEH (cookIE)” you say it over and over and you add in the sign for “yes please” as well as nodding your head. Hopefully the trifecta of word, sign and nod is the winning combo to ensure success. Im such a sucker. You like to play with the phone and say “I” (hi) and ask if its “da…..da?” (never mama. Never). You say bir for bird, boo for book. EEZ for cheese and ack for snack. and you have some strange word for vacuum. You have a strange love/hate with the vacuum, terrified if it gets to close to you, fascinated from a safe distance and you always do the sign for ‘more’ followed by your word for vacuum whenever the ‘ole Dyson gets turned off. Im so glad these domestic duties excite you. We’ve sort of regressed on the animal sounds…now pretty much any mammal says “WHOO” or “RAAH.” Meh, its the shortcut I guess.
 If someone asks me what your favorite thing is, hands down its got. to be. your. shoes. You love yourself some shoes girl. And, if the mood hits you, socks are ok too. I’ve been a bit of a sucker for the See Kai Run shoes- you love having me put them on and take them off. You absolutely beam with delight when I say “you have shoes on? You look. so. pretty.” You are my girlie girl. You are interested in accessories. You tell me my necklaces are “pee” and for Christmas your to-be Aunt Ashley picked out a very cute little Fisher Price purse that comes with an assortment of girlie items but most importantly a pink plastic bracelet. You shove your chubby little hand through it, hold it up and wait for me to tell you how pretty you look.
 Admiring her silver mary janes In addition to your shoes, socks, and bracelet, you love to get into whatever Nathan is doing. You love stuffed animals and are interested in mundane things (a plastic straw wrapper!) as well as things like the Apple remote. Which you correctly point at the TV, push the button and start/pause a show. 15 month olds….they can do anything.
When we tell you your food is hot you put your hand over it and say” HA” (hot) and then proceed to blow on it. I think it probably ranks up there in the cutest! thing! ever! that today Janelle told you the oven was hot and you proceeded to blow on it. Same thing happened when you were trying to climb up the step ladder (the one your brother was already occupying) and reach towards the electric fry pan. Your dad told you it was hot and you blew some slobbery air at it.
And while we’re on the topic of food; girl, you can eat. If I had to pick a favorite….blueberries? I’m fairly certain if I didn’t stop with say, an entire bowl, you’d just keep eating them. Fresh or frozen, doesn’t matter. You had real strawberries for the first time last week and I think those might rival the blueberries. You like waffles and cookies and yogurt and oatmeal. Raisins, peas, grapes, and pita. You mostly want exactly what we’re eating. You can’t seem to choke down anymore string cheese (”Kenzie….we’ve got to run some errands….mama will bring some string cheese with us!”) so, I should really stop buying that. You’ve started requesting water just out of the blue which is just so nice to actually have you communicate what it is you want.
  You love playing outside with the kids and now that you’re walking Im sure you’ll be chasing after them instead of just waving and screaming at them. You and Nathan play well together and I think its pretty dang cute that Nathan has started pulling the other end of your bike and he asks me what I want to drink. You probably don’t realize it but you (and Nathan) are flight attendants, your bike is the food cart and you guys are working the aisles of the airplane passing out food. A brother and sister flight attendant team, srsly, too cute.
Judging by the rail of your crib you apparently could have a career as a woodchuck or a beaver or whatever creature uses its 4 front teeth to gnaw away at a piece of wood. Nathan did this trick but no where NEAR the extent that you have. Since the crib was flipped the other direction when he was in it he chewed on one end and you’re working hard at the other. It kind of makes me want to keep the crib when we’re done with it, for no other reason than its got those sweet little teeth marks in it. Ah, Im a sucker for sentimental value.
You wear 24mo/2T and still have the chubbiest little legs and arms. Janelle even pointed out your chubby fingers today, but I promise, they are still dainty in their chubbiness. You have a nice round little tummy and a flat-ish butt. I had to trim up your bangs this week– at least some part of your hair looks groomed. Most days we’re somewhere between a peacocked-Farrah-mullet and just a mullet. I managed to get your hair some teeny pigtails a few times (and they’re so! cute! a cross between a Sprite and Shrek! but you fight me and fight me and damn… it takes me at least 10 tries to just get one in, its so frustrating to watch you stroke that fluffy tail and then pull the rubber-band out (”noooooooooooo”). You’ve also started boycotting barrettes… put it in, take it out, put it in, take it out. I give up. Rock the mullet if you want. Unless I have you totally distracted its futile.
I dread going anywhere with you in the car because you are just a miserable crank. Your Uncle Steve has determined, after being squashed in the backseat with you, that you just don’t like being confined. You’re a free spirit and you need to roam. So, on the one hand, too many minutes spent in the car with you can put a damper on my day, but for the most part Kiki, you make me smile and make me laugh every day. Nathan was (is) a real character too but you- you know how to work a crowd. You’ve started doing sweet eyes again and the more we smile and laugh the more you do it. I hope you make that face forever.
 In the mornings after we drop Nathan off at school we come home and do the shred with Jillian Michaels. Your stare goes from the TV, to me and then back to the TV. You smile and wave your arms and shake your booty like you’re doing it to. When Im doing pushups or sit-ups you’ll crawl over and get right near my face, turn sideways and give me a big smile like “yeah mama, us girls gotta workout….together.”
love you forever,
mama
Category(s): McSassy
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Im not a big fan of the New Years resolutions. Like because you have a new calendar hanging on the wall its a good reason to lay down some new rules for your life. I mean– what percentage of Americans do you think have some form of “lose weight” as their resolution? Last year I instead opted to focus on a word, balance. I think I did pretty good with that, I feel like my head is so much more above water than it was last year. That probably has a lot to do with the fact that I had a 3 month old vs. a 15 month old, but I think I’ve done a better job on focusing my efforts where it should be, organizing my time, etc.
Well, this year Im sort of back to the list but here goes:
1) Grow something, tomatoes, squash, even just herbs. Grow it, eat it.
2) Drink green tea in the evening (I have to say we’ve been going strong for about two weeks now on that one. PC tells me it counteracts my coffee habit. We also got the best jasmine tea in Singapore, so it helps when its good tea.)
3) Be more choosey with what I buy. I always get so discouraged when I buy something, end up not using it, but keep it because I spent money on it. PC tells me that once its been bought, the money is already “wasted”, that I should move on, get rid of it and not stress over it. And don’t make the same mistake next time. Case in point: a adidas running jacket, shirt from the gap, speedo bikini….all have their tags on them, I know Im not going to wear them. Yet I keep them because I think “maybe eventually I will.” No. I won’t. They are finally in the get rid of pile.
4) Read at least 3 books. I know – to many of you that is probably a pathetic goal. Im terrible about reading anything more than a magazine or the internet. I think I get discouraged because if I miss a few days then I forget what was going on and then a few more days I just say to heck with it and go back to the internet. I can proudly say that I am about halfway through Michael Pollan’s ‘In Defense of Food’. Eye opening. Which brings me to my next point
5) Continue to focus on eating Whole Foods. I think I/we are pretty healthy eaters. I love to cook and make most everything from scratch. We really don’t have much processed food around but even I get lazy and keep some boxed mac and cheese on hand. I was going to take a picture of our pantry for brutal honesty but, its too messy. I really try and stay away from the cookie/cracker/chip aisles. But with kids its hard to avoid having Goldfish in the pantry and some Oreos in the freezer (oh wait, the oreos are for me, on the days the Littles are besting me).
6) Keep on keepin on on the fitness front. I think this and #5 could have an entire post devoted to them (especially after reading a blog about being plus sized that went into a comment frenzy) (another day). PC and I were discussing this and Im not really sure what goal to set for myself…we used to run the 5k every month on base and I’d like to get back into doing that and subsequently go running more often to be able to go farther/faster. Oh, and continue to work on my tummy that insists it wants to look like Im about 8 weeks pregnant* abs of steel. Currently I workout 5-6 days a week. I hope to keep that up.
*Since I housed a 10 and a half lb person in there, Im not sure if it will ever be anything close to flat again. Sigh.
So, I’ll let you know if we produce any produce, read any good books and I’ll be sure to pass on any fitness wisdom. Did you make any resolutions?
Category(s): This Is My Life
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Stop rubbing the ham between your hands. Just eat it.
Oranges don’t go on your nose or in your ear. Even if your sister likes it.
Please don’t try to lasso your sister.
Can you not stick the sweaty sock in your mouth?
Category(s): Things I never thought I'd have to say
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I had intended on doing this sooner, you know, like on Christmas when everyone is all abuzz about their loot. I don’t really have a good excuse….the salmonella? all the damn wrapping paper and ribbon I had to bag up?
Alas, Im going to share with you a few of my favorite items from this year, in no particular order:
Santa picked these up at the Raffles Hotel while we were in Singapore. I particularily liked the one on the right (and in the store PC told me it wasn’t that good–little did I know….). It says “meeting place of the worlds travellers.” And Sqwee! I love it. I didn’t see the other one while we were there but it says “patronized by royalty and nobility.” We joke about it in the mornings depending on who is drinking out of that cup….Im royalty…he can be nobility.
This bad boy is from my in-laws. I feel so spoiled! My MIL knows I like Sephora so she got me this every-color-in-their-inventory eyeshadow/lip gloss/blush set they had. I mean seriously, how FUN is this? I was eyeing something similar at the Sephora in Singapore but ultimately decided against it. Good thing, eh?
This is from my friend Vivian (does Marc deserve credit too?) and its nothing I would have ever thought of getting myself but I LOVE it. Its so fun, I love these kinds of gifts- when someone finds you something you wouldn’t have thought to ‘ask’ for and your totally surprised and end up loving it. (And no, I don’t intend to wear it with two rings, I was trying to get a quick picture because I was in such! a hurry! to post pictures!……a week after Christmas).
 This is from my soon to be sister-in-law Ashley. Let me just say [sadly] I’ve never met her. My brother’s wedding is in October and Im holding out hope that I might meet this future FAMILY MEMBER before the actual wedding day. But, thats sort of beside the point. The point is she got me this totally fun scarf and its supersoft and will match quite nicely with my wool coat I got when I went to England for Thanksgiving while in college (a trip I went on with [among other people] Vivian who is now one of my best friends…..and we didn’t, like, even talk to each other on that trip. If only we’d been friends sooner I might have spared myself some crap-o roommates *cough* Christy *cough cough*). I also have to say that Ashley’s gifts were hands down the most beautifully wrapped out of any….I mean, they looked like they were wrapped by MARTHA HERSELF with pretty glittery paper and big fancy wired ribbon bows. It can’t be easy to go buy stuff for a bunch of to-be family members you haven’t met (my brother Scott is deployed so he was no help in any of this). I think it speaks volumes about her as a person that she went and got such heartfelt gifts for a bunch of to-be family members she’s never met. Im so glad we’ve claimed her to be one of us (I say that as if I had some hand/role in it, haha).
 Note the ring....I did that just for you. Im nothing if not a model...with my Starbucks t-shirt and carefully cropped out wet hair. Also, my hand looks fat. Its really not. This is what Santa brought me, Im pretty excited about it because, well, because Panini are delish. And easy. And healthy. And will be a nice break from the “so….how about pancakes for dinner?” I can always count on my husband for a small kitchen appliance.
This was a request, and I can always count on my parents to buy me something practical. I’ve had it with the crap-o thermometers [ dr: "how high was the temp?" me: "I don't know....our thermometer works-ish so I can only say they are fever-ish."] and this is what they use here….well this or the good ‘ole rectal and, Lord. Spare me. In the middle of the night when someone is sick the last thing I need to worry about is how far to insert a thermometer into someones butt.
And finally, another Sephora splurge. I mean, who wouldn’t want makeup with names like “sexspresso”, “nude beach” and “velvet revolver” it sounds so….scandalous! And, you know me, I live a life of scandal!
So, all in all it was a great Christmas filled with lots of fun “stuff”, great food, a leetle bit of salmonella, and no weight gain. But more importantly it was filled with family, whether imported from China, via an international phone call, a Facebook message, iChat or just an email, we were “with” all the people that matter most to us. Hope your Christmas was filled with as much ‘awesome’ as ours was.
And also, what’d ya get?
Category(s): Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra
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It turns out if you do a lot of baking, and you consume a lot of dough that contains raw eggs that you can get a nice case of salmonella poisoning the week of Christmas. On the bright side, you can also lose 4 lbs the week of Christmas so, win-win. Today is the first day Im actually feeling normal again, I haven’t eaten an actual ‘meal’ since Saturday so Im definitely looking forward to some guilt-free eating tomorrow.
Category(s): Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra
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My friend Stephanie has a list on her blog of all the things she never thought she’d have to say as a parent. My personal favorite: “Corn is for eating. Please don’t rub it on your neck.” Im hoping the Captain can set me up a little sidebar list like she has. But, lets just get started, shall we:
Don’t write on your sister.
If you want to share your pasta with your sister thats fine, but don’t throw it on the ground for her to eat it off the floor, she’s not a puppy.
No you may not have pringles while you’re going to the bathroom.
Category(s): Things I never thought I'd have to say
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