Just a Quickie

Thought that would intrigue you but I am meaning literally, quick post to let you know I am still alive. Thought I would give you a quick run down on my summer thus far:
--Dax has been working for my dad, cement work. Very hard and dirty work but he has been doing it. Up at 7, working 8-4 and making $5 an hour (I didn't make that til I was a freshman in college). He has earned enough to pay for 1/2 of football fees, put some away for Disneyland and school clothes, and bought a $50 Wii game he has been drooling over but I refused to purchase. He was also enrolled in a visual arts camp which he finished today. The finale was a professional looking art exhibit featuring all of their work. He loved the camp and is looking forward to next year.

--Tel has come to love summer "cavation". Because last year was his first year of 'school' (3 year old preschool) he appreciates the not having to shower and go to bed before it is dark and waking before it is light. He has been doing swimming lessons again this year and is amazing. If he could get the turn your head to breathe thing down he would graduate to level 4 which is made up of 8-10 year olds!! He is a little fish.

--I went to Oklahoma at the end of May to see my cousin graduate from Army Bootcamp. I was an emotional wreck. This cousin is more like a first child for me: I baby sat him since he was one week old, took part in his potty training, taught him to tie his shoes, took him to see all the kiddo movies when he was in elementary, talked to teachers when he was struggling in school, provided the automobile and the bravery to go to Junior Prom, was the "parent" at senior pictures, and helped him purchase his first car. I love him so much and he has grown strides while there; literally and figuratively. He is easy 5-6 inches taller and weighs 10 more pounds. The Oklahoma City Memorial is beautiful and if you ever get the chance go and see it. Very humbling and heartbreaking. I was very surprised at how green it is in the OK city, Lawton area. I did a lot of sight seeing, including finding Geronimo's grave (way cool for a nerd like me). I hope to go back.

--Our family vacay this year is a week in southern California. We will spend two days in Disneyland and one day on the beach (2 days for leisurely travel-- I love finding interesting things along the way). The boys are excited, Hubbie is not so much. Have to let you know how he does with the traffic given the fact he has very little patience for anything.

-- I got a new car. Have been bugging Hubbie about a new car for awhile and he gave me the green light last week. I am now cruising a white with grey trim Chevy Traverse. Captain seats in second row, satellite radio, Onstar, all wheel drive, and all the storage room I could imagine!! I am in HEAVEN.

--One last thing: I am an idiot. I periodically have my hair colored. I know shocking considering my young age and lack of grey hair....not. When I do so I have my eyebrows tinted too, because with age they have lightened, no I will not admit to them going grey they are just lighter. Before the appointment I tweeze and trim to shaped them nicely so that the tint will look 'natural'. As I approached the middle of my left brow I realized I had forgotten to put the guard on my eyebrow trimmer and was in fact SHAVING MY FRICKIN EYEBROW! All that came to mind and mouth was oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! So for the past 2 weeks I have been penciling in a false brow so that I did not look like some frat party gone wrong. So next time you see an old pic of Vanilla Ice (am I aging myself...) remember to always have your trimmer guard on before you go to trim.

--Ok not so much a quickie. Have a great summer.

Top 10 List of why I haven't been blogging

These are the top 10 ways I have been prevented to blog in the last month; enjoy!!

10. Brother took his horse home, my horse got lonely and broke out of corral. Went looking for companionship and cut her nose; hellaciously. Feeling guilty and stress over vet bill prevented me.
9. Hubbie has been on unforgiving schedule for 3 months. Single parenthood and missing just seeing hubbie prevented me.
8. Spring has, sort of, sprung! No explanation needed.
7. Spring means cleaning out corral. Transferring about 3 truck-loads of manure to garden spot to prep veggie garden prevented me.
6. NEW. STUDENTS. EVERY. WEEK. Catching them up in the middle of a quarter has prevented me.
5. Final assignment is due in teacher training class. Feeling guilty that computer is on and I'm not doing my homework has prevented me.
4. Tel turned 4 this month. Planning and having his party prevented me.
3. Dax had his school talent show today. Motivating (yelling at) him to practice his piece has prevented me.
2. Dogs were playing a little too rambunctiously and my Shih-tzu got hurt. Vet had to remove his eye. That guilt and vet bill has REALLY stressed me which in turn prevented me.

AND THE #1 REASON I HAVE BEEN PREVENTED TO BLOG IS...
I have been too lazy to do so, haven't found anything of interest to share, have been glued to worthless reality TV (Housewives, Biggest Loser, Dancing with the Stars, and god forgive me, Bridget's Beaches), have been enjoying just reading every other blog, and yes I am an excuse giver. Sorry.

LIVVVVIIIIIDDDD and bored

I am livid! How am I to spend my lunch hour now??? My school computer filter has now been programmed to block Twitter. What is next blogger? Oh please god no.... I will go insane!

This n That

Before I begin I will truthfully tell you that I wanted to title this post "thises and thats" (sp?) but because I didn't know the proper spelling of a made up word I decided against it. Lord knows I don't want total strangers judging me by my misspelled made up word titles.

Tel update: doing well in school, wants me to teach him how to read the kindergarten "sight words" (for all of you post kindergarten mommies you know what I'm talking about for the rest of you: it doesn't really matter he's 3 and wants to read), and let me in on a well known fact about Star Wars the other day. As I was spraying his hair with water to begin the comb down of the unruly thick curly blond hair he sports, he let me know "there are no combs on Star Wars". My reply "oh no? Then how does Anakin comb his hair?" "He doesn't and the only water on Star Wars isn't in bottles, it is caca water in a pond". He did not fight me on the hair combing that morning like he normally does, instead he was changing his battle tactics--civil discussion. Except I believe his strategy was to make me feel as though I was less than the occupants of Star Wars and recognize that if I wanted to measure up to their "coolness" I would have to fore go the comb and spray bottle of water. Hmmmm.... Now as he shows me a Mr Potato head dressed like a Clone Trooper but with the huge white Mr Potato Head teeth underneath the mask he lets me know that no it is not "silly" as I replied when he showed it to me, "it is awesome". I am finding that all of my taste must be in my mouth; according to a budding Einstein 3 year old.

Dax update: still top student in his class but just got over being suspended from the school bus. I am not an advocate of fighting, I am teaching my sons that the bigger man can walk away when they are in a tense situation, yet if you get punched hit back just so they know you cannot be walked on. There is a new boy (5th grader) in town who has been picking on (physically and verbally) every younger boy on the bus. When Dax brought home the paper that stated he was suspended for three days it also stated that I must go to the bus garage to view the security video. I did because deep down, even though he said that he did hit the other boy, I thought there must be a mistake. Dax is such a mild mannered child, one who has stuck up for other kids, verbally, one who comforts the sad and definitely not one to pummel a child. The video showed a group of 5 boys, one of them being Dax, sitting at the back of the bus. You could clearly hear the verbal assaults coming from 3 of the boys and muffled remarks coming from the new boy and honest to God Dax wasn't saying a word: just smiling and nodding. All of a sudden he flips his face toward the new boy and yells in this voice I have never heard before or after "Shut the eff up you shithead"; then he leaps diagonally across the aisle of the bus and repeatedly punches the new boy OVER AND OVER AND OVER, WIDE SWINGS, SOLID HITS until a friend literally gets underneath Dax and pushes him away. I did not know my son swears but am happy that he will not say "the bomb".....yet; eff is good enough for him right now. I don't know what the new boy said, I do know of the many things he has said and done to others which are not nice but nothing bad enough for me to consider physical harm a solution. I was so upset that the only thing that would come to mind when speaking to Dax was "you have become a thug". NIIIIICE!

Me update: going to spin tonight, haven't been for over a week because hubbie has been working every night it was scheduled. Scared to go, know it will hurt. ...think bikini...think bikini...think bikini...

Days Off

I was late to work today--no really late like I had students walk in right behind me. But today I didn't care to be on time in fact if I knew it would be easy I would've called in sick or maybe QUIT! Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I love my husband even more for putting up with me going back to school to get an entirely different degree and racking up thousands in student loans to follow my "dream" of teaching. But.... this morning I woke up well before anyone else (my boys are natural EARLY risers), ate breakfast in silence, and read a magazine while I drank a cup of coffee (I will explain the new me drinking coffee in a later blog). On my second cup Tel woke up and joined me in the kitchen and we just sat and randomly talked for a long time--too long, I was now running late. I picked him up and took him to wake up dad because I needed to get ready for work. I then started my makeup and here comes Tel. "Mom lets just go sit down and visit some more" That was it: I QUIT! I wanted to just sit with him until he bored of my conversation, I wanted to spend that time just the two of us. Dax was able to have that with me, he was first and I was going to school, not working-- a lot more at home time. I couldn't sit and visit with Tel anymore; I had to finish and get out the door in order to be in my classroom before students. Nothing has made me second guess working before and summer vacation reinforces my desire to do so. But my 3 year old baby boy, with his golden hair and big blue eyes, made me wish we could live comfortably on one salary. And when I get home he will probably be the pestering little shit he normally is: IQ of a 6 year old (argues points, backs them up with reason), ability to tease like a 9 year old (wants to do just what brother does), but whiny like the 3 years he is (not quite 9 and very sad is isn't because it isn't fair Dax does all this "cool" stuff).

Spin Class

A friend of a friend, who is a neighbor, decided to purchase numerous "spinning" stationary bikes and start her own class. I thought I'd do it because the classes are held at night and maybe I'd scare the shit out of my body and it would, in fear, harden up with MUSCLE, LEAN MUSCLE.

I went to my first class last night. It kicked my ass. There were only 5 of us there, one being a friend of my hubbies who jacked his knee up a while back and needs some physical therapy. The other three were young girls and I've decided I don't like young girls anymore--as long as it comes to working out.

They all were able to keep up with the instructor, whereas I could not. Two of them didn't sweat a drop, whereas my towel was drenched as were both of my sleeves and the rest of my shirt and probably the entire crotch of my pants but I didn't give a shit about that -- I hurt. Yes, I know that it is jealousy and not hatred but it is much easier to say "I hate you" rather than "I wish I were like you". Easier on the ego anyway.

Goals

I have set goals, finally, for myself regarding the whole healthy living schtuff. I typed them all cutesy, printed them on BRIGHT orange paper, and posted them on the door of my armoire.
They are as follows:
1. Do at least 20 push ups a day--working up to 100
2. Do at least one set of an ab exercise per day
3. Ask myself if I stayed true to the "no sugar except on weekends" rule I have declared
4. Other Goals:

Here is where I proceeded to cut and paste picks of body parts that I covet. Yes, I do know that it is unhealthy to set goals to look like someone else and it is much better to love oneself but I need something visual. I chose a picture of Kelly Ripa's arm (fyi: there are no heads on these pictures, just the body part I am coveting), Carrie Underwood's legs, and Britney Spears' tummy. It is a recent pic of Britney so I KNOW if she can make herself look like that after 2 kids and a mental breakdown, so. can. I!

Mock me if you will but I think this will help me because before this I was a hamster in a wheel: I went to the gym, watched what I ate, watched nothing change, and was depressed that I saw no change. But I never had goals. Maybe this will be the key.

I don't know if I'd call it progress???

I went to the gym today with hubbie so all weights no cardio (contemplating going running right now). I can curl 20 lb dumbbells, do other pully things for bi & triceps at around 35-40 lbs, and do dips with only having to remove 90 lbs from my weight (cool machine that lets you do it=equal opportunity shtuff). My arms are nowhere near "cut" rather they still have dimples and even when I flex there is barely any muscle. I don't know what to do. When I started going to the gym on a regular basis, about 1.5 years ago, I could only curl 10-12 lbs and I didn't attempt the other machines. So I have made progress in the strength category; I just don't know when I will be able to put the smack down on someone to show my progress. Because you know I spend most of my free time beating the shit out of people to show how strong I am. On a side note: I did come home, eat a healthy lunch, and follow it up with two slices of homemade bread with butter. Hmmm... I just don't know why I have dimply arms...

Slacker that I am

So I was able to leave work an hour early today because of a scheduled power outage. Instead of going to the gym for an unplanned yet well needed visit, I high tailed it for home. When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised with 3 loaves of homemade WHITE bread and a half eaten ginormous hershey kiss. Yea! I ate 3 thick pieces of bread, with butter (mind you I cut butter out of my diet almost a year ago) and finished the kiss. Oh sweet lord above it was GOOOOOD. Now I am sad. Not only did I not work out, I ate about a million calories more than normal. What is my problem? I need counseling for this....this....compulsive eating binges. Other than being totally burned out about work (on my much needed vacays I worked on presentations for teaching teachers) and the lack of sunshine in my area for a month (yes, I am affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder) I don't know why I do it. I don't always have "bad" feelings when I binge: sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm just bored. I'm looking for suggestions for solving my problem or at least someone to say "its ok, there is always tomorrow to work that ass off". Oh, I forgot to let you know that my goal is to look super hot by the 1st week of May. My hubbie has an annual work golf tournie that we go to and basically it is all the wives comparing one another by the pool as we sip (I use the term sip very loosely) on Blue Hawaiians. I want to be the hated one this year. What a goal huh? Well at least I have set one.

Bragging Rights

I know that I said I was now going to focus on gym related posts but I feel the need to shout this from every roof top:
I received a phone call from Dax's teacher yesterday, the school got the SAT scores back. Dax scored in the. top. 10% of. the. nation! The school is going to recognize his efforts at their assembly on Friday. YEA DAX!!

New Direction, or rather "a" direction

I haven't posted for awhile and am at a loss of what to write about because it has been so long. I have decided that I would dedicate this blog to my experiences at the gym and the whole getting healthy, losing weight thing. Today I went to a "power pump" class, the same class I attend every Monday and Wednesday that I don't have to work. She teaches on Fridays too but every day is dedicated to a specific area of the body and Fridays are chest. They do a shitload of push ups, not girl pushups, boy pushups. NOT FOR DARCIE! Today was shoulders, legs, and abs. I think I should just throw in the towel now. It seems as if everyday it gets harder to keep up with the instructor, not easier. Doesn't it make more sense that if you are becoming stronger and more fit you would be able to "do" more. Not so much. I don't want to sound catty but there are a couple of girls who come to class who are pushing 230 and they can keep up. WTF??? During the bazillion squats we did I had to take a couple of breathers. To be honest I thought I was going to squat and continue downward until I was on my face. But that big girl kept on a trucking. Can someone explain this?
I hadn't done any cardio in awhile so I thought that I would fit some in after the class but before I had to get Tel out of the daycare there. 25 minutes of level 7 around the world biking ended up being 20 minutes. I guess 20 is better than nothing but now I am sulking around my house wishing I could take a nap and knowing that I was going to mop floors but have no energy to do so. Besides after the hour of shoulder presses I probably could not lift the mop to wring it out. Maybe Friday...