Day Two....

Yesterday I logged Day 2 of no soda. It was Park Day, which means I usually treat myself to the 32oz, but I didn't. The baby wasn't too bad, he played by himself for a while before he wanted me to pick him up and take him out. And another mom entertained him so that I could eat.
When his dad came to pick him up, he said the baby has not been sleeping well. I think maybe his sleeping patterns are just changing and he is not adjusting well. Because when the baby screams, it is a tired kind of scream. I don't mind the kid being alert more often (I prefer it) but no screaming please!!!
But no worries, 3 days of no baby. Then I don't know what his mom's schedule is for next week.
Today I will be cleaning up and getting the house ready for Sunday.
Last night at the game it was frigid. I had on a lot of clothes plus my heavy coat and I was freezing. The men lost by mercy rule, but I don't think half of them really cared. After the game they were excited and putting together their plans for SuperBowl, and talking about softball tryouts on Saturday. My son was crying because he was so hungry (I need to start taking snacks again, because crying for food is silly) and the girls were freezing. I hope they learned their lessons, I TOLD them to get their heavy jackets and thermals on. DQ chose to put on thermals, but wore a very light jacket, and LQ nixed the thermals and chose a down vest instead a coat. What really made me mad was that she was complaining the most, and her heavy coat was in the car....I had DQ wrapped in my arms most of the game.
Its only going to get colder, so time to bring out the portable heaters and corn bags, lol!

The First Day....

Or should I say the worst day?

No, it wasn't the worst day ever. Just not ideal.
My babysitting kid cried today. For like an hour. It drove me nuts. Its hard when its not your kid.
I also spent my first day without any soda. My friend had sent me this thing about mercury being in the soda. Usually I will look around and research things like that but it really got me thinking...
It doesn't matter if there is mercury, or rat poison, or roadkill in my soda. Bottom line, is that it isn't healthy for me and I know it. I drink it purely for the sugar rush and nothing else.
So I didn't have any today, and I hope to not have any the next day or the one after that. I did drink grape juice (bleh) and indulged in a Starbucks hot chocolate this afternoon when I was out meeting a new homeschooling person. Not good for my sugar, but better than a soda.
Yes, my homeschooling friends, I have recruited another to come join our group, you will probably see her tomorrow. Nice lady, not exactly my ideal parent, but still - a parent who cares deeply about how her children grow up and their values.
Tomorrow is Park Day and I am looking forward to it. I need to finish my other glove!
I also need to drop off my adult videos to the library. Hope someone finds them educational (LOL!!!!)
Only 4 more days until SuperBowl (for some reason I messed up typing and it said Spermbowl, lol wonder how that happened) We went to the grocery store and bought the stuff, only to come home and check the mail and see 90% of the stuff go on sale today!!! Oh well....
Oh, and I filed my taxes last night. I have found that even though last year was crazy, i managed to keep pretty good records. So my numbers are pretty accurate. Oh and HAHA State of California - go ahead and give me a $45 IOU! I got smart and didn't let you take very much money from my hubby's paycheck like I used to!
Now pay my Father-in-Law and all the other people who ACTUALLY work for their paycheck instead of the ones who are waiting at home expecting one...

Good news!

I got both of the coaching positions that I wanted! I am so excited!
I can tell that Hongo is a little excited about this year too - he made sure to call up his friends and make sure they were in for the coaching...
They have been talking about going in and getting a pitching machine - tonight when Hongo got home he went out and measured the backyard.
Um, I guess we are getting a pitching machine! Its cool, as long as I get to use it too.
I measured today but I assume it is incorrect, otherwise I am a super body builder...
Its time for my monthly and water retention is a little high.

Now that we know about the teams, we were able to set a few dates for things. LegoQueens birthday party will be held on the 14th of February. I was just going to invite the usual suspects, along with her new best girlfriend, but LegoQueen has this HUGE list and it makes me scared to have the entire High Desert in my house. LOL, not really, but it feels like it!
Instead of letting a bunch of teens sit around and stare at each other, I am thinking we will at least do a scavenger hunt. They can work up a hunger, lol! Maybe a bounce house for the little ones too.
We also booked our date for the Dodger game so now I just need to get all the money from everyone.
I found my needles that I was looking for, so now I can finish LQ's sweater. I also have some gloves on needles and I started a baby cocoon today too.
Better get all my knitting out of the way before Feb 8th!

A New Week....

I hopped on the scale today and noticed that I am down 5 pounds. Part of me is happy and another part tells me i need to up my calorie intake.
I've been really good about the soda. I only had one each day this week. Tomorrow I will attempt to do without.

Yesterday's interview went well. All I need to do is wait. Isn't waiting the hardest part?

Today we played softball and I am sad to say I almost broke my arm. Actually, the ball almost broke it. I don't know what else to say except it took a bad hop. Everything else I did was fine. Hongo thought it had hit me in the chest and came running over to make sure I was alright.
So tonight I have my bottle of ibuprofen next to me. No bruising or swelling, but it hurts like a SOB. It has 2 weeks to heal though - it will be fine.
Its another busy week, and measure day is tomorrow. Looking forward to it, even though I did not get to work out as often as I would have liked.

Can I have 10 dollars?

That is was Drama Queen said to me as I was standing at the game store waiting for the guy to give me my store credit. The man helping me started chuckling and trying to stifle it and appear like he was working.
Its okay, man - it had me laughing too. And when I answered her, it was as if she asked me for ten bucks every day.
The answer was "No", BTW....
What a busy week! With the holiday and everything, it feels like the week flew by. I can't believe it is Friday!
SO this weekend should be interesting. I lit the fire under Hongo's rear to get the garage cleaned up and cleared out. There will be a ton of things sitting out front or waiting to be hauled to Goodwill. I have some adult movies to give to the library too.(haha that is a special inside joke for B)
I'm so glad, because in the garage are several INSIDE projects that Hongo never completed. Like my downstairs bathroom lighting fixture....and the kitchen pull out shelf...and the beautiful bedroom paint.
I have an interview tomorrow for a coaching position. I'll be perfectly honest...I think we traded a board of people with their own agenda for another board with THEIR own agenda...
I know one of the ladies on the board, and she insists that its not true, but I can already see it coming.
Well, I know ONE thing. I personally have an agenda of my own. Its to make sure my kids have the best season possible as far as fun and learning go. That's it. And I'll push and shove anyone who stands in my way!
Sunday is coming up soon, and my toe still bleeds when I run. Gross! But only one more game and I am off for two weeks.
We are in the middle of planning our first SuperBowl party. I was so surprised when Hongo asked me what I thought about having one, and I was even more surprised to find out that I AM having one and there are 13 people invited so far. Including my five, that makes 18 people in this house!
Since I can't cook, I am in charge of drinks and snacks. YAY! EASY!
I think thats it for now - i have to go kick my family off my bed so that I can go to sleep. Sheesh, can't they congregate somewhere else????

Beautiful Sunday!

Today was so great! When we got to the field and started working out it felt so wonderful to be moving around.
I know my week was productive - I threw the ball harder and farther with less effort. Hitting surprised me - I barely got a hold of a pitch and I sent it to the outfield!
Running was another story....gotta work on that one...
But I won't be running anything week - I took a ball off the toe and it looks like I am going to lose the nail. Damn! I JUST grew that nail back too. But on the bright side, I have time before summer to heal and regrow the nail so I can wear sandals.
My teammate who is working with a personal trainer crushed the ball today - she is my idol!
Tomorrow is a measure day- I am so excited. I am down a size in pants, but I am more concerned about my upper body.
Oh and I did get in touch with my in-laws. They were downloading tax stuff all night and then Saturday my nephew got a new dog so they went to see him. She said nephew was happier than she had seen him in a long time. Well, when your parents are pieces of crap, then yes - a dog will make you thrilled because dogs are awesome. I am happy for him!

Bad Bath...

The only way to effectively combat a bad bath is to have a good bath. Which is filling up right now. Yes, I realize that we are in a drought, and for probably the amount of water I am using in one day for two baths, I could probably shower my entire family numerous times.
But dang-it....I pay the bill, and if I want more water, I will use it. I promise to sit in a long time...until the scorching hotness is long gone and I am again in harmony..
Hongo has clean ears once again. The last time he had them flushed, LQ was a baby. I remember bouncing her on my leg while we waited outside the ENT office.
She's a little too big to bounce on my knee (okay a LOT big) now, and a lot more attitude, and a lot more teen angst. "Does he like me? Does my hair look right? I can't wear those shoes with these pants because it's the full moon!"
Ah, teens...
She will be turning 13 in less than a month. Scary.
Today one of my friends commented that the taller the kids get, that means we're getting older. I wonder what she'll say when our sons turn 13....will she tell them to stop growing so that she doesn't get any older????
Poor Hairy One, he can't afford to stop growing when he turns 12 like I did. That boy needs all the years of growth he can get! He did sprout 3 inches over the holidays - just enough to need new pants because the one I JUST bought were looking like capris.
What a fun weekend though - today we went to a birthday party and they have horses. So all the kids got pony rides. We had to leave before LQ got her turn, so the hostess told me that she would love to have LQ back to ride with her daughter. We'll see...LQ is just getting used to handling a horse, so it might be good for her to try on a different one.
Tomorrow we are playing softball, which I am totally looking forward to. The weather is supposed to be GORGEOUS, so maybe in the morning I will take my soon-to-be teen out and try to get an updated headshot for grandma's wall.
Speaking of the grandma (and papa) they have been unreachable for 1 full day. I tried to call them last night, then this morning, and now its night again. I know I JUST talked to her, but its not like her to not want to know exactly what is going on with her son. Plus they didnt mention that they were going anywhere last night or this weekend...

back at urgent care....

crazy bean....she is the only one without a DS (besides hongo and myself) so we are trying to keep ourselves entertained while we wait for hongo. i dont have anything to knit because i left the needles that i need at home :(
i am trying desperately to not touch anything because of all the sickies here.
he is having severe ear pain so that is why we are here. we did have a chance to eat dinner at el torito which was nice.

Sleepy...

Is it time for bed yet? No? Okay....

Today was long and tiring. My first day back with the baby and it was tiring. I took the girls to their horseback riding lessons, and I ended up chatting with my friend while rocking and trying to feed an inconsolable baby.

Better luck next week.

Other than that, things are going well. The swelling on my bite has gone down and is almost gone completely. I exercised today and my abs are soooo sore from the workout yesterday. I did discover that my flexibility is improving - I can touch my knuckles to the floor while my heels are touching each other.

I have reduced my sugar intake, and today I ate a small candybar because I forgot to pack a snack (the candy bar had peanuts in it - that counts as protein, LMAO!) and I could barely finish it :( it was too sweet.
I forgot to add in - I bought a new sweater from VS. Its one of those long, wrap around sweaters in gray tweed. It looked good in the picture, and I couldn't resist the price (clearance and I had a 50% of one item coupon). I received a similar sweater for my birthday and I love it so much, can't wait to wear this one!

Tomorrow is a new day - looking forward to heavy sleep tonight and a great day tomorrow....except for the ab workout, lol.

First Day back at Softball....

Today was our first game of the season. We kicked a$$. Something like 20-1. We had a lot of fun, we played against a team where we pretty much know all the players, and the manager of it is the husband of one of our players.
Yesterday I popped my hip out of joint while putting on my pants (sad, I know) so moving today was difficult and painful.
After talking to a few of my teammates, we all pretty much have the goal of getting in shape. One gal is already super-buff, so she is our leader. Myself and the first baseman want to develop better upper body strength, and the other gal wants to lose some weight and build muscle. So we are going to stick together and share our progress on weights.
I have been working on strength training, but results are coming by slowly. Of course, I am still stuck on drinking 2 Pepsi a day, but my goal is to get rid of that habit and go back to drinking water.
I used to NEVER drink soda. I might have one if I was eating at my in-laws, or with Thanksgiving Dinner, but that was it. I think I picked up the habit after the Hairy One was born. Three kids, especially one that would never sleep at night, just took a toll on me.
No excuses for it now, except that it is just an addiction. My son is 6 now. So its time to kick the habit.
I generally track my progress via how my clothes fit instead of numbers on the scale. So I won't have any numbers to count down...just measurements on the arms, chest, and waist.
I did lose 5 pounds when I did my recent cleanse, so now is a good time to start fresh.
Tomorrow I will buy a new curling bar, since I have a ton of weights in the garage, just no bar.

Back to the game, I got on base 4 times, but only 2 actual hits. The other two times the other team made an error. So I am pleased.

3 things....

THE DREAM....

My dad likes to visit my dreams every so often. The last time we talked, he learned the shocking truth that he is in fact dead.
Actually that is not true, I saw him briefly in a nightmare a few days back that was totally weird and wasn't the same as the previous dream or this one that I just had.
I was in a house...don't recognize it, but my dad's family was there. We were supposed to be eating, but I refused because I grew up watching my aunts cook in filthy kitchens and now as an adult it makes my stomach turn. My dad's sister is yelling at me, and saying mean things to me, and all I am doing is smiling at her. And it makes her more and more angry that I keep smiling, so I continue doing it.
I go in search of something to drink, and there are all these strange rooms that are dark, and they smell like mold. I am looking for bottled water (again, the filth issue)
and I finally come across a lit room with a small tv, and a bathroom attached. Ugh. the bathroom is nasty, with crud in the corners and the toilet doesn't work well. I turn on the faucet and a little dribble of water came out, so I turned it off. I leave the bathroom and my dad is sitting on the bed, watching the little flickering tv. I sat down and we started having a conversation.
He told me that he is free to visit people whenever he wants, so he drops in on them from time to time (like he is doing to me right now??)
Then he got mad at me for not turning off the faucet completely. Apparently he installed it himself backwards, and so the handle must turn to the left, not the right. Sheesh... No mention of the fact the toilet doesn't work or anything.
I have the nerve to ask him where the bottled water is. it was really important to me! He tells me there isn't any, just Coke. No ice, no straws, heck - NO CUPS! I tell him that at my house we have all those things, and I have grown accustomed to having them. He laughed and said straight from the can is the only way to go. Yes, Mr Diabetes!
He told me that it was good seeing me, but that he had to go back to watching the little tv. I got a bear hug and when I opened my eyes to look at him, he was gone again. And the little tv was turned off.

What does it all mean?? That I need to clean the toilet more often? Don't waste water? Switch from Pepsi to Coke???
I don't know, but I think we have a better relationship now that we don't actually interact in the now.


THE ROCKIN'

Today while I was sitting in Urgent Care (stay tuned if you want to know what the heck I was doing at urgent care!) the earth started rockin' and the huge building with many many floors was shaking!
The receptionist looked like she was trying to find a place to hide. Hongo grumbled that he wished the place had a TV so he could watch the Bowl game that he was missing.
It apparently is a 4.5 centered in San Bernardino. I wondered what it felt like up the hill at home.

URGENT CARE

Okay, this is the scoop....
Yesterday I was getting dressed and I put on my clothes and felt a pinch. I pulled them off and there was a little black ant in there. Ever since the snow, we have had tons of ants in our sinks and around the doors. Anyway - the little shit bit me and it hurt! And it itched like crazy!
I finally stopped scratching it becaue I knew I wasnt doing myself any favors. I went out, worked out, took a shower, went to bed, got up this morning, got dressed, went to park, and then came home. After dinner I felt really sick to my stomach and I was going to go walk on the treadmill and the bite started hurting again. I told Hongo "hey I just want to let you know I got bit, and it hurts." So he said "let me see" So I show him and there is swelling and bruising around the area, and then a red line going up my body.
HOngo says "ummmmm, that doesnt look good. let's go to the dr"
SO we drive all the way down to the dr and it turns out I have a major infection. I have to take these ginormous white antibiotics for the next 10 days. IF my red line doesn't disappear in 3 days ,I am to go straight to the hospital. I don't pass GO, or collect $200...just straight to ER. The red line had better leave - I have a softball game on SUNDAY!!!!
ANd one last detail..the bite is on a personal area. There was no way I could just show the dr real quick. No, I had to wear the dressing gown. *sigh* and to make it worse, I had to show it to like 3 people and let them examine it. GREAT.....

Maybe my dad will show up tonight and give me some kind of advice on how to get rid of it....lol.

Life Lessons...

This morning I went out, determined not to get stressed out or angry or anything. Instead, I asked myself, "What is this trying to teach me?"

The results:

A lady almost hit LQ with her shopping cart and then yelled at LQ for being in the way. Now I didn't witness it, and it was probably a good thing (mess with my kid and I would have shoved that lady's cell phone down her throat)
What I learned: Some people are always going to be stuck in the habit of blaming others instead of looking to themselves for what they could have done differently. We are all in control of our we create our lives. I explained to LQ that she wasn't totally faultless, she was walking around with her IPOD headphones in her ears and probably not focusing or hearing the cart approaching.
Oops, I almost got a little too angry on that one....lol..
We got in line and happened to choose the one where the customer didn't have all of her govt benefits items in order, and a manager had to be called. We waited in line a long time... and the other people in line were making nasty comments
What I learned: I can be patient, and used the opportunity to reinforce my childrens knowledge of the word "NO" when they each asked me for those nasty conversations hearts that are so conveniently stacked at the register. The boy had the nerve to ask 3 times. I answered a couple of texts, and checked my email.

Over all, I learned that I should stick with grocery shopping in the morning while most people who tend to drive me crazy are still sleeping.

LQ has asked for specific books for her birthday from a specific author
What I learned: I should stop being so critical of what she is reading and just be grateful that she is reading again and loving it. Mysteries may not be my favorite, but I'm not the one who has to read them!!!
We ran out of eggs this morning
Now we have cartons to use for a planting project. I have seeds and soil so we will raise the seeds indoors and then transplant when the weather is nicer!