Jun. 18 - WLJ and general update. Pretty wordy!

[Ky_Mama]

Hey everybody!  Finally getting around to writing this thing  :-)

I'll go ahead and do the weight loss update first, then if you want to read the boring stuff after that it's up to you.  LOL

So, I think my last WLJ was right before my birthday?  I know it's been a couple weeks, at least.  I was down to 194 recently, that's the last number I remember.  After the party weekend Mom held for me, I had gone back up to 200!  (Darn those liquid carbs.....)   I weighed myself again a few days ago, and the scale showed 201 - but my shorts are still completely loose, I'm constantly pulling them up and can nearly take them off without undoing them.  I guess maybe the weight has shifted and I've gained unknown muscle?  I don't know.  I really should measure my waist and keep track of it.  Last year I lost 2.5 inches from my waist, but have no idea what that number was then.  Anyway, lots of drinking and eating with abandon, followed by not enough exercise..... well, that explains the weight gain right there.  So I did step myself up a bit.  The kids went camping last weekend, and I had DH here with me in the mornings, so we walked up to the school and back two mornings, and I did that again yesterday morning.  (1.3 miles round trip)  I mowed the front and back yard tonight (a feat, but that's another paragraph!) and did about a minute's worth of sit-ups while watching TV this morning.  DH is on nights this week so I've been making a big lunch and having snacks or leftovers for dinner.  I finally figured out that sandwich-with-no-bread thing.... I found a big bag of Romaine on sale, and it makes a great sandwich holder!  I need to get a hold my "aunt" Jarassri  {said like "jealousy"; she's Thai, and not biologically related}  to borrow some recipes - the girl can COOK.  MMMmmmmmm.....  so!  So I'm cooking better, eating less, and moving more again.  I'm also getting a new bike soon, and it has an attached basket and rack under the seat, so I'll be able to do more errands with Pedal Power!  My current bike is as old as me, and really needs to be retired.  LOL

And that's the weight loss update for this week.  I hope to report much better numbers and results next week!!  The rest of this entry is just day-to-day stuff, but I wanted to write it out anyway in case Mom or someone reads it too.  :-)

So I mentioned above that I cut the grass today.  We have a push mower, and all my growing-up years I had severe seasonal allergies.  I got the shots, couldn't go outside if someone was cutting grass, hay fever.... had it all goin' on.  It sucked.  Well, last year, after hearing DH complain about cutting the grass (he plain doesn't like it, esp since it's not ours, and he wasn't complaining that I didn't do it - he understood totally - he just doesn't understand why houses have yards when they don't get used.  He'd rather have an apartment or townhouse just so he wouldn't have to cut grass or do any yardwork!) , I decided that since I'm home all the time, and my allergies had seemed to get better over the last few years, that I'd prepare myself with a Benadryl or Claritin a couple hours before going out to try mowing.  It worked!  For the first time in my life, not only was I able to be outside and *enjoy* it without sneezing, tearing up, or itching - I was able to get through cutting a yard full of grass without ANY of those things happening!  I guess because I'm older, maybe I outgrew the allergies, or I've just finally adjusted - but hey, I'll take it!  I was so happy to be able to shoulder some of that stress for DH, knowing that I *could* do it, and I *would* do it whenever possible.  He was happy too, but only that the grass didn't affect me like it used to  :-)  He still says I don't have to cut the grass, but I try to anyway.  Hey, it's only about 1/5 an acre anyway, we *do* live within city limits.

Now, that was last year.  This year, I started the same thing - take a Benadryl about an hour before I'd go out to mow, and I was fine.  A couple weeks ago I thought I'd try that Zyrtec since we'd both heard so many good things about it.  (I used to have a high tolerance for Benadryl - I could function on 4 at a time - but these days, 2 will KNOCK ME OUT.  Sawin' logs and all.)  Zyrtec is one of those one-a-day pills, so I started taking it last weekend.  When I remembered.  This is why I don't use BC pills, we'd end up with a surprise  :-)  So I've taken 3 or 4 of the new allergy med since last weekend.  Forgot yesterday and today.  I just finished mowing, with no allergy meds in me, and my worst problem right now?  I stink.  I need a shower - but I had NO reaction to the grass at all!!  <insert happy dance here>  So "I've got to admit it's getting better, getting better all the time....."  YAY ME!!  :-)

Pretty exciting stuff, for me.  :-)  Woo hoo!!

Okay, in other news..... my baby brother will be 29 this Saturday.  Mom's having a party for him, but I'm skipping this one.  We'll be visiting late in July and I need to save money and cut corners where I can..... it's 100 miles to Mom's house.  Half a tank in our car, or, $20 one way.  I just can't do that every other weekend, or even once a month, now that gas has basically skyrocketed.  (It's finally hit $4 a gallon here.)  We're eating a lot more Hillbilly Housewife meals, and growing tomatoes for now, too.  And biking, the scooter, etc..... saving where we can.  But I think this works out better anyway, since he'll be 30 next year, and that'll give me reason to drive up and give him hell for a weekend  :-)   MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!

I went ahead and scheduled everyone's doctor's visits for the year too.  Well, mine's in April, so I got everyone else in!  The kids have a combined appointment (thankfully) July 28 - and they're both due for shots.  That's why I've been researching all the crap that goes into vaccines, and weighing the benefits/risks of the diseases they're designed to protect against.  If you have any info or websites, I'd love to have them!  If I can, I may even post about what I learn in the future.  There's a LOT out there for both sides of the argument, and I have a long list of books to look for at the library tomorrow!  DH's doctor is weird and this year isn't doing any physicals until August.  Since he has had a couple health problems recently, I've been trying to call and schedule something, but for some reason we're playing phone tag.  Better luck tomorrow, since I'll be out maybe I can just drop in and schedule him sometime next week. 

Oh and speaking of the kids..... these two are eating, like, everything in sight.  Constantly, all day, every day.  Can we say GROWTH SPURT??  Man alive, the boy's already almost as tall as me!!  The top of his head is about even with my bottom lip now - two months ago he only came up to my chin!  Gonna need new pants for school this year.....  and the girl - oh, this girl - she's now bug-fearing, complainy, and always has something in her mouth unless she's asleep.  This child used to take after her father in that she never was hungry first thing upon waking.  Now, she rolls out of bed as she says "Mommy, will you make me oatmeal and wake-up tea?  I'm awake now."  Oh yes ma'am.  LOL  We eat lunch, she has a full (child-size) plate, and then is hungry and will eat an hour later; same thing with dinner only she'll snack all night if I let her!  The boy will eat two grown-up plates of dinner every night, and still want something to eat right around 10p - he too wakes up and has to eat, first thing but he's always been like that (like me!).  During the school year, he has breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afterschool snack, dinner, and before bed snack.  Sure, the snacks are small - a piece of fruit or an oatmeal bar - but the kid's only put on inches in height, and almost no weight gain!  Super Metabolism Boy!!  I think he's up to about 75 lbs, and DD is just over 50 now.  Mercy - this boy hasn't even hit puberty yet, but I can see it *just* around the corner already..... he's starting to 'stink' (b.o.) and talk back to us.  Boy, oh boy.  LOL

I'm shipping him off to stay with my brother for two weeks when puberty hits full-on.  I am SO not going to deal with *that* transition!

 Now I've run out of things to mention..... it's late anyway, I just heard the clock cuckoo 11 times..... I'd like to sneak in a shower before DH gets home in about 2 hours, and I still have reading to do online!!

OH!!  Today's thought bubble!  I wanted to explain that for y'all.  An online friend had her twins yesterday, but she was only 25 weeks and 4 days along.  The boys were only about a pound a piece - but they're both breathing on their own already!  They are so tiny but so, so beautiful.  And fighting to live already!!  Their mama does get to touch them in their incubators, she can talk to them, help change their teeny little diapers, but she can't hold them yet (heartbreaking, I know).   If you would, do what you do to lift their spirits and encourage them to fight and grow and get strong!!  Their names are Addison & Riley.  Any more details can be had via private messages, but the above is a little of what she's told us so far.

GROW, BOYS, GROW!!!!

And with that, I'm gonna go grab that sorely-needed shower...... have a great weekend if I don't talk to you sooner!

~Julia 

[Reganc]

Jun. 18, 2008 at 11:14 PM

As someone in the health care industry, let me be the first to say ... keep up the good work with the weight loss! It's all about consistancy! If you fall off track, get right back on! You can do it! I have faith in you!