With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I started thinking about all the things in my life that I am thankful for. Sometimes it is easy in the hustle and bustle of life to get swept up in just the negatives....the things that get you down....the bad side of life. A couple times a year, there are specific holidays or events that force us to stop and reflect on our lives....this is one of those times.
In no particular order....I'm so grateful for:
My husband (after 20 years together he's still my rock, my love and my life), my intelligent and beautiful preteen daughter, my adorable and hilarious baby boy, my parents (who provide so much to my family in so many immeasurable ways), my annoying but lovable baby brother, my grandmothers, the time I had with my grandfathers, my sisters (each and every one of them bring so much unique joy to my life and without them I'd be a shell of who I am), my friends (the guys and gals I turn to when I need a shoulder, an ear or a beer!), the roof over my head, my jobs (all three of which test me in different ways), my cursed car and our limited time left together, my hobbies, my health (even though I ache most days from top to bottom - I'm thankful that I wake up each morning and the aches remind me that I'm alive), my cousins, aunts and uncles (spread across the US - it is nice to know they are all out there somewhere), Target (a nice clean place to find all the stuff I'd ever need), my Asta (she's old, pees on the carpet, gets under foot but there is such a comfort in having her around), my BFF (even though she falls under friend and sister - she gets a special mention because w/o her in my life to keep me in check - I would really forget to be grateful for everything above).
That is quite a list....what's are you thankful for?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Almost Over the Hill
Lately I've been feeling all of "middle aged" and I'm not all that fond of it. How did this era of my life sneak up on me like this? One minute, I'm in my twenties and carefree and the next I'm almost forty and bogged down with life. No fair.
This summer I used my incredible depth perception skills to misjudge a step into my neighbors pool and did a beautiful fall right onto their jacuzzi w/ my rear end. After a few days of denying it was broken, I finally realized I'd broken my tail bone. 4 months later and it only hurts if I sit for too long especially on a surface like concrete. Otherwise, that pain has finally become manageable.
So leave it to me to hurt myself again as soon as I'm getting back to normal. Last Wednesday, I rearranged our file room at work. By Thursday afternoon, my right shoulder blade was killing me so I figured I'd pulled a muscle or strained something back there. Then Friday, whenever I would drink something - the minute the liquid hit mid-chest area - a pain would shoot thru me and cause me to cry out. I have a pretty good pain threshold so you have to understand that for me to cry out - it really really hurt. This shooting pain has occurred off and on since Friday. Usually when I drink something, sometimes when I eat something and occasionally when I'm doing nothing at all. I went to the dr. on Monday afternoon because the fact that it was getting worse was scarring me. I guess he thought it was a legit complaint because he sent me next door to make an appointment for a chest xray and an upper GI. Lucky me.
This morning I had them both done and am waiting for results. In the meantime, the crap they made me drink is upsetting my stomach and the way I'm having to sit to accommodate my shoulder pain and stomach ache is killing my tailbone!!!!!
I'm just a 39 year old mess of a woman. That is all there is too it. My feet ache all the time, now the rest of my body is joining in. My hearing is going, my memory is shot, and I pee on myself when I laugh. Who would have thought 39 was the beginning of the end??
I would just love to go for any length of time w/o pain in some part of my body. Is that too much to ask? Can't wait to turn 49 - YIKES!!!!
This summer I used my incredible depth perception skills to misjudge a step into my neighbors pool and did a beautiful fall right onto their jacuzzi w/ my rear end. After a few days of denying it was broken, I finally realized I'd broken my tail bone. 4 months later and it only hurts if I sit for too long especially on a surface like concrete. Otherwise, that pain has finally become manageable.
So leave it to me to hurt myself again as soon as I'm getting back to normal. Last Wednesday, I rearranged our file room at work. By Thursday afternoon, my right shoulder blade was killing me so I figured I'd pulled a muscle or strained something back there. Then Friday, whenever I would drink something - the minute the liquid hit mid-chest area - a pain would shoot thru me and cause me to cry out. I have a pretty good pain threshold so you have to understand that for me to cry out - it really really hurt. This shooting pain has occurred off and on since Friday. Usually when I drink something, sometimes when I eat something and occasionally when I'm doing nothing at all. I went to the dr. on Monday afternoon because the fact that it was getting worse was scarring me. I guess he thought it was a legit complaint because he sent me next door to make an appointment for a chest xray and an upper GI. Lucky me.
This morning I had them both done and am waiting for results. In the meantime, the crap they made me drink is upsetting my stomach and the way I'm having to sit to accommodate my shoulder pain and stomach ache is killing my tailbone!!!!!
I'm just a 39 year old mess of a woman. That is all there is too it. My feet ache all the time, now the rest of my body is joining in. My hearing is going, my memory is shot, and I pee on myself when I laugh. Who would have thought 39 was the beginning of the end??
I would just love to go for any length of time w/o pain in some part of my body. Is that too much to ask? Can't wait to turn 49 - YIKES!!!!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Bye, Bye Paci
I'm obviously an enabler. I admit it. I didn't realize it until recently but as the facts are staring me in the face - it is obvious.
My daughter sucked her thumb until she was 9. I thought I'd tried everything to help her stop but now I'm doubting that seriously. When she was about 4, the dentist said "time to stop". So I went thru the motions of telling her it was time to stop. I tried reasoning with her. I tried bribing her. I put a sock on her hand before bed. I really thought I was giving it my all! Now I realize that somewhere deep down in my heart, I thought it was such a cute habit and seemed to make her so happy that I just couldn't commit myself 100% in the fight against the thumb.
How did I come to such a conclusion? Well, here we are almost 4 years later and it is past time (according to the dentist) for my son to give up the pacifier. I heard the same song and dance last year when the dentist mentioned it but I chose to ignore her. We were in the midst of potty training and it just didn't seem like the right time. Well, he's been potty trained for a year now and I still had not taken a single step toward giving up "White Blue" (his adorable name for his paci because his favorite one was well....white and blue). Last Monday, my mom took E to a new dentist (no I did not change to avoid the paci discussion as my mother thought). New dentist had the same opinion as old dentist - paci had to go. He suggested going to Build a Bear and putting Paci in a bear before sewing it up. As Mom is telling me this suggestion on the phone, I'm envisioning me and my hysterical son at Build a Bear tugging on a bear in a battle of wills while we both cry. I shiver at the thought. So that night, E comes home with his head hung low and tells me that he has to give up white blue. You should have seen his sad puppy dog eyes and his quivering lip. As we both sat in the middle of the kitchen floor (DH thought I'd lost my mind), E and I cried over the idea of putting white blue in a bear's tummy. There we sat on the cold tile and we both just sobbed. By the time I pulled my sore, sorry old buns off the floor - I reached in the cabinet and grabbed white blue. I handed it to my sweet cherub faced baby boy and told him we would wait awhile before going to Build a Bear. He was ecstatic and I was relieved the sadness could pass for now.
Flash forward one night. My DH was in charge of the bedtime routine (usually consisting of pj's, grab elephant blanket (known as "Old E E") and going to the kitchen cabinet for white blue). Well, Tuesday night was different. See, Daddy is a big believer in doing what the dentist says. He's a twice a year cleaning, floss every day kind of guy. Since he heard the story of the dentist's concerns over a possible cross bite and braces at 8 if we continued using a paci - he was determined to take action. So that night, E put on his pj's, grabbed Old E E and then daddy told him to pick out another baby to sleep with because he couldn't have white blue anymore. E came around the corner carrying Old E E and a small stuffed Barney. His eyes were sad and his lip was quivering but he was being brave for Daddy. I wanted so much to run to that kitchen cabinet and give my baby his paci but I knew Daddy was in charge of this battle and I needed to heed my boundaries. With tears and doubt in my heart, I watched as my baby boy struggled with this new bedtime routine. Amazingly he fell asleep without any issue and imagine my surprise when he slept thru the night w/o incident. Seven successful nights later and he stopped asking for white blue after the 2nd night.
I have to tell you that even though I'm proud of how this was handled, there is a part of me that just wants to go back to that cabinet and give my baby back his paci. You see, this was his final step toward becoming a big boy. I want my baby boy. I haven't pushed a single aspect of him growing up because I just wanted to freeze time or at least slow it down to a crawl. I know that is not realistic but time gets so much faster as I get older and I want to cherish every moment in his life.
So I'm the weak parent, I can live with that. And apologies to A for letting the thumb habit go on so long. I know now that I just didn't try very hard to get her stop because at the time I thought she was my last baby and I wanted to hold on to her childhood forever.
My daughter sucked her thumb until she was 9. I thought I'd tried everything to help her stop but now I'm doubting that seriously. When she was about 4, the dentist said "time to stop". So I went thru the motions of telling her it was time to stop. I tried reasoning with her. I tried bribing her. I put a sock on her hand before bed. I really thought I was giving it my all! Now I realize that somewhere deep down in my heart, I thought it was such a cute habit and seemed to make her so happy that I just couldn't commit myself 100% in the fight against the thumb.
How did I come to such a conclusion? Well, here we are almost 4 years later and it is past time (according to the dentist) for my son to give up the pacifier. I heard the same song and dance last year when the dentist mentioned it but I chose to ignore her. We were in the midst of potty training and it just didn't seem like the right time. Well, he's been potty trained for a year now and I still had not taken a single step toward giving up "White Blue" (his adorable name for his paci because his favorite one was well....white and blue). Last Monday, my mom took E to a new dentist (no I did not change to avoid the paci discussion as my mother thought). New dentist had the same opinion as old dentist - paci had to go. He suggested going to Build a Bear and putting Paci in a bear before sewing it up. As Mom is telling me this suggestion on the phone, I'm envisioning me and my hysterical son at Build a Bear tugging on a bear in a battle of wills while we both cry. I shiver at the thought. So that night, E comes home with his head hung low and tells me that he has to give up white blue. You should have seen his sad puppy dog eyes and his quivering lip. As we both sat in the middle of the kitchen floor (DH thought I'd lost my mind), E and I cried over the idea of putting white blue in a bear's tummy. There we sat on the cold tile and we both just sobbed. By the time I pulled my sore, sorry old buns off the floor - I reached in the cabinet and grabbed white blue. I handed it to my sweet cherub faced baby boy and told him we would wait awhile before going to Build a Bear. He was ecstatic and I was relieved the sadness could pass for now.
Flash forward one night. My DH was in charge of the bedtime routine (usually consisting of pj's, grab elephant blanket (known as "Old E E") and going to the kitchen cabinet for white blue). Well, Tuesday night was different. See, Daddy is a big believer in doing what the dentist says. He's a twice a year cleaning, floss every day kind of guy. Since he heard the story of the dentist's concerns over a possible cross bite and braces at 8 if we continued using a paci - he was determined to take action. So that night, E put on his pj's, grabbed Old E E and then daddy told him to pick out another baby to sleep with because he couldn't have white blue anymore. E came around the corner carrying Old E E and a small stuffed Barney. His eyes were sad and his lip was quivering but he was being brave for Daddy. I wanted so much to run to that kitchen cabinet and give my baby his paci but I knew Daddy was in charge of this battle and I needed to heed my boundaries. With tears and doubt in my heart, I watched as my baby boy struggled with this new bedtime routine. Amazingly he fell asleep without any issue and imagine my surprise when he slept thru the night w/o incident. Seven successful nights later and he stopped asking for white blue after the 2nd night.
I have to tell you that even though I'm proud of how this was handled, there is a part of me that just wants to go back to that cabinet and give my baby back his paci. You see, this was his final step toward becoming a big boy. I want my baby boy. I haven't pushed a single aspect of him growing up because I just wanted to freeze time or at least slow it down to a crawl. I know that is not realistic but time gets so much faster as I get older and I want to cherish every moment in his life.
So I'm the weak parent, I can live with that. And apologies to A for letting the thumb habit go on so long. I know now that I just didn't try very hard to get her stop because at the time I thought she was my last baby and I wanted to hold on to her childhood forever.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Home again, home again
There is nothing like a weekend with my sisters. Although I miss my family when I'm away and nothing gets done to my house....I just completely enjoy myself when I am surrounded by Phi's. BFF and I met up Friday afternoon about 2pm, parked her car in the garage at work and headed toward Greenville. We got there in time to check into the hotel, meet up with RD, relax a little and catch up before heading to Commerce. The three of us declared kitchen patrol and skipped the actual initiation ceremony - there were so many people in that house between the members, the new members, alums and five alum initiates that we felt we were best off in the kitchen making sure nothing burned. MH snuck in the side door and hung out with us in the quiet and very dark kitchen (lit only by the microwave and our cellphones!) until we knew it was safe to come out of hiding. The mexican feast was a hit with the chapter and we were pleasantly surprised that there was enough food for everyone! The house has changed so much since the late 80's and everytime I've been there the past few years - I'm surprised by how different it looks but how comfortable and home-like it still feels to me. Four years of my life were spent calling it home and that feeling never changes. Thank goodness it has been updated because even in 1987 - it was 30 years outdated. Brown stained carpet (hard to stain dark brown but somehow we did it), formica cabinets and linoleum floors in the kitchen, yellow bathroom stalls. Now they have a more modern kitchen which includes a dishwasher and tile floors. Pergo type flooing in the chapter room. It's really a sight to see!
After the cleanup, BFF, RD and I headed back to the hotel and to the bar inside to hear a TX band play. Unfortunately, this is Greenville and apparently it goes to bed at midnight. Since we didn't get to the bar until 11:40 - there wasn't much time to hear the band or have much fun. Somehow, we did manage to squeeze in a full 20 minutes though. 3 rounds of shots and a side drink later - the three of us were having a ball. The rest of our group arrived after the lights came on declaring the night "over" so it was back to one room to sit around and talk. BFF went to bed about 1a; RD and I headed back to our room after 2a.
The best part about waking up Saturday was knowing we still had another day together! After we finally got everyone moving, we went to Cracker Barrel for brunch. Then we split up a bit before meeting back up at the hotel in Irving. Five of us stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in a pretty nice room! We headed to Lone Star Park to meet up with more of our sisters (a surprise visit from FP all the way from CA) for a good time in the cold night air watching the ponies run. I don't think anyone walked away richer but we all had a great time together. The best part of the evening was the discussion over tattoos on the ride from LSP to Hooters! Even with my sinus headache - I laughed until I had tears in my eyes (and not from pain). More good times over chicken wings (Hot Hooters!) and then it was back to the hotel. Everyone was pretty partied out from the night before so I think most of us were in bed by midnight.
Sunday morning was a hot (not really) breakfast at the hotel and packing. We all headed our separate ways to get back to our daily grind. I did enjoy that I got to catch up with my hubby and son at Target on my way home so I could witness E's pure joy at getting Kung Fu Panda on DVD as his award for giving up the pacifier w/o a struggle. Yep, he's a big boy now!! He was karate chopping me and everything in site for the rest of the afternoon.
It was nice to be home and unpacked.....but it sure was a good weekend. How many days til CampAPhi???
After the cleanup, BFF, RD and I headed back to the hotel and to the bar inside to hear a TX band play. Unfortunately, this is Greenville and apparently it goes to bed at midnight. Since we didn't get to the bar until 11:40 - there wasn't much time to hear the band or have much fun. Somehow, we did manage to squeeze in a full 20 minutes though. 3 rounds of shots and a side drink later - the three of us were having a ball. The rest of our group arrived after the lights came on declaring the night "over" so it was back to one room to sit around and talk. BFF went to bed about 1a; RD and I headed back to our room after 2a.
The best part about waking up Saturday was knowing we still had another day together! After we finally got everyone moving, we went to Cracker Barrel for brunch. Then we split up a bit before meeting back up at the hotel in Irving. Five of us stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in a pretty nice room! We headed to Lone Star Park to meet up with more of our sisters (a surprise visit from FP all the way from CA) for a good time in the cold night air watching the ponies run. I don't think anyone walked away richer but we all had a great time together. The best part of the evening was the discussion over tattoos on the ride from LSP to Hooters! Even with my sinus headache - I laughed until I had tears in my eyes (and not from pain). More good times over chicken wings (Hot Hooters!) and then it was back to the hotel. Everyone was pretty partied out from the night before so I think most of us were in bed by midnight.
Sunday morning was a hot (not really) breakfast at the hotel and packing. We all headed our separate ways to get back to our daily grind. I did enjoy that I got to catch up with my hubby and son at Target on my way home so I could witness E's pure joy at getting Kung Fu Panda on DVD as his award for giving up the pacifier w/o a struggle. Yep, he's a big boy now!! He was karate chopping me and everything in site for the rest of the afternoon.
It was nice to be home and unpacked.....but it sure was a good weekend. How many days til CampAPhi???
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Happy Day
Sometimes my managers try the very limits of my patience as they can be a couple of the moodiest men I've ever met. Today is no exception. Both are trying to beat me down but they can't succeed because tomorrow afternoon I'm heading to Commerce to spend the weekend with my sorority sisters. Yes, it is Initiation time again and I cannot wait to step foot on campus tomorrow night. My BFF is supposed to come up this way after lunch so we can ride the rest of way together. Quality BFF time - :-) (fingers crossed that her daughters fall at school today does not require her to stay home this weekend!) There are 8 of us spending the night in Greenville after initiation but there will be 20+ alum at the ceremony. I'm really excited to meet alot of these gals that I've been trading emails with for the past few months.
Saturday, a group of about 8 of us will head to Grand Prairie to watch the ponies run at Lone Star Park. Yippee! I missed the entire Thoroughbred season the past two years and I've really missed it. It is quarter horse season and although not my favorite - I'm just looking forward to the girl time!
The kids had a great Halloween. A dumped me for her friends this year - very sad mommy moment of silence required here.... However, my E man was right at my side as we trudged door to door on my parents new street and on our own street. He learned quickly that we would only go to houses w/ the light on inside and outside. He made a great Spiderman (I'll post pics later) and his sister was a scary vampire bride. Immediately following Trick or Treat - hubby and A jumped in the SUV and headed to Louisiana. They were going to the LSU/Tulane game on Saturday and both were so excited. Good father/daughter time which made for good mother/son time at the house. E and I had a ball this weekend and mostly just stayed at the house.
I jumped head first into a new business venture on Friday. Must have been out of my mind at the time - I'm blaming it on my sinuses. Oh well, the worst that can happen is I get $99 of product in the mail next week. I'm not sure why after all these years, I finally jumped into this area of direct sales but I love the product so what the heck! Scentsy customers - here I come.
Hard to believe Christmas is around the corner. Time is just going to fly by the next few weeks. I hope I don't freak out too much this year and I hope everyone stays healthy and alive this December. I've spent my last two Christmases at funerals and I'm tired of it. I'd really love for my family to enjoy the holidays this year w/o any death - is that too much to ask???
Saturday, a group of about 8 of us will head to Grand Prairie to watch the ponies run at Lone Star Park. Yippee! I missed the entire Thoroughbred season the past two years and I've really missed it. It is quarter horse season and although not my favorite - I'm just looking forward to the girl time!
The kids had a great Halloween. A dumped me for her friends this year - very sad mommy moment of silence required here.... However, my E man was right at my side as we trudged door to door on my parents new street and on our own street. He learned quickly that we would only go to houses w/ the light on inside and outside. He made a great Spiderman (I'll post pics later) and his sister was a scary vampire bride. Immediately following Trick or Treat - hubby and A jumped in the SUV and headed to Louisiana. They were going to the LSU/Tulane game on Saturday and both were so excited. Good father/daughter time which made for good mother/son time at the house. E and I had a ball this weekend and mostly just stayed at the house.
I jumped head first into a new business venture on Friday. Must have been out of my mind at the time - I'm blaming it on my sinuses. Oh well, the worst that can happen is I get $99 of product in the mail next week. I'm not sure why after all these years, I finally jumped into this area of direct sales but I love the product so what the heck! Scentsy customers - here I come.
Hard to believe Christmas is around the corner. Time is just going to fly by the next few weeks. I hope I don't freak out too much this year and I hope everyone stays healthy and alive this December. I've spent my last two Christmases at funerals and I'm tired of it. I'd really love for my family to enjoy the holidays this year w/o any death - is that too much to ask???
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