Our Lunch Outing and other Musings

Yesterday was our lunch outing with our vendor from Colorado. She was here on separate business, but wanted to lunch with us to discuss current relations. We opted for Romano's Macaroni Grill, which I haven't been to in years. My last visit was for my mother's birthday and she was none too pleased with her birthday tribute. You see, they sing your birthday song to you in Italian; the men sing it for women and the lady singers sing the song to men. Well, the gentelman who was slated to sing to my mother went on break or something, so she got this awful girl who sounded like a strangled cat. I haven't been back since, not because of the singing per se, but more because of the attitude we all had after the experience. It was too bad because the food is really good.

During our lunch date, the waiter at this location had the I.Q. of a squirrel. I began my drink order by asking for a shirley temple. Now, most people in the restaruant business have a clue, but this guy looked at me like I was asking for the atomic weight of arsenic.

"Uh, I don' t know what that is."
(What the hell...it's freakin' 7-up and grenadine. What's the problem? )

"It's 7-up and grenadine. Sometimes, bartenders add cherries for presentation," I said, with my best smile.

"7-up?"
(Oh, good God, man. What is the problem?)

"Maybe they don't have Pepsi products here," my co-worker "C" said.

"We have Coke products," says our waiter.

So that I woudn't stress our waiter out anymore than I already had, I asked for a plain Sprite. Geesh! I wonder if I'd had the same sort of difficulty if I'd been there at night and asked for a cocktail of some sort. Yeah, I'll definitely ask for a table not in his area the next time I'm there.

After that bit of drama, our lunch went really well. We talked about work, we talked about our families, we talked a bit about everything. It was really nice. Afterwards, we came back to the office and wished for cots and blankets. Something about Italian food always makes me want to go to sleep. It's comfort food at it's best, I think.

Work ended and I headed up the road to meet hubby and the babe at her school for parent-teacher conference night. The reports were glowing and I knew that we had made the best decision for our babe. Her teacher says she's testing well and really bright. She made only one comment about behavior, but let us know that she's really trying to do better. I mentioned the "young" factor and she agreed that it plays into effect for kids.

"Did you know that a boy who has just turned five before the start of the school year is about nine months behind? That's for most boys and they recommend that they hold them off until the following year."

The fact that boys were behind wasn't surprising...the nine month part was what threw me for a loop. We ended with discussions of reading and phonics, number counting and her working on things at home (which we're doing and will continue to do). I was very pleased. I hope things continue on the positive front that they're on. Meanwhile, I'm starting to fret about the move my in-laws are making. They will be moving to a town about fifteen minutes north. This means that I will have to get everyone up earlier, in order to get the babe to their new house and me on my way to work on time. Ughh!

Our First Date

...well, since the baby was born, anyway. Hubby and I went out alone on Saturday night; dinner and a movie. It was so weird! My neighbor kept both girls. Then, hubby and I drove around for a bit, trying to figure out what we were going to get into. We decided on dinner at Red Lobster. I had the stuffed flounder, while he opted for the blackened catfish. Unfortunately, his was totally tasteless. I felt bad but, what can you do? It's pretty much not worth sending anything back these days. People can get downright nasty in the kitchen.

We both had Bahama Mamas, made with Captain morgan spiced rum. Yum! Then, we went to see V for Vendetta. It was much better than I thought it was going to be. I was ready to wait for its release on video, but I'm so glad I saw it on the big screen. I was not familiar with this super hero of DC Comics but it was a very intriguing story. It's dark, so I wouldn't recommend it to those who like the happier kind of comics.

After the movie, we hurried home to get the girls. A storm was coming in and the wind was blowing about 60 mph. It was crazy! Really warm winds, which indicate major precipitation. The next morning, our yard was covered...about 4 inches. Thankfully, the streets were clear. The day warmed up quickly so by lunchtime, the snow was gone.

Too bad Sunday wasn't as fun as Saturday. After church, hubby and I got into it and that pretty much ruined the day. Things aren't great today, but at least we're talking again. It's not even worth going into why we got into it because it was so stupid and petty. Oh, well. I can only hope our stubborn streaks reside enough for us to enjoy the rest of his time off (tonight). He goes back to work tomorrow night. I hate losing days with him on his days off. It's happened before.

I've been working from home today. I'm happy that it hasn't been too busy. We have a lunch date with one of our vendors tomorrow. I hope we go somewhere good or, at least, somewhere I can stay on my plan but still enjoy myself. Which reminds me; I've got to find time to work out today.

Hubby took the babe to see Curious George. I don't know why he didn't take her over the weekend or save it for next weekend. My hope is to always reward good behavior and I think it's always best to wait and see how she's going to do in school before promising a reward. I just don't want things to go back to the way they were. I hope she did well, today. He picked her up so, I didn't hear the daily report. Tomorrow is teacher conference day and I'm really praying we get a good report...I just don't think I can handle anymore bad news.

The baby had a fit, of sorts this afternoon. She cried for a half hour straight, after being fed and changed. Okay, so it was more like wailing. Holding her didn't even make her feel better. Finally, I put her in her swing and let her cry herself out. It worked! She's still swinging after an hour. I'm glad I found something to calm her bad addled nerves. She was so upset, poor thing. Now, she's sleeping...well, like a baby.

Indy's Second Well-Baby Visit

(For workout info, see my other blog. I'm trying to keep up with both. We'll see how long it lasts)

Indy's second visit to the doc went well, until she got a really clear view of him. I don't know what happened but, one minute she was smiling and laughing it up, the next minute (I shifted her to my right arm, so the doctor could look directly at her), she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Poor, baby. She was crying so hard that her entire face went red and blotchy. She was really upset. Once he finished examining her, I gave her loves and tried to calm her down. It took a good 6 or 7 minutes before she nestled in my arms and gave me the "sweet" eyes.

The nurse returned with 4 shots...four! Two pokes in each leg later, my little one was screaming and weepy again. This time, it took very little to calm her. Strange, huh? Well, she quickly went to sleep and slept the entire ride home, then slept at home for about 45 minutes. When she woke, her little head was warm so, I got to play mommy-nurse and gave her her first dose of tylenol ever. She seemed to like the sweet flavor and gave me a smile. That was at five. By eight, I knew the meds had worn off 'cause she was fussy and was favoring her legs. Ugh! If I only I could take them for her. The nurse said she'd probably not be herself for the next couple of days, but after that, she should be fine.

Next visit? Yep. Four more shots. I think I'll send dad, next time. lol

Beware of (too much) Chocolate!

Yesterday, I did something that I don't really (thank, God) make a habit of doing; I ate chocolate all day. It started in the early morn, when I had a piece from my secret stash in my office drawer. Then, I went downstairs to talk to coworkers who had a huge candy dish full of caramel chocolates. I grabbed three of those and an all chocolate kit kat, as well as a mini snickers and brought them back to my desk. I snarfed them down within thirty seconds. Then, I remembered I brought some Nestle treasures for my candy dish. Now, my candy dish has always been a source of personal triumph. I keep it full of goodies and resist the temptation of eating from it daily. Well, not yesterday. Four treasures later, I was looking for more chocolate. Granted, TOM is here but, that's just ridiculous!

So, by the time I got home, I was really feeling down...majorly depressed, down. So down, my husband couldn't even lift my spirits. It wasn't until today that I realized what happened. It's terrible! I can't believe I gorged like that...and it's so bad for you (and not exactly good for the goal I've set of ten pounds by Easter). Thankfully, I learned my lesson. I will not do that again. It sent my sugar levels all over the place, hence the depression, and the constant sugar had me wanting more when I got home. My body was actually begging for it. Actually, it was begging for the "happy feeling" the sugar was giving me...the false, happy feeling I should say. Thankfully, I didn't indulge. It wasn't because I didn't want to, it was simply because there is no sugar like that in my house. I'm glad otherwise, it just would have made things even worse.

My daughter didn't have a stellar day at school yesterday either. A little time in the power chair and she was grounded for the evening. She was so upset, but I reminded her that the time she has at home to do what she likes is an incentive to remain "kosher" at school. Do the right thing there, and you keep your privileges. Mess up, and it's lock-down time for you. I reiterated the point again this morning, on our way to my sister-in-law's house. I hope she remembers today...I really hate punishing her, but I know it's necessary.

Today was much better. I had a good breakfast and went to lunch with friends for a girlfriend's birthday. I had Lo Mein with tofu and water to drink. I'm so glad that I saw the light and didn't go overboard like yesterday. It's still flooring me that I did that!

Tonight is dance night, so I'll pick up the girls, swing home to get the babe dressed, then it's back out for the lesson. The other mommies wouldn't really talk to me before. I think they were scared or something (yes, my child is the only one in the entire dance school). I really wonder what these women are thinking..."Will that black lady who brings her child to dance try to rob me while we're here?" or "Oh, look at how they wear their hair. They must live in Ogden," or "I wonder if they have some sort of scholarship program here...maybe that's how her child was able to dance." Who the heck knows, but I just got the whole we're-too-snooty vibe for the longest. Then, after I had the baby, dad had to take the babe to class and sometimes grandma. By the time I was back to taking her, they were talking to me like we were all old friends. What the heck? At any rate, I'm glad they don't appear to be scared anymore. In fact, a couple of the moms and I really get along well! Stereotypes, I gotta tell yah. What a hinderance they can be!

This is what I call my busy night because I really don't get an opportunity to sit down and take it easy until close to 7:00, but it's definitley a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Lord help me if she ever takes an interest in anything else. I'm thinking the tween, preteen and teen years will have us wishing we had extra jobs. Kids, man...kids.

Spring is Roaring Like a Lion

We got several inches of snow on the first day of spring. It snowed and snowed and snowed. Then, at around 11ish, I took a look outside of my back window and could see the sidewalk around our "would be" porch. A couple of hours later, half of our yard was visible. By the end of the day, most of the snow (even the stuff that had been out there for a few days) had melted. They keep saying we'll have our 60 degree days again by Saturday, but I dunno. For the past few Sundays, we've gotten more than our share of the white stuff. Granted, it's the good kind of white stuff that melts quickly, but it's still more white stuff than I want in the middle (excuse me) latter part of March. Man, where did March go, anyway?

I need to walk on my treadmill. I need to do my toning tapes. I was shaking my fist in the air (I can't remember why, now. It was in excitement, not anger) and my forearm was jiggling. My forearm, dammit...ugh! What the heck is that about? Yeah, it's all about the weights...even if I'm just sitting on the bed talking to the baby or something. I can't take much more of this. Hubby's schedule is out of control and Indy is still so little and so needy, it's been hard finding the time. I'm proud of the fact that I am so motivated to get back at it because, Lord knows I could have cared less with my first rebound from pregnancy. This time, it's because I totally know what I'm missing.

Like sex (I know, TMI), when you're pregnant, your options become more and more limited the bigger you get. Then, when you get the green light from the doctor that everything is okay, your racing to get back to the "good" stuff cause you totally know what you were missing. It's very similar with my working out. True, I know how horrible it's going to be at first; the discomfort, the fighting with myself over whether or not I should work this day or that, the excuses, etc... but I know that when I get back to my groove, it will be so good! Things will start to tighten up, my mood will elevate, my energy will return and, who knows, I may even see some rendering of a waistline again. I'm really and truly ready. Hubby says tonight he'll watch the girls but then, what about dinner? I'm trying to make our meals every night again. It's so much healthier for everyone and we have leftovers for work meals and stuff. It was great last week and I don't want to loose my momentum. Ugh! It can't ever be easy, can it. Anything worthwhile never is, I guess.

As for everything else, Hubby still hasn't given me (or entered) his bank statements or his receipts. I've seen them, piling up into a huge mass on the kitchen counter but that's been the end result so far. He says he wants me to wake him one hour earlier tonight so that he can get the information in and we can start discussing a budget and how we want to consolidate. Meanwhile, I borrowed against my 403b to provide us with the cushioning they say you're suppose to have, in case of an emergency (something outside of the budget, but a definite need). The payments are totally reasonable and something I can handle myself after we consolidate everything else. It sounds like more debt, but it really isn't.

The babe went on her first field trip last week to a museum and her teacher told my brother-in-law that she did very well. I hope this continues because it's so hard grounding her all the time. I hope the "click" happens soon with her memory as well. I'll have to remember all of this when it's Indy's turn...five year olds can't remember a thing!

Now, what was I doing? Oh, work...work, that's right...work.

Yesterday, I saw Grass in my Backyard

Freaky weather is the other name March should have. We've had a whole gambit of it! A few weeks of 60 degree, near perfect weather turned into a blizzard almost overnight. Yesterday, before church, I let the dog out and could see the brown in are backyard becoming green again. I thought, "Hey, spring is near. Hallelujah!" Then, as if a switch had been flipped during service, we left the building to buckets and buckets of snow...I'm talking inches being dumped at a time within minutes. We ran to the car and as we sat inside, watched as snow quickly recovered my windows just as fast as hubby brushed the snow off. It was nuts!

It took us about 40 minutes to get home in white-out conditions. Both hubby and I were hoped up on coffee, so we kept on chatting and chatting, which made me more and more nervous (I didn't get a lot of sleep and neither did he, hence the coffee. Neither of us drinks it much.) Thank God we got home safely! After the conditions we had, it's no wonder we had this many accidents.

We've (hubby and I) have been working on constructing the family budget. Interestingly, I'm the one more focused about it and it was his idea. He keeps stalling on giving me the receipts and stuff...we'll, maybe not stalling. Maybe he's just afraid of what the computer is going to spit back at us, once it tallies up our monthly expenses. He may find that he only gets a $3.oo entertainment budget or something...who knows. I keep pestering him and he says he'll give me the remaining stuff today, since many of the checks he wrote last week will have cleared. We'll see. We've also been talking about our vacation this year, since I still have those freebee round-trip tickets I have to take before September. We're not sure what we want to do, but we know we're going to take the girls. Wow! Indy's first trip and she's not even a year!

Quality time is limited again and I can see it's having an effect on both of us. I'm glad his three days off are coming up but, it also depresses me a little because they always go so fast. I look forward to the time when we can nitch out days to be with each other that are not dependent on work or schedules. I guess we'll be retired by then...

School is going okay for the babe, but I think her new teacher has "stuff" she wants to talk to me and hubby about. On the babe's first day, she said that she would be calling us at the end of their term to discuss our babe's academic level. She would have to have her in class for a bit before she would be able to tell, which makes sense. I had to call Friday to find out about an upcoming field trip, but she wasn't available. When she called back, the babe answered the phone. When she handed me the receiver, her teacher was giggling a bit and she said something like the babe was a character or something (I didn't quite get what she said), but then she said, I'll schedule time to talk to you. Dang it! Why does it feel like going to the Principal's office, even when it's not you? Does that feeling ever go away? It seems so stupid to get apprehensive, but I am. We've been through so much with her. I just want things to be okay.

Back on the weight-loss band wagon...seriously! When I returned to work, everyone brought stuff for a pot-luck for me. Hard to watch what to eat when people have brought food in your honor. Then, I was asked to lunch with friends. I was good and didn't order anything crazy, but a lot of damage from the first day had already been done. I resided on working hard at watching things the remainder of the week. Over the weekend, I got organized and came up with a menu for this week (that worked well, the last time I was training/eating right). I'll try to keep this up, if I can. It's so much healthier for, not only me, but the babe as well. This way, I can also maintain her sugar levels so she's not going nuts and losing her mind.

The immediate goal is to try and loose ten pounds by Easter. It's a realistic goal, if I stick to my guns. Hubby is supposed to help with the kids, so that I'll have time to work out. I'm hopeful. I know how much of a difference just a few pounds makes on my short frame. I can't wait until I can get back into all of my clothes!

Back to work...Hormones in Balance

Today was my first day back to work (in the office). I worked from home, yesterday. Wow! I was just looking at the last post and so much has happened since then (especially a calming of the hormones and the disappearance of that pesky postpartum crap that interferes with rational thinking). Can you tell I'm not an emotional person?

So, here's what's up: Hubby and I have been working with our babe on her behavior issues and boy have things changed. I also figured out that the babe challenges people to whom she perceives as timid or not able to "hold their own". She knows she can walk over them...not that it's right, but it's definitely her desire to test her boundaries and see how far she can go. Anyway, she now owns up to her mistakes and issues and does a much better job of listening. Sadly, too much had occurred at her school that we had to move her to our own, neighborhood district (everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason, everything happens for a reason...). We had a student conference with the teacher on Wednesday, February 22nd. He let us know that she was on track, completely with her education (letters, numbers, words, math, etc...). Then, we discussed behavior and he told us that if she didn't have "perfect" behavior for the remaining week and a half, she would need to leave (the end of their term and, in their opinion, the best time to make a change). It was pretty final in his voice and the student-teacher was non-vocal most of the meeting.

I'm not one to throw down the race-card and hubby and I looked at all aspects of the situation before we came to this conclusion but, we felt that the student-teacher had pretty much washed her hands of our little one. And, she looked at me like she was terrified the entire time we sat there. We had only talked on the phone and, as I've sad, I speak the King's English. No ebonics here (okay, when I get mad or you know, when I've had too much to drink). She probably thought (after seeing my husband) that he was a big, black man that married a white woman...someone she could potentially deal with. Wrong, lady. Her male teacher (who is married, but totally in denial of his gayness) was trying to be as nice as possible, but we could tell that they wanted my little one gone. I believe now that it wasn't entirely due to behavior stuff (cause after observing some of the kids in her class, she wasn't exactly alone in her antics), but because their classroom was in high demand, over crowded and in need of spaces for kids already in the district. Hence, out with the old, in with the new.

So, after the meeting, hubby and I went to the school where the babe is zoned. The atmosphere was totally different immediately. I believe that the location (a military town) made the difference in how we felt. Upon first inspection, there were children of all colors which immediately put us at ease. They have an understanding of diversity and are, more likely, more accepting. Whatever it was, we felt better. We left with paperwork and turned it in completed a few days later. I then wrote a letter to the babe's school and let them know of her last day. Her daycare manager choked up on the phone...she was truly going to miss our girl. I felt good that she'd made a positive impression on them.

A bit panicked, but not as panicked as I was in my last post (damn those hormones), I began trying to figure out what to do. Then, I put it in God's hands cause, well, this was too big for me. The answer came in the form of an idea. I met with my boss for lunch and discussed the situation with him, just letting him now what was up (after all, she would starting 1/2 day kindergarten 30 miles away on the day I was to return to work). We brainstormed a bit, but didn't come up with anything. Then, I prayed again on the way home. Once there, I whipped out my computer and drafted a proposal; work from home Mondays and Fridays to help keep the momentum of the behavior progress going, while continuing my normal work schedule in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This would be for the duration of the school year (beginning of June). I had my hubby look at it and my mother proof it then, praying again, I sent it to my boss. He called Thursday night to say, "Without too much discussion, it was approved." Amen!

The last day for the babe was last Friday and we spent the weekend working on transitioning her into the new location (basically telling her about her new teacher and all the cool friends she was going to make). Monday, she was ready-like-Freddy and was so excited to tell me about her new school at the end of the day. I was so grateful. I keep praying that things will continue to go as well as they are.

Indy is cooing, smiling and laughing now. Her big sister is the one that can get her to laugh on cue. It's so special. Big sis has mellowed out a lot, I think, due to Indy being here. I sure do love my girls. More to come! (Still at work...no more time to type)