Stuff

A small update on some random and not really interesting stuff:

1. Alex starts basketball in January, officially. They didn't have enough pre-k kids to do a full league but he will be getting an 8-week clinic wherein he will do drills and learn new skills. He's very excited. Oh, he also lost two teeth and got one fully in, and another is coming through.

2. Emma now speaks in half-realized sentences. Her single words are still mumbly and usually consist of only the first syllable, but by god, she can say, "OH NO" and "OH WOW!" with the best of them. She did so tonight when she saw our (fake) new Christmas tree with its fiber-optic light show. She also says "I love you" and (in context, sometimes its hard to make out) she says shoes, sock, purse, dog, arf, bye-bye, night-night, all done, down, up, bath, potty, toilet paper (it really sounds like tah pay), brush, diaper, bear, bug, butterfly, cat, meow, hair, eye, nose, book, no, and probably more that I can't remember right now. Which is totally awesome, don't get me wrong, but Scott and I had a conversation last night that went something like this:
Scott: I'm getting worried about Emma.
Me: Why?
Scott: She doesn't say words. She says sounds.
Me: She has at least 20 words in her vocabulary, that's above average for her age, she'll be fine.
Scott: Yeah, but I want full sentences.
Me: Scott, just because our son was a freak and spoke full sentences when he came out of the womb doesn't mean that all our children will be that way.
Scott: I can't accept that my daughter is not a freak.

3. I'm on break! On the first Monday of break I sent the kids to daycare so I could get all of our presents wrapped. Scott also took the day off and helped me out. Today I got the kids fed and out the door, did the last of my Christmas shopping, got our Christmas tree, exercised, got all the wrapping done, got the house picked up, took a nap (wow, that felt good), cooked dinner, took the kids to visit my mom, came home and sat for over an hour reading funny stuff on the web. I remember there once was a time that I read actual BOOKS, but I find that tha intarwebs are funnier. Sometimes.

4. Before everyone has a brain spasm about that last item (You're a teacher! How dare you say you don't read books!) I must mention that I have discovered a new series of books. All young adult fiction, since my fifth graders are the ones from whom I get the most recommendations of books lately. I started reading The Mysterious Benedict Society series while I had a student teacher and loved it. It's about four brilliant kids who use their different intelligences to solve problems and save the world. There are three books in the series and I'm on book two, and it's getting better as I go. I'm also about to start reading the Percy Jackson series, if only because I want to before the movie comes out. Oh, and I rediscovered the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series, and since my aunt (Hi Linda!) bought me the set almost 20 years ago and I read them over and over so often that most of them fell apart, I will be looking to purchase a new set to give to my kids. No child should be without them.

5. I got a new camera! As soon as Scott and I sit down to watch the DVD on how to use the damn thing, I'll post new pics. I used it at school to create a thank you gift for my student teacher (I took pics of all my kids and had them each write a letter to her, then put them all in a photo album). I'm loving it so far, although I've only scratched the surface on what it can do. Scott also bought himself a new Droid and a 24 inch monitor to add to the 22 inch monitor he already had (some unfathomable thing that programmers must have, I guess - dual monitors for 46 inches of screen space).

6. I didn't get my dream job. I applied for the Highly Capable itinerant position that was available in our district and kicked ass in the interview. Did everything right, answered every question, I even knew one of the women on the interview committee and had an "in." Apparently, however, I just wasn't the right "fit." I imagine that they had someone else in mind when they posted the job - standard BS, we have to post it to offer it to everyone, blah blah blah. I am, however, keeping in touch with the teaching and learning supervisor and I have a feeling she might be my in the next time the job opens up. I WILL teach gifted kids someday. Even if I have to leave the district. I could go on, but dooce's rule of "Don't write about your job on your website" keeps flashing in my head, so I think I'll save the NCLB/"Summit" rant for the next get-together.

7. I'm still working on losing weight. I hit 80 pounds a couple of weeks ago, then took a break and enjoyed cake and pizza and a few other treats (that I hadn't touched in 8 months) and now I have to work off a few pounds I had lost. But dammit, I enjoyed that, and I don't regret any of it. :-) I also realized that I have no set time that I have to lose the weight I'm working off. I still have 50 pounds to lose, but it is so much easier to get back into my good habits now that I've established them. It is harder to exercise every day what with the weather, my foot (plantar fasciitis) and my back, but I imagine once the weather gets better I'll have even more motivation. So I'm taking it easy this winter and watching my patterns, and making sure my pants still fit. My cholesterol was 111 and my blood pressure was 110/65, so whatever I've been doing has been working.


8. Aaaaaand...I'm done. For now. More later!

I've been kinda busy.

Yes, so I haven't blogged in for-EH-ver. I also haven't done much of anything to blog about.

Oh, unless you count being acting principal at school about once a week.

And, well, I guess you could count chairing the Math committee at school.

Hm...you could probably also include having a student teacher. And mentoring a colleague. And coordinating a school-wide assessment. Oh, and that other committee that I've been on for three years now.

All while juggling two kids, one of whom takes Taekwondo lessons 3 times a week and starts basketball next month. The other of whom...ok, well, she's pretty much perfect and aside from one hell of a stubborn streak, is an angel. So I guess I can't use HER as an excuse.

Anyway, I've been busy. And the USB port on this computer is still broken and Scott is hogging the laptop so I can't even post pictures of me 77 pounds lighter.
(Edited - here's one, at least.)

We did a "Biggest Loser" competition at school and I came in second place - I lost 11 pounds in a month and a half. The winner lost 26. I asked if we could count what I had lost prior to starting the competition. They said no. Can't say I didn't try. :-)

Scott has been really busy too. He even got yelled at for working all the overtime he has had to work to complete the two projects he's working on. He finally took vacation time - he has 11 days off. It worked out really well since Emma got swine flu this week and he was able to stay home with her the last two days. I'm not sure if it was really swine, because while she did have all the symptoms, she didn't cough much and she got over it really fast. Must have been a really mild case - or I just make kids with amazing immune systems (we haven't had to take Alex to the doc for an illness in two years, either). I got sick this week too, but I think it's more a sinus thing than swine flu. I wasn't sick enough to miss work, that's for sure. Or, wait, let me rephrase that - I didn't LOOK sick enough that people at work would tell me I needed to go home. I felt like crap the last two days, but apparently didn't look bad enough for germophobes to harrass. :-)

Did I mention I'm not a germophobe? I only mention it now because it's a fun segue into my next story.

Emma is anal-retentive. And detail-oriented. And focused. It's like all of the genes that make me a balance of "whatever" and "perfectionist" were divided evenly between my two children. Alex couldn't care less if his room was clean and when it comes to trying to get him to clean it, we have to sit in there and direct every. single. move. he makes. The focus is not there.

Then there's Emma. Who walked around the restaurant this evening after we were done with dinner and proceeded to pick up every single piece of trash off the floor. And every single piece of spaghetti that dropped on her booster seat. And every single piece of food that might have fallen on her shirt (but I swear, not many did, she's a very prissy eater. Who would rather eat with a fork than her hands.). And no, I did not discourage it. It was so cute to watch her toddle around the table, back and forth, offering my dad a piece of spaghetti here, a straw wrapper there, saying, "ga" when she handed them over (because they belong in the garbage, obviously).

In other news, our cats are much happier. They finally have free rein of the house again. Max didn't work out. Which is really sad, because he was a good dog, but it wasn't fair to him to leave him in the kennel for ten hours a day when he did NOT like it, and we couldn't leave him in the house because he destroyed things. Like our bedroom door. Which he tore a foot-wide hole in. I ended up taking him back to the shelter, where they promptly featured him as the pet of the week (and mentioned his separation anxiety) and he found a good home. It will be a long time before we get another dog, and it will be a smaller, FEMALE dog - they're easier to train, for one thing. I was working with Max every single day on obedience and trying to get rid of his problem behaviors, and it wasn't working. I'm thinking someday we'll get something Border Collie-sized, and maybe a puppy. But again, it will be a long time, because we don't have the time for training right now. For now, the cats are loving this, especially since they had to spend all day out in the garage so Max didn't try to eat them.

Anyway, as soon as Scott stops hogging the laptop I'll probably post some pics of me and the kids. Maybe. I make no promises. I'm busy. :-)

More pics

My grandma was in town this week and we were inspired to take more pictures. Here are a couple of the best.
Four Generations

We don't get family photos often.

Another very typical Alex photo - always about to take off somewhere.

Emma looking adorable as always.

Another goal

Tonight I ran a mile and a half without stopping, in 17 minutes. Sure, not a huge accomplishment, but it's been a loooooong time since I've had the stamina to do that, so I'm proud of myself. :-) My legs feel like jello now, but still. I remember back in high school when I managed the mile and a half run in 12 minutes - maybe I'll shoot for that. I'm still thinking about doing the Sound to Narrows next year...

Five

Dear Alex,
Two days ago you turned five years old. But I don't think I needed to tell YOU (or anyone else, for that matter) because you have been telling people you are 5 since you were four and a half. Apparently 4 wasn't cool, and you only wanted to be 5. Your uncontained excitement about this birthday has been perplexing but fun - you really couldn't wait to be five. I think in the last two days you have said, "I'm 5, I'm a big boy" about eleventy-bajillion times. Seriously.

For your birthday this year I was not about to buy you more toys, especially since most of the toys you have received over the past 5 years have ended up discarded, broken or thrown in a bag in the garage when you wouldn't clean your room (and them promptly forgotten until you got a chance to explore the garage, at which point you "really missed ________" and HAD to have it back right NOW). So we went with ACTIVE presents - elbow, wrist and knee pads from us for the scooter from Daddy's parents; a basketball from my parents; a punching bag. We gave you a boxing lesson today and you were getting pretty good. Then you found your new love in the scooter and were begging to go out and ride it in the dark. Patience is something with which you have NOT been gifted in great quantities. :-)

You are SO excited about basketball. We are finally going to start your first official team sport in December (the 6 weeks you took soccer lessons a couple of years ago don't count). I can't wait to see how you do - I'm excited to see how you work with others and learn teamwork skills. Everyone keeps telling me you should be great at basketball, and even if you aren't, that your height will make sure people pay attention to you. I don't really care how GOOD you are, I just want you to learn important teamwork skills and learn to keep trying even when it gets tough.

I just want you to know, kiddo, that you have taught me so much over the past five years. Good and bad, there are things that I've learned from you that I will never forget. Here's a list of some of them.

1. Your body is on an automatic timer. No matter what time you go to bed, you get up at 6 a.m. I've learned that I am NOT a morning person. Which is odd, because I thought I was. Thanks for that, little man. Thanks a LOT.
2. If there was ever something that kept an adult brain firing constantly, it's having a very active, intelligent kid in the house. I don't think a day goes by that I don't have to shake my head and wonder - how in the hell...? Or, what the hell am I going to do about this? Or, why won't he REMEMBER to flush the stupid toilet?? I was once told that teachers answer somewhere around 12,000 questions in a day (or something). I think, after parenting you for five years, I've ASKED that many questions a day. You keep me guessing, kid.
3. You have taught me to appreciate your unerring capability for forgiveness. No matter how many times I may yell or get frustrated or tell you to go to your room, you still hug me and tell me I'm the best mom ever at the end of the day. I don't AGREE with you (you weren't lucky enough to have Grandma Michelle for a mom, like I was) but I appreciate that you still think that even when I don't deserve it.
4. I love that so many people tell me what a good kid you are. You remember to use your manners, you listen when we ask you to do something, you're respectful of your friends and helpful to everyone. When we ask you to do a job for us, you hop to and get it done quickly. (With the exception of cleaning your room - it really feels like yanking out impacted wisdom teeth with no anesthesia when we try to make you do THAT little chore. Oh, and you can't get a stitch of clothing into your laundry basket - your floor is always littered with clothes. But other than that, and so forth.) You've taught me to appreciate your helpful side - I don't celebrate that often enough.
5. You've taught me to be a better teacher. In parenting you, I have learned many lessons about patience (I still don't have much, but I have more because of you). I've learned about perseverance and how important it is ("Perseverance means never give up, Mom!"). I've learned that every time I think I might get a chance to sit on my laurels as a parent because "That strategy WORKED!" - the game completely changes and I have to come up with something else. But because I have had that experience with you and your complex little brain with its quirks and challenges, I now know how to approach my most difficult students with patience, love and care, and to see deeper - beneath their surface situations and backgrounds. I'm not the same teacher I was before you came along. Thank you for that.
6. I've learned that sometimes I really do suck as a mom. Actually being a parent has made me realize that it is truly one of the hardest jobs in the universe. And sometimes, we all suck at it. One day you will realize how much we suck (it usually happens around the time you turn 12 or 13) and you will stop telling me I'm the best mom ever. But the fact that you do it now melts my heart and makes me realize I need to appreciate you and your amazing, quirky little self the way you are RIGHT NOW. I only have a few more years before you start telling me, through word or action, just how much I really do suck - so I need to really work on NOT sucking. I'm sorry I suck as a mom sometimes.
7. I love you. So very much. You are an amazing little man, so intelligent, insightful, expressive and lovable. All you want is to be loved, and every action you take is further proof of that. You grow through nurturing and positives, and seeing your face light up when you do something well puts me on top of the world. I can't wait to see what amazing contributions your sweet personality will give to the world. I've learned to appreciate the little things - the smile you give me when you're sitting like a black belt at TaeKwonDo; the way you rush to take the garbage out when I ask; the way you get so proud of yourself when you ride your bike in a full circle without falling off. How you get so excited when it's story time in the evening. And yes, even though I can't stand it, I still love to see your adorable face when you tell me for the third time since you went to bed, "I have to go potty."

I still can't believe I created you. I remember you being in there, and you look a lot like me, but the little person you have become is so different from anything I could have imagined. I think that's the biggest lesson I have learned since you came along - expect the unexpected. Because you're great at throwing curveballs.

I love you, little man. Happy birthday.
Mom

School starts Wednesday!

And I cannot WAIT to go back. This has been a reeeeaaally long summer for me. Partially because I've been an exclusive SAHM all summer, partially because I've been dying to get back into my routine to help along my weight loss, and partially because I'm dying for more adult interaction and stimulation.

Alex has finally cracked through the ceiling on his letters. He now knows 7 letters and their sounds - A, B, F, M, O, S, and X. He has a pocket chart in his bedroom that I put an alphabet border into, and we review the letters he knows before story time, and introduce and review one new one every couple of days. Once he knows the whole alphabet we'll start on numbers. He still gets numbers and letters mixed up (he'll say, while pointing to a group of letters, "those are numbers," and vice versa). I'm definitely happy about this - he should know the names and sounds of all of the letters and be able to count to 100 by the end of Kindergarten, and suddenly, at this rate he might be able to do both before he STARTS Kindergarten, so we're in a good place. I'm still waiting to see, but I guess he just hit a developmental milestone and it suddenly clicked. Was my worrying for naught? We'll see.


Emma is just darling. She has turned into this adorable, charming, wide-eyed little princess and she is so sweet and lovable. At her core. On the outside at the moment she's getting on EVERYONE'S nerves. She is constantly whining, screaming about something or another, and we're all getting tired of it. She started daycare last Tuesday and they said she was crying during transition times, which is not surprising, since she cries anytime I walk away from her or try to change what she is doing. Her mommy connection has gotten really annoying at times when Scott just wants to hold her for a second and all she wants to do is put her arms out for me while saying, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" I love that she wants me and that I'm so important to her, but I want her to be just as connected to Daddy too, and that bugs me. So, whining and clinging. It's just a phase...it's just a phase...it's just a phase...



Max has turned out to be a wonderful dog. He's so good, and aside from some random barking that he doesn't do when I'm around, and the occasional chewing of Alex's toys that were left outside (Alex says, "I know it's my fault, I left them out.") he has been great. I just trimmed his toenails tonight all by myself, and anyone who has ever had a big dog knows that's not easy unless your dog is very easy-tempered. He's very gentle with the kids, they love him, and he's a great security system. He had a lot of fun at MarDon this summer, playing with the other dogs in the lake.



That's about it for now. I'm still down 60 pounds, hopefully that will change once school starts and I hit my stride again. Now I get to go see if my dressier work pants still fit me or if I need to make another shopping trip. :-)

Dawn asked for it...

So I had Scott take a few pics of me in my wedding dress since some people were curious. Don't mind the wrinkles, it's been sitting in a box for 6 years.





I think it would definitely need some alteration - and I really think I could have done without the sleeves. But it sure is pretty! :-)

People of Walmart

Since the Walmart in Lakewood opened a few years back, I have seen my share of interesting things...people...mullets... And now, LOOK! There's a blog about it! What a giggle I've just had...
People of Walmart

Holy crap!

On a whim I decided to whip out my wedding dress today since I weigh about the same as I did when I got married six years ago. I figured that I would probably be able to get it on but that it wouldn't fit the same way or something.

Lo and behold - it FITS - and is BIG on me! AND...Emma got to see it for the first time. She loved it - played with the beads and touched the satin. She didn't seem too impressed when I told her it would be hers someday, but I figure that will be a better conversation for later. :-)

Woohoo - I fit back into my wedding dress!

9 minutes

I had to friggin' brag - I just ran a 9 minute mile. After a very brisk 45 minutes of walking. And while it's certainly not record breaking or anything, it's a big deal for ME. Because I was in high school the last time I ran a mile, much less ran it in less than 12 minutes.

Woohoo! Go me!

Oh, and I've been using a pedometer to track my steps, hoping to reach a goal of 10,000 steps a day, which I've done every day since I started tracking. Today, with my 9-minute mile, I hit 14,972 steps, which apparently totals to about 7 miles for the whole day. I like this pedometer thing, it makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

We'll hit that goal weight yet! :-)

Oh, and the Sound to Narrows 12k run/walk takes place in Pt. Defiance Park next June. I think that's a good goal, don't you?

Taco-fu and marshmallows, too

So in an effort to get more lean protein in my diet I've totally jumped on the tofu bandwagon, and wow, do I love that stuff. Could eat it all day. Last week Scott wanted tacos for dinner but I didn't want all the calories and fat from ground beef, so I made my own version - taco-fu. It was actually good, assuming you like tofu.

Taco-fu Recipe:
Extra firm tofu
Cooking oil (the lighter the better - you can actually just cook the tofu in the taco seasoning, but I wanted to try the texture of the fried tofu tonight.)
Taco seasoning mix
Tortillas/chips
Fixin's (tomatoes, olives, cheese, lettuce, etc.)

Cut tofu into one-inch (or smaller) cubes. Fill a pan with enough oil to half-cover the tofu cubes, then lightly fry to a light golden color. Pour out the oil. Mix the taco seasoning and put the tofu cubes in - simmer for 5 minutes. Place tofu cubes in tortillas or crumble onto chips, then cover with the fixin's. Enjoy! (If you like tofu. If not, be like everyone else in my family and turn your nose up at it. The dog won't even eat it.)

One other thing I've actually made lately is my friend Breezi's wedding cake. I found a recipe for fondant (the icing-like stuff that smoothly covers a cake - you usually find it on wedding cakes). This stuff is to DIE for and it's SO much fun to make.

Marshmallow Fondant
1 two-pound bag of powdered sugar (C&H works best, but you should sift any brand you use)
2 tbsp water
1 one-pound bag of mini marshmallows
1 cup Crisco shortening (the white kind - the yellow butter-flavor kind makes the color off-white)

Dump the marshmallows and water into a large bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted - stir between each interval. When completely melted, pour 3/4ths of the sugar on top and cover the whole top of the marshmallows (this is so that you have a powdery coating when you dump it onto your kneading surface). Coat your kneading surface with a LOT of Crisco so the marshmallow doesn't stick, then dump the marshmallow/sugar mixture onto the surface. (I use a "Fondant Fun" mat by Wilton, but any flat surface will do.)

This is the messy (and fun!) part. Dig your hands into the Crisco and coat them with it - front, sides, backs, in between fingers, everywhere. Wrists too - this stuff sticks to everything. Squish the stuff over and over between your fingers until you get all the sugar squished in with the marshmallow. Once you have something you can actually manipulate (as opposed to squish) then sprinkle a LOT of powdered sugar on the greased surface and begin kneading it like bread dough. You have to keep lifting it off of the surface and adding powdered sugar or it will stick. Keep kneading until you have a ball that, when rolled out, doesn't tear easily and is smooth. (Sometimes you'll need to add a drop or two of water if you have powdered sugar balls stuck in the fondant - just keep kneading. And don't add too much water - a drop or two should be enough.)

If you aren't ready to put the fondant on the cake right away, coat the ball of fondant with Crisco and wrap it in plastic wrap, then put it in a zip bag. It will stay fresh in the fridge for at least a few weeks. If your cake is cooled and ready, frost it with about a quarter to an eighth of an inch of frosting (I usually use white since it won't change the color of the fondant) so the fondant will stick to the cake. Roll out the fondant to about an eighth of an inch thick. Measure two sides and the top of your cake and add those together, which will tell you how wide to roll the fondant. (Example: an 8 inch wide by 2 inch high cake would be 8 + 2 + 2 or 12 inches wide.) Then place the rolling pin on top of the fondant and pull the fondant on top of it, rolling it as you go along the measured amount. Make sure the side you want ON THE CAKE is the side on which you place the rolling pin. Place the fondant over the cake (can I say "roll" once more? I think I can!) and roll it out so it completely covers the cake.

At this point, use your hands to gently push, pull and prod the fondant into the shape of the cake, using a pizza cutter to remove the excess. Store the excess in your plastic wrap/zip bag combo, and voila! You have a cake that is to DIE for - trust me, this fondant is amazing, and it will NOT be left on the side of the plate like some other fondants.

Here's Breezi's cake:

The blog post that wasn't.

So, we had a great camping weekend at MarDon resort in Eastern Washington - almost 4 whole days away from kids and responsibilities. And this year I did NOT come away pregnant. 2 years ago, not so much, but this year I refused to let MarDon work it's charms on me. Of course when I got there, all of our friends had to make comments alluding to the fact that Emma was a MarDon baby (I can't be sure, but the timing is pretty damned close). Anyway, I'm NOT pregnant.

But oh god...what if something is in the water?

Me!

Here's a before pic. This was taken at the beginning of April, right after I decided to embark upon this journey of life-changing proportion. And yes, I actually attempted to find the worst pic I could. I figured it would make the difference more obvious, you know? :-)

And here's me, 60 pounds lighter:

I like that better. :-)

60

FINALLY! So after a month of plateau, my good friend Dawn Facebooked me (who knew that could be a verb?) and said that after reading my blog, she wanted to let me know to eat more protein. And holy god, was she ever right. So I ate more protein. For 2 days. And dropped 5 pounds in those two days. After that it's been steadily downhill, and I've lost another 10 pounds in about a week. I'm thinking my body was just waiting to get a little more nourishment before it could let go of the pounds it was holding on to. The last couple of days it has slowed down considerably, so I'm thinking I just needed that jumpstart to get back on track.

In other news, I went to a bachelorette party on Saturday night. Wow, was that fun - not only the party itself (drunken debauchery - including a scavenger hunt that involved us being required to catcall at every guy we drove by on the street - is not something I get to partake in very often). But the most fun part was shopping for new clothes, getting dressed, putting on makeup, and LIKING the way I looked! No, let's be honest here - after probably 5+ years of not feeling at all attractive, I LOVED the way I looked. And after I finish baking my friend's wedding cake over the next couple of days, I'm going to be totally narcissistic and post an entry of nothing but pictures of ME. Because I've actually LIKED pictures of me lately! (You have no idea how excited I am about this.)

And in a last bit of news - about 5 minutes ago I read on BOTH Facebook and Myspace that my sister-in-law Alyssia (and of course her hubby, my buddy and bro-in-law Ryan) is pregnant. Now, unfortunately, she has pulled the "I'm pregnant!" crap with us several times - one time she even posted an ultrasound pic to HER blog that she STOLE from MY blog. So even though I saw her in a pic WITH the actual pee stick, I really don't think I can get all excited about this one. In fact, since they just left here for Japan a few weeks ago (which means she probably conceived this child while they were here, ew) and won't be back for TWO YEARS, I'm really just gonna sit back and wait until I see actual belly pics. OR a kid. You hear that Alyssia? You've ruined me. You have managed to make the one person who gets all excited about EVERYONE getting pregnant NOT excited for you. You happy now? You suck. And if it's a girl, you better at least have an M in it's name somewhere, for all the heartache you've caused me.

(I'm kidding, I'm kidding...I'm jumping up and down right now. Inside. Where no one can see it.)

Never thought I'd agree with a celebrity...

Most of the crap I read coming out of celeb's mouths is usually just that - and I usually am pretty meh about it, knowing that most of it is taken out of context and twisted however the magazines or writers want it to sound.

But when Brad Pitt said this, I couldn't help but smile a little inside. I mean, the guy is one of the hottest things on earth, and he actually has something intelligent to say (which goes against the original opinion I had of him). And I agree with it 100%.

On when he’ll marry Angelina Jolie: “I have love in my life, a soul mate–absolutely. When someone asked me why Angie and I don’t get married, I replied, ‘Maybe we’ll get married when it’s legal for everyone else.’ I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it–hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I’ve had the privilege of seeing my gay friends being parents and watching their kids grow up in a loving environment.”

On the right to love: “It’s ridiculous that Prop 8 took away gay people’s right to marry! I have no understanding of that kind of hatred. Maybe it’s fear of difference or of the unknown. If you feel belittled, maybe you need someone else to belittle to feel powerful. It’s the only way I know how to explain it. You’ve got religion telling you what to think about homosexuality, about marriage. They say homosexuality is a choice, a lifestyle, something you can be cured of, and that isn’t true. But if you’re tucked away and have no friends who are gay, you’ll believe what the preachers say. Just think of it in terms of being in love–how would you feel if someone told you that you couldn’t be with the person you loved?”

On wanting the best for his children: “Would it bother me if a child of mine turns out to be gay? No, not one bit. Listen, I want my kids to live the lives they want to live. I want them to be fulfilled. I hope I teach my kids to be who they really are.”

Go Brad!

6 years

Our anniversary was on Sunday, and it made me realize that while I spend a lot of time talking about the kids on this bloggy thing, I don't give Scott anywhere near the credit he deserves. So this one's for him. And to avoid being TOO sappy, I'll make it a bulleted list. (But I doubt that will save it.)

1. Internet, Scott is a genius. In his infinite geni-osity (look, I made a new word!), he won't ever let you say that without a firm denial, but truly, the guy rocks in the brain department. I mean, when you look up "geek" in the dictionary, his picture is there. He's a programmer, for crying out loud - and half the stuff that comes out of his mouth when he tells me about work I can only smile and nod about. But he's very humble about it. And one of the most amazing qualities he has is that he will share what he knows in a very non-condescending, calm manner that makes you feel so comfortable with being a dimbulb. The #1 reason I married him was his brain.

2. Scott is also cuddly. I know, he won't even kiss the kids in public, but when we're at home all he wants to do is be close to me and snuggle. He gets sad if we're watching TV and I'm on the floor working out - he'd rather I snuggle with him on the couch. He'll hit the snooze in the morning and spend an extra 15 minutes in bed just so we can cuddle. PDA isn't his thing - but he is constantly displaying affection in private. The #2 reason I married him was his snuggledy-ness (look, another new word!).

3. Oh my gawd, can this man wield a hammer. I don't know how I got so lucky to find a man with handyman mad skillz, but the guy just installed an entire FLOOR without any help. He can use power tools with the skill of a master. There's something about Scott using a table saw that just does it for me. The #3 reason I married him - he's an awesome handyman. We're putting in french doors next.

4. The next thing that I love about him is also what infuriates me the most at times. The guy can't lose an argument. He's got such a rational, logical perspective and dammit, the guy is NEVER WRONG. I think there might have been one time in our 8 years together that I totally disagreed with what he said and he couldn't bring me around to his point of view. Because that's what he excels at - providing a rational, thought-out point of view that just makes so much goddamn SENSE. Even if I disagree with it, it still makes sense and I have to concede to it. Do you know what this does to someone who HATES being wrong? Yeah, really. Reason #4 that I married him - he keeps me grounded. And proves I'm wrong once in awhile.

5. I'm hypercritical. I know this. EVERYONE knows this. It's why most people don't like me. (Well, that and I'm antisocial at times, but I'm more critical than antisocial.) But for some odd reason, Scott not only gets this about me, but he LIVES WITH IT each and every single day. And he only gets outwardly pissed about it once in a blue moon. And then I feel REALLY bad about it, because he gives me some logical, reasoned argument about how I shouldn't react this way or whatever. Reason #5: The guy puts up with me. He's a saint.

6. He buys me flowers. 'Nuff said.

Those are just some of the reasons I decided to spend my life with this man. I could list so many more (including the fact that he changes diapers!) but I think he'll already be creeped out by the fact that I've posted this much about him.

I just hope that someday Emma is lucky enough to marry someone as wonderful as her daddy.

I love you, Scott. To an amazing 6 years of marriage - may I be lucky enough to have a lifetime more.

And a one and a two...

I don't think I'll be able to move tomorrow. I've been working out with my little handweights (3 lbs apiece) while I walk, but for the past month I haven't lost any weight at all, despite maintaining my exercise routine every single day and sticking to 1500 calories religiously. Nothing like a plateau to keep you motivated to lose weight! So I've been working different muscle groups lately. I borrowed a couple of workout videos from my friend Sara (love her!) and I've done those a couple of times, which helped to give me a better workout regimen. Now I don't SIT and watch TV - I WORK and watch TV.

I started with Yoga Booty Ballet, which was surprisingly easy considering my flexibility wasn't where it was when I was 18. The hardest part of the whole 40 minute workout was the actual yoga - man, I was NOT ready for the down dog. The second time I did it was better, but I'm still working on my upper body strength so I can hold myself up in those positions. I also realized that my back flexibility was crap, probably due to the back issues I've had. The ballet part of the video was easy - I figured out where Alex gets his flexibility from, now that I've got mine back. I can almost get my chin to the floor in the straddle stretch. :-)

I also tried Zumba, which is really fun, although Sara only had the advanced workout and I do it after Yoga Booty, so I've only made it through 20 minutes at the most. It's based on Latin dance and I do a lot of hip shaking, which also helps with lower back strength and flexibility. I can't do too much because it's high impact, but I do what I can as long as it doesn't hurt.

So anyway, I've been taking my cues from those two workouts. I've been continuing my walking each day for an hour around 3.5 mph, but I've cut out the running. Too much impact, knees weren't liking it. And even on days when I don't have time to do a full workout video, I'll spend the evening when Scott and I usually watch TV by working my arms with my new 6 lb weights (did that for 30 minutes straight tonight - again, if I can lift my arms tomorrow I'll be surprised) and by doing ab work on the floor. Sara also gave me a 2 lb workout ball that I use to work my thighs and abs, and to avoid stressing my low back while I'm doing crunches and stuff I roll up a towel and put it under my "yoga mat" (which is really just a rubber backed bathmat - more cushy!).

I've also discovered tofu, which, really - LOVE. I like it baked - I think it's Azumaya who makes savory baked tofu, which is 130 calories and a quarter of your vegetable protein for the day.

So yay for working out, and yay me for keeping it up. Hopefully the weightloss will keep on track now that I've changed up my routine. Wish me luck!

Mrs. Right (all the time)

You'd think that with me being a teacher, I would be full of wonderful educational ideas to impose on my adoring children during my summer break - yeah, I'd really rather run my foot through a meat grinder.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching them learn. Reading books and discussing new vocabulary with Alex? Definitely. Giving Emma new containers and banging implements and watching her create her own little percussion section? Absolutely. Forcing Alex to sit down (FOR FIVE MINUTES, MY GOD KID, JUST SIT STILL)? Not so much. He has decided that he WILL NOT be taught by me unless it involves a situation wherein he is bound by necessity to sit still (IN THE CAR! This works IN THE CAR!) and ONLY involves verbal discourse. An example of the times it works:

Me: Alex, do you know what 'persevere' means? It means, 'don't give up.' What does persevere mean?
A: Don't give up.
Me: Good! Now if it's really hard to get your homework done, but you keep working and trying and finally get it done, what did you do?
A: Persevered.
Me: Great! If you worked really hard to get your room clean and didn't give up, what did you do?
A: Persevered.
Me: And what does persevere mean?
A: Don't give up.

Now this may sound like a pretty big word for a 4 year old, but the thing is, this 4 year old has a pretty big brain. Which is why the fact that he won't let me drill and practice with him is so annoying. So I have to let my car be my classroom. Teaching him on the run. We look out the windows, we talk about what we see. We have vocabulary discussions and he actually uses the words we talk about in conversation later. I don't bother with words shorter 8 letters, on average, because he already has a big vocabulary. He's 4 and he uses words like persevere, for god's sake. BUT HE CAN'T TELL ME WHAT THE LETTER "L" LOOKS LIKE.

Part of my problem with teaching Alex is my competition gene - I hear parents of 3 year olds saying, "She knows all her letters!" And I shrivel inside. Because Alex still calls letters numbers and numbers letters. Now, my rational brain KNOWS that kids don't even need to know the names and sounds of letters until the END of kindergarten, and he has another whole year before he'll even START kindergarten. Plus he's a boy, plus he's verbally advanced not only for a boy, but also for his age (his verbal skills have always been ahead of the curve, even ahead of girls his age when girls develop verbally sooner). Crazy as it is, this isn't enough for me - I've got to drive myself crazy with the fact that he doesn't know his letters yet! And I know, I know, "Kids all develop at their own pace, don't push, he'll get there on his own..." blah blah, I KNOW THIS. The thing is, the kid DOESN'T ALLOW ME TO PUSH.

There is nothing more annoying than being thwarted by a 4 year old.

I know that pushing him accomplishes nothing - he's too much like me, the stubborn little snot. If I sit at the table to have him do a workbook page, he'll finish a third of it and start whining to go outside. (Yeah, that whole perseverance concept apparently was lost on him.) And if I try to get him to finish, he shuts down, whines, gets angry - even when I let him stand up to work (a classic tactic, especially for young kids and ADHD learners). And some parents out there are like, "I would MAKE the kid finish! What are you teaching him by letting him leave it unfinished?" Well, in this case, I'm teaching him a hatred for seatwork. Which is really what his future teachers are going to LOVE me for, am I right?

And the only reason I'm sitting here ranting about it is because I KNOW I have to actually let this go, because he's too smart to NOT figure it out on his own - but that means I'm not in control. And we all know how much Marci LOVES being out of control!

And don't even get me started on Emma, who won't even let me finish 2 pages of a book before she pulls it out of my hands. I have to read to her while she's bouncing around her room, hoping the love of reading will soak in by osmosis or something. Don't get me wrong, she LOVES books - but again, that stubborn independent streak - she will sit for 10 minutes flipping through books on her own, looking at the pictures, talking to the characters - but the minute I try to read a book aloud, she's got to get it out of my hands so she can look at the pictures.

I remember being pregnant with Alex and thinking, "Oh, how much fun we'll have, sitting at the kitchen table, tracing letters, doing flashcards, coloring the right number of bananas..." It's amazing how actual parenthood completely dispels your illusions of what parenthood SHOULD be. And truthfully, part of me is just feeling guilty that I can't do with my kids what my mom did with me and my brother - teach us herself and have us both reading before kindergarten. Granted, I wouldn't want to be a SAHM like she was - I'd go batshit in a month. Summer vacation drives me nuts, expecially now with two kids - I feel like I'm constantly surrounded by needs that need to be met, and my own needs (mostly for alone time and adult interaction/communication) are NOT being met. I'm truly a bitch in the summer, and it's not just the heat (but my GOD, how I hate the heat).

Anyway, it really just boils down to these things:
1. I'm a control freak.
2. I want my kids to be ahead of the curve so I look good as a parent. (Wow, it's hard to actually admit that. And I know not only is that wrong, it's also an indicator that I need therapy.)
3. I have to let go and let my kids be their own wonderful selves and learn at their own pace.
4. Where do I draw the line between letting them be themselves and letting them get away with stuff? Where is that dividing line that says, "Right here is where you have put in the right amount of effort, but this is too much?" When do I stop letting Alex get up from the table and MAKE him finish that workbook page? When do I MAKE Emma sit and read a book with me?
5. I can't MAKE my kids do anything, not without threats - and I try hard not to be a dictator. We try really hard to parent without threats - it's about choices, their own choices, and the consequences that result from those choices. But how, as a parent, do you know which choices are the right ones for YOU to make?

This is the ultimate dilemma and catch 22 of parenting. I don't want to make the same mistakes my parents made, but in the process of trying to avoid those mistakes, I'm going to make others that will screw with my kids' heads. And knowing that, I'll STILL make them. Because there is no black and white with parenting. There is no definitive manual, despite what all those publishing companies would have you believe. There is no real right or wrong, because what is right for you not only is wrong for someone else, but they will very publicly judge and berate you for it. Choose to let your baby cry it out when they won't go to sleep without screaming? You're a horrible person who doesn't care about your child and her need for comfort. Choose to go to work instead of staying home? You're selfish. Choose to formula feed instead of breastfeeding? You're lazy.

And people still want to become parents? It's really a good thing I didn't learn all this until AFTER I started having kids. Or maybe I did know this stuff then - but I chose to ignore it and live in my unicorns and rainbows fantasy (in which my kids actually sit at the table and color with me).

The truth is, one thing that parenting has taught me is that I'm always wrong. And for someone who has based her own self-worth on being right most of the time, that gets downright depressing. My god, how I love those adorable little creatures, but my god, do they constantly have to make me question every single thing I do, say or think?

Yeah. That is THEIR job.

At least they're doing it well. Maybe I can take credit for that.

I could be wrong.

Ummm...beach? Dog? Baby?

Yeah, I really don't have anything to write about. Truthfully, nothing interesting is happening in our lives right now (some would argue nothing ever does ;-)).

We went to Ocean Shores for a couple of days - my mom, me and the kids. It was overcast and because of my mom's limitations (she can't see because of her eyelid spasms and because of her Parkinson's and heart conditions she gets very fatigued easily) as well as having my two little ones, we really didn't do much. We shopped in one souvenir shop, went to the beach once, went to the pool twice. I was reminded that Alex has not taken swimming lessons, so I'm looking at starting that soon. Emma is a little fish - she kicked and floated better than her brother did.

My mom put it rather well when she said that it was like me going to the beach by myself with three kids, since she needs as much help as they do. It was relaxing, if you ignore the fact that Alex has become a teenager in a 4 year old's body. Good lord - the attitude, the whining, the entitlement! Not to mention the fact that we have not ONCE given in to him when he whines repeatedly, yet he STILL DOES IT. You would think after 5 years of consistency the kid would TAKE A HINT. He even - I kid you not - whined, "You never let me do what I want!" on this trip. I've decided that since I told myself if my teenagers said that (or any other version of such - "I hate you!" or "I don't get to do ANYTHING everyone else does!" included), that I would congratulate myself on doing my job. Because really, isn't it our job to set boundaries? Or at least I'll tell myself that. And I'll tell myself that the early onset of this behavior bodes well for his teenage years. Because he'll get it all out of his system now, right? Right? Come on now, agree with me - then I won't go batshit crazy.

I'm still working on the weightloss thing. I've found it's a lot harder to lose weight in the summer for me. It's mainly because of the lack of routine - every day is different so the routine I had set up before school got out has yet to fall into a rhythm while I'm at home. I'm exercising every single day for at least an hour - walking, running, workout videos, weights, etc. I don't remember the last day I didn't exercise. I haven't gained anything and the swimsuit I bought last summer is falling off of me (which kinda pisses me off - I spent 100 bucks on that thing). Oh, and the only shorts I own that DON'T fall off are the ones I can now pull on without unbuttoning them, which means that another 5 or 10 pounds and I won't be able to wear them either. I'm really looking forward to the day I reach my goal weight - I've found I can maintain my weight by exercising and eating 1800-2000 calories a day, and right now I have to stick with 1500 to lose. Which is okay when I have other things to distract me until dinner, but this sitting around the house for 2 hours while the kids nap kills me (especially when it's too hot to get into the garage to treadmill). So I blog. :-)

I'm looking forward to So You Think You Can Dance tonight - it's the 99th episode, and Ellen Degeneres will be a guest judge (she's one of my favorite personalities - her dry wit kills me). And I've been sucked in - I actually called to vote for my favorite dancer last week. After 5 seasons and 2 tour shows, I finally picked up the phone. I'd like to think that my votes helped Melissa - she got stuck in the bottom two but made it through. :-) She won't win (I'm thinking Kayla or Brandon will) but I've gotta stick with my favorite naughty ballerina.

Aaaand...yeah, that's about it. I'm sure I could sit here and type random boring crap for another hour but there really isn't anything to blog about. I should probably go unpack anyway. Oh, Max is doing great. I love having a dog in the house again. The cats don't - they've taken up residence in the garage for a bit, but they'll all get used to each other eventually.

That's it for now...

Yum.

Just thought I'd share.

(That's Ryan Reynolds, in case you were wondering. You really should see The Proposal. Not his best - they didn't let him use his razor wit like they should have - but ohmigod the abs. The ABS.)

*swoon*