Life Is Beautiful

Hooray for getting to the pool today!  1500 yards took me 45 minutes, but hey.  I got in the pool. I had a workout with 2400yds on it but after the warm up and a couple of "faster" 50's I was already tired.  So I got in 1500 and then spent 10 minutes in the hot tub. The boys both took amazing naps this afternoon, and boy was I glad.  I plan to take a rest day tomorrow as usual and then try to run a little on Thursday.  I think if I can maybe do 2mi on the treadmill and then finish the workout in the pool that will be enough. As many of you may know, I've been severely under employed since right before Thanksgiving.  Mostly, it's been a blessing.  I've learned to slice our grocery spending to a minimum.  We've avoided using our credit cards as we are in enough slavery to those damn things already.  I've learned about places through out our city that give away day old bread, bruised produce and close dated dairy items. I've learne...

My kid nearly was truly abused today. You know how young people like to think that they have it so rough at home...well, I 'bout made it all come true for them today. I knew at 8:30 this morning that our 8yo daughter was making the choice to have a crummy day. she was resistant to getting dressed and stomped up the steps. I largely ignore stuff like this, because it's done to "get my goat." Then she began to bang on the air registers and pretend to cry...that was enough. At math time she looked at me and said "No" when I told her to do her work. I let her have a couple of minutes to change her mind, and then she ended up in her room until she got it done. After lunch, we got together and she got better. Her brother on the other hand... MOUTHY. He's fast approaching the big 1-3 and it shows. I get really incensed when he mocks or rolls his eyes at me. I don't ever demand respect from our children, but I feel that through my love and care for ...

There are many, wonderful, kinds of people in the world. Women are more complex than men and there are more types of us than there are stars in the sky, I'm sure! Its not really fair to categorize people, but we all know a fancy girl, a tough girl, a coupon lady, and an earth day mom. Soccer mom, diva and the "wow, what is she wearing" woman. Whether we admit to judging, we most certainly categorize. I happen to be kind of a no nonsense person. I favor jeans and t-shirts with comfy shoes. I have used the same hair spray since 1996...and the same eyeshadow color. I tend to say what's on my mind, though I have learned a lot about holding my tongue. I enjoy work, and like having things to do. I enjoy working with my hands and don't mind feeling tired and ready for bed at the end of a good days work. Whining? Doesn't usually fit in to the plan. But here goes... Oh why, oh why, WHY the heck is all this stuff happening to ME!? It seems like nothing is co...

Here in Nebraska there is a collective " hoorah " right now. After a LONG winter with several feet of snow that didn't melt we are finally free! The trees are budding, the grass is growing, and some of my dear friends are miserable from the growth explosion. Sorry friends. :( I am so glad to be able to take the kids outside. My living room was starting to feel like a prison. Keeping TV out of the regular rotation was getting increasingly difficult. Keeping my sanity regularly was becoming increasingly difficult! Today we got to go outside during morning nap for the babies. Liam wanted to read the new book he got, so he stayed inside on the "cry watch" and I took the other three outside. We dug a hole and planted a plant. The little kids liked to push the dirt around the plant and then give it a drink. I was also very productive with our time this morning and cleaned up the garage a little. I couldn't find my pots to put my tomato plants in, so I re...

Last year, David and I read a book together. It was a great idea for a novel, but the writing was very slow. At one point the family goes to walmart and it seriously takes a quarter of the book. From that time on, when we are referring to something excruciatingly slow, we resurrect the 40 page trip to Wal-Mart from that book. I HATE WALMART. Sorry, had to let that out. For oh so many reasons. I won't shop there unless it is absolutely necessary. They do have the best cheap diapers and baby whipes in town, so David makes a monthly trip for the gigantic box of both - an whatever else he spots "on sale". Don't get me started... bloodsucking evil empire. It just so happens that our printer pooped out on us so the last time he went to Wal-Mart we got a new printer. Middle of the road model, around a hundred dollars. Does scanning to - much needed. Well, it didn't work. So after much frustration on the phone with an out of country "customer service...

So I'm going down the aisle at the grocery store after work yesterday, pushing little baby Susan right along. She was fussy, her top two teeth are coming in and she has recently realized that being strapped in = not being able to get away and that makes her mad. Anyway, we have our little ritual. We bring in our green reusable grocery bag (purchased at the store for .99 and boy are they ever big!) she holds that and tries to put it on her head while I hold the list and grab what we need for dinner. When I'm done with the list, she is usually done playing with the bag and I give her the list to "play" with (maim, chew, destroy, eat). She was really being quite patient yesterday. For someone who isn't yet a year old, she really seems to understand what we are saying when we talk to her. She had reached for the list several times, and I had told her to just wait and made an appropriately funny face and sound effect. When I was finally done with the list I gave it to ...