Date Night 2008

The hubby and I had a date night on Saturday and we raved! Me and my 7 month prego belly wedged into a table at the Chi Lounge in the Woodlands, this is the second time we’ve been there and it didn’t disappoint from our first experience. I had a glass of wine…two weeks in a row, I’m a rebel. The food was delectable and the company was exquisite.

There was a couple sitting sort of next to us and the hubby and I were trying to figure out if they were out on a first date or not. Conclusion they were so out on a first date and the guy was so in over his head…not to mention she was about three head’s taller than he was. It just solidifies I’m so glad I’m not ‘out there’ any longer. The agony of first dates…several first dates, the creeps and freaks, thanks hon for taking me away from all that.

The hubby and I love to watch other people…we actually find great conversation with our observations. For instance we talked about our worst first dates ever. Mine…when the guy gave me a poem at the end of our date, THE FIRST DATE! Thankfully I had met him somewhere and he didn’t know where I lived. When I told him it wouldn’t work out he kept BEGGING to see me. I get chills just thinking about it.

After dinner we went over to Market Street at the Woodlands and had ice cream. Buzzfest was going on at the Pavilion and My Chemical Romance wafted through the streets. The weather was stellar and we sat and ate our ice cream and people watched. We are never at a loss for conversation and when there is silence it is always comfortable.

We toyed with the idea of going to see ‘Baby Mama’ but we were 15 minutes too late. So…we decided to pack it in and head home. I didn’t have a ton of energy this weekend and going home and getting in my jammies sounded way more enticing that staying out until midnight just because we could. Not sad…just practical.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful. It was rough for me in the fatigue department. Yesterday it took everything I had just to go to the bathroom. We kept the boy cooped up and used the TV as a babysitter…;yes, please nominate us for parents of the year. Nonetheless he really did great.

Week 30

Wow…how the week gets away from you if you blink. A quick recap of the weekend Saturday was ‘girls night’. We raged until the unheard of hour of 11pm. Five of us met at Nic’s studio and went to town making glass jewelry. I’m totally addicted. Even though it was low key it was nice to sit around with the girls, have a glass of wine and watch us all bring to the table our different creative inspirations. The sweet nectar of the wine was delectable.

I found myself the ‘square cutter’…sorry about all that glass I ruined Nic. I think I may have found a new calling and a need for service…once I get good at it of course. We will see…I want to do some ‘technique’ experimenting. I can’t wait until we get to the cold working process in order to finish and polish everything to make ready for sale. Nic should have a good lot come October.

Sunday became productive in the chore department. The hubby finished the plywood in the garage ceiling and we now have a ton of extra space. The boys and I worked in the backyard tidying up and FINALLY planted the lilies, I love progress.

This week has been a chalk full of activity. Work has been crazy with pre-flight prep. As of today I’m in good shape. Tuesday I got bad news regarding my glucose test. I freakin failed by 1 point and Tuesday was so not the day I needed that news. The day started out fine and I shrugged a couple of incidents off but then things just started piling on and on and on. I was done.

When I got the call I had to apologize for taking the news out on them, like it was there fault. I really don't have room in my schedule to give help more than half a day. I knew my diet has been crap this time around and I’ve been pounding a TON of sugary whatever I could get my hands on. I tried to cut back the day before my test but alas…I failed. I’m a failure and now I have the privilege of spending four hours on my birthday in the doctor’s office not eating, drinking sugary stuff and getting poked with a needle once an hour for three hours. Happy Birthday to me!

The rational side of me totally understands this is necessary and will protect myself and the monkey for the remainder of my pregnancy but the selfish side of me says “COME ON”!!

It is what it is and I’ll load up the IPOD with podcasts and bring a book and I will look on the positive side, our cleaning lady comes on Wednesday so I will be out of the house. I will just plan on spreading out what I wanted to get done that morning between now and then. Really…it’s all good and I’m sure I won’t have any issue with passing the next round but here’s hopin.

Update on the boy…he’s moving up to the next class at school. Thank goodness. They were supposed to wait until next week, well…what’s a few days early and I think everyone is happy about it all around. Initial reports are good, he’s adjusting perfectly and all is right in the world, this hour. In a month when the rest of the ‘misfits’ from his class get moved up we will be bracing ourselves for repeat offenses. I hope and pray not.

On that note, this weekend is officially by birthday weekend. The hubby and I have a babysitter and we’re going to dinner. I’m way excited. A new outfit and shoes are in my near future; other than that I will be working on some stuff on ‘my list’ to get done in the next seven weeks.

That's about all I got...wishing a couple of friends luck in their upcoming races this weekend. A Jod is doing a half marathon in Oklahoma and a Melyssa is doing a Triathalon in Louisiana. Mosey on over and wish them luck.

LOVE HIM!

The boy: “Mom…you look beautiful.”

One of those unplanned moments I will remember always.

Stripe 2

The boy had Taekwando last night and he totally rocked it. He is one of the smallest guys in his glass…perhaps by an inch or two, most are 5+ years old and he is the loudest. YES SIR!

Tiger testing is next week and they are trying to get everyone ready to move to the next belt, you have to have your three stripes in your current belt color in order to test to move on to the next belt. I don’t have high expectations the boy will master the third level on Monday, but I don’t count him out either. I watched a boy test for his third stripe and I’m like…holy punches and kicks batman. It was great to watch. Go lil man.

I have to note…when the older kids were getting their stripes (they go in belt color order) the boy was not happy. When his named was called his face just lit up. Oh man did he get my competitive nature. Now I have to explain you don’t get a stripe EVERY time you come to class now. Although if he wanted it bad enough…he prolly would try.

What’s on tap for the weekend? Workin on console late tonight; which I haven’t done in prolly 4 years now. Tomorrow we have a neighborhood BBQ. I’ll make a brief appearance then head out for a girls night at Nic’s house. She has an art studio and it is a wine and jewelry night. I won’t be partaking in the wine part…unfortunately but I sure am going to enjoy the girl time.

That’s about it…I’ll squeeze in planting some lilies that have needed to planted for sometime and perhaps some more organizing in preparation for the monkey. Gots to get my Disney stuff on ebay!!

Happy Friday to all and to all a good weekend!

Real Genius

The family met with the counselor yesterday afternoon and received a tremendous amount of coaching and encouragement. Our son is not a bad seed, we’re not bad parents, and we’re not screwing him up. Whoo…that’s all I needed.

Seriously, the boy was in true form yesterday afternoon. We walked into the doctor’s office and he sat in his own chair, he didn’t obviously feel he needed to be protected by his parents, and began answering questions the doctor asked him. He answered all of them very articulate and to the point. Then the doctor turned to us and asked who the intellectual was in our family. I immediately turned to the hubby and said it sure didn’t come from my side.

In a nutshell what was confirmed is that our son has advanced critical skills but is lacking socially. CHECK. He doesn’t like circle time because he doesn’t want to conform, he wants to lead. CHECK. The biting, spitting and hitting is a form of acting out because he is bored and not stimulated which frustrates him. CHECK. Taking TV away and sending him to his room is not affective at his age because he is unable to think abstractly and understand he did something 5 hours ago and mom and dad are mad and disappointed. The only thing that he sees is that we are disappointed and he wants to fix it and will say and do anything to rectify the situation at that moment. CHECK.

Solution: Look for a Montessori school. They tend to have smaller classes and focus on the child’s needs and skills. Also it was suggested that we get the boy into something to do with the arts; music, dance, or piano lessons in order to allow him to explore his creative side.

We gained some insight and we will try it out. The hard part is the Montessori school. There is one somewhat close to our house but the hubby and I need to decide when the right time would be for the move if we do decided to go that route. I’m thinking the fall since the baby is coming this summer and that is going to be enough of an adjustment for the boy.

I think the hubby and I need to sit and talk with Seth’s teacher and principle so we are all on the same page and perhaps can agree on some adjustments to make all of our lives a bit easier.

All in all I’m glad we took the boy in and received some helpful advice on how to handle behavior and adjustment situations; sounds like he is going to keep us on our toes for the next 18 years.

I can see clearly now…the rain is gone

So I’ve been working on something rather difficult the last few months, a letter; perhaps one of the most difficult and poignant letters in my life. I think I got it right. I’m not going to go into the gory details because it is not really something I’m proud of or want just anyone to know about me.

The high level summary: an ‘event’ occurred a couple of years ago and that event was dealt with poorly or should I say…never dealt with at all. I’ve struggled, put it on the back burner, sought professional help and hoped that the situation would rectify itself (sums up how I handle most difficult situations). I finally realized or accepted that this situation was not going to go away without action from me. Of course not any ole action would do, especially if I wanted to consider those that I care immensely for.

I prayed, sought advice, listened to what others had to say, internalized everything and finally I figured out what my problem was; I was focused more on how to ‘handle’ them instead of me. (Angels singing)

Once I figured out the crux of my blockage the clouds parted and I gained instant clarity. This ‘event’ is about me and those that I care about. The question I had to ask myself is “what actions do I need to take in order to move on for the sake of happiness and living a more fulfilling life?” “How can I make peace with all of this?”

FORGIVENESS

That is such a powerful word to me. It is a word I believe some people use to ‘sweep things under the carpet’. In my opinion many offer forgiveness but cannot or will not deal with the hurt, pain and disappointment to prevent a similar occurrence.

I thought about that, this event cannot be swept under the carpet but two things are key…1. I now know I am not responsible for other ADULTs behavior. 2. I cannot make ADULTs do things they are not capable of doing. Because I now know and accept this I can forgive because anger and bitterness just make you a victim and I refuse to become one.

I also pulled the ole “Dr. Phil” and asked myself how the current situation is working out for me…it’s not. I’m angry and bitter. A different path for me it is. I wrote a letter, voiced my concerns, and offered forgiveness in the purest form. I have made it clear that I don’t condone the actions that were taken and I still hope for some kind of recovery process but I do not expect it. It is up to them to decide to reconcile, not me. I’ve made peace with the fact that may never happen. If it does then we are better off that we all are now and we will take it as it comes with the well-being of the family in the forefront.

The best thing is…I didn’t cry when I composed the letter for the second, third, fiftieth time. That is so not like me. That could mean one of two things: 1. my heart is hardened and the bitterness has taken over (I don’t believe this for a minute) 2. I am doing the right thing and saying the right words because they are the truth, non-accusing and I am not seeking/expecting action and I’m ok with that. I’m choosing to own the power of happiness. (Dang…Tyra Banks is going to come around the corner at any minute yelling ‘panty party’.)

The clouds are still hovering because I haven’t talked the letter over with the hubby but I do currently have a sense of relief and a viable plan for possibilities if they chose to show themselves.

Lesson learned from all this. You are in control of your dreams, your happiness and well-being. There are obstacles that may get in the way but it is up to you to redirect your path in order to move forward toward a rewarding and fulfilling life. It’s never too late to redirect. Those redirections are what open our eyes and make us stronger.

Life, Love and Happiness…have a new meaning to me than just something you see and read on a wall décor plaque hanging in a store.

Updates: Me and the Boys…

The boy: Got into trouble AGAIN yesterday, spitting on a classmate. Seriously…I have no idea where he gets this crap. Wednesday cannot come soon enough. We are at our wits end. Defiance, sure, attention seeking, ok, no respect for the teacher, yeah I get it but DUDE…even those those are all things I understand could go on in a three year old I constantly ask myself, in our obsession with doing everything right did we do something to screw this kid up? I guess we will begin finding stuff out tomorrow.

The monkey: Already in position and uncomfortably moving around. Loves to play kickball with my ribs and I thought he was going to fall out entirely last night. Dude…

The hubby: Down 8 lbs but of course it looks like 15. Men suck when it comes to losing weight...they make it look easy. He has been working hard and I am very proud of him. Fixin fresh veggies, healthy dinners and lunches and cutting his portions down. Last night I asked him if I could buy two tickets to the gun show...hubba...hubba.

Weight: I’m up to 185 with 9 weeks to go, scary, the most I’ve ever weighed. I know I’m prego and I should just roll with it. Whatev, I still gotta loose all that crap AFTER the baby is born. So, I went to the store for lunch and got stuff for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, all organic, whole wheat and low sugar, pink lady apples, reduced sugar oatmeal and healthy nutty snacks. I can still eat but I’ve decided to make better choices.

Me: I said earlier I went to the doc today found out they FORGOT to give me the yucky sweet stuff on my last visit for my Glu.cose testing. I of course ate because I wasn’t instructed not to, so my prize…I get to come back on Friday. Whoo hoo!! I’m a bit frustrated because I have no vacation and I was reminded yesterday that negative vacation should only be used for emergency (I’ve been negative going on 8 of the 9 years I’ve worked here). I’m attempting to manage my time better but life has had other plans. I’ll roll with it and do what I can.

Oh…heard something on the radio this morning that was rather profound. “Stop DOING and start LIVING.” I know I’ve heard it before but for some reason it stuck this time. The statement came from a man that was saying he was old enough to be a grandpa and all of the things he wished he had done as a younger man such as pay attention to nature, take more trips, work less and worry less, enjoy more. Good words to live by in order to achieve a fulfilled life, IMO.

Cleaned out the medicine cabinet yesterday after work, the only reason I mention it is because 1. I can’t believe the amount of EXPIRED crap we had in there (about ¾ of the crap). 2. Need a band-aid…we’ve got Dora, Cars, Shrek, Scooby-Doo, Spiderman, Clear, Brown…small, medium and large…you got a favorite I’m sure we own it. 3. I rock at organizing. I wouldn’t say I have full blown OCD but maybe I suffer ~25%. I am way “Sleep.ing with the En.emy” when it comes to labels on cans and bottles. MUST FACE FORWARD, the beatings are only given if I have to remind the hubby more than once a week, it just makes since. I bought shelf stands for the cabinets and various sizes of take away tupperw.are and labeled them, magnificent work if I must say.

A little bit of crazy to go with your fruit loops…

From Jodie: “Sandy went in to labor, so Nicole and I went with her to the hospital. When we got there, we (nic and I) were telling the doctor that we'd been tired and were gaining weight…so he put us in beds by Sandy and gave us a shot in our foot, well, the shot was pictocin (sp?) and then Nicole and I gave birth to boys and Sandy had a girl. And I was thinking, dang no wonder I was so tired, I was pregnant. “

“So then we were like, oh man, we have to go let Mike Hurt know that Nicole and I will be out for maternity leave. So we came back to the office and they were going to make an announcement about gold badges, Sandy and I saw the list and it was 4 people, but not nicole! It was Tom, Tanya, Lamar and someone else, so we were trying to go warn nicole before the announcement. But then we had to take a test to see how much maternity leave we got…it depended on how much your baby slept and how much you had to nurse, so they only gave me 2 weeks off.”

LOL…I’ll have whatever she’s having.

Lucky Stripe

The boy got his first stripe for self defense last Thursday. Of course I’m the proud, competitive mom and noticed there is a boy that is older and started about a week or two before the boy and HE doesn’t have his first stripe. Don’t let me paint a picture of being that overbearing mom that only sees her son as an overachiever and he has to WIN at everything cause that’s not me…on the outside. I would only admit this to my hubby and my blog. BUT…you go son.

Week 29…Jeepers only 9 more weeks to go.

Friday the hubby and I took off work. We did a ton of stuff, our donations were picked up, I was able to take back the toy room and get it under control and as organized as it could be. The rest of the day was bevy of errands. It was nice to have the day and even though we were not able to spend ‘quality’ time together we made the most of it.

Saturday seems just a blurry. The boy and I went to his school for a couple of hours for the Spring carnival. It was nice, thankfully we went early because I heard it got crazy in the afternoon. As crazy as a day care carnival could get; I picture socs and the greasers challenging each other to a mean game of dodge ball. First rule of playground dodge ball…there are no rules. Heavy stuff…

After naps we headed down south to our friend Nicole’s BBQ housewarming. It was very nice; she even thought ahead and got a moon walk for the kids to keep them occupied. There were babies and food a plenty. It even got chilly out so we broke out the fire pit. We headed out around 10 but I heard they raved until 4. Yeah…I’m too old for that crap.

Sunday the boy woke up with a horrible cough and he and I had a jammie day. I was nice but I was a bit irritable as well…don’t really have a good reason why…oh yeah…I’m pregnant and that is a good enough reason. He and I slept a lot and tried to keep it low keep so he wouldn’t get full blown sick. This morning he seemed to have recovered nicely.

The behavior chart worked for a couple of days then he lost it on Friday. This weekend was ok…better than last but not stellar. Holding out until Wednesday, come on…have a good day today.

Doc appointment tomorrow.

The Soundtrack of My Life

Do you ever hear yourself saying...”That song reminds me of…” or if I had a soundtrack that song would be on it.

Well, I finally put it to paper. This is still a work in progress but I think I got a pretty good start. The last decade is way easier to put music to than the first 2. If I think about it music wasn’t a big part of me when I was young. I used sports to escape instead.

Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
I Say a Little Prayer For You - Natalie Cole
Take Me Home Country Roads – John Denver
Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks
Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On – Mel McDaniel
Coward of the County – Kenny Rogers
Little Sister – Elvis Pressley
These are the Days – 10000 Maniacs
Sweet Dreams – Eurhythmics
Borderline - Madonna
The Chauffer – Duran Duran
Your Love - Outfield
Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
Sister Christian – Night Ranger
And She Was – Talking Heads
Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Tears For Fears
Blame it on the Rain – Millie Vanilli
Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
Crazy For You – Madonna
Lovesong - Tesla
Seventeen - Winger
Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin Another – Journey
Take My Breath Away - Berlin
School’s Out – Alice Cooper
Summer Nights – Van Halen
I’ll Still Be Loving You – Restless Heart
Argue- Matchbox Twenty
Hang- Matchbox Twenty
Beautiful - Flickerstick
Should I Stay or Should I Go – The Clash
Rest Stop - Matchbox Twenty
Angel – Sarah MacLaughlin
Independence Day – Martina McBride
Rocket Man – Elton John
The Distance - Cake
Stay – Dave Matthews Band (DMB)
Crush - DMB
Ant Marching – DMB
Dancing Nancies – DMB
Santeria – Sublime
Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cindy Lauper
All By Myself – Eric Carmen
Anytime – EVE6
Telluride – Tim McGraw
A Girl Like You – Pete Yorn
Bright Lights - Matchbox Twenty
She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
Back in the USSR – Beatles
Burrito – Pete Yorn
Red Rain – Peter Gabriel
Anywhere Is – Enya
I Had the Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warner
Listen to Your Heart – Heart
2 Find You – Jewel
Major Tom – Peter Schilling
Do…Do…Do…Da…Da…Da – The Police
Chapel of Love – Dixie Cups
Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
She’s Having A Baby -
Problem Girl - Rob Thomas
100 Years – Five For Fighting
Lose Yourself – Enimen
Everyday - DMB
Open Road Song – EVE 6
Surfing on a Rocket - Air
Fins – Jimmy Buffet
Undeniable – Mat Kearney
Balance Beam – Blue October
Camera One – Josh Joplin Group
Best In Me – Sherwood

It’s funny to look how mainstream my picks are until recently, I can thank my hubby for that. He totally should have gone on Rock N Roll Jeopardy, he knows EVERYTHING. Obscure crap, who sings what and if I had half of his knowledge I would be rich with all the money he bets that I would know an artist or a song. I’m like…huh. I have begun to share his passion for music and really enjoy when we can make it to a show every now and again.

Picasso I'm not...

Week 28

The monkey’s room is painted and it looks great, it took 2 men and 6 hours later…best 170 bucks ever spent. I scheduled Goo.dWill to come do a pickup on Friday so that put us in declutter mode. The hubby got a new desk and book cases for his office (he put it together…that won’t be happening again…manual labor and him do not get along). I have to give him credit he did well. His hands are sore but the office looks great.

I washed a lot of the monkey’s stuff, mostly left over from the boy. I also started putting things where they belong, not necessarily setting them up but just storing them out the open versus the garage or the monkey’s closet. I only have 10 more weekends and the next two are going to be packed pretty full. Next weekend we will go to a friend’s house warming BBQ and the following week another BBQ and girls night. Hells yeah I’m going to girl’s night. I will be my last for awhile.

Back to Goo.dWill the next big task to tackle between now and Friday is the boy’s toys. Holy cow there is so much. I was proud of myself for throwing away the Mc.Donald’s toys he got in our happ.y meal the other day. The toy room is overflowing and 50% is mostly crappy pirate, robot, whatever the theme for the week is toys.

Speaking of the boy, we had a rough weekend behavior wise and Monday did not bode to well at school either. So…we’re calling in a professional. The prof. already made the assessment that the boy sounds like he does not listen to people he doesn’t respect; totally true. Also he initially confirmed one of my concerns at this age that the boy can’t rationalize how his current actions are going to get him in trouble later on during the day. I thought that may be the case.

So, to try something different I made up a behavior chart for him (i.e., downloaded a free one online) we decorated it and we/he decided on what to work on for the week. Every two days that are full of stickers he gets a treat, that he picks and it can’t be a toy or something that costs money. The first round of reward he picked chocolate milk at dinner. We are working at sitting and listening during circle time, yeah…he just wonders. Dressing himself in the morning and at night, this will help when the monkey arrives. Practice writing his name at night, we send his chart and his name writing practice to school with him so his teacher can see.

The hubby and I have been so frustrated with him we’ve lost our patience with the entire situation more than enough times. The professional isn’t someone just for the boy it is also help for us to learn tools to deal with the unfavorable behaviors. I think, as most parents do, we expect a lot because the boy is smart and he looks older than he is. So...we’ve decided to stop the yelling, be more positive and teach rather than scold. Oh he still doesn’t get to watch his shows nor does he get to play if he has had a bad day but we now turn to talking about what happened, talking about the right choices and motivate him with rewards that he chooses. We see the professional for the first time next Wednesday. I’ll report back in.

I’m getting bigger by the moment it seems. Today the monkey was playing footsie with my ribcage, that’s always fun. I’m still tired. I have to take at least a small nap during the day to carry on. My concentration level sucks, I don’t want to do anything but sleep and bitch it seems lately. Oh well. Only 10 more weeks then it will all be over right…HA…I’m not naïve enough to believe that. But I do think I’m armed emotionally to handle what is thrown my way.