Saturday, January 29, 2011

I Miss My Six-Pack

And I'm NOT talking about beer.
Once Upon a Time, I had abs like this...

OK, so I was twenty-something at the time, but my tummy looked pretty dang good!

Then, something happened that gave those muscles a good stretch... 
I'm not complaining, because I'd take my four pack of kids over six-pack abs ANY DAY!!
But, I've decided that 8+ years later, I can no longer blame my flabby tummy on pregnancy and childbirth.  It's time to get back into shape.
So I ordered a couple of workout videos... 
Notice the Pringle's can holding up the video on the right.  Yeah, I'm all about eating healthy!
Jennifer, (my niece) saw me Hip-Hoppin' along to the videos when she came to visit the other day.  She said I was "cute."  (Kinda like when elderly people exercise?)  I have a feeling she wanted to bust a gut laughing at me,  which would have been a great ab workout for her.
A couple of days ago, I went to Costco.  I found these little numbers for a really great price and thought I'd give 'em a whirl.  After all, if they do what they claim, they might be a great addition to my "get ripped" repertoire. 
They might be ugly but, the box says that they are designed to help:
burn more calories
improve posture
improve circulation
strengthen the back
tighten abdominal muscles
firm buttocks
tone and firm thighs
firm calves
reduce joint stress
vacuum
wash dishes

Well, maybe I made up the part about vacuuming and washing dishes, but a girl can dream, can't she?
If all goes well, I'll post before and after pictures.  If not, I'll delete the "before" pictures and no one will ever be subjected to seeing my uncovered pooch and love handles.
Hmmm, on second thought, maybe I'll skip that post altogether.

I hear you breathing that sigh of relief!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Hoarders

The kids put most of their Webkinz in the family room for a Webkin birthday party...

The little plush toys were EVERYWHERE!
And I do mean...
EVERYWHERE!!
Then I started looking around and I realized that the number of Webkinz they own isn't even close...

To the number of Legos they own
And Santa brought MORE of BOTH this year!




Perhaps a 12 step program is in order.
Or, maybe you'll find me on some reality show someday lamenting about how I have no idea how it all got so very out of control!
For which I'll want payment.
The kids will ask me to buy more Webkinz and Legos with the money.
And, of course, I will.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Birthdays

Yesterday was my birthday.  I've had 46 of them to be exact!  I read this post by a wonderful blogger and thought how appropriate it was for me to be reading it on my birthday.  Thank you Amelia for writing such a wonderful post!
And yeah, ditto to what SHE said!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Some Things Can't Be Fixed



Amanda saying good bye to Angel
My sweet daughter absolutely loves animals, and our animals love her.  For the past 3 weeks, our snowshoe cat, Angel, has been having trouble breathing.  She sounded like Darth Vader with a cold.  We took her to the vet and tried her on 2 different rounds of antibiotics, neither of which made a difference. Then her nose started bleeding a bit and wouldn't stop. She began having behavior changes, lost one quarter of her body weight, and was still struggling to breathe. 
Yesterday, we took her back to the vet.
An X-Ray showed what appeared to be a tumor in her nasal cavity.
Some things can't be fixed.
My little girl cried as I explained that it was time to have the kitty put down.  I did the best I could to get her to understand that the cat was miserable and likely in pain.  It was so hard to tell her that there was nothing me, or the vet, could do to save the cat.
The ride home broke my heart as I listened to my little girl cry in the back seat.  I felt terrible that this was something I couldn't fix, and completely helpless as she sobbed for her sweet kitty.
Today, she is still sad and a lot of tears have been shed...And I'm crying with her.


Sunday, January 2, 2011

Happy Birthday Mom

Today would have been my mom's 73rd birthday.  We got together at Dad's apartment for a little birthday party.  We had sandwiches, chips, and cake.  We were there for each other as we sang Happy Birthday to someone who has passed on.
My mind drifted off to last year's birthday.  I took Mom out to buy her a new pair of shoes.  It was always difficult to find her a pair of shoes that didn't hurt her feet and it usually meant going to higher-end stores.  She never wanted me to spend that kind of money on her but I was honored to do so.  Heck, it's the least I could do after she and Dad scrimped and saved to raise 8 children.  I have those shoes in my closet now, there is just something comforting about them.
After the shopping trip, we met with my sisters and some of their daughters for lunch at Olive Garden.  Looking back, I remember thinking that I was too busy to go and spend an entire afternoon with family.  I'm so glad that I blew off whatever I had planned and just spent the time with Mom.  I think we all knew that it might be Mom's last birthday although we were hoping for a few more.
I'm sure the young woman in this picture never imagined that she would live the life that she lived.  She spent 53 years married to the same man.   Together, they had 9 children, one of which died shortly after birth.  She made many moves across the country as a military wife and had many trials which she bore with faith and love. I look at this picture and see a young woman ready to make a life for herself and have a family that she always longed for.  That same family gathered today, more than 50 years later, and celebrated her birthday without her.
Happy birthday Mom, I love you.