Old and New

I've had a bit of a struggle over the last couple of months with my weight loss program. I seem to have hit a plateau that I can't break, and I was starting to feel like all my efforts were basically for nothing. I started wondering if I wouldn't just rather go back to the way things had been when I could eat whatever I want and didn't have to worry about finding time for the gym. I know I wrote about the gym being my happy place, and that is definitely true, but with having to get up at 4:45 three days a week, I find myself wanting sleep much more than I want to go to the gym. So I've been considering throwing in the towel. Then I found something that changed my mind completely; some old pictures. On the left you will see a picture of me taken this Christmas. On the right, a picture of me Christmas a year ago. Pictures of me over the last several years are pretty rare. Even if I am in them, I tend to be in the background. I hated how I looked. I avoided the camera whenever I could. That is no longer the case. I actually sort of like having my picture taken now. I know I still have a long way to go, but just seeing the difference of the last year gives me all the motivation I need to get my tennis shoes on and hit the gym. I don't need that piece of cake over there. I certainly will NOT eat that pan of brownies. I'm not going back to that ever again. And just in case you need more evidence of the change, let me add a couple other before and after pictures. I'm not trying to tell anyone what they should be doing, I'm writing this as a reminder to myself of just how far I've come so that on those bad days, I can remind myself of just what I have accomplished already.

Morning

I'm trying to decide if I love mornings or hate mornings. I've been a night person all my life. I'm like Mom. I seem to come alive just as everyone else is going to bed. I've always been my most productive at night. But now, three days a week I have to be up at 4:45 to take care of three kids not my own. Fortunately they go back to sleep on my couches and recliner. Some days I love it. I find I can get everything done I normally would in the day, but I get it done before lunch. Last Tuesday I had my dishes done plus I was on my third of laundry all before anyone else in my family was even out of bed. Then there are days like today. I'm dragging. It's almost 11:00 and I haven't even brushed my teeth. None of my kids are dressed, the breakfast dishes are still sitting on the table, and I have no motivation to do anything. I'm exhausted and my day has hardly started. So what's the trick? How do I make all my early mornings productive ones instead of days like today?

A great day

Today was a great day. We celebrated Rebecca's third birthday today, and it was so much fun! Her birthday isn't until Monday, but she will tell you now that she's had her party, she is three. She blew out the candles before we even finished singing to her! She just couldn't wait until the end of the song. She got so excited with one present she pulled the bag over her head to get to the good stuff inside. She ran around all afternoon telling anyone who would listen that she is three now. I know I complained about what a trouble maker she is in my last blog, but it's days like today that remind me how very special and wonderful she is. She said thank you to everybody and gave hugs all around. She played with everybody and shared her new toys with everyone. She had a grand time today. She was happy and cooperative and loving all day long. I loved having today to celebrate the day she was born and how much I love her. Happy Birthday Becca!! I love you!

Here comes trouble!

I'm having a bit of trouble with one of my wonderful children. She is driving me crazy! Becca turns three next week (yes, three!). I've said since Rachel was three that the threes are worse than the twos. Becca has hit this stage that I hate a bit early. She has always been independent and stubborn. She was born that way. Her first real sentence was, "No, I do it!" But the past week and a half or so has been particularly difficult for me. Last Tuesday, after having already gotten into trouble for playing in my bathroom, she snuck back in there while she was supposed to be napping. Of course she made a mess, and of course she got into things she shouldn't have. But what really upset me was the fact that she cut her hair. She chopped off an entire side! She also cut her bangs, but she's done that before so I wasn't too worried about that. We had to take her in and basically have almost all of her cute curly hair cut off. She now has a short, layered cut that makes her look like a little boy! But this isn't all that she's done lately. We finally had to change the doorknob on our bedroom door because she would get inside our room so often. She's broken candle holders, cut up pictures, colored with permanent marker on our new wood floors, dumped large quantities of laundry soap down the sink and in the toilet, colored on her dresser and walls, drawn lines down the carpet in black crayon, emptied an entire tube of toothpaste into the sink, eaten my lip gloss and spread poop on her walls. And that's just in the last week. Then this morning I found she'd spread lotion all over my keyboard and yogurt on the mouse. This little girl is out of control and she isn't even three yet!! What have I done wrong with this one?? I can't figure out how to get her to behave. If her entire year of being three is anything like the last week has been, I'm in for a very long year. And yet, she is so darn cute you just have to love her anyway! Even though I can hear her playing in the bathroom this very minute.

Jill's latest question is, "how do you find lasting contentment with your "situation" in life?"

I don't intend to make all of my blogs answers to Jill's questions, but I really liked this question. She said that she sometimes sinks into a funk when she thinks that others have all the things she has, plus more. I'm going to disagree with that. Others may have on the surface some of the same things, but they're not really the same. Other people may have the exact same couch that I have, or even a better one, but they don't have it in the same cozy family room surrounded by pictures of the family I love, and often that family itself. Others may have bigger or nicer or even the same home I have, but it's not filled with the same family or friends or memories that bless my home. Many people have nicer cars, or better jobs, or more "things" to fill up their lives, and they may also have children, family, and friends, but they don't have my kids or my family or my friends. What I have is completely unique to me. Nobody else has exactly what I have. It may appear to be the same, or better, on the surface, but what I have is mine and mine alone. Nobody can duplicate it. And I thank the Lord every day that I have so many things to be thankful for.

Friends

A few days ago, Jill asked, "how are you blessed by your friends?" I didn't respond to her question, but I have been giving it quite a bit of thought over the past few days. I thought I'd post my own blog on the question rather than take up lots of room on her comment page.

I've decided that my friends improve my life. Each real friend that I have helps me to explore a side to me that might not be brought out otherwise. I have friends who encourage my creative sides, friends who encourage my cooking pursuits, friends who strengthen my testimony, and friends who help me to find parts of me I didn't realize were hiding dormant inside me. Every friend I have sees me a little differently. I get to be almost a different person depending on who I'm with, and yet, they are all me. I get to be seen in so many different ways. My friends have helped teach me about who I really am. I never knew I was so many different things or had so much to give.

Jill, thank you for posing this question and helping me to appreciate all my friends have done for me.

My Ultimate Mood Changer

By the time Scott got home from work last night (about 8:00) I was pretty grumpy. I'd been up since 4:45, I had a headache, and we were struggling with finances, which always makes me stressed. But despite how I was feeling, I laced up my sneakers and headed out to the gym. After 25 minutes on the elliptical machine the scowl had left my face. After 35 mintues on the treadmill my headache had eased considerably. After a couple hundred crunches and side crunches on the exercise ball, I was smiling. After stretching, I was calm and relaxed. I'd had a pretty bad day, but as I was showering right before bed, if anyone had asked how I was feeling, there was no other word to use except happy! I wasn't feeling at all stressed, grumpy, or even tired. I felt great. I can't tell you just how wonderful it feels to have such a mood altering outlet. Going to the gym is the one and only thing I have that is just for me. It must be something like Jenn's craft room or Mom's cave is to them. It's the one thing I do for myself. And it has the power to turn a crappy day into a happy day. I feel very lucky to have found my happy place. Who would have ever guessed it would be the gym??

Curses Angela!

I have a new addiction, and it's all Angela's fault! I ordered a Sudoku calendar for Micah for Christmas, but due to the incompetence at Barnes and Noble, it wasn't delivered until 5 days after Christmas. Angela told me I should just keep it and learn how to do it rather than ship it down to them. That was the beginning of the end for me. I now not only do this puzzle, but I have three, yes three, websites I go to almost every day to do their daily puzzles as well. I love the stuff! So curses to Angela for getting me started on such an addictive little puzzle!

Comments

I love reading everyone else's blogs. They make me feel so much more connected to people. I love my mother's ponderings on life. I think about all of Jill's questions, though I don't really answer them. I love how connected I feel to Jenn when reading all about her days. But I've found that as much as I love the blogs, I love the comments on the blogs just as much! Not being in that fun circle of friends, I don't know the women who comment on Jenn's and Jill's blogs, but I love reading them just the same. So today I am going to encourage any and all who happen to come across my blog to leave a comment. And not just on mine. Don't be afraid to comment on other's blogs. We all want the feedback. We all want to know how our blogs are being received by others. So don't be shy! Leave me a comment. I may just do the same for you! :)

Weather

Okay, I hope nobody expects me to do three blogs in one day. It's my first day, and I figure my first two sort of didn't count.

I don't know who knows this, but here in the Seattle area, we almost broke a record for the number of days straight that it rained. We were going for the record set in 1958 of 33 days of rain in a row. We didn't make it, technically. The day they said we didn't get rain it sure rained at my house. A lot! We ended up at 27 or 28 days of straight rain.

I grew up here so I'm used to the rain. It doesn't bother me too much most days. But then we get days like today and I remember why I hate the rain. Today was beautiful! It was sunny and gorgeous and warm. We almost hit 60 degrees today, which for Washington in January is very rare. But it wasn't just that. I got my first view of Mt. Rainier for the first time in almost two months today! There it was, not a cloud around it, all covered in snow for me to see. And the fact that I had to put my sunglasses on while looking at it just made the whole thing even better.

It doesn't get much better than this. To be able to drive in Washington in January with my window cracked open and my sunglasses on with the incredible view of that amazing mountain made my day. It was my fizzy joy for today. :)

Both Jenn and Mom have done this, and I liked it so I thought I'd answer the questions too. Don't worry, I will get around to an original blog eventually. :)

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. The Disney Store
2. Delivering newspapers
3. LensCrafters
4. Red Lobster

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. National Treasure
2. The Hunt for Red October
3. X-Men
4. Sleeping Beauty

Four places you have lived:
1. Graham, WA
2. Federal Way, WA
3. Fife, WA
4. Poulsbo, WA

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. The West Wing
2. Alias
3. Las Vegas
4. The Food Network Challenge

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Las Vegas, Nevada
2. Atlanta, Georgia
3. Disneyland
4. Dallas, Texas

Four websites you visit daily:
1. gmail
2. msn.com
3. myspace
4. there's a sudoku puzzle on an msn site that I do every day

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Potatoes and cheese in any form
2. raspberries
3. salt and vinegar potato chips
4. stuffed mushrooms

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. back in bed (my alarm went off WAY too early today)
2. somewhere warm (stop complaining Mom!)
3. The Oregon coast
4. Vegas!

Peer pressure

Okay, here I am. Between Jenn's blog on why Mom's reasons for not starting a blog didn't hold water, and Mom calling me to ask why I hadn't started a blog as well, it got to be too much. So I'm caving! I have no idea what I'll write about, but I have SO enjoyed reading Jenn's blogs (and Jill's!) that I've decided maybe it won't be a terrible thing. And hopefully my ramblings won't bore y'all too badly! :)