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Do you ever think back on your childhood and wonder why you remember some things?
Although I lived in 3 different houses in my growing up years, one of the homes in particular comes to mind when I think of my childhood home. We moved there before I was old enough to remember, and we moved away when I was about 10.
It was a cute little 2 story with a grassy front yard, a fenced in backyard, a swing set, a sandbox and a dog kennel with our obnoxious dog, Axel (yes, for the Guns 'n Roses Axel), who was forever sniffing my butt every time I went outside.
I have so many fond memories of our time in that home (the constant butt sniffing not being one of those...).
Sitting on my front porch in the summertime offering the mailman a bite of my lime popsicle.
Coming *this* close to getting my little brother to eat a dog turd because I told him it was a tootsie roll.
Making the conscious choice to lock the door to my room, step outside of it, and pull the door closed, bidding all my toys farewell because of my brilliant plan to tell my dad that I couldn't clean my room because I was locked out of it. I may go the rest of my childhood without my toys, but if it meant I didn't have to clean it, it was worth it all. The plan got shot to crap the moment my dad was all, "What the hell!" and picked the lock with a pen. And I thought it was such a brilliant plan...
Watching in disbelief as my little brother - a toddler at the time - crawled under the table and the tried to stand up, hitting his head and then yelling, "Shit!"
Waking inside my house on my birthday to find a yellow brick road made of construction paper with clues about little munchkins waiting for me in the basement, leading to a surprise Wizard of Oz birthday party.
Losing my front teeth in a caramel apple when I went over to the neighbor kid's house to play.
Learning how to play pacman on our ginormous new computer. It was super high tech with a brown screen and orange lettering.
Watching ET in the basement with my family for the first time, and covering my eyes during the part at the end where ET is in all those tubey things and looks all powdery and chalky.
Using masking tape to put prices on all my toys, pretending I had my own store.
Sitting on the sidewalk in front of my house capturing ants with a shovel and putting them in buckets, naming each and every one.
Making volcanoes in the sandbox with a vinegar concoction of some kind.
When we travel back to the town we used to live in, we drive by our old house. It looks the same, but now it's gray instead of black and white. And it seems smaller. The neighbors who lived in the green house next door are still there. They told us people moved in who were selling crack or some other illegal drug.
Frickin' idiots.
Our family was never made of money, but my parents sure did a heck of a lot of things to make sure we had a buttload of fun memories to look back on.
And that, to me, is one of the things I get most excited about when it comes to being a parent. Now it's my turn to teach my kid all sorts of fun stuff like how to start a rock collection, how to make volcanoes in your back yard, and how to get out of cleaning your room for 3 minutes. There's so much to look forward to!
This post is a part of Writer's Workshop, hosted by Mama Kat over at Mama's Losin' It
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
"Great Success!"
I said I'd never watch Borat, but never say never, right? I caved. I watched it. I fast forwarded through the disgusting parts. And yes, I laughed at a lot of things, too. So, I had to use that for my title.
Anyway, some of your comments on Twitter made me realize I didn't let you know how Kaylee's surgery went.
It went GREAT! It was unbelievably fast, and she did fantastic.
She's such a Daddy's girl, and often favors Dennis over me, so when the nurses told me this little story, I about melted right then and there...
They explained that when the kids come out of anesthesia, they're often "little barbarians" what with the kicking and hitting and biting (crazy, huh?). They're scared and confused and don't know what the heck is going on.
Well, when Kaylee woke up, the first thing she said was, "Mama, please?"
That's my girl. :)
She's on some ear drops and an antibiotic for a week, and we'll go for a follow-up in 3 weeks.
And I just want to say thanks for all of you who left comments here and on Twitter offering encouragement and giving examples of your successes with the ear tubes. It was so awesome to see all that support, and I really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers for Kaylee.
Anyway, some of your comments on Twitter made me realize I didn't let you know how Kaylee's surgery went.
It went GREAT! It was unbelievably fast, and she did fantastic.
She's such a Daddy's girl, and often favors Dennis over me, so when the nurses told me this little story, I about melted right then and there...
They explained that when the kids come out of anesthesia, they're often "little barbarians" what with the kicking and hitting and biting (crazy, huh?). They're scared and confused and don't know what the heck is going on.
Well, when Kaylee woke up, the first thing she said was, "Mama, please?"
That's my girl. :)
She's on some ear drops and an antibiotic for a week, and we'll go for a follow-up in 3 weeks.
And I just want to say thanks for all of you who left comments here and on Twitter offering encouragement and giving examples of your successes with the ear tubes. It was so awesome to see all that support, and I really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers for Kaylee.
Monday, September 28, 2009
NOW we're talking...
So, ya know how I posted earlier today about all the frustrations with doctors since Kaylee's been sick? It got worse.
This afternoon I got a call from the ENT in Phoenix, cancelling our appointment for this Wednesday. That was supposed to be our answer. That was supposed to be the appointment where we figured things out, made decisions and got on the ball to get Kaylee BETTER.
Our pediatrician told me that when we saw the specialist Wednesday, I needed to push him to get her scheduled for surgery Thursday - that very next day. So, you can imagine that when I got the call that he had to cancel all his appointments for that day, I seriously nearly lost my marbles permanently.
I got our pediatrician's office on the phone and told them I was willing to see our local ENT (who we decided not to see before, when he couldn't be reached to see Kaylee during her first trip to the hospital).
The ENT office called me within the hour and told me to have Kaylee at their office in 45 minutes. And you know what else they told me? They had my sweet baby on the surgery schedule for 7 a.m. tomorrow to have ear tubes placed in both ears.
Now how is THAT for a step in the right direction?
He explained that they are on call 24/7 for their established patients, but with only 2 of them in our whole town, they can't respond to every call they get from the hospital to see a patient, unless it's one of their own. Understandable. So, now we're cool.
Tomorrow should be the start of some brighter days ahead for all of us.
Thank you, God.
This afternoon I got a call from the ENT in Phoenix, cancelling our appointment for this Wednesday. That was supposed to be our answer. That was supposed to be the appointment where we figured things out, made decisions and got on the ball to get Kaylee BETTER.
Our pediatrician told me that when we saw the specialist Wednesday, I needed to push him to get her scheduled for surgery Thursday - that very next day. So, you can imagine that when I got the call that he had to cancel all his appointments for that day, I seriously nearly lost my marbles permanently.
I got our pediatrician's office on the phone and told them I was willing to see our local ENT (who we decided not to see before, when he couldn't be reached to see Kaylee during her first trip to the hospital).
The ENT office called me within the hour and told me to have Kaylee at their office in 45 minutes. And you know what else they told me? They had my sweet baby on the surgery schedule for 7 a.m. tomorrow to have ear tubes placed in both ears.
Now how is THAT for a step in the right direction?
He explained that they are on call 24/7 for their established patients, but with only 2 of them in our whole town, they can't respond to every call they get from the hospital to see a patient, unless it's one of their own. Understandable. So, now we're cool.
Tomorrow should be the start of some brighter days ahead for all of us.
Thank you, God.
The Mama Bear in me
I used to be pretty timid and I was petrified to stand up for myself.
As I've grown older, more independent, and more sure of myself, I am not afraid to say what I need to say. I don't let people walk all over me, and I will speak my mind.
Then, Kaylee was born. I had this tiny, helpless little human to protect and nurture and raise, and God help me if anyone ever even THOUGHT of hurting her. Out comes the first sighting of Mama Bear.
Then, Kaylee got sick.
And out comes the ferocious Mama Bear. Claws, fangs, growls and all.
Out came the part of my personality that, until then, still hid from time to time. The part that has strong instincts and doesn't question them. The one that will stand up for my daughter come hell or high water, and the one who gets infuriated when those who should know more than me only prove their ignorance.
I know it's okay to question doctors. I also know that there's a reason they went to medical school and I didn't. I've always been of the mindset that you ask questions and keep asking questions. You advocate for yourself. You have to. And, then there comes a point where you need to trust that the doctors know better than you do.
THEN. Oh, then there comes a day.
We shall call this day Sunday. Sunday the 27th of September, 2009. Let's call it Kaylee's 3rd Trip to the ER This Friggin' Month.
Dennis and I called it the last chance. They'd screwed up twice before. First, by misdiagnosing Kaylee with pneumonia and never calling us to say we could take her off the heavy duty antibiotics because the x-ray was clear. And second, we find out that last time we went to the ER to rule out a bone infection in Kaylee's ear, the doctor told our pediatrician said she "didn't look too bad" and was just going to send her home on oral antibiotics. Thankfully, our pediatrican said ooooh, no you don't, and that's when we eventually had to transfer Kaylee to a children's hospital for inpatient IV antibiotics.
Yesterday was their last chance. Maybe the first two times were a fluke. But this was it. They screw up again, and we're done. The bad part of that? The next closest ER is 2 hours away. Do you chance it and make the trip, or leave your child's health and wellness in the hands of a bunch of incompetent morons? What do you DO?
So, yesterday - when Kaylee began to get redness behind her ear and her ear started sticking out like a little Hobbit ear again - JUST as it had done when it was bad enough to transfer her to another hospital, we took her straight to the ER. This is what we got from the doctor:
"It really doesn't concern me." Told me the plan was home with oral antibiotics and he told me how to recognize symptoms of meningitis in case the infection turns into that. Gee, thanks - DOC. We brought her in so it wouldn't progress to THAT.
NO! No, no, no, no, NO! You did NOT!
This, after I told him her detailed history of not responding to several oral antibiotics and how our pediatrician and all the doctors at the children's hospital were alarmed by the way her ear looked, when it looked just like this last time.
It was like pulling teeth getting him to agree to do anything besides the oral meds. I asked for IV meds since I knew that treated it well last time, but he agreed to do a shot in the leg of antibiotics instead. And I think he probably just did it to get me to shut up.
At this point, I don't even know what to think. Today, her doctor said both ears are now full of this yellow gunky stuff, and the infection is back with a vengeance.
I don't know what's going on, but I do know this...NO ONE is going to feed me another line of bull crap. We are getting this fixed - one way or another, and this Mama Bear's got her claws out, ready for a fight.
As I've grown older, more independent, and more sure of myself, I am not afraid to say what I need to say. I don't let people walk all over me, and I will speak my mind.
Then, Kaylee was born. I had this tiny, helpless little human to protect and nurture and raise, and God help me if anyone ever even THOUGHT of hurting her. Out comes the first sighting of Mama Bear.
Then, Kaylee got sick.
And out comes the ferocious Mama Bear. Claws, fangs, growls and all.
Out came the part of my personality that, until then, still hid from time to time. The part that has strong instincts and doesn't question them. The one that will stand up for my daughter come hell or high water, and the one who gets infuriated when those who should know more than me only prove their ignorance.
I know it's okay to question doctors. I also know that there's a reason they went to medical school and I didn't. I've always been of the mindset that you ask questions and keep asking questions. You advocate for yourself. You have to. And, then there comes a point where you need to trust that the doctors know better than you do.
THEN. Oh, then there comes a day.
We shall call this day Sunday. Sunday the 27th of September, 2009. Let's call it Kaylee's 3rd Trip to the ER This Friggin' Month.
Dennis and I called it the last chance. They'd screwed up twice before. First, by misdiagnosing Kaylee with pneumonia and never calling us to say we could take her off the heavy duty antibiotics because the x-ray was clear. And second, we find out that last time we went to the ER to rule out a bone infection in Kaylee's ear, the doctor told our pediatrician said she "didn't look too bad" and was just going to send her home on oral antibiotics. Thankfully, our pediatrican said ooooh, no you don't, and that's when we eventually had to transfer Kaylee to a children's hospital for inpatient IV antibiotics.
Yesterday was their last chance. Maybe the first two times were a fluke. But this was it. They screw up again, and we're done. The bad part of that? The next closest ER is 2 hours away. Do you chance it and make the trip, or leave your child's health and wellness in the hands of a bunch of incompetent morons? What do you DO?
So, yesterday - when Kaylee began to get redness behind her ear and her ear started sticking out like a little Hobbit ear again - JUST as it had done when it was bad enough to transfer her to another hospital, we took her straight to the ER. This is what we got from the doctor:
"It really doesn't concern me." Told me the plan was home with oral antibiotics and he told me how to recognize symptoms of meningitis in case the infection turns into that. Gee, thanks - DOC. We brought her in so it wouldn't progress to THAT.
NO! No, no, no, no, NO! You did NOT!
This, after I told him her detailed history of not responding to several oral antibiotics and how our pediatrician and all the doctors at the children's hospital were alarmed by the way her ear looked, when it looked just like this last time.
It was like pulling teeth getting him to agree to do anything besides the oral meds. I asked for IV meds since I knew that treated it well last time, but he agreed to do a shot in the leg of antibiotics instead. And I think he probably just did it to get me to shut up.
At this point, I don't even know what to think. Today, her doctor said both ears are now full of this yellow gunky stuff, and the infection is back with a vengeance.
I don't know what's going on, but I do know this...NO ONE is going to feed me another line of bull crap. We are getting this fixed - one way or another, and this Mama Bear's got her claws out, ready for a fight.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Enough already.
I'm realizing that one of the hardest things about being a mom is finding yourself in situations where there is no clear cut answer about what you should or should not do.
And there is no worse feeling than knowing your child is hurting and having to watch them experience any kind of discomfort.
Kaylee's been sick for over a month.
We've been home from the hospital almost 2 weeks now, and although she's not 100% better and will need a drainage of one ear and probably ear tubes, at least she's been getting better. Acting more like herself, eating more, no fevers, finally finished her umpteenth course of antibiotics.
And then today she wakes up with a snotty nose from hell and a high temperature that took a few hours to come down, even after we gave her Motrin and Tylenol.
Like I've said before, I do my best to be optimistic with whatever I'm up against, but this is just ringing all too familiar to me because it's exactly like her illness started out a month ago.
I can't help but think that maybe her ear is infected again, and the fact that she had such a serious complication of her ear infection that she landed in the hospital last time makes me ultra cautious about it.
We talked about taking her the ER this morning, but decided against it after her fever finally came down, and eventually stayed that way, even after several hours with no medications.
I'm just rambling, and I really don't have incredibly clear thoughts about this whole thing, except to say that I just want this to be over. I just want her to be WELL. I just want her to be able to carry on and be healthy like she has been up until this point.
It scares the heck out of me.
And there is no worse feeling than knowing your child is hurting and having to watch them experience any kind of discomfort.
Kaylee's been sick for over a month.
We've been home from the hospital almost 2 weeks now, and although she's not 100% better and will need a drainage of one ear and probably ear tubes, at least she's been getting better. Acting more like herself, eating more, no fevers, finally finished her umpteenth course of antibiotics.
And then today she wakes up with a snotty nose from hell and a high temperature that took a few hours to come down, even after we gave her Motrin and Tylenol.
Like I've said before, I do my best to be optimistic with whatever I'm up against, but this is just ringing all too familiar to me because it's exactly like her illness started out a month ago.
I can't help but think that maybe her ear is infected again, and the fact that she had such a serious complication of her ear infection that she landed in the hospital last time makes me ultra cautious about it.
We talked about taking her the ER this morning, but decided against it after her fever finally came down, and eventually stayed that way, even after several hours with no medications.
I'm just rambling, and I really don't have incredibly clear thoughts about this whole thing, except to say that I just want this to be over. I just want her to be WELL. I just want her to be able to carry on and be healthy like she has been up until this point.
It scares the heck out of me.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Oh, dear sweet oatmeal chocolate chip pancake...come to MAMA!
Today will not go down in history as one of those days you could consider more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Nothing monumentally bad happened. In fact, by most standards, it really wasn't a bad day at all.
But, I'm on call this week again, and as luck would have it, my sleeping butt got woken up at 2 a.m. with the buzzing of my pager, beckoning me to come to work. I had so much fun. It was a blast. Not really.
Anyway, I got home at 4:30 a.m. and finally fell asleep. About 15 minutes before the alarm went off, beckoning me BACK to work for my regular shift. Do I really need to explain that I was Miss Pissy Pants all day long, or did you just assume that before I even explained it? Because I WAS a stick in the mud all day. It was one of those one friggin' thing after another days.
And, believe me - I'm thankful to have a job, so I'll take some bad days here and there. But, let's just say my coping mechanisms were malfunctioning.
I ate almost a whole Dove chocolate bar (which, by the way, I do not regret - I fully believe it helped me from going completely mad at times) and I got a mini pizza for lunch, which I haven't done in WEEKS. Didn't feel so hot about those choices, but it was all about the comfort food.
So, I came home and changed into my comfy clothes and got to relax a bit. And even though the plan was to eat some chicken that I cooked up in the crock pot yesterday, it just wasn't going to do the trick for me.
It was definitely a breakfast for dinner kind of night.
Quickly, I cracked open the pages of my Hungry Girl cookbook and got out a mixing bowl and the ingredients for my current Hungry Girl obsession - "Oat-Rageous Chocolate Chip Pancake Minis."
Now, the recipe makes 5 mini pancakes, but I get all crazy with my bad self and just make one huge honkin' pancake. And it is so. GOOD. I'm telling you!
It was total comfort food, and just 3 of my daily 18 Weight Watchers food points. I could indulge and not feel one bit guilty.
I'm sure I'm breaking some sort of law by sharing this with you, but I'm feeling fiesty, so I'm going to tell you how to cook up some of these bad boys for yourself...
Oat-Rageous Chocolate Chip Pancake Minis
Ingredients
3 Tbsp. regular oats (not instant)
3 Tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute
2 Tbsp. whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp. light vanilla soymilk
1/2 Tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 no-calorie sweetener packet
(I also like to add some cinnamon)
Dash salt
Directions
Place all ingredients in a small bowl, except for chocolate chips. Add 1 Tbsp water and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in chocolate chips.
Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Pour batter in the pan to form 5 mini pancakes (or one ginormous pancake, like I do). Once pancake(s) begin to look solid, after about 1 minute, gently (or ferociously) flip.
Cook for an additional minute, or until both sides are lightly browned and insides are cooked through.
My favorite toppings? I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray, sugar-free (or sugar-filled) syrup, and/or fat-free Reddi Whip.
Makes 1 serving
Source: Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 recipe book, page 30 - with a few of my own words and variations thrown in here and there.
Nothing monumentally bad happened. In fact, by most standards, it really wasn't a bad day at all.
But, I'm on call this week again, and as luck would have it, my sleeping butt got woken up at 2 a.m. with the buzzing of my pager, beckoning me to come to work. I had so much fun. It was a blast. Not really.
Anyway, I got home at 4:30 a.m. and finally fell asleep. About 15 minutes before the alarm went off, beckoning me BACK to work for my regular shift. Do I really need to explain that I was Miss Pissy Pants all day long, or did you just assume that before I even explained it? Because I WAS a stick in the mud all day. It was one of those one friggin' thing after another days.
And, believe me - I'm thankful to have a job, so I'll take some bad days here and there. But, let's just say my coping mechanisms were malfunctioning.
I ate almost a whole Dove chocolate bar (which, by the way, I do not regret - I fully believe it helped me from going completely mad at times) and I got a mini pizza for lunch, which I haven't done in WEEKS. Didn't feel so hot about those choices, but it was all about the comfort food.
So, I came home and changed into my comfy clothes and got to relax a bit. And even though the plan was to eat some chicken that I cooked up in the crock pot yesterday, it just wasn't going to do the trick for me.
It was definitely a breakfast for dinner kind of night.
Quickly, I cracked open the pages of my Hungry Girl cookbook and got out a mixing bowl and the ingredients for my current Hungry Girl obsession - "Oat-Rageous Chocolate Chip Pancake Minis."
Now, the recipe makes 5 mini pancakes, but I get all crazy with my bad self and just make one huge honkin' pancake. And it is so. GOOD. I'm telling you!
It was total comfort food, and just 3 of my daily 18 Weight Watchers food points. I could indulge and not feel one bit guilty.
I'm sure I'm breaking some sort of law by sharing this with you, but I'm feeling fiesty, so I'm going to tell you how to cook up some of these bad boys for yourself...
Oat-Rageous Chocolate Chip Pancake Minis
Ingredients
3 Tbsp. regular oats (not instant)
3 Tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute
2 Tbsp. whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp. light vanilla soymilk
1/2 Tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 no-calorie sweetener packet
(I also like to add some cinnamon)
Dash salt
Directions
Place all ingredients in a small bowl, except for chocolate chips. Add 1 Tbsp water and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in chocolate chips.
Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Pour batter in the pan to form 5 mini pancakes (or one ginormous pancake, like I do). Once pancake(s) begin to look solid, after about 1 minute, gently (or ferociously) flip.
Cook for an additional minute, or until both sides are lightly browned and insides are cooked through.
My favorite toppings? I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray, sugar-free (or sugar-filled) syrup, and/or fat-free Reddi Whip.
Makes 1 serving
Source: Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 recipe book, page 30 - with a few of my own words and variations thrown in here and there.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Random thoughts over a piping hot bowl of popcorn
Took a little blogging holiday, and I must say it was rather refreshing. Now I'm ready for some more talking.
First off, I must say that Orville Redenbacher is a damn genius. I think his 94% fat free butter popcorn is largely under appreciated. It's just so delectable, low in fat, and chased with a couple tall cold ones, totally fills up the belly. Guilt free and oh-so-good. Mmmm.
So - Swedish massages. Last week when I had my "moment" and dropped Kaylee off with mi madre, she slipped me a few extra Washingtons, and so I decided to get a Swedish massage (followed by a spa pedicure). Loved. Every. Minute. If I was physically able, I would have kicked and screamed and threw a fit when the masseuse told me it was over. But, I am not entirely sure I was even half conscious at that point, and I was moving at a snail's pace. I think our family needs to quit drinking milk and eating cereal, and then I can just put that money toward getting a massage every month. I need to start thinking of a way to break the news to Dennis...
My attitude has sucked lately. Ever since we brought Kaylee home from the hospital on the 14th, it was the only thing I could think about. I'd even venture to say I was obsessing about it. Just replaying the events over and over in my head and thinking about how bad it could have been, and that's just not me. I'm not a pessimist. I do my best to see the positive in everything, but the whole thing sort of just shook my world up a bit, and I let it get to me more than I should have.
Along those same lines, I got a call today from the hospital she was at and found out that our bill is $13,000 and that's before the doctors bill for their services - that fine chunk 'o change is just for the hospital facility charges. All I can say is I am SO glad we have insurance so we won't have to pay the entire amount. I guess we won't be having any trouble paying that deductible this year...
So, a while back I told you I was getting back on track. Eating better. Taking care of myself. Reading. Working out. Trying to lose a bit of extra poundage off the badonkadonk. I'm taking the slow route, but I've managed to lose 5% of my body weight since I started Weight Watchers again eight weeks ago. It feels good to fit into my pants again, and - believe it or not - I even have some pants that are loose - what, WHAT!?!?!
Here are some things that have helped me the most with the whole eating better, working out, losing weight thing...
Hungry Girl - namely, her book 200 Under 200, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (Hello! Zero Fat. Zero Calories. Hallelujah!), Zumba, Pump Iron (group weight lifting/cardio class), of course my dear, sweet Gilad, Mommy and Me class, and eating chocolate every day. Maybe I'll talk more about that stuff another day.
But for now, I'm calling it a night.
And no - I'm not kidding about the chocolate every day. I'm serious. A little bit each day keeps me from totally overindulging. I highly recommend it. Personally, I think it's a pretty genius plan.
First off, I must say that Orville Redenbacher is a damn genius. I think his 94% fat free butter popcorn is largely under appreciated. It's just so delectable, low in fat, and chased with a couple tall cold ones, totally fills up the belly. Guilt free and oh-so-good. Mmmm.
So - Swedish massages. Last week when I had my "moment" and dropped Kaylee off with mi madre, she slipped me a few extra Washingtons, and so I decided to get a Swedish massage (followed by a spa pedicure). Loved. Every. Minute. If I was physically able, I would have kicked and screamed and threw a fit when the masseuse told me it was over. But, I am not entirely sure I was even half conscious at that point, and I was moving at a snail's pace. I think our family needs to quit drinking milk and eating cereal, and then I can just put that money toward getting a massage every month. I need to start thinking of a way to break the news to Dennis...
My attitude has sucked lately. Ever since we brought Kaylee home from the hospital on the 14th, it was the only thing I could think about. I'd even venture to say I was obsessing about it. Just replaying the events over and over in my head and thinking about how bad it could have been, and that's just not me. I'm not a pessimist. I do my best to see the positive in everything, but the whole thing sort of just shook my world up a bit, and I let it get to me more than I should have.
Along those same lines, I got a call today from the hospital she was at and found out that our bill is $13,000 and that's before the doctors bill for their services - that fine chunk 'o change is just for the hospital facility charges. All I can say is I am SO glad we have insurance so we won't have to pay the entire amount. I guess we won't be having any trouble paying that deductible this year...
So, a while back I told you I was getting back on track. Eating better. Taking care of myself. Reading. Working out. Trying to lose a bit of extra poundage off the badonkadonk. I'm taking the slow route, but I've managed to lose 5% of my body weight since I started Weight Watchers again eight weeks ago. It feels good to fit into my pants again, and - believe it or not - I even have some pants that are loose - what, WHAT!?!?!
Here are some things that have helped me the most with the whole eating better, working out, losing weight thing...
Hungry Girl - namely, her book 200 Under 200, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (Hello! Zero Fat. Zero Calories. Hallelujah!), Zumba, Pump Iron (group weight lifting/cardio class), of course my dear, sweet Gilad, Mommy and Me class, and eating chocolate every day. Maybe I'll talk more about that stuff another day.
But for now, I'm calling it a night.
And no - I'm not kidding about the chocolate every day. I'm serious. A little bit each day keeps me from totally overindulging. I highly recommend it. Personally, I think it's a pretty genius plan.
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