Leap

While trying to figure out what to write for this day I searched - Leap Year blog post - and found this blog  Here's the thing...  Ironically, this blog has a quote page and earlier today I found myself upon quite a few quotes while reading the newsletter at Jake's karate studio.  Obviously some sort of alignment was happening because on an impulse I left a quote on her page.  I didn't hesitate, question or second guess myself like I can do so well.  I just clicked on the page, wrote my quote and hit the button.  It was as if my fingers took off in a sprint.

In her post today she wrote a haiku poem and inspired me to do the same.  This is in honor of leap year and the leap I took myself -

Live in the moment. 

Do not look back with regret. 

Leap forward today.

Grapefruit

What kind of grapefruit is this? 

What is the best way I can eat this or any grapefruit that won't make me gag?

Learning...

to keep my mouth shut.

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Me:  Yay, you're pregnant! Congratulations! How far along are you?
         [Jake - put that back!]

Checkout Girl:  I'm five months now (rubbing her tummy)

Me:  Oh my gosh! I'm so excited for you!
        [Jake - I said put that back! Now! Stop!]

Checkout Girl:  Yeah, we're excited too.

Me:  It is such a beautiful and exciting time.
        [Jake - If you don't stop I am taking back the light saber]

Checkout Girl:  (giggling)

Me:  Trust me it IS magical.  It may not seem that way right this minute, but you have these magical moments that are indescribable.  However, most of the time you're just counting down until bedtime.

Checkout Girl:  I don't think that will be us because my husband is a high school teacher and I think I relate much better to children.  So it won't be that hard.

Me:  (smiling) That's SO great!

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Like I said, I have learned to keep my mouth shut.

Oscars

In this house 

The Oscars are for her

The Super Bowl is for him

This is what I get to do today because I am one of the luckiest girls in the world.  My husband kept our rugrat busy while I got to hang at the house, alone, with every single TV broadcasting the red carpet.  I got to putter around the house and give myself a manicure and not have to tend to the demands of a 6-year-old.

Although, I think I get the better end of this deal because if memory serves me correctly, and my memory is questionable, I was home watching the Super Bowl too!

Watch It!

ABC - Friday - 8 pm 

Pacific Standard Time

Wasted

I wish that carried the same meaning today as it did when I was 19.

But as a mother and adult the term "wasted" no longer carries the same connotation.

Today was the second day my little angel child got himself in trouble at school.  I am being told that it's the regular boy stuff - not keeping his hands to himself, being rambunctious, wrestling his friends, etc.  Unfortunately, that's not the part that has us worried.  He is now starting to lie about it.

Lying is a hot button for me.  HOT.

Usually I can reason with someone I suspect is lying.  I can break it down, point things out and trip them up and this makes them think twice about lying to me, but doing it with a 6-year-old can be a downright waste of energy.  I suspect he is testing and has no idea how ridiculous he sounds because how in the heck are you supposed to reason with -

"Jake, the teacher told me you were swinging your jacket and hitting your friends. What do you think about that?"

"I think the teacher has a good imagination."

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I'll bet it's all because of that substitute.

Cinderella

Jake's kindergarten teacher is the spitting image of Cinderella.  

You don't believe me?  This was her at the Halloween party. 

Remember the Halloween party I worked so hard to put together, but Jake missed because he got sick. 

I have been dropping my son off with Cinderella for 105 school days (I know this because we just celebrated the 100th day of school last Thursday). 

Today, it was someone different.  A substitute.

I came home and called my husband -

Me:  I just dropped Jake off at school and there was a substitute!"

Him:  And...?

Me:  A substitute!

Him:  Yeah, and...?

Me:  What if she loses Jake? What if Jake gets distracted and she doesn't know to look for him? What if he wanders off because you know today is PE and they go into the big yard?

Him:  -

Me:  Hello?

Him:  Yes? (patronizingly calm)

Me:  Why aren't you saying anything? (irritated due to above said calmness).

Him:  Because anything I say is not going to be the right thing to say so I'm just going to listen.

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I've always liked smart men.  He thinks I'm crazy a lot of fun too!

Prime

Today San Diego Momma asks -

When is/was the prime of your life?

Noun 1. prime of life - the time of maturity when power and vigor are greatest.
adulthood, maturity - the period of time in your life after your physical growth has stopped and you are fully developed.  

In my school years I most definitely was not in my prime.  It wasn't awful, but I know it wasn't my prime.  In the first part of my 20s I was with this guy and in the latter part I was recovering from the death of my father.  In the first part of my 30s I was spinning my wheels with my husband's family and ex-wife (it's now crystal clear it wasn't about me) and in the latter part I was a first time mom.  All these very big events and not necessarily the easiest.

I am not sure my power and vigor are at their greatest.  However, I am sure that my heart and soul are at their strongest.  I feel as if my prime is just getting started.  I will turn 43 shortly and just within the last 6 months to a year have I had a feeling come over that is different than anything I remember.  I'm truly comfortable with who I am.

I tell Jake all the time -

"If you're comfortable with them they will be comfortable with you and if they aren't comfortable then just leave them alone." 

Maybe the lessons I try to teach my little one are actually sinking in with me.

Happy Valentines Day!

Idea by ...love Maegan

I told you she was awesome!

Lessons

In the past 6 months I have met A LOT of moms.

A LOT.

Because not only am I the room mom for Jake's kindergarten class, but I am team mom for both Jake's basketball and baseball teams.  Then add the moms from the karate studio to the mix and like I said ...that's a lot of moms.

All this time, I have been doing it for him.  I had no idea the lessons I would learn.

I have learned how to walk directly up to many moms and introduce myself.  I have learned to ask them for donations and/or money.  I have learned to ask them to volunteer for one thing or another.  I have learned to accept those that do it different.    

Most importantly, I learned that I need to tell you moms to be careful when you poop, fart, or burp in the privacy of your own home because your children love to come to school and talk about it.

Ugh

"Helps regulate your digestive system"

Yeah, because that's what I want to read on my breakfast yogurt.

Just more proof that I'm getting old. 

Today

Mammogram

*Gulp*

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Later today...

Remember when I wrote I blurt things out when I'm feeling crazy?  My latest victim - The woman outside of Best Buy collecting funds for the homeless.  In what universe do people answer the question "How are you doing today?" with "I just had a mammogram."

Really?!?!?

On the way out of Best Buy I profusely apologized for the inappropriate outburst and gave her some money.  She was kind enough to try and reassure me and tell me I was "a lot of fun."      

Fun.
Crazy.
Fun.
Crazy.

I like fun better.

Berate

Do you ever go back to posts and cringe?  Think to yourself...

I can't believe I posted that.   

Then berate yourself, or your husband, for saying too much, sounding ignorant, not doing the right thing, or just plain being a dork.  I do.  That's how I feel about my posts last week.  Is it just me or are these the side effects of blogging? 

Other than the fact that I admitted to some of my lunacy, and my husband admitted to some of our housekeeping, I wasn't proud of the dinners last week.  They did not show much creativity and I really do not like that there was not any fresh vegetables on the table - I love me some roasted vegetables.  It is also very apparent that dinners are centered around the children and what I can make that they won't whine about - I  seriously cannot stand looking at their moping faces from across the table because they don't like what's for dinner.  Just typing that makes me clench my teeth. 

Nonetheless, I want to take the positive away from this experience.  I found it interesting to see our dinners from a different point of view and where I need to improve. I also found it interesting of how much I was willing to share of myself.

Now... How much is too much?

That's the magic question.

Super Bowl Magic

Today, The View, talked about Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, being heckled by fans of the other team and how she may have made a gaffe because she shot back with something, that some deemed inappropriate.  I felt a little sorry for her because she was egged on only to get defensive and protect her man.  She was being bullied because she is the wife of the losing team's quarterback. 

Bummer.

Then later I saw the article online and the last line in the article says -

"The couple is expected to spend much of the off-season at a new $20 million mansion in Los Angeles."

and just like that, I didn't feel sorry for her anymore.

See... Super Bowl Magic.

We Did It!

Making Dinner Every Night This Week - Day 6

Tonight - Orange chicken, rice, potstickers, and edamame.

Tonight the husband actually cooked dinner.  

Yes, it still counts.

Besides, he got to escape to the kitchen, ALONE, and watch his Lakers game while cooking dinner.  I had bath-time duty with the kids.

It counts!

I'm looking forward to some pizza tomorrow!

Bring It!

Making Dinner Every Night This Week - Day 5

Tonight - Chicken Parmesan

Baked breaded chicken, spaghetti, garlic toast, and peas

(the man likes peas when he eats spaghetti - go figure)

As the poor negotiator, my husband, pointed out on Day 1 - He had, just made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce and yes, we had just gone to Costco and purchased some heat and serve meals.  This made it pretty easy for me.  

I think it was a little too easy - I am still claiming victory and have him clean that shelf. 

As I thought about that comment and what I was going to cook, I realized on Tuesday I could have gone the whole week and just pulled something out of a box and heated it up.  There wasn't anything on the weekly menu that was fresh.  A little disconcerting.  So we pulled some chicken breasts out of the freezer -

Would that be considered fresh? You know what - it's fresher than heat-n-serve.

Baby steps.

Besides, the husband LOVED the idea of cooking and eating in, which tells me another challenge is on the horizon.

Let's see what he brings to the table.

I Need My Stars To Align

Making Dinner Every Night This Week - Day 4

Tonight's dinner - breaded baked chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, gravy, and brussell sprouts. 

No picture.  My stars didn't align today.  Today would have been the day I didn't make dinner because I was in THAT kind of mood, but it's the principle and I'm not cleaning that shelf.  

My thoughts are on overload - 

Reality:  My fingernails keep breaking.

Thought:  I must have some sort of deficiency.

Reality:  The dog follows me everywhere.

Thought:  His sixth sense must know something is wrong with me.

Reality:  I had to take TUMS today.

Thoughts:  It must mean that something is wrong with my digestive system.

Reality:  I injured my hip a few years ago.

Thought:  I am certain my intestines are twisted and thinking that I'm gaining more of an understanding as to why I needed the TUMS.

Reality:  My lower back has been out of whack.

Thought:   I'm convinced this has something to do with my ovaries. 

Lastly, our 6-year-old isn't as crazy about karate as he used to be.  He doesn't want to go and it's bumming me out.  When the husband came home I told him I didn't want to talk about it because it is making me upset.  So when I started talking about it anyway why didn't he know to stop the conversation and say, 

"Remember Hunny?  You didn't want to talk about it."

Instead, he let me talk about it, then he talked about it, then I talked about it louder, then he talked about it a little louder, then I said a lot louder, 

"I told you I didn't want to talk about it."

Why didn't he listen the first time?

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To top things off Private Practice has a tumor-ridden mother and son story line going.  All the more to overload my head with more thoughts.  TV is supposed to be my escape - 

I wonder what it would be like to be Addison Montgomery?

Who cares?

Making Dinner Every Night This Week - Day 3

Tonight's dinner - teriyaki chicken with water chestnuts, rice, and potstickers. 

Who cares?  I do that's who.  I thought about posting a picture of the shelf that is in question for cleaning, but unfortunately I care WAY too much what people think.  Seriously, that shelf is disgusting and could very well be the end of our relationship.

People will start to talk... to each other... behind my back...

I can't have that.

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In other news - my second round of blood work came back good.  I got myself all worked up like usual.  It didn't help that I waited until Friday to do it.  Because then I had to wait through the weekend for results on Monday and that can be dangerous for a girl like me.

I felt like I owed you an explanation because I was talking about blood work in earlier posts.

Like I said, I care way too much what people think.