Blu's Zoo- I mean Life

shake rattle roll

2011-08-24T13:14:00.000-05:00

and a chaser of wash rinse and blow.

My area is normally not a real news worthy area for weather or other stuff. A few weeks ago we had straight line wind damage, tornato sightings and flooding... yesterday was the earthquake. Pretty good jolt for us, scared my one manager right to tears... not that it takes much for that weenie.

Now we are holding our breath to see what track Irene is gonna take. Hearing alot about a track close to Floyd in 1999. That was bad for us, real bad. I was just dating my husband at that time. He made a special trip to my house to drop off the book I had been reading and left at his place... :) Fond memories of a hot fireman showing up at my door in the middle of a damn hurricane.

I took the kiddo back to school shopping this week and today went to the grocery store for back to school snacks and stuff before the other people freak out and panic. I figure by tomorrow it will be like our snow storms... everyone will run to the stores.

reboot......

2011-08-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

I know I tried to get this going again after losing dad but I think i wasn't in the right place at that time.

Now i am a bit more stable with the emotions and not so angry. We'll see how this goes now.

Lots of little stuff has been happening, dinners with friends, hanging out, normal summer stuff, pool time and a trip to the mountains with good friends.

That trip to the mountains was to short but just what I needed. My head is quieter it seems. Bill and I talked some stuff over and I am going to reduce my hours at work permanently and pursue some volunteer work at the local zoo. Try and get my foot in the door for a move up in the animal care world :) Today was my first day back to work after the trip and I can say I made the right choose, my boss just doesn't care about anything or anyone since her health issues last Nov and she basically threatened me with no work hours if I did this move. Oh well. I am going to do it and we'll make it work if she follows thur.

Thats the work front thats been settled....health? Not so much. I haven't been to the gym in almost 2 months. The diet went to crap also. But the mountain time has relite the fire again also.

Helps that I hiked a mountain! It was hard being out of shape but I hiked a freaking mountain!! :) Hurricane Mountain to be exact, 3 mile hike up 1600+ feet up... The view was amazing, you could see into vermont. Next year I plan on doing 2 mountains. I know its not one of the big 46 peaks but its a mountain and right now thats all I care about.

My friends parents are big time foodies so it was an adventure to see what they would cook up, mostly with organic stuff from the locals or their own garden. It was good to start actually caring what food tasted like and not just shoving it in.

I came home and picked up stuff from the local farmers market and the amish.

I go back to the gym this week also.

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why

2011-06-24T13:19:00.000-05:00

Well thats a short goal... as its only 6 more days of the month left.

Its an easy goal... getting back to the gym and getting back to eating right.

I have already been to the gym 3 times this week and will be going tonight also. That parts going ok, the eating right is going slower.

Why? thats obvious, to get in better shape.

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you

2011-06-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

I can't answer this. I can't narrow it down to one thing or person.

My grandparents, my parents all had a great impact on my life and helped me be who I was, my husband and son for who I am now... so I guess that would be the someones... the something?? as odd as it would sound .. water. being around water , on the water or in the water has always calmed me down and helped to center myself.

yeah I know it said pictures but pulling up pictures of my grandparents and parents right now would just set me off on a crying jag,

i'm on an upward swing

2011-06-22T18:01:00.000-05:00

I hope it lasts and I done crash. I started getting angry at myself for being a slug and for not caring. It isn't easy but with help I am pulling myself back up inch by inch. I know my reactions are normal, I know its all part of the normal healing process but its also fucking annoying!

My house isn't going to appear on the cover of BHG or any other magazine. I also am not going to appear on any Hoarders, Clean Sweep or other show dealing with homes in disastrous states. My house is a mess. I have always said its a comfortable mess.

Lately its not so comfortable. So I started cleaning. Its slow going because honestly I am the only one that does it. The kiddo is helping, he is cleaning up his room. Bill... well its hot season and I don't see Bill to much before8 at night and he is exhausted.

Besides the cleaning I have been trying to get back to eating better and going to the gym. Eating better is not only for my sake but for the wallet also, take out and junk food isn't cheap. I have clean out the frig, defrosted the big freezer and made a Costco run for meats.

I have also made it to the gym 2 times already this week and put my stickers on the calendar, yeah dorky maybe but its a visual reminder of what I have done along with the sore muscles....oh my abs :)

I have also finished 6 books total in the last 2 weeks.

Day 06- Favorite super hero and why

2011-06-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

I was always a fan of Rogue from XMen. Not the current movie version crap but the comic book version from the late 80's. The cool white stripe in the hair, the ability to take on others abilities for a period of time was cool. You weren't tied down to just laser eyes, or sonic screeches or other lame things.

If I had to pick a second choice it would be BoomBoom. When she first hit the comics she was portrayed as a young cocky bubble gum chewing kid. I liked that version more then what she became as she grew up.

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to

2011-06-20T10:15:00.000-05:00

This was my first trip with Bill. We went to St Lucia. A wonderful place with lots of rainforest, waterfalls and beaches. The big attation landscape wise are the Pitons. We ranted a car and went driving around the island and got to them as the sun was starting to set. I am not sure if this is the Gros Piton or the Petit Piton but its an awesome picture, even if it was taken out the car window.

Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have

2011-06-18T21:18:00.002-05:00

I have a lot but the one that probably sticks out the most is expecting the worst from people.

I tend to not trust people, expecting them to do an about face and be nasty users.

Day 03- A picture of you and your friends

2011-06-17T09:16:00.002-05:00

30 day blog challenge -Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name

2011-06-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

I wish there was something witty to say to this one. In all actuality its just my take on my life,

Blu is a shortened version of an online moniker I have used since the days of AOL chat rooms, that I spent way to much time in.

Zoo refers the myriad of animals that have been in the house or are still in the house along with my son, and sometimes my husband is added tot eh zoo :) Currently there are the aforementioned fish tanks, 2 cats and a bearded dragon named Spaz. I have had hermit crabs, hamsters, more cats, guinea pigs and pet sit for birds also.

I mean life ... its just that even without the animals here my life seems to never be dull or quiet and there is always something that just reminds me that its a zoo. Drama, happy stuff, suspense, a few roars, cries and shitty stuff also... Blu's Zoo - I mean Life.

30 day blogging challenge. Day 1

2011-06-14T17:39:00.000-05:00

its probably a waste of time and stupid but maybe it will make me think and get the mental wheels free of the rust.

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

the picture is the easy part... finding interesting things about me might not be.

1 I love to be in my kitchen and love anyone that will keep me company in there

2 I have a black belt in Tang So Doo that took me forever to get but I will kick your ass just as well as the ones that got it faster.

3 I have 4 fish tanks going right now with plans for more if my floor will hold

4 I am afraid of spiders

5 I have a fear of edge and heights

6 I hate peas, lima beans and cauliflower

7 I listen to everything except rap and country music

8 My favorite author is Stephen King

9 I have a zombie attack plan in place, it could work for a natural disaster also but would need some tweaking

10 I own my own snorkel gear and wetsuit

11 I just learned how to roller skate backwards last year

12 I have 2 tattoos and more planned for the fall

13 I cannot dance, not even slow dance

14 I dream every night, can remember most of them and in color

15 I have had a vision type dream before

( that was harder then I thought, guess I really am boring :) )

a world turned upside down,

2011-06-12T18:21:00.000-05:00

I have been away from here to long. Writing might help me or it might now so we will see.

My last post here was a happy panic on about vacation and packing. Wish I could say since its just been a crazy time for good stuff. Sadly it hasn't been good. My father passed away the last day of the trip. It was a sudden thing and we haven't adjusted at all.

Coming home while my mother was in Mexico trying to do stuff down there and I tried to get stuff done up here was horrible. Stuff was screwed up, the bank wouldn't do anything to help ( Wells Fargo is a shitty ass fucking bank for customer service), the funeral home in Mexico screwed mom over and if it wasn't for the generosity of family, friends and total strangers neither mom or dad would have gotten home in any amount of time.

Air Trans waved all fees for mom to change flights and baggage fees, the travel agent paid the difference for moms ticket and refused to be paid back, the resort we had been staying at let mom stay for free the 3 days it took to get stuff straight, and I know a bunch of other people and companies that have helped in small ways either by waiving fees or accepting 1/2 payments.

The life insurance policies should be getting paid out soon, its taken so much longer because of needing to get his death certificate translated through the US Consulate and a few companies are being asses and one that is a card in just his name is even calling me.... That went over like a load of bricks, the woman probably regrets calling.

Mom is starting counseling this week. I am calling my doctor tomorrow for help also. I am finding that I am getting spitting nails pissed at the littlest things. I have been so slacking on everything, gym, food, cleaning, work.... I need help.

My son misses him and has acted out a bit but he is starting to get better with everything thanks to some counseling.

I am hoping with the reduction in hours for the summer (my choice), lots of time with family doing stuff and time will help but I need some other help too.

I want my dad, I miss him terribly.

omg panic mode..............

2011-04-14T20:17:00.000-05:00

I leave for vacation in a week and I haven't packed jacked shit...... I am starting to get anxious and panicky over it.

I just finished the wash and will have my stuff and my sons stuff done but I can't find my husbands shorts or swim trunks......gah!! I know I will get everything done by this weekend but right now I am close to freaking out lol

books are old friends found anew

2011-04-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

I read. A lot. My husband tells me I can open a used book store right about now. The problem with that is 90% of the books here are ones I am keeping. I don't give donate, resell or give tot he used book store may of my books.

I find authors, series or a book that I love , I keep it. I reread them. I have a copy of Stephen Kings The Stand that the cover is falling off, the spine is so creased you can't read the title. I reread it every 2 years or so, it is my favorite work by him. The cell is heading into that same category as I have reread it 3 times now.

I go in cycles with the types of books I read. For a long time it was sci-fi, sword wielding, dragon, magi type books like the Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms series. Then it was on to vampires, zombies, werewolves and faires. Followed by some left field for me stuff like Memoirs of a Geisha, White Oleander type reading. Over to blood and guts psycho thriller and suspense type one. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Laurell k. Hamilton, Max Brooks, Terry Brooks, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, Kelley Armstrong, and a host of other favorite authors all sit waiting turns for being reread on my selves.

After a long period of vampire, werewolf and zombie novels I have developed a craving for change. I still have The Dome, The Hobbit, World Without Us, and a ghost story going right now but I have to visit an old friend, or friends. As I know picking up this book again will start me off on a sword wielding, magical dragon filled adventures over the summer months as I revisit all the story lines.

Off to the Lands of Abanasinia I go with Dragons of Autumn Twilight.....Its been a long 20+ years waiting to be reread..... Until I get the urge to go into the dark again with more vampires and zombies that is :)

I have it backwards

2011-04-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

When I started trying to get into a better place for my health I thought I would have the most trouble with the gym being as I have quit with a trainer before. I figured since I have done weight watchers off and on for a few years and ever been successful at it twice.

I was wrong.

I am having more trouble with the eating part of getting in shape then getting and sticking to the gym. I get a day or two of good eating and then I have a snack attack or boredom sets in and I raid the frig.

I eat better on the days I am busy, I don't have time to grab junk and make better choices to fill me up. Yesterday wasn't bad, today has been better but I know its only because I have almost no junk food here in the house. Its not fair to deprive my family of the junk food, they are not the ones with the over eating problem. My husband besides smoking is healthy, he is maybe 5 lbs overweight. My son is actually under weight due to never sitting still and not eating junk ( i wish he ate more fruit or veggies but we are working on it)

I am hoping that as I get a little bit more comfortable with the gym I can start working on the eating.

its shrinking.....

2011-04-02T18:39:00.000-05:00

My ass that is, and not that I Have ditched my husband ( who has been very un ass like lately :).

I can see some results from the workouts now. My husband has said it looks smaller but I just though he was being nice. Today I did the dreaded look in the mirror with little to nothing on. I hated doing it.

The scale still really isn't moving much at all in any direction, some stuff fits a little better but my ass is shrinking :)

Now if my waist would just catch up and shrink some also.

were did the warmth go?

2011-03-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

I swear mother nature and the wild weather needs to ust stop. I normally love all the seasons but I am tired of the cold, exspecially right after a wonderful warm spell. Its Spring.. Its the end of March and we are going to get snow tomorrow.

My daffs are blooming, I don't want to lose them to the cold. I want to get the garden ready for planting but not in this weather, moving the tiller around dressed in aparka isn't easy. I would like to get a few weekends of tilling in prior to plants to make sure the dirt is broken up well. I start most of my seeds in 3 weeks, if the weather pattern breaks that is.

you know you have worked out well when....

2011-03-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

your armpits hurt. omg I didn't know it was even possible for that part of your body to hurt but after yesterdays work out I now know that they can.

Its been quiet for the most part here, just what I needed. We went out to dinner to the melting pot for our 10th anniversary on Friday. Enjoyed the food and kid free time a lot. Love my son but it was a needed break. The inlaws took the kiddo from Friday until Sunday afternoon and my husband and I spent the weekend relaxing.

We had breakfast out Saturday and went for a nice ride, a hike and a visit to a friend. Also got to hang out with friends for a little bit that night. I honestly loved the sleeping in, I haven't slept in like that since pre kid and it felt good :)

My husband surprised the hell out of me also. He took me back to where he proposed to me after dinner Friday night and gave me a little white box... a pair of earrings, necklace and ring... mr i don't buy gifts , bought me a gift :)

Thats enough blabbing from me... Off to go find the heating pad

ways to brighten your mood.

2011-03-17T17:58:00.000-05:00

Manage to get your 3 day mini vacation right when the weather turns nice.... I took off for our anniversary this and the weather is beautiful!

Get a haircut on sale and it doesn't look like a sale haircut. Get the first pedicure of the season and be able to wear your flip flops out instead of putting boots on again.

More farmers markets are opening up and its grilling season.

The daff's are blooming and by mid week I can cut some for the house.

Manage to get to the gym finally... while my abs are sore and I am sure my arms and shoulders will be tomorrow I feel great.

Realize you have just this month and next month and a major bill is paid off.

And.... mail off the forms to cancel your personal training sessions and save money while realizing I can do this on my own and I have the drive to get to the gym without it.

Hell I am even considering putting on some makeup just because I am in a better mood :)

all i wanted to do was go to the gym

2011-03-15T16:59:00.000-05:00

but no... life had to get in the way.

Work messed up my schedule and didn't fix it so I had to cancel. Then I figured I could go after work for half an hour but got stuck behind a disabled tractor trailer. Then figured I could go when my husband got home before he had to go for a training exercise but then they said he had to be there half an hour early....

all I wanted was to go to the gym and do my leg workout. who replaced me with a body double? since when do I want to go to the gym?

The good news is that work is allowing me to make up my time for yesterday, but that means I don't get to sleep in on a day off. Oh well.. So I work until noon tomorrow and then I am going to the gym damn it!

nothing like a shrinking paycheck to cheer you up

2011-03-14T12:11:00.000-05:00

I took this upcoming weekend off. Its my 10yr anniversary and I wanted to spend more then one day with my family. So I was going to have a lighter check then normal but not to bad...until 8am this morning when I got a phone call at work from my husband... The kiddo was feverish and said his tummy hurt.

So home from work after only managing to get in 3 hours of an 8 hour shift has reduced my paycheck to a whole whopping 19 hours if they don't let me make up the 5 hours on Wednesday.

I'm so happy.... especially now that it seems its my son freaking allergies, post nasal drip that has him sitting on the couch. sigh.....

so i have anxiety issues.

2011-03-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

This is nothing new to me. Not really new to my husband but I don't think he realizes how bad it is or is getting.

I get nervous when I see any county vehicle around my house. Why? well 3 years ago we almost lost the house and then a year after that some idiot called the county on us for code violations.

Now we didn't lose the house, we got the issues with that fixed but I still get the nasty falling out of the bottom of my stomach thinking about it. The code violations weren't even a problem...some asshole tossed his trash out his window into our bushes and we didn't see it but the head of the home owners association did and called. The county came out took pictures of everything and we ended up having to fix a lot of little stuff in a short amount of time.

So county vehicles make me very nervous even thought I know we are ok.

I keep getting flash backs, like a what if, from the sledding accident 2 winters ago with me. I hit a jump my son built in my inlaws yard and lost control of the sled, managed to turn my upper body in time not to hit the tree head first but ended up in the urgent care on christmas eve with what we thought was a busted collar bone. we haven't been sledding at my inlaws since because I just can't do it.

This past fall/ winter a rabbit dug down next to the house for a burrow and a freak rain caused the burrow to blow out into the basement in one spot since we still have the old dirt floor..foundation needs fixed but can't until the freaking ground dries....

So this is stuff that pops up into my mind along with other stuff and occasionally keeps me up or wakes me up early.

So here I am up early with huge todo list on my mind, the above crap swirling in my mind and on top of it... nuclear crisis, rising gas prices and the fast that there have been other earthquakes in different areas from the japan quake, oh and the mud volcano erupted again....

I have anxieties and they are flaring....sumatra, chile, haiti, new zealand, japan...

here we go again

2011-03-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

Gas prices are going up faster then the powerball. Food prices are following and here we are again heading into travel times.

Good thing I have gotten much better at the not spending and planning meals over the last 2 years.

I wish it was warm enought to start the garden, I would love to save the 10 to 15 a week. Wonder how much it would be to buy 1/2 a cow for the freezer right now?

you want to visit? Please check the drama a the door

2011-03-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

We have had a busy house this weekend. Seems like someone put in a revolving door in and hung a sign outside for free advise.

Our one set of friends are still having money and housing issues. It starting to affect their boy who is starting to have anxiety attacks :(

My BIL's psycho ex is talking shit about stuff that happened 4 months ago, mind you they broke up 2 months ago.

Another so called friend has put himself in the middle of that situation and is calling my husband about it. He won't dare call me, I'll chew his ass out again. In fact he doesn't talk to me much at all after a very to the point phone call i had with him.

Drama.... and none of it needs to be here.

We had some good news this weekend though. My FIL has been looking for a box of parts for his Shelby now for 2 years. It seems to have gotten left here when they moved as we found it down in the basement. Now he is waiting on a phone call about when and how much to have his Shelby restored.

Bill got the garage mostly cleaned out this weekend and I started packing for vacation. So not too bad but would have been a better weekend if people would check the drama at the door before visiting.

best or worse thing I have ever done????

2011-03-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

The gym and the trainer..... I am not sure if its the best thing or the worst thing right now.

I have been having issues getting with my trainer, her hours don't match up to mine except once a week. None of the other trainers hours match mine either. I am not that difficult.. I have 2 blocks of time everyday, same times, and one weekend day fully open. So I basically am not getting what I am paying for, and its annoying. The money for the trainer is straining the budget a bit more then I am comfortable with and with changes to our health insurance and the rising cost of everything again... I get real annoyed.

On the other hand, I am going to the gym about 4 times a week right now. I am following the routines my trainer set up, even the damn dips/pull up machine that I hate. So I am happy that I have not been turned off and have been going.

I have come to the conclusion I am going to pay for one more month. During this time I am going to write down from my chart the stuff she has me doing. I am going to learn when to up the weights or reps. I am going to wring out whatever info I can from her then I am going to keep doing it on my own. I do have a friend that goes tot he same gym that is a weight lifter so she can help show me more stuff later.

I will just have to take my own measurements once a month and keep it up. The trainer money will get set aside and saved.

This is my plan.

was I this difficult as a child?

2011-03-02T17:55:00.000-05:00

My son .... I love him but he is stubborn! Very very very stubborn or lazy.. Not sure anymore which it is.

He will try to wear the same shirt 2 days in a row, but its his favorite shirt. So it this stubbornness, laziness or normal.. mind you he will be 10 this year.

He is stubborn with learning his multiplication tables.. or has a mental block for retaining it. I can quiz him, I can show him flash cards, I can write mini tests, do them in order, mix them up... he does fine.... but as soon as it comes to doing them in school of for homework he forgets them. Doesn't help his teach still sends home a damn chart or cheat sheet as I have been calling it every damn math day.

He is still dragging his feet on finishing up his room. He has everything cleaned except under the bed. He has until Saturday to finish it or he is not coming off being grounded. I don't think he cares, must like not having his video games, tv, computer and handheld ds. Maybe I should take away the Legos instead.

He's a bright kid, loves chess, science and math. Is a bit slow on learning to love books but he does his fair share of reading them. He's kind, courteous and polite. He isn't as picky a eater as he once was, thank goodness. He is a good kid, doesn't get in to major trouble and sticks up for his friends when somethings not right.

He is just thick headed at times.... now is one of those times and I'm annoyed cause I am going to have to go over the same material again, again, again... its part of being a parent I know... doesn't mean I can't quietly be annoyed that he just doesn't magically grasp it.

should we expand the zoo???

2011-02-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

Currently the zoo has just 2 cats, 3 fish tanks and our bearded dragon. I am thinking about up grading one of the tank to a bigger size and also thinking of uses for the then empty tank...leopard gecko sounds nice.

My husband would kill me for the second reptile, not so much the bigger tank since once they are up and running the monthly cost is barely $10.

My son would love a dog but right now with one of the cats being an old man, he will be 16 this summer, and having health issues already I can't risk a puppy pushing him over the edge to kitty heaven before its time.

I have told my husband that when we do lose Hoppy I will be getting another cat. Hoppy is a talker and the house will be to quiet with out him. So a Siamese or other vocal kitty will be found and adopted.

But I still keep circling back to the tank.. I could just keep it as a fish tank but 4 tanks would be a bit much I think.

snow, cold, rain, thunder, warm winds......

2011-02-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

I even think I saw a frog fall from the sky this week. We are entering the unstable seasonal flux in our area.. its fun sometimes, others not so fun. Tonight could be one of those not so fun times. Last week we had high winds, 60mph gusts, and it lifted the tent extension on the garage putting it down on my husbands work truck.... tonight..more 60mph gust expected with 20-25 mph winds, and we have a thunder storm going now.

I made it back tot he gym today, yay me..3 times this week. I was going to go yesterday but was exhausted. I had a bad nights sleep, or better yet lack of said sleep, the night before and figured I would hurt myself trying to go in.

Still 3 times is awesome for me.. that means I got in at least 30 mins of weights and 30 mins of cardio each time. Now I need to get the eating better going, last week sucked. Working out is good for me but it would be better if I didn't shove a tastykake down my gut at night.

Tomorrow I am going over to the farmers market to see what fruits and veggies I can pick up cheap, then start pouring over the cook books for new ideas. This week I made a veggie stir fry with carrots, red and yellow peppers, broccoli and garlic. Added some chicken in and it was pretty tasty.

I didn't want to but I did it anyway....

2011-02-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

I drug my ass to the gym tonight. I didn't want to go since I just went last night and the place is packed mon-tue nights for some reason.

I got in my cardio last night and tonight I managed 1/2 my arm workout and all but 2 on the leg workout before throwing in the towel. I got tired of waiting for machines to open up, waiting for weights to get racked and the general crowd. Its not like I was waiting for the heavy weights and I am as ripped as the jugheads in there.. No I was waiting on a simple 20lb bar that never got racked the entire hour and a set of 10lb hand weights.

And yes I called the big muscled up guys jugheads, they all have haircuts like those idiots on jersey shore and fake tans.

Tonight this fat chick was out of place with all those guys and the skinny no meat on there bones chicks. Though the one girl I saw doing military push-ups with her guy was awesome looking.. Think Jessica Beil in the last Blade movie. And I managed 3 sets of leg lifts for my abs tonight instead of my normal 2.

more snow...and this time i'm not happy

2011-02-21T16:26:00.001-05:00

sorry mother nature you missed it this time. I would have happily taken the snow 2 weeks ago but now that I have had a taste of warmer weather my mind is no longer on snow days but playing in the garden.

I am also struggling a bit with the gym right now...I hate arm workouts, and really dread going to do them it seems. I am pushing past this but I need to keep up the positive outlook and keep going...next is back and abs... I would love a go at the heavy bag also.

someone is going pry me off the floor right?

where is the wicked witch of the west???

2011-02-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

It is so windy here today,add to the nice weather the last 3 days and my allergies are flaring. Sneezing when your abs are sore is murder.

I am heading into the gym this afternoon for a leg/arm workout. I am liking the trainer still but I do have one complaint... I am suppose to be 3x a week with her, but she never has more then 1 or 2 times a week open. I am paying for 3x.... I am just gonna have to adjust my plan and have them change my month amount drafted. I am not paying for something I am not getting. The funny thing is, by changing the plan, it drops my bill in 1/2...makes no freaking sense to me either.

I will still be following her plan 4 to 5 times a week though. I stepped on the scale today...bad idea..it went up 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I just am gonna cover it up and go by the measurements and not the scale.

I also have to brave this wind to go to the grocery store yet again. I did good at staying out of the store except once a week for a bit. Falling back into old habits again and its got to stop. It doesn't change that I have to go today for simple stuff but I need it to make this weeks dinners.

Now where are my allergy meds and lord help me if the child-proof cap gives me trouble.. my arms are sore also :)

rebuilding the house from the bottom up

2011-02-16T13:31:00.000-05:00

thats what is feeling like lately here.

I have started the massive spring cleaning project here. I am starting in the master bedroom, where I have all 4 seasons of clothing, out dated stuff, out grown stuff and general crap piled.

I will have a clean bedroom by the end of the night and the wash that is piled up...well I will have that done by the weekend, with seasonal stuff put away, out dated and out grown stuff to goodwill. I am even taking the mattress and box spring off the bed to clean under it where the cat likes to sleep.. he's gonna be pissed at me but the hairball/ dust bunnies under there ate a shoe I think.

The next room to start will be the kiddos, we are going to repaint it once the weather warms a little more.

So I am still with the trainer, 3 sessions down and I still like it. I am rebuilding myself also it seems, I want to closet shop again... I found 8,10,12,14s on the closet. I will be in the 10/12 by next summer and I will wear my skinny red dress!

My husband has also quit smoking for now, been almost 2 week... I hope he keeps this going. Its nice kissing him without tasting that shit.

I wish I had gotten this motivation years ago, it would be so bad to get in shape if I didn't have this much baggage.

quiting smoking sucks

2011-02-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

and I'm not the one quitting as I don't smoke.

My husband is. He doesn't do it with the aids that are out there, nope.. no helping him... straight cold turkey..sigh.

I love him, I'm glad he's doing this, I is nice to kiss him and not taste the crap.... but good grief I am gonna kill his moody ass :)

is it spring yet?

2011-02-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

Its cold but the sun has been bright here. The snow is melting and my garden stuff is front and center of my mind right now.

If we had more snow, or even the chance of more snow I would still be in winter comfort mode but not now. Now I want to get my garden in the ground and reap the rewards, a smaller produce bill at the market.

I wish I had space to grow melons again but we took the second veggie bed out 3 years ago. I am thinking of trying in one of the flower beds and I am also thinking of putting strawberry plants in as a ground cover in the other flower bed.

Right now I am going tide myself over with my AeroGarden.

Image via Wikipedia

I have to go get a new set of seed pods for it but I will at least have fresh herbs again. Mom got me this thing a few years back and its great, honestly does work well.

bit of the basics

2011-02-10T12:47:00.000-05:00

ok maybe a fun thing or maybe more boring stuff but I swiped this from a friend's blog and figured I would put it up here.

What do you do for a living?
I work in a retail pet store as the lead pet care specialist. Basically I am the person you come to if you own something other then a cat or a dog, not that I can't help with them also.

Do you have kids?
I a 9yo son who is turning to a scary copy of his father in the looks department and seems to have his mom's love of zombies and b-rate movies.

Are you married?
This March will be my 10 year anniversary. I met my husband when I was dating his friend and became his friend for 6 years prior to dating/marriage.

Do you have a bad habit?
Yeppers.. a few but I would have to say the worst 2 are my depression era hoarding of food stuff ( seriously I could probably give 2 households food stuff and not make a dent)and the other is more of a anxiety related issue. I get bad cases of the "what if's" and can put myself into a panic attack.

Do you own pets?
Well since I call this place a zoo..... If you had asked me this question a year ago the critter count would have been higher :( Right now we have 2 cats ( hoppy and stryper), a bearded dragon named spaz and 3 fish tanks.

Do you have a favorite hobby?
I can't say I a hobby. I like to do a lot of stuff. I have a ton of scrap booking and drawing stuff. If I had to narrow it down to a hobby, collecting books. I am an avid reader and have a ton of books.

Have you ever met someone who's blog you read in person?
I haven't I read so few but I've "known" one reader for a while now thanks to our Divaness :)

Do you believe in love at first sight?
I can't say at first sight, or I would still be with a total douche. I do believe in love though.

What is your most attractive feature?
Alot of people complement me on my thick hair but I like my eyes the best.

Feel free to copy these questions and share your answers with me. Or add your own. Or ask me something.

whats bouncing around my head today.....

2011-02-10T12:11:00.000-05:00

Nothing life changing, exciting or remotely interesting today to write about.

My seeds for the garden arrived. Purple, yellow, and green beans. Red, yellow, orange and white carrots. Hybrid sweet corn and cucumbers. I need to start planning the garden layout soon and get the peppers and tomato plants.

I also need to start a major spring clean, toss and pitch in the house. I know I have so much stuff buried in the junk room that I will be able to do a yard sale this spring.

I have horrible heartburn off and on but its easing with better diet. I hope it keeps going away, or i am gonna have to call the doc just to make sure its not my gallbladder flaring up again.

I wanted to go up to visit my friend up in NY this weekend but realize that I need to replace my tires first. They are getting bad and I don't want to be driving at 75 mph on them on the turnpike. :(

So instead I am going to spend the next 2 1/2 days doing some cleaning, go for my first full workout with the trainer and maybe go skating.

Such a fun post huh? At least its not full of drama, issues and bad news, we will leave that for the news people. :)

personal trainer and the freezer overolad

2011-02-09T18:05:00.001-05:00

1st off I need to take back part of a rant about my husband. While he was sick this past weekend he had another issue going on that he didn't tell. This made him not think straight, be short and cranky... He quit smoking that Friday and didn't tell me.

I know how he gets when he quits and its amazing we didn't have ww3 over here. I am proud of him and will be cutting him some slack for the next few weeks as the nasty crap leaves his system and he is moody.

2nd thing is my freezers are freaking stuffed now. You've read how I made the soup and omelets for the freezer for portion control and easy meals. Well now I have chili in there also. I took the leftover chili from the Superbowl party and bagged up up into 1 cup portion sizes. I also made some cornbread and portioned it out into baggies as well. I am thawing a whole chicken now and will probably try and add chicken soup to the freezer also.

3rd.. I have been to the gym 2 days in a row now. Yesterday was cardio, 45 minutes on the elliptical for about 450 calories burned. Today I had a personal trainer session for an hour and burned 533 calories, I'll let you know if I can move tomorrow. I had fun, it was hard as shit but the trainer was awesome. So now even though I am trying to save money and this will wipe out the 2 checks I had save, I signed up for 3x a week with a trainer. I will do it at least until June when my work hours are cut and won't be able to swing it. I go back Friday at 10 and he will also have a eating plan idea for me. Right now he wants me to try eating 6 meals a day to kick my metabolism into gear.

So I will be eating at 6am,9,am,noon,3pm,6pm and 9pm.... just seems like lots of eating. He did tell me that I can have a protein bar or shake for 2 of the meals.

Standing on an upside down bosu (sp) ball trying to keep my balance and do curls with 8lb free weights was insane but fun...worked core, legs and arms all in one.

One more bit of news....my son made honor roll and perfect attendance for the 2nd time in a row....I am proud!

laziness, food and sweatpants don't mix

2011-02-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

So today I have figured out part of the reason I put back on some of the weight. Its pretty damn simple....comfy sweatpants. After work in cold weather I like to put on something warm and comfy. I really shouldn't have started this, the stretchy waistband is not my friend.

Being lazy and eating the wrong foods add to this bad equation. Now I am stuck in a tricky spot... My jeans are tight and uncomfortable but I refuse to buy new ones. So here I am in my sweatpants again after work.

I did pretty good today with food, got in 2 dairy, 2 fruit, 2 proteins and 1 grain so far. Thinking salad with tuna on it tonight for dinner. All the food from yesterday has given me heartburn :(

I was suppose to go the gym tonight but my husband has a viewing/wake to attend so I might not make it until later.

selfish insane party of one please step this way.....

2011-02-05T14:11:00.000-05:00

Today is a day I really do like having someplace to safely vent, rant, be selfish and petty with out my family finding it or most of my friends.

99% of the time I am an easy going mom that loves her life, her family and being a homebody. Today falls into that 1% of the time when I wonder why I am so easy going, so happy to run the house and what can I change?

I have been feeling unappreciated for a little bit, probably for about 2 weeks now. I run the house, in every sense of the word.. I pay the bills, I cook the meals, I shop for everyone in it (I am not sure my husband knows where to find 1/2 of what he would need in any store as easy as me), I tend to the ill or injured, I help with homework, I work, I do 1/2 the yard work, I clean, I plan all parties/ gatherings, I do EVERYTHING.

I love my husband, he works hard for us and provides the most of the money so I can do the above. He works 40-50 hours a week in a field that's hard on a person so I cut him slack.

I love my son dearly and will always be here for him. To help him with homework, problems, to help him grow up to be a good man.

But.....

I wish my husband would help around the house more. My son is 9 and needs to step up to the plate also.

I hurt my back during the holidays, bad enough to be on muscle relaxers for 10 days. I am just putting the boxes of christmas upstairs. they have sat in my dining room since the 2nd of Jan and no one asked if they could go upstairs or help or anything.

All of this is coming out because I am feeling selfish also today.

We were suppose to go to the auto show as a family today. My husband is sick on the couch. My son is being a lazy brat. My husband has told me that if he feels better tomorrow and if the kiddo gets his shit straight he will take him to the auto show..... while I fucking work.

I was going to take him if he wasn't being lazy but my husband really wanted to go.. So here I am stuck. I want to go but because I need to be an adult with my kid about consequences he can't go and my husband can't either. So while I am working they will go have fun and I will be a homebody yet again.

Normally I like being home. I don't like the bar scene, movies are to damn expensive and so are concerts or plays. ( not that I can get my husband to a play) But I wanted to go out and do something. Yeah I could just go do something but being a homebody I don't have many girlfriends around here. Hell my best friend is 200 miles north of me. This is something I have done to myself because well.. I hate the drama. I would like to go out and have a few drinks and adult conversation some nights but I feel guilty. So I sit home, read, play my video games and stuff while the kiddo goes to bed and my husband is up at the firehouse after work or hanging out with the guys every fucking Saturday night at the local coffee place... He will be dead if he tries that tonight with my mood.

so I am cleaning for the Superbowl party here tomorrow, making soup for lunches, chili for the game, omelets for breakfasts and being a good wife, mother and companion. All while I am blasting my headphones with Disturbed, Nickleback, Rob Zombie and all sorts of other heavy bass music to match my mood.

Wonder if my friend would like a visit next friday for a day or two.....

don't mind the noises from my kitchen

2011-02-03T18:19:00.000-05:00

I have so much stuff to clean and cook over the next 3 days I think I am going to be using every pan I have and my counter top is gonna be groaning under the weight.

I am making a pot of veggie beef soup for lunches, a pot of chili for the super bowl, omelets for the freezer for easy work breakfasts, cornbread, mozzarella sticks (ok these are store bought), potatoes skins, steamed shrimp, some dips, chicken strips, fries and some salad fixings prep.

My frig and freezers look like I preparing for the end of the world and the pantries are not far behind. Yet despite food shopping today I find I am out of kidney beans and black beans for the chili and salsa for chips... so I guess a quick trip out tomorrow before cleaning.

I managed to get part of the kitchen cleaned up after work at least. Tomorrow I have the rest of the 1st floor and critter care to do. I would work on some of this Saturday but I think we are going to the international car show for the day.

All this food and I am trying to eat better...oy..

i think i need new eyes

2011-02-02T17:18:00.001-05:00

I need to go get mine checked again... its been awhile since my last visit and my eye doc has moved it seems. I am going to call Pearle Vision tomorrow and see if I can get an appointment but first I need to figure out if we have vision coverage anymore. We use to have it just for the exam and the rest was out of pocket but I can't remember if they did away with it on the insurance this time. Might as well get this out of the way now, starting to get headaches :(

I guess I should call and make the dental appointments, physical for my husband and haircut appointments as well.

I'll work on the oil change and new tires later....

Anyone seen my calendar... I'm gonna need it if I am gonna be a grown up.

( I still have to clean the house for the Superbowl party and go food shopping this week...yikes)

As for what I am doing to try and get rid of some of this weight< I think I have it fairly planned out.

Breakfast will be a mix of the following
cereal with fruit
yogurt with granola
eggs with turkey bacon
fruit and yogurt

Lunch will be one of or a mix of the following
mixed green salad - maybe with tuna or chicken
soup - homemade chicken, veggie beef, an occasion treat of baked potato or crab corn chowder
sandwich

Dinner will be something healthy, low carb, lots of veggies

Snacks will be twice a day something like the following
air popped popcorn
fruit
carrots
pudding cup
jello
pretzel crisps
cheese
yogurt
granola bar
nuts

I will be trying to make sure I am heavy on the veggies, fruits, protiens and lower ont he fats and carbs.

I will be aiming for 2500 calories burned at the gym with 3x week of cardio and 2x week of weights.

Now I just need to get to the store. I need soup fixings and containers to freeze servings in for work lunches.

snow day...more like ice day

2011-02-01T16:04:00.001-05:00

The weather turned nasty. No snow with this storm, just a nasty ice glaze until about 10ish. While the main roads are clear now with the break in the storm its suppose to start up again later tonight. I'll drive in anything, raging rain and wind or blowing snow with little visibility but screw ice. Unless your a freaking amazing driver one wrong tap of the breaks and your toast.

Such was about 10 peoples morning ruined in about an hours time. Phone rang about 5am with a 2hr delay and I was wake listening to the fire scanner until I could call work. I ended up calling back later as they canceled school all together for today.

I should have spent my new found day off cleaning, doing wash and generally being a productive housewife.... yeah right.

I let my kid play video games until he wore out 2 remotes, staying in his pj's eating that wonderfully nutritious stuff called easy mac. Then I kicked him off the tv and watching a highly recommended movie of Starship Troopers. Yep, you read that right. What can I say I have always been a fan of B-Rated movies.

We are watching GI Joe now.. not really a b-rated movie since it cost an arm and a leg but still fun.

Btw... Mega Piranha and Mega Python vrs Gateroid are also fun movies..... my son loved them.

The mess in my house isn't going anywhere.

On a more serious note my friend went back to work late last night. Now that most of the investigation is done he has been cleared but the union rep thinks it to soon. He gets physically ill when he even sees his truck.

See my friend was driving a plow for the state and a lady either slipped on the ice and fell in the road right as he was turning or had a medical emergency. Either way she was on the ground in the road when his plow truck made the uturn and his view of the ground was blocked by the snow mounds. She didn't make it and my friend is very shaken. We have been trying to keep him moving, occupied but there is nothing we can do for his own mind. They gave him the choice last night, drive the plow or stay int he yard and load the trucks with salt. He chose the salt loading but he still wasn't feeling comfortable. I haven't heard from him today.

anyone seen my chin?

2011-01-31T21:59:00.000-05:00

Just one, not the double that looks like its forming.

So today was the first day of better eating. Not to bad, I did have 2 mini snickers but at least it wasn't 10 :)

I didn't get to the gym though. I let work get in the way. My schedule is all whacked this week and I spent today freezing my ass off on the register by the doors. I came home and curled up under the blankets to warm up and dozed off for an hour. Oops.

Tomorrow I am gonna try and get there but we are expecting snow, ice , mix and rain... I might get my workout in with shoveling the crude. I was hoping to see the school had made a decision about opening tomorrow but not yet. Its suppose to be ice from about 5 am to 10, I hate not knowing. I could have called work tonight and gotten a replacement for me but having to wait until 5-6am to call them and say I am going to be late or out blows.

I hate doing that but oh well my esp isn't working tonight.

so anyone want a picky eater?

2011-01-31T18:04:00.000-05:00

She's quiet, doesn't take up much space, loves bugs but hates the cold. I guess I should mention she's not human right?

We rescued a bearded dragon back in November and she is the pickiest damn eater I swear. If you mix her greens with anything red you'll find the greens all over the tank as she flings them everywhere to get to the red stuff.

I have to give her greens, sweet potato, green beans and yellow stuff at one point in the day and then a separate feeding of red peppers, repti gel, beardies bites and red fruits if if I don't want to have to clean the tank daily.

This will make it difficult for family and friends to care for her when we are away. I'll am gonna have to make up baggies with her frozen mix and make sure I have meal or wax worms on hand with her crickets also. My MIL is gonna love that....

So when we are away the zoo will be in the hands of a few friends, my in laws and maybe if they are able one of my coworkers. It will be just like work for her as we will have a parakeets, 2 cats, 1 lizard, 3 fish tanks and a guinea pig......or is that a partridge in a peartree?

i'm leaving on a jet plane.....

2011-01-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

well not until April but soon... The trip is booked and airfare paid for,just in time for a freaking ice storm.

It seems that this next storm coming in isn't gonna be all snow ... typical...start getting into February and we get ice storms. I am hoping to not miss as much work this week since we had extra hours to use I could end up with a decent check.

My husband took the kiddo sledding today with friends while I worked. It was a nice day for is, wish I could have gone but I do have to be an adult on occasion. They had a blast and my husband took a few videos and photos for me to see.

We had dinner out tonight and that was it for me.. now its onto trying to lose something, tone up and just look better by the trip.

A boring day for me besides booking the airfare, nothing exciting happening.

i am going to go hibernate

2011-01-29T17:58:00.000-05:00

I just cannot get warm today. I have managed to get my core warmed up curling up under 3 blankets but my hands and feet are still cold.

The kiddo is out riding around the backyard with his dad on the 4 wheeler... I am guessing the neighbors just love that. They wanted me to come out an play but I passed. I am hoping that while I am working tomorrow they will go do some sledding. We might end up with another mid-week storm it looks like... hell on the paycheck but we all love the snow, even if I can't get warm lately.

Did fair with eating today until boredom hit mid afternoon and I had 2 brownies and 2 frozen mini snickers. Blah... Tonight I am making rice, veggies and chicken breasts marinated in roasted garlic and white wine. Tomorrow night it looking like seafood, scallops broiled with bacon pieces and some tilapia fillets with veggies and maybe wild rice.

plan of attack

2011-01-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

I just cannot get myself to track points anymore. I don't know why... maybe lazy, maybe I have just done it to many times and failed.

I tried south beach for a bit and did ok until I started feeling ill around week 4.

So today I have spent the afternoon researching the food pyramid, figuring out where I want to be weight wise, getting a reasonable amount of time to do it in, figuring out calorie intake to do this and workouts.

I have a friend that is training for weight lifting and she is going to help me with the weight lifting part of the workouts, I'll do the elliptical, bike and treadmill for cardio. I would like to try a zumba class sometime to see if I like it. Ultimately I want to get back to my martial arts.

As for food, I have figured out a plan I think. I am tired of diets and limiting stuff and boxed stuff. I am going to eat the way I could on Weight watchers, what you want to eat, but use the food pyramid guidelines and portion control. I'll give myself 1 free meal a week to splurge if I want....

Maybe this will work.

Our friends accident is looking more and more like he wasn't at fault and it was truly an accident of freak occurrence. :(

12 inches of snow and it feels like Saturday

2011-01-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

I keep getting thrown off and think its Saturday and not Thursday afternoon.

We ended up with a foot of snow on the ground after the storm finally left the area late last night. The kiddo had no school today so I had to stay home... boo hoo.... not really. I got the front walkway cleared and some of the foot of the driveway. We also build a snowman and played in the snow.

Bill was home for much of the day, as instead of going to work the office told the guys to stay home and they would call if they needed them. It was also very quiet for the firehouse overnight, only a few runs and no accidents since everyone was home.

Tonight will be different, the melted snow is going to refreeze and since most of the main roads are clear I can see a lot of accidents happening. Will have to wait and see if its going to be a normal school day tomorrow or a delayed opening. Delayed opening means I'll be late for work and have to stay later, which will cut into my gym time. We might go sledding tomorrow night so the hoofing it up the hill will help if it does.

On a more serious note, I wish I could say this morning was uneventful for a friend. He was involved in a serious accident this morning that is still under investigation. He is fine physically but the other person didn't make it. We are waiting to hear the outcome of the investigation. :(

Snow flurries tomorrow and Saturday plus the the chance of another stirm like this one for mid to late next week....... and this was suppose to be a mild winter for us... hahahaha.. :) I love the snow.

snow!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-26T16:56:00.000-05:00

Like many in the northeast I woke up to an unexpected sight of 3 inches of snow. The weather man had said the morning would be wet with rain/sleet/snow then turning to all snow towards evening... He was wrong, they computers they use were wrong...everyone was caught off guard by this. It snowed until about noon and then stopped, been a light rain for a bit now but its getting ready to go back to snow in the next few hours. Might end up with another 12 inches of snow before this storm blows out of here.

The kiddo had school on time but an early dismissal to make sure they were off the roads before the storm turned again. Once I knew he was in school and no longer at risk of his bus getting into a wreck, having my husbands fire scanner on was not a good thing this morning as I worried about hearing and accident with a bus on his route, I went out to the gym. The main roads were ok the secondary were horrid. I probably shouldn't have gone and only managed 1/2 an hour after watching a car sliding, I decided to head home.

So I got in 30 mins, 1.85 miles and burned 210 calories.....That I just ate in 2 fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

I'll burn more calories tomorrow shoveling snow and hope to not throw out the back again.

I fought the couch and the gym won

2011-01-24T18:41:00.000-05:00

Work hours are getting cut now that the holidays are done. I could get a larger share of the hours for the department being the lead but I willingly take a minimum of 27, gives me a fair paycheck, not great but fair. This way the other girls that need the money a hell of a lot more then me can have a few more hours and I can have more time outside of work to get stuff done.

This week is a weird one for my hours but it will allow me to get to the gym. I was very very tempted to come home this morning and nap after the craziness of my morning but I didn't. I went to the gym instead :) Got an hour in on the elliptical. I got in 2.7 miles and burned 525 calories.

Felt good to get it in and helped with getting rid of the tension.

See on the way on to work this morning at 5:50am I encountered and freaking idiot driving the wrong way....heading right towards me :( Managed to swerve out of danger and when correcting found a fucking christmas tree in the middle of the road also. Thank goodness the other car bounced over the median strip to the correct side of the road and I missed the tree and any ice patches. I didn't need my morning tea to wake me up this morning. On the way home from work I noticed pieces of the christmas tree all over the road, someone wasn't so lucky after me this morning.

I have loaded baked potato soup simmering away and rolls in the oven for dinner tonight, its still unbelievably cold outside. I might make up a salad to have with dinner also and make up a salad to take to work tomorrow also.

All in all a decent day and hopefully the weather cooperates and the kiddo has school on Wednesday so I can go to the gym again. They still don't know what this incoming weather system is going to do Tuesday night into Wednesday.

21 degrees with a windchill of 10 and its only dinner time

2011-01-23T18:18:00.000-05:00

and my husband has just left to go fix a heating problem in a bad part of town, in the dark, in section 8 housing.... :(

Nothing against those that honestly need the assistance that section 8 provides, but the housing area is a magnet for thugs, drug dealers and other low lifers. I just hope its cold enough that most are inside and he gets home before it gets colder, suppose to get into the low teens tonight so the windchill will be in the single digits.

Didn't get to meet my mom at the travel agent after work today. The agent is still working on the airfare. Would have been nice to have it paid for, just knowing its a done deal might have helped keep me warm :)

Where did my willpower go?

2011-01-22T11:46:00.000-05:00

Yet again I am trying to eat better and starting WW again.

I did this back in 2002 and kept the weight off for 2 years after... now here I am again. I have rejoined and stopped a few times since, lost 10 pounds or so and then gotten lazy and regained it...

I wonder where my willpower/motivation have gone. I know I did better when I had a buddy to go with, I lost it all the first time when I was going with my mom. But mom had a lap-band put in a few years ago. Its working fine if she wouldn't cheat it :(

I have tried online but it was a waste of money because after a while I only got on to read the message boards. I have tried doing it with a friend from out of state but its not the same.

So here I am again..... 193lbs and I would like to get rid of at least 30 of this.

bliss on a cold cold day

2011-01-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

We had a nasty mix of snow, ice, rain last night and now the wind is whipping...its a lovely 29 outside right now with a windchill in the low 20's. My husband is on call this weekend, right on time for temps not even suppose to climb out of the low 20's in the daytime. I like the ot money but I hope he remembers to take care. The life of a hvac guy...winter and summer are brutal with the elements but they are busiest then.

A 2 hour delay for school almost messed up my day but it worked out. Once the kiddo was on the bus I was out the door for a second massage. Between the 2 massages and the muscle relaxers the back is feeling mighty fine. She says she can still feel some tension on the left side of the back but its no where near as bad as it was before. I can feel it but its back to the normal level for the most part.

I have my frig packed will fruits, salad fixings, yogurts and good stuff. Starting tomorrow I am going to go back to eating healthier. Knowing this of course I went and had a Hershey bar with almonds for a snack today.

I am going to start going back to the gym tomorrow also. I'll start with just the elliptical for 2 weeks before adding in the weights. Maybe my thighs won't be for jiggly for our trip :)

go get your milk and bread....

2011-01-19T21:28:00.000-05:00

yep, more snow is in the forecast. Not much but I hope you don't have to go to the store for your normal shopping tomorrow. Thankfully my shoppingis all done so I won't have to go through that insanity.

Now Costco on friday might be a mess since the new Target and Cheesecake Factory opened up near it. I need to restock my upright freezer, running out of some stuff to make menus. Now to keep the bill under $200 and stay away from the junk food.

contented sigh.....

2011-01-18T21:04:00.000-05:00

My house is a mess, being laid up for a week will do that. The weather is crappy with slushy mess on the ground and we haven't done any sledding yet due to my back. I have piles of wash to fold and another pile to wash.

Yet I can honestly give a contented sigh. Sitting here on the couch looking over my messy house I can't help but be content. Looking around my eye stops on the photo frames, plants, gifts, knick knacks, critters and my husband sleeping next to me.

The digital photo frame is looping through pictures of the kiddo, my husband, family and places we have been in a random flash of our life.

Yeah the pictures of me show how I have struggled with my weight but I am still having fun in life. I could delete the photos of me but the its like hiding from life.

We have been blessed to be able to go places and do things. The trips north with friends to the mountains, our weekend hikes in the parks this past fall, gathering of friends here to celebrate or hang out, trips to Florida and just goofing off here. We are planning a family trip this spring with my parents, possible the last trip for them due to my dad failing back.

Sometimes the money gets tight and things don't go as planned but stuff tends to even out in the long run as long as we have each other. Today I missed 1/2 my work shift due to the snow/ice storm during the might and a delayed school opening. My plan for building up the savings will take longer but at least I have a job.

I need to remember this as I try and figure out how we are going to pay for the kiddos braces or new tires for the car or what ever else life tosses our way.

Wheres the maid?

2011-01-16T15:53:00.000-05:00

oh wait that me isn't it? Damn!

The house is a mess and its getting on my nerves. The kitchen island is buried under mail, firehouse paper work, and other stuff that just gets set there "for a minute" that turns into forever. The breakfast nook has become a catch all for stuff like my sheet cake pan, the cake storage thingy, serving platters and magazines.

The recycle stuff needs to go out to the can before it takes over and the Christmas boxes still need to get out of my dinning room.

Amazing how stuff doesn't get done when the person that normally does it can't.

I am going to try and get the kitchen cleaned up tomorrow when I am off work, one little bit at a time. Never realized how much I use my lower back for even the little stuff until it goes out on me.

The good news is its starting to feel better and I am getting use to the muscle relaxers. I am not so groggy on them right now.

Now does anyone know where the cook is?? Oh what? Thats me also??? double damn I quit.

What did you vow to change this year?

2011-01-15T17:44:00.000-05:00

Most of the people I have asked this of have the same boring ones..lose weight, try new stuff,blah blah...

I am not any different it seems but I have learned from the past a bit.

No more "I will lose 15 lbs by xx date"

Instead I have the following ones to work on:

1) get to the gym 3x a week
2) stay out of the vending machine at work
3) pack my lunch for work every day
4) work on our debt

I was doing good on the gym until the damn back locked up on me. My new purple mp3 player is all loaded up and waiting. I even have a gym buddy now. One of my coworkers goes to the same gym and is doing weight lifting competitions. Not that i am going to try for that but its nice to have someone to workout with.

The vending machine is hard but I haven't had anything from it yet. Now if only I could get the vendor to stop filling it with Cheetos's or Frito's and temptation would be all gone.

I did buy lunch last week but other wise have been packing my lunch.

The last is the hardest of any of them. I am hoping to have a few things paid off by the end of summer and one more by the holidays but things seem to always pop up. Right now I have money saved but its going towards air fare for the family trip in April. Once that's paid for next week it starting to save again.

Never ending cycle isn't it?

Well even if I only get 1 thing paid off its better then none. The side effects of the others should lead to some form of weight loss but I will be happy to be saving money, feeling better and a few pounds off doesn't hurt :)

just put my bed over there please....

2011-01-15T12:25:00.000-05:00

I swear I am going to move into the grocery store any day now. Just put my stuff over in the florist area and I'll be good to go.

I am trying to limit going to the store for just the needed stuff and only once a week. Hard to do when they have some good deals on stuff I can store.

I am trying to switch stores also. The Acme here is getting to be ridiculous with pricing lately. I like Pathmarks prices better and have been trying out the local Shoprite. I don't really like that store, its dark, not laid out well and always crowded. Its also popular with the over 60 age group and they like to just stop in the middle of the aisle. But... when i can pick up items 1/2 off or even cheaper I am trying to overlook these things.

I am going to work on the menu for this week using what I have here at the house. I am hoping that the only thing I am going to have to go get later this week is milk.

Boring Saturday here but football starts in a bit.

a 250 lb hamburger!?!

2011-01-14T20:27:00.000-05:00

No thats not whats for dinner but what we watched on tv tonight.

The history channel is doing a show a on super sized foods and some resturant makes a 250lb burger..it taked 12 to 14 hours to bake and 8 hours to cool before serving.... omg!!! They are going over a 7lb hot dog now.... no wonder we are a fat nation

Oh... now a 4.5ft by 4.5ft pizza... 199.00 for just cheese and $16 for each topping after.

I have a sudden craving for a salad now.

new year equals new starts right?

2011-01-13T19:33:00.001-05:00

Cleared the blog out for the new year and here we go.....my first exciting post, or not :)

Started out the New Year by going to the gym, going back to weight watchers, cleaning up the house... general healthy good stuff.

Here it is 2 weeks into the new year and I am laid out flat on my back instead of being at the gym and my pantry is looking full of junk. I have wrecked my back up it seems. So I am on a muscle relaxer to see if that helps, but this stuff knocks me for a loop and the house suffers. Happy New Year huh?

I need to get to the farmers market this weekend, buying fresh stuff from the store is killing my wallet.

Wonder if its cheaper own a farm, dairy, chicken coop and orchard then shop the stores anymore.