Y Change?

I started the "Ychange" fitness program at my  local YMCA and much to my dismay after logging in one days worth of meals, I discovered that I took in 1000 calories more than what I was supposed to.   I'm not over weight, I just want to loose a tiny bit, but, the trainer seems to think that my weight goal was unreasonably healthy since my body fat is already less than 25%.  (I guess the rest is 75% skin and bones). But after finding out, that my 1 cup snack of sunflower seeds was a whopping 799 calories, I plan to boost up the cardio majorly! But somehow I am sabotaging myself because if I eat the same and exercise more, I'll maintain my weight not loose any. I am not certainly the type of girl who would starve herself to loose weight, I always thought that was dumb, especially if I am hungry.  I always assumed that if your tummy is growling that means eat not starve yourself!  In the mean time I'm going to ponder whether or not another cup of sunflower seeds is really worth it.

A day in the life

We've been plugging away with school and are trying to wrap things up -at least for Rocco & Cookie in 5 weeks.  Today however we are eating a big kahuna breakfast and tackling Mt. Laundry, then off to drums and art.  I seems that high winds are in the area today and last evening there were a number of Tornado watches on the tele which I missed because I was playing bus driver up until 10:30pm. Yes p.m. And from the looks of the winds I would say something is blowing through-literally.

Porta Potty!

One thing I dread in public is when one of my little people has to use the potty and the only option is the dreaded porta-potty.  This light blue castle (most of the time), sends my gag reflex reeling into a place beyond control.  Okay maybe I'm exaggerating.  I can't stand these blue bins of germs because usually they are filthy, splattered with urine on the seat and floor, and most of all reeks of the globs of toilet tissue and fecal matter piled in the portal itself!  It all spells germs and disease to me!  Last Saturday, Dolly said she had to "go" and the only option was the porta-potty.  This is the only time in life I wish my kids were still in diapers.  Upon opening the door she said, "Ewwww" even though it did not smell as bad as some I have been in.  She then looked in the portal, and said, "I'll hold it, til we get home".  All the while me, her mother was gagging and on the verge of vomiting.  I never let any of them sit on the seat, I hold them in a way that their feet  are on my thighs, my forearm is under the back of their knees and my other arm is supporting their back and underarm.  This maneuver allows them to squat freely while still secure. Nevertheless, I gag all through the ordeal.  Note to self : everyone must use the bathroom at home before going to a place with these horrid receptacles, Limit liquid intake while at these types of events. If we are close to home, pray that they can hold it.

He Rocks!

2 Nights ago. Rocco had his first drum showcase.  It was an awesome concert put together by his drum teacher.  There was a high school marching band present, and music students from 5 different schools his teacher teaches at.

The room was overflowing with talent and creativity.  Rocco is a beginner student but, not a beginner to rhythm.  When he was 15 months old he caught my attention.  I watched this little baby bang out a beat on the ottoman that he saw on a cartoon. "Boom Boom Bop"  Which we typically count out as 1,2,3, 1,2,3,.   or 1,2,-3.  Its a beat that you probably hear daily if you are a music listener.  You can hear a drummer in almost any given song playing in time, 1, 2, -3.  Anywho, I stood in my family room, staring in awe this baby playing, and I said to myself-he needs a drum.  I bought him a leap pad drum, then a snare, then a colonial, and now he has an electronic drum set,  hoping for a traditional one. In between that, he's gotten a conga, and a pair of bongos. I knew then, that music was his gifting. 

After his music teacher called him up, Rocco began to play-his teacher accompanied him on the keys and Rocco, rocked the house! He was amazing! The speed and agility in which he moved both hands while playing his song, blew me away.  I wasn't the only one blown away; the students from the other schools cheered, howled, and gave Rocco a standing ovation!   And all I could say to myself was, "That's my Boy!"  That's my boy!

Gone with the wind!

Last night while Cookie was at chorus, I decided to go to Walmart.  It was my first trip to this particular Walmart.  It was fairly new and my shopping started off very happy and carefree.  (The rest of my crew was with their dad).  I got paper goods and a couple of snacks.  Upon leaving out of the store-to go pick up Cookie, I noticed that it was raining and the wind was blowing.  Before I could even cross the street, my 3 page grocery list began to blow away.  What did I do?  I began to push my cart quickly in the direction f the paper that was now quickly blowing down the sidewalk like tumbleweed on steroids.  I said to my self in this frantic episode.  "Stop pushing the cart, and chase your papers down!" then I said "If I park my cart here, what if someone comes up and steals my groceries?" . I managed to get one sheet.  The other 2 kept blowing, I began chasing but, the more I chased, the faster they blew away.    Suddenly I had flash backs to Middle school where homework or some important paper was  blowing a way in the wind.  And as on lookers gaped I realized back then, that it was a lost race.  After seeing that I wasn't going to get my list I heard my self saying out loud, "What ever!  What ever!".  After I got to the van, I had a brilliant idea:  "See if I can find the papers on that side of the building!"  So I quickly  drove in the direction in which my list was blowing and as I turned the corner to the side of Walmart, to my dismay I saw a sea of white papers and litter dancing around in a little cyclone!  Then I heard the little voice in my head say, "It's only a list... It's only a list".  I can't say I learned anything valuable from this moment except to make sure my grocery list is secure in my purse before leaving the store and  sometimes it's okay  not to chase things that are not valuable and to just let them blow away and be gone with the wind.

Really Boys?

Today upon coming down stairs I saw my boys in front of the TV watching The 3 Stooges.  I was shocked! First of all we had the  "Don't go downstairs and turn the TV on when you wake up" talk, a couple of days ago and I was surprised because they actually were laughing at the funny parts.   I was too busy watching to see if they were really getting the jokes, I didn't even bother turning it off.   Well off to church now.

I love you too much to let you get away from me and get away with things

An interesting episode happened at Target today. 1 of the 4 went AWAL (absent without a leave-also known as, leaving the group with out permission because I want to).  Somewhere between my driveway and my parking space at any particular store, I remind my people how to behave and how not to behave when we go inside the store;usually they obey.  Today, a couple of kids that I mother decided that they would get one of those big bouncy balls from the toy section and dribble it around the store, pass it back and forth and set it up like a volley ball.  After repeating myself literally like a broken record, I told the ring leader, that we would not be getting his 2 liter drink that we came for in the first place if he could not obey.  The drink was then put up on a high shelf - in the jewelry section of all places and left there.    After witnessing that the drink was not in reach, it was not going to brought to the check out,  the ringleader decides he was going to leave the group in retaliation, the group being our family.  I looked at  a couple more things in the jewelry department and then started calling this little ones name-loudly.

As all of us went down the aisle, we looked and looked and even called for the ringleader but, no answer.  Was he kidnapped? Was he just being defiant?  Was he looking for us in another department?  After asking myself this, I said , "C'mon guys, I'm checking out".  Dolly was upset, thinking that her bro was going to get left.  Seconds later, zipping out of nowhere, comes the ringleader, laughing as if he played a joke on us.  Firmly I asked him to come here and said, "Son, You left us, and walked away from us, you could have gotten snatched up. We did not know where you were.  We were looking for you.  (All the while he thinks this is funny)   You are not supposed to leave the group when we are in the store together.  What you did was not funny".  I didn't get angry, I kept my cool but, I knew what I had to do.  I looked at him and said, "We will not be getting the soda today, may I please have the coupon back". (Yes a coupon, for a free 2-liter Pepsi product).  He slammed the coupon into the palm of my hand and began to cry- which didn't produce any tears ironically and ended when I got to the check out.

Now, some would say I was being to hard on him because, well you know, boys will be boys.  But, I can't help but, ask how long will we excuse behavior because kids will be kids or boys will be boys?  If me, the Big Momma, says no, why should that mean yes?  If I let certain things slide now, in fear of being "too hard" , how much will I let slide when they are teens, in fear of them not wanting to be my friend, or liking me?  Really?  Am I not obligated to train my boys? Or should I let boys be boys and run off and disappear in the grocery store, on purpose without any consequences? Or let them sneak out at night and take the family car for a drive because, well, that's what teens do?

We then went home without the drink.  I then heard how I wasn't liked, I was mean, and I wasn't welcomed to the ringleaders house when he becomes an adult.  So how did I respond?  I told him, "I like you, not only do I like you, I love you and you can always come to my house".   I reminded him again before he went inside the house, as I was sitting in the drivers seat, how much I liked him and how "sad" it made me to think that he didn't like me, and how much I really did love him.  He asked me, why is my head down and why does my face look like that.  I told him because I was sad  he didn't like me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a little satisfied grin on his face.   We went inside the house, everyone went out to play-except for my frienemy.  He wanted a snack, but, I gave him something better,  I gave him a piece of chocolate- which is the ultimate snack in his world. And to remind him that all is forgiven. Minutes later, he asked if he could help me.  I stated to him that I thought he didn't like me.  He then  told me he was mad at me before and that he did like me and wanted to know if he could help with dinner.  He got the plates, the silverware, and he helped make pancakes from scratch.  He counted them.  Suggested we make more batter so everyone could have an extra pancake and that is exactly what we did. We  laughed a little, and smiled a lot as we made dinner together. We were once again on the path and tying heart strings together. 

Lesson learned by him: Stick with Mom in the store. Listen the first time. She loves me.  Lesson learned by the other 3 sets of eyes watching:  stick with Mom in the store, put the ball down the first time- don't pick it up to begin with.  Lesson learned by everyone: What you do and what you don't do matters.  And believe me, my little boy matters alot to this Momma.
 

Are you kidding me?

Today before I took Cookie & Rocco to their activities we went to Panera to pick Bagels up for lunch.  6 bagels, 1 lemonade, 1 pumpkin muffie, &; 2 ounces of cream cheese. $11.00+!  What takes the cake is that the order was only $5& change prior to getting the muffie, the drink and the cream cheese. "how much was the cream cheese?  $1.25,  2 lousy ounces! @ ounces is about 4 tablespoons.  So I made sure at least 3 out of the four chickadees had some.  I'll know better next time.

Open your eyes

No matter what role you play, there will always be naysayers.  It's up to you to decide who's voice you will listen to. 

Back home -Finally

Did I already mention that I hate long car rides?  Everyone did pretty good, in light of the fact that the DVD player kept going back to the beginning of the video mid movie.  So out of  the 15 plus videos we bought with us, the kids probably only got to watch a full 2. The last 30 minutes of the trip turned in to 1 hour because of major traffic congestion due to an accident on the bridge we were trying to cross.    To recap my trip I figured I'd share a little list of thoughts and reflections:

What I learned, thought,  and or otherwise annoyed me on my trip:

• My children are one of my greatest accomplishments and I love them above everything, and no in the world loves them more than I do.
• If a sign reads "Our pedestrians have the right of way", pedestrians should realize that does not mean, the entire road.  in other words "Move over!!!!!"
• After a while you know who is in your corner, in the opposing corner and who is the fly on the wall.
• Kids could care less about time when they are having fun.
• Time does fly when you're having fun.
• Time does stand still when you are not.
• When you walk your dog, clean up his poop.
• Assume nothing. Always ask.
• Hush puppies that are not made from real cornmeal, and don't  have chopped onions in them can not be considered hush puppies.  Just call them what they are, Fried Jiffy Cornbread balls.
• If hush puppies are darker than an old penny, somebody needs to change the oil.
• If  I am shopping, and I tell you I do not need your help, I'm just browsing, don't keep asking me if I need your help, or if I found what I was looking for.
• If I am in your store and  clearly looking at something with one or all of my adorable children, don't come over with tons of items I'm not remotely interested in,  that would require me to spend $50.00 more than I intended to when I walked into your store.
• If I am not talking  and my eyes are closed and  I have ear buds on, that usually means I am listening to something phenomenal on my ipod that I have downloaded and am now experiencing the best opportunity  to listen to it  and I have no desire to engage in superficial boring conversation. Or it could just mean, I am bored beyond tears that I can't even cry.
• If a sign reads, "Yield to pedestrians" that does not mean keep driving until you are a foot away from them and stop so that they can cross the street.
• If a sign reads, "Yield to pedestrians" that does not mean look for your keys, fumble with your cell phone, stop in the crosswalk and carry on other business that you can do after you  cross the street or at your car.
• Sunshine on one's back is an awesome feeling.
• You are never to old for ice cream.
• No matter how great things are or how dull things are, there is no place like home.