Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Crazy Week Synopsis

The Gym


First let's start with the gym. All of last week I worked out at home because I was having company (step-daughter and friends) so I was getting ready for her visit. I ran back and forth on the sidewalk next to my house and halfway down the street that runs into our driveway and back around. I think the neighbors may think I'm crazy since I've been running back and forth in front of their house too. I could hear their little yappy dogs barking at me in the window, so I'm sure I was annoying them.

Then yesterday there was supposed to be some big storm, so I took my dad to his meeting and didn't go to the gym. I walked here at home instead really late in the evening. (OK, really at 10 p.m.) When I went to take my gym clothes out I thought it was a good thing I didn't go to the gym. I would have been pissed because I had forgotten to pack a t-shirt.

Today I did good. I was working from our downtown office, so I went to pick up my son first, then my daughter, so I could go straight to the gym from picking her up. (the gym is on that side of town) When I got to the gym I discovered that I had forgotten my tennis shoes!! What the heck?! A very important part of running. So, back in the truck and back to the house. I ran for half an hour here at the house. I wasn't going to drive all the way back to that side of town. I don't know what it's about me and packing for the gym lately. Usually I only forget my towel and I just buy one there.

Juno

I finally saw it! And I loved it! It is such a great movie. I can see why Diablo Cody won the Oscar for the best screenplay for this movie. The dialogue is so smart and snarky. I loved it. Period.


Discovery Green

I finally took the kids back and they loved it! They ran around in the water and had a blast. They sat on the edge of the lake and dipped their feet in the water. Then they ate hamburgers and hot dogs with Sprite and Capri Sun. They played some more and then had an ice cream before going to pick up their grandpa with me from the airport. It was a good day!

McCafe

We went to McDonald's as a family to check out the new McDonald's on N. Main & 45, near Heights. Very snazzy! We found out that it's one of the new McCafes. Very fancy I may add. Nice floors and walls and they serve mocha, capuccino and iced mochas. I wasn't really in the mood for coffee, so I didn't order a mocha as I had planned. Next time. But it was cool to see one of these new McPlaces in our Hood.

Squirrel Blood

Every morning I make my son a chocolate milk and I place the sippy cup on the pillow next to him. He wakes up and drinks his milk. Sometimes he gets up and sometimes he keeps sleeping when he's done. Some days he doesn't even wake up to drink the milk until I'm putting him in his car seat.

This morning when he woke up and reached for his chocolate milk I said, "Let me shake that for you," because it had been sitting for a while and I knew that the chocolate had settled to the bottom of the cup.

"No!" he screamed.

"Why not? You are so silly!" I said, "It is the exact same chocolate milk you always drink and that I always shake when I make it for you. It will taste the same."

"No it won't!" he insisted but he took a drink anyway. After taking a drink he made a face and screamed, "It tastes like... like... squirrel blood!"

"Give me that milk," I said, wondering when in the world he had tasted squirrel blood.

I took it and put in in the fridge. Before leaving I said, "Do you want me to give you another chocolate milk that I made?"

"Yes!" he said.

On the way out the door I carried him and I opened the refrigerator with one hand. I took the exact same chocolate milk out and handed it to him. He didn't ask and I didn't tell. He drank it just fine.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Mommy/Step-Mom Weekend

I have a four day weekend by accident. By accident I mean that I didn't plan it that way. What happened was that my daughter had Field Day at school on Friday and I took the day off to be there and to take a cooler of drinks for them. It wasn't until Monday that I realized that it was also Memorial Day weekend and therefore I had a four day weekend. Woo Hoo! This weekend also coincided with my step-daughter's visit. My husband hadn't seen her in probably over a year so he was really looking forward to that.

She came in on Wednesday night because she was going to the Iron Maiden concert on Thursday. She ran around town Thursday and Friday with her friends that came with her but yesterday was the first day that my husband had the full day to hang out with her. We took them to Keemah, walked around and then had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. Then we came home and I stayed with the little kids while he took the older kids to Dave & Busters and to play pool.

Today hopefully we're going to visit the Outlets before they leave. If the big kids ever wake up! I'm up with the baby, who is up earlier than everyone else, of course.

Next weekend, coincidentally, we're going to New Orleans, where she's from, for my in-laws' 40th anniversary celebration. We had already planned that trip before we knew she was coming to visit. We wanted to take my in-laws on a cruise, but we couldn't find one leaving on Thursday and coming back on Sunday. All of them come back on Monday. So since they enjoy "playing" in Louisiana we decided on New Orleans. I haven't been since Katrina. I realize I'm in for an eye-opening experience.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day so I still have one more day off. I'm thinking of taking the kids to Discovery Green to play in the water sprinklers. We'll see!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Five Favorite Blog Posts

I “stole” this meme from Hijas Americanas author, Rosie Molinary.

Here we go…

Rules: Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you’ve written.

Link One must be about family.
Link Two must be about friends.
Link Three must be about yourself.
Link Four must be about something you love.
Link Five can be anything you choose.

(Readers: don’t forget to read the archived posts and leave comments.)
Here they are: some old favorites.

Link One must be about family: Family Tree

Link Two must be about friends: Monique

Link Three must be about yourself: First Meme Ever

Link Four must be about something you love: My Kids

Link Five can be anything you choose: The Joys of Motherhood

Weight Loss Update

This morning I stepped on the scale and I weighed one pound less than my lowest weight 7 years ago!! I could not believe I broke my record. I probably haven't weighed this much since I got married 10 years ago. I think...

Life is such a challenge, but we all have to rise up to those challenges, no matter how great they may seem. I just had to say that. I'll post more later when I have time and less challenges. Ta-ta!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Growing up with Tamales

Gwen Zepeda and her illustrator April Ward ROCK! I love this book! It is so sweet and touching. It really captures how little girls feel, think and dream... Great job Gwen! I received my copy in the mail yesterday and already read it. I'm reading it to the kids tonight.

If you have not seen this book run to your local book store and buy it or do like me and buy it on Amazon. And YES it is in English and in Spanish, so all of you can read it. (Inevitably I will be asked that question!)

I think Gwen and I are related somewhere way back because my mother's family name is Zepeda.

Not that you asked, but I have had a horrible week. I was even absent from this blog, but I did post something over at skirt!

I was sick all week and I've had challenges. Today will be the first day I go back to the gym in one week. I'm going to just start back slowly walking. Then Sunday I'll try to go back and I'll pick it up a notch. I'll report back soon.

P.S. I don't double post here and on skirt! usually, but this was a rare exception because I wanted to talk about Gwen there too.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Glad I Ran Friday

I had to kill my streak today. I've been trying to keep an illness at bay since Friday night. I had planned to do some form of exercise today, but quickly realized that I had a nagging pain that wouldn't make it possible. So here I am being a sickly and hoping it doesn't somehow get worse by tomorrow. I have to call my PCP in the morning to see when I can go in to see her. I'm going to need some serious antibiotics.

So I'm glad I exercised as much as I did last week. Hopefully I can get the antibiotics started tomorrow and get back on track with my exercise on Tuesday. We'll see.

Nothing else of note to report. "Skirt!" Blog is still going good. I'm headed over there to post something too. It will be related to running but with a different twist.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Running Update

I ran again last night. This time I walked 5 min to start, ran 20 min and then walked 5.

While I ran I thought about one of my very good friends and how much weight she lost the Spring that she ran a lot. She was running in preparation for a summer trip to Europe. I thought about her as my incentive when I was running. The inches just seemed to fall of her within a few months. I hope that can happen to me too.

I saw my sister last night and I told her that I was running. She said that now the pounds will fall off, but she also warned me that it can be addictive. She used to be an avid runner before her back started giving her so many problems.

I don't think running will be addictive for me because I've never liked to run, but last night it felt really good. Weird.

But then last night before I went to bed I started feeling sick from an unrelated manner. Too crazy! I'm still feeling a little sick, even now. I hope I get better by tonight because I have plans.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Good School News

I received some good news today. Little one was accepted into the paid Pre-K program in an HISD school. It's a dual language program, which means that the class will be taught 50% in Spanish and 50% in English. He'll be starting in the Fall!

The school isn't that far from my daughter's school, so I'll be able to drop him off on the way to leave her.

It's weird to think that my baby will be starting school soon. I know it will be very sad for my babysitter. She's taken care of both my kids for seven years. Of course she still has them both for the summer before school starts again.

I tell my daughter that they are going to spend summers with their "Mana" until they are 18. I tell her that that's how kids get in trouble, when they're left at home unsupervised and up to their own devices. Oh my! I sound like my mother! Scary!

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

27 Dresses and Other Adventures

Rey and I watched "27 Dresses" last night. I loved it! I told a co-worker today and she asked me didn't I think it was cheesy. My response: "I'm a sucker for romantic movies." I love movies like this one. Especially when there's an interesting twist, like the fact that the guy writes wedding announcements.

I know! Not a deep movie at all. I know it wasn't "The Hours," or anything like that. I love that movie by the way.

Anyway, I liked "27 Dresses" just like I liked "Must Love Dogs" and other movies in that genre.

I took the kids out in their new bikes today. My little one got tired and couldn't ride his bike very well because the seat was hurting his "colita," according to him. He decided to run instead and convinced his Daddy to join us.

My daughter had to get used to the new bike and she kept going really fast. I had to run to keep up with her, so I got a good 30 minute run/walk. I sweated and it was good. Another day of running! I've already worked out 3 times this week.

It's 9 p.m. and I have 2 goals tonight, after my daughter finishes homework. One is to wash all the dishes and the other is to fold the laundry. Au Revoir!

I Ran

Well I did it. I ran at the gym for the second time. The first time I ran the gym was pretty empty, so I didn't feel as self-conscious. But yesterday I got brave and I ran, regardless of what it sounded like. And when I did, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't sound so loud with everyone else walking and running too. (Every treadmill was taken) I told my lap-band buddy that I was afraid I was going to sound like a herd of elephants running through the jungle.

I walked for 8 minutes and ran for about 12 minutes. I always remember my opthamologist, Dr. Volgelfang (real name). He told me once during an exam that his daughter started running and that the inches just fell off. Dr. Vogelfang, I hope you were right!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a runner. I hate running. Carl Deason, my childhood friend, and avid runner, can attest to this. He loved running as far back as first grade and I was not a runner. I was the kid that no one wanted to pick for their team if it involved running. So for me to run is a HUGE deal.

Monday, May 05, 2008

The Joys of Motherhood & Lapband Update

Oh the joys of motherhood! Yesterday I went to Target to exchange a coffee pot and I decided to go by the clothing department to try on a smaller skirt. I bought another skirt recently, that was two sizes smaller than the size I used to fit into, and it started feeling slightly loose this week. So I went by to see how another smaller size would fit.

I had my four year old son with me, sitting in the buggy, and since I didn't want to bother going into the dressing room, I just took the Isaac Mizrahi skirt off the rack and slid it up over my baggy shorts.

My son was watching me and he says real loud, "What are you doing? Are you going to be in your underwear?" loud enough for others to hear.

I was embarrassed. Everyone around me heard, of course, and someone even peeked over to see what I was doing. It was a mom pushing her own baby in a stroller.

"No," I responded loudly enough for them to hear too, but not to loud, "I'm just trying this skirt on over my shorts."

"Why are you looking at clothes if you came to get a coffee pot?" he wants to know.

"Because I'm just LOOKING!" I tell him.

I hear people chuckle around me.

"Look a button!" he says pointing at the sleeve of a shirt. The sleeve has a little plastic bag attached to it with an extra button.

Before I know it he grabs the button and tears it off the shirt. As punishment I made him tell the sales lady himself.

I'm glad to report that the skirt, that is three sizes smaller than what I was wearing, went up over my hips and almost closed. It just didn't zip up all the way. But it will soon!

Later we went to get my son's hair cut. He was being rambunctious and I kept telling him to sit down. Suddenly he says to me, "Why does it stink in here?" really loud again.

"Shhh!!" I say to him, not knowing if someone around us smells bad.

"Because I farted!" he answers, very loudly and proudly, I must add.

Ay a yay! The joys of motherhood!

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Manly Man Soap


You have to check out this soap! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8766483

I bought my husband a bar when I was at the Alameda Museum in San Antonio and I fell in love with the smell too! It contains saponfield oils of: palm, coconut, castor, olive, shea butter, bergamot, clove, patchoulie and kaolin clay. Delicious!!