That Neighborhood Boy

Today Sweetness came home from school and she and I were in the kitchen chatting while she ate her after school snack. I heard the front door open and someone making noise by the front hall closet. I assumed it was my husband, since he was out on a hardware store run...but it was not. It was the neighborhood boy. He let HIMSELF in my house and deposited his shoes and backpack by my hall closet. He then came around the corner, prepared to hang out a bit.

Me: "Um...Cole...did you forget to knock before coming into my house?"

Cole: "Huh?"

Me: "You have to knock. You don't live here."

Cole: "But my mom didn't come to the bus stop."

Me: "It's okay. We'll give her a call, but you still have to knock."

This kid...he drives me crazy. Actually, I don't think he drives me crazy. I think his parents drive me crazy. I don't want to be judgemental about their parenting (after all, nobody wants the spotlight on their own parenting, right?) but Cole is NOT getting the life instructions I think he needs.

It isn't that uncommon for me to invite Cole into the house. He shares the same busstop as my girls and sometimes his mom doesn't get to the busstop in time (again, let the parent who has never had that problem throw the first stone). I either walk him home or let him come in and wait for his mom. As long as I don't feel like the mom is taking advantage of this, I'm cool with that. But once he gets into my house, he doesn't have great manners or obedience. He usually wants a snack, but is frustrated when my snacks aren't what he wants. If my big guy is taking his nap, I usually ask that Cole stay away from the upstairs bedrooms...but if I turn my back I know he'll sneak up there. That annoys me.

I know Cole's parents have their hands full with him. I also know that they do try to hold him responsible for his behavior, but I find myself judging their parenting. When Cole wants candy for a snack, I think to myself "who lets a behaviorally-challenged kid eat junk food?". When Cole lets himself into my house, I think "why haven't they taught him to knock first?"

I really want my house to be a place where kids feel welcome. I have this image in my head of my kids as teenagers wanting to come hang out in our basement with their friends instead of visiting the the pot-smoking hangout. In order to create that reality, I think I have to make our home a place where my kids feel like their friends are welcome...even if those friends don't have the best manners, language, or habits. The trick for me, I think, is clearly and kindly letting their friends know what is acceptable in our house and what is not. I guess Cole gives me an opportunity to practice that skill...

To Weigh or Not to Weigh?

To weigh or not to weigh, that is the question.

I thought Scott and I had an iron-clad, till-death-do-us-part, agreement not to weigh ourselves till the end of the month. Apparently Scott didn't feel it was quite that firm and has been weighing himself. So, I have to decide if I'm going to weigh myself or not.

I liked the idea of not weighing myself. It felt exciting to see what my weight loss number would turn out to be. I think I'll be pretty thrilled if I've lost 5 lbs at the end of the month. But what if I'm not on track to lose that 5 lbs? Would I rather know that I'm not going to see that number? I don't think so...I think it will just bum me out and being bummed out makes me want to eat. How would that help?

However, I don't think I have the self-control not to step on the scale if I haven't made a commitment to someone that I won't. That's why I join all these stupid motivating weight loss challenges. Without a commitment to others, my willingness to stop my self from checking the scale (or snacking) goes away quite quickly. I fear that issue has a larger meaning in my life, but I won't digress about that now.

All right, I'm off to the chiropractor. I've been exercising, so hopefully he'll be high-fiving me instead of hurting me. =)

Yesterday was my first day to try my new workout program for the Wii. I’m using Active Personal Trainer from EA Sports. I loved it!!! I picked the easiest workout to get started and my legs had that rubbery you-are-going-to-hurt-tomorrow feel to them when I finished. It took me nearly an hour to do the half hour workout, but that is because they don’t count their instruction time as part of the workout. You can skip the instructions if you want, but the program is very strict that your form is exact. If it doesn’t track your form as being what it asked for, it makes you do the rep all over again…and again…and again. It can be annoying, but in the long run my body will be the better for it.

The workout was a good balance of cardio exercises (running, high knee kicks, boxing, etc.), weight lifting using resistance bands, and strength exercises like lunges and squats. You can choose to make custom workout programs, but doing the easy routine was good for me because it forced me to do exercises (like squats and lunges) that I would never knowingly put in my own routine because I hate them.

I’ve tried a number of new exercise programs in the last two weeks (dance aerobics, yoga/pilates Crunch, yoga) and after each one I thought “I don’t want to do that again”, but this one I’m looking forward to doing again...but not today. I think I'll wait until I can climb the stairs or sit in a chair without wincing. Plus, tomorrow is hiking day and I don't want to mess up my New Year's Resolution.

I've been bugging a bunch of people to join me in calorie counting on livestrong.com. So far no one has taken me up on it, except my dear hubby. In addition to entering my calories, I've been entering in my fitness activities. I love how livestrong.com adds the calories I've burned from my daily exercise right back into my allowed calories for the day. Why exercise if it doesn't lead to more eating, right? =)

8 weeks...but who's counting?

Another great morning

In keeping with my New Year's Resolution, I took the kids hiking this morning. Today we tried Soaring Eagle park in Sammamish. I had been watching the weather forcasts all week and was expecting to see rain this morning, but it turned out to be a perfect day. Skies were blue, air was crisp but not cold.

I wish I brought my camera to take a picture of the huge mud bogs we trounced through. The kids loved it. Unfortunately, I had the kids hiking in their tennis shoes rather than their rain boots. Those tennis shoes will never be the same. I've got mine soaking in soapy water now (and should probably get all the kids shoes in the water). Even though I did say "please don't scoop up the mud" and "could you walk around that puddle" a few dozen times, I'm glad my kids got to enjoy some mud time. I want them to enjoy the great outdoors and not being willing to get a little dirty doesn't fit into that.

I liked Soaring Eagle park for several reasons:
1. The trail is really wide, so three people (a mom and a kid on either side) can easily fit.
2. The trail is surrounded by nature, including lots of streams, but you can still see quite a ways...which is advantageous when your older daughter always wants to run ahead.
3. It has nice rolling hills. It is really more of a walk than a hike, but I call it hiking for my kids so they'll grow to love hiking as they get older.
4. The main trail is the perfect length. It took us about an hour and a half to walk the main trail and back to the car. I think it would have taken about an hour if I didn't have a 2 year old with me.
5. Dogs and horses! The kids loved the other trail users. What is better than petting horses and dogs on your hike?


I can't wait to bring the family back here for some bike riding when the trail dries out. There are lots of side trails to explore too. Dad said he was going to come back and run them.

Hope your Saturday was awesome!

Saving my pennies

I just got the look. You know the one. That look you get when you are making a budget-friendly decision and the rest of the world thinks you are crazy. Maybe you don't know that look. I get it all the time.

I got the look the other night when I made a comment about buying second-hand linens. I've gotten it for not pitching in "enough" for a group gift. Today I got it for refusing to pay for white fillings.

I had to go to the dentist today to have 3 cavities filled. I checked in with the receptionist and she told me my bill was going to be $195.
Me: "Aren't I covered for this?"
Her: "Yes you are covered at 100% for the work but you have to pay for getting white fillings instead of silver."
Me: "I haven't discussed with the dentist whether I wanted white or silver fillings"
Her: "We prepped for white fillings, so we'll have to get things set up differently for silver"
Me: "I think Silver will be fine"
and that's when I get the look.

Now look...I'm not crazy. If my cavities were in the front of my mouth, I would have paid for the white fillings. But they aren't; my cavities are on my molars. And, as I told the doctor, if I've got my mouth open wide enough so you can see my molars, my overall attractiveness is already compromised. And I already have silver fillings on my molars from previous cavities, so I'm just making them a matched set. So I don't need the crazy look people. Apparently my choices were shocking, though, because they had to repeat "she wants silver fillings" in hushed tones to each new person that came to work on me.

So here I sit. I've got silver fillings on my molars and my mouth is all numb which makes it hard to talk. I'm a vision of loveliness to be sure, but at least I've still got my 200 bucks in my pocket.

what is with me today?

Today the storm clouds have gathered. Patience...gone. Desire for the work...gone. Short tempered...oh yeah.

Maybe it is because it is day three of my diet. Maybe it is because it is the 2nd day back to school and we're all adjusting to getting up at 7. Maybe it is because I'm a truly a grouchy person and the nice-Lisa is really an aberration. Does it matter why? It just IS today.

I'm supposed to be helping Spunky Girl with her handwriting and reading homework right now, but I don't trust myself to do it kindly. You can only say "correct hand position please! It is a pencil not a club" so many times before it starts to come out like a growl.

It is "funny" how the same things that don't really even bother you on a normal day drive you absolutely bonkers on a crabby day. I'm looking at my girls' clothes that they've abandoned on my living room floor. I asked them to pick them up yesterday. Nope...still there. Yesterday it was not a big deal...today I'm livid about it.

Okay, so deep breath time. No speaking unless I'm sure it can come out pleasantly. I tried putting on some makeup and brushing my hair, hoping that looking better would help me feel better. Alas, my inner grump ruined that too...I came out looking like Goth girl.
Next time I need to stay away from the black eyeliner.

Hrmph.