So this week has been bad on a number of fronts.
Most of them I can't control... but the diet and exercise I can. I'm getting back on board. I'm going to focus on that as the place in my life that I can see improvements. By next week I can feel better about something. I can be proud of myself again.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Fury Returns
Okay here is the deal Canine has been shitting all over the damn house this week. Today is the third day I've come home to his soft serve explosions. I spent at least half an hour yesterday trying to get it out of our shag type rug (that used to be in the basement... for fear of this very thing).
When we moved I had gotten him on some new food that was especially firming. Things were going great and he hadn't had any accidents. Then I went out of town and Mr F replaced the food with something "better". Now we've got soft serving coming out the ying yang and Mr F claims it is not the food. Well what else would it be jack ass?! (and of course I say that lovingly... no, no, I don't... remember I am cleaning this shit up) Mr F seems to have conveniently forgotten that it takes a couple of weeks for dogs to switch over to a new food.
Anyway after taking the kids out and coming home AT naptime, hungry, etc and then opening the door to Canine's pooptacular soft serve emporium I was PISSED. I needed to get these kids food ASAP but of course that had to wait while I picked poop out of the rugs. As if it couldn't get any worse Kid calls me to the kitchen and points to the floor... where I see my favorite butter dish smashed to pieces with a huge glob of soften butter all over the floor. That goddamn asshole! It was all I could do not to go corporal punishment style on his ass! Seriously I was shaking with fury.
Now when I called Mr F for a little compassion and commiseration he answered with his usual put upon tone that he has taken to with his new job. Which if you're assuming I call him multiple times a day to whine about my life... you are wrong!!!... I usually call one time to find out when he's coming home (believe it). There is no call for his rudeness. Especially when I have given up everything I had worked 7 years to create in Ann Arbor so he can have this freaking job. It is totally disrespectful and pisses me off even more than the shit factory.
When we moved I had gotten him on some new food that was especially firming. Things were going great and he hadn't had any accidents. Then I went out of town and Mr F replaced the food with something "better". Now we've got soft serving coming out the ying yang and Mr F claims it is not the food. Well what else would it be jack ass?! (and of course I say that lovingly... no, no, I don't... remember I am cleaning this shit up) Mr F seems to have conveniently forgotten that it takes a couple of weeks for dogs to switch over to a new food.
Anyway after taking the kids out and coming home AT naptime, hungry, etc and then opening the door to Canine's pooptacular soft serve emporium I was PISSED. I needed to get these kids food ASAP but of course that had to wait while I picked poop out of the rugs. As if it couldn't get any worse Kid calls me to the kitchen and points to the floor... where I see my favorite butter dish smashed to pieces with a huge glob of soften butter all over the floor. That goddamn asshole! It was all I could do not to go corporal punishment style on his ass! Seriously I was shaking with fury.
Now when I called Mr F for a little compassion and commiseration he answered with his usual put upon tone that he has taken to with his new job. Which if you're assuming I call him multiple times a day to whine about my life... you are wrong!!!... I usually call one time to find out when he's coming home (believe it). There is no call for his rudeness. Especially when I have given up everything I had worked 7 years to create in Ann Arbor so he can have this freaking job. It is totally disrespectful and pisses me off even more than the shit factory.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Inquiring Minds Want To Know...
What exactly do Baptists believe?
I'm pretty sure I can say this without offending anyone (right?)... there are a LOT of Baptist churches down here. I mean A LOT. There are literally 5 in a row down the street from us. Five in a row... not kind of near each other... literally next door to each other. What is the deal? Obviously I realize it is a Christian denomination. In Michigan there were a couple Baptist churches in Ann Arbor but not more than any other denomination. I looked up the churches in Asheville... and I'm not exaggerating... there are 53 Baptist churches in Asheville (there are 6 Episcopalian in case you were wondering ;). Fifty-freaking-three! I just don't understand how that can be necessary... or possible.
Seeing as two of our "elderly" neighbors have invited us to attend the one around the block (and I'm totally going to go... you know how I feel about religion!) I'm curious to know what I should expect.
I'm pretty sure I can say this without offending anyone (right?)... there are a LOT of Baptist churches down here. I mean A LOT. There are literally 5 in a row down the street from us. Five in a row... not kind of near each other... literally next door to each other. What is the deal? Obviously I realize it is a Christian denomination. In Michigan there were a couple Baptist churches in Ann Arbor but not more than any other denomination. I looked up the churches in Asheville... and I'm not exaggerating... there are 53 Baptist churches in Asheville (there are 6 Episcopalian in case you were wondering ;). Fifty-freaking-three! I just don't understand how that can be necessary... or possible.
Seeing as two of our "elderly" neighbors have invited us to attend the one around the block (and I'm totally going to go... you know how I feel about religion!) I'm curious to know what I should expect.
Sorry
Baby fell off a rock wall straight onto her face. I'm pretty sure she's fine and mostly just bruised & scraped up.
But she's in need of attention....
But she's in need of attention....
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Out Of The Mouths Of Babes
"Why are there two lunch bags?" Kid asked
"I'm not sure if you can have the Hello Kitty one it might be poisonous, I need to check." I replied
Kid asks "Why would someone put something poisonous in a lunch bag?"
And I reply "I don't know honey, I don't know" shaking my head.
"Who are they some freaking assholes that don't like kids?" Kid retorts
Something like that....
"I'm not sure if you can have the Hello Kitty one it might be poisonous, I need to check." I replied
Kid asks "Why would someone put something poisonous in a lunch bag?"
And I reply "I don't know honey, I don't know" shaking my head.
"Who are they some freaking assholes that don't like kids?" Kid retorts
Something like that....
Mrs F's Quest For Green Continues
Kid will be starting school here shortly. We just got our list of supplies (kind of assumed the 8K covered that... silly me) and the lunch/food rules. You know I'm pretty serious about feeding the kids a healthy diet (okay Kid... not Baby her diet is admittedly 50% "cook cook"). I make most of our food from scratch. I'm at 100% organic food. And still these rules made me nervous and feel like I might look like the "bad mom". This is a private school and they don't provide any food (or water for the Kindergarten room... what?!... the 8 grand cannot fund a drinking fountain or a box of dixie cups?!!!). So we need to send in a snack and a lunch with drink and a water bottle. They need reusable silverware & cloth napkins (fine we've got that covered). Reusable containers... fine....but what I've got are glass and VERY hard for me to open let alone Kid. Obviously I'd like to use a "safe" container. And I've got to fit it all into something. Their food needs to be at the temperature they'll be eating it no heating it up.
Last year at Kid's preschool she went for "Lunch Bunch" once a week before her program started. I dropped her off so I was able to set up her lunch and open her containers. We came right from home so hot things were still hot and cold things were still cold. they were all about the lunch dessert and I felt like crap the first day when I hadn't sent one. Kid's new school?... yeah not big on the lunch dessert. In fact you can send no chocolate or cookies or refined products of any kind. What about a homemade cookie?... NO (I think this will be harder on me then her).
Okay but I digress... the real issue I'm having is what to pack her food in. So while strolling the aisles of Earth Fare (think local Whole Foods) I stumble upon this: Lunchopolois. Hmm... could it be perfect? Cute? check. Big? check. Made of lead free & PVC free plastic? check. Comes with reusable containers? check. Comes with a reusable bottle? check. But why is it made of hard plastic? Why is it in a health food store with the Sigg bottles when it is clearly made of polycarbonate plastic (even the label says so)? Now Whole Foods does not sell any plastic with BPA so I was kind of thinking Earth Fare would be similar. Is there something I don't know? Have they made a "new" kind of BPA free polycarbonate? I rushed home to research.
NO. They do not make a "new" food safe form of polycarbonate. While it would be great to buy the lead-free/PVC free lunch "box" what the hell difference does it make if you are packing your actual food in BPA laden plastic? This is the terrible plastic people! The kind that does in fact leech chemicals into your food and drinks. Why is this being sold as a "green" choice? It appears the fact that you can reuse the containers is what qualifies them as "green". The marketing of environmentally "friendly" products is about to send me over the edge. There are no clear labeling standards or regulations. This product isn't "green" it's factually toxic! And what's worse is it is being actively marketed as the thoughtful parent's lunch box of choice for their child.
So I'm back to the drawing board. If you have any ideas... and I mean really legitimately "green" products... let me know. I will need to send hot food some of the time (obviously not sending that in polycarbonate thank you very much!). Are there divided hot & cold lunch boxes? What about the badass construction crew style?
Last year at Kid's preschool she went for "Lunch Bunch" once a week before her program started. I dropped her off so I was able to set up her lunch and open her containers. We came right from home so hot things were still hot and cold things were still cold. they were all about the lunch dessert and I felt like crap the first day when I hadn't sent one. Kid's new school?... yeah not big on the lunch dessert. In fact you can send no chocolate or cookies or refined products of any kind. What about a homemade cookie?... NO (I think this will be harder on me then her).
Okay but I digress... the real issue I'm having is what to pack her food in. So while strolling the aisles of Earth Fare (think local Whole Foods) I stumble upon this: Lunchopolois. Hmm... could it be perfect? Cute? check. Big? check. Made of lead free & PVC free plastic? check. Comes with reusable containers? check. Comes with a reusable bottle? check. But why is it made of hard plastic? Why is it in a health food store with the Sigg bottles when it is clearly made of polycarbonate plastic (even the label says so)? Now Whole Foods does not sell any plastic with BPA so I was kind of thinking Earth Fare would be similar. Is there something I don't know? Have they made a "new" kind of BPA free polycarbonate? I rushed home to research.
NO. They do not make a "new" food safe form of polycarbonate. While it would be great to buy the lead-free/PVC free lunch "box" what the hell difference does it make if you are packing your actual food in BPA laden plastic? This is the terrible plastic people! The kind that does in fact leech chemicals into your food and drinks. Why is this being sold as a "green" choice? It appears the fact that you can reuse the containers is what qualifies them as "green". The marketing of environmentally "friendly" products is about to send me over the edge. There are no clear labeling standards or regulations. This product isn't "green" it's factually toxic! And what's worse is it is being actively marketed as the thoughtful parent's lunch box of choice for their child.
So I'm back to the drawing board. If you have any ideas... and I mean really legitimately "green" products... let me know. I will need to send hot food some of the time (obviously not sending that in polycarbonate thank you very much!). Are there divided hot & cold lunch boxes? What about the badass construction crew style?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Getting Back To My Roots
Today is August 11th. I almost let it slip by and then I remembered that today is the day my best friend is going to start her diet plan. What's exciting about that is that she wanted little old me to come up with her meal plan... like I'm her very own personal Jenny Craig! Now truth be told we've tried this arrangement before and it hasn't worked... but this time I do believe she's ready. And I'm very excited because I would love for her to have the same success that I have... and I believe anyone can when they are ready to stop sabotaging themselves and really, really, take accountability for their choices.
Curious what I've laid out for her? Well here is some important background info... she has Celiac disease (no gluten) which of course has been a huge stumbling block for her in the past, she works full time with a significant commute into the city, she doesn't like to "handle" meat, due to her health issues she tends to eat separate meals from her boyfriend... which is nice in this circumstance since she really can have an individualized meal plan.
I'm a big believer in eating small meals through out the day. She typically pushes back food (since she's busy) until she is ravenous and then that spills over into all night eating. Sound familiar? I find, for myself, if I get too hungry I become like a bottomless pit and I never feel like I can get full enough. So I favor eating 6 times day with one of those being a straight up treat. I'm pretty consistent with my meal times (kids will do that to you) and I always have an afternoon snack between 4-5 pm so that I don't pick the whole time I'm making dinner (or get so hungry I freak out and tell Mr F to bring home pizza). One thing that held her back from succeeding in the past was her old job position, her hours were crazy and random and it really was impossible for her to be consistent. She has a much more consistent schedule and she's ready to commit to a food plan but she doesn't want to calorie count and meal plan.
So here is where I come in. I want her to succeed. I understand her particular hang ups. While I think food journaling and calorie counting are surefire methods for consistent weight loss... they'll only work if you'll do them. So since she can't dial up Nutrisystem or something else I've made a fairly inflexible plan. Inflexible on purpose. When she gets bored we'll change it up... but the hard weight loss portion is what it is and I don't know that having tons of choices makes it any easier. I actually think the more you run on autopilot food-wise the better. This isn't permanent but for now she's going to be eating the same types of food everyday. Think about your own diet... don't we all sort of do that anyway?
Breakfast: 1 brown rice cake w/ 1 T peanut butter
1 flavored yogurt
300
Snack: 1 piece of fruit
Tea w/skim
90
Lunch: frozen Amy's meal in the 300-400 calories range
400
Snack: Nectar bar
Tea w/ skim
190
Dinner: huge salad w/ unlimited veggies (except corn)
3 oz meat or 3 oz tuna or 2 hard boiled eggs or 1/2 c beans
1/2 c shredded cheese (or 1/4 avocado)
2 T lite dressing
300
1 piece of wheat free toast 100
400 total
Dessert: 1 Sherbetter popsicle or pudding cup 120
120
Total for day: 1500 calories
Now we worked this plan out of food she already likes and eats often. Obviously due to her Celiac disease she can't have many prepared or conventional foods. While she's eating basically the same thing everyday she can vary the flavors of her yogurt, snack bar and dessert as well as choose different frozen meals and completely change the taste and texture of her salad every night. I'm excited and she is too. This is a doable plan for her which doesn't require a lot of cooking (any really). We're going to let this plan work its magic over the next few weeks and add in exercise when she feels she has gotten this part down.
After working all that out for her I was so excited that I got recommitted to streamlining my own diet and getting back on a daily schedule. I really find that sticking with a routine helps keep me within in my calorie range.
Curious what I've laid out for her? Well here is some important background info... she has Celiac disease (no gluten) which of course has been a huge stumbling block for her in the past, she works full time with a significant commute into the city, she doesn't like to "handle" meat, due to her health issues she tends to eat separate meals from her boyfriend... which is nice in this circumstance since she really can have an individualized meal plan.
I'm a big believer in eating small meals through out the day. She typically pushes back food (since she's busy) until she is ravenous and then that spills over into all night eating. Sound familiar? I find, for myself, if I get too hungry I become like a bottomless pit and I never feel like I can get full enough. So I favor eating 6 times day with one of those being a straight up treat. I'm pretty consistent with my meal times (kids will do that to you) and I always have an afternoon snack between 4-5 pm so that I don't pick the whole time I'm making dinner (or get so hungry I freak out and tell Mr F to bring home pizza). One thing that held her back from succeeding in the past was her old job position, her hours were crazy and random and it really was impossible for her to be consistent. She has a much more consistent schedule and she's ready to commit to a food plan but she doesn't want to calorie count and meal plan.
So here is where I come in. I want her to succeed. I understand her particular hang ups. While I think food journaling and calorie counting are surefire methods for consistent weight loss... they'll only work if you'll do them. So since she can't dial up Nutrisystem or something else I've made a fairly inflexible plan. Inflexible on purpose. When she gets bored we'll change it up... but the hard weight loss portion is what it is and I don't know that having tons of choices makes it any easier. I actually think the more you run on autopilot food-wise the better. This isn't permanent but for now she's going to be eating the same types of food everyday. Think about your own diet... don't we all sort of do that anyway?
Breakfast: 1 brown rice cake w/ 1 T peanut butter
1 flavored yogurt
300
Snack: 1 piece of fruit
Tea w/skim
90
Lunch: frozen Amy's meal in the 300-400 calories range
400
Snack: Nectar bar
Tea w/ skim
190
Dinner: huge salad w/ unlimited veggies (except corn)
3 oz meat or 3 oz tuna or 2 hard boiled eggs or 1/2 c beans
1/2 c shredded cheese (or 1/4 avocado)
2 T lite dressing
300
1 piece of wheat free toast 100
400 total
Dessert: 1 Sherbetter popsicle or pudding cup 120
120
Total for day: 1500 calories
Now we worked this plan out of food she already likes and eats often. Obviously due to her Celiac disease she can't have many prepared or conventional foods. While she's eating basically the same thing everyday she can vary the flavors of her yogurt, snack bar and dessert as well as choose different frozen meals and completely change the taste and texture of her salad every night. I'm excited and she is too. This is a doable plan for her which doesn't require a lot of cooking (any really). We're going to let this plan work its magic over the next few weeks and add in exercise when she feels she has gotten this part down.
After working all that out for her I was so excited that I got recommitted to streamlining my own diet and getting back on a daily schedule. I really find that sticking with a routine helps keep me within in my calorie range.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Rejoice Rejoice
It's not perfect, people...
BUT it is a hell of a lot better than it had been. Remember the crazy bomb shelter look? With the bed broken apart and strewn around the very small room? Yeah that was a nightmare.
So in the end I did lay down our old dining room rug (which just fit) and hung the velvet curtains (also from the dining room) over the bed. The white bedside tables I had been using in our old house looked WRONG in here so I'm using a little dark stained sewing cabinet from my grandmother (will search Target for something for the other side). I'm resisting the urge to fill this space with furniture. I've got a beautiful antique cherry secretary, that had been my great grandmothers opposite the bed, that functions as my dresser. Still to come... a new paint job (thinking a pale pewter color) and some kind of subtle window treatment for the other set of windows which over look the screened in porch.
BUT it is a hell of a lot better than it had been. Remember the crazy bomb shelter look? With the bed broken apart and strewn around the very small room? Yeah that was a nightmare.
So in the end I did lay down our old dining room rug (which just fit) and hung the velvet curtains (also from the dining room) over the bed. The white bedside tables I had been using in our old house looked WRONG in here so I'm using a little dark stained sewing cabinet from my grandmother (will search Target for something for the other side). I'm resisting the urge to fill this space with furniture. I've got a beautiful antique cherry secretary, that had been my great grandmothers opposite the bed, that functions as my dresser. Still to come... a new paint job (thinking a pale pewter color) and some kind of subtle window treatment for the other set of windows which over look the screened in porch.
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