Crime And Punishment

At our house, I work pretty hard to set firm boundaries and appropriate
consequences.

Of course, I also thinking maintaining a strong sense of humor helps the medicine go down a little smoother.


It's why I felt that this...

(matching clothes and forced polly pocket play directed by Baby)

was an adequate punishment for bossing and intimidation.

I like to call this punishment "How Do You Like Them Apples?"

Because, sometimes you have to see how the other half lives in order to gain a little perspective.



It's also why I met Kid at her jail cell bedroom door the other night with this...

sometimes you need a nudge to help you rejoin population

with a smile...

and not the scowl that "time in the hole" can induce.

(trust me.. it was a stroke of genius... she laughed her ass off)

Haircut Day

BEFORES:


AFTERS:

Some people demand that there be "NO (noticeable) CHANGE!!!"

Others are more adventurous

Please Consider

making a donation to Doctors Without Borders.

They are on the ground in Kenya providing life saving medical attention AND desperately needed nutrition for Somali refugees.

One of the worst humanitarian crises of our generation is happening RIGHT NOW.

People are starving to death.

Mothers are carrying their children for a hundred miles along a treacherous path trying to get them to the refugee camps.

Many are not making it.

One $35 donation can provide 200 children with 2 high-energy meals per day.

Postcard from The Furious Clan

We've been traveling A LOT this summer. It's been nice to get out and visit with family... but, as you all know, it's also work.

And I spend my 5 or so days of turn around at home trying to recoup my energy for the next go round, taking the kids to swimming lessons (or drowning lessons if you are Baby), and doing laundry. Thankfully it's been so hot and miserable I've been able to scrap all gardening & yard work (which I had already scrapped... but now my neighbors are doing it, too and aren't judging me for it any longer).

P.S. I have found watching THIS on my laptop (or anything, really) while doing laundry allows me to get from stain treating all the way through putting things away without feeling bored and tortured. In fact it feels a little frivolous.

I think I'll probably get back to blogging with some kind of regularity when my life gets back to some kind of regularity. Late August-ish? Possibly.

Wondering about the 5 a day fruit veggie challenge? Still kicking ass. Amazing.


Wondering about the marriage plan? WAS still kicking ass. WAS amazing... then I went out of town all the time and Mr F stopped doing it. We're back on it starting today. Which I guess is diagnostic in and of itself. It did actually work.

Wondering about our $5/week giveaway to strangers? Never really worked the way I wanted. Kid and I are sponsoring a child through The Pearl S Buck Foundation.


We're also hoping to volunteer at the local food bank this Fall, one day a week, while Baby is at preschool.

Speaking of the Fall, I'm in the midst of hardcore curriculum planning. Which is both exciting and daunting.


But I'm mostly overwhelmed getting all of the kids schedules in order... there is a lot of stuff going down...

like Baby is starting *for real* dance... with costumes and all... get ready for that cute attack!


Plus.... preschool, horseback riding, swimming, Brownies (remember I'm now a leader & fucking cookie mom... sounded doable at the time...), Kid's elective school day, guitar lessons, and the Toldeo Zoo School. I'm already hyperventilating just thinking about how I'm going to manage all of that and get dinner ready... you know... it's a nightmare. I have one day a week where I will have to drive to Ann Arbor and back THREE TIMES. That's the way the cookie crumbles this year. (Hey, I heard there is going to be an electric RAV4... I'm holding out for that... much more family friendly).


Weight management? Um... I'm managing. I hate to even write about it... but then I think EVERYONE can relate to this on going battle I have with myself. I want to get back on it, it just (truthfully) is SO HARD when you have fallen off the wagon. I can get going but I just can't keep it going. I just keep restarting. At least I do keep restarting. I'm really struggling with what I really want from myself, and how much I'm willing to put into it. The usual. But the truth is I'm spending a lot of time hating on myself and I need to cut that out or stick with my program. Even knowing how easy it is to maintain a program once you get it really going... it is just so hard to get that ball rolling. Any little thing can derail you. And the truth is... it is very hard for me to make myself a priority... and with the kids getting older and having all of their activities... it just is that much harder to find a consistent time THAT WORKS FOR ME. It takes effort and when something is already hard to do... doing something that takes effort to fit in...well... sometimes (most times) that's all it takes to stall me again. I'm still trying. And I'm still hopeful I can get back on top of it. Last week I did two 75 minute workouts... and that felt great... and doable.. but then I went out of town again, and I feel like I'm back to square one. So for now... I'm trying to give it my all on the days I manage to find the time... hopefully that will add up to something. At least keep me maintaining, and maybe as things get more normal... it will even start to get me on the losing track. We'll see.

Things You've Missed

Butterfly Catching...

We'll Try Not To Let The Door Hit Us On The Way Out

Baby waiting for the babysitter to arrive.

Kid wrote the time down for her on that piece of paper, then Baby moved herself into position to watch the stove clock.

All Clear

Welp

If weight gain were a symptom of breast cancer, I'd have 3.

I guess I'm relieved, yet more than a little alarmed, that I wasn't just overreacting.

Went to the doctor this afternoon.

Mammogram is already scheduled...

for Friday.

Trying not to put the cart before the horse on this one.

But that is proving very difficult.

Luckily, Mr F has completely shut down.

On The Road Again

Mr F headed out to NYC yesterday early AM.

He's meeting up with his long time friend for the weekend.

(I'm a little bit jealous)

The girls and I are heading back Up North,

rather than sit here feeling left out.

We're going to chill out with The Cougar and my cousins for a couple of days.

(no drama this time)

Be back in a few.

I Guess The Real Hurt

is not the words that were said.

(although they were fucking crazy)

(or even who said them)

It is the heartbreak that

the feelings aren't mutual.

That while I don't always like what my brother has done,

or the way that he treats me,

I have never stop wishing for him to be happy.

For him to feel loved.

For him to feel better.

And the truth is...

that I was the only one approaching the relationship from that place.

It has never once occurred to him to be happy for my happiness...

his only drive has been to try and devalue it.

And in the end,

there is nothing more disappointing than that.

He's always been so caught up in his offensive

that he never noticed

I wasn't the one who was doing the attacking.

And after so many years of his emotional roller coaster

I just want to get off.

Happy 4th.... or was it?

"Did the good weigh out the bad?" Mr F asks on our drive home.

"Well... there was a lot of bad." I reply worn out from the negativity.

Family get togethers are a mixed bag...

and some years that mix leaves a bad taste in your mouth

and

a cold, cold heart in your chest.

That can barely contain

the lava of rage

that is brewing and stewing inside it.

I think this year we'll be spending Thanksgiving with Mickey Mouse.

He can't talk to your face...

let alone behind your back.

That's What I'm Talking About

"If there were ribbons for Most Hysterical Mom, you'd get #1!" Kid says

P.S. We're headed Up North for the 4th. See ya when we get back.

Move Over Desperate Housewives...There's A Delusional Housewife In Town

So, last night, on our way home from a long day of stuff, I realized we desperately needed to make a grocery stop.

We had a short list, mostly fruit... in order to keep the girls totals up, and a few necessities.

It was already after 9PM and I just wanted to knock it out as quickly as possible.

A foot in the door Baby asks if I will finally replace her dead goldfish.

"Sure." I say, then we hit the produce.

Kid is intent to drive the cart (which is moderately annoying) and so I took off running with Baby in hand to the eggs, Kid running pell mell behind us.

A man turned, smiled, and took note.

We make our way to the juice aisle... and there he is again.

Isn't it kind of awkward when you keep running into someone?

But he wasn't moving along, he was kind of lingering.

And so, I thought... oh, boy... not again (but also... YES! Again!).

I don't know if you've been shopping after 9 PM on a weeknight... but it is single's hour.

And more than a few times I have had some uncomfortable, but totally self esteem affirming, grocery aisle stalkers.

So,I say a little loudly...

"After we get the cereal we can go get a goldfish."

Like this guy is going to be like...

"What?!! Goldfish at 9:30? Totally hot married mom of two... and she's super fun and spontaneous?"

What can I say I was trying to mess with him.

Then we go in the cereal aisle...

And he's there.

And I'm like...

Confirmed. You are totally into me.

I was wearing my boob dress... so this seemed plausible...

Also he kind of looked like he just got back from a long camping trip.

Not a hobo... but... you know... not someone who's out of my league by any stretch.

Then we go to the fish tanks.

And he shows up.

Now I'm like... what is going to happen?!!

This is pretty ballsy, right?!

I'm mean sure he needed juice, and eggs, and cereal... but a single middle aged man just happening to also buy a goldfish at 9:30...

Um no...

He's clearly making his move.

And I think... crazy, I have my kids, and my rings on.

So he doesn't say anything, and the fish are sick, so we turn around and get out of there.

And I am not going to lie...

I was feeling pretty fucking fantastic.

That's right... I could totally snag a kind of rough around the edges middle aged man if I had to.

Even with my kids.

Badass.

So, we check out and there is no sign of him.

We get outside and I JUST HAD TO SHARE MY AWESOMENESS... but I only have the kids.

Plus, Mr F never finds these revelations to be quite as awesome as I do.

More than once I've come home from the store and been like...

"I've still got it... old men are into me!"

And he just rolls his eyes and keeps washing the dishes.

Anyway, I just can't contain myself so I turn to Kid and say...

"I think someone was following us in the store."

I don't know what I thought she'd say... but I just had to let it out.

And she says eagerly...

"Oh, I know!"

And I'm like...

YES!!!!

It was totally true!

I'm totally hot to some random slightly rumpled man!!!

I knew it!

And then she said...

"He knows me."

And I was like...

dead inside.

A whole half an hour fantasy shattered on the ground.

"What? How does he know you?" I asked.

"I finally remembered who he is... he taught one of my science classes." She said

Okay good, so not a creep, I guess.

"Oh, he must have been trying to remember how he knew us, too" I muse.

I finally sheepishly confess that I thought maybe he was interested in me.

She was greatly amused by that.

Greatly.

We get home, and we are still laughing about it.

Then she says...

"People do think they are beautiful, but not to that level... of walking around thinking people want to marry them at the grocery store."

I reveal to her that I was actually trying to make him think I was even more attractive by mentioning the goldfish.

Even my eight year old was on the floor laughing her ass off at how ridiculous that is.

"Aren't you glad I'm your mom?" I ask, wiping away the tears of my hysterical laughter.

"Yes." She says.

The fucking funniest thing OF ALL TIME just happened to me at the grocery store.

Well, maybe the mocking of me by Kid, for it, was actually the funniest thing.

Stay tuned for more on that, tomorrow.

So What Is The Right Thing To Wear...

to your kid's psych evaluation?


P.S. it absolutely matters

100% Success

We are on our 6th day of our 5 a day fruit & veggie challenge for the girls. It's been amazing! Even sweet toothed, picky eater Baby has eaten at least 5 different fruits and veggies every day. The girls are totally into it... and this is one sibling rivalry we are encouraging. Competing to see who ate more fruits and vegetables?... yes, please! I'm keeping track on our chore chart on the fridge so that we can easily add up their totals as the day goes on. Haven't had one protest about the new fruits & veg before dessert rule.

Congrats Mr F

Mr F won a design award for his work on his current magazine.
He's being annoyingly humble about it.
I'm proud of you, Mr F.
Despite the circumstances (which might make getting recognized a bit harder) ....
the work YOU are doing is still getting noticed in the outside world.
Bravo.

This Week... The List

The kids have been sick (one at a time) since we've returned home. Fevers. Kid came down with it last night.


Mr F started putting the play structure together, yesterday. I'm not sure how long this is going to take. I think by the end of next weekend it will be up and running. Of course, I told Mr F last night, after watching the kids play for over an hour on the raised platform... that maybe that's all we need to put up anyway.


I made a meal plan, and actually went shopping off of it, this week. It's been a long time. I think it's a good omen. I think it will be good for the wallet (we've been throwing away so much food), and my waist line. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I see that my weight gain started when I stopped meal planning. D'oh. I'm also making a list on a white board (on the fridge) of all the fresh meat, produce, dairy... that way... things get used and don't get lost in the back of that fridge anymore.


I also got Mr F to remove all of the flood storage off of my treadmill (remember our basement flooded a couple weeks ago?). Maybe things are turning around on that front? I hope so, because I don't fit in any of my shorts. Any of them. At all. Nowhere near. I've got two workouts in... I'm trying to get back in the routine so I'm shooting for every day this week. Jumpstart.


I've come up with a new food/parenting idea. We are now having the kids eat 5 different fruits & vegetables everyday before dessert is an option. This has been surprisingly fun... and encouraging of all of us, yesterday I had 8. The only downside is needing to make at least 5 different fruits & vegetables available every day. It's more work in the kitchen for me... but summer is the best time to do it. My focus is on fruits w/ breakfast & lunch, and then dinner is served with a raw veggie platter along with whatever vegetables I'm serving with dinner. Last night there were 4 vegetables to chose from at dinner. After than I brought out cut up melon, because Baby was still one short. I'm excited about this. We're putting up a chart on the fridge where they can check off their fruits & veggies for the day.


On that front I was really exploring the new USDA my plate (former pyramid) and was ASTONISHED by the serving amounts (you really have to click around to get this) for myself & the kids. I'm really motivated to do better. While we eat high quality foods, I'd be straight out lying if I told you my kids were eating 3.5 cups of fruits & veggies a day. I would venture we're at closer to 2 cups on average... hence the new plan. And since it's summer, I'm focusing on those being raw as much as possible.


P.S. I'm kind of hoping by doing this, and working out, I'll just naturally (albeit slowly) lose the 10 pounds I'd like to lose. That's the goal, anyway. I'll keep you posted.

vacation review 6-17

Today There Was Sun

and a picnic lunch...

and water...

and sand...

and ice cream cones...