The business of the non-busy

For so many years I have been extra busy, working, going to school, trying to get pregnant and the baby that followed. I somehow managed it all. Now, that school is over, I find myself with not enough hours in the day to get everything done, when before I had plenty of time and managed to fit in homework as well!! What happened to me in 2 months?

July has been one of the craziest months so far. I stopped the Coumadin (blood thinners) and had to endure the Doctor's threat of "call me immediately if you feel anything weird" WHAT? I am ALWAYS feeling weird!!!! It has taken me the whole month of gradually getting through each day with less and less anxiety that I could die from a blood clot at any moment. Funny how when things get down to life or death we revert right back into those tried and true ways that make us feel better....mine - the old Mormon standard of prayers and promises........and comfort food.

I have been cooking nothing but Ree Drummond food. An amazing cook with super easy recipes. Problem is they are easy, delicious and not fat free. So I'm noticing a weight creep up - also a side effect of stopping the coumadin. Why is "skinniness" never a side effect in anything I consume? Anyway - the risks are less with each passing day that I will suddenly die (aren't you glad to know that?) and with each day I relax a little more.

It's also my dreaded birthday month......41.....has been creeping up all year, and tomorrow it will arrive. I plan on a pedicure and lunch out with girlfriends where I don't have to apologize for the crackers on the floor. For my present I have received a Wii Fit. It was my choice - no hints from hubby. It's actually SO fun, except for the part where I had to make an avatar of myself. When I stepped on the platform for the body test my avatar literally blew up...not so fun. She blew up so fat that her arms waved and she looked down at her body, then looked at me shaking her head as if to say "what the hell have you done?" Nice.........I'm getting guilt from my own avatar. Ugh

Let's see; the rest of this month has included: Erik's first birthday. I know, a little early, but it was a good date for his cousins to come (since everyone else lives in Oklahoma) and really - he's 1 - he could have cared less. He had tons of fun with the kids, but he is going through a stage where he likes singing - but only one person singing at a time - so when we all started singing Happy Birthday he flipped and looked like this!

Last week we took a vacation to the beach house, and threw in a quick one day trip to Disneyland to go with it. Disneyland was much different through the eyes of a parent. Lesson learned - Disney crammed into one day makes for VERY grumpy people! Next time we get a hotel. No more bottles and naps in Main Street USA while trying to avoid loud parades. Erik did have a barbershop quartet all to himself - they began to sing a quiet beautiful lullaby of When You Wish Upon A Star, when they all joined in together Erik was over it - such loud schreeching they stopped mid - song. He would have been fine if they had sung one at a time.

This was also my first trip to Disneyland when I felt like a grown up. A fuddy duddy old grown up with hip pain from walking around, and feet pain. I had no desire to run from ride to ride and get on as many things as possible. I have embraced middle age - there is no fighting it anymore. I am 41. I hope this decade is nice

I'll do my best to post more often from now on!

*Special Thanks to my brainy cousin Sara for figuring out how to re size my masthead!*

4th of July Flop

Today was one of those days that just made me feel like the two ton lady.

I worked all morning getting the pool nice and clean so we could use it this afternoon. In fact I worked so hard cleaning it all up that I sunburned myself before I was actually IN the pool.

Erik fell asleep, Mike was inside and Mom was taking a nap.....I had the pool to myself!! The floaties to myself!! I suddenly became 10. You know, walking around and around the perimeter to make a whirlpool, floating lifelessly.....oh come on, you know you'd do it too.

At one point in the morning with all the cleaning I decided to add more water to the pool. I added a lot, and it's a bit on the lopsided side (because there is not one single area of our backyard that is completely flat), so one side was kind of "dipping".

In my great 40 year old (10!!) wisdom I decided to flop my fat ass into my floatie which would cause a wave for a second and then I would sunbathe.

It caused a wave alright, right up and over the side of the pool I rode that floatie. Because I went over the side backward (and it all happened so fast) I wasn't even aware for a second that I wasn't actually IN the pool anymore - I became aware of this as I suddenly floated by the BBQ pit. As I came to a skidding halt (still on the floatie!) I looked up and saw the whole side of the pool caved in (nothing like that sight to make you feel like a huge fat ass) and water POURING onto the patio (which was what had propelled me on the grass ). I jumped up and yanked the side of the pool back and Voila, it popped right back into place like nothing had happened.

Except I was left standing there, dripping and covered in wet grass and spiky burrs. I called Mike from the cell phone and asked him to come help me since I'd had a little "accident". He came out and I asked him to hose the grass off me, when he saw me, and then saw the wet patio, and grass......he laughed his ASS off for the rest of the night. Pissed that somehow we didn't catch that on video.

So.........This will be the 4th of July I remember as the year I fell OUT of the pool.

So heres a picture (not taken today) I went over the side where the blue floatie is......but I was riding the pink one.