two years older, wiser and apparently heavier

So.. in a rash moment of "what the heck".. I skipped back to my first entry into this journal.  It was March 28, 2005 and my "starting" weight at that time was 209.

 

Here I am two years later, how many restarts later and 20 lbs heavier.  Guess this wasn't the successful diet journal I was hoping it would be.

 

Funny thing is.. when we arrived in Germany back in January of 2004.. I weighed 229-232 lbs.  In the first year that we lived in Germany, I lost 20 lbs without trying.  Now that I'm "trying" (we'll use that term very very loosely) to lose weight, I've managed to gain back 20 lbs over two years. 

 

The aftermath

Our get-together last night went really well.  Of the 24 spouses for this class of 52 people, 10 of us showed.  This is about the perfect size for a gathering if you want to actually get to "know" someone.

Our spouses group is a hodge podge of different ages, backgrounds, countries.  I think I may be the oldest spouse... just as I suspect that Paul may be one of the oldest students.. if not the oldest.

So many of these couples are in the early stages of their family ... either having just one child and/or expecting one. One of our wives has three children under the age of 4, bless her heart! I think the oldest child (not counting my three @ 18, 15, and 14) is 9.

To find an evening when the guys are free enough to watch the children is going to be rare... of course for me it's never a problem.. mine are old enough to watch themselves. .. but for the other wives.. I know it can be a problem to arrange time away without the babies.  Which means a lot of our gatherings include the young ones. 

Thankfully..last night no one brought their little ones and we could have a nice uninterupted time of fellowship.

I stuck to my plan... ate about half of the plate of food I ordered... had one glass of Lambrusco (my favorite red wine), and had one slice of the bruschetta.  I totally skipped on dessert.... I think that should earn me extra points for fabulous behavior.

Borrowing Common Sense Ideas

Paul's time here at the USNTPS (I've been corrected enough times, I think I have the initials straight now ) comes all wrapped up with opportunities to get together with the other spouses along for this joy ride.

As such, these folks can't think of enough reasons to get together and drink and eat. Mind you, I'm all for getting away from the grumpy man once in awhile (he really is grumpy these days with all the homework they pile on him).... but this constant eating out is gonna start wreaking havoc on my dieting plans.

Tonight's adventure is going to take us to a nearby locally owned Italian restaurant. Remembering how often Linda mentions in her journal (http://journals.aol.com/linnpooh/LindasThotfulSpot/ ) to be prepared for eating out... I took a chance and looked for the menu on line.  Wow, with the internet so amazingly user friendly these days just about everyone has their own webpage and/or download site.

I found the menu for this restaurant.  After perusing all the offerings, I've decided to go with the Salmon and have one small splurge on the tomato and basil bruschetta appetizer (I'm gonna try to share it with some of the others).  I think that will keep me on track....as long as I watch the portion size of the salmon and the mashed potatoes.

Anyway... Thanks to Linda for drilling this sage bit of advice. Now I can go in prepared to choose something that is healthy and sane.

 

Not the Mommy

We've been having a bit of fun around here at Paul's expense.

It started off innocently enough.  Paul and I were talking about that "old" series Dinasaurs. The baby, as we recall, wouldn't say "Daddy."   It was "Mommy" and "Not the Mommy." 

I often use that phrase, "Not the Mommy", when I'm reminding the girls that it is not their place to be correcting their brother ALL the time.  I point at myself and say "Mommy"... then I point at them and say "Not the Mommy!"  It doesn't really help, but it does give us all a laugh and gets Mac out of the hot spot for awhile.

I also have to tell the girls that I don't need "echo-parenting."  That is the phrase I use for when they repeat what I've just said to Mac ... as in "Yeah, you're supposed to clean up your room today." or whatever.

So, anyway...  Kim and Kendra were in the room when Paul and I were talking about the Dinosaurs series, and they really were tickled by the "Not the Mommy" phrase for the Daddy.... and since then.. Paul's been getting a daily dose of "Not the Mommy" from the girls.

Of course, the funny part for Paul and I is to remember that when Kendra (our oldest) was a toddler, she began referring to Paul as "Mondy".  Kind of a cross of Mommy and Daddy, I guess.  Her first word was Daddy....but by the time Kim was part of the family, she was calling Paul "Mondy".  Which I think just emphasizes the fact that in the early years... the dad role can be kind of fuzzy at best.