Confessions of a failed dieter

Okay...  I really didn't do that bad on my diet today.  My confession comes from the fact that I was supposed to start a three day metabolism boosting diet plan today (actually, earlier this week... but at this point .. today).

The wake up drink of water and lemon juice was no problem.

Breakfast of eggs and oatmeal... was adjusted a bit to allow for Vitalicious muffin top instead of the oatmeal.

Lunch was a salad made with 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar.  Okay.. screeching halt right there.   I made it.  I ate it.  I refuse to ever eat it again.  I hate apple cider vinegar.

I was supposed to have a concoction of apple cider vinegar and water mixed together before dinner.  NOPE.. that didn't happen.. I switched to lemon and water again.

And I was supposed to have fish, etc for dinner.   I had pasta.  Ah well.. here's what I've come to realize.

I am better off eating my normal "dieting" food and staying away from plans that insist I consume stuff that I typically wouldn't. Clearly, that way lies madness.

The three day metabolism boosting diet is officially kicked to the curb.

Tasted Crow lately?

Homeowners Association OKs Peace Wreath - AOL News

Mary, from the journal Just Mary brought to my attention this morning that the HOA board backed down on their demand that the Peace Wreath be brought down.

I am pleased to hear that there was so much positive response to this situation that the board reversed it's decision.

As a spouse of a military member, I'm gonna let you all in on a little secret.  We pray for peace all the time.  Since 1985 our Christmas cards have always centered on the theme of "Peace."  Being in the military does not mean that we don't want peace.  It merely means that he believes strongly enough in what this country stands for that he is willing to defend it....and you... and me.  He does what he does for us.  How in all of that, can a wish for peace be seen as an "anti-military" message?  It's most definitely an anti-war message because the opposite of war is peace. But where the military men and women are concerned, they have my support.... and my wishes for peace. 'nough said.

And Thanks Mary.. for sending me the note alerting me to the new article :)   YOU ROCK!

 

 

Holiday Spirit out of the Subdivision NOW!

Subdivision Bans Wreath With Peace Sign - AOL News

 

 

This tidbit out on AOL sort of amazed me.  Not really, because we have all gotten to that "hypersensitive" state with regard to how easily we can find something to be offended by... and yet...   still amazing.

The part of the story that really stood out for me however is how the President of the Co-op FIRED the board members that would not rule against the resident that had up the Peace sign wreath.   I have to LMAO at the thought that here is someone with the power to fire those that disagree with him and hire some that will agree with him.

Too much!!

Shaking off the glut and getting back to action

It's been a long weekend.  The damage has been recorded.  This morning I weighed in at 220.8.  This year I am trying a new approach to getting back where I started.  I am using a 3 day Metabolism boosting diet plan. It was in the Woman's World Nov. 14 issue

This is a 3 day diet in which you can drop 5,6, even 7 lbs.

It's based on 9 amazing metabolism boosting foods.

1. eggs 2. salsa 3. coffee 4. steel cut oats  5. coconut oil  6. cinnamon 7. Apple cider vinegar 8. Salmon and tuna  9. nuts

 

For three days you eat the following meals

upon rising: 8 ounces water mixed with 2 tsp. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Breakfast: 1 egg plus 3 egg whites cooked in 1/2 tsp. extra virgin coconut oil

2 Tbsp. spicy salsa

3/4 cup steel-cut oats, 1/2 tsp maple syrup, dash cinnamon

Coffee break: 8 ounces skim latte or warm fat-free milk, dash cinnamon

1 small apple

Lunch: 3 cups mixed salad (greens, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, parsley)

3 ounces chicken breast or tuna

1/2 tsp olive oil, apple cider vinegar and seasoning to taste

Snack: 8 ounces Spicy V8 juice or low-sodium tomato juice with 3 shakes Tabasco

1 stalk celery

pre dinner: 8 ounces water mixed with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Dinner: 4 ounces salmon or tuna, 1 tbs. spice rub

2 cups broccoli or green beans, 1/2 tsp coconut oil

1/2 cup brown rice or small sweet potato

Snack: 6 almonds or walnut halves

 

After the third day, you can move on to your regular diet or continue this diet, but you need to add at least another 200 calories a day AND a multivitamin.

 

Kim and Kendra are back to school today.  I had to use a bit of "tough love" on Kendra to get her out of bed and out the door.  Her boyfriend that she left behind in Germany officially broke her heart this weekend in his blog on myspace.  Kind of a "chicken shit" way to deal with it if you ask me.  Even a private e-mail first would have been better than to have to read about his infidelity on his blog.  She cried most of last night and tried to use the lack of sleep as an excuse to stay home.  But she's already missed 10 days of school, so I just don't feel I can allow her that luxury.  I'm sure I'll be branded an "uncaring" mother later. Such is life.  I hate having to be the adult. LOL

 

3 Week Countdown

Paul leaves today to go back to the Fort.  He still has three weeks before he returns home for the Christmas holidays.  Which means I have three weeks to really focus on my program and make some progress.  I am still caught up with the "same ol', same ol'"

Gaining and losing the same 7-10 lbs from week to week.  UGH.. I can't believe I spent the whole of Autumn doing this same 7-10 lbs.

Oreo Turkeys

We have a tradition at our house of making Oreo Turkeys for an appetizer.  This is what the final product should look like.

The items you need to make these are: Chocolate frosting, candy corn, malted balls, oreos, red hot candies.

To put them together you split the oreo, trying to keep the frosting on one side. Then "glue" the malt ball to the plain oreo side with frosting. Add Candy Corn to the frosted side to creat the feathers. Glue that cookie to the maltball with frosting.  Finally, put a bit of frosting on top of the malt ball and add the red hot candy.

Dinner was good yesterday. Too good.   The turkey ended up a little dry, but otherwise good food.

 

The Day before Thanksgiving

Twas the morning before Thanksgiving, And all through the house

Moving boxes were opened,And items scattered about!

The uniforms were hung in the closets with care

In hopes that Daddy soon would be there.

The teens were still sleeping, all snug in their beds,

While visions of the feast danced in their heads;

And mommy was frustrated,  wanting to nap,

But the boxes were open, the house looked like crap!,

When suddenly Mommy got inspiration so clever,

She sprang from her chair to take up the endeavor.

Around her bedroom she flew like a flash,

Tucked stuff under the bed, found places to stash.

The house started looking like it was ready to show

Gave Mommy the hope she could finally slow,

When, what to her wondering eyes should appear,

But her three errant children, ready to steer,

Mommy back to the bedroom for a nap so quick,

She thought it must be something they saw on Nick.

But she's learned to not look a gift horse in the mouth,

And grateful for help, she rested while they worked the house;

"Now, Kimmy! now, Mac! lets get fixin'!

this house up and do it so quickly!"

Kendra pointed to the kitchen, the dining room, the hall!

"Now get going and finish it all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So through the house the teens flew,

With buckets, brooms, dustpan, and elbow grease, too.

And then, Mommy  heard in the house

The arrival and greetings of her much loved spouse.

As she jumped from her bed and ran down the hall ,

Into the living room, and the arms of her Paul .

He was dressed all in camoflauge, from his head to his boots,

And his uniform was covered with grass and roots;

A rucksack of clothes  he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a traveler, who'd finally come back.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his children so merry!

His kisses, they tasted sweeter than cherries!

The teens were happy, they pranced up and down

Til Daddy looked at the room and started to frown.

He couldn't believe how unkempt the place looked

Turning his head, he gave them a look;

He had the dad face and the children were quelling,

all shook up that their dad was bellowing.

He was happy to be home, but mad at the mess,

And he suggested we all get down to the test;

But wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave us to know we had nothing to dread;

He laughed at his joke, but went straight to work,

And with all our help, soon put the house to perk,

And laying his broom finally aside ,

Looked at the spotless house and sighed;

He sat on the couch and gathered us round

Happy to be with the family again.

And we say to our friends, as we settle for Thanksgiving,

"Be thankful for all the blessings you've been given"

My Final Word on GNU FIBER BARS

A few weeks back, I purchased the GNU bars that have been reviewed by HungryGirl.  There are four flavors available : Banana Walnut, Chocolate Brownie, Cinnamon Raisin, and Orange Cranberry.

Previously I mentioned that I found the Orange Cranberry to be very good texture-wise, but that it was a bit overpowering on the Orange. I have since tasted the other bars and I think for texture, I still prefer the Orange-Cranberry bar.  None of these bars stand out for flavor.  In fact, the only flavor that truly stands out at all is the Orange, in the Orange-cranberry, and that was not necessarily a good thing.

If you need a super punch of fiber in your day, these bars are a great way to get 12 grams of fiber all at once and they are edible.  I suppose if I played around with them (like heating them up, adding whip cream) I might have found them more to "die for".   But in general, since I can not pick them up at a local store, I have to say I didn't think they were worth the trouble and expense of having them sent. 

I can eat them, and to me the taste is okay.  It's not WOW!  It does not have the potential to have me overeating them.. which considering the fiber count is probably a good thing.  I most likely will NOT purchase them again because I find that I'm not eating them, or even thinking  "Hey! I can have a GNU bar for snack!"  No, not everything I eat has to be a "party" in my mouth, as I so often tell the kids, but I find that I can get enough fiber in my diet through other better tasting sources (like Kashi cookies, bars, whole wheat tortillas, Slim Fast shakes, etc) that I just don't need this big whammy of a fiber bar.

Getting things ready

Yesterday Mac and I finished up the bookcases we had in the car from a month ago.  These things went together so nicely.  Good instructions and extra hardware.  Clean lines.   I'm pretty thrilled.  So, since Kendra had her new bookcase, she managed to get more boxs emptied out and things put away.  I was also able to get a few more boxes emptied yesterday.

I'm hoping to finish Mac's shelves for above his dresser today.  I have the supports done (I needed to paint all the parts black), so today I'll be painting the underside of the shelves.  Then we can put them up tomorrow. And his room really will be complete after that.

Paul is coming home for the Thanksgiving weekend.  He arrives Wednesday night.  I'm getting pretty excited about seeing him.  Even though we talk at least once a day, truth is .. it's just not the same as "in person." He has to go back to Rucker after the weekend for two more weeks of TDY, but he should be home for good the 17 of December.

So of course I'm in "let's get as much done as possible" mode.  But I'm trying to tackle projects that I can truly finish, rather than start things (like emptying boxes) that may not do anything more than add clutter to the house.  Its tough to know which boxes have items that are "put-away-able" versus "clutter".   

And of course on top of this, I have my usual housecleaning to do and prepping forThanksgiving dinner.  Really since it's just the four of us, it isn't too bad.  We make a limited menu, just the things that we like. This year I am hoping to add something new for Paul and I.  I have discovered the taste pleasure of Sweet Potatoes.  I never cared for them growing up, but yummy now.  I am trying to find a healthy, low cal version for our dinner.

Back at Diet Central... I've had a good start to today.  I've already completed my exercise and I'm heading to the kitchen now to make my breakfast.  

Weekly weigh-in

Well...  today I weighed in at 217.5, so that's a .4 loss since last week.   I am seriously tired of losing and gaining the same 4-6 lbs over and over again.  This year has just been one repetitious bounce of weight and I'm tired of it.  I've been racking my brain trying to think of what I could do differently.  Why has this year been such a bust?  Why can't I stay focused for longer than a week?  Why wasn't I born with the genetics to be 6 ft tall?   LOL 

Anyway.. I know that there has been a lot of stress in my life this year.  I have always thought that I handled stress pretty well... yes I tend to eat a bit more.. but overall I didn't think I handled it poorly.. now I wonder.  Maybe half the reason I gain it in my belly is the stress.  So, yesterday I picked up a bottle of the Relacore.  I'm going to start taking it tomorrow.  I have a reasonably easy week ahead of me as long as nothing goes out of whack.  And by easy, I mean.. I have no place to be, like WRAMC or anything.

This should be a week that I can devote completely to the pursuit of a healthier, less stressed out me.  A good time to try this product.  Although, the package comes with only enough for two weeks, but the pamphlet that comes with it says it could be as much as 4 weeks before you see a difference in weight. Even though, you should be able to notice a difference in stress/attitude in just a couple of days.  Well... it's at least worth trying... especially at the Walmart price.   I'll keep you posted.

Catching up on the "Kendra Chase"

Kendra suffered a set back on Saturday night, we ended up back at the ER at WRAMC.  Here is the letter I sent to her dad to let him know what happened.

11/12/06

3:54 AM our time we got home.

 

So.... it all ends well...

 

Apparently the lack of draining urine from the SP tube was because it was blocked with mucus.  By the time we arrived at the hospital the tube was draining again.  E.R. took a bit of time getting us checked in, but once Dr. Whitman (from the urology group) came by, things kind of sped up a bit.  He thought the problem was infection at the incision site, but wanted to have Dr. Osborne look at it before he removed the staples. 

 

Dr. Osborne arrived and irrigated the tube, discovering the blockage and we really got the tube draining well after that.  So my instructions have changed for irrigating her here at home. Then when Dr. Osborne checked the staples, he felt they were fine... definitely not bad enough to remove them, but again I got MUCH BETTER instruction on what to watch for while with the doctors this time.

 

At any rate, we are home, she is feeling 100 percent better now that the blockage is gone, and we are ready to go forward again with recovery.  Also, the doctors gave me a staple remover kit "just in case"... but not so that I can do it.. but if they do end up becoming infected I can take her to St. Mary's ER and they can remove the staples using this kit.  :)  I think we are good, now that we got the obligatory ER visit through. 

 

Yesterday, Kendra had her follow up appointment with Dr. Cartwright.  Everything looked great. She removed the staples from the incision site.  X-rays were taken and it looked like a small fragment of a stone had been left behind.  So they did a quick scope through the SP tube site, but were unable to find the fragment.  I did get a great view of the inside of Kendra's bladder though and everything looked so healthy and pink.  No need to worry anymore (for now) about Bladder Cancer.

 

The doctors wanted to be sure that the fragment was indeed NOT in the bladder so we were sent to CT for a scan.  The final conclusion... this thing they thought was a fragment is a calcification within her body cavity, probably due to a previous surgery.  But it is NOT a stone nor fragment in the bladder.  This is good news.

 

So... after a seriously long day at WRAMC (from 5:30 am when we left the house until 7:50pm when we got back home), Kendra is without staples, without the SP tube, free of bladder stones and ready to make a full recovery.  I'm trying to convince her to go back to school next week... but I am respecting her boundaries on this.

 

I wish I could say that everything yesterday was "easy-cheesy", but the scoping of her bladder gave Kendra a lot of discomfort and she was so tense during it all.  But she did let the doctors get everything done that needed to be done.  I'm very proud of how she handled it all.

 

And at this point, we can take a break from the doctors until she's ready for her next surgery sometime AFTER Paul joins us here.

Journal Entries in my head

So This week I have spent 4 hours each day in my car, driving back and forth to Walter Reed.  During some of this time, I have composed journal entries in my head.   Of course, the chances that I will remember them once I get home and can actually record them to my journal are slim. 

This morning I am pondering my weight loss and exercise program.  First off.. I did show a loss again this week.  My current weight is 217. 9.   But this is just the same few pounds that I've been gaining and losing for the last two months.  I try and plan and work my program, but somedays it's just so much easier to "fly by the seat of my pants" and grab fast food on the way home.  Especially this week, when I've spent more waking hours away from home than usual.

Earlier this week I started a new workout program.  I think that the exercise REALLY helped my mood during Kendra's hospitalization.  I think it also helped me stay alert during the day and sleep better at night.  But in all honesty, I think that this new program is just a step higher than I am ready for right now.  I did the program two days in a row.  During the second day, there came a point when my arm muscles were so fatigued that I couldn't even lift my arms above my head.  And I felt pain, not soreness, but pain while I had to deal with the day to day stuff.

I just don't think that an exercise plan should cause pain. I am going to back down a bit because clearly I need to bring my stamina and strength up a bit before continuing with this particular program.

My "bean" arrived on Thursday this week.  I previewed the workout tape this morning and I think that I am going to use this as the strength training part of my program.  I think that for the aerobics portion I am going back to Leslie Sasone's WATP.  I am going to take measurements tomorrow and begin the new program then as well.  I will give it a week and we'll see how I'm progressing on that.

Now that the daily commute is finished for now... I'm going to concentrate on the goal of cooking at home each night and leave the fast food alone.  Goodness knows I'll save a lot of money along with the calorie save as well.  The trick here is to make sure that (at least initially) the meals that I plan are quick to fix. I also need to set a time in which I begin making dinner and stick to it.  If I know that I'm supposed to start dinner at a certain time each day, well.. I'd like to think that the habit would become automatic after a month or so.

I will leave one day each week for a meal out as a break from the cooking, but I think I need to make that day one of the weekend days when we are most likely to go out and enjoy the day anyway.

So.. that's my plan for this next week.  Time to get things under control again and start making those great habits.

 

Kendra

We brought Kendra home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Kim went with me to help with the myriad of things that end up collecting around you while you are hospitalized.  Paul had sent flowers to Kendra while she was there as well as the things that I brought up to entertain her while she was stationary.

She is still doing well, but when I checked on her this morning there was some blood in her urine which alarmed me since it had been pretty clear the last day or so in the hospital.  I called up to the hospital and left a message for the doctors.  Doctor Gordon, one of the residents working with Dr. Cartwright called me back.   He said that with all the movement yesterday it would be totally expected to see some blood in the urine.  He said it could actually get pretty red before it was a big concern.  (not making the mom feel better, exactly, but I see his point).   She is still fever free and the pain medication they have her on is certainly doing it's job.  

So..  we are scheduled for x-rays on Wednesday and a revisit with her surgeon to see how things are progressing.  Kendra can shower, but no soaking baths until then.  I want to see if I can get her into my shower later today (my shower is just a stall so no need to lift the leg too high to get into it. ... plus I have the hand held shower head.

Kim and Mac are being really considerate of their sister (which coming from Mac is a great thing).  I need to run off today and get food in the house.  Mac and Kim have been doing a great job taking care of themselves, but it's time that all three get a bit of "momma loving" in the form of real meals that have been cooked at home.

Favorite Childrens Books

 

Weekend Assignment: Favorite Children's Books

Found this assignment at the journals editor blog.  Thought it looked like fun, and I'm sharing the link for anyone else that would like to play this weekend.  Although, I do understand that this assignment actually comes from another source, all the details are at the link above.

The first Children's book that really stands out to me is one that I read repeatedly with my mother during first grade.  I did a search on the internet and found the rhyme, although not anything about the book itself.

 

Ladybug!  Ladybug!
Fly away home.
Your house is on fire.
And your children all gone.

Kendra's favorite Children's story was Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  I first started telling her this story by memory.  I had no book to accompany.  She asked for that story so often at bedtime that for Christmas one year I found a beautifully drawn picture book of the story, which I presented to her as one of her gifts.  And though I know she liked the book (she's saving it for when she has children), she still would ask me to tell her the story "without the book, Mommy."

For Kimberly, I think her favorite book was "One Yellow Lion".   It was the cutest counting book and she would ask for this book at bedtime.  She still remembers loving the counting book.  I think I need to replace that one.  It has of course seen better days.

And Mackenzie, well.. he always liked adventure books... so his favorite book to have read was "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."  Since the release of the movie, he has begun reading through all the volumes of that series.

How Many People Have Your Name?

How Many of Me - Front Page

Stacy had this link in her journal, which came from a friend of hers.  This is kind of neat. You go to the link and put in your name and find out how many more of you there are in the United States.

Using my maiden name, there are 11 people with my name.  Using my married name, there are 7 people in the U.S. with my name.  And I'd be willing to bet every one of them married into the name rather than were born with it. ....  My married name has always reminded me a bit of a anagram.

Thanks, Stacy for sharing that link. :)

End of Day Entry

Spent a good portion of the afternoon with Kendra at the hospital.  She is doing well, but was running a fever this morning. Dr. Cartwright wants to keep her there until at least Friday morning to be sure they have her on the right antibiotic (we are waiting for a C & S result). 

As things stand right now, she should come home on Friday (crossing fingers).  She probably won't be ready to go back to school for at least another week after that. 

I contacted the "pupil services" at the district offices to see about a home tutor for the time she will be home, but unable to attend school.  I was told that she needs to miss 15 days before she is "eligible" for home tutoring....  WHAT THE F<<<???   Seems to me by the time anyone "qualifies" they are going to be back in school before it is even worth having the tutor.  WHATEVER!!  I'm going to send off some e-mails to Kendra's teachers in the morning, letting them know what is going on.  I will also be stopping by the school on Monday with her note from the doctor and I guess maybe I can get more guidance on her lessons at that point.

Now.. let's talk about me.  I tried to go up to the hospital prepared for the day with snacks and drinks to meet my dietary goals (avoid fatty foods).  I did alright.  I found it hard to focus and I did have lunch in the cafeteria yesterday.  But this morning on the scale I had not gained anything .

This morning, I woke up with enough time to do my workout.  I am starting a 12 week "Project:You" program with Kathy Smith.  So.. today was day 1 on the workout.  I made it through all the moves and I think the exercise really helped my mood and my stamina today.  But I think I'm going to be sore in the morning. 

I felt great all day, but to be honest.. I've been feeling some soreness in my chest and arms (today was upper body/abs strength training) and also in my abs since I've been home.  I think some motrin and a large glass of water before I go to bed is in order. 

 

The details on Kendra

Yesterday was an incredibly long day.  We had to leave here at 5:30 AM, to arrive at WRAMC for her "show time" of 8:00 AM.  They finally came for her for the surgery (we were waiting in the surgery waiting room, talk about your cattle call) at 11:00. 

From there they ushered us into another waiting area, in which she was placed on the gurney, the IV was started, final information was taken and received.  Anesthesia was started just before 11:45 and I was sent off to the waiting room.  I was anticipating the surgery to be 3-4 hours long.

The surgery lasted until 5:30 PM.  The surgery was for the removal of bladder stones. Kendra is susceptible to growing bladder stones because her bladder was augmented with bowel tissue.  This bowel tissue continues to produce mucus and the mucus becomes an irritant to the bladder.  The bladder then secretes something to bind up the mucus and eventually a stone is developed (think pearls in an oyster). Much of this can be avoided if the patient flushes out the bladder routinely to remove excess mucus, but Kendra doesn't do this as often as she should.  Normally we catch this problem early enough that they can go in and pluck these things out through a catheter.  But this time these stones had been less painful for Kendra and had reached the size of eggs.  And there were several of them in there. 

Dr. Cartwright wanted to try to remove them intact (without breaking them up with lasers) to try to avoid leaving any "sand" behind to become new stones.  But once she made the incision, she discovered that they were even too big to slip through the opening she had made and she didn't want to make the opening any larger (not wanting to compromise a lot of the work that has been done over the years), so she had to resort to breaking up the stones.  AND there were far more stones in there than she anticipated. So the whole thing took longer. 

In post-op because of the size and composition of the stones, Dr. Cartwright is worried about infection as well as whether they did manage to get all the "sand" out with the stones.  By breaking them up for removal, the stones became less stable, so when they were nabbed to be brought out, they would break up even further.  Kendra currently has a supra-pubic tube in place (this is because of the surgical opening of the bladder, it allows for everything to heal before she uses her stoma again.  The tube is large and Dr. Cartwright intends to have Kendra's bladder flushed with saline through out today to hopefully bring out any residual "sand".    When Kendra does come home, she will have the supra-pubic tube still in place, making school attendance uncomfortable and darn near impossible. 

So.. what started as a "quickie" surgery has become a rather complicated situation.  Before I head back up to the hospital today, I need to call the school education office and see about arranging a tutor for Kendra for next week when she is finally home.  If there is any paperwork required from her doctor, I need to know this now, so that I can get it from her while I am there today.

 

 

End of a long, long day

Kendra is resting fine, but the surgery ended up being far more complicated than expected.  She will be in the hospital at least an extra day.  My head hurts, I am tired. I will write more later on this.

Another WRAMC run

Tomorrow morning at 5:30 A.M. Kendra and I head back up to WRAMC.  Kendra is scheduled for surgery around 8 A.M.  I spent today putting things in order around the house so that Kim and Mac can function while we are gone.  There is no school tomorrow so Kimberly is home with her brother.

I really like this surgeon and I feel comfortable with everything that has been discussed.  But I always worry about "what will they discover that we didn't think about?"  It never gets easy when your children need medical intervention.

I am bringing along snacks and water so that I can keep the opportunities to eat poorly to a minimum, but it's still going to be a long day.  They do intend to keep Kendra overnight, so once I am comfortable with her and how things are going in the hospital, I will come home and take care of Kim and Mac.  Hopefully things will go well and I will go back to the hospital on Wednesday just to bring Kendra home.

 

I almost wallowed

Yesterday was a long day.  I had to take Kendra up to WRAMC and do all the pre-op orders for her surgery on Tuesday.  It's a long and tiresome drive up there, but at least it's routine now.  We don't get lost anymore.  We talk about things and then we listen to music and sing together.  Kendra has the best voice.  She used to be in the school choirs, but she elected not to do that this year.

At any rate, we left home around 7:00 AM.  We talked with Dr. Cartwright about what would be done on Tuesday (they are removing bladder stones).  We went through all the choices for how to do it, as well as discussing what would happen if we elected NOT to remove them (not a good choice, but an option).  We finally decided on the method and discussed that thoroughly.  Now that Kendra is 18, she speaks up a lot more and she absolutely MUST sign off on anything they want to do for her.

Then it was off to the pre-op ward and taking care of all the paperwork before the surgery.  They have set it up as a "one stop" area.  We see the finance officer to confirm insurance coverage, we see the lab techs for all the preliminary blood work, and finally we see a surgical nurse to go over the final consent forms and sign them.

When all is said and done, we finally left WRAMC at 3:00 pm and arrived back home after 5:00pm. 

So.. last night after arriving home was when I really felt the need to wallow.  I miss my real-life friends in Germany.  I haven't yet made the kind of friends here that I had there.  I knew that if I was back at Illesheim, Sara and I would be out on the balcony, sipping some white wine and commiserating on the tediousness of the day. 

Here it's just me and the kids.  And while my kids are great, I don't like dumping my concerns on them.  Especially when some of the concerns are brought on BY them. Anyway, I know that I could call some of my friends but most of them have bigger worries than I do and I hate having to share my whine time with someone who really has something to whine about.. I know.. selfish.. but OY... I just didn't want to have to shoulder someone else's much bigger issues lastnight.

Paul called me about the time I was getting ready to really start the pity party.  Being able to share with him my worries and concerns helped.  He managed to stay very neutral so that he didn't feel like he was being picked on. (one of my bitches was being tired of single-parenting when I have a partner).

And once we were done with the nice parts of our conversation, I felt so much better.  I let him know that, too.. that just being able to talk to him really made all the difference.

Gnu Bar review

Remember the Gnu bars I ordered last week?  Well, they arrived on Tuesday.  In the rush and bother of my household I forgot about them yesterday. 

The 4 different flavors available at this time are Chocolate Brownie, Cinnamon Raisin, Orange Cranberry and Banana Walnut. I ordered some of each flavor so I could try them all out.

Today I had the Orange Cranberry bar for my morning snack. It was good.  I loved the texture of the bar, it was soft and flavor-full. I probably won't order this flavor again because I thought the Orange was a bit too strong.  But if you are a seriously big fan of oranges.... I think this would be great for them.  No funny after taste with this bar.. just lots and lots of orange.. almost to the point of overpowering the cranberry.

Stay tuned... I'll review the other three flavors as they come up in my menu.

Donde esta, Papa?

                            

                          

 

In Loving Memory of Virgil Wayne Carpenter

September 13, 1932 - December 17, 1991

 

Today is the Day of the Dead.  For those of us from Mexican families.. it is a day in which we honor our loved ones whom have passed on.

I miss my Dad.  After he died, my sister and I were talking about various things ... our memories of him.  I always knew I was his favorite... even though I frustrated him at times.  I still knew I was his "little girl".  Well.. this was one of those things I never said out loud because I didn't want my sister to feel like she wasn't any body's favorite... but after Dad passed away and we  were talking, Susan said.. "You know.. I always felt like I was Dad's favorite."  I was so thrilled to learn that she felt that way... because.. well.. I was his favorite, but it was nice that she never felt like less than that.   But of course, the really amazing thing is that Dad managed to make us both feel that way.  I don't know how he did it, but what an awesome gift he gave to us... two daughters who grew up feeling like Daddy's Little Girl. 

When Kendra was little, her and my dad were thick as thieves when it came to sneaking candy from Grandma.  He'd send Kendra in to the kitchen, where she would look up Grandma with those big green eyes (the same green eyes that my dad had) and ask if she could have some "red candy" please (they were the hard candy that is strawberry flavored, wrapped like strawberries).  My mother couldn't resist that little girl and she'd give Kendra a few pieces...  then Kendra would climb up into Grandpa's lap and they would share her booty.  LOL.. they would go on like this all afternoon.

My parents both worked when we were in school.  My mother worked the swing shift at the hospital and my dad was a mail carrier.  The only time that we had a sitter was during Christmas, because my dad would put in a lot of overtime with all the extra mail that comes that time of year.  We had a lot of face time with our parents.  I know it was motivated by the savings of not having daycare for us, but the positive side to them working different shifts is that we were always with one of them.

When we were young, he'd take us shopping for our mom at Christmas time.  He would let us pick out what we thought Mom would like.  He never limited us to just perfume.. and he NEVER bought something for her from us without us being there.

Dad met my mom while he was in the Army.  He was stationed at Ft. Huachuca with my mom's older brother, Chan. On the long weekends, Chan would bring my dad home with him to stay with my mom's family.  When my dad separated from the Army, he asked Mr. Acevedo for my mother's hand in marriage.  He got permission and they were going to be married in a year, during that time, my dad was supposed to be working  and saving up for that day.

But just a few months later, when my mom's sister was getting married, my dad came back to attend the wedding and see my mother. (She was in Arizona, but my dad had gone back to Washington state to live with his Aunt while he worked).  Seeing my mother again made it very difficult for him to leave without her, so they eloped that weekend after her sister's wedding.

He said he couldn't live without her any more.

One of the best legacies that my dad gave me was being a positive role model of what a loving husband should be, and what an involved father should be.  Because of the love that I saw every day of my life, I was able to pick a good man. 

I miss my dad.