Putting the Monday into the week...

I'm completely exhausted. This has been a crazy week...and it's Monday. After a weekend of nursing my little girl through an ear infection, migraine, and some other sort of viral/bacterial issues, and sleeping in her room to ensure her 104 degree temp didn't climb to 105, today was definitely the cherry on that sundae.

We woke up this morning to get The Boy ready for school (letting The Girl sleep in after a, shall we say, "restless" night). She came along to drop off, in her jammies. Once we got home, we called to make an appt with the doctor, since she was still so sick and still complaining of an earache. So, just prior to lunch, we set off to see the amazing Dr. Rosenbloom (whom I love and am so glad we have as a pediatrician). He looked The Girl over and determined that she's really sick. Gr. The best solution was to put her on antibiotics, because "it'll kill what it kills and whatever's left can't be killed in any other way...the body just needs to fight it off."

After leaving Dr. Rosenbloom's, we head directly toward Safeway, where one of my favorite pharmacists was already preparing The Girl's drugs (the other favorite pharmacist is married to said pharmacist). By the time we arrived, he already had everything ready. This was fabulous, as I had been dragging around a 5-year-old in footie pajamas for far longer than ever intended.

We got home, ate a hideous macaroni and cheese lunch, then lay down to rest, as neither one of us slept last night. An hour later, it was time to retrieve The Boy from school. As I prepared to get him, I realized I may well have a migraine starting myself. I took some drugs, picked up Footie Jammies and loaded her into the car, and headed up to the school.

We picked up The Boy, his coat, backpack, lunchbox, and some homework for The Girl, and loaded the crew back into the Mamamobile. On the way home, I asked him to confirm he had his homework. The response was negative...so we turned around and headed back to school to excavate the papers in his desk until we could find his assignments (in the presence of the substitute, who was unable to assist us with the search). We came home and finished the first segment of assignments, then I allowed The Boy the chance to go play with the neighbors. He was so excited to go up to the cul-de-sac and play with the boys. It's the first time we've ever allowed him to ride his bike in The Sac, but at 8, I figured it was time.

Fast forward five whole minutes. There's a knock at the door. A neighbor is there, telling me to get to The Sac -- stat. The Boy had gone over his handlebars, face first into the pavement. Screaming, crying, blood, and part of a tooth in a kitchen towel belonging to someone (I'm not sure whom)... Chrizz came running down to my house to watch the cootie-stricken Footie Jammies while I took The Boy to the ER. That was at 4:00 PM.

Four hours, three RNs, one doctor, two X-ray technicians, and one radiologist later, we had our diagnoses: contusions to the mandible, concussion, abrasions, lacking most of one of his baby teeth (although we can't quite tell, because of the contused mandible), and needing stitches, this kid had had a tough night. In order to give him the stitches, they decided to "wrap him up" a little like a burrito...in a full-body straight jacket type outfit. Once they had him Velcroed in, they started by giving him a local anesthetic. I watched them insert the needle in the right side of his chin, and as they inserted the medicine, I watched it squirt back out the left side of his chin. I thought I was going to throw up. They gave him 8 stitches...one for every year of his life, and he looked at me and said, through a mouth which barely moves, "this is my fault. I wanted to go bike riding." I wanted to cry.

The outcome is as follows: he can't eat solid foods for a few days at least; he can't exercise for 10 days, for fear he might re-bruise the brain; he's frustrated, angry, and sad...and tonight, instead of sleeping with sick, ear-infected, headachey Footie Jammies, I'll be sleeping with concussed, contused, sad No Jammies. Aunt Struck was kind enough to bring food for me and liquid sustenance for The Boy. But, hey...at least I stayed home from work. I can't imagine what I would have done if this had happened when I wasn't here. Of course, if I hadn't been here, it probably wouldn't have happened.

Day 55 - Finding inspiration

Travel season has descended upon us. Dealing with the realities of traveling to places like Las Vegas and Frankfurt has frustrated some of my efforts to lose weight. The great thing is that with each of the trips so far, I have come home barely over where I started (which with O'Reilly's Pub and "Donner Kebaps" in Frankfurt, I was kind of surprised by).

But if I needed a jolt to get me fully back on the wagon, I got it yesterday. Last night was (yes, I'll admit it) Bunco night with the Girls in the 'Hood. While there, we often eat, drink, throw some dice, and drink and eat some more. My good friend J, who is also a foodie, has been changing her eating habits and running more, and has lost about 20 pounds. B, who really doesn't need to lose ANY weight that the rest of us can discern, said through some method she's using she has lost 8 pounds. I have been stagnant with the travel and the stress of dealing with B1 and OB. These two women served as an excellent reminder to me that no matter what is going on in my life, socially or emotionally, I need to find a way to be healthy for ME. I feel better when I exercise. I feel better when I eat right and wake up each day feeling just a little bit lighter. I feel better about myself, which gives me the courage I need to make the right choices in other areas of my life.

Thanks, ladies, for providing the inspiration. When I hit my goal, I promise I will sing you a verse of a new song, "You Make My @$$ Smaller."

Zen in 2010

You know that feeling you used to get in the pit of your stomach when you were in trouble with Mom and Dad as a child? I have had that feeling since Monday night in Frankfurt, and have been unable to expel it. What started as a small problem that I thought I could help someone else with exploded by Monday night into a problem that I didn't want to be a part of.

Yesterday's flight was pretty miserable. I don't deal well with someone being angry with me - even if the reasoning is completely unreasonable. After the madness of a 12+ hour flight with OB not speaking to me, I was so relieved to be home with Darling Hubby, it wasn't even funny. Poor man had to put up with my horrendous mood after the craziness. Going to the office today, my first thought was, 'Thank God OB is off today. Maybe a day apart will be good for everyone.' I came to two realizations shortly thereafter:
1. While OB is a complete ass most of the time, I still hate seeing someone struggle when no one else will support them. Whether or not I was in the wrong, not getting along will make me so miserable that it becomes worth it to consider apologizing simply to get along with those I work with.
2. OB isn't the only thing making everything crazy there. He is a contributor but even in his absence today, there was still drama and still shenanigans. I can't handle the idea of always having this drama, whether or not OB is working there.

From what I know, I believe OB will not be back again. I think his office will most likely be clean by Monday. I feel like I need something different NOW...but I can't find it. I feel like if I quit now, people will think I'm quitting in support of OB. That's not the case. I just want to be done. I want to find sanity again - that happy, settled feeling that has been missing...

Day What? Superbowl Sunday

It's rare that I look forward to the end of the weekend, but this year I find that happening more often than not. This particular weekend went by like a couple of workdays, only faster. Starting with a family dinner Friday night to celebrate The Boy's birthday, then moving on to Saturday, which held appointments (shorter hair, y'all), laundry, cooking, rehearsal, Valentines, thank you cards, and homework...only to finish up with a Sunday which held a birthday party (hosted at Safari Sam's to save my sanity), more homework, finishing the Valentines, packing the kids' bag for next weekend, grocery shopping, gifts purchased, baking, and of course the SB with the Saints winning.

I'm glad the weekend's over.

Food-wise, what I'm learning more and more is that I do better with a regimen. On weekdays, it is so easy to do what needs to be done because it's so specifically scheduled that my body gets hungry at the right times, thirsty at the right times, and I just follow "what I always do." On the weekends, I don't sit and drink water like I do at work; I don't eat snacks at predetermined times because I'm not eating meals at the "right" times. So typically, I lose weight during the week then maintain over the weekend...blah. I'm debating between two options right now which I think will definitely help in the weight-loss arena. Number one: write down every item I put in my mouth (even those "fun size" candy bars I steal from Diane's desk...and while we're on the subject, the irony of "fun size" is one of those phrases that I think could earn its own entire post). Number two: photograph every morsel that I put in my mouth. While I think journaling my food would be helpful in my success, I think the horror of having to LOOK at pictures of what I ate would be that much more compelling.

So I was really looking forward to trying Devin's new Peppermint Brownie Pizza. Unfortunately, I was running a wee bit short on time and had to make boring reduced-fat brownies for the teachers. I will DEFINITELY be making this delectable looking treat when I return from Frankfurt. In the meantime, I firmly believe I will be the only loser packing an entire bag of protein bars and fresh produce for Germany. I figure I will need the bag to bring back whatever little German tchotchkes (if they're German, can you call them Tchotchkes or is that strictly a Russian thing?) I pick up for the kids, so I might as well take it over there with healthy foods that I can make use of. Do they take away produce coming out of the US, or only coming in?

Day 30 - Monday

So how do you politely tell your spouse NOT to follow a 13 year tradition for Valentine's Day? Every year, we have given each other See's Candies for the Most Romantic Day of the Year...but this year, I just don't want that around here...I know I could just tell him, but I think that he'll then feel like he needs to do something bigger. I'd be fine with a) nothing, b) a book, c) Starbucks, or d) nothing...Obviously I just need to let him know.

The picture above is a simple part of a dinner I made when I didn't have time to cook - prawns, a little cocktail sauce, and a big fat salad. Sooo tasty...

On Saturday, I woke up early (or earlier than the rest of the family) and made Devin's Sausage Biscuit Sandwich. First, I have to say that I think this was the most time-consuming of any of the recipes I have made so far. The biscuits were homemade, the sausage had to be mixed with herbs and so forth (so tasty!)...so it took time. Secondly, I have to say this was the perfect choice for Saturday morning, as The Girl read her first book cover to cover Friday night...and not one of those "one word per page" kind of jobbies. The title? "Biscuit Goes to School." So when she saw what I was making, she was very excited to recognize a word from her book the night before. The biscuits were tasty - The Boy liked the biscuits as much as or better than those little blue tubes of biscuits. I couldn't find sausage that was AS low in fat as Devin recommends, so I just made 6 sausages instead of 5 to balance out. Nana and Poppy got to try the sausages Sunday morning (yay leftovers), and both enjoyed them very much.
This week is a little crazy for cooking...The Boy has his birthday, so his once-every-few-months treat is due again. Ba da ba ba ba...he's lovin' it. Then he chose Chevy's for the family dinner, thanks to sombreros, singing, and El Machino. I will be as healthy as I can be, just before running away for business to Frankfurt. Wish me luck!
40% of goal met in 16% of the time frame. I think I'll be able to set my next goal sooner than expected!

Day 26 - Thursday

I sat down yesterday to share my excitement about this week but found I was so exhausted from the excitement of my week that I fell asleep in front of the laptop...so I'm going to try again to express my amazing excitement, gratitude and enthusiasm...

I am so incredibly excited! Previously, I wrote about the frustration of not always having the time to cook healthy meals and the need for extensive forethought in order to succeed at weight loss (especially with the craziness of traveling to Sin City and so forth...) On Monday, I received a gift from Devin. Included were three autographed cookbooks: Fast Food Fix (great for when you're craving a Big Mac but looking for something under, say, 500 calories), The Most Decadent Diet Ever (the book I've been working from so far - which is good, 'cause this one's getting ratty from going EVERYWHERE with me), and a brand new book (I don't know if I can even reveal the name) which is designed for those who don't have the time to cook! Having tried a variety of recipes now from MDDE, I'm really excited to try some of these new recipes.

So after my absence, here's a brief recap of some of the recipes I've tried: I did a "Fit Into Your Skinny Jeans" gathering, which allowed me to make the Skinny Mini Cherry-Topped Cheesecakes and Tiny Tacos, as well as the Mediterranean Dip and pita triangles. All were good, although the Cheesecakes were by far my favorite. Great for curing a craving! The Skinny Scampi was ah-mazing and the Chicken Quesadilla was good as well. So far, the two recipes I am least fond of are the Chocolate Not Only in Your Dreams Cake and the Potato Chip Crusted Chicken. Of course, I don't eat potato chips to begin with, so that may be a factor. This week, I'm looking forward to trying the Godiva Sundae, the Sausage Breakfast Sandwich, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and the Cobb Salad...who's coming for dinner?

Day 21 - Saturday

One week later, and I'm half a pound heavier...after having eaten crab, lobster, prawns, steak, desserts, sushi, tempura, more steak, dessert, flatbreads, chicken, foie gras (won't need to do that again), dessert...all I can say is, "thank you, God." I am always up on the scale the day after flying, so I am fairly confident that by tomorrow I will have at least managed to maintain during a challenging week.

The first day of the trip, I went to the closest store where I could find produce (Walgreens on The Strip) and purchased half a dozen oranges and half a dozen bananas. That should get me through two to three days, right? Notsomuch. Everyone at our booth ate it within the first day, and thanked me for thinking to get fruit. Hm. Unfortunately, we were so busy, I couldn't get down to the 'Greens again all week, so I was forced to eat the bananas from Starbucks and the Oranges from the Convention Center as my fruit for the rest of our trip.

What did I do differently from past trips like this? I made SURE I drank a LOT of water. Most of the foods are so high in sodium, I thought that if I continued to drink, I might at least keep the water weight off. My friends from House of Knives made this easier by bringing us all beautiful stainless water bottles with thermal lids to use. I know this contributed to my success, as I had to pee every other hour. Other Boss asked if I was in kindergarten because I couldn't hold it.

I also limited my portions (thank you, Devin...) and only ate about three bites of any course. OB was a little freaked out by the waste of food, but so be it. I was able to get him to consume most of the alcohol that was poured for me as well, thanks to advantageous seating and his willingness to consume. I wasn't able to get out and exercise, as we were at the show from 7:30 am to 5 pm and doing dinners from 6:30 or 7:00 to 10:30 or 11:00, so the shoes and iPod sat useless in my (incredibly dark) hotel room.

On a totally separate note, the hotel room, aside from the lighting which made it impossible to tell black from navy (not good when you only have two colors of shirt to wear), had a fantastic view of the Bellagio fountains, thanks to a little snafu with the front desk. After checking in and heading up to room 3548, I was a little surprised when I used my key card and heard someone from inside shout, "Give us 10 minutes!" Oops. Upon returning to the desk, I mentioned that someone seemed to be "busy" in my room and could I please be moved. They looked up the room and immediately sent security up, as no one should have still been checked in, and I was moved to a Room with a View (just not the kind of view I'd almost had...)

So with many many weeks to go, I'm still 8 lbs down, 17 to go to hit the original goal, and raring to continue in a positive manner. Wish me luck!