Last day of school in the morning

What am I thinking of? Well, I'm annoyed that I have to go grocery shopping instead of sleeping. I'm overwhelmed because my Charlotte had a little pimple, so I got her some face wash and moisturizer and showed her how to use it. She said she wanted to stay little. I didn't say that I want that, too. But I do. It's super exciting that she is becoming a "beautiful young woman" as my friend puts it when we are talking about puberty, and it is exciting to think about her future and what she might want or like or whatever. But it feels like the universe is putting LIFE IS SHORT in bold italics with a double underline right on my face. Or rather my kid's face. So you'd think I wouldn't want to sleep. But that is my coping skill, so I do. And I am going to. I just decided. Shopping later - I have a medically-necessary nap to take.

LAST WEEK(LET) OF SCHOOL!!!

So, my kids have to go to school for 2 and a half days this week, which is LUDICROUS, but THEN WE ARE DONE! And I am SO FREAKING EXCITED! This because I hate routine, and I hate morning, and the school year forces those two into my face like a spider monkey.

That being said, I have some loose strings to tie up before the last day, and they are making me feel like I'm drowning. ARRGGglubglub! That's the general overwhelmed feeling, there. I seem to be having trouble focusing on anything that isn't, well, food, so you can see my dilemma.

Speaking of food, I'm not starving all the time anymore. And I lost 6 pounds, so I'm encouraged. And I'm learning a lot about what I eat, so all round good.

My kids have a little sunburn from Memorial Day, which is sad, but also don't kids look adorable with just a little sunburn? All summery. I was speaking to my cousin's wife about the Houston heat yesterday. She was saying that she just can't get used to it (I believe she is from Idaho). I was saying how much I LOVE IT! Especially the kind we had yesterday where it wasn't humid (to me) and it wasn't too very hot (to me). I just feel so much happier when it is sunny and bright all day. And the kids are soaked and screaming and eating watermelon and popsicles. Like a movie.

Speaking of, I saw a tshirt I love:

Yes, they have adult sizes, too. The Sandlot is the best summer movie!!

I'm just sick of that last post

So here's a new one.

Gabe tried to get me to not shower today by repeatedly cuddling me every time I mentioned it. Adorable.

My kids' library privelages are revoked (by me) until they are more respectful towards books. And the fine money I pay.

I made a weight watchers recipe last night that I didn't like. But I spent so much time and energy on it I ate it anyway. Now the remainder has been sitting in the pan all night so the house smells. Grrr. I just couldn't make myself toss it so soon after having made it last night.

That about sums it up.

First Monday Weigh-In....

I lost a 1.4 pounds!

And I have to give a shout out to Weight Watchers for those weekly flex points that allowed me to basically binge eat Saturday night at a dinner with friends as well as ALL DAY SUNDAY! I thought my flex points started over on Sunday, so I went hog-wild Saturday night. Then, with all my shiny new points, I went hog-wild on Sunday at the lunch the men held for the women (more on that in a sec) and then at dinner with the whole family. I'm talking cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake, brownie, quiches, pinwheel sandwiches, creamy pasta salad, marshmallow in a chocolate fountain, something other than WATER to drink, etc. It was glorious! And then I found out, as I was doing my very very best to estimate the points I had bolted down, that my new week starts on Mondays.

So today, the REAL beginning of my week, I went to calculate how many points I overate yesterday so I could just take them off this week's points, and I found that I did NOT go over! I ate every last point and not one more. How relieving! And since I also lost weight, it is basically a modern-day miracle.

Back to the Sunday lunch. I do not know who had this magnificent idea, but I was SO IMPRESSED by what the men provided for the women yesterday. Usually on Mother's Day, we receive a small, thoughtful gift. Maybe a flower, a CD of inspirational music, some chocolate. I love all of that, frankly. This year, however, the men arranged to fill every woman's calling during the 3rd hour of church so that we were all free to go to a lunch they provided in the gym. And it was an incredible lunch! The tables were decorated. The food was delicious. There were pitchers of water with lemons on every table. There was a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN with fruit and stuff. There were baked goods, salads, sandwiches, fruit. AND AND AND: all we had to do was VISIT! They didn't even make us listen to any sort of presentation or anything! The men served us, cleared our places, refilled our drinks. It was so classy. It was so thoughtful. It was so loving. IT WAS SO FUN!

I was particularly impressed because I know what it takes to run the children's Sunday school as that is what I get to do with a bunch of other awesome women each week. And those men took it on and carried it off. They did the singing time, even providing a pianist; they did the lesson time; they did the classroom teaching. My son came out of there with a battery-operated light that they had made. It was fabulous.

So I am VERY grateful to each of those men, including my husband who made 104 delicious sausage and cheese kolaches, for that lovely treat.

Andy also made me breakfast in bed as well as the kids' breakfast along with those kolaches all before church. And after church he made two delicious salads for the family meal. It was awesome. Thank you, Andy.

My gifts were the very best artistic efforts of my children, which is my most favorite gift of all time, as well as Sherlock Holmes Season 2 on AppleTV. Hurray! And all the hugs and kisses, giggles and smiles that my kids can squeeze out of their tiny bodies every second of the morning. And that is a TON, my friends. It is the greatest start to a week. I love my family. I love the opportunity I have to be a mother. I love the women around me who teach me how to mother. I love my own mother and her incredible example, friendship, humor, patience, forgiveness, and enduring love. I love her company. I love her voice. I love her handwriting. I love how she has a different pair of drugstore glasses for every activity. "Bring me some glasses so I can look at these pictures. No not those; those are my computer glasses. No, those are my game-playing glasses." It's wonderful! I'm grateful to all the women in my life who have raised me and nurtured me, inside and outside my family.

With that, I feel totally geared up for the week!

I'm hungry!

That's what the Weight Watchers experience has been for me for two days. Hunger. Big hunger before meals down to small hunger after meals. And frankly, it ain't portions that are my problem. I know this because I ate two CUPS of salad with another 1/2 cup of cut veggies and I was still hungry. No, it isn't that I'm used to eating way more. Frankly, I don't eat that much by volume in a day anyway. At least I didn't pre-weight watchers (PWW). The problem, I believe, is the lack of glorious FAT in my diet! Because fat is filling, people! It makes you feel comfortably uncomfortably full. I love that. I can eat fruits and veggies all day long, and I do, I really do, and they do not give me that fat-full feeling. I LOVE the fat-full feeling.

Also, I'm detecting some crankiness due to lack of glorious SUGAR in the forms of soda and candy. I LOVE SODA! I LOVE CANDY!

All that being said, I am not unhappy with my decision. I'm feeling nervously hopeful that when I return to the doctor, there will be some improvement in my health. I am a little more-nervously less-hopeful that I'll actually lose weight. I know, I know: I've lost weight before. I ought to believe it will happen. Frankly, I don't that much. I feel like if I lose weight I will be mightily surprised. Since, however, that is not the main goal here, I don't despair. Mostly I'm super-motivated by NOT getting diabetes type 2.

Oh wait - I just reread my first paragraph and I need to clarify: that giant salad was in addition to my dinner. It was not a meal unto itself. My breakfast today was a veggie omelet made with one egg and 3 egg whites. Yeah - not enough fat for the fat-full feeling. I'm going to munch on something that grew out of the ground in the hopes that I feel more full. I won't. But at least I'm hitting that fruit-veggie daily requirement like a champ. (with only minor diarrhea from all the roughage, but whatev.)

The results are in...

I'm Vitamin D deficient, insulin resistant, have high cholesterol (still), make too much prolactin, and my thyroid is on the way to kaput.

Therefore:

I will take Vitamin D.
I will take a drug to stop the prolactin.
I joined weight watchers online.

That is all.

I feel I should write something since my phone has been found

Thanks to my brother-in-law Adam for not only finding it, but CHARGING it. That is above and beyond. And since we are praising him, he changed my flat tire on Saturday. That is so freaking nice.

Well, it is the end of the school year. The last month. The wrap-up. I actually told my kids not to ruin my much-anticipated summer by being naughty. They looked confused. Perhaps I'll let them read my blog posts about last summer to remind them.

I feel anxiety about tying up loose ends - finding lost library books, paying fines, etc. It'll get done. I'll just fret until then.

That is all. I just didn't want that lost-phone post hanging around now that it is no longer accurate.

I lost my phone!!!

ARGH!!!! I am affected negatively by this in the following ways:

1. I use my phone for an alarm clock. Tardy, anyone?
2. I use my phone for my planner. Where is my paper planner again? And how do I get it to beep at me when I have an appointment?
3. I give my cell number to doctors etc. So, did they call? What did they say?
4. All other calls that go to my phone, obviously.
5. And, worst of all, I'M MISSING MY TEXTS! I've fallen into the very convenient habit of texting my sisters for most info. And lots of it is optional. Which means if I don't answer the text, I just don't get to know/do. So I MAY have wanted to go walking with Sarah last night if she had texted, but I don't know. I MAY have been able to pick up kids from middle school yesterday if I had received a text, but no. No phone. And I feel hopelessly cut off.
6. Since it is now my only phone, I will have to address the 13 new messages on my home answering machine. Gulp.
7. My phone is also my watch. I don't have another.

So, once I locate the appropriate foundation garments, I will be hauling butt to the Walmart for a cheap watch and alarm clock. I will check my home phone when I get home to see if anyone needed me while I was out. How archaic. (Also, since that is highly unlikely, I feel like I'm having delusions of grandeur on top of it all. It isn't like I'm the president of the U.S. of A. I'm not needed every second of the day by a million people. Or even a dozen.)

Oh wait! I also use the phone's nav system to get EVERYWHERE. Grrrrrrrrrrr. I'm quite peeved with myself about this. Quite peeved.