3 things you should know about me.

1.  I like the eggs to be in a checkerboard pattern in the carton.
2.  I eat my pizza crust first.
3.  I often read the ending of a book before the beginning.

True Love

Just in case you forgot how cool we used to be.....

Did ya catch the half-time show?

  Did ya?  I love '8o's music.  My girls ROCKED OUT and danced.  And I loved Cee Lo's glittery wizard costume.  Love that little man.

But what is up with old rockers?  I guess there was some controversy with Stephen Tyler's anthem a few weeks ago.... I saw it... thought it was fine.  The thing that concerned me was.....  I HAVE THE SAME HAIRSTYLE AS TYLER.... right down to the grey streak.....  Anyone else concerned about this???

Breaking my own rules

So I made this rule for myself about undergarments.

I believe in buying 2 (or 3) new brassieres every 6 months.  And tossing the old.

I wear the same two bras in rotation all week.  The bra lady at Macy's told me to do that.  And hand wash.  Wear them on alternating days and let them air out and let the bra re-shape for 24 hours between wearings.

Anyway.  That was my goal.  I went shopping last year in September (Happy Birthday to Me....) and got two great bras.  (And also a nice sports bra)  So to stay on schedule I should have retired those two bras to "weekend wear" in March and purchased two more.  Right?

Well I've been trying.  I've been trying to find 45 minutes of alone time to stop at Macy's for five months now.  And I've failed. 

Failed I tell you.

It is almost September again and I'm wearing some sad, stretched out, worn out boobie holders.

So I'm going to reinvent.... again.  And try once more.

Anybody have any great bra styles to recommend?    I've heard the barely there invisible look is good... anyone?

but mostly i feel like this

sometimes i feel like this

Getting Stylish

Wednesday I had to pull out the stops and be cute for work. 

Ugh.

I opted for my very professional Tribal black sheath dress and jacket.  I love that jacket so much it is the only dry-clean only piece of clothing that survived the great closet clean out of 2008.

I also went with the classic heeled penny-loafer style mules and true stockings.  I couldn't find anything thigh high (in the depths of my closet in the dark) so I went with regular hose.  Ugh.  Which required a Spanx garment to prevent bulges at the waistband.  This was getting complicated.  It was so much easier to dress when I was skinny. 

Full makeup, hair up in a clippy (seriously... the effort to style it would have put me over the edge) and cute black briefcase bag.  Simple silver hoops, plain silver cuff bracelet and long 3-strand silver chain. 

I don't know how professionals do it dressed like that all day.  I was ok at my desk but very uncomfortable sitting in meetings with my above-the-knee dress creeping up.  Then I snagged my hose on my cute black briefcase bag.  And I almost launched down a set of marble steps in my cute heels.  Then a woman came around the corner off kilter (behind me as I was sitting) and whacked me in the head... knocking out my cute black clippy.  Then I had to pee.  In Spanx. 

I got myself home and peeled out of my clothes and into my jammies in record time.  My feet were cramping that night... I'm not kidding.

I was thinking it was time to take my style level up a notch but now I'm not so sure.  I was thinking leggings and boots (or capri leggings and ballet flats) with tunics/dresses.  And the perfect knit-but-dressy black pants.  But now I'm not so sure.

Ideal Dreams

I love:
1.  Sephora hair bands
2.  ELF lipgloss
3.  Dansko shoes
4.  Smith sunglasses
5.  Thymes Olive Leaf
6.  My stubby handled 2" angled paint brush
7.  Victoria Secret hipsters
8.  My new travel coffee mug
9.  Gift cards for the coffee shack by my house

Things I'm searching for:
1.  good mascara
2.  solid base coat
3.  a cardigan as perfectly cut as my beloved but shabby black Carolyn Taylor one
4.  really great couch pillows
5.  curtains for the bedrooms
6.  new swimwear
7.  a paint color for the bedrooms
8.  perfect organization in the laundry room
9.  classic sandals for this summer

Mournful

So I posted my resolution update.

In it... I basically moan about my weight.  Now let me clarify for those of you new to the place.

I started out life as an itty bitty thing.  My mom threw a party when I was more-pounds-than-inches.  I come from lean and tall people.  (My mother, after 4 kids, stands almost 5'10" and weighs maybe 145 in boots.)  I was 5'8" and 120 pounds when I graduated high school.  I grew another inch in college and had a dunk-tank measured body mass of less than 14%.  I was competitive (I use that term loosely.... I competed... I wasn't terribly quick so I wasn't terribly good....) in martial arts in the 116 and under category in college and after.

By the time I moved back north I was carrying about 150 pounds which, for my height and built, is exactly right.  I don't look too heavy but I'm not waif thin either.  I like 150..... or the range between 145-155 depending on how much weight training I'm doing.

Then I had some kids.  I had thin but average pregnancies with weight gains around 25 pounds for the first two and about 15 pounds for the third.  But pretty normal stuff and, with the first two, an easy time dropping the weight after.  The third one I went into heavy so I didn't gain as much.  After the third I worked my way down to 165 without a lot of sacrifice.... eating a small bowl of ice cream instead of a rice bowl of ice cream and striding around with a baby strapped to my body.

Now, for some reason, I'm up to a whooping 175.  WTF?  Then I read something like this.  Let me give you an excerpt: 

Okay folks....I hate to break this to you BUT I get tired of hearing "I just can't loose weight." You may be excluded if you have some kind of health condition/thyroid issue. I'm guilty as charged, time and time again I have been known to say "I don't know why I can't loose weight".
It's a simple science....if you want to loose weight, burn more then you consume. If you want to stay the same....eat what you burn in a day. And if you want to gain weight....eat more then you burn in a day.
You will be shocked to see how what a small amount of calories our bodies need to run in a day. I did a little research and this is what I found.....
 
First of all.... the word is lose, not loose.  It ain't The Biggest Looser.  (I know.... I eat a bowl of ice cream while watching it every Tuesday night....)
 
For the record, my BMR is 1520 and I carefully cut and monitored calories (scales and measures and everything) and didn't drop a pound.  I also cut out all sugar (for 6 weeks) and didn't shed pound one.
 
It's actually not simple science.  It's simple physics... the idea of calories in vs calories expended but for the love of guacamole.... do some better research than cut-n-paste from the first google article you find.  And don't tell me you are "practically an expert" on the subject of diet and nutrition when you make absolutely no mention of all the other factors that are known to influence weight.... factors beyond thyroid.  Weight loss is a complex subject.  That's why there are people out there making millions on it.
 
Hmmm..... let's see if we can name five factors in the next 5 seconds.  Cortisol, sleep, medications, depression, stress, digestive disorders... and I haven't googled once.   I should cut her some slack because she does talk about "medical conditions" and she admits to being guilty as charged but this fires me up. 
 
This is everything "competimommy" that makes me crazed and hurts my feelings.  I can "loose" weight so everyone should be able to do it and you aren't a good mom if you can't.  Humph.  This is why I refuse to have friends.  I bet she spends a ton of money on decorating and is secretly so insecure she considers cutting herself.  
 
But wait... enough about this condescending blog post.. maybe she didn't mean it the way it sounded... we're all guilty of that...... let's talk about me some more.  So back to the weight creep... want to know what my doc said?  It's probably a "threshhold" thing.  A combination of any or all of the following:
 
Cortisol and lack of sleep.  New research shows.... go ahead... google it.
Depo birth control shots.
Not moving enough.
Misjudging portion sizes (so typically American, right?) OR WORSE... starving yourself and slowing your metabolism. 
Breastfeeding. 
Thyroid.
Some other things he said that I can't remember now.
 
The thing that worries me is I seem to have reverse-body-dysmorphic-disorder.  I'll be striding along, pushing the stroller, head high, breathe deep and get rid of those rounded computer-user shoulders, cruising from Macy's to Target and somewhere around the Hallmark store I'll glance over and see my reflection in the glass and think, "Dude... she's hefty."  So sad.  So disappointing.  Also.... so mourning the loss of my cheekbones... where did they go??
 
Anyone else with me on the sensitive subject of weight???

If I use the finest drill bit can I just drill holes in my face like Donald Duck??

So I had sinus surgery (and my tonsils removed) in the fall of 2008.  I had been having chronic sinus infections since I was a teen.  (Originally blamed on allergies to pine.... which I've been tested for... I'm not allergic to pine.) 

The summer of 2009 I was worried the sinus thing hadn't worked because I was getting headaches and odd feelings in my head.  Turns out it happened every time I got in the car.  The car with air conditioning.  I was, essentially, giving myself an ice cream headache by running cold air over sinuses that hadn't seen air flow in about 20 years.  The doc had warned me it would take about 18 months for them to heal.

Fast-forward to a few weeks ago.  I felt kinda bad but not terrible.  I was having some headaches but didn't think much about it.  I spent so many years just living with daily headaches that it didn't occur to me that it wasn't normal. 

Then I stopped and listened to my body.

And I realized I had a sinus infection.  So I got a z-pac.  I felt better for a few days.  Then I felt worse... much worse.  So now I'm on another round of drugs, fingers crossed, hoping to feel better in a few days.

I'm so proud of myself for not just soldiering through.  I'm so proud of myself for going to the doctor.  It's a tiny victory to actually do something for myself.

I'm so pleased with this little bit of self-help momentum.... I'm seriously considering scheduling myself for a haircut... wouldn't that be the ultimate in self-care luxury????

Miss Clairol

Soooooo......

I'm at an "event" last night.  And I hear, "Love your hair.... who does your highlights??"

My highlights?  Well..... my kids.  Since my "highlights" are actually grey streaks....

Still.... one foxy going-grey chick.

Me. Defined.

An excerpt of an email I sent to Elle. She's getting serious about being an organizational blogger. I can't wait.

Who do I love? Crap. I have no idea…. It will come to me. I like flylady.net for some of her stuff. The idea of just jumping in and getting after it. I like ikea. I like the container store. I can’t think of the organizing one I love the most….. I like the idea of simplicity. I think the blog should be about that…. I know… it’s a very trendy topic right now. But here’s the thing…. It is so appropriate. I like David Allen and Getting Things Done. I like Mark Forester. I like Hoarders. I like The Gilbert Center and his ideas on time and technology management. I like steam cleaners and streamlining. I like nesting. I like paint colors and the idea of little alters and stolen moments. I like lists. I like books. I like books about lists. I like taking little everyday moments and treasuring them and treating them like something important. I like celebrating the everyday. I like Martha. I like cupcakes. Your blog should be like a really good cupcake. Celebrated little tidbits of decadence. Little things really worth celebrating in the everyday. Totally relished and not wolfed down while in transit to that some-other that will never be achieved. Living in the moment. I like dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds. I like the idea of one really good piece of dark chocolate over a bag of crappy stuff. One really good cup of coffee over a pot of instant. One really good vase of flowers over a whole shelf of knick knacks. I like design. I like the shape of things and how they play off each other. I like trying to mix modern and simple with farmhouse/woodsy and homey.

Monday Notes

Things of note:

Ghostbusters isn't as funny as I thought it was.

Taking three kids to a play (The Pirate Play) actually IS a good idea. All three were completely mesmerized.... even if I planned for Bugsy to nurse and nap... she wanted to watch the action. It helps that it is a one-act play and, well... PIRATES.

26 degrees is cold.

Having a meal plan is relaxing.

Hunting season is stressful.

Going to bed before 9:30pm is the new reality.

Letting your kids create a playground in the spare bedroom is a good idea.

Playing school is a fabulous idea. (I'm Mrs. Beasley and I ring a bell when we change activities.)

A new washer and dryer really is wonderful.

Spending enough time every day to read one chapter of a nice trashy novel can double as "me" time. (Even if you nurse the babe while you do it.)

Nothing is as relaxing as having all the rooms in your house tidied (notice I said "tidy" and not "clean") at one time.

Morning routine charts are good.

Alarm clocks that accidentally go off at 4:00am on non-hunting days are bad.

Cinnamon bun creamer is good.

Straightening my cowlicks and putting on mascara are my new glamour thing. (Did you hear that sister? Mascara. Me. It is a revolution.)

Danskos are excellent... especially red mary janes purchased on the cheap.

Husbands who wash their own hunting clothes are rare and treasured.

Kids who tidy their own bedrooms are rare and treasured.

New underpants will make up for a lot of shortcomings.

Drooly, teething, grinning babies are adorable.

Halloween candy is evil.

Fundraisers are also evil. Way evil.

The smell of grapefruit makes me very happy.

The taste of grapefruit juice (especially with vodka) makes me very happy.

Me-ology

Elle did it so I'm doing it.

FOODOLOGY:

What is your salad dressing of choice? Caesar from Costco. Or balsamic, olive oil & a little dijon (also, interestingly, all from Costco....)

What is your favorite sit down restaurant? Um. Brewhouse? I haven't been out in so long..... It is not, in spite of what my children believe, Applebee's.

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Costco. Or Cafe Zydeco.

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? pizza or bean and cheese burritos

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Double Mushroom, cheese, just a tiny bit of sauce

How many televisions are in your house? 2 but only one actually works

What color cell phone do you have? Damn. Where IS my cell phone? It is darkish-redish.

BIOLOGY:

Are you right-handed or left-handed? Left

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? ACL

What is the last heavy item you lifted? a futon mattress

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? yes

Have you ever fainted? yes

BULLCRAPOLOGY:

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No thanks

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Something besides mom??

How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? 2

Last person you talked to? Tuff

FAVORITOLOGY:

Season? Fall and also flower-planting

Holiday? Valentine's Day & Mother's Day & my birthday

Day of the week? Monday (what? It's my day off.)

Month? September

Color? Green

Drink? Water with no ice. Although margaritas sound good right now.

CURRENTOLOGY:

Missing someone? Yes

What are you listening to? A breast pump

Watching? Baseball

Worrying about? Money and remodeling

What's the last movie you saw? Duplicity

Do you smile often? Grinning like an idiot

If you could change your eye color what would it be? green

What's on your wish list for your birthday? Calm & Competence... oh and wireless speakers.

Can you do push-ups? I can.

Can you do a chin up? I doubt it. Please don't make me get up and try.

Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Excited.

Have you been in a Car wreck? no

Have you caused a Car wreck? no

Do you have an accent? Redneckian

Last time you cried? I can't remember but I'm sure I'm blocking out crying from exhaustion in the last several months....

Plans tonight? Make a lovely soup-salad dinner, read books, prepare for tomorrow and do some work.

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Not today anyway....

Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Um. Yesterday... nothing. But this morning I bought crazy glue, kid coat hangers & a 2010 organizer.

Have you ever been given roses? Yes

Met someone who changed your life? Yes

For the better or worse?? Yes

How did you bring in the New Year? Firing automatic weapons

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Hell no.

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? Yes. And then I married him. And he gave me roses.

What songs do you sing in the shower? All of them.

Do you like to cuddle? Yes. Love it. On the couch. But I like to spread out a little when I sleep.

Have you held hands with someone today? Yes.

Who was the last person you took a picture of? The kids.

Are most of the friends in your life new or old? Old.

Do you like pulpy orange juice? Yes... with vodka.

What is something your friends make fun of you for? My chronic need to make lists of things that don't really need to be on lists.

Last time you ate peanut butter and jelly? Sometime around 1980. I don't like pbj.

What were you doing 12 AM last night? Probably nursing in my sleep.

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Did I set the clocks in the bedroom for DST? How funny is it that my alarm is the sound of thunder? Who let the cats out of the bathroom? Who is making that noise? Is that the BABY tooting and grunting?

The Girls

I love the word brassiere. Is that how you spell it?

My grandma always used that word.

SarahP commented on a recent post that every woman, after a baby, should go get fitted and get a new bra or two.

Here's my question.

WHICH BRA?

I need some suggestions for good nursing ones.

Here's a funny story:

Before the wedding my mom came down and we took the two girls and went shopping. I needed shoes and a bra for my bridesmaid dress.

So we went to Macy's at 10:00 when they opened. Found shoes.

Shopped bras. I figured it was my only chance so I tried on lots. Tuff mimicked our every move.... holding bras out, checking the tags, holding them up to her front. Then she'd either shake her head and put them back or hang them on her arm.

So I had a LOT of bras to try on.... she was "helping" me by trying them on as well (picture it... now stop laughing) and then she went in the next dressing room and was playing "worker girl" with some extra hangers. Then she went out to find more bras.*

She brought in three bras and I will be damned if I didn't end up buying one of the ones she brought me.... how did she know my size better than I did??


*Now wait, before you think I was letting my child run wild let me assure you... it was 10am... the store had just opened and there were no child stealers in the store and, two, she was being quiet, polite and respectful and NOT making a mess.....

What are you wearing today??

I'm wearing my favorite dark orange long-sleeved t-shirt and my dark jeans.... with crazy striped multicolored socks. What? It's Friday.

The on-going and ever-lasting clothing debate continues. I guess it isn't a debate but more of an ongoing discussion about finding your personal style.

Get Rich Slowly has a great article up about clothing. Go. Read the article and the comments. Come back. Tell me what you think.

Now. Here's what I think. Yup, right on. I began my quest to discover my style in January 2008 with the great closet clean out. I gathered my sister (you can borrow her if you want.... she has great style, is honest, and won't hurt your feelings) and a cup of tea. We started into my closets with the goal of not stopping until we were done.

I discovered what everyone discovers. I wear the same stuff over and over. So I ditched the rest.... to the tune of seven large garbage bags to Good Sam's. And later a giant tub of shoes.

Then I spent a little money on a few items shopping with Elle at Kohl's and getting some capris at Eddie Bauer.

So that was almost 2 years ago. I'm finding my wardrobe needs another overhaul. Frankly, that stuff I bought two years ago is WORN OUT.... I don't care how you launder it and don't put it in the dryer.... wear it every week and it wears out.

Plus I suffer with every season change. I'm moving out of my cute skirts/plain tops/sandals outfits and into jeans and fall clothes. I need something a little classier than my dark jeans three days a week at work.

I have some "Holy Crap It Is Hard To Ditch Baby Number Three Weight" clothes now that I am wearing to work but I need to anticipate Christmas. What items should I ask for to make the perfect work/play wardrobe??

Here's what I'm thinking:

The perfect black cardigan.... maybe cashmere.
Long-sleeved black shirts.... not crew neck... v-neck or something clever..... soft fabulous fabric.
A new scarf or two. I love scarves. Something shorter maybe?
One or two tops... those crazy trendy print ones.
Something fabulous and Eileen Fisher??
Pants... what pants? I have black knit ones (yoga pants) that I wear all the time. What else?

What are you DOING this summer?

So Elle is asking.... What are you DOING this summer?

Now..... I don't really feel qualified to answer this..... I mean.... I go to an office 40 hours a week and my kids aren't in school yet.... so, with that qualification.... Here's our summer plan.

The babe is due June 28th.

Our lives are going to be simple, simple, simple....

Sweet & Tuff will do some private swim lessons in July and, possibly, an organized group set in August. This will let them be in the pool without me risking drowning 3 children (or myself) in the process.... Happy.

Wednesdays are "town" days. We will try for 10:30 story hour at the library and any errands on Wednesdays. Most times I will probably pack a snack lunch and we will eat at the park or somewhere.

Sundays are grill days. I'm going to try some new grill recipes.... veggies and stuff.... besides the usual fare of steak, burgers & hobo dinners.

We have plans to, periodically (every 10 days or so) meet family at our favorite lake-type place in town and have a picnic for dinner. Spinnin' chicken and strawberries for dinner. I love Costco.

Our daily schedule will vary but I try to sneak out of bed between 6:15-6:30 and have some quiet time... this summer I will be able to walk because Hot won't go to work until 9. On the elliptical at 7 if I can't walk. Kids get up and eat breakfast, do sunscreen, get dressed and brush teeth with minimal help. Tuff needs help with her hair and her pink sparkly lip gloss.

I shower ever day. Every. Single. Day. Mmm.... what a decadent goal.

My "projects" for the summer include cleaning the garage and painting the porch posts and upstairs outside window trim. Wish me luck.

The kids' "projects" for the summer include making fairy gardens and building things out of old wood and painting rocks.

Creek time. We try to play down by the creek a few times a week. It is cool in the heat. We also will have the swing set done and the pool on the corner of the porch. I can sit in my rocker and see everything I need to see.

Lunches will, generally, be eaten outside every day. We have a little table set up on the porch.

Saturday mornings are Farmer's Market and/or Cartoons.

Friday nights are movie nights.

I'm going to try to sneak in 8-10 hours of work a week during the first few weeks to stretch the maternity leave.

I'll let you know about mid-summer how it is all going.....

I don't really do fast food.

Just going INTO fast food places... well, it makes me feel like I'm slinking into some sleazy porn shop or something. Some people eat that stuff EVERY DAY.

But I was recovering from a stressful day at the legislature the other day and I though I needed Taco John's potato ole's to sooth my troubled mind....

Can I mention that there is NO TJ's like the Havre TJ's??? Those of you who have been there know what I'm talking about.... Havre doesn't have much going for it but they have a great TJ's and, of, course Rod's Drive-In (Home of the Ugly Burger) and the infamous triple-marshmallow Mountain Dew.

Oh. And then. I was out-smarted & upsold by a high school dropout with less than half her natural teeth. I went inside because I can't stand the pressure of the drive-thru.... I never know what I want to order. So I look at the menu and decide I want a burrito-type meal... because that's what I left at home when I forgot my lunch.... and I decide I don't want the #1 because, well, if it is #1 then it must be trendy OR the cheapest for them to make.... so I get a #2.... a burrito and ole's and a drink. I usually don't get a drink but they have ok lemonade at TJ's. So I go to order and I say, "#2" like I order fast food every day and am a pro... and SHE says, "small, medium or large" and I get really confused but I have to hurry because that's why they paint those places bright red-yellow-orange colors... so you hurry.... and there is a line so I just say, "Middle-sized" (Which.... interestingly... is what dad always says.... never "medium diet drink" but "middle-sized diet drink" and my sister mentioned her mate is the same way.... which supports my theory she is dating her father and icked her out totally AND she said she gets angry when they only have small and large as options.)

So anyway.... I pay and am leaving the cashier clutching my change and my receipt and a plastic card with the number 51 on it and it hits me. She just played me. Instead of regular, super-sized and extra-super-sized they've switched to small, medium and large. Who orders small? five-foot-two-inch tall women and children.... that's who. I consider myself average so I order regular... but when the options are s,m,l..... then average becomes medium. Tricky, tricky marketing.

I did enjoy the HELL out of those potato ole's tho....

And later in the doctor's office I read a "Time" article about child obesity and I felt really guilty.... but we've already been down THAT road......

Maternity with a B-word

No.... BUDGET, silly.

I'm almost into maternity clothes.

Here's the deal. My maternity wardrobe needs a re-vamp. As Elle has said.... styles have changed since we began birthin' pups. So I'm trying. I'm not going for a whole new wardrobe... just a few pieces to freshen things up a bit.

First, let's do the math. Baby Due June 29. And, to make it easy, let's start March 1st..... that gives us about 121 days...... seventeen weeks plus. So 85-ish work days. So how many work outfits do I really even need? Ten? Twelve? And I can wear the same things over and over again on the weekends..... I have no problem with that. Ok, maybe this is do-able. I'm planning a splurge of Victoria Secret yoga pants (unless someone has a better idea) for post-baby work wear.... think this fall. Probably 2 pairs. And I have about 4 tops I really like that are good for work.... and a few others that are ok. So what I really need is maybe 3-4 top-half outfits.

1. I don't like crew necks.... tight crew necks anyway.
2. I don't like spaghetti straps.... my maternal instinct is to corral these puppies... with a heavy-duty brassiere. (I love that word.... it reminds me of my Grandma.)
3. I don't like super tight.
4. No horizontal stripes. (Trust me, my mom has me covered in this area.... she has purchased MANY horizontally striped items for me.)
5. I like black yoga-style pants.
6. No ironing.
7. Everything must go with either black professional danskos or black Keen sandals (sorry, no linky.)

Any suggestions? Links would be appreciated. Should I just go to Target and get it over with? Shopko had some cute stuff last time I looked (ok, that was years ago). What about Kmart? My favorite summer maternity top came from there. Old Navy.com? Ebay. Gap. Anywhere else I should be looking?

Next week we will tackle my post-baby wardrobe.