Looks Like Rough Week, And I Think I'd Rather Watch From Under the Covers...

Ack.....  Woke up to snot and cough covered 2 year olds. Not a good sign, even after a pot of coffee. My two oldest have been struggling in school, one just because he doesn't "do" instructions or check answers, the other because sometimes that ADHD is the bear that wins. So this week is book report finish line week, I hope to make it with at least half the marbles I enter it with. I worry because of what my little cherub said to me yesterday while planning out the "sandwich report" (each layer of sandwich has a different report part, plot on the lettuce, characters on the cheese, etc) he says, "I can't do the bottom of the sandwich, it asks for a picture. My book didn't have any pictures." And as I slowly turned to Billy who was making lunch, trying not to giggle, Billy blurts out, "the picture is from YOUR MIND, they don't want you to trace one from the book!!!!" I'm glad he said it, makes me feel better when he's the bad cop. :) So we'll see what happens today when he gets home. I also need to paint the bedroom ceiling where the water seeped down from the upstairs bathroom and try not to catch the baby cooties and end up sick myself.

Tomorrow the temps of the 70-80's we have been blessed with will vanish and it's supposed to be a very cold week for Texas. We're supposed to wake up to 19 degrees and that means the shorties and I are staying put. BRRRR..... So, we're off to a long week, hope it's better than expected and I hope to lose maybe 1 more pound before the Super Bowl Food Extravaganza hits the Ryann home. :) I may even squeeze in a work out, you never know! If I get frustrated enough with kids' homework and lack of motivation, I may need to yell at Jillian Michaels after the kids go to sleep. :)

Weight Watchers Makes A Grown Man Turn Into A Pregnant Woman When it Comes To Food...

Billy had to get a new Blackberry (his had some tech glitch) on Friday. He comes home, we have dinner and he is tinkering with the new phone.  Earlier he had taken a picture of his dinner, a nice omelet stuffed with veggies and cheese. Low and behold, my husband had made that omelet picture his wallpaper on the phone. I kid you not. All weekend he keeps showing me "that beautiful pic".... I'm not sure he's eating all his points.... :)

Supposed to hit 80 today, hoping for a nice long family walk... Have a great Sunday!

That Whole Refusing To Read Directions Thing Has Got To Be Genetic....

So one of my 10 year old boys is struggling in math. Not the best subject for me to help with, but really if I can't figure out 5th grade math, I should be ashamed and mocked in public....  Anyway, I had him bring me his lowest graded assignment and as we went through all the missed problems, I realize that he got a lot of them wrong because he DIDN'T READ THE DIRECTIONS!!!  Really?!?! That afflicts young boys? I just figure that was a guy thing when they start driving, heading out on road trips and scoffing at their silly wives for even suggesting that maps might be a good idea. :)  My 10 year old has proven to me that they must be born that way.  But until they can use it in the car or when they are building bikes at 2 a.m. on Christmas Eve, they just do it to self destruct in math... Awesome....

Have an awesome weekend, I plan on watching "Once Upon a Potty" at least 1800 times with the shorties. :)

Time For Me To Put On My Big Girl Pants... And Do I Count Activity Points for Watching a Workout?

This morning Billy and I packed up our sweet shorties and toured a nearby Mothers Day Out Program for the shorties. It was wonderful.... Small class size, great facilities, incredibly nice staff. But MY BABIES?!?!?!?  I know, I know, these are babies 4 and 5, I have done this before, everybody is still alive and as far as I know, mentally stable and happy.  But they're just so LITTLE... (umm, in age, they're freaking HUGE for 2 year olds. Over 3 feet tall and at least 37 pounds of joy) Honestly, Emi will be fine. She was all over the room exploring, even if shyly looking at the other kids.  But my Simonster was not leaving his Daddy's side and when his beloved twin did, he started calling... "EMI... EMI...", like she was going into the deep, dark forest never to be seen from again... Even though she was 3 feet away from him.... He is lost without her, he looks for her reaction to new things before he has one.  So in reality, this is a good thing for him. But my monster has a short fuse. Are they going to know what he wants? And yes, I know it won't matter. He needs to go into the world and figure it all out, no matter how many times he fails. (how over dramatic am I?) And these are my last babies, that of course kills me. All my babies are growing up.

Sigh... I'm going to fill out the registration forms. My caterpillar eyebrows will thank me when I have alone time to get them done. My kids will have a happier, more relaxed mommy.  I will have actual daylight work out time. For that my thighs will thank me. See, I just needed to list the pros and cons. 

Ok, enough boo hooing. I have an awesome low point meal in the crock pot, I watched Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD, (I'm a dork, but I always watch the new work outs before doing them, I am a total klutz.)
and I found a great place for my shorties. Have a great day y'all!

And Now We Have A Super Bowl Party Menu! (Weight Watchers points suspended that day)

Well, it looks like this will be a pizza free Super Bowl.  Oh well, I was really looking forward to trying a deep dish gluten free pizza. Bright side, it might have been a disaster and that is never fun when you suspend point counting for the day!  So now we have the Packers vs. the Steelers and our menu will probably look something like this: (unless you know better and let me know what quintessential Green Bay or Pittsburgh food item is missing)

A glorious cheese tray (Kevin and I are quite the cheese fans, so we'll sit close to this one!)
The Primanti sandwich from Pittsburgh (this involves slaw and fries ON THE SANDWICH), hello, this may be worth the extra workouts that will surely follow....
The Brat of course, for those of us unwilling to try the sandwich... I mean, I am partying with picky 10 year olds...
And the dessert of the Klondike Bars, from Pittsburgh! And they are gluten free, so really very little work to make all of this workable for me.

I have already ordered my sandwich rolls from  http://thelittleaussiebakery.com/ here in town. I cannot tell you how amazing their food is, all gluten free. They also ship all over the U.S. now too!

So that is our work in progress menu as of now, I'm sure Billy will tweek it here and there.  Today I have one big kid home, still recovering from one of his worst bouts of illness in a really long time. Let me know if I have left off some huge menu item that my Super Bowl menu must include!!!

This is The House Of Ick.....

I know that you are supposed to blog daily, at least in the beginning, but from Friday on, my house has required a hazmat suit to enter.  First it was just the shorties and Olivia with some cough, snot covered grossness that really just required Tylenol and tissues.  Actually, this past school semester, my kids have really been healthy, no flu, stomach bug, strep, nothing.  Saturday, Kevin had a basketball game, so I kept three snot kids home and Billy took the older boys.  When Kevin got home, he said he wasn't feeling well, an hour later there was projectile vomit everywhere, he was gray-green and crying.  It was awful.  Two hours later, he continued it.... in the KITCHEN....  That was a first for us.  And talk about a clean up session.  Let's move on....  So he was sick off and on all night, but today seems ok, not sure if it's viral or food poisoning.  So blogging is in the back seat for now, Sundays are full of getting ready for the week and Olivia has a big test tomorrow.  So I feel better for posting something, albeit unpleasant to read.  Hopefully this coming week will be eventful, but healthy.

And as far as our Super Bowl menu stands, we have brats leading deep dish, and it's looking like it may be over... Next is thin crust and cheesecake  versus this french fry sandwich thing we found online...

Mitochondrial DNA and Generational Stages, You Know, Pillow Talk??

I have been married to Billy for over 13 years now, together for 6 before that.  He is really my other half, I think we balance each other as well as we possibly could.  I talk too much, he is really quiet unless the topic is necessary.  I laugh out loud. And often.  When I say "wasn't that funny?!"  He always responds with, "yeah, I'm laughing inside."  (who does that?!)  But our conversations at night always reaffirm this ying and yang thing we have...

Me: So why are some guys so hairy?

Billy: (long pause) Well, you know that everyone is in a different generational phase, right?

Me: Maybe it's for warmth...

Billy: See, every one is different.  I'm in a different generation than you are....

Me: (cutting in) Oh Lord, this isn't going to turn into some physics conversation about black holes or the "Singularity", is it?  SNORE... (umm, Google it if you need to, I couldn't really explain it here)

Billy:  The Singularity?!?! No, this is nothing like that.  Please, I was thinking about Mitochondrial DNA."

Me:  Of course you were...  I was afraid we were going to have to start talking about that.  That's worse than that movie you made me watch about the black hole...

Billy: "Dark Matter".... I still say that scene with the Asian kid selling make up to Meryl Streep should have been award winning.  It's as good as "I drink your milkshake".

Me:  Whatever... Nobody saw your stupid Dark Matter movie and the scene was not anything like "I drink your milkshake." Cannot compare...

Billy:  You didn't even see the milkshake scene, you fell asleep.

Me:  I saw it, they replayed it on tv a lot during award season.


See, that's the ying and the yang......

Yes, We're Going To Our Potty, Potty....

I know they're young. (They turned 2 last November)  But I've never had toddlers consistently tell me they were wet as much as these two.  So I am biting the bullet, ordered the best potty song video of all time (my 9 year old can STILL sing it to this day!), set up the throne potty (chimes when you pee and stand up) in both bathrooms, and I have a stash of treats at the ready (we all love eating chocolate in the bathroom). Oh, and incase you needed a potty dvd, or just wanted to jam to the potty, potty song, this is the one I have used for the 3 older kids and now the 2 younger ones.

6:30 a.m. Simon is up and roaring, grab him and rush to the potty and discuss the finer points of going pee pee in said potty. HE WENT! HOLY CRAP, HE DID IT! All over the place, I mean in the potty, on his pj bottoms that were nearby, under the potty, and the bathroom rug. Sigh.... Darn boy parts.... Emi follows with such a wet diaper she can't have anything left inside. 5 minutes later, my sweet girl is repeating "potty, potty" and nothing else. Ok, I am one for 2, I'll take it.

7 a.m. Emi is all "wet, wet, potty mommy", so we're off. (if nothing else I am burning calories) Umm, she already went before we got there. But the sweet girl says, "mommy potty?" and points to the 'flushing toilet' across the way.  Always thinking of others. :)

7:10 Simon reeks. Said nothing in advance. Oh well....

7:50 Emi was feeling left out, joins Simon in the scent, but still wants to go sit on the potty.  As she sits there she leans over and shuts the door on me. The kid already needs her privacy?!?!

So I took them again a little later, nothing and then again right before nap time. This of course means that as I type this, they are peeing like horses in their nap pull ups.

Then we're back at it after  nap time.  Simon is dry and won't pee. Grrr... I am way older now than when I did this with my older kids, that is clear....

Wait a minute.... Perhaps my sweet boy is peeing everywhere is due to the fact that I didn't attach the splash guard?? Umm, why can't I find that splash guard?

12:43 p.m., Emi yells "peepee!" And we're off.... To see absolutely nothing. Obviously this would be better with wine....

1:45 p.m. My dad stops by to see the shorties... They're practically naked from the waist down and we're not changing that for the visit.... Suffice it to say it was a short visit.  He didn't have to go potty :) 

So here I sit at 7:30 p.m., little ones in bed. Whew, day one is over.  I must admit, I'm not sure they're really ready.  Or I'm not.... 

I'm going to have to figure in WW points for the wine I'm going to need during potty training...

So If You Take A Weight Watchers 1 Point Fudge Bar And Tweek It.....

If you just tweek it a little, like say, cut it up in a bowl, add a chopped banana, and some sugar free chocolate syrup, can we still call it a 1 point snack? :)  I tell ya, Billy and I are three weeks in and we're struggling on weekends.  During the week, you're knee deep in kids' homework, extracurriculars, the shorties' physical therapies, the week is so packed in, it's easier to not be hungry.  But man, when the weekend hits, everyone is mellow and time seems to move slower around here, the stomach seems to growl more often.  The kids had take out pizza tonight for dinner, and I swear, I thought Billy and I were going to weep.  That gray tilapia on my plate just wasn't the same....  We will overcome, sometimes it's just way harder than others.  At least I have a partner in going without, I can't imagine doing this while watching the hubby put that pizza away with the kids.  Starting the exercise program is next, God help me....  Between Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and Jackie Warner's DVD, I probably won't survive.

This are really picking up steam around here, Kevin's basketball games started this week, thank God he missed the basket when he shot towards the opposing team's goal. :)  He's just working out the kinks.  
My Super Bowl Food Team Update:

Looks like we are down to four: Green Bay, Chicago, New York, and Pittsburgh...
I see a lot of bagels and pizza for the big game.  Fine by me, Billy and I are going to experiment if Chicago advances and try a gluten free deep dish pizza.  I can't wait to give it a shot.  Brats and those french fry sandwiches could be yummy too.

EGAD/ Quote of the Night: "Everybody was talking about New England's defense, they couldn't stop a nose bleed." --- New York Jets' Bart Scott

Ok, So I Know I Live in Texas, But There is a COYOTE In My Yard!!!

Last Tuesday night I looked out the front window and thought our dog had gotten out. (my boys refuse to close the gate correctly)  So I open the front door and as I am about to shout "Nutmeg", I think that's a weird dog.  Billy quickly walks to me and quietly says, "shut the door, that's a coyote."  In my FREAKING front yard?!?!?  I live in the middle of a big city, I mean I understand there's wildlife and all, but hanging out by my park bench?!? (and yes, I totally forgot to take a picture)  So as the kids and I watch it roam from yard to yard, I remembered a few months ago one of our outdoor cats, sweet Queso was snatched up by a coyote (we figure, the neighbor found a leg... ewwwww).  Here's the thing, when we lived in Connecticut for a few years, we got the two cats because we lived on an acre and all the neighbors said to because of the field mice...  (totally separate disgusting story...) So when we returned to Texas, along came Nacho and Queso, our combat cats.  Anyway, they have always had a cat door to get into the garage, but one of my boys is allergic, so they can't come all the way in.   So forward a few days and Billy tells me that Olivia hasn't seen Nacho for food in a few days and we better plan for a sad story and a weepy 9 year old.  Well, today our neighbor brought me Nacho's collar.....  That can't be a good sign.  But did a coyote really come back for seconds?!?!  And why isn't he hitting up our next door neighbor?  They've got SIX cats, would they miss one of them?  Or were our cats not as savvy or street smart?  Survival of the fittest, right?  So now my poor Olivia  (and surprisingly Kevin too) is heartbroken over Nacho.  :(  Is there a pox on my house?  It must be an awful way to go....  Sigh.... 

So it's not a good start to our three day weekend...  To end this on a happier note, Kevin's basketball team won today. (I couldn't just end the blog with the sadness)  And for those following my husband's quest for hair removal, the ear lobes have now scabbed up.  And he refuses to stop.....

Sometimes Weight Watchers Pushes You Too Far and a Super Bowl Food Update...

As Billy and I are trucking along on the Weight Watchers program, (we are sticking to the old program that we have always been successful with) sometimes you have eaten all your points, it's late at night and you are simply starving...  So Billy was up late and took drastic measures...  He ate a pickle ( 0 pts, it usually does the trick for me) but it wasn't enough...  Then he finds a jar of jalapenos, that's got to be 0 pts.  So he starts eating them (I will NEVER be this hungry!).  He said they weren't that hot, he was making his way through the jar and hit a really hot pepper.  Well, what do you do to kill the heat?!  Drink milk!  So he's got a mouthful of milk and realizes milk has points!!  So he's swishing the milk around his mouth, trying not to swallow, but you know it didn't work...  So he ended up ingesting points when he was trying so hard to eat "free foods".  Absolutely cracked me up.....

By the way, if you read yesterday's blog, he still has red dots all over his ears...  He's not backing down on the Nair/ ear hair solution....  Sigh, he is stubborn....

So the Super Bowl food update.  Billy has decided (probably as he was trying to put out the fire in his mouth) that we should start with breakfast instead of just the Super Bowl game spread. Here's what's in the running.  If you know other food options, feel free to comment and fill us in! (Correct us if we're wrong!)

Chicago: breakfast still unknown, maybe Chicago bagels??-- Deep dish pizza
Seattle: Starbucks breakfast-- Sushi/ salmon for the game
Atlanta: Grits and biscuits breakfast-- fried chicken for the game
Green Bay: Breakfast unknown-- Cheese platter, brats for the game

New England: breakfast unknown-- clam chowder, baked beans for game
Baltimore: breakfast unknown-- blue crab w/ Arnold Palmers to drink
Pitt: Breakfast unknown-- Primonti sandwiches
NY: Bagel for breakfast-- Thin crust pizza and cheesecake for the game

Sometimes I Just Don't Know How These Conversations Start....

Do you and your spouse have these kinds of conversations?  I'm hoping so, or I am going to feel really strange after posting this...  (and I did ask the hubby if I could post this one!)

So I am in the bathroom brushing my teeth last night and  Billy comes in to chat.  He starts telling me that he's found a great new use for Nair....  (background, my sweet Billy uses Nair on his back. Hairy, but so lovable...) So I of course hesitate, because Billy tends to use strange methods to achieve things...

Billy:  "You know how I am getting ear hair? Just swoosh it in there and wait, then Q-tip it out."

Me:  "WHAT?!?! That can't be safe. It could affect your hearing. Stop that."

Billy:  "Are you kidding?! Do you know how hard it is to get in the crevasses of your ear?! This is GREAT!"

Me:  "Ohmygosh, your ear is bleeding! There are red dots all over your ears! Did you just do this?!"

Billy: (casually wiping blood off his right ear)  "So I need to work out the kinks... It said 3 minutes, I probably went over."

Me: (quickly grabbing the Nair bottle out of the shower..) "Billy, it says use on legs, underarms, and bikini line. Nothing about EARS..."

Billy:  "BIKINI LINE! See! Same thing!"

Me: "Same thing?!?!? YOU CAN'T HEAR OUT OF THERE!!!" (wildly gesturing to my crotch)

Billy: "Some people say...."

Me: leaves the bathroom...... Heads to the bedroom... "Ummm, can I post this on the blog?"

Billy:  "What do I care?"    That's my Billy.......


So, you've had that conversation before, right???  :)

I slacked off, I admit it... Let's talk Superbowl.... Food.....

I have been gone for a few days, which I know if I am starting to blog is not really the path to take. :)  Billy and I have been dealing with a really awful (well awful as a mom, if I told you the whole story you probably wouldn't quite go with awful...)  situation at school with one of my boys.  Here's hoping that everything is settled and we can move on...

Simon

Aaron and I at Cowboy Camp

We are a football family.  I mean, we live in Texas, so it's assumed, but my husband is a huge Dallas Cowboy fan and seriously just loves the sport.  We have always watched games together, we play fantasy football (I won the Superbowl this year, thankyouverymuch!),  and we have made the Superbowl a family event.  I'm not even sure how it happened...  Every year we start January back on program and we diligently diet and exercise until that beautiful Sunday.  My kids see the Superbowl a little differently.  They go by food.  See, we choose the menu at home based on the teams playing.  Like last year, we got take out from Pappadeux and had fried alligator.  Billy works hard and finding something from the team's town and fun for the kiddos.  So as Billy is watching playoffs, my kids are yelling, "I want cheese to win!!!" (Green Bay) or "No, I want Cheese steak to win!!!" (Philly)  It's funny to hear, they come down and ask for score updates and Billy will tell them that cheese has pulled ahead.

So this is where we stand as of last week's results: (we do have to get creative with some stuff to be gluten free for me)

Chicago: deep dish pizza
Seattle: Starbucks, seafood (sushi will be easy for GF)
Atlanta: fried chicken (I may have to starve) and maybe peach pie? Peach ice cream?
Green Bay: cheese platter, brats

New England: clam chowder, fried clams
Baltimore: crab with Arnold Palmers' to drink (I have no clue what Billy means by that)
Pitt: something called a Primonti sandwich
Jets: Thin crust pizza and cheesecake

Ok, now if I go by food, I'm looking for a Jets/ Seattle game.  Does pizza and sushi work together???

What do y'all do for Superbowl food?  My best friend doesn't even watch the game for the commercials. Ugh....  I worry for her children.... :)

Explain To Me These Facebook Reunions That Lead To Affairs and Broken Marriages...

Ummm.... Ok, so let me see if I understand this correctly.  There are people signing up for Facebook, finding old friends from high school, reconnecting with their past.  I get that, I have done it myself to an extent.  The ones I don't understand are the people that are reconnecting with high school boyfriends/girlfriends and then meeting up and rekindling romances, quite a few breaking up marriages...  I had heard about this before but recently I had an up and close front seat to it.  I accepted a friend request from a girl (because in my head she is still 17), I sort of remember her, so why not.  A few hours later she is posting like crazy about someone she's madly in love with (her info says she's divorced) and as the comments follow, the object of her affection is another alumni that apparently is still married and acknowledges they are "in love and boyfriend and girlfriend"....  Umm, does your wife know?! Here's the big thing that my shallow self cannot grasp.... (oh, I'd like to add that I did quickly delete this girl/home wrecker, not my cup of tea) How is it that the two of you weren't hot and heavy in high school, but now, 20 years later, years that apparently were not kind to either one of you (umm, not to me either, 20 years affects all of our elasticity and firmness.) I mean, he has lost his hair, has found at least 50 pounds, and you can't stay away from that fine piece of meat?! I mean, not even taking into account the marriage, the children that you are about to irreparably damage for life, just the shallow parts.... What on earth is rocking your boat?!  I'm sure that you feel like your marriage failed, what's another, and damnit, you can't fight love, but give me a break.... He's not the same boy you knew and the baggage just isn't worth it.... My guess is you'd rather be back in the life you led in 1989.....  I hope one of your FB friends emails his wife.....

You Know You've Been Married a Long Time When Late Night Conversations Involve Different Strokes and Mrs. Garrett....

So late at night, after all the kiddos are rustled into bed, is really the only time of day during the week when Billy and I can sit down and talk.  It's uninterrupted, quiet conversation.  Usually littered with kid-talk, impossible not to talk about the five of them, but we try and make the time to catch up and talk like people, not just parents....  Last night, I just don't know what happened....

Billy: "What's going to happen when Willis dies? (don't even ask how it started, I couldn't tell you) I hope Mrs. Garrett and Tootie speak at the funeral."

Me: "Umm, impossible, why would Tootie be there?! She never did a cross-over episode."

Billy: "Oh and if she was in roller skates that would be awesome!" (like I never even spoke)

Me: "I told you, Tootie would never be at Willis' funeral, they didn't know each other.... Poor Webster, never had the same audience."

Billy: "I get them confused."

Me: "Don't be all short black orphan adopted by rich old white people confused. It's racist."

Billy: "Racist to who, short black orphans or old rich white people?" Then he tries to tell me he's never seen an episode of either show.... WHATEVER.....

And this is why I married this man 13 years ago.  I don't think I could have this conversation with anyone else.... 

And just in case anyone else needs the refresher:

Different Strokes

Webster

Back to School and Yes, I am Starving, Thank You New Years Resolution.....

Kids were up this morning by 6:30 (only because hubby remembered in the middle of the night to set alarms)  and quickly got back in the swing of things.  I had lunches ready, Kevin had his violin, Billy was going to drop off the nebulizer on the way to work, we were firing on all cylinders....  Until 12:30 when the school nurse called to tell me I had forgotten Aaron's ADHD meds.  OOPS...  So the shorties and I packed up and drove to school with meds in hand apologizing for my lack of organization.  Not the best start.  :)  The poor little ones spent half of the morning asking me for their older siblings.  Two weeks out of school, they just got so used to them around they were a little unbalanced.

So what do most people do when the New Years start?  Those darn resolutions, "I'm going to work out regularly" "I'm going to lose weight", "stop smoking", whatever.  So here I am.  Back on program with Billy.  We did Weight Watchers years ago, hit lifetime, all was good.  (This was my second stint with WW, I did it in college and lost 45 pounds).  But at the close of every year, Billy and I tend to slide, I get sick of exercise, he misses fried food.  So we enjoy ourselves and then the first of the year gets us back on the horse.  But this year is a little different.  2011 has Billy and I turning 40.  I don't want to turn 40 and FEEL 40.  So it matters more. I don't have a lot to lose.  If I drop 8 pounds, I am wedding dress weight.  But I don't look the same.  I tell Billy I have become a shape-shifter. The number doesn't look the same on the body that it did at 27 when we got married. Now I am kinda pear shaped and it aint pretty.  So I can't put a number on it, I want to have a more fit shape.  (I prefer a number to be able to strive for, it's much more in my comfort level.)  So we started yesterday.  I am HUNGRY... And water does NOT fill you up. FOOD fills you up.  Losing weight is hard.  We will persevere, it's just going to suck for awhile.  But I will look fabulous when I turn 40.  If I admit to it when the time comes. :)

What was your resolution?