Fit Mama Club Week 4

Short version: This week sucked. The idea of cutting out caffeine was a total bust, and I actually added more - Folgers instant mocha cappuccino. That stuff is GOOD for $4 a can! Much better than $4 a cup at the hospital coffee shop, that's for sure.

The breakdown:

Last Week's High -Sticking with lots of water. Foot is feeling better so I took the stairs more this week. Ate Quaker high-fiber oatmeal for breakfast instead of stopping at Krystal on my way to work.
Last Week's Low - Ate in the cafeteria a couple times again. Too much dessert.
Plan for This Week - Keep up with the water. Add in more activity. As long as I keep moving, I don't have the hip/leg pain. Replace my scale.

A new dessert

Warming to room temperature

In a comment on Wednesday's "Let's chat" blog post, Amanda from Passion. Dedication. Life. Us. mentioned eating smearcase. I had NEVER heard of it before that comment, and she very nicely gave me a link explaining it and a recipe. It sounded delicious, so I tried making it yesterday.

First, here is the Washington Post article describing it, and also with the recipe.


I am glad to say my Kitchenaid stand mixer finally got some use again. I don't do a lot of baking, so it does get a bit neglected. After letting the cream cheese and eggs warm to room temperature, I started mixing for the crust. It was easier to put it in the dish than I thought it would be, although I realized when I poured the filling in later that it wasn't exactly even. Oh well, it still held up. 

The crust

Mixing the filling

After the crust I washed out the mixing bowl and the wire mixing thing, and added the cream cheese and sugar. I set the timer for two minutes, and let it go. I like this part of mixing! I should probably use the stand mixer more often!  Next was the milk, eggs, vanilla (I used clear vanilla extract), and flour. When it was all mixed, I poured it over the crust and baked for an hour.

Ready for the oven

I did leave off the cinnamon, as suggested in the article. It's been fun trying out the smearcase with various toppings. Yesterday I tried it with strawberries and caramel (separately, not on the same piece) and today I tried with wildflower honey on top. It is not strongly flavored, so it is a great dessert for various toppings. I want to try with chocolate and fruit jam, also.

Now the true taste-test: would the girls like it? Sophie tried some of mine yesterday and smacked her lips and said "yummm" and of course wanted more. Emma had some today with strawberry topping, and said it was "amazing."

I will definitely be making this again!

A nice treat and a laugh

Today, I had a very nice and very rare treat - my husband and I had lunch together! It is quite unusual for us to be able to eat together during the work day as we work on opposite ends of town, and neither of us has the time in the  middle of the day to make the trip. If we did we wouldn't have time to eat! He was traveling today, visiting dealers (he's an account manager with a consumer electronics wholesale company) and was in my area at lunchtime, so he called, picked me up, and we went out. We ate at Lenny's Sub Shop. We ordered, and the cashier told me the total... so I turned to my husband. He offered, he's buying, right? =) I did tell him I'd make dinner tonight since he was buying lunch. (I make dinner almost every night.) I did buy us each a cookie for dessert on one of my refill trips.

Hint: No matter how thirsty you are, do NOT drink 4 glasses of tea at lunch if you are going back to work.

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I have to share a funny story about myself, too. I had some x-rays taken on Monday after my doctor's appointment. The doctor had told me he was just ordering a couple simple films, nothing comprehensive. He really didn't think the problem was in my hip itself, but wanted to just rule it out.

When the technician took me into the x-ray room, she asked if my pants had a metal zipper. Yes. So she put a sheet over me and I had to pull them down to my knees. X-rays were taken, and she checked them. More taken, rechecked. I was really getting uncomfortable on the table.
Finally, she came over to me. "This is going to sound like a strange question, but is there maybe a metal charm on your underwear? Like an X maybe?"
I tried to remember what I had put on that morning.
Oh.
Yes. There was an x on my undies.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who doesn't often remember what kind of undies I'm wearing! Although usually it doesn't matter.

She laughed, I laughed, had to pull them down also (now talk about uncomfortable on the table! Image doing that while lying down, with a very painful left hip/leg/knee, and staying covered, in front of 2 complete strangers!) X-rays were retaken, all was well again. Redressed, and I finally was able to go home.

I almost wish the x-rays WOULD show something, just to make all that worth it!

Five shows I can't wait to see again this fall!

I don't consider myself a TV junkie, but I guess we do watch a lot. Not nearly as much as some people I know, but it is basically on whenever we are home. We record most of our shows on the DVR, though, and watch later or on weekends when we're home. There are some shows, though, that I am counting down until their return.

1. Bones Did you SEE how the last episode ended?  OMG. After seasons and seasons of will-they-or-won't-they, the whole dream-in-a-coma torture for us, and the hilariously sweet culmination of Angela and Hodgens' on and off relationship with the birth of their beautiful baby, Bones tells Booth that she's pregnant with his child. I cannot wait to see what happens next! Even though a couple seasons back the character wanted to have a baby and asked Booth to be the father, and Emily Deschanel is pregnant in real life, I truly thought she'd likely have the baby during their break and it would never affect the show. This is so much better.

2. Dexter I just love this show. I was late to the Dexter game, though, watching the first four seasons via Netflix while recording the fifth to watch. After the intense immersion into the show, it is so hard to wait for season six to begin! After last season, it seemed like Dexter was growing as a person. I am dying (ha!) to know if the show will touch on a big diffeernce in the book series, though - in the books, Dexter's sister Deb knows what he is and what he does, and protects him. I think that is coming in the series, but not quite yet. Athough it would be super interesting to see how that plays out.

3. House Another "can you believe that ending?" show. Poor House. He just can't let himself be happy, can he? Hugh Laurie is a brilliant actor. The relationship between House and Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) is priceless. I was disappointed to learn that Lisa Eddlestein (Cuddy) wouldn't be back this season, but I really want to know what happens next. I did love the interactions between House and Cuddy's little daughter, though. I will definitely miss that.

4. Gene Simmons Family Jewels I have never been a KISS fan. I couldn't name five of their songs, and if it wasnt' for my husband telling me "this is a KISS song" I would only be able to name one. Maybe two. When this show was first being promoted before it aired, I thought "Just what we need, another celebrity self-promotion show." Eyeroll. Then I watched it, mostly as a joke the first time to annoy my reality-tv-hating husband. And we were hooked. Even Emma is hooked. We have watched every episode of all six seasons. The result? I still am not a KISS fan, but am a huge fan of Gene and Shannon (who I couldn't have picked out of a photo before the show). They have done an amazing job raising their children Nick and Sophie to be smart, capable, NORMAL people. I know the season finale was just last night, but what a cliffhangar! Both Gene and Shannon tweeted during the episodes this season, which was an added bonus. Neither have given away the answer, though. I can't wait to see it!

5. Castle Another brilliantly funny show with a loveable cast! I also LOVE that the books written by Richard Castle the character are published for real - complete with liner notes, author bio, acknowledgements, and all! It's great! And though I'd only known him from Firefly before this show (thanks again to my husband) I've become a fan of Nathan Fillion. I'd read in an interview a couple years ago where the interviewer commented that he is very much like his Castle character in real life, and that does in fact seem to be true. The cast of this show is amazing, and once again - cliffhangar ending. Did she have on a bulletproof vest? Did she hear him? What will happen next??






We have some other favorites, too: Chuck,  Big Bang Theory, Glee (for Emma and myself, anyway), a few others, but these five are the ones I'm tempted to mark on my calendar.

But has anyone else noticed that the fall shows are premiering almost a month later this year?? What's up with that??

What shows are you excited to see return?

Let's chat

Pretend we're sitting down for coffee. What are you drinking? I'll be having something chocolately sweet and delicious. But no whipped cream. Not a fan. It will take a while for it to cool off until I can drink it, so let's get to know each other.

What is the weather where you live? I know for most of the US right now, the answer is "hot." Unbearably hot. But the west coast is looking great. If you're in the southern hemisphere, it's winter. Are you having a very cold winter? Mild? Tell me about it!

How is your day? Hopefully you're having a good day. After two busy days at work, I had a quieter day. That happens occasionally, though. Do you work? Volunteer? Spend the day being Supermom? or Superdad? What is your favorite part of your job?

Let's get a snack. This is my imaginary coffee shop, so of course it carries whatever I want. Right now, I'll take a plate of fresh fruit, sharp cheddar cheese, and wheat crackers. That is my favorite snack. But I'll share if you'd like. Do you have a favorite snack? Tell me! I'm sure it's waiting to be served :)

Oh, the tv in the corner is on a news station. Let's turn it off, quick. I'm feeling information overload right now - too much going on. Norway attacks, celebrity deaths, economy drama, tragedy, horror... let's forget all that for a while. What is something good that has happened in your life lately?

Ooh, coffee is the perfect temperature now. Warm but not so hot it burns the mouth and tongue. Drink up!

Tuesday tidbits

That was too easy. I honestly get annoyed by cutesy alliterative blog post titles, but I couldn't think of anything else.
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So far I've had fairly busy days at work this week. This is a great thing! My total number of calls has been down for July, but I was also off for a week. I know it would be much higher if I worked those days. I like being busy - it makes the day go by so much faster.  I honestly do enjoy my job, however.

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Right this minute, Sophie is wearing only a diaper and my black sequined flats, walking around the living room. It's so fun to watch her play!

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Speaking of playing, after dinner my husband and Emma played Kinect Sports. Sophie LOVES the Kinect! She tries so hard to play along. Finally Emma set up a game for her to play and she was so excited. Later while Em and her daddy "bowled" I cuddled with Sophie and Sesame Street on my laptop through Netflix instant queue. She loves that show! I think it's the music.

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Yesterday I saw a new doctor. I'd been wanting to find a new primary care doctor for a long time now, but I pretty much only go when I'm SICK and not getting better on my own. Or my husband makes me. But changing insurers at work really gave me the push (and excuse) I needed. My hip has been hurting for a few weeks now, but lately has gotten very bad. Many times I have a hard time standing up after sitting for a few minutes. I can't straighten my leg or back and have sharp burning pain. He checked it out and the joint itself seems fine, and he thinks it's my back actually causing the pain. Which makes sense to me, since it hurts there also. I had some xrays at the hospital yesterday, also, to rule out a hidden problem deep in the joint. I will probably have an MRI soon, too. The xrays hurt the most out of everything yesterday, oddly enough. The moving around and rolling side to side on the hard table, and getting into the positions for best exposure of my hip were pretty painful. Last night was the worst pain night I've had yet. Hopefully this will get cleared up soon. With our family history, he wants to be pretty aggressive in finding the cause and hopefully treating it.  Since I had fallen ten days prior and hurt my foot, he was concerned that the incidents were connected, indicating a neurological problem, until I assured him the fall was from a combination of wet steps, slip-on heels, and thoughtless rushing. Could happen to anyone!

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Klout is very interesting to me. I wonder how it determines what topics users are influential in. Mine have changed - now it's glasses, California (???!! I've never even been there!), teens, moms, children, shoes, movies, photography, health, songs, and choices. Interesting. Some I agree with, some confuse me. But it's interesting.

Writing break

And now for something competely different...
I found a first line here and start with it and just write. I'll write until I have to stop to think and we'll see where this goes. Enjoy! (Hopefully)

It wasn't as if anyone got hurt.  I mean, I really didn't do anything THAT wrong. It wasn't even illegal... I think. I hope. Wow, what have I gotten myself into? It seemed so simple and so easy, just a quick little thing, a nonevent really, then it would be over and everything would be better again. Nothing drastic, even. I could pay off my debts, take care of Sally's medical bills, maybe take her on a vacation somewhere. She always wanted to go to Italy, that would be nice. I wouldn't even quit my job - that would draw too much attention to myself. Debts people wouldn't be obvious, and the vacation I could explain away easily. A contest, an inheritance maybe. I would save for retirement, put some away for college for the kids. It was so easy, too. Just a little switch and a payoff, no one would get hurt and no one would notice. He said it would be so easy. He said no one would get  hurt. He said no one would know it was me. He said my family would be safe. Instead, I'm sitting in this cell with robbers and assaulters and rapists and CRIMINALS! I'm not a criminal - what will happen to me in here? What went wrong?

Missing from our local news - why?

A few days ago, I was surprised to read on Perez Hilton about a visitor at Dollywood being asked to turn her "Marriage is so gay" t-shirt inside out in order to gain entry into the park. Surely it would have been on our local news since Dollywood IS local. I first thought it was a fake story, like the ones posted from The Onion or Notsville. But no, it was actually real.

Of course Dolly herself had nothing to do with the incident, since her concert here was over and she was off to another state. The general consensus also is that she would NOT approve. A PR person for the park says it was a misunderstanding, and the employee was following the park's strict dress code policy and not targeting a specific group, but really? Is the shirt that bad? Offensive? I've been going to Dollywood since I was a small child and have never seen anyone's clothing considered at the gates. I haven't been in a few years, though - maybe it's a new policy?

I am really surprised that none of our local news stations or newspaper have mentioned this story. There was lots of live coverage of Dolly's concert last week - surely this was newsworthy also?

I can't help but wonder about the media silence about this.

Fit Mama Club Week 3

Another week down! I really need to buy another scale so I can really track my progress. I have noticed that a couple pairs of pants that were getting a little tight are tight no longer. Hooray! I feel much better and have more energy. I can really tell the differences on days I drink a lot of water versus the days when I have soda or tea instead. I have really cut down on both of those, even on water-light days. I am keeping more alternatives in the house - lemonade, Koolaid, juices. I also have two varieties of Mio water flavoring at work. I will take a bottle of water with me in the mornings, and refill it all day.

The breakdown:
Last Week's High -Only had soda 2 or 3 times this week! I am making better snack choices, too.
Last Week's Low - Ate lunch in the cafeteria a couple days this week - including Mexican Day. Beef and bean burrito covered in cheese sauce with rice and beans. SO not good for me, but it was yummy! Foot is still sore, and I'm having a lot of hip pain so can't be as active as I'd like.
Plan for This Week- I am considering cutting out caffeine completely for the week. Not sure if I'm brave enough for that or not - we'll see how it goes. I am seeing a doctor tomorrow about  my hip, so hopefully it will be better soon and I can do more! I also plan to take the stairs more at work, to get more exercise in my day.

To those having trouble commenting on my blog

It seems to be an issue with many people, especially with those using Internet Explorer. I was having the same problem on a computer that is IE-only (ugh!) until I clicked the bar that appeared at the top that said something about running ActiveX controls or something like that. Now it works just fine.

This is a link to the Blogger help forum, with solutions to fix the problem. Hopefully one of them will help.
Good luck!
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=635d9de0dc607d47&hl=en

Boy vs girl

I love this song. Marina is brilliant anyway, but with this song she really nails it. The full lyrics are written beneath the video on YouTube (may need to click the "show more" bar) but here are some of my favorite snippets:
"Girls are not meant to fight dirty
Never look a day past thirty"

"Girls they never befriend me
Because I fall asleep when they speak
Of all the calories they eat"

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Just for fun, I was browsing the Toys R Us website. I selected by age 12-24 months, then out of curiosity narrowed by gender, first boy then girl. I've been frustrated for a long time now with how toy companies market to each gender, and was curious if there had been any improvements. I was glad to see that most of the items in the "boy" category were also shown in the "girl" category, even the bulldozer toy, but was very disappointed to see the workbench toy was missing. I loved playing with tools as a child, and am very comfortable using them as an adult. I also was disheartened to see the overabundance of pink on the girls' page. Pink "stroller" walking toy. Pink tea set. Play purses and makeup. Lots of baby dolls and dress-up clothes. Things girls love, it's true, but I've seen many little boys play with baby dolls, and the boys and girls are equally excited to play dress-up at the babysitter's house. Why isn't the ride-on motorcycle toy listed on both pages? Where is the Daddy-and-me doll to correspond with the Mommy-and-me doll? In this age of dual-income families and stay-at-home dads, why don't our children's options reflect this? Why must stores sell pink vacuum cleaners and blue tool belts?

I am trying to be aware of what toys we give Sophie. She loves her baby dolls, but she also has a dump truck and a football. Most of her toys are gender-neutral: blocks, musical toys, shape sorters and stacking toys. I want to teach her to embrace diversity, though, and that begins now with her toys. I want to give her both "boy" and "girl" toys, dolls that replicate different ethnicities.

It's my dream that one day, no one will be commenting about a "woman president" or "black president" or any other race - the candidates' races and genders will be non-issues. The conversations will be "who is the best PERSON for the job?" That mindset starts now.

Scattered showers... of thoughts

I just don't have a full post in me today, but I still have things to be said. It was so nice being off yesterday with Sophie! I told myself time wouldn't go so fast with her like it has with Emma (I still can't believe she's a teenager) but it has. I feel like I'm missing so much! This morning, though, as we were leaving, she had her first "I do it!" moment. She didn't actually say those words, but as we were going down the steps to the driveway she was holding the rail in one hand and Bunny in the other. I offered her my hand to come down the steps as usual, and she held up her hand and waved me off, said "uh-uh!" and patted the railing. She may not say many words yet, but she sure can communicate!

After trying herself and realizing that she couldn't reach the railing any more once she stepped down a step, she took my hand and happily went to the car. I just had to let her try!

Although at the car, she turned and saw her swing and tried so hard to go back to it. If only we could, kiddo...

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Emma comes home tomorrow! She's having a great time on her trip, but she's ready to be home again. School starts again two weeks from Monday, so it's time go get supplies ready and dress-code appropriate clothing. It's still so hot here in August, I wish the stores had a resupply of summer clothes intead of cramming all the long pants, sweaters, and cords in our faces for the back to school season! It is so hard to get piles of new clothes that can't be worn for a few more monhts without having a heat stroke.

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I read a blog post at Skirt.com today that was fabulous! I love Lady Gaga - I love her fearlessness, her music, and most of all what she stands for. However, many people have the opposite feeling. When I saw the title of this post I thought I was going to get all angry and maybe get a rebuttal blog post of my own out of it, but instead it was amazing! Great post, The Woven Moments!

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I read an article on the UK's Daily Mail website about Atlantis landing and the hold on the shuttle program. I know what is being said in our own country, and was interested in knowing an outsider's perspecitve. It was a great article, very informative and descriptive, and I learned many things about this mission that gets lost in all the politicizing here. One interesting thing I read, though, that I've never heard here - the decision to end the shuttle program was actually made seven years ago. And also that President Obama has extended the mission of the International Space Station four additional years beyond its original planned end. I am just so tired of our country flinging blame instead of being productive.

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Back to the toddler communication thing. I know this is perfectly normal - Sophie's pediatrician said that second babies are normally behind older siblings verbally, but more advanced in motor skills and coordination. That seems to be true in our family, as Emma at 18 months had a vast vocabulary but fell down and hurt hurself daily, where Sophie mainly says names, "uh-oh," and few other actual words, and doesn't hurt herself nearly as often. I still wonder, though, if she's suffering because I didn't spend her first 16 months at home with her like I did with Emma. I don't read to her quite as much (although she watches way less TV). I worry that I'm not doing enough. But that's the emotional-mom side. Logical-mom side says she's fine, but I can't help myself. Her doctor is not worried at all, which is a good sign.

Fun day

 I took the day off today, since everyone who can babysit Sophie is vacationing. We're having a great day - she slept until almost noon, had a delicious "brunch" when she woke up of pineapple, yogurt, and cheerios, and then played a while. She even watched Sesame Street! She loved the singing and dancing.

After a while, I decided to take her outside to swing. I recorded a few minutes of her swinging to send Grandma, and was lucky enough to catch her "serious" face and finger-point. It's such a great face but we can never get it in a photo! (It's around 3 minutes in)



She started to get sleepy in the swing, and seemed like she was falling asleep.

So we went inside for lunch. She had some spaghetti-os with mini meatballs. Unfortunatley, she thought it would be fun to drink them, like her big sister taught her to do.

I cleaned her up the best I could, and changed her clothes. Now it's naptime and time for me to clean up the aftermath of her playtime in the living room. Tomorrow is back to work, and my day as a stay-at-home-mom will be over.

When I grow up...

I was given this post idea by MommaSachs at Passion. Dedication. Life. Us.

When I was 13 - the age Emma is now - like most girls I dreamed of what my life would be when I was an adult. I'd pore over the Sears and JC Penney catalogs, planning my career wardrobe, my casual wardrobe, what furniture I'd have in my fabulous house.

I never dreamed of marriage and babies, though. I never played wedding, or planned out what I wanted for my big day. I planned my education (doctorate degree, or at least a Master of something-or-other), my career path (CEO of course), and house. I decided that once I was well-established in my career in my thirties I'd maybe start to think about marriage, maybe not. I'd adopt a child or two. I never dreamed of giving birth - there were so many unloved children in the world that I wanted to bring some home with me.

That was my plan at 10-11-12-13 years old.

Instead, I was married at 19, my sophomore year of college. I did complete my Associate degree, but I still haven't completed my Bachelor's.  Emma was born shortly after, we moved, bought a house, I started working while going to school, and life went on. Now I'm 32, almost 33, with a 13 year old and an 18 month old, married for nearly 14 years, and my girls are DEFINITELY not adopted. I changed my major more than once, and also my career path. I still don't  know exactly what I want to be when I grow up.

The funny thing is, though, that even though my life did not go anywhere near my plan, I am okay with that. I am happy. I love my husband. I love that we still LIKE each other after 14 years. I love that we still enjoy each other. I love my children desperately. I cannot imagine life without them.

Sure, sometimes I think about "the road not taken." Who doesn't? I try to picture what my life would have been like at this age if I hadn't made the choices I did. But I can't picture it. If I had chosen anything differently, I wouldn't have anything I do now.

My childhood dreams may not have come true, but the dreams I never knew existed DID come true. And that is how it should be.

10 random facts about me

1. I'm afraid of ducks and other large birds, but especially ducks. Not pictures of them, just in person. They bite.
2. Same for cows. I'm afraid to be around cows.
3. My favorite candy is dark chocolate, but I also love caramel.
4. When I had surgery several years ago, I was fascinated by the pictures from the scope inside me. I find things like that very interesting. However, when I tried to change my bandages, I passed out. Literally. Pictures and videos are one thing, but a hole in my own skin is another.
5. I was terrified of giving birth without an epidural. However, since it didn't have time to take effect before Sophie was born (impatient little thing), I wouldn't have bothered if I had known the doctor was going to give me a shot of Lidocane "down there." If we were to have more children (but we're not) I wouldn't bother with the epidural at all.
6. I just ate a piece of chocolate cake that looked delicious but was not at all, and so not worth the calories.
7. My music collection is quite varied. When I say I like everything but country and heavy metal, I mean it. My iPod jumps from rap to classical to alternative to jazz to indie to electronica to musicals. And I love them all!
8. I don't, however, like boy bands, emo groups, or manufactuerd bubblegum pop. They annoy me equally.
9. I find I lack some impulse control. For instance, this morning as I was getting ready for work, I decided to give the cat a bath because she needed it. Why didn't I stop to think "I'll do that after work?" No idea. It never occured to me. But I have a clean, flea-free cat! (Apparently the flea drops from the grocery store only work in the area where it's applied. The front half of her body was fine, but her belly and back legs were pitiful.)
10. I'm trying to trick myself into drinking less caffiene. I had one glass of tea at lunch yesterday, and 1 (albeit large) latte this morning. So far it's working! (I said less, not none. I'm not crazy. Not totally, anyway.)