It's a rainy saturday. After three beautiful days here in Kodiak thats not surprising! We had plans to maybe go to Pasagshak, but we are using a rental car as our truck gets fixed and I don't think the trunk will hold all that we would want to take out there with us.

So, we are lazing the morning away then heading to Kings Diner, my favorite little diner in Kodiak. Damon has been on high gear since waking up and shows no signs of slowing down. Maybe after the diner we will be driving just so I can keep him strapped in his seat. He might still talk incessantly but at least he can't get into trouble from his seat.

He is like his sister this way, talk talk talk talk. take a breathe, and talk some more. They don't even care if one is really trully listening (though I suspect deep down they do), but they will talk anyway! I do have to admit they say the cutest things though. Even you Kaili!!!!

Parenting is even more precious to me now that I am diagnosed as stage IV with my colon cancer. However, it seems harder. I guess that is what happens when you throw in regular everyday challenges with new life altering, mind bending challenges and emotional stress with parenting. you get CHAOS like you never knew existed.

Damon has been absolutely amazing to me. He does have his moments when I think I am going to haul off and smack him, and then there are those moments that make me laugh uncontrollably, or smile with sweet adoration. He is a smart cookie and while he will with one hand pinch the heck out of me...he then takes the other and gently, soothingly strokes my cheek. Not necessarily as an apology, but well...Im not really sure what the motive is there.

It does drive me bonkers to say the least. He is my all american boy, 300% boy! When we move, next month, I am going to find him a Tae Quan do (?) class for him. He needs that physical outlet, and the discipline it will teach him. Not that I don't teach him discipline...I do. It's just different in a class setting, with an "official" instructor making demands rather than plain old mom.

Well, it's off to the diner! wooo hoooo can't wait to see what I will order.
Happy parenting.

Wow, I haven't posted here in a very long time.

Today is Seven 11!!!

7-11

7/11

July 11, 2010. DAMONS BIRTHDAY.

We didn't do anything fabulous, but spend time with family, in the sun. That in itself was extraordinary! I loved every minute of it. I made pancakes for breakfast. I made Damon a "4" pancake the picture of which I haven't loaded onto my computer yet. lame I know.....

But we had pancakes, went to church where the primary sang "happy birthday"to Damon and another child who's birthday it was. We came home, ate lunch, changed our clothes and went to Ft Abercrombie to walk around Lake Gertrude. We stopped at the beach there and let the dogs swim while we enjoyed the sun.

Then we drove up Pillar Mt. and took in the view. Absolutely breathtaking. clear skies, warm sunshine, and good company. After all that we finally came back home and I made dinner. Kaili, Damon and Cynthia were outside hanging out.

Now we are all done with dinner and everyone has dispursed to various spots. Cynthia and I are in the living room watching Bolt. Kaili, Damon, and the neighbor girl are outside in the sun. John is outside also, but loading the truck for his ATV ride tomorrow with his neice Meagan. Meagan is upstairs. It has been a GREAT weekend.

A GREAT weekend. I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Starting all over~

After being home alone with my three yr old son for two weeks, my John is back home! That's great. It's really good to see him.

We missed him.

For what may or may not be obvious reasons.

We also missed him for other reasons.
Damon ~ for want of a break from his old mom, who after days and days of crappy weather gets tired and cranky.
Me~the crappy weather and lack of exercise led to feelings of aloneness, and desperation. Feeling that my journey to weight loss and triathlon training had ended. Working out at home is a good thing, and I would be the first to encourage it~~~under most circumstances.
But my circumstances are not what they used to be.

Our son is older, and wilder than ever. It is difficult to get in even a 12 minute mile on my walking video without major interruptions. Interruptions mentioned in my previous blog.

I was on a roll before my John left and all of a sudden it came to a screeching halt!

FINALLY~ he is home, and while I whined and moaned the whole two weeks he was gone that he needed to get home so I could return to the gym where I belonged in the wee hours of morning....

I now find I have gone into "Winter Sleep" mode and the thought of getting back out there is daunting.

I will, don't doubt it.

I have to!

Deep deep deep down I WANT to, Somewhere....let me spend the day finding that desire deep down somewhere.

Until tomorrow I am enjoying cookies and dreaming of ice cream.

Tomorrow is my Second start. Or it's probably more like my 100th start in the past however many years.

But since beginning my recent journey with my dear friend Amy, before the holidays, this will only be my second start.

Have to get back my enthusiasm, and regain some mental health before my John leaves again In March!

Oh it's too soon to think about THAT trip.
Health and wellness to all........

I See how it is....

Day 10 of my hubby being gone. It's nothing really, compared to those with husbands on patrol boats. Their husbands are gone months at a time. However, I am still not so happy with my current situation.
Example:
trying to workout....
Mile 1...........

3 minutes in; Damon is ripping through the house with his monster truck on the tail of some dog who lives here.

5 minutes in; Damon starts climbing on computer desk, slamming his toys down on the nice wood finish.
Must intercept, scold, reprimand.

7 minutes in; Damon still crying and whining from previous scolding.

Minute 10... almost done with 1 mile, and Damon demanding this, that or the other thing.

oh MY GOSH, is this mile going to end so I can pause the DVD and deal with this madness? Or maybe it's just me in my own madness thinking..well.... what exactly? How dare I try to workout with a 3 yr old on the lose.? Or at least THIS particular 3 yr old?!




I know, I know, this picture is cute, he looks so helpful and sweet. Dragging a beaten fish to his Daddy. Well, yeah, that was a different day. Daddy was here, we were out in nature, he was well within his limits to be free and run. Oh that we could go to that nice beach every day.

As I type he is trying to fit his swim goggles to above mentioned dog. Now my foot. Next..............who knows.
My prayer for the day...to get through it, while burning a few unwanted calories. For Damon to get through it without injury to himself or others, or too much damage to the house. May I have my wits about me, and not yell too much.

It happened like this....

John and my friend Amy recruited more help by Melanie and together they planned a surprise birthday party for me. I haven't had a birthday party since I was young, and I've NEVER had a surprise one.

ooooh, lucky me. It was so fun.

Rewind a few days...

I had a feeling something was up, but didn't know exactly what or how, or when, or who. All I know is that John was acting weird with his phone, and he made a few comments that were sort of weird.

Then there were the text messages from Amy,

"what is your favorite candy?"

well, ok, what a strange question to ask me since we workout together 6 out of 7 days a week and are both trying hard to reach our own personal goals. Candy doesn't really figure into our daily plan these days.

Then she asks, "do you have visiting teachers? If so, who?" Okaaaaaay..............interesting. But oh well. Maybe she is just trying to know me better. Always a good thing in developing a friendship.

And my husband, he can RARELY hide anything from me. He texts me asking for all kinds of phone numbers.

Well what in the world, can't you just get those when you come home? I'm busy with our son. I don't have time to fetch numbers for ppl all day!

And Candy????????? I better not be getting a basket full of candy for a birthday gift from Amy....I will have to bake her cookies and cakes and pie if she does that!!!

You heard me Amy! An eye for an eye right?

naaaaawwww I'm only kidding! I wouldn't do that. (ok, I don't think I would)

Thank you all for making that night so wonderful, fun, and surprising!

If you want to see a few pictures from my surprise b-day party night anyway, go to Amy's blog at:

3inspiringsons.blogspot.com

Let me just say.....

Let me just say what I am thankful for today!

1- A loving Heavenly Father!!!

2- A wonderful, caring family!!!

3- The Best Friends anyone could ask for!!!

And some surprises are so worth it...............

swimming 101

So I'm taking a new class.

Swimming 101.

I've been doing this activity for several months now. But all of a sudden it came with a coach, one I don't have to pay to teach me anything.
Oh, not that I don't pay.....I pay every time I swim, or workout. But paybacks of exercising are also awesome!
So this coach...same tall guy who was giving my dear friend Amy "private" swim lessons. Notice after "Tall", I didn't say something like hot, handsome, or something similar. I don't roll that way. Ok, well maybe, but not when it comes to the HUSBAND(S) of my best friend(s). HA HA. No doubt I can appreciate the fine qualities of those around me, but there is a time and a place. But unlike Amy, I cannot let these fine qualities get in the way, and distract me from the task at hand... (sorry Amy, I can only assume that you must have been distracted during your lessons the way you carried on about this guy!) ;)

Back to the task at hand!

LEarning the Front Crawl.

I know I know.

Amost 42 and can't do the Front Crawl you say? yep, that's me.

I can do the side stroke, breast stroke, back crawl, or stroke or whatever that is called. I have never been comfortable doing the front crawl. So here I am learning from this coach. He is very patient, helpful, and calm! I need that kind of coaching because I get panicky trying the breathing with this stroke, and that makes me want to stop.

Today I practiced more under supervision...and did the crawl from one end of the pool all the way to the other. Wow, that was good for ME. My coach said it's ok to just take it slow, and practice technique, don't worry about speed. AFter all, it's not like I am going to join some old ladies swim team! hahaha, wouldn't that be funny....?
Thanks so much Amy for sharing your swim coach with me.

Napping is for the Dogs!!!

Napping is for the dogs!




Spoiled rotten mutts......Back in the day when we supposedly had too much to do.

now..........

Some of us take NAPS back!!!!

With a vengeance!

We don't ever give up, no we never give up......our naps.

Some of us anyway.

The lucky few.....

Building Blocks

Building Blocks!

Building towers!

Building shapes!

Building Snowmen!

Building Friendships!

And more friendships!

Building Skyscrapers!

Building Memories...

Warm, Sunny memories!

And more memories...

These are the Building Blocks of life, my life.

Having fun, spending time with family,

playing, going on vacation, playing some more,

interacting with others, reaching for your dreams.

These things give me strength.

These things make me who I am.

These things make me want to be more.

Wow, January 18th already. Where does the time go? we ask ourselves this every month don't we? It's been over a week, probably closer to two since I said I would think about posting my goals. I got sick , and life quickly took over.
Note to SELF--
First goal: Don't let life take over!
Second Goal: Work on at least ONE meaningful project each day.
Third Goal: Work out, and I mean WORK OUT! Build up a sweat, get sore!!
Fourth Goal: Eat healthy, no cheating!
Fifth Goal: Lose 70 lbs, 10 lbs at a time.
Sixth Goal: Get BMI below 30 so I can get a Breast REduction!!!! Longtime dream of mine.
Seventh Goal: Keep going even after that.
Eighth Goal: Read a good book every month.
Ninth Goal: Be more loving and appreciative at home.
Tenth Goal: Grow my Testimony!!

I thought this past month would be long...a good long visit with my baby girl, home from college for the holidays.

I was wrong. This past month has sped by, right in front of me as if I was not looking. Was I looking? And if I was, what was I looking for? My long gone baby?...she is there in those eyes, that smile, the giggles. But in all other aspects my girl has grown. She is no longer a baby, or a toddler, or even a pre-teen.

It was a short visit, yet almost 4 weeks long. When your sleeping habits don't mesh with your grown kids sleep habits anymore, it makes visits more difficult. You, ok...I am up early, busy from the get go, ready to do things, hang out, go places. She is busy sleeping late. None-the-less we had a good visit, saw a few movies, ate more than our fair share of popcorn. Now we count down the semester and anxiously await summer vacation!!

Ok, So I haven't written in a while...My hubby was out of town, then I came down with some cold/flu bug and was feeling like, well....like I had the crud!
But before all that my two guys had a wonderful evening together tying flies.

A VERY serious undertaking!






Requiring much concentration.....



And the right supplies....



Which results in these beauties...

It was a productive, imaginative, and bonding experience for my guys. Not to mention it gave me a wee bit of down time to read. It is not often that our Littleman sits still that long, not only will his body rarely do it, but his mind won't let him. He is continuously coming up with new ideas, thoughts, and creative ways of doing things, hence the blistex as glue. When his thoughts flow so do his words and he never stops talking. I thought my daughter talked a lot! And I didn't realize boys liked to talk SO much. Hmmm? Well, I can't complain, at least he can share his thoughts with me, or his feelings no matter how disgruntled they may be at times. Ok, back to that night. The most impressive part (besides getting to see my two guys engaged in one activity together) was the clean-up that happened when they were finished. Not one stray feather, thread, or hook did I find that night or the next morning. wooo hoooo! They can do this any night as far as I'm concerned.

Against my better Judgement, but For my own Good!

I went swimming this morning.

Practicing laps for the "triathlon" I am going to

participate in, in April. My new saying...."Against my better

judgement, but for my own good!" My good friend Amy was

there with me. She is a good swimmer and gives me motivation.

I need motivation.

Even though I have wonderful, worthy

goals...I find I still need that extra motivation that having a

great workout buddy gives me.

Maybe...? if I put my goals on here it will be added incentive

for me because they would be out in the open!

Grrrrrr. that's SCARY !!!

Let me think about it and maybe I will list them later today.

The Path I choose from this day forward.....

Will have a tremendous impact on this littleman of mine!!!

And I want to choose a worthy path...that he might have a

desire to follow that path as well.

A path to a healthy life!

This is what parents, mothers, should give their children. An example worth following. A healthy lifestyle to live up to.

A path worthy of travel.

So now that it's the 4th day of the new year, it's about time to post a few things I am grateful for from 2009.
In no particular order:
Uno~My Heavenly Father (ok, that really is #1).

Dos~My healthy, wonderful forever family.

Tres~My loving, affectionate husband.

Quatro~A safe, warm home to live in.

Cinco~My Testimony of Jesus Christ as my savior.

Seis~My own health!
Siete~Two beautiful, intelligent children.

Ocho~To live in America



Nueve~My education

Dias~To be ME!

Didn't swim this morning. My faithful workout companion was under the weather. I didn't totally slack though.

I went for a walk.

A brisk one, with the puppy.

We both needed it. For exercise. She needed the practice learning to walk politely on a leash. She did pretty good 1 on 1. We did three laps around our neighborhood. Which ads to about 40 minutes of brisk walking. It wasn't exactly raining out, but misting and windy. Not too bad. I was just grateful it wasn't icy. Though it was dark. Nice and peaceful in the early morning! No slacking anymore in the exercise department or the eating bad one, cuz I am signing up for a "Kodiak Biggest Loser" contest. Cash prizes of substantial amounts and a new body to look forward to. I say it all the time. now It's time to DO IT!!!!!

I know this entry isn't about motherhood at all is it? Well, my health does effect my parenting. The more energy I have the more patience I have.

The better I feel, the better I want to be.

Mmmmmm Saturday..............

Saturday mornings. Need I say more? Well maybe in my case. I don't sleep in. I don't watch cartoons. I rarely get out of bed to sit down again. So, this Saturday morning wasn't too out of the ordinary. I got up early to pick my husband up at the airport. Upon our return, Damon woke up and demanded to be taken downstairs at once. See, there you have it, I do not get to sit back down. Precious as he is:

He won't change his mind once it's made up. Awwwwh. The joys of having boys. So rather than attempt to relax, I made muffins. Not just bran muffins. Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins with scrumptious crumble topping. Let me show and tell.

First I mix all the ingredients with the help of my Littleman assistant: put it in the muffin tin:

Then we top it with the crumble topping, same as I use for my Apple Crisp.

Bake @ 350 until they are done. mmmm by now the house is filled with delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Remove from oven, cool, and show them off before cutting into them.

Open with a knife and apply butter (if you like). These taste equally good w/out the blueberries, but it is fun to add them once in awhile.

What could be better on a chilly Saturday morning? Ok, well Granny's waffles, but these will do for this saturday. Next Saturday I will attempt to duplicate a waffle breakfast "Granny" style in honor of my Granny.
Enjoy the week, count your blessings, and enjoy the good things.

Happy New Year!!!!