Mom Blog

We’re just about through the first week back from vacation. Jack started strong but is ready for the weekend as he counts down the school days left (1 tomorrow) until the stay-home days. I’m plodding through the piles of mail and files on my desk, very unmotivated and happy for the judge’s absence from the office as I settle back in.

Speaking of Jack, not only can he spell and identify his own name but also ZOO. As we reached our exit on the way home from NC, he noticed the sign for the zoo. I’m unclear whether he simply recoginized where he was or the actual word but he proceeded to say zoo is Z-O-O. We’re thrilled, obviously, we have a genius, future Nobel Laureate winner in our midst. So, we can overlook the complete and total breakdown he had at the pool last night, right? Lucky that such behavior is rare - with the screaming and yelling and crying and the other parents staring. And the new Grant Park pool is great. Love the zero entry pool, just like at the beach, the kids can control their depth. Jack loves it, too, although he scraped up the tops of his feet and knees trolling around in the shallows.

And now the vacation pictures!

Boat ride on the first night

Watching the sunset with Uncle PJ

Cousins heading to the fireworks

Daddy and Jack watch the fireworks - oh, ah

Harrison and Declan go for a ride

Relaxing with some yoga

The boys say bye-bye to Yaya

Who is that handsome couple?

Finally enjoying the lake… just in time to go home!

So tired

Jack enjoying his first fireworks with mom

And he thought it was “awesome!” As vacation draws to a close, I thought I’d share a cute little story of Jack and Lake Wylie. He’s been quite hesitant to get in the lake, loves the boat, but not the swimming. I can see that. It’s big, dark, and unknown. He knows he’s getting swimming lessons when we get home. So, we haven’t been pushing it. Yesterday, he got on a toy wave runner (aka Seedoo), just a floating toy, no locomotion. We tied it to the dock and he enjoyed pretending he was riding the waves. At some point, he decided he wanted to get off the toy and back onto the dock. Jack has gotten quite good at getting in and out of the boat on his own, so I imagine he figured he could do the same thing. Except, the toy tipped and spilled Jack into the lake. Yes, he was wearing his lifejacket and it performed perfectly. My only real concern was getting the toy off of him. So, I swam him back to the shore while he screamed and screamed and screamed. Until we got to the steps, then he told me “mommy, I blew bubbles and the water didn’t get in my ears!” As we talked more, he told me he was scared but it was ok and he remembered to blow bubbles. I told him he was really brave. All in all, we survived his first (and almost certainly not last) fall into the water. He proved to himself that he could do it and it was ok. No, he doesn’t love it, yet. But still a good lesson!

Look for more when we get home! Lots of pictures to come…

This is since the beginning of the year - the last time I was at the doctor and they weighed me. According to Beck, each goal should be 5 pounds. And I do celebrate those goals, but I’m going to toot my own horn just a bit more. Above is my first mini goal - a train, in honor of my sweet Jack. I’d like to reach that before Labor Day and I’m more than tracking (oh, sorry, bad pun unintended) for that. Then, I’ll shoot for the wedding weight, the engagement weight, but probably not the law school graduation weight. That was not acheived in a healthy way.

I made an observation this weekend. Friday night, the family went to one of our favorite local spots, La Casita. Mexican is a bit of a challenge but it’s affordable, kid friendly, and mighty tasty. So, I looked at the menu on Friday afternoon to plan what I’d order - tacos and beans. But it’s the chips and salsa that are the problem. I love them - the combination, the salsa, the salty and hot. Usually, we order the queso dip (aka “hot fat”) and go through about 2 baskets of chips for the 3 of us. For the past few months, however, I have not been eating the chips. I may taste the salsa or other dip, but not more than a chip or two. Friday night, I had one chip with some queso - guess how many baskets of chips we went through. Less than one. Do you know what that means? I was probably eating a minimum of a whole basket of chips on my own, plus my meal and drinks - mindless eating. Yikes. Ben seemed impressed by that, too. Anyway. I certainly am not proud of that consumption, but I am proud that I’m working to address the issue.

Last night, I was trying to tuck Jack in. He was not quite ready and seemed to want to play. He sat up so I told him to get back in bed. “I am in bed, mommy.” My fault, that was not specific enough. “Okay, sweetie, put your head on your pillow.” Don’t ask why I didn’t just say lie back down, which both he and I knew was the idea. Instead, he picked up his pillow and clutched it to his head, still sitting up and very pleased with himself. I distinctly remember pulling this sort of semantic antics as a child - and I know Ben did. Is this payback? After all, I do remember responding to the command to not be smart with “I thought you wanted me to get good grades.” Must be. On the other hand, I am proud that he’s clever.

I read yesterday in the New York Times that the J. M. Smuckers Company bought the White Lily Flour brand. They are going to close the mill that has been open since 1883 in Knoxville. For my 2 northern readers, White Lily is the key to good southern baked goods, especially biscuits, because it is made from red winter wheat, which is lower in protein. Less protein means less gluten which means more tender. Smuckers sent bakers samples and the bakers are able to tell the difference in blind tests. This drives me nuts. Why take a good local and region product and dilute it for the rest of the world? Why not leave somethings for certain times and places? Home grown tomatoes come only for a short time and can only be had if you know someone who grows them; lebkuchen is for Christmas and requires a special package from a friend or a trip to a specialty store. The list goes on. Special things should stay special.

And on the topic of food - also in yesterday’s Times was An Opera Singer’s Fat Relocation Project. It’s Cindy Sadler’s blog. She’s an opera singer and a great writer. She’s lost 100 pounds! Very inspirational! She’s also following the Beck Diet Solution. Maybe I need a To Lose category…

Summer Flowers Pedi.

One last thing before I go back to work. Please check out my Etsy.com Shop. I’m trying this out as a way to destash some of my books and yarn and beads and you get the idea. I’ll be putting some yarn up in the next couple of days, so keep checking.

Not to long ago, I mentioned that I had been called for jury service in the special draw for a case before the Judge I work for. The Jury Clerk rescheduled me for June 12. I wouldn’t mind serving, but didn’t think it was likely on a summer Thursday. Wouldn’t you know it? I was called in for a death penalty case. Day 1, I got to fill out the jury questionnaire - 20 pages about me. Do I know any lawyers? What do I think of lawyers? Do I know anyone who works in the courts or law enforcement? Day 2, today, I got to come back for individual questioning by the Judge and lawyers. What do I think of the death penalty? Here’s a problem with the system - if I tell the truth, that I’m against it and have been for as long as I can remember, I don’t get to serve (ignore for a moment, that I didn’t really want to be sequestered for 3-5 weeks over the 4th of July). You aren’t supposed to be able to ask jurors how they would find. It just doesn’t seem right. I’m sure the defense doesn’t think so either. And that’s the end of my jury service.

Here are a few pictures from the boys’ trip to New York. It was record-breaking hot.

Cousins enjoying a nice ice cream treat at Yankee Stadium

Yaya and her boys

As much fun as I know they had, I’m glad to have them home! I think Jack didn’t realize he missed me until he got home, where he fell apart at bedtime. As one of the homesick children myself, I completely understand.

Man, it is only June and we were in the mid-90s yesterday! Too hot too soon. Usually, we get a little time to go from the 80s to the 90s to the 100s. Apparently, it will cool off a bit this week. I know it’s hot when even the cats don’t want to go out.

Even in NYC, it was hot. The boys visited New York for a last trip to Yankee Stadium before it’s replaced. Hmm, does that mean we will be taking a last trip to Giants Stadium, too? I’m going on that trip! Baseball, however, is too slow for me and is played when it’s too hot.

Ah, the kiddie pool… Refreshing!

I have to plug a book. The Beck Diet Solution. Not a diet, but cognitive therapy, positive self talk and all that. Frankly, I had sort of given up on the whole thing. I wasn’t happy with my weight but didn’t feel motivated or compelled or empowered or whatever. A friend had lost a bunch of weight using the Beck principles and that inspired me. Then, I saw the pictures from our trip to VA and that motivated me (i.e. kicked me in the @$$). So, 14 pounds later, I’m feeling pretty good. I’m not skinny or anything, but I’m feeling much better. I’m sort of following the South Beach Diet, but mostly just restricting calories and using common sense. I think the most useful piece of information for me is the observation that thinner people actually eat less and/or exercise more than heavier people do. Shortly after reading that, I went to a party and did some focused people watching. I discovered that the “naturally” thin friend ate a plate of food, then went for seconds sans taco shell - just meat and vegies. Then she went and socialized. The “naturally” heavy friend was nibbling on something everytime I saw her. Hmm. I don’t say this to judge anyone - normally, I am the one grazing near the food table for an entire party. Now, I’m watching it. Almost given up snacking - or at least mindless snacking. My favorite part, aside from being thinner, is the requirement that I reward myself for making good choices and successes. “Go, me!”

And, not to forget the little people. Here is baby Noah! Congrats Mommy and Daddy! I think he’s gorgeous.

I made the Baby Bolero from One Skein for him. Nice sweet project for a newborn.

Stay cool, all! Oh, and Happy Birthday, Lisa!!!

I’ve been pretty bad at this lately, haven’t I? Would it help if I told you work’s been busy? How about if I told you we were stuck in the wild? Okay, not the wild, just the backyard, but still, you get the idea. Time just gets away from me.

So, we’re very excited about Obama’s upcoming nomination. I’m thinking he will be the next president and the first black president. But that got me thinking about Jack and how I hope his first memory of a president is Obama. Mine was Johnson and the Vietnam War, then Nixon and Watergate. Then, from there, I was thinking about what things you think about when you have kids. THAT got me thinking about the Moon Landing on July 20, 1969. Well, I was Jack’s age and I remember lying in my parents’ room, getting to watch TV when I should’ve been sleeping (nap or bedtime, don’t recall) and jumping on the bed and yelling that they were there. Mom’s aqua room and the aqua phone. I love that color… have a bag and even shoes…

Sunday is Mother’s Day - Happy Mother’s Day! Ben was telling Jack about it, explaining that he would pick him up from school early to go shopping. Now, Jack is very good about picking out presents, even if they’re more his taste than the recipient’s. He puts thought into it. Last night, Jack told Ben “I want to get mommy a knitting something.” Good boy!

It’s fun to watch Jack’s personality and language develop. The other night, I was explaining to Jack that I didn’t want to get bigger, like he is, but wanted to get smaller and lose weight. He first asked me if I’d be a baby again - natural assumption. If bigger=growing up, smaller must equal growing younger. So, I asked him if I was fine the way I am, he said no, I would be better if I were blue.

Here are a few picture from our trip to Virginia to visit Ben’s aunt and uncle. It was beautiful weather and we took a trip to Monticello.

The Family

Sitting in a tree and talking to Aunt Kathie

Farmer Jack