Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

I've been in a blogging funk this week. Thank goodness for book reviews to give me something to type! But every other thing that's inspired me has puttered out. Rather than lose them completely, here is a snippet of what could have been.

Positive Reinforcement

I don't like to cook. It probably stems from my dislike of leaving my house for mundane chores, choosing food for a week or more, putting it all away into cupboards that are unorganized and randomly arranged, realizing I don't have exactly what I need most times, making it wrong because I didn't give it enough time and I've realized most things don't turn out exactly how I expect them to, competing with my kids to have a conversation with Jay (that's immature but I'm excited to see him too!) and of course, the clean up.

But I get such positive reinforcement on the nights I do it, if all of those theories held true, I'd whip up a seven course dinner every night. The kids are thrilled with setting the table, Jay is almost giddy with delight at having a home cooked meal and time to sit and eat with his family and I lose the guilt of not providing for my man. And yet....two or three times a week (sometimes more) there is nothing on the table. Curious phenomenon.

The Babysitter

Somehow, I don't see this becoming fodder for any parenting magazine. Henry is scared of going down stairs. Going up....that is child's play. There isn't a stair, step, stool or elevation he won't master but going down has developed into an almost phobia for him.

I put out the gates at the appropriate time. Eventually I put them away when I realized that he won't dare come down. Not even with me on the steps beside him, gently tugging on him to go down backward on his belly. We call it the Belly Bump. It's worked with the other boys. But if I even reach for him to position him on his belly near the stairs, he speed crawls away. At first it was annoying because I hiked up the stairs every time he even whimpered at the top of the stairs (he is ALWAYS upstairs....they must be climbed) but now, I can leave him up there for awhile. I can even shower knowing that he'll never fall down those stairs. Well... he's fallen down once. Could that be why he's so scared?

Poor tyke.

Health Care

I went visiting teaching on Wednesday night and came home feeling even more grateful for the blessings I have in my life. Stable parents who ground Jay and me and gave us the tools for success. Siblings who we look up to and enjoy being around. A husband whose job provides medical insurance for all of us. I've thought a lot about health care this week. I really should save this for another day. I have a feeling we will see a significant change in how it works in this country during our lifetime. I'd like to look back and remember how it now so I have a clear memory for comparison.

Sisters

I've had some great interaction with my sisters this week. Sarah has been keeping me laughing all week with her dating stories (agony!), I'm planning a visit with Maureen this weekend, Tara is always good for an over the phone recipe (I love her mac and cheese!) and patient with me when I keep losing them, Jen sent me a coveted CD out of the blue (love it!)

it's so good!

and Emily is my online friend (I can't even remember the last time we talked on the phone. Blasted international rates) who I can always count on to give me a giggle.

Remember these?

It's been awhile since I've gotten a note with a box to check. I'm not sure where Seth learned it but it made me smile. He left it on my bed with instructions written on front to "open in the morning".

I accidentally cropped off the boxes on the bottom. He likes the card games!

When A Big Girl Runs

Runners are supposed to be little. Real runners are. But it's such an easy form of exercise and burns so many calories that I keep trying it. I've been doing the Couch to 5K program but have been stuck at week 2's schedule for about four weeks now. Andrea and I went to the gym twice this week and the first time it was like running in cement. Yesterday felt fantastic. I could have kept going for twenty more minutes. I kept getting faster and faster during my 90 second runs so that at the end I was running at 6.0 mph (which I KNOW is not really fast but for me it's a damn sprint).

The problem with the entire program is the public nature of running on treadmills as I do not own one. What to do? Walk discreetly, as to not draw attention to the pound of each footstep and save a little face? Or run like the wind, shaking the gym with the gyrations of the treadmill but making it a little more likely to eventually be at a size that does not cause a scene? If I had a million dollars....I'd buy me a treadmill....and a house big enough to have room to put it in....and some fancy pants to reduce friction.

Bye, Bye Birdie

What do you get when you mix 20 teenagers, a vocal coach who has never seen or heard the music before and a pianist who doesn't sight read all that well? A very, extremely, almost-too-much-to-endure, long two hour rehearsal.

I agreed to help out with the stake musical. I didn't want to get completely drawn in so only agreed to help out with the music one night a week. I was told that I would be taking small groups and soloists aside and helping them with their production, sound and overall musical performance. I went last night, stood in the back for about ten minutes while the director talked to everyone about schedules etc. and then heard her say that she hoped Sister Johnson showed up. I shouted out that I was there and she clapped and did a little jump. Confused, but pleased that she has so much confidence in me, I came up to the front awaiting her instruction. But there was none. She just turned it all over to me and left. And there I stood, looking at bored 12-17 year-olds, and a few adults who somehow expected me to teach them their music. Brutal. Guess I need to find out what Bye, Bye Birdie sounds like.

I needed to purge. Hopefully, this will clear my brain and I can start afresh.