Deliver Me From Donut Day

Again, I haven't written in a while, but I don't want to forget this one. It's a doozy.

I work in an elementary school. I teach 3rd grade. We are coming out of a stupid pandemic. It is Valentine's Day. The parent teacher committee decided to have a "Donuts with Dudes" event this morning. A morning where the students' dudes are invited to come into the school building (something that there has not been much of over the last couple of years), and eat donuts with their kiddos. A very sweet activity.

The cafeteria also was serving donuts for breakfast. That's sweet, too.

One of my students was so happy that he got to have his donut with his dude and then visit the cafeteria to get breakfast there. He told me there were lots of kids partaking in the second round.

2 donuts

Lunch time rolls around. Guess what they were passing out with lunch? Why yes, leftover donuts. A little while later, I looked up to see so many children's hands raised. Why you might wonder. Well, staff was walking around with donut boxes handing them out. Sweet?

More donuts.

Time for our class party. Now, I love that the kiddos get to have class parties. I'm very grateful to have awesome "room parents" who plan the parties and families who love to help send in treats for the kids. we are very fortunate to have so many people willing and able to provide. Friday I had a parent email asking if they could bring donuts for the party. I knew the party was planned. I knew a little of the food plan, but referred her to the main planning mom anyway. 

This year's treat plate consisted of: chicken nuggets, fruit, a cupcake, and (drumroll) a donut. 

4+ donuts (and then some)

Then the children started opening their Valentines. So many sweets. I will explain through quoting a young lady in my class:

"So much candy! Can you believe all this candy?! So much candy!" over and over and over.

I am pretty sure she wasn't even counting the cupcake and donut.

The problem is that so much sugar does not make the children sweeter. I will spare you the details on what it is like dealing with so many sugared up children. Poor PE teacher, he got to have them directly after we were done. I wonder if they crashed during PE or after school.

As a life long giver of love through food, I can't believe I am going to type the next sentence. We cannot keep giving our kids so much sugar and call it love. We have been deceived. It's not sweet anymore.

What I learned today - lesson in genetics & a message to my sister's in law

Image from here.

I took the boys to the eye doctor today.

Our eye doctor has the same last name as a guy I was friends with in high school.

And who (whom?) took our engagement photos.

But I don't think they're related.

High school was Idaho.

Eye doctor is Oklahoma.

And there's a lot of years in between the two.

Anyway, one of the tests he did on the boys was a "color deficiency" test.

I was corrected when I called it the old school name.

Apparently it's offensive.

But not to the eye doctor, because he laughed after seeing the look on my face after the reprimand.

Our eye doctor has some color deficiencies.

He told us a tragic story about junior high and the color of corduroy pants he wore on the first day.

It was very traumatic for him, apparently what he saw as brown looked like purple to most everyone else.

Not good for a junior high young man.

I told him that experience probably defined the course of his life's work,

though he probably didn't even know it.

Then I told him that my father in law is color bli deficient.

At least I think he is. At least I think I've been told that a couple of times.

The man gave me a little lesson in genetics.

So, I have a message for my mr.'s sister who has sons.

And for his sister who hasn't sons, but might someday have some sons.

The gene for color deficiencies runs from father to daughter to son

who becomes a father who passes it on to his daughter

who passes it on to her sons.

You might want to get my cute nephew's color spectrum checked before middle school.

_________________________________________________________________________

(I believe he also told me that it doesn't present in the daughters so that's probably why you two sisters have such great style and color sense. But I am a bit confused because I found out a week or two ago that our PTO President has some color deficiencies - especially with purple. And she's a she- so I guess either I will always wonder or I will just put it out of my mind and someday I will find the answer to that question.)

As promised..... a picture

I love freaked out first lost tooth photos, don't you?

This photo taken last night by my brother-in-law in Boise

of my youngest born going through that milestone event

without his parents in even the same state.

I was told,

"It's a little tooth. It's small, like a fruit fly, no like a house fly. It's small."

by little mr. j.

He told me that again today when I spoke with him on the telephone.

He also told me something else.

Apparently the tooth fairy that covers

the territory that includes my parent's home

(where the boys were sleeping last night)

is really on the ball.

He told me that the tooth fairy brought two $1 coins

that grandpa told him are collector's items.

Great.

Not only do we miss the first tooth lost,

but now grandpa's tooth fairy

is setting very high expectations.

First night service & "collector's items"

Sheesh.

Are you reading this tooth fairy?

Your counterpart up in the Northwestern USA

is excelling in his/her position.

It's time for you to get your act together.

Please.

Thank you.

Widsom Lost (actually forcibly taken)

So, I am probably a horrible mother for posting these pictures, but I have to. I can't help myself. This is a memory that needs to be preserved. And since we didn't get to bring any teeth home to leave for that dang tooth fairy, this is the best the girlies are going to get; their painful day told from their mother's perspective.

1. I was so nervous for them last night that I didn't fall asleep until 3am.

2. Getting up super early on a beautiful Spring Break morning to drive them to their pain.

3. Doubting the wisdom of deciding to do all eight teeth in one day and doing it at all while watching the requisite "person caring for the condemned" video. First feeling that I might just loose my breakfast.

4. Waiting and wondering why it was taking so long & then being taken back to the first girl coming out of her anesthetic in a very crying manner. (Said girl also having the breath of death.) Poor thing. She totally reaffirmed my belief that that type of thing is not for me. I never, ever, never, ever, ever want to be put under. Creeps me out. Second feeling that I might just loose my breakfast.

5. Sitting by that sweet girl while she asked me (the best she could through swollen, cotton filled cheeks), "Why? Why? Why did we do this?"

6. Not telling her that I was thinking the same exact thing.

7. Leaving her with her very mature oldest younger brother while I went across the little hall to wait with the other young woman, who came out of her situation in a much easier fashion. Third feeling that I just might lose my breakfast until she started laughing at me, which hurt her, so I stopped making her laugh and forgot about throwing up.

8. Not being able to understand the technician woman who was telling me to pull in to the drive by the building with two car doors facing their building so the girls would not have to walk around the car. (I think this is where my sleeplessness the previous night had the worst effect.) Fourth feeling that I just might lose my breakfast.

9. Walking out to retrieve said vehicle and fifth feeling that I just might lose my breakfast - that this time had absolutely nothing to do with wisdom teeth situation. You see, there is a Purina processing plant near the little medical center where we were. And I have a sensitive schnoz. All I can say is yuck and I am glad I didn't lose my breakfast, because that would have been bad.

10. Taking pictures of the girlies, because yesterday they asked why I didn't put more pictures of them on the blog. Now there are a few more. Yay.

11. Getting situated at home and them crashing on the couch. We let them have the prime couch spots so I could keep a good watch on them. I also made a "chart" to keep track of what I was doing with each girl, so I wouldn't mess any of the aftercare up.  I don't think I did-so far.

12. I am so tired.

13. Goodnight

14. PS- I will be getting up at 1 and 2 am to visit the girls. I will tell them hello from you. They are in their beds now.
15. PPS-Don't you just love the retro head wrap they got? I'm sure it'll be all the rage soon. They were really rocking their post-op icepack look. (They are actually really awesome-like a tube part of a tube sock with velcro to hold it on. The ice packs just slid in the tube.I'm sure they'll be getting good use in the months and years to come.)

The Challenge

Are you up for it?
It's awesome. It changed my life. I'd been on a plateau and after doing this in the weeks before Christmas, I lost almost 10 pounds and am going strong (well, except for that devil sugar-and I am working on it).

My friend, Monica came up with this. I will forever be grateful. She is probably one of the healthiest and most positive people I've ever known. She's always wearing a smile.

I almost didn't join her challenge, because we had a vacation and the holidays coming up.
(And lazy, oh am I lazy.)

I am so glad for that little push inside me that said, "do it!"

Here are some of the things we are going to do to earn points everyday:
excercise 30 minutes a day
one dessert a week
no soda/sugary drinks
no eating after 7:30pm
reading on chapter of scriptures or a book that makes you want to be a better person
a weekly challenge
and a bonus item worth points each week
We are starting January 3rd, 2011.
If you are up for this- let me know! Email me with your email address. You can find my email on my profile or you can decipher this:    143themrs{youknowwhatsigngoeshere}gmail{dot}com

Look forward to hearing from you!

Oh, PS-you should probably know this-I am letting a lot of my friends know about this also, so you might be getting an email from me with a different address on it.
And-the winner of Monica's challenge came up with a chart to track our points and shared it with us. I'll be tweaking it a bit and getting it to everyone who does the challenge with us.

Challenge Details Not Coming Today

A great friend and her family came to town.
We are visiting
and so, no details today.

Sorry.

(They're all written up, I just need to tweak them a bit.)

See you soon!

Oh Squat.

Image from here. (This is not me.)

Oh Squat.

About 32 hours ago, I did a ton of these plus many lunges and some heavy weighted, one legged dumbell deadlifts. And a bunch of other stuff.

And my you know what is aching.

And a stiff.

But I love it.

It means I did something.

I did something good.

And the pain will go away in a while.

Hopefully.

Soon.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The last 11 weeks before Christmas, I participated in a fitness challenge that my friend started.

I didn't put money in the pot, because I knew I would lose. (Vacation and all - I'm not that down on myself!)

Guess what? Even with the vacation, I still came in 4th-woo hoo. I think I would have been a lot lower in the rankings, if people had not stopped sending in their points. I wonder if they just gave up or just got busy.

I surprised myself with the discipline I had.

And this week, I've surprised myself with the discipline I've lacked.

It's not like to old days, when I could knock out a bunch of goodies in no time flat, but I've eaten more sugar than in all the previous 11 weeks combined.

This morning I woke up with a headache.

I'm pretty sure it's from the sugar.

I need to get back on track.

So, I think I am going to start my own fitness challenge.

January 3rd until March 13th, 2011.

Ten weeks. Seventy days.

I need to make these healthy habits more than habits.

I need to make them who I am.

Want to join me?

_______________________________________________________________________________

By the way--BIG CONGRATS to my wonderful friend (who frequents this little blog). She was the big winner! She lost 9 pounds and won the pot. And is very excited to have her Saturday mornings back for sleeping.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Challenge details to come tomorrow. You know you want to do this. Do it, do it, do it!

Gross Summer Bokeh

If you'd like to know what "bokeh" is, go here.

And if you don't want to go there-

it's a form of photography.

If you'd like to lecture the child who forgot her sunscreen,

please leave a comment.

If you'd like to have breakfast for lunch and dinner (we call it "blinner")

or clean the kitchen,

come on over.

_______________________________________________________________________________

And explaination of "blinner."

Our church starts crazy early.

And, I am lazy

and only like to fix one main meal

on Sundays.

So-this particular Sunday

we had "blinner"

and snacks when they all

got hungry again

later.

Oh, and we usually only call it "blinner"

when we are having what's know as

traditional breakfast items

when it's the middle of the day.

Other days

It's just an early dinner

and mom's

off the hook

the rest of the day.

________________________________________________________________________________

And,

If you are grossed out-sorry.

Please remember to wear your sunscreen.

Yesterday,

or maybe today,

because I haven't gone to bed yet,

when I was out in the driveway,

helping my mr.,

stain some shutters,

that I need to find a handyman to help hang,

my right eye started watering,

and hurting

and my nose started running

and I couldn't see what I was doing,

but I kept on staining anyway,

because I wanted to help

and I'm really good at staining.

and then it started stinging

so I gave up

and went inside

and got loads of sympathy

from my children.

two of whom had been out there helping

their dad,

but decided to do something

different,

which was probably

a good idea.

and I washed my eyes out

and then closed them

because they hurt

and were very scary looking.

and now I have

a great

new found empathy

for people who

have allergies.

(it was really windy here today. hot and windy. i had sunscreen on my face and there were fumes. have no idea what did hit me. have never had that happen to me before. ever. weird.)

How I fell off the no sugar wagon yet again

These babies and a huckleberry shake.

Don't have a picture of the huckleberry shake, my focus was on consumption.

(And G-it's not your fault-I have free agency, I chose to break my vow, and now it's up to me to deal with the consequences.)

They were consumed on two different days. That is important for me to know that you know.

What led me to break my vow:

A beautful maple bar - the likes of which I haven't seen here in the more southern states.

(Recently, I've found out they call them longjohns here. That's why I haven't been able to find them. But, with another name, they just wouldn't taste the same.)

This -ok, these- were the best maplebars ever.

Am I saying that because of a few year's deprivation?

Probably.

You can get them here.

A place run by a man, who used to be a boy, who I used to have a crush on, but then decided I liked his friend better. Who both lived in a different town than the store.

And to whom I say hello to every few years when I go there.

(And G, that's probably TMI, but you knew me when I was a teenager. It's a good thing that I've matured and I believe you've forgiven me. I want you to know I've always liked your son the best even though when we broke up the first time it's because he decided to date another girl without telling me- his "girlfriend.")

Huckleberries.

Have you ever even heard of huckleberries?

I can't decide if I like them because I like them or because of their name.

Huckleberries.

A few months before I fell this time, I was in another town, in another city in the same state & rekindled my huckleberry fantasy.  If you go to this other city, and you have a hankerin' for huckleberries or breakfast or lunch, you need to go to this place and  order the huckleberry/zucchini bread (don't you love the spelling of zucchini?) french toast.  It comes with huckleberry syrup.

Technically, it was breakfast-so I wasn't cheating that much on the no BLATANT sugar thing. And my friend and I split that and eggs, so we got some protien to help cushion the sugar effects.

(I know, I have honesty issues when it comes to sugar.)

You can find out more about huckleberries here.

But after you read that, just know that the Idaho huckleberries I am talking about are purple and tiny and don't have too many seeds. And you have to pay extra to get a huckleberry shake.

Because they are more valuable.

If you are looking to kick the no sugar habit, I reccomend going to this place.

Order a huckleberry shake, some fries and remember the fry sauce.

Side note:  As it is now almost the last of summer & I am very disappointed in myself, I will be jumping back on the no BLATANT sugar wagon.  I think I will be ok. We are not scheduled to return to Idaho for quite a long time. And it's all Idaho's fault, you know. Please wish me luck.

____________________________________________________________

Here, this place, & the other place have no idea that I am talking about them and have not compensated me in anyway. But, if they wanted to talk, I might be willing to listen.

____________________________________________________________

Post Edit--I made a mistake--my travels did not take me as far as my link to the breakfast place link takes you. Try going here instead. (Thanks for the heads-up, R OK!)

Things to know and do to help a friend or loved one with PPD

For a definition of PPD, go here.

This is a copy of a handout a dear woman gave to me a few months ago. (The title above and the words in italics come directly from the handout.) I wish our family had known this.  Maybe it can help you or someone you love.

-She cannot "snap" out of it.
-She will get better.
-WITH PROPER TREATMENT you will get your wife/daughter/sister/friend back.
-You cannot make this go away.
-PPD affects the whole family
-Make sure you are taking care of yourself.
-Do not asume everything is OK because she says so.
-Do not let her appearance convince you that she is feeling better than she really is.
-Do not tell her what to feel or what not to feel.
-Validate what she feels.
-Listen to her.
-Some things that made her feel good previously, may not work the next time.
-Tell her you know she feels miserable.
-Tell her she will get better.
-Tell her she can still be a good mother and feel terrible.
-Tell her it's OK to make mistakes--she doesn't have to be perfect.
-Tell her you love her.
-Tell her the baby will be fine.

Please remember, if your loved one expresses ANY thoughts of hurting herself or her baby seek IMMEDIATE medical attention! This is an emergency and help must be sought right away!

What happened to me: the PostPartum Depression I didn't realize I had

This post isn't for sympathy--this is something I had, not have now.  I just want it out there so if maybe some mom like me might recognize herself in this, she can get help.  I don't want anyone else to have to endure this if they don't have to.

I didn't realize I had PPD when I had it.
I bet most people I was around would never have guessed it.

I put on a smile, coped the best I could and blamed everything on sleep deprivation.
I was wrong.

I had to work very hard to pull myself out of its depths.
I knew something was wrong when my baby was one year old and I still had to gather all my strength just to run to the grocery store.
I signed us up for a baby & mom swim class.
I had to give us a purpose. (Besides taking care of all the other people in our family-I did love that purpose, it just didn't get me going.)
Getting out once a week helped.
Then I started going to the gym a few mornings a week. That helped-when I could get myself together.

Quite a while later, our family found out that we would probably have to move to another state.
Prepping for that, the reality set in.
I had to get it together.
Luckily, my mr. knew he was going to be layed-off for almost nine months and then we had a "trial separation" (only physical-he came to work in our new state, the kids and I stayed behind, finished the school year & got the house ready to sell).  That took another seven months.
I say luckily because I had time.
And I had great people surrounding me-even though they didn't know they were helping.

While I was prepping the house, a very kind woman said, "I am coming over to help you."
And I swallowed my pride and let her in and I am glad I did.
She was a spitfire and cleaned so fast, it overwhelmed me.
Trying to keep up with her put many cracks in that PPD cocoon I had built around me.

The house was on the market and sold, our family reunited for good in our new state.
I started excercising and taking better care of myself. I kept trying. I kept praying.
I keep finding new parts of me that I'd forgotten.

After some fun one night, one of the kids said to me, "Hey mom, you're back. I missed you."
I missed me, too. I'm so glad to be back.

So--here are the symptoms of PPD - remember, it's more than the blues. And if you know anyone going through this, get help. And speak to a medical professional-I am not one of those, I'm just a person who went undiagnosed and lost a lot of time.

Here they are from webMD.--
There are many possible symptoms of postpartum depression, including the following:


Inability to sleep or sleeping a lot, even when the baby is awake.
Change in appetite.
Extreme concern and worry about the baby or a lack of interest or feelings for the baby.
Feeling unable to love the baby or your family.
Anger toward the baby, your partner, or other family members.
Anxiety or panic attacks.
Fear of harming your baby. These thoughts may be obsessive, and you may be afraid to be left alone in the house with your baby.
Irritability.
Sadness or excessive crying.
Difficulty concentrating or remembering.
Feelings of doubt, guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, or restlessness.
Lethargy or extreme fatigue.
Loss of interest in hobbies or other usual activities.
Mood swings.
Feeling emotionally numb.
Numbness or tingling in your arms or legs.
Hyperventilating.
Frequent calls to the pediatrician with an inability to be reassured.
Recurrent thoughts of death, which may include thinking about or even planning suicide.
Obsessive-compulsive features, including intrusive, repetitive thoughts and anxiety
Exaggerated highs and lows

I am sick.

Picture from here.

There's also an article on how to outsmart the flu at that link.

I don't get sick.

I've been able to say that to myself for quite sometime now.

But, not yesterday and today.

I grew up in a "get up, get dressed, and lets see how you are doing then" kind of a house.  Well, by the time I was up and dressed, I usually was well enough to handle a day.

Not yesterday.

Not today.

I am fairing quite well, but it's almost noon and I am still in my pajamas and that scares me.

It scares me because for so many years, I did wake up, get myself together & go on with life.

But I wasn't healthy.

Days like today make me fear regression.

I will not go back.

It's taken me four long years to get to the point I'm at and I will not go back.

Staying in my pajamas and allowing myself to feel the haze that comes with illness is a very scary thing to me.

It feels like the days when all I could do was care for one of my babies and sit on the couch.

Sometimes I would do laundry.  It would be clean, in a pile.

Sometimes I would cook.  It wouldn't be much.

I would tell myself, "They are safe, they are fed, they are clothed in clean clothing.  It is all you can do right now and it is ok."

I never had an official diagnosis.

But looking back on it, I was very sick.

But I came out of it.

Thank goodness.

Looking back on it, I thought I was just tired. I was wrong.

If I were to go about it again, I would quit trying to be brave and confess and get some help.

And now I am off to snuggle someone on the couch, take care of myself, and heal.
Thank goodness it's just a cold.