So we finally have our blonde daughter back. She naturally has very beautiful blonde hair, the shade that a lot of people pay a lot of money to get in a salon. In June I got a call from her at a sleepover asking if it was okay if they dyed her hair brunette. I, wanting to be an ultra-cool mom, thought, "Well, you're only a crazy teenager once, so go ahead," and told her okay. Next morning I was greeted with almost BLACK hair. It's faded over the months of washing to a kind of light-brown with some red in it.
I didn't realize when I said, "Sure," what kind of cost I was looking at to get it FIXED. I knew highlights are around $80.00 so with that in mind, called the salon to make an appt. Friday. I told them I wanted to get her hair restored back to its natural color, and they told me it would end up being around $160 freaking dollars because of having to strip it first. What we ended up doing was highlights matching her natural color (quite a lot has grown in so they could match it) and it was $65.00. There was a scary moment when her hair started to go PINK because the dye from the sleepover had a red base to it and it reacted to the chemicals at the salon, but they were able to fix it.
It's not completely back but it's a lot closer! There is a bit of a pinkish tinge to it--lessons learned are NEVER use haircolor in a box from the store, and have all your facts in line before saying YES to something like this. I've never colored my hair so didn't know what I was in for. :) I told Brittany that for future reference the answer is NO as long as we're still supporting her financially. If she wants to spend money on that later, more power to her!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Well, THAT was stupid
So my brother Greg told us this true story at Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. He is a firefighter and this is a call he went on recently. He said it was the only time he's ever lost his temper on a call.
They got a call saying there was a 23 year old white male on the floor of his house who couldn't move. This was interpreted as him being passed out or some other medical emergency, so they rushed over to the house with lights and sirens. When they got there, the mother opened the door and took them downstairs where her 23 year old son was sitting, Indian-style, in front of his Xbox. He said, "I can't move." He had been sitting there playing his Xbox for 6 hours and his legs fell asleep. THAT was the reason they called the fire department. My brother said, "Get up," and the "kid" said, "It hurts." Greg got really firm and told him again to get up, which the guy did, moaning the whole time. Then Greg made him walk around, which he finally did while saying "It hurts." Well, der. Greg then explained to them that based on the call they thought this was an emergency and used lights and sirens, and how this not only ties them up from a possible real emergency call, but that it is a hazard to other vehicles when they have to drive that way. After all that, his mother still wanted him taken to the hospital to be checked out by a doctor and asked how much an ambulance ride was, and since they didn't seem to get how ridiculous the situation was, Greg said, "About 20 video games." The guy did the math, came up with $600.00 and decided he didn't need the ambulance ride after all. 23 freaking years old!!
Greg said if they ever get a call like that again, he's going to hook the person up to an IV, use the paddles and take their temperature rectally like they normally would for an emergency. THAT would teach them! Kelly said he should have used the paddles on the Xbox. LOL
So if you ever call 911 and they're tied up, they might have been sent on a call like this. Scary.
They got a call saying there was a 23 year old white male on the floor of his house who couldn't move. This was interpreted as him being passed out or some other medical emergency, so they rushed over to the house with lights and sirens. When they got there, the mother opened the door and took them downstairs where her 23 year old son was sitting, Indian-style, in front of his Xbox. He said, "I can't move." He had been sitting there playing his Xbox for 6 hours and his legs fell asleep. THAT was the reason they called the fire department. My brother said, "Get up," and the "kid" said, "It hurts." Greg got really firm and told him again to get up, which the guy did, moaning the whole time. Then Greg made him walk around, which he finally did while saying "It hurts." Well, der. Greg then explained to them that based on the call they thought this was an emergency and used lights and sirens, and how this not only ties them up from a possible real emergency call, but that it is a hazard to other vehicles when they have to drive that way. After all that, his mother still wanted him taken to the hospital to be checked out by a doctor and asked how much an ambulance ride was, and since they didn't seem to get how ridiculous the situation was, Greg said, "About 20 video games." The guy did the math, came up with $600.00 and decided he didn't need the ambulance ride after all. 23 freaking years old!!
Greg said if they ever get a call like that again, he's going to hook the person up to an IV, use the paddles and take their temperature rectally like they normally would for an emergency. THAT would teach them! Kelly said he should have used the paddles on the Xbox. LOL
So if you ever call 911 and they're tied up, they might have been sent on a call like this. Scary.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
I am Thankful For. . .
Today is Thanksgiving, and we actually had a nice day today as a family. I feel very happy about that, because it is so hard to actually have all four of us in the same place at the same time to do things together. We went to breakfast at Village Inn after I got the cranberry sauce and roll dough done. We had some great conversation and actually ENJOYED each other's company! I finished the rolls when we got home, and we went to my mother's for Thanksgiving dinner at 4:00 (it was supposed to be 3:30; we were late). Then we went and saw a movie at the dollar theater at 7:00. We saw Wall-E; it was okay but not my favorite of all time. The kids and Kelly enjoyed it a lot more than I did. I loved the short at the beginning. :) That rabbit was hysterical!
Anyhoo, I thought it would be good to list some things that I am grateful for, this being the thankful holiday and all. Probably a good thing for me to do, since I tend so much toward worry and anxiety.
My list:
1. I am thankful that Kelly has a job. Not just a job, but a good one where he is paid well, he loves what he does, enjoys the people he works with and is valued.
2. I am thankful that we have a home. Tiny bathroom, laundry appliances in the kitchen and all. At least I don't have to use a laundromat or outhouse.
3. I am thankful that gas prices are down--one pleasant thing with all the scariness of the economy lately.
4. I am thankful for both of my jobs. Even though the hours at the distribution center haven't been fabulous, I've had the opportunity to get the hours I wanted through the other job.
5. I am thankful for my husband. He is my best friend, we love being together and he loves me unconditionally. I'm thankful that we love just hanging out together.
6. I am thankful for my children. They are both good kids who care about people and have desires to do what's right.
7. I am thankful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. What a blessing that is to me--I'm learning more and more about the Atonement and what that means to me personally, and words cannot express how thankful I am to better understand myself and the Savior's love for me.
8. I am thankful that I am healthy and that my body is in better shape. I've put it through a lot over the years and it's served me well in spite of that.
9. I am thankful for the good, kind people who are in my life. I know some pretty wonderful people!
10. I am thankful for the ability to laugh, and hope that I can develop that more.
There are many more blessings I have, but that's a pretty good list so I'll leave it there.
Anyhoo, I thought it would be good to list some things that I am grateful for, this being the thankful holiday and all. Probably a good thing for me to do, since I tend so much toward worry and anxiety.
My list:
1. I am thankful that Kelly has a job. Not just a job, but a good one where he is paid well, he loves what he does, enjoys the people he works with and is valued.
2. I am thankful that we have a home. Tiny bathroom, laundry appliances in the kitchen and all. At least I don't have to use a laundromat or outhouse.
3. I am thankful that gas prices are down--one pleasant thing with all the scariness of the economy lately.
4. I am thankful for both of my jobs. Even though the hours at the distribution center haven't been fabulous, I've had the opportunity to get the hours I wanted through the other job.
5. I am thankful for my husband. He is my best friend, we love being together and he loves me unconditionally. I'm thankful that we love just hanging out together.
6. I am thankful for my children. They are both good kids who care about people and have desires to do what's right.
7. I am thankful to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. What a blessing that is to me--I'm learning more and more about the Atonement and what that means to me personally, and words cannot express how thankful I am to better understand myself and the Savior's love for me.
8. I am thankful that I am healthy and that my body is in better shape. I've put it through a lot over the years and it's served me well in spite of that.
9. I am thankful for the good, kind people who are in my life. I know some pretty wonderful people!
10. I am thankful for the ability to laugh, and hope that I can develop that more.
There are many more blessings I have, but that's a pretty good list so I'll leave it there.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
School Woes
It has been a challenging couple of weeks in regards to schoolwork at our house. Both of my kids are very intelligent but struggle with learning disorders that get in the way and make schoolwork difficult. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be one of those families who has the requirement for "straight As" or "nothing below a B." Sometimes I wonder if I'm a crappy mother for not requiring higher performance, and then at times like we've had lately I'm reminded that it would just be too stressful and very unfair to my children.
Shane has a processing disorder called Central Auditory Processing Disorder. We only got this figured out at the end of his sophomore year when I accidentally stumbled across a clinical psychologist who deals with "learning disorders" when I was perusing our insurance website to find an in-network therapist to take him to for anger issues. I have had to be extremely vigilant, even since kindergarten, to make sure he got the attention he needed in school. Shane has a very pleasant nature and because of this never stood out as needing attention because he wasn't bouncing off the walls or vying to ask the teacher questions, or acting out. He had characteristics that seemed to fit with ADD but not ADHD (nix on the hyperactivity). I really had to work hard to get him serviced at the elementary school--even had to be the one to request testing for Resource services when he was in 3rd grade because his reading wasn't fluent yet. I also worked very hard with him at home on his reading, and read aloud at night to the kids from books like Harry Potter so that he wouldn't miss out on what all the other kids were experiencing through books. He can read fine now but doesn't love it by any means--if it's not a book that REALLY interests him, you can just forget about it. Writing is still really difficult for him. I know that he can do it when he decides to, but because the whole processing thing is such an issue it is a LOT of work for him and so he deals with it by "checking out." He does do writing on the computer, writing scripts for movie ideas, and he does a really good job with that.
Anyhoo, after this specialist did testing with him he identified the disorder as CAPD, which is often mistaken for ADD without the hyperactivity typically seen in ADHD. The difference is the origins of the difficulty in focusing, which have to do with hearing. Usually people with this pass the hearing tests they give in school just fine, so it's not detected. The way he explained it is that there is a nerve which runs from the ear and processes what you hear to the brain. For most people, information processes along this nerve at a speed you could compare to the interstate freeway. For people with CAPD, the speed is more like state street. This affects written and verbal expression. Additionally, people who have this have great difficulty filtering background noise that most of us naturally tune out--footsteps, rustling papers, sounds of pages being turned, etc. and it all just adds up to NOISE. Wading through all that NOISE to try and focus on a teacher in a classroom is like climbing a mountain every day and is exhausting. A lot of times the person copes by going to sleep, which Shane totally does. The good doc told Shane to remember that he's not stupid, and he's in good company--Einstein and Tom Cruise had/have CAPD.
It was a blessing to finally have concrete answers, but it has been such a fight at the school to get him the help he needs, including an IEP in place to accomodate him. That's a whole story in and of itself that I won't get into, but right now we are dealing with two of his teachers whose teaching methods are completely contrary to how he learns, and a lot of unwillingness to even follow his IEP (which always blows my mind because an IEP is a legally binding document. I don't understand how teachers can REFUSE to follow the IEP. I guess I should be threatening lawsuits but I keep giving people the benefit of a doubt and try not to be confrontational). The two classes giving him fits right now are geometry and government. Sunday afternoon, evening and night culminated in Shane shouting at us while we were helping him with his schoolwork--Kelly with geometry, me with a paper on abortion for government.
Today I took him to East Shore High School to sign up for packets to finish off his science requirements. They do packets there, and have teachers in the labs who can give the students one on one help, so this will be a good option for him, but the trip down there involved a lot of shouting, too--he didn't want to go with me and was fighting with me about using one of his free periods to go there to work on the packets. It was absolutely horrible.
I will be so happy to get him graduated. Some days I have a hard time remember that this angry young man is the same joyful, happy little boy I gave birth to. I really hope that he can rediscover that joyful and peacemaking nature that truly is him. All the frustration he deals with has built up over the years and he just goes straight to anger a lot of the time now. I worry about it a lot, and it makes me sad. I also feel like I haven't done enough; I've tried hard to help him and also to advocate for him, but I feel like I've failed him. I wish we would have gotten the diagnosis sooner. . .sophomore year was an absolute nightmare. If I would have known all of this in grade school it would have made a HUGE difference. I would still have had to deal with apathetic or butthole teachers, but I would have had a much better understanding of what he needed and how to get it for him.
I'm tired so I'll talk about Brittany later.
HA!! And I wanted eight kids. Maybe God knew what He was doing after all when he only gave me two.
Shane has a processing disorder called Central Auditory Processing Disorder. We only got this figured out at the end of his sophomore year when I accidentally stumbled across a clinical psychologist who deals with "learning disorders" when I was perusing our insurance website to find an in-network therapist to take him to for anger issues. I have had to be extremely vigilant, even since kindergarten, to make sure he got the attention he needed in school. Shane has a very pleasant nature and because of this never stood out as needing attention because he wasn't bouncing off the walls or vying to ask the teacher questions, or acting out. He had characteristics that seemed to fit with ADD but not ADHD (nix on the hyperactivity). I really had to work hard to get him serviced at the elementary school--even had to be the one to request testing for Resource services when he was in 3rd grade because his reading wasn't fluent yet. I also worked very hard with him at home on his reading, and read aloud at night to the kids from books like Harry Potter so that he wouldn't miss out on what all the other kids were experiencing through books. He can read fine now but doesn't love it by any means--if it's not a book that REALLY interests him, you can just forget about it. Writing is still really difficult for him. I know that he can do it when he decides to, but because the whole processing thing is such an issue it is a LOT of work for him and so he deals with it by "checking out." He does do writing on the computer, writing scripts for movie ideas, and he does a really good job with that.
Anyhoo, after this specialist did testing with him he identified the disorder as CAPD, which is often mistaken for ADD without the hyperactivity typically seen in ADHD. The difference is the origins of the difficulty in focusing, which have to do with hearing. Usually people with this pass the hearing tests they give in school just fine, so it's not detected. The way he explained it is that there is a nerve which runs from the ear and processes what you hear to the brain. For most people, information processes along this nerve at a speed you could compare to the interstate freeway. For people with CAPD, the speed is more like state street. This affects written and verbal expression. Additionally, people who have this have great difficulty filtering background noise that most of us naturally tune out--footsteps, rustling papers, sounds of pages being turned, etc. and it all just adds up to NOISE. Wading through all that NOISE to try and focus on a teacher in a classroom is like climbing a mountain every day and is exhausting. A lot of times the person copes by going to sleep, which Shane totally does. The good doc told Shane to remember that he's not stupid, and he's in good company--Einstein and Tom Cruise had/have CAPD.
It was a blessing to finally have concrete answers, but it has been such a fight at the school to get him the help he needs, including an IEP in place to accomodate him. That's a whole story in and of itself that I won't get into, but right now we are dealing with two of his teachers whose teaching methods are completely contrary to how he learns, and a lot of unwillingness to even follow his IEP (which always blows my mind because an IEP is a legally binding document. I don't understand how teachers can REFUSE to follow the IEP. I guess I should be threatening lawsuits but I keep giving people the benefit of a doubt and try not to be confrontational). The two classes giving him fits right now are geometry and government. Sunday afternoon, evening and night culminated in Shane shouting at us while we were helping him with his schoolwork--Kelly with geometry, me with a paper on abortion for government.
Today I took him to East Shore High School to sign up for packets to finish off his science requirements. They do packets there, and have teachers in the labs who can give the students one on one help, so this will be a good option for him, but the trip down there involved a lot of shouting, too--he didn't want to go with me and was fighting with me about using one of his free periods to go there to work on the packets. It was absolutely horrible.
I will be so happy to get him graduated. Some days I have a hard time remember that this angry young man is the same joyful, happy little boy I gave birth to. I really hope that he can rediscover that joyful and peacemaking nature that truly is him. All the frustration he deals with has built up over the years and he just goes straight to anger a lot of the time now. I worry about it a lot, and it makes me sad. I also feel like I haven't done enough; I've tried hard to help him and also to advocate for him, but I feel like I've failed him. I wish we would have gotten the diagnosis sooner. . .sophomore year was an absolute nightmare. If I would have known all of this in grade school it would have made a HUGE difference. I would still have had to deal with apathetic or butthole teachers, but I would have had a much better understanding of what he needed and how to get it for him.
I'm tired so I'll talk about Brittany later.
HA!! And I wanted eight kids. Maybe God knew what He was doing after all when he only gave me two.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Views and Ratings Needed, Please
I have a favor to ask on behalf of my son Shane. He posted a music video on YouTube that he created from the Iron Man movie. He really did an incredible job! Since he's new on the scene as a creator I told him I'd post the link where I can so that he can get more views and ratings. If you could take a peek and pass the link around, I'd appreciate it! It really is amazing, and I'm not just saying that as a biased, loving mom.
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSnbpmKMcK0
Let me know whatcha think!
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSnbpmKMcK0
Let me know whatcha think!
Just Call Me The Blur!!
So, in addition to my job at the Church Distribution Center, I started working this week at the Provo Towne Centre Mall working the Hickory Farms and Lehi Roller Mills kiosks. Yes, that's right--I'm one of the dreaded kiosk workers that you may make a point of avoiding eye contact with during your holiday stroll down the mall. I, however, work for the places people actually want to shop at--so there!! I am the nice lady who will give you food to eat whether you buy my stuff or not. Just pretend you're at Costco on a Saturday piecing your free lunch together. :)
I was fortunate enough to get employment there through my sister in law, who is managing this year. Brittany is going to be working as a stocker for both after Thanksgiving. The hours at the Distribution Center haven't been what I had hoped, so I'm glad to have this to fill in the gaps. Another nice thing is that I always have my Distribution schedule at least 3 weeks out, and my sister in law schedules me at the kiosks around that.
I worked today, also, and even managed to squeeze water aerobics in this morning beforehand. It was a tight squeeze but I'm glad I managed it. It's going to be a pretty hectic month and a half coming up, so I'm really going to have to make an effort to get the exercise in. I need to remember that getting it in is really an important part of being good to myself.
Best of all, I'm scoring two new aprons out of the deal. One sporting the proud Hickory Farms logo, and the other with a big old turkey on it (like the flour sacks). I bet you are so jealous right now!
I was fortunate enough to get employment there through my sister in law, who is managing this year. Brittany is going to be working as a stocker for both after Thanksgiving. The hours at the Distribution Center haven't been what I had hoped, so I'm glad to have this to fill in the gaps. Another nice thing is that I always have my Distribution schedule at least 3 weeks out, and my sister in law schedules me at the kiosks around that.
I worked today, also, and even managed to squeeze water aerobics in this morning beforehand. It was a tight squeeze but I'm glad I managed it. It's going to be a pretty hectic month and a half coming up, so I'm really going to have to make an effort to get the exercise in. I need to remember that getting it in is really an important part of being good to myself.
Best of all, I'm scoring two new aprons out of the deal. One sporting the proud Hickory Farms logo, and the other with a big old turkey on it (like the flour sacks). I bet you are so jealous right now!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me
Well, today I am one year further into my midlife crisis. I am now 42; my daughter is calling it the year of much knowledge because of that whol 42 being the answer to the universe thing from one of the movies. I do have to say that 42 doesn't feel as yucky as 40 did. With 41 I just didn't want to think about it, but it's been all right this time.
It was a nice day; I purchased the piano sheet music for The Nutcracker Suite and 2 MoTab CDs and told my husband to wrap them up. :) He wasn't too happy about that but I told them I really wanted them. He got me a new bottle and giftset of my favorite perfume, Happy by Clinique because I ran out.
My favorite things about today were that my family made me some special things. Brittany made my cards on the computer, complete with photos and poetry verses she made up. The one from her and Shane have a photo of them on the front; the one from Kelly has my favorite wedding photo on the front. Kelly made me a slideshow on the computer to the song "Everything" by Michael Buble (the ka-yootest song ever!!), and Shane put together another slideshow to "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story 2--all the photos are of him and Brittany together when they were little. I loved all of it!
My mom invited us over for dinner so I didn't have to cook, and my sis and her family were there. Mom gave me a reindeer "Happy Holiday" sign she painted and some money, and I scored a deal with Katrina's husband on their camcorder. I'm very happy with that because ours bit the dust two or three years ago and we have a lot of events coming up that I want that for!
I got lots of Happy Birthday wishes at Relief Society--wouldn't you know they didn't give me the day off from teaching, but they announced it was my birthday. We have so many nice people in our ward. I was a little worried about the lesson because my brain has been on overload this past week and I've had a lot of trouble focusing (what's that guy's name that I'm married to? j/k), but I think it went all right. I'm always reminded that the teaching comes from the Spirit, not from me--which is a good thing on days like today when my brain is fried.
Brittany says I need to make the most of my Year of Much Knowledge, because after this year it's all over. :) We shall see how it goes!
It was a nice day; I purchased the piano sheet music for The Nutcracker Suite and 2 MoTab CDs and told my husband to wrap them up. :) He wasn't too happy about that but I told them I really wanted them. He got me a new bottle and giftset of my favorite perfume, Happy by Clinique because I ran out.
My favorite things about today were that my family made me some special things. Brittany made my cards on the computer, complete with photos and poetry verses she made up. The one from her and Shane have a photo of them on the front; the one from Kelly has my favorite wedding photo on the front. Kelly made me a slideshow on the computer to the song "Everything" by Michael Buble (the ka-yootest song ever!!), and Shane put together another slideshow to "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story 2--all the photos are of him and Brittany together when they were little. I loved all of it!
My mom invited us over for dinner so I didn't have to cook, and my sis and her family were there. Mom gave me a reindeer "Happy Holiday" sign she painted and some money, and I scored a deal with Katrina's husband on their camcorder. I'm very happy with that because ours bit the dust two or three years ago and we have a lot of events coming up that I want that for!
I got lots of Happy Birthday wishes at Relief Society--wouldn't you know they didn't give me the day off from teaching, but they announced it was my birthday. We have so many nice people in our ward. I was a little worried about the lesson because my brain has been on overload this past week and I've had a lot of trouble focusing (what's that guy's name that I'm married to? j/k), but I think it went all right. I'm always reminded that the teaching comes from the Spirit, not from me--which is a good thing on days like today when my brain is fried.
Brittany says I need to make the most of my Year of Much Knowledge, because after this year it's all over. :) We shall see how it goes!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Yep, You Kind of Need Your Water Storage!
For anyone wondering if you really need to store the suggested amounts of water that are listed for emergency preparedness, I can say that I really think you do. And you never know what your emergency might be. It could be like the crisis our family has today:
Stupid Mom forgot to pay the water bill.
GAHHHHH!! There's nothing quite like turning the faucet on having nothing happen. We, of course, got the pretty green tag on our door stating we need to pay our bill and I was like, "Oh, yeah! I need to do that." I looked at the date and for some reason saw the 17th and put it aside because payday is tomorrow, then later when I had no water I looked at it again and it was the 12th. Don't ask how my brain messed that up; it just did. So how do you like THAT peek inside my head? I bet you're feeling pretty darned good about yourself right now!
It is amazing how fast water goes when you need to wash hands, boil water for cooking, etc. By some act of heaven we got paid today instead of tomorrow, so I went and paid the bill at lunch. They said it will be back on sometime today; I hope so, because I really don't want to deal with Kelly coming home to no running water. I feel SO classy today.
Hey, I just heard water in the sink! It's a beautiful thing. Those water turn offer guys have the cushiest job ever--open water meter, turn off water, get in truck, leave. Come back, open water meter, turn ON water, get in truck, leave. Hmmm, maybe that's another to add to my list of empty nester job possibilities. . .
Stupid Mom forgot to pay the water bill.
GAHHHHH!! There's nothing quite like turning the faucet on having nothing happen. We, of course, got the pretty green tag on our door stating we need to pay our bill and I was like, "Oh, yeah! I need to do that." I looked at the date and for some reason saw the 17th and put it aside because payday is tomorrow, then later when I had no water I looked at it again and it was the 12th. Don't ask how my brain messed that up; it just did. So how do you like THAT peek inside my head? I bet you're feeling pretty darned good about yourself right now!
It is amazing how fast water goes when you need to wash hands, boil water for cooking, etc. By some act of heaven we got paid today instead of tomorrow, so I went and paid the bill at lunch. They said it will be back on sometime today; I hope so, because I really don't want to deal with Kelly coming home to no running water. I feel SO classy today.
Hey, I just heard water in the sink! It's a beautiful thing. Those water turn offer guys have the cushiest job ever--open water meter, turn off water, get in truck, leave. Come back, open water meter, turn ON water, get in truck, leave. Hmmm, maybe that's another to add to my list of empty nester job possibilities. . .
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
My Name is Heidi and. . .
and I'm an emotional eater." "Well, der," the group says.
That is what I pictured my very first night at my emotional eating support group being like. Last night was my 4th meeting in a 12-week session and can I just say, it's nothing like that. I'm learning a lot, and it's nice to see that I'm on track with what I've felt was going on with my stupid eating for a long time. These are some of the nicest people I have ever met, and the counselor who facilitates the group is wonderful.
Something that was surprising to me after the first or second meeting was to realize how many different manifestations there are in eating disorders, and that really the root cause is the same. I thought that all of the people coming would be on the heavier side, but I have been surprised to learn that some have bulimia and/or anorexia. The main difference between me and them is that when I eat too much I don't throw up. I just feel sick for a couple of days and feel like an idiot. However, as the leader pointed out, we're gaining something from what we're doing. For me it boils down to trading one sick feeling in my gut for another one that doesn't feel as threatening. When I have the high anxiety, my knee-jerk reaction is to eat something. My body misinterprets that "hole" as hunger. I've been aware of it for quite awhile even before starting the group and have been working on it on my own, but the hard part for me is figuring what to do when I am feeling that way. We did an exercise last night, and part of it was coming up with alternatives. I had a hard time coming up with answers, so listened to everyone else and got some ideas that way.
I've had some bad anxiety this past week and am proud of the fact that several times I caught my desire to eat and realized that it was a stress response and didn't follow through. I'm learning to listen to my body better--I've had some situations where I realized I was THIRSTY or TIRED, NOT HUNGRY!! I've been so out of sync it's ridiculous.
We are using the book "Intuitive Eating," which is also used by The Center for Change, where the group is held. This book is amazing and totally makes sense to me--as I've read I've been like, "Yup. Yup. That's me!"
So this group thing is another good thing I'm doing for me. And I'm really glad that no one has said, "Well, der," to me. :)
That is what I pictured my very first night at my emotional eating support group being like. Last night was my 4th meeting in a 12-week session and can I just say, it's nothing like that. I'm learning a lot, and it's nice to see that I'm on track with what I've felt was going on with my stupid eating for a long time. These are some of the nicest people I have ever met, and the counselor who facilitates the group is wonderful.
Something that was surprising to me after the first or second meeting was to realize how many different manifestations there are in eating disorders, and that really the root cause is the same. I thought that all of the people coming would be on the heavier side, but I have been surprised to learn that some have bulimia and/or anorexia. The main difference between me and them is that when I eat too much I don't throw up. I just feel sick for a couple of days and feel like an idiot. However, as the leader pointed out, we're gaining something from what we're doing. For me it boils down to trading one sick feeling in my gut for another one that doesn't feel as threatening. When I have the high anxiety, my knee-jerk reaction is to eat something. My body misinterprets that "hole" as hunger. I've been aware of it for quite awhile even before starting the group and have been working on it on my own, but the hard part for me is figuring what to do when I am feeling that way. We did an exercise last night, and part of it was coming up with alternatives. I had a hard time coming up with answers, so listened to everyone else and got some ideas that way.
I've had some bad anxiety this past week and am proud of the fact that several times I caught my desire to eat and realized that it was a stress response and didn't follow through. I'm learning to listen to my body better--I've had some situations where I realized I was THIRSTY or TIRED, NOT HUNGRY!! I've been so out of sync it's ridiculous.
We are using the book "Intuitive Eating," which is also used by The Center for Change, where the group is held. This book is amazing and totally makes sense to me--as I've read I've been like, "Yup. Yup. That's me!"
So this group thing is another good thing I'm doing for me. And I'm really glad that no one has said, "Well, der," to me. :)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Me with a Magic Wand
What would I do if I had a magic wand? Well, first my house would ALWAYS be clean. I would have self-folding and put-away laundry. The dishes would do themselves every night (I've been doing pretty good on that one for quite awhile but last night's are still staring at me and I can't deal with them). The Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations would switch themselves and the boxes would go back to the garage on their own. Remember that scene in Disney's The Sword in the Stone where Merlin waves his wand and the dishes all do themselves? Mine would be even better because they would just be magically done--no process, just done. The vacuum cleaner would turn on whenever needed and just take care of business.
My son would flush the toilet after he uses it, there would be no smudges on the bathroom mirror, and everyone would take care of the towels after they shower. There would be no shaving cream residue left in the sink.
My daughter's shoe piles would disappear, because she would put them away before getting to a 5-pair pileup. ON HER OWN.
I would never have to put gas in the van or buy toilet paper. They would just be there!
My checkbook would balance itself. No forgotten entries!
I would get a paycheck every week for my job as wife and mother. I would have benefits, too. . .my benefits would include hair appointments every 8 weeks, paid for, a weekly massage, a new pair of frivolous shoes every month and a professional organizer on hand whenever I need her. She would rescue me constantly.
Each of my fingers and thumbs would grow 1/2" longer, so I could play piano pieces with huge chords easier. It's really obvious that a lot of male composers have huge hands and must just think everyone else does, too. One day my grandma was looking at my short, stubby fingers and said, "Oh, you got Bernie's (her sister's) hands!" like that was the most wonderful thing. I said, "Oh, she's the culprit, huh?!" Turns out I got her stupid feet, too.
As it happens, the only magic wand I have is my cursor. I feel very cool because I changed it on Cursor Mania! It makes me feel powerful.
Hmmm. . .maybe Jared is a magic wand. He made Brittany get her homework done yesterday after school. It was like magic.
My son would flush the toilet after he uses it, there would be no smudges on the bathroom mirror, and everyone would take care of the towels after they shower. There would be no shaving cream residue left in the sink.
My daughter's shoe piles would disappear, because she would put them away before getting to a 5-pair pileup. ON HER OWN.
I would never have to put gas in the van or buy toilet paper. They would just be there!
My checkbook would balance itself. No forgotten entries!
I would get a paycheck every week for my job as wife and mother. I would have benefits, too. . .my benefits would include hair appointments every 8 weeks, paid for, a weekly massage, a new pair of frivolous shoes every month and a professional organizer on hand whenever I need her. She would rescue me constantly.
Each of my fingers and thumbs would grow 1/2" longer, so I could play piano pieces with huge chords easier. It's really obvious that a lot of male composers have huge hands and must just think everyone else does, too. One day my grandma was looking at my short, stubby fingers and said, "Oh, you got Bernie's (her sister's) hands!" like that was the most wonderful thing. I said, "Oh, she's the culprit, huh?!" Turns out I got her stupid feet, too.
As it happens, the only magic wand I have is my cursor. I feel very cool because I changed it on Cursor Mania! It makes me feel powerful.
Hmmm. . .maybe Jared is a magic wand. He made Brittany get her homework done yesterday after school. It was like magic.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Happy 3-Month Anniversary to Me, the Blogger!
I've been blogging for 3 months now! I'm so proud. I may not have a following, but at least it's better than my ever-empty journal. Yay me!
Strrrrrrrrrrressful Day!
Yesterday sucked, and that's all there is to it. Well, it ended up good because Kelly and I went to the temple with a temple group from my work, but the rest of the day was BLAHHHHH!! Probably because we were going to the temple.
It started out with realizing that my paycheck didn't get deposited to our bank account, which we were in desperate need of. The thing that REALLY wigged me out was that this should have been my second paycheck, but I never got my first one. Typically they mail your first check and then after that they are automatically deposited into your bank account. I spent a week and a half looking for the first check, not wanting to be a brat, then finally brought it up at work. The other two people in my training group hadn't gotten theirs either and had said something, so they had already checked on it and told me it would be added to my next check. So I was REALLY not happy yesterday. The person at work over that was off for the day so a message was given to the store manager, who I had to wait two hours to hear from because he was in a training meeting. When I talked to him he said he had sent an email to HR in Salt Lake and was waiting to hear back and would call me. Two hours later I hadn't heard from him so despite not wanting to be a pest I called him again. He still hadn't heard back so gave me a phone number to call. Apparently they were out for the day because I had to leave messages.
Needless to say, I was NOT a happy camper. At all.
It's funny how crap happens when you're trying to go to the temple.
I got a check in the mail today, so at least I know I'm in the system, but I'm 99% sure they didn't include the first week. So I have some more squeaking to do.
It started out with realizing that my paycheck didn't get deposited to our bank account, which we were in desperate need of. The thing that REALLY wigged me out was that this should have been my second paycheck, but I never got my first one. Typically they mail your first check and then after that they are automatically deposited into your bank account. I spent a week and a half looking for the first check, not wanting to be a brat, then finally brought it up at work. The other two people in my training group hadn't gotten theirs either and had said something, so they had already checked on it and told me it would be added to my next check. So I was REALLY not happy yesterday. The person at work over that was off for the day so a message was given to the store manager, who I had to wait two hours to hear from because he was in a training meeting. When I talked to him he said he had sent an email to HR in Salt Lake and was waiting to hear back and would call me. Two hours later I hadn't heard from him so despite not wanting to be a pest I called him again. He still hadn't heard back so gave me a phone number to call. Apparently they were out for the day because I had to leave messages.
Needless to say, I was NOT a happy camper. At all.
It's funny how crap happens when you're trying to go to the temple.
I got a check in the mail today, so at least I know I'm in the system, but I'm 99% sure they didn't include the first week. So I have some more squeaking to do.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Love Is In the Air
As of a week ago, Brittany's Jared officially became Brittany's boyfriend. I have to say they are very, very cute together!
I'm not feeling freaked out about this one, like I was about the boy in the Snogging post. Brittany and Jared have been friends for a really long time. I like him a LOT. Good guy, lots of fun and oh my gosh, SO funny. About a month ago he came over the day he found out Brittany had given the other guy the boot so she could talk, and I had just talked to Brittany, reinforcing NO BOYS in her bedroom. Jared came downstairs as we were finishing the talk and Brittany said, "Sorry, you can't come in here," (she was cleaning) and Jared wanted to know why (he's been in there as a friend when there have been several of them hanging out). I said something like because he's a guy and he said, "But I'm just Jared!" I said, "Sorry, house rules," and went upstairs. He asked her out on their first not-just-as-friends date that day and there's been quite a bit of snuggling going on since then. Whatever, "Just Jared!"
Shane and Amanda have been together almost 10 months. He's been making a slideshow CD to give her for their year anniversary. We love Amanda, too! She's a really good girl, fun and creative, and really encourages Shane to keep doing what he should. "Shane, you need to get your Eagle." "Okay, Amanda. Mom, I need an Eagle Project and I just passed off my last two nightmare merit badges that I've been fighting with you for two years over." "Shane, would you like to go to General Conference with me and my family?" "Why, of COURSE I would Amanda! There's nothing I love more than General Conference." "Shane, you should go to the seminary morningside." "Okay, Amanda. Mom, I need to be at the seminary building to go to the morningside you've been telling me I should go to for the past two years."
Having your kids date the right kinds of people? Priceless. And pretty darned cute.
I'm not feeling freaked out about this one, like I was about the boy in the Snogging post. Brittany and Jared have been friends for a really long time. I like him a LOT. Good guy, lots of fun and oh my gosh, SO funny. About a month ago he came over the day he found out Brittany had given the other guy the boot so she could talk, and I had just talked to Brittany, reinforcing NO BOYS in her bedroom. Jared came downstairs as we were finishing the talk and Brittany said, "Sorry, you can't come in here," (she was cleaning) and Jared wanted to know why (he's been in there as a friend when there have been several of them hanging out). I said something like because he's a guy and he said, "But I'm just Jared!" I said, "Sorry, house rules," and went upstairs. He asked her out on their first not-just-as-friends date that day and there's been quite a bit of snuggling going on since then. Whatever, "Just Jared!"
Shane and Amanda have been together almost 10 months. He's been making a slideshow CD to give her for their year anniversary. We love Amanda, too! She's a really good girl, fun and creative, and really encourages Shane to keep doing what he should. "Shane, you need to get your Eagle." "Okay, Amanda. Mom, I need an Eagle Project and I just passed off my last two nightmare merit badges that I've been fighting with you for two years over." "Shane, would you like to go to General Conference with me and my family?" "Why, of COURSE I would Amanda! There's nothing I love more than General Conference." "Shane, you should go to the seminary morningside." "Okay, Amanda. Mom, I need to be at the seminary building to go to the morningside you've been telling me I should go to for the past two years."
Having your kids date the right kinds of people? Priceless. And pretty darned cute.
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