4 pounds

After holding my weight at a GREAT place for almost 6 months, I am up about 4 lb. I actually have been up about 3-4 lb since the holidays. So, it isn't like I'm slowly continuing upward but it could happen if I don't do something. I really want to get back to that nice weight I was at a few months ago. I know the gain is due to many things: holiday eating, travel to MI for almost a week of eating out, lack of time to plan/cook so eating too many unhealthy options, and finally skipping meals when I go to school or work and then getting way overhungry and then eating junk. Example, last night I had school so I had a late lunch and no dinner. By the time I got home at 8:30 I was way hungry. I started out with a nice healthy low fat tortilla with cheese and hot peppers. Small, lots of fiber, and would have been good to stop there. But I was still hungry so I decided to have a few tortilla chips. I should know better. I love chips. Had WAY too many. Then I wanted a small piece of chocolate. Which turned into 3 pieces. And ended up with me way too full and going to bed feeling yucky. When I was losing weight, I never ever ate after 6pm. I really need to start that again. I feel so much better going to bed a little hungry and having a big (healthy) breakfast of eggs or oatmeal or cereal/english muffin. I do still exercise but probably not as much as I did. Soon it will be warm enough to walk outside and I will get more activity in. I just have to catch this before I am up 10 lb and REALLY mad at myself.

Oh my gosh

I am starting to feel my heart beat a little faster due to an overwhelming feeling of doom that I have so much to do the next few weeks. The homework is piling on, as it always does about a month into the semester. I always get through it, but still it just is this long list of things to do that seems so long and never just goes away. I have clinical this weekend. My 2nd to last one, yippee!! However, I have an instructor that I have not had before and though I have heard she is really good I have also heard that you MUST. KNOW. YOUR. MEDS or she may send you home. This means 2 patients who could be on like 10 meds or more each. So, I'm a little nervous about that as pharmacology isn't my strong suit, and I basically hate memorizing medication info that I will forget in a day or 2. It's one of those things that you need to memorize it but you won't really learn it unless it is a med you give routinely. So, I have that to look forward to in the wee morning hours of Friday/Saturday. I have to be at the hospital by 6:30 AM Sat AND Sun. Not looking forward to that AT ALL. But I know that each day I go in, I am that much closer to being done. After this weekend I will only have my OB rotation left and I heard that one isn't too bad at all. I also have this ridiculous group project looming over me, along with a 10 page paper, test coming up the first week in march (did I mention I got a B on the first test, yes a B, and I'm not happy about it). So, I really need to study a lot for that.

Tomorrow both kids have school and I COULD get a lot done for school. However, my mommy guilt for having to be gone all weekend will probably have me at their school most of the day. I volunteer in B's room Thur mornings 9:30-10:30 and J's room 10:30-??? whenever I can get out of there. I am debating going to lunch also but that means B at 11:40 and J at 12:40, which is a lot of waiting around to sit in a lunchroom with my kids who are usually to busy socializing with the other kids than to talk to me. But they claim to really want me to eat lunch with them so my presence must be all they need to feel loved!

Today J and I cleaned out some rooms and got rid of a few bags of clothes, toys, and kids stuff that they have outgrown. I am trying to whittle down and get rid of things they no longer play with. I was surprised how many puzzles we had that just are way too easy for a 5 1/2 and 8 year old. I would like to get rid of many books but that is hard for me to do. We love our books. I now have to decide if a garage sale is worth it or if I just donate it and take the easy way out. Whenever I've had a garage sale I never make any money, no one comes, and it rains. All that work for a measly $50 isn't really worth it.

The weather is absolutely frigid. It was -11 today. The kids don't get to even play outside at recess it is that cold. It is getting a little old. We have had a really cold winter it seems, maybe I've forgotten past years but it seems to be worse this year. I really wonder why I live here sometimes!! I am totally not a cold weather kind of person!!

I am going up to kiss my kiddos and snuggle with my hubby before my crazy weekend begins in 2 days. Wish me luck.

Hello!

I just hate going to blogs and seeing the same post over and over at the top. I am one of those blogs!! Oh well, that is ok. I do my best. Things are going well. I did a rotation in pediatrics this past weekend. It was fun, but probably not what I want to do. It is pretty slow paced and the parents do much of the care for the kids. I had a 7 month old with RSV and a 5 yr old with kidney problems. A couple of students got to work in the peds ICU and that sounded pretty cool. Sad, obviously, but interesting.

Tonight and Wed I have class, then the weekend off. We are actually taking a weekend off from wrestling and going to IA to see family. We still haven't celebrated Xmas with them, so we will do that and visit everyone. Long drive but worth it.

The kids have all their valentines ready for school Thursday. I will get to volunteer at J's party for an hour then I have to go to the hospital for my last preceptorship day in the ER. I will miss working there and maybe I'll get a job there someday! I still do not have my applications out. I am waiting for 1 thing from my last semester clinical instructor. She said she would fill out a reference form and write me a letter of recommendation but she still has not sent them back to me. I hate to bug her via email about it, but I really need to get them sent out. If she is too busy I will just ask another instructor to do it. I basically have everything else ready. I need to start preparing for interviews (assuming I get 1 or 2) and just wait to see if anyone calls.

It is another freezing cold day. I think it is -4 degrees right now. It is crazy. What was really fun was getting up and leaving the house by 5:30am on Sun when it was about -20 degrees. Living in MN sure has it's negatives. When it is this cold you really can't go out at all. We go where we need to go, but nowhere that isn't absolutely necessary. Makes for a long day sometimes. I like to be able to go out and about more, but it just isn't any fun to be out at all. Plus, you have to warm up the car for 30 min for it to be even warm. I also have to pick up kids every day because it is too cold for them to walk home.

Besides being extremely tired (up at 5am Sat and Sun, work all day) things are going well. I spent some time with friends a while back and that was fun. I took J to Hannah Montana movie (why on earth is it $15??? Like she needs the money....) and it was ok. I am getting ready for B's movie birthday party a week from today. We are going to see The Spiderwick Chronicles. It isn't here so I don't have much to do (yay!) His real birthday was busy with school, wrestling practice, and small family celebration here. He seemed happy with everything though. I made his favorite dessert instead of cake (he isn't a big cake fan). It was a big chocolate chip cookie warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry on top. He gobbled that up and we all go to enjoy some as well. He got 2 more Webkinz (up to 5 now!), a big book about his video game Zelda, a new Wii game, a puzzle, and some other Chapter books. He is into these books called "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and they are hilarious. I like to read them! I am trying to get him to read more on his own. He would rather I read to him, even though he is a great reader. It isn't like I don't enjoy reading to him but by this age I was reading big chapter books on my own and I think he should read some books on his own just for enjoyment.

I am off to finish laundry and put away lunch mess. Until next time.....

8 years old

My big boy is going to be 8 tomorrow. At 7:17 am he was born after I was in labor all night long. I went into the hospital around this time 8 years ago. I remember Brian and I had a big steak dinner at my parents house and I was having mild contractions that continued to increase in frequency and intensity throughout the evening. I was really nervous about labor and the pain and the unknown. I had a great birth and no complications. I can still remember it all very clearly. I remember exactly what he looked like when he came out and the midwife put him on my chest. He just stared up at us with big eyes and we fell in love. Happy Birthday to my first baby!!!

It will grow back

It's only hair but for some reason I get attached to hair. My hair and especially the kids hair. Even B who is a boy! He has his hair kind of long-ish. It grew quite long and a few weeks ago DH took him in for a supposed "trim". Well, I was shocked how much he let them cut off and a little upset about it. I loved the long hair. It looked SO cute. Anyway, I got over it and it is only hair. Well, now J has it in her head that she wants a haircut. She has had only trims her entire 5 1/2 years of life. Her hair is about down to her waist. It is a light brown with waves and I love her hair. She gets compliments on it all the time and she has always liked her long hair. Well, last night she told me she wants to cut it to her shoulders!!! That would be about a foot of length cut off. She seems to be confident she wants to do this. However, I'm not confident at all. I feel anxious about HAIR! I think a lot of it comes from my own childhood. My mom always cut my hair and lets say she wasn't exactly a beautician. I always had wavy/curly hair and she would cut bangs and they would always end up super short and crooked looking. And I never had really long hair and always wanted it. Now my daughter has the hair I always wanted as a kid and she doesn't want it, so I know I can't make her keep it for me, but what would you do???? She is saying she wants to do it today after school. I will be so sad to see that hair go if I do it!!! But she should have a choice right??? What if she regrets it??? It is only hair.....