Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Heart

Playing dress-up in mom’s clothes & high heels & make-up, playing with dolls, playing with Barbies, pretending to be a princess, or fair maiden in distress in need of a rescuer, playing “house” … things girls do …

Somehow, when we get “all grown up,” we feel like we have to shove our childish dreams aside. Those dreams that were in our hearts as little girls because now we’re adults. Now we have to clean the house and pay the bills (which of course we DO have to do). But is there something to those big dreams in the little child’s heart?

A woman’s heart is the most important thing about her. Every girl in her heart of hearts longs for 3 things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty. That’s what makes a woman come alive. (From Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge)

I just started reading Captivating last night and after 2 chapters, had to force myself to put it down so I could get some sleep. But after I put it down, I just laid there with my eyes closed and smiled. I went back to my childhood & thought of all the things I used to dream about as a little girl. Then I slept. And dreamt. And it was lovely. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a nice dream like that.

So, maybe that’s where my other notes came from about physically hard-working men and other thoughts. Jon, remember how you asked me if I thought there was anything wrong with the girl making the “first move”? I don’t know about “wrong,” but I do know for me, I want to be pursued and I don’t want to be the pursuer. I want to be romanced. I love flowers and little notes. Hugs. A random phone call just to say hi. Nothing expensive, just all those little thoughts that make one feel loved and that I’m special. In past relationships, I’ve been the pursuer and the one writing the little notes and random calls to say hi. Well, if there’s a guy out there for me, he’s going to have to prove his love for me. When people love each other, they want to be with one another. I’m too old to play games like, “Does he like me or not?” And I have a son to consider. No more games for me.

I am unashamedly a woman that God created me to be & am embracing whole-heartedly the fact that we as women are the crescendo of Creation! We are God’s finale!

Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Heart

Playing dress-up in mom’s clothes & high heels & make-up, playing with dolls, playing with Barbies, pretending to be a princess, or fair maiden in distress in need of a rescuer, playing “house” … things girls do …

Somehow, when we get “all grown up,” we feel like we have to shove our childish dreams aside. Those dreams that were in our hearts as little girls because now we’re adults. Now we have to clean the house and pay the bills (which of course we DO have to do). But is there something to those big dreams in the little child’s heart?

A woman’s heart is the most important thing about her. Every girl in her heart of hearts longs for 3 things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty. That’s what makes a woman come alive. (From Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge)

I just started reading Captivating last night and after 2 chapters, had to force myself to put it down so I could get some sleep. But after I put it down, I just laid there with my eyes closed and smiled. I went back to my childhood & thought of all the things I used to dream about as a little girl. Then I slept. And dreamt. And it was lovely. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a nice dream like that.

So, maybe that’s where my other notes came from about physically hard-working men and other thoughts. Jon, remember how you asked me if I thought there was anything wrong with the girl making the “first move”? I don’t know about “wrong,” but I do know for me, I want to be pursued and I don’t want to be the pursuer. I want to be romanced. I love flowers and little notes. Hugs. A random phone call just to say hi. Nothing expensive, just all those little thoughts that make one feel loved and that I’m special. In past relationships, I’ve been the pursuer and the one writing the little notes and random calls to say hi. Well, if there’s a guy out there for me, he’s going to have to prove his love for me. When people love each other, they want to be with one another. I’m too old to play games like, “Does he like me or not?” And I have a son to consider. No more games for me.

I am unashamedly a woman that God created me to be & am embracing whole-heartedly the fact that we as women are the crescendo of Creation! We are God’s finale!

Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Heart

Playing dress-up in mom’s clothes & high heels & make-up, playing with dolls, playing with Barbies, pretending to be a princess, or fair maiden in distress in need of a rescuer, playing “house” … things girls do …

Somehow, when we get “all grown up,” we feel like we have to shove our childish dreams aside. Those dreams that were in our hearts as little girls because now we’re adults. Now we have to clean the house and pay the bills (which of course we DO have to do). But is there something to those big dreams in the little child’s heart?

A woman’s heart is the most important thing about her. Every girl in her heart of hearts longs for 3 things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty. That’s what makes a woman come alive. (From Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge)

I just started reading Captivating last night and after 2 chapters, had to force myself to put it down so I could get some sleep. But after I put it down, I just laid there with my eyes closed and smiled. I went back to my childhood & thought of all the things I used to dream about as a little girl. Then I slept. And dreamt. And it was lovely. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a nice dream like that.

So, maybe that’s where my other notes came from about physically hard-working men and other thoughts. Jon, remember how you asked me if I thought there was anything wrong with the girl making the “first move”? I don’t know about “wrong,” but I do know for me, I want to be pursued and I don’t want to be the pursuer. I want to be romanced. I love flowers and little notes. Hugs. A random phone call just to say hi. Nothing expensive, just all those little thoughts that make one feel loved and that I’m special. In past relationships, I’ve been the pursuer and the one writing the little notes and random calls to say hi. Well, if there’s a guy out there for me, he’s going to have to prove his love for me. When people love each other, they want to be with one another. I’m too old to play games like, “Does he like me or not?” And I have a son to consider. No more games for me.

I am unashamedly a woman that God created me to be & am embracing whole-heartedly the fact that we as women are the crescendo of Creation! We are God’s finale!

Men - Are they extinct?

* If you're a married man, this doesn't apply to you

just wondering if there are any left out there. One that is single, over 26, under 37, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, loves the Lord, loves children, can be romantic, hard-working (willing to work w/ his hands), and doesn't play video games all day long. Does this man exist anywhere?

Confessions of a Mother

"Hi," I hear. I don't answer because I'm trying to sleep.

"Hi," said more emphatically. I scoot deeper under the covers. Maybe he'll give up.

"HI!" Nope.

"Good night, Kevin. It's time to go to sleep. Lie down." I brought him to bed with me (again) because it was easier then fighting with him. Well, at least I thought it would be easier. But after getting kicked in the stomach several times and head banged, I decide this little boy MUST sleep in his own bed tonight! I'm not up to WWF after midnight.

I pick him up w/ his "banky" and "pacy" (of which I'm trying to break him – the pacy not the blanky) and head for the rocking chair. Now, normal people can walk a few feet from point A to point B without incident. However, I had several. #1, legos don't mold to the bottom of feet the way they should be made to do. #2, Kevin started crying (in my ear, mind you) because he didn't like my I-just-stepped-on-your-lego-and-it-really-hurts-and-why-was-it-in-my-room-anyway dance. #3, just being a mother is qualification enough for middle of the night accidents & is a perfectly acceptable answer for ALL seemingly dumb questions.
After recovering from my mishaps, I ask an intelligent question: "Where's the rocking chair?" (If you think this is a dumb question, see #3 above.) If I could just open my eyes a little more, it would make my hunt much easier. Oh! There it is! My little toe finds it. More screaming in the ear. For not being a dancer, I sure do it a lot. Only this time it was the I-just-stubbed-my-toe-and-I'm-trying-not-to-be-a-wimp dance. After plopping myself in the rocking chair & getting Kevin all situated, I hear a little voice say, "Juice?" Sounds easy enough to you, doesn't it? Let me tell you why it's not. #1, it's past midnight. My brain shuts off at midnight. #2, the "juice," which is really milk – Kevin calls everything drinkable "juice," is upstairs. #3, see #3 above. #4, I either have to carry him up the stairs with me with a brain that is not capable of figuring out that there are 13 stairs and not just 12. (You'd think after missing the last stair more than 3x in one week, I'd remember how many stairs there are. See #3.) Or I have to put him down somewhere while I try to brainlessly find the juice. If I put him in his bed, he'll cry and think I'm not getting his juice. So, I opt for the rocking chair. "You sit here and wait for mom. I'll be right back."

I walk toward the stairs with my hands in front of me to protect me from the wall, or whatever else is in my way. Who put that book case there? This time it's my other toe. I walk gingerly up the stairs. At the top of my climb there is a sight that no one needs to see at 1am. The dog got creative with the trash and has strategically placed the contents in the path from the top of the stairs to the sippy cups to the fridge. *sigh* I will think of a way to kill the dog later; now I have a thirsty child waiting for me patiently in the rocking chair. I was on my hands and knees picking up the garbage when I backed into something. Thud. More cries. "Kevin? What are you doing up here? I thought mommy asked you to wait in the rocking chair?"

"Juice," he says through his tears. I pick him up and set him on the counter. Believe it or not, it's probably the safest place for him. If I leave him on ground level, he escapes too quickly. I find the milk in the fridge. I make a mental note to self: almost out of milk, pick some up tomorrow, which I promptly forget.

We head back downstairs. I count out loud. (I always count the stairs with Kevin, not because I'm trying to teach him numbers, although he can count to 7 and he's not even 2, but because if I don't, I end up in a pile on the floor. 12, 13. Phew! We make it to the bottom of the stairs safely. Squish. What the …? What is that?

"OSCAR!!!!!!" (Oscar is our grouchy little wiener dog who apparently had to go outside [probably because he was digging in the trash] but didn't bother to bark or scratch at the door to inform me.) I dance my way over to the rocking chair doing the I-just-stepped-in-something-gross dance, put Kevin in the chair and dance myself to the bathroom. Hanger on the floor bites my non-grossed foot. I hike my leg up into the sink & turn on the water. The freezing cold wakes me up quite quickly! Where's the soap? Oh, yeh. It's in the shower because it's my last bar so it's been making trips back and forth between the shower and sink. Another mental note for store list: buy soap. What else did I need to get? I know there was something else.

I drag my now cold, dripping wet grossed foot from the sink and hop my way to the shower to grab the soap which slips from my hand and makes me find it in the bottom of the tub in the dark. Back to the sink. Hmmm … I thought I just shaved my legs? I think to myself. Check other leg. I did. I just did ½ off special – just finished one leg. (See # 3 above.) Mental note: shave right leg in the morning. (Oh, and I should have been wearing my pedometer! I probably got in a good ½ mile!)
With 2 clean feet now on the ground, I head back towards the rocking chair. Thud. Not again! That's the second time I knocked this poor child over. Back to the rocking chair. Where's the milk? I must have left it on the sink in the bathroom. Nope. Back upstairs, being sure to avoid the gift my soon-to-die-dog left for me. Not on the counter. Not in the fridge. Where on earth. Back downstairs. No!!! Not again! I dance my way back to the sink, then back to the rocking chair where Kevin is surprisingly still sitting & drinking his milk. Hmmm … I'm confused. But that's fine. He has his milk. As I pick him up and put him on my lap, he chucks his milk on the floor. I scold him and tell him to pick it up. "Juice!!!!" He wails. "Kevin, I just got you some milk. Pick it up and drink it!" He gets the sippy cup, but won't drink it. "Fine. Then you can go lie down now." I walk to the crib and place him in it. We pray for the 3rd time, and I kiss him good night. He keeps crying for "juice."

Back to the rocking chair I go to get the milk he wouldn't finish after I had some purple-heart worthy experiences in getting! Back to the bathroom to dump it down the sink. But wait! There's another sippy cup on the sink. Oh. And it's cold. (Now why didn't I notice that the one thrown wasn't cold? Oh, yeh, see #3.) I open the "thrown" sippy cup. Gross! I don't know where Mr. Sippy Cup Thrower found it, but it was nasty! Now I'm feeling guilty. Kevin is crying for juice and I was trying to make him drink the nasty one he found who knows where. *Being a mother is a humbling experience, by the way.
I go get sobbing-Kevin from his crib and head back to the rocking chair with his new cup of milk. When I offer it to him, he pushes it away. "Great," I think. "My son will probably never drink milk again!"

Finally I get him calmed down & put back into his bed. After prayer #4, I head back upstairs to put the milk in the fridge. Honey, golden retriever/chow mix wants to go outside. It was probably about 1:30am by this time. I let her out and wait. She's barking like crazy out there. What on earth? I'm alone, with windows all around me in my not-so-flattering pj's & the only thing I can think of is someone is outside! Honey doesn't usually bark for no reason; that's Oscar's job. I open the window to yell at her, but my breath is taken from my by a distinct smell! I quickly shut the window. If she tangled with a skunk, she is NOT coming in this house. Now what do I do? I wait about 5 minutes then open the door ½way and call her. She comes bounding to the door & proudly looks at me as if to say, Guess what I found?!?! Surprisingly, she doesn't smell like the little black & white striped creature so I let her in the house. Downstairs I go to clean up the mess at the bottom of the stairs.

At 2:07am, I drag myself back to bed. Kevin is quiet, the dogs are quiet … I'm going to sleep and don't care if I ever wake up again!

3:23am – "Juice!" Like a good mother, I ignore his cries for "juice" and go back to sleep.

4:15am – A cold, wet pink nose nudges me. Yuck! I hate that! "Honey, lie down!" 4:16am – a sharp, needs-to-be-clipped paw runs down my arm onto my side! At this point I decide I'd rather take the cold, wet pink nose. "What, Honey??? You can't possibly want to go back out again. You've made enough friends for one night. Now lie down!"

5:36am – See 4:15am & 4:16am again.

6:02am – "Momma! Momma! Poo poo!" Ahhh! The joyous sound of morning! I hear the pitter-patter of roughly 8 feet upstairs. Oscar & Honey are fighting already. I moan, but drag my feet out of bed anyway, only to find that I should have just stayed in bed (probably for the rest of my life – it would be safer). Honey must have really needed to out at 4:15, 4:16, & 5:36am. Man! At least it was just the wet stuff.

The phone rings. I am NOT running up the stairs to get it. That's what answering machines are for, right? To answer the phone when you're so tired that if you were driving you'd probably get pulled over for driving under the influence! Whatever it is, it can wait, I think.

6:20am. Kevin is changed, he has his cereal and milk, and the dogs are outside barking at the world. Things are starting to look up. No incidents in the past 18 minutes. Time to check the answering machine. It's the neighbor. The neighbor never calls. Uh-oh. "Natalie, could you move your car? The snow plow wants to clear the road." Rats. I forgot about leaving my car parked at the end of the driveway in the road yesterday. So, in my lovely pj's, I rush out to my car and move it in the driveway, only to find that the snow plow is done w/ our road and won't be coming back. *sigh*

Oh, gotta go. Someone is saying "Juice." Here we go again!

Mail Order Bride - Everyone Should Read This!!!

In the 1800’s people married for survival. If you were on a wagon train and your husband was killed, if you didn’t marry the first chap that came along who asked for your pretty little hand, you may not survive! What are you going to do when everyone else in the wagon train gets to where they’re going? Now what? The other families can’t afford to house you too. So you find a nice piece of land by a stream. How are you going to build the house alone? A little shack isn’t going to hold up when the first blizzard comes along. Oh, and food and clothes? Where are you going to get the supplies? No one is going to hire a woman. The nearest Wal-mart is down the road a piece … about 150 years. So, yes, your husband dies, and a scruffy looking, but strong man asks you to marry him not even 3 days after your husband’s funeral, you say yes. He has children that need a mother because his wife died while giving birth to her last of 4 children. You marry him on the condition that he takes care of you, and you’re a mother to his children. You cook, clean, take care of the children when they’re sick in the night, do the mending, milk the cows, teach the children … all because you want to survive. He farms or raises cattle and works hard to provide for his family. You sleep in different beds.

But at some point, you start falling in love with that dirty, scruffy, hard-working man with calloused hands. Your motivation changes from duty/survival to love. You start cooking his meals not out of duty, but because you love that man & his children. The children that are his somehow become yours as well. You treat them as your own.

So why don’t we see this anymore? I’ll tell you why: Because our good friend Barbie Doll tells us it’s Survival of the Skinniest. (So good luck getting hitched if you weigh more than 90 pounds, don’t have naturally blonde hair, and wear clothes from Goodwill.) Yes, I know that’s not the only reason. I know our society has changed quite a bit. Now people just live together to “see if it will work out.”

I won’t mention how men have changed. Well, maybe I will. Men USED to WORK for a living. Now what do they do? Sit behind a desk all day. Men used to build their own homes, plant their own food, teach their own children and love their own wife. They used to take care of their families needs before their own. Now, it’s all about what they want. There are grown men that will play video/computer games &/or watch television for hours upon end. Oh, and they call in sick if they have the slightest cold. Try that on the farm someday. “I can’t go out there and plow the field today, Sally. My head hurts!” We women have a tough case on our hands!

What am I going to do about it? What can I do? Unless there’s a kindred spirit MALE out there somewhere, I’m stuck. Are there any survivors out there anymore? Maybe I’ll put out an ad for a mail order bride in every newspaper from here to civilization!

No One Told Me How Dangerous Scalding Hot Oil Is!!!!

* Disclaimer: this all happened while I was NOT on Valium.

For those of you that know me, you will be extremely impressed & proud of me. :)

I thought for once I would cook a meal for Kevin & I & the rest of my family instead of just throwing a pizza in the oven. I put 2 tablespoons of oil into a pan & turned the burner on high. While the oil was heating, I cut the potatoes into 1/4" slices (only cutting my finger twice) just like the recipe said. Then rinsed them in cold water & started tossing them into the boiling oil. NOTE TO SELF: don't "toss" just rinsed potatoes into boiling oil w/o taking 2 "Mother May I" giant steps backward. Come to find out, boiling hot oil on the hand creates blisters. (If I had a digital camera, I would take a picture & show you.) I plunged my hand into the sink & turned on the cold water. (It's still burning as I type, just for you sympathetic ones out there.)

Meanwhile, my son had escaped to the basement. I wouldn't dream of asking my dear brother, who's identity will not be revealed, but whose initials are jde, for any help w/ my son b/c he was extremely busy playing FIFA soccer. I wouldn't want to disrupt him w/ such a little thing as checking on my son.

So here I am, 1 hand out of commission & still plodding on w/ my cooking venture. What's next on the recipe? Pre-cooked chicken strips. Open the package and throw in pan. (Okay, so it didn't say "throw;" it didn't even tell me to the open the package.) Anyway ... I open the package. I've never bought precooked chicken strips before, but for some reason, I didn't think they were supposed to have little greenish blue fuzzy things on them. *sigh* "JOE! I need some help!" [whoops! guess I just uncovered his identity!] I send him in my car w/ my receipt to the store. "Oh, and on your way, could you drop this movie off? [Somewhere In Time - which I still haven't seen] It's due at 6pm." (I think it was about 5:30pm at the time.)

6:15 rolls around. Still no Joe. The store I sent him to was only 2 minutes away. Hmmm ... so I called the video store. "Hey, Tony. Have you seen Joe?" (I live in a so called city of 2,000 people. So when nameless person [me] calls Tony and says, "have you seen Joe?" she doesn't have to ask who is this? what Joe? when? etc. Everyone in this crazy little town knows everything about everyone else. Tony said he left quite a while ago. *sigh*

Okay. Let's try the store. No sign of Joe.

I finished the recipe w/o the chicken. I tried it & it was actually pretty good. When I was done eating, guess who walks in the door? That's right!!! Joseph Everson w/ my moldless chicken. So I throw the chicken in the pan, mix it all in, and try a bite. My dish tasted better w/o the stupid chicken, moldy or not! *sigh*

Here's the funny part that has nothing to do w/ cooking. My mom & dad walked in the house a few minutes later. In my mother's hand is a movie she just rented. Guess what movie? Joe comes walking in a couple minutes later and sees the movie on the table. He picks it up. Turns it over. A very confused Joe then looks at me, "Didn't I just ...?" I just laughed at him. By this time, I was far too tired to explain.

The moral of this short story: Natalie is dangerous when she cooks & she should not try it at home or anywhere else in the universe.

I don't mind a little clinginess ... if you're under the age of 12!

There must be something wrong with my son. When Christy (the babysitter) left, Kevin was down for his nap. When he woke up, he was sooooo clingy! I don't know if it was the fresh air he got b/c they went for a walk today or what. But for 1 1/2 hours I held him and rocked him! The only time I get to hold him that long is a.) if he's sick and b.) if he's asleep. But he seems to be fine now. I have no idea what got into him that caused him to be a cuddly child for that long! I didn't mind it at all! I love to just hold him and snuggle.

The only explanation I can think of is those 2 year old molars. Those bloomin' teeth! I tell ya what!

Any tips?

Anyone home?

IS ANYONE OUT THERE??????? DOES ANYONE READ MY BLOG ANYMORE?!?!?!?! I feel like I'm "talking" to a brick wall. Thanks for your support. Sheesh!

Kevin is definitely a boy

So Kevin & I were playing downstairs, and I was making me bed. He likes to jump on my comforters when they're on the floor and I throw pillows at him and such. Well, evidently he didn't see my pick up the last comforter to put it on my bed. So when he jumped, he landed face first on the floor! He has a pretty nice busted lip now. The bleeding took forever to stop (as lips and foreheads often do) but Popsicles seemed to do the trick. (Well, at least after 4 of them it did.) I'm so thankful we didn't have to pay the Dr. a visit! The sad pictures are below.

Happy Single Awareness Day! Feb. 14th

Those of you who are celebrating Valentine's Day, take heart (no pun intended) and look around you. Yes, enjoy your day - it's probably a special day for & your beloved. But there are qua-zillions of people out here that are single, and not necessarily by choice. I beg of you to do your smoochin' and googley eyes in private and don't abandon your single friends on this day.

To all of you singles out there, let's have our own party. I'll bring the drinks, and I tip my glass to you!

One Season is Closing

14 girls had their last volleyball practice ever as freshman. I let them do some a lot of fun stuff at practice today so I hope we don't suffer on Thursday by losing to Gladstone or West Iron. Not likely, but you never know. We took some fun pictures of the girls and then I let them go. I feel pretty sad about it, but on the other hand, I'm ready for this season to be done. Mid-Nov - the end of Feb. is quite a bit of time.
While we're still undefeated, I really think it's b/c I have such a talented group of girls. I take only about 1% credit for keeping them inline. I'll have to post some pics on here of my volleyball girls; they're a handful!

I'm In Love!

Yes, I'm in love w/ Applebees! I'm going to Green Bay today to take my car to the Dr. While I'm waiting for it to get fixed (giggle, giggle) my friend Julie and I are going to eat at Applebees. Want to know why I love it so much?
A - they have a Weight Watcher menu
B - their food is super good!
C - I've always had excellent customer service
D - the prices are reasonable
E - it just plain tastes stinkin' good!

Anyway ... just wanted to let you know the new love of my life.

Things that make me smile ...

• overhearing someone say something good about someone
• puppies
• cute old couples that still hold hands and laugh
• a child's giggle
• spring time
• random acts of kindness like when someone leaves a note on my desk at work (especially if it had been a rough morning)
• newborns
• children running through sprinklers & climbing trees
• rainbows
  

What makes you smile?

Triumphs & Tragedy

Yes, it's been a LITTLE while since my last post. I need to keep up better. I've just been so down lately about everything in the world: wishing I could provide more for my son & be a better example to him, my weight, finances, my job as a coach, my spiritual walk, my age (27 this year!), etc. I think every winter I get the blues & they start going away after stupid Valentine's Day. I was really excited when I went out to my car at 5:30pm & it wasn't completely dark out! That was AMAZING!

Progress? Not so much. I haven't even stepped on a scale in months. I will soon though. Promise.

Triumph #1 was getting on the treadmill the other day for 17 minutes (approximately 2,000 steps - I'm trying to do 10,000 steps a day.)

Triumph #2 (this is a big one for me) I have a hard time coming out of Wal-mart w/o buying any junk food. I was there around 11pm Sunday night and I was just about to leave when I spotted the Valentine's Day candy. (Yes, I hate Valentine's Day, but candy is candy.) I have the Biggest sweet tooth on the planet ... I'm convinced of that. So there I was, tired & crabby (b/c I lost a receipt I needed to take something back) and I was looking at the Hershey Kisses. These weren't just any kisses ... no, these were wrapped in silver and red foil!!!!! Oh they looked so good! I could just taste the milk chocolate on my tongue! W/o thinking, I just grabbed the bag and threw it in my cart. "You deserve this, Natalie." I told myself. I started walking to the check out full speed ahead. I was just going to do it! "That lady just grabbed 3 bags and she's twice your size!!!" But then I though, yeh ... that's probably why she's 2x my size too, huh? So, I swallowed hard, took a deep breath and put the bag down and walked away. I paid for my stuff and left.

I did it! I actually had something in my cart and put it back! It was an accomplishment. Some people will not realize how extremely difficult that was. Some people do it all the time. I rarely am able to say no! I realized 2 things:
#1 - I am capable of saying "no."
#2 - Fat people motivate me. No, seriously! They do. I'm talking the really big people. I look at them & think, that could so easily be me! I love sweets, carbs, and fast food. That right there is the equation for the 700 Club (the 700 pounds club).

Unfortunately, I didn't have a perfect week. I messed up big time today. Burger King before practice and McDonald's after practice. How sad is that? (Does it count for anything that I got bottled water instead of pop though?) I win one battle here & then the next battle I get demolished. *sigh*

Well, I'm back on the ball (the yoga ball) and REALLY want to win the war. There are many battles in the war made up of not just days, but moments. Every baby shower, bridal shower, snack time, meal time, vending machine, whatever it is ... it's a battle. And by George, I want to win!

50 Question Survery - just for fun

1. WHAT WORD D0 Y0U USE THE M0ST? "Anyways"

2. DO YOU OWN AN IPOD? You hurt your what????

3. WHAT PERSON DO YOU TALK TO THE MOST? My friend Julie & Beth is a close second.

4. WHAT TIME IS Y0UR ALARM CL0CK SET ON? 6:30am

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Rice Krispy Treats Cereal or Cracklin' Oat Bran

6. DO YOU WEAR FLIP FLOPS WHEN ITS COLD? Yep, only I call them sandals.

7.WOULD Y0U RATHER TAKE THE PICTURE 0R BE IN THE PICTURE? Take it. I'm too fat to be in pictures.

8. WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Cars. Not one of my favorites. My favorite line: "You hurt your what?"

9. DO ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS HAVE CHILDREN? Yes. I realize this means I'm getting older. *sigh*

10. HAS ANY0NE EVER CALLED Y0U LAZY? Hasn't every mother called her child "lazy"?

11. HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN MEDS TO HELP YOU FALL ASLEEP? Oh yes. And meds to stay awake. Only ... my heart didn't like that too much & I ended up in the ER. Not good. Not doing that anymore.

12. WHAT CD IS CURRENTLY IN Y0UR CD PLAYER? King's Singers - New Day. Sweet!

13. DO YOU PREFER REGULAR OR CHOCOLATE MILK? Chocolate , but rarely drink it b/c it's not so healthy.

14. HAS ANY0NE T0LD Y0U A SECRET THIS WEEK? Hmmmm ... no.

15. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD STARBUCKS? Never had it. I don't like coffee.

16. CAN Y0U WHISTLE? Yes. Ask that guy that just walked by. :)

17. D0 YOU THINK PE0PLE TALK AB0UT Y0U BEHIND YOUR BACK? I'm sure of it. Maybe I'm a hypochondriac.

18. DID Y0U WATCH CARTO0NS AS A CHILD? Yes - but only the real ones like Bugs Bunny and stuff like that.

19. WHAT M0VIE D0 YOU KNOW EVERY LINE TO? Toy Story. My son Kevin watches it just about every day!

20. D0 YOU 0WN ANY BAND T-SHIRTS? Nope.

21. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING? Kraft Zesty Italian & Hidden Valley Ranch

22. IS ANY0NE IN LOVE WITH Y0U? I highly doubt it.If there is, I'd like to meet him.

23. DO YOU DO YOUR OWN DISHES? No, I have my maid do them after she's done giving me my daily 60 minute massage. Duh - yes, I do my own!

24. EVER CRY IN PUBLIC? Unfortunately, yes.

25. ARE Y0U 0N A DESKT0P COMPUTER 0R A LAP TOP? I'm actually on my chair which is in front of my desktop.

26. ARE Y0U CURRENTLY WANTING ANY PIERCINGS 0R TATTOO’S? A tongue ring would really be beneficial to me. I could talk really funny and get looks from people. (Who made up these stupid questions? And why am I wasting my time answering them??? DON'T answer that!) No, I have no desire to be written on or get jabbed w/ any needles, thank you!

27. WHATS THE WEATHER LIKE? Of all the days TODAY you just had to ask! It was -20 F. Yes, that's right. -20 F!!!

28. W0ULD Y0U EVER DATE S0ME0NE C0VERED IN TATTO0s? Maybe if I was blind & he didn't tell me.

29. WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE THIS? Before this what? This job? Before I started answering these questions???? Before I got to work? Sheesh. I worked at Wal-mart before I started working here. And I was at class before I started answering this very vague questions. Before I got to work I was getting ready for work.

30. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SLEPt ON THE FLOOR? (Who came up w/ these?) I don't remember.

31. H0W MANY H0URS OF SLEEP D0 YOU NEED TO FUNCTION? Need? I'm not sure. I've been running on roughly 5 hours per night for the last 10 years and I seem to be surviving. I'd rather have 8 or 9 though.

32. D0 Y0U EAT BREAKFAST DAILY? Yes. Does hypoglycemia mean anything to you?

33. ARE Y0UR DAYS FULL AND FAST PACED? Most definitely. I have an almost 2 year old and I have 2 jobs, and am going to school. Just a tad bit fast paced.

34. D0 Y0U USE SARCASM? Who me???? Noooooooooooooo!

35. H0W 0LD WILL Y0U BE TURNING ON Y0UR NEXT BIRTHDAY? You just HAD to ask that one didn't you! 27 *sniff, sniff*

40. ARE Y0U PICKY AB0UT SPELLING AND GRAMMAR? sense I took huked on fonics, of corse I do, sily!!!!

41. HAVE Y0U EVER BEEN TO SIX FLAGS? No, but have been to Hershey Park several times. Does that count?

43. D0 YOU GET AL0NG BETTER WITH THE SAME SEX 0R THE OPPOSITE SEX? Definitely the male sex. Girls are way too emotional for me.

44. D0 Y0U LIKE MUSTARD? in moderation

45. D0 Y0U SLEEP 0N Y0UR SIDE, ST0MACH OR BACK? side. then the other side. then the back. then the side. I never remember moving to my stomach, but that's always how I wake up. Weird.

46. D0 Y0U WATCH THE NEWS? Nope. Don't have tv.

47. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? Oh, I like this question. I have a cool one on my knee. I thought it would be easier to JUMP down the ravine rather than climb down it. The rock in my knee & the blood running down my leg told me otherwise.

48. WH0 WAS THE LAST PERS0N T0 MAKE Y0U MAD? Most likely myself. But the AD comes pretty close as well.

49. D0 YOU HATE ANYB0DY? Hate is a pretty strong word. So, I have to say no.

50. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT FOR SOMEONE ELSE? Diapers for my son. Yeh ... that's the real world, people. $19 a shot too!

EMG results - SURGERY!!!!

So, over Christmas break I had an EMG done. Considering I became a human pin cushion and had electric currents zapping through my arms, it wasn't that bad. The Dr. was really fast and there was only a little blood. Ha.

The results: I have mild carpal tunnel symptoms in my right hand and moderate in my left. Bummer. I'm supposed to have surgery. But how? Here are some things I won't be able to do (keep in mind that the list will grow when they do my right hand since I'm right-handed:

• dress myself (hmmmm ... that right there is reason enough)
• pick up my son (I won't have to change diapers though. that's a plus!)
• drive (another tough one)
• cut my own food
• showering could be a challenge
• write
• type (well, I could type 1 handed but that will take centuries ... at least!)
• put my hair in a pony tail

That's just the list that immediately came to mind. I'm sure there are a quadzillion more things that I won't be able to do. What else won't I be able to do??? You can list them under comments. :)

But I will be able to:

• play cars w/ Kevin
• watch movies
• sing
• pray
• sleep (providing that I have really good drugs so I can sleep. hehehe.)
• read
• eat
• brush my hair
• talk on my cell
• do my own make up

Now ... when to have the surgery???? My mom will be gone for 2 weeks beginning in spring break to help her mom & dad since Grandma will be having knee surgery. What a dilemma! Brilliant ideas welcome!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Flivvers!

My girls are doing amazing! We're 2-0 so far. Thursday night we played Escanaba and it was pretty sad. We won the first match 19-25 - not so bad. But the second match we beat them 25-7!!! Ouch! Monday we play Gladstone, and that should be a little better competition for the girls.

I have 14 girls on my team & I'm trying to balance playing the girls I know can win it for us, and getting some playing time for the others that aren't as confident. I really need to get some pictures of them on here. I'll try to get some pictures at our next game.

http://www.xanga.com/Flivver_Girls


Until next time ...

Coach

Just Call Me "Coach"

The rumor is true. Starting in the middle of November I’ll be coaching the Kingsford High School’s 9^th grade volleyball team. Mind you I’ve never coached anything before & I’m scared silly! However, I’m excited for the opportunity to reach out to these girls. Coach Herron has offered to help me in anyway he can, so I’ll probably be taking him up on that offer!

My son is getting a “big boy” haircut today. My little man is growing up!!! L I’ll try to get a picture to post for ya’ll.

Northland volleyball team is playing tonight. Wo-hoo! Hopefully Kevin will behave & not throw anything onto the court this time.