Over it already

Can I tell you how sick to death I am about hearing about Nadya Suleman?

Dr. Phil is beating this dead horse to death!  I didn't have much opinion to begin with, other than whether or not the babies were going to get proper care.  The rest of it just didn't feel like my business.  All the controversy about "should she have done another IVF?" and "Should that doctor have implanted six embryos?" was water under the bridge. She did and he did and it cannot be undone, so leave it be already!  I'm glad the babies are going to be well taken care of by the looks of things, but can we shut up about it already?

Our house is currently full of projects.  We are planning on painting JJ's room tomorrow, after church and grocery store.  I rubbed down and polyed one of my Cracker Barrel rocking chairs today that are about 8 years old and I still have one more to do.  Spring cleaning is still well under way, though I have taken a little break from it in order to recooperate a bit more from my surgery (today discomfort is in my lower left back.  What on earth?) to try to get to that 100% I'm working towards for myself.

I have also decided (Brit, pay attention) that for mother's day this year I want to go to "If the Shoe Fits" in Frederick and find a pair of beginner running shoes.  I think I have found the right sports bra here.  I really, really want to give running a go.  It's important to me.  Something about trying to do the things that were a year ago, impossible, is an incredible thing to me.  It's exciting.

Okay, on with the weekend!  Hope ya'll are having a good one!

Answers

So I didn't skip the kickboxing class last night and the pain/discomfort is no better or worse this morning.  I did call the surgeon's office and am waiting for a nurse callback.

It's not awful.  More uncomfortable than anything and had I not had surgery two and a half weeks ago, I'd be sure it was only a pulled muscle.  But as it has been a discomfort off and on since surgery which has now intensified a bit, I'd rather err on the side of caution.  It isn't constant.  When I'm sitting still, there is no pain, only when I move about.  Weird.  No fever.  No chills, though I am cold, but that is just me whining because it isn't warm outside today.

I probably should have skipped the kickboxing but it is so hard for me to chose to skip a workout now!  I was looking forward to it, so I went and tried to keep things low key.  Excerising is just something that has become ingrained in my soul I think and as I was not in unbearable pain, I went.  I'd really call it more of a discomfort than pain, though it almost feels as if there should be an incision there, as that is the kind of discomfort it is.  But the incision sites on the left side are a good bit above where this is.  *sigh*  I'm really really ready to be at 100% again. 

Speaking of being at 100% again, I finally started doing some more research on this burping thing.  I discovered a condition called Aerophagia, which is defined as: Swallowing too much air, a common cause of gas in the stomach and belching. Everyone swallows small amounts of air when eating or drinking. However, rapid eating or drinking, chewing gum, smoke, or ill-fitting dentures may cause a significant increase in swallowed air.  I have also found out that being lactose intolerant is a part of this too, so I've thought about stopping my dairy products for a time, though it breaks my heart, especially regarding cream in my coffee.  But I need to start experimenting to try to get to the bottom of this problem.

Hopkins just called me back and nurse Tara said not to be too concerned.  Dr. S had to cut through muscle to get in there two weeks ago and she said it could take about 6 weeks for all that to heal, and honestly, it does feel like a muscle as I stated above.  She said I could use a warm compress on the area to see if that would loosen things up a bit.  Cool.  I feel much better now.

Still unsure of what to do with my Friday blogs.  Kim suggested a Fitness Friday.  What do you all think?  What do you all want to know about?  What would interest you?  Heaven knows, I am not a professional at anything, but can speak from opinion or experience. 

Thoughts?

Ummm...Ouch?

Today after work, I bit the bullet and went in to clean the youngest child'd bedroom as the room needs painted desperately, but it has to be clean first.  I was doing lots of bending to pick things up off the floor and now I am having pain in my left side.  Not agonizing or continuous, only when I move.  Is this from the gall bladder thing and should I be worried?  I'm contemplating a pain killer, but haven't yet decided.

The youngest child won a bike for never missing one of his morning reading groups.  They drew names today and he was one of the two winners so of course, he is over the moon.  He just got a new bike for his birthday in November, but now he is a two bike family of one.

I'm supposed to go to kickboxing at 6:30.  But now I  need to decide what to do about this pain and should I be concerned.  I assume there are stitches inside of me from the surgery?  The pain is not at an incision site and I have been having some discomfort there off and on since surgery, but nothing quite this sharp. 

Tomorrow is Q&A day, but again, no questions.  Maybe I should discontinue it and come up with another weekly theme.  It just takes the pressure off having to come up with something to blog about one day a week as you guys were giving me my Friday topics.  So what else could I do that might be of interest to you that would lower my need to think on a Friday after a long week?  Suggestions?

Calgon? Hello?

The weather is a bit warmer today, which means that the kids are outside playing with other kids, which means arguments abound.

Our rather strange neighbors (the ones who kept the oldest son when we were in Atlantic City without telling us), the wife actually, runs a daycare out of her home.  On more than one occasion, she has allowed a four year old boy to come down the street with my youngest (age 9) and her own daughter (age 6) to my house which bothered me greatly.  I am not responsible for this child.  This child's mother is working, thinking her child is in daycare when instead he is out in the neighborhood with a 9 and 6 year old, going to some person's house she doesn't know.  Charming.  If that were my kid in daycare and I caught wind of this, I would be pissed.

Anyway, oldest son comes up to me a little while ago and states that strange neighbor's daughter (age 6) would like to jump on our trampoline with the four year old.  Was this okay.  Ummmm....NO.  I explained to oldest son that I was not responsible for this four year old, did not want to be responsible for this four year old, and did not want sued by four year old's mother if he got hurt on my property.  Told oldest son I did not even want four year old down here without meeting his mother.

Oldest Son looks at me like I am the biggest bitch in the world.  Yes, this is why I am the parent (though a bad one apparently; just ask my mother.  Sorry, I still struggle with letting that one go...) and he is the child.

Then the youngest son comes in crying hysterically because the oldest son broke "his stick".  When asked why the oldest son broke his stick, the youngest son states "Because I said I was stupid."  Okay, as I am not stupid, that translates into the youngest son called the oldest son "stupid" thus the broken stick.  I told youngest son to go back out and play before I made him clean his room.

I am now blogging while awaiting the next tragedy...and there will be one.  One more hour and Oldest Child will be going to Lenten service with my mother and then harmony will ensue.  There is only insanity when both boys are around and playing within the same group.  Apart, they do great.

I walked the two miles around the park again today which was nice.  I've enjoyed getting out of the gym the last three days; once for kickboxing and twice to walk.  I've been in the gym with my friend, the elliptical, all winter, so it is wonderful to be doing some different things.

Oh and I lost another pound today!  Finally!

Something New

One of the other things I have learned from my girl crush's podcast is that when it comes to exercise, you have to switch it up, or your body and muscles become complacent.  She talked about a study being done awhile back on mailmen, who walked the same route day after day, year after year, and how eventually they started burning less calories than they were orginally.  The body becomes immune to the same old thing and the muscles simply adapt instead of being challenged.

So last night, when The Brit said, "Wanna try a kickboxing class?"  I was like "Of course!"

Gotta say it kicked my ass and I loved it.  I did aerobics back in high school and in many ways it was similar though I thought it was a bit higher impact.  I kept up fairly well, but did have to stop a few times and due to my still healing insides, I did not do the floor work at the end.  I know it is something that in some ways will get easier once we learn some of the combinations of moves.

The trainer for the class was great and when we were waiting to go into the room once the spin class was finished, he recognized us as new folks, and made it a point to talk to us.  He went over keeping the class on our level, modifying things to suit us as newbies, stopping when we needed to.  He also told us he didn't take a break the whole hour, but his students were encouraged to take a break as it was needed.  Most importantly, we were to have fun and not take it too seriously. 

Sometimes when I couldn't get the move right, I just did something else as long as I kept moving. 

I plan on doing the kickboxing class again and next on my list?  I want to try a six 'o clock Zumba class.  I always thought the classes cost extra!  As they don't, look out!  I foresee a little experimentation in my future!

Learning Lots in a full day

Today has been very busy!  First work, where I realized I had left my ipod at home, and I am unable to go to the gym without it.  So, beings the weather was fairly decent, I went home, changed out of my workout pants into jeans and walked two miles around the park instead, with my ipod (I couldn't bring myself to run all the way home for my ipod and then back to the gym).  When I fell a few weeks ago and screwed up my left foot and right knee, I am still having some issues, so now my foot is aching something fierce, but I've also pretty much been on my feet spring cleaning ever since my walk.  I want to get all the spring stuff done so that when the weather stabilizes, I am free to walk the park or take a chair and a book over there after work to read, etc.  I want to soak in the warmth after being cold all winter!

When I walked around the park, I listened to my second Jillian Michael's podcast and dang, I love them!  She knows so much stuff!  Today, she talked about happiness and how sometimes, even the bad stuff is just part of the journey to happiness and we just need to accept that and enjoy this ride called life.  She also talked about some really scary stuff that the food industry doesn't want us to know, such as *shudder* that there is an acceptable amount of certain things that can legally be in our food....such as rat hair, maggots, some other kind of tiny bug but my mind is drawing a blank at the moment.  She is very "buy organic" oriented and after hearing what is considered by law "Acceptable" I completely understand the organic thing!  Ick!

But check out that link to her radio show!  Well worth the listen!

The Amish Project

I have to plug this show.  Shamelessly, as it was amazing.

The script was written by a gal I did theater with many moons ago, when she was sixteen and I was in my early twenties.  Jessie was always one of my favorite young people to work with and we did "The Sound of Music" and "My Fair Lady" together.  She was (and is) just a bright spark of a personality with a quick smile and quicker wit.

As theater goes, we lose track of people eventually and that is what happened for me with Jessie.  I did catch her on a guest appearance on "Law and Order" once and remember being tickled to death that she was working in the business.  She has since been teaching acting and voice in NYC at the ripe old age of 29.  She is amazing still.

Her play "The Amish Project" premiered at the Fringe Festival in 2008 and The Cherry Lane Theater in NYC was planning on giving the show it's first off Broadway run this Spring.  However, due to the financial crisis right now, and shows shutting down in NYC right and left, The Cherry Hill Theater has placed The Amish Project on hold.  Jessie is now trying to fund her own opening by a Barn Raising fundraiser, which is what the performance I saw today was all about.  Ten bucks a ticket to see a show worth way more than that. 

Based losely on the Nickel Mine shootings, Jessie has created amazing and memorable characters in this one woman show; each character possessing a different dialect and persona and there is never any question of who is talking in her work.  The show brings a message of hope that the world sorely needs in these troubled times.  It speaks about both truth and grace. 

If the show comes to your city, go see it.  If you are a theater supporter, please consider making a donation.  Whether it be five dollars or fifty, every penny counts.  I believe in the power of this show and I believe in Jessie.  Please see the links below for more information.

The Amish Project

Jessie's Site