behind door number one

I had an appointment with the doctor today about my knee issues and back to physical therapy I go. (I've been in physical therapy in and out for about 4 years when i was younger). I haven't had therapy for at least 4 years. I was hoping I was completely finished with it. But on the bright side, I will hopefully be able to fix my problems as best as I can so I don't develop bigger issues as I age.

Knee pain, workout is on hold

Well, I've been working out a lot and I've noticed that I have severe knee pain, especially when I run or even walk. I have foot and ankle problems in my right foot. I can' t even run in a straight line unless I'm looking at my feet and really thinking about foot placement.( I had a bad fracture and some tendons ripped that never healed right) I figured I was maybe overdoing it so I gave myself a 4 day break and it didn't help at all. I also remember that I could never do lunges. It always hurt. And that was when I was in wonderful shape. So I think back to the doctor I go. It looks like I probably have runners knee which I hope I don't. I really want to run. I'm hoping the doctor can give me some exercises and suggestions, maybe even insoles, to help with my issues.

Parent's Play Date

I have organized a new group called Parent's Play Dates. So far I have one other member that joined. We have a meeting in early March. I was looking around for a group to join (like a mommy and me)and couldn't find anything in Grand Forks. Maybe, I just didn't look in the right spot but it got me thinking. Why don't I just start a group? I'm sure I'm not the only parent out there, that's having a hard time meeting other parents to form friendships and play dates. I know Adele would love to have someone to play with, I would love to meet other people as we have no friends or family here. It would also be nice to have a couple hours a week to do something without the baby. Lol, guess all those groups I was a part of or led in high school have finally came in handy. I'm a little nervous. I did start my website though, polls, a message board, and email. Later today I'm going to cut out flyers to post all around town.

What if no one shows up? What if 100 people show up? What if they're bored to tears? What if I'm over my head? Should I have them pay dues? And only about 400 other questions.

But I think it will be good for me.

Click here to check out
The Parent's Play Date!

sweat baby sweat

Well, I deep cleaned the kitchen and living room today, made a healthy lunch for everyone, and when I put the baby down for a nap I worked out. I did cardio for 60 min. 4 miles! I increased it by 30 min this week and yes, I felt like I wanted to die. I also did 45 min of heavy weights before I ran. I swear, if doing this and eating in moderation doesn't get me results....well then I'm just going to stay the shape I am. Because there is no way I'm going to start running 90 min. This is already pushing the limit for time.

and so much for that idea

It's been a whole two meals and the calorie counting just doesn't work. Like I ate two bites of chicken that was way too spicy for me. How many calories is that? I share a chunk of my food with the baby. How many calories do I deduct? Then I ate butter on toast. And, no I didn't measure the butter. Rebel me. I think I'm too much of a grazer, and food sharer to make this completely accurate. I could bust out my calculator and portion control everything but that just seems way too obsessive and I don't have enough time for that. I still think it's a good idea to write what you eat but I'm not too sure about the writing every calorie down.

I have however lost 2 inches on my waist. Yeah!!! I gained 1/2 inch in my hips and thighs. Thighs-probably muscle, hips-?? not sure.

I'm writing this not to bore you with my progress but telling people about my goals seems to help me stick with it. And just the act of writing it down, helps too. Keeps you accountable. Yeah, I'm a dork, I know.

runnning out of steam

Yesterday, I took a break from working out. Lately, I've been so exhausted I can barely move. (not from working out, just in general) Maybe, it's anxiety. I think I might consider getting my thyroid checked if I don't perk up in a week or two. I know stress and hormones can contribute to feeling like that and so can a list of medical problems. It would be really hard to pinpoint it. I also need to check my diet to make sure I'm getting enough of what I need.

Today I started my food diary. Well I've started it a few weeks ago and there were a few days were I was pretty faithful with what I put in it but I never calorie counted. Yes, I'm counting calories, protein, carbs, and fat. And it sucks. I also don't plan on doing this longterm. The amount of calories I need a day to be at my ideal weight is 2400-3200. I thought that was insane. I did this long calculation at a health site. I guess when you run and lift weights you get to eat more. I remember when I use to just sit around it was 1600-1800. I am nervous to eat that much. But, I also know eating too little puts your body in starvation mode, your metabolism slows down, and all that hard earned muscle also gets eaten away. Eating 2400 calories is easy. Eating 2400 calories worth of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbs is hard. I'm just sick of feeling so crappy. You're suppose to just have an endless supply of energy with working out and eating right and it hasn't happened. I must be doing something wrong. So I figured writing down everything I drink (maybe I'm too dehydrated, I tend to not drink anything around the baby as she will knock it over) eat, and exercise will if nothing else give the doctor or dietician a nice little manual to see what I've been doing on my own. It's really hard to go into an office and say "I'm really exhausted, can you tell me why?" when a lot of times lifestyle changes can help a great deal.

Adele and I went to the Salvation Army store yesterday and I found the cutest wooden, doll crib that actually rocks side to side. Adele picked out two curly haired dollies that she wouldn't put down no matter where we went. When we got home she rocked her babies, and put blankets on them. It was the cutest thing ever.

I tried to do some Valentine's day shoppings but didn't find anything. I did however find some finger paint so we are going to make homemade valentines and have our own candlelit dinner at home. I think we are going to go for seafood.

Today, I am cleaning house. It's a disaster. It seems no matter how much I clean, it just keeps it from getting worse. A little person just follows me around and undoes everything I do. It's very frustrating. Especially laundry. Oh, I hate laundry. She unfolds everything I fold and scatters it around the house and by the time we're done with the "NO!" and the tantrum it takes 3 times as long to refold everything and go through the tantrum steps a couple more times before she gets distracted with something else.

I am off to start my day.

Car update.

We are the proud owners of a new vehicle! We bought a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan yesterday. It's black and looks really nice. We got a wonderful deal on it. It also has autostart, a hitch, a windshield wiper on the back window, and two sliding doors. The interior is nice. It's a neutral leather. The only bad thing about it is that with the remote start the remote is missing to we have to reorder the remote that goes on your keychain and one cup holder is bent but they'll fix it. It really seems like the previous owners just got bored with the vehicle. We were the first ones to test drive it. We're happy. This is my first vehicle I have ever purchased.

Adele tidbits

Amadon got his new monitor yesterday and we finally have a printer again. He loves his new toy. So we postponed minni van shopping. Tonight is the night. Hopefully we'll find a good deal and get a good car.

Adele has taken out my underwear out of the hamper or my drawer and will put it on like a shirt and run around and just throw the biggest fit if you take it away. I guess pick your battles.

She also loves this big heavy book we read at bedtime and been dragging it around everywhere. It's full of little Mother Goose rhymes and songs.It was fun reading it the first few times but I"m honestly trying to find a way to distract her from it because singing "the wheels on the bus.." gets tiring after a while.

She dumped out all the q tips around the living room yesterday and we got into a screaming tantrum about wanting the toilet cleaner brush. She even handed me toys so I'd be distracted and than grabbed the brush and ran for it. I have to say she's getting smarter at strategy. I guess more shelving is in order.

Another quick tidbit of Adele news. She wants her hair done now. She'll bring me numerous clips to throw in her hair and be all proud of her "pretties."

Today is day 6 of working out with weights and the treadmill. (I've been doing weights for a while by themselves)I have to say it's hard to stay motivated. I wish I could tell you that I just LOVE the feeling of running and have a ton of energy from trying to eat better and working out but it's just not happening. But I have to stick with it. If at day 30-60 I'm not seeing any results then I have a little more room to complain. It's hard to be patient but I didn't get out of shape in 6 days so I can't expect to get back into shape in 6 days. Pregnancy and the time it takes to raise a baby really takes a toll on your body. It really makes you wonder what l I did with my time before baby and why I thought I didn't have any.

Any good songs for running? So far my favorite is Die, Die, Die, My Darling by metallica because the beat matches my pace perfectly.

I will post more later. And I have my specialist appt at the end of March so I will have more doctor news by then.

a bit of a poetic note

I finished our taxes last night! It didn't go too bad. I use HR block online. I did last year's taxes there too. However, the state called saying they never received our 2005 taxes. We have quite a nice refund coming to us too from 2005. I checked HR and it showed that I e-filed it but for some reason they never got it. I called tech support that told me just to ask the IRS. What are they going to do? Tell me that they don't have it? Come on, think people. So I emailed them. Finally, I got told I can go to the HR store and they will refile it for me. Did you know that if you forget to file the state, that even if you should be getting back a refund (say you file single so they'll take more money out so you get a bigger return) that there is no way to fix it and you have to actually pay in what a single person would pay in even if you have deductions like being married or a child. I'm starting to think I'm just cursed with any finances I lay my hands on. And the sad part is, is that I did file it! Oh well, what can you do?

Adele has a potty chair. For now she just uses it like an extra toy box but I figure it's a good idea to get her used to it. I don't know if I blogged this yesterday or not but Adele has reached the milestone of being able to climb down the stairs all by herself! It's nerve wracking but she's great at it.

Tonight is car shopping night! I'm kinda excited. It's been a long time since we've even looked at a vehicle and this will be the first car of mine that I've ever picked out. I'm going to check some makes and models with car insurance first. The last thing I need is a great deal on a car and a huge increase in insurance.

I got my flameworking/lampworking books today. I'm speechless. They're great. I'm so excited to carve my little studio out in our kitchen and start. And I can even do a little glass blowing. I had no idea of that. So it makes this even better. I hope that in a year I blog about my progress and actually make things that look decent. I've nervous because I know I won't be good at it, at first. But I have to stick to it. This has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember and if I can actually be a lampworking artist one day, I'll be so proud of myself. Sooner or later I will find out what I'm meant to do.

I've decided not to go back to school this spring. I'm thinking about this fall. I don't know what I want to go into, and I need to be sure of that before I start. My generals are mostly completed so I don't really have more time to think it over while I take classes. I guess this year will really be about trying new things. Maybe, I'll start a business or make a craft that sells. Maybe, that won't work out at all. Maybe, I'll try out the vending idea or get my book published. Maybe, we'll have another child. Who, knows. I find it so odd that I'm not sure. All through high school I have always had straight A's, been involved and even the head of many activities, worked a part time job, and had my college plans all figured out. Funny, how life changes. But I couldn't be happier. Yes, I've gone through some hard times and learned some hard lessons but I'm glad I did that early instead of later. I'm so lucky to be blessed with such a wonderful daughter. She really was, what was missing in my life. She made me see things in a whole new way. Made me realize what actually is important and what isn't. I have a wonderful, and loving husband. We tried all kinds of combinations of jobs and daycare until we found what worked for us. I'm so happy he tried a new route away from sales and found what he was looking for in a job and that it's stable and reliable. I'll admit I miss working sometimes but I know me staying at home while Adele is this little is really important. I guess you can't always know what life will bring, but you have to trust that everything will work out in the end.

Well, I am off to pay some bills. Will post soon.

Hello!

Well, things have been a little hectic lately. My dad's bank is doing some illegal things (as my accountant and lawyer have told me) with charges and withdrawal of money that they shouldn't be doing with a frozen account. I've tried to straighten this out with that bank numerous times and to no avail. So that means I get to talk to the attorney general and if that doesn't get resolved then I get to go talk to the state lawyer. Yipppeee. I can hardly contain myself. Hopefully, with a little push from some people higher on the chain this will get resolved immediately. I'm just not ready to even fight this. The estate is painful to deal with and watching b*stards get greedy and try to manipulate an account is just plain sickening. Too bad for them that I am stubborn and am so sick of this financial game that I will end up going as far as I need to go with this. Thankfully other money matters turned out alright so I am able to pay off final expenses and my lawyer that charges me outrageous amounts of money for a phone call...but we won't get into that.

I love our treadmill. I have used it every single day that it's been in our house. It has made working out so much easier. The baby will actually leave me alone for about 20 minutes and sit and watch cartoons. So if I time it right, during naptime and in the evening when Amadon comes home I can easily work out for an hour (including weights). I'm trying to cut out motivational quotes and pictures to post above my treadmill. I hope it will give me that little extra bit of willpower. I also put working out before cleaning. I can pick up at night or after I'm done working out. It's easier said then done to change your routine but it's important that I stay healthy. Not to mention being able to actually wear a nice pair of hip hugging jeans isn't going to hurt either. The one thing that really had an impact on me was Adele yesterday. She walked on the treadmill with me and tried to lift these tiny weights as I was lifting mine. And then it just hit me that this isn't just something for me but something to get my daughter interested into too. The hubby is a different story. He begged for the treadmill over an elliptical and hasn't used it yet. But he got all excited talking about it during drill weekend so hopefully he'll find some time this week to try it out.

I got a bunch of candles and some bamboo blinds on clearance (they're $10 at Target) and it looks great in the bedroom. I love taking a late night bath in candlelight. It just really helps take away the tension and get me from mom mode to myself mode. Needless to say, it's a way for the hubby and I to get a little relaxing alone time too.

I ordered a TON of books on amazon. I'm so excited for when they come. I have books on how to not kill houseplants (I have tried everything I can think of and my plants are still wilty, I pray this helps because I love flowers I just wish I could grow them), to books for the baby, some for Amadon and a few on glass working. I can't wait to do flame working. Hopefully, next year I can go away to glass school for a couple of weeks and learn the basics of glass blowing too. I have dreams of my own shop one day with all my work and other people's work in it. But one step at a time.
I haven't made a rosary yet. I can't decide on a layout for beads and crosses. I think it will be fun to learn how to make them but when I really look hard at the profits and the amount of time it will take, it probably isn't a good business venture. Maybe, selling a few here and there but that's about it.

Amadon and I came up with a crazy business venture for this summer. And you will laugh. Hard. At first, so did we. And then we thought it was the most genius idea ever. So we'll see. If nothing else we will have a good story to tell the kids. An ice cream cart at the park. And hotdogs. And pop. We need a permit and there's quite a list of health codes with food but we really are thinking about doing this vending idea during evenings and on weekends.

Our car heater went out. When it was 40 below. And we had to drive 90 miles out of town to get to drill. Yeah, not fun. I don't think I ever felt that frozen before. We had sooo much stuff on the baby to keep her warm but it was still a miserable drive. Both ways. Amadon's getting the heating part today but it really made us look at trading in our vehicle. Or at least one of the three we own now.I would trade in all three but I think you can only do one. Two old Buick's and an Omni. We decided we need a minivan. It's the most practical and cheap on insurance. It also has more room. We will go car shopping later this week. We found a decent one in DL for around 4,000. So we'll have to see what GF has to offer.

I will write more tomorrow. I only have about 15 min left of nap time and need to hop in the shower.