No Average Mom

This weekend I read a really heart warming article about some teenage boys in our area. The teens were out walking late at night and happened to notice flames coming out of the roof of a home. They then went to the house and managed to get the family inside awake. One of the boys called for emergency medical assistance while the others helped get people out of the home. It was neat to read that these teenage boys helped dress the children and carry them outside to safety. In a time when we hear and read so many negative stories about young people this was a nice change of pace. Once the family was safe the boys proceeded home because they were concerned they would get in trouble for being out after curfew. I happen to think they were exactly where they were supposed to be that night and that despite breaking curfew they should be honored for what they did.

Christmas is now over and it is nice to not have to plan for it anymore. We had a truly lovely Christmas holiday and I could not have asked for it to be any better. I don’t think there is a thing that my children received that they haven’t really liked. They were spoiled rotten by both sets of grandparents. This was nice because it really took the burden off of us to buy things that just weren’t in the budget this year. I love that their grandparents are so willing to give with just the expectation of seeing the smiles on the kids faces. I have to say my children were really well behaved and remembered to say “thank you” for each gift. Sometimes I worry that being so spoiled will make them greedy but I didn’t see any evidence of that in them. We also made it a point to take the children to their rooms and go through their old toys and choose some to give away to charity. This is a great way to reinforce the giving aspect of the holiday and also teach them about not keeping everything forever.

This is the time of year when we all seem to start being irritated by dry skin. My youngest son seems to have particularly sensitive skin. I have to be very careful about what type of soap we use on him as well as making sure to use allergy bedding on his bed. He seems to become irritated very easily when ever I change soaps or lotions. Right now his skin is about as dry as I can ever remember it being. We have been very diligent about moisturizing his skin but he is still so dry. I am hoping that this is something he out grows in the future. It is no fun having such sensitive skin. I had the same problem as a child and remember constantly itching and always being drenched by my parents in lotions and potions. At least he seems unfazed by it all.

This morning I stepped on the scale expecting to see a bit of a gain. Yesterday was the first day since I started my new diet on November 27th that I actually cheated. To be honest my cheating involve eating low carb icing that I made for my son’s birthday cake. The diet that I am on is very strict and does not allow for any type of “non-protocol” foods during the first 40 days. Thankfully I am actually down another half-pound this morning. I was feeling a little dizzy but after taking my B-12 and magnesium supplements this has totally gone away. I cannot say how great it feels to be down 16.5 pounds and looking forward to ringing in the New Year as a thinner me!

Teaching boundaries is something we seem to be constantly working on in our house. With my younger son it is seems like I am forever trying to get him to grasp what he can and cannot play with in the house. With my older son it am on a real kick to get him to understand personal space. He his forever looking through things around the house or other places that just aren’t his to look through. It doesn’t matter whether I am looking for travel insurance online or working on my blogs he wants to stick his head over my shoulder and read the screen. It isn’t like I am writing or looking at things that are in appropriate for him but it is a personal space issue. I understand that this is part of his spectrum disorder but it drives me crazy at times. Other people wonder why a kid his age doesn’t understand these things when he should. I keep reading different suggestions for teaching him but it hasn’t quite clicked yet. I am hoping it does really soon because right now he is trying once again to stick his head over my shoulder.

Today I have reached a new weight loss low! It is leaves me just 1 pound shy of my first weight goal. I couldn’t be happier with the results of my diet plan. It is a lovely thing when you do something that offers such fast results from your efforts. I feel absolutely wonderful about life today! It has extended to so many aspects of my daily life. My work seems more important as does spending quality time with my children. It really makes me wonder just how much of a funk I was in when I weighed more. This kind makes the term “something is weighing you down” make sense on a different level. Not only does excess weight make you feel awful it spiritually drags you down. I am now on a path to being the me that I know I can be and feel so positive about the future.

In the last two weeks I have lost 11.5 pounds. This has been the result of hard work and serious self-control. By the way, I am not interested in hearing comments about how this is too much too fast. It is something that I need to do and am very intent on doing. I am looking forward to ringing in the New Year as a trimmer version of myself. I am also looking forward to being able to buy a new wardrobe that maybe includes a pair of Hudson jeans or something similar. I am very close to fitting in some jeans that I last wore about 10 years ago which is a major accomplishment on my part. My husband is very impressed with my results and my ability to control myself and not overeat. I have to admit it is really hard when I am crazy serious amounts of sugar and chocolate. I know at some point I will be able to have these treats once again but for now I need to just repress my need to indulge even though this is the season for indulging. My body is going to thank me even if it is now very happy right now.

Anyone have any insight on door to door meat sales? Someone just came to my door (literally HOURS after I took the No Soliciting sign down!) selling meat. It looks like really good meat, but he wouldn’t say how many pounds it actually was. He said he didn’t know, which I don’t believe for a minute. So anyway, I said “No Thanks.” I searched a little online and found quite a few articles about door to door meat scams. One of the reasons I wasn’t interested was that they had a lot of pre-marinated meat included in their package deal, and I generally don’t like the taste of anything I buy pre-marinated. So I was never really interested….I just thought I should ask because if these guys are out and about, it’s good to informed! To be fair, the meat did look fantastic. It was packaged nicely, had very little fat on it, and didn’t look like it had been refrozen. He told me it averaged out to be about $2.50 a lb., then later corrected himself to say 2.50 per cut. That would really add up quickly when it comes to feeding a family of four.