Big Behind

Do you ever feel like you are walking backwards instead of forwards?  You know how you feel so overwhelmed by what all needs to be done and for every forward action there are at least twenty-five backwards actions?

That's how I'm feeling today!  Actually it started about two days ago.  I know it was the emotion of children packing and getting ready to leave for college.  I know it was the pile of laundry on the floor and not getting to the washer.  I know it was the pile of dirty dishes mounting. I know it was the knowledge that "team" does not apply in my workplace.  I am getting very tired of co-workers NOT pulling their weight and being a TEAM!  It is all crashing in and an even bigger problem is I've already taken my vacation!!!!!!!

I love to travel but I think I need a stay-cation.  One of those times off from work where I can get "home" things accomplished.  And maybe take in some sights in my rural town.  Who am I kidding?  I've seen EVERYTHING there is to see in this town.  So yep, I need to stay home and vacate some of this clutter that is causing me such stress.  Oh, and I need to remember to take my thyroid medicine too!  When I start feeling like I want to slap the dickens out of a person (a few co-workers come to mind!), I know I've forgotten to take my medicine!  LOL

Kiddos got off yesterday college-bound.  I'm happy to report I didn't shed one tear although my eyes misted when I showed pictures of them all packed up and ready to go.  I headed out to work before they drove away.  I know I would have bawled if I watched the behind of the car drive away.  I'm still getting misty just typing this.  I despise this feeling.  Here I go on the roller-coaster again.  I know they need to spread their wings and fly and experience life in their own personal and wonderful way.  But I can still get misty about it!

All aboard!

Even Trevor was all packed up with a clean fresh cage.  Makes traveling more enjoyable for the humans in the car!

Where's my doggie treat, Gran-Rat?

 I always gave that rat a treat and now looking at this picture, I bet (sniff sniff) Trevor was expecting (sniff sniff) her doggie treat.  Why am I misting up over Trevor???? I really need to get my mind on something else.

Hang On, Trevor!

Seat belts on and Trevor is hanging on for dear life!  I am happy to report all three made it safely back to college.  

Hubby is leaving today with the rest of their stuff.  The van is all loaded.  I won't take a picture of Hubby leaving with all their gear.  I might have to have to spend my long weekend in a rehabilitation ward! 

Anyone have a good anti-depression medicine to recommend?  I'm starting to mist again.

Paleo What?

When eldest daughter (aka Career Girl/ Working Girl or whatever else I have called her!) was in 2nd grade, one of her vocabulary words was paleontologist.  I nearly swallowed my tongue!  Are you kidding me?  What's with the years and years of dinosaurs???  Every year...up until the time I decided to homeschool them, they learned something about dinosaurs.  Now don't get me wrong: I LOVE dinosaurs and ancient history and PRE-history but come on....let's spend more time on the basics!

Well guess what?  Those children have grown up and are researching and writing and you'll never guess what they are coming up with!  Dinosaurs again....and this time it is in the form of a diet.  YES....that four letter word we love to hate!  D-I-E-T.

College Girl (aka Rat Mom) announced she was on a Paleo Diet.

         A what?

         A diet designed by our blood types.

         Uh huh.

Ever the skeptic strawberry, I looked it up and damn if there isn't an actual diet.  I bet those researching doctors had "paleontologist" as a vocab word in second grade!

Here is a brief description of the diet.

• Breakthrough nutrition program based on eating the foods we were genetically designed to eat-lean meats and fish and other foods that made up the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors.

 a diet that emulates what our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate — a high-protein, high-fruit and veggie diet with moderate amounts of fat, but with high quantities of healthful omega-3 and monounsaturated fats. Protein has two to three times the thermic effect of either fat or carbohydrate, meaning that it revs up your metabolism, speeding weight loss. Additionally, protein has a much greater satiety value than either fat or carbohydrate, so it puts the brakes on your appetite. Finally, three recent clinical trials have shown high-protein diets to be more effective than low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets in promoting weight loss.  (info "gathered" from the paleodiet.com)

Now you will notice that it doesn't say a word about blood types.  "The hunter-gatherer doesn't fall far from the top of the cave."  My dear child has added an extra bonus by combining another diet called "blood type diet."

This diet takes a look at your blood type and which foods you "can" eat to best match with your blood type.  Rat Mom is O negative (which these researchers say is the oldest blood type) so naturally she would want to be on a diet that our hunter-gatherer ancestors were on.  She chose the Paleo Diet because let's face it....that's pretty old!

My blood type is a "newer" variety so she exclaimed "Oh, you can eat everything."

Uh, Hello!  That is how I got in this shape in the first place!  No thank you!

We do have fun in the strawberry patch.  But all good things come to a close (for a while).

Please keep my little ones in your prayers as they head back to college today.  

I woke up at dark-thirty to make a care package (which I promised) for them.

Oh ding dong, the temptation of it all!

Did cave people have chocolate chip cookies?

I don't think cave people had chocolate chip cookies unless that sneaky dinosaur tried to steal one and got it in the head with a bat!  Maybe that's why the dinosaurs are extinct today.  Chocolate chip cookies war!

This is what my darlings promised to do last night!

Guess what is still in the sink this morning?!

I'll let it slide this once!  After all, I don't have them for much longer.  Do I really want to guilt them about the dishes when there will be something better at some future time????  LOL

Happy Paleo Thursday, Grainiacs.

Rollercoaster

How can one go from singing "I've got the joy,joy, joy, joy down in my heart" to "This sucks!!!"???

Up and down and down and up.  Dieting sucks!  Scales suck!  Not taking care of myself to begin with-- SUCKS.

I found a small notebook and started thumbing through it.  One page had this entry:

blog- started 8/31/11

keep it current

keep it simple

keep it real

60 lbs in one yr

4 out of 5 ain't bad; but the bad part is the 60 pounds in one year.  It didn't happen.  Where did I go wrong?  Oh yeah, the "I lost 20 pounds and now I'm cocky attitude!"  20 is good.  It is a nice even number but it isn't the 60 I had hoped for on that August 31, 2011.

I could have a pity party, but I bet you wouldn't come, right?  Twenty pounds is GREAT.

But it wasn't your goal, Mona keeps reminding me.

Up and down and down and up.  The journey continues....

I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy

That song takes me back to my teen years helping the church with our Vacation Bible School.  Such a peppy song.  Such a fun song. 

J-O-Y

Definition:  the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.

"down in my heart."

a state of happiness or felicity

If I had a tombstone, that's what I'd want on it.  Strawberry exemplified happiness and felicity...even under stressful times.  Unfortunately I can't always say that!

I do have a reminder, though.  Hubby went to pick up my license plate for me yesterday while I was at work.

Strawberry & her BSW

Am I the only one who finds this extremely funny??????  That must be the joy coming out!  LOL

Hard Core Baby Medicine!

I'm late....I'm late.....I took baby benedryl for the first time last night.  I bought the product days ago but I kept thinking I'll wait till I really need it.  Last night at 9:30 I decided I really needed it.  For the past couple of nights I kept tossing and turning (remember the post?) and by last night I had a tickle in my throat.  Well you understand.  So one tsp of baby benedryl knocked me out for almost 10 hours!!!! 

Hubby asked "Did you set your alarm?" 

To which I replied "Yes; what time is it?"

"7:47."

"AAAAHHHHH."

So I can't post today, Grainiacs....I'm late!

LOL

Yesterday I had my laughing out loud moments.  One at work and the other at home-- which is good.  Those are the two places I spend a lot of time.  Hubby has been thanking God for living in Rural USA away from any and all major malls!

Have you ever had one of those shocks where someone said something or did something so out of the ordinary that you just laughed and laughed?  Yesterday a supervisor and I were sending playful emails back and forth.  Really she said "you will do _____ on Wednesday and Thursday next week" and I replied "I don't think I want to!"  She replied "Well you are gunna" and then added this statement in huge pink letters.  Now before you think I'm cheeky with the boss....you are right!  We send this type of bantering all the time and we ALWAYS include smiley faces and LOL type words.  So we were playing with each other and we both knew it.  When I read the statement I laughed out loud and I mean L-O-U-D.  This statement is so out of character for her.  I wasn't expecting it and she laughed really loud when she heard me because she knew what I was reading.  She ran over to my desk and explained that she saw it on facebook and loved it.  Now if you are my facebook friend, you'll know what I'm talking about.  I shared it on my wall.  But for you, Graini-MOM, here it is on my blog....just for you!

Now imagine this statement in all capital pink large font letters.....in an office email!!!!  Still makes my tummy jiggle.

I was still laughing when I got home for lunch and told my family about it.  My second laugh in about 45 minutes was when College Girl (aka Rat Mom) read out a joke she found on Pinterest--another site that can eat up a day.  So much fun...so much to see...I try to limit being on that site!

What makes this funny is that math brainiacs will not get the joke.  For those of us to whom this applies, we find it hilarious.

Again, I posted it on my facewall, I mean, facebook wall...that's what happens when you are still laughing and typing..sorry for the duplication here, folks, but Graini-mom really needs to get facebook...or not...duplication especially when they are jokes is a good thing (unlike waiting...but that was yesterday's topic!).

I mean really, if you struggle with math word problems, doesn't this make sense????  LOL

I received great suggestions for belly laugh comedies.  Unfortunately netflix doesn't offer the I Love Lucy series.  Fortunately they do offer Laurel and Hardy and Carol Burnett.  I plan to have a belly laugh of a weekend.  How about you?  Laughed out loud lately?  Well, partner, that's good!

One Moment, Please

That is what I tell my customers when they ask to speak to someone.  I'm not sure what happens on the other end.  Maybe they listen to some asinine message or some elevator music or maybe there is complete silence.  Waiting, waiting, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end.  Waiting, waiting waiting for something to happen- like the damn computer to catch up to my typing so I know what I'm typing here.  I'm in fast mode and everything....EVERYTHING seems to be in slow mode.  My work computer is taking forever to get going.  I arrived at work 5 minutes earlier but couldn't clock in on the computer till 5 minutes later.  S-L-O-W.  My computer here at home is having a hard time waking up.  I just typed a blank paragraph and 3 minutes later, it showed up on the monitor.  And guess what?  No spelling mistakes!!!  LOL

Waiting.  It's hard.  I've changed the lyrics to Elton John's song.  "It's a sad sad situation; waiting seems to be the hardest thing!"

I feel like almost every aspect of my life is waiting right now.  Waiting for my seminary advisor to get back with me so I can plan for my next semester.  Waiting for the phone to ring about a certain situation for Hubby.  Waiting for the weight to come off.  Waiting to take college kids back to college.  Waiting for an upcoming trip.  still Waiting for the computer to catch up with my typing. Waiting....waiting....waiting.

Before I picked up my car, I waited with excited anticipation.  I was giddy.

While waiting for the computer to catch up, I wait in anger.

Waiting for the phone to ring, well, that just wears you down.  Why don't they call?

Waiting for the kids to go back to college is a mixed emotion.  I want the day to come and then I don't.

Waiting for the weight to come off; that, too, is mixed emotions.  Thing #1 and Thing #2 argue constantly in my head about it.

How we choose to react to waiting just might be the hardest thing to do.