Like I always say....

It NEVER ends...

So Friday at noon I get a phone call from Lindsey letting me know that Kingsley has 103 temp. Poor thing is so freaked out, he has know idea what to do, so I tell him to calm down and give Kingsley some Tylenol and to have his Aunt Shelby watch him until I can get home. On another note...I had given him some things to do that day. For example...take a movie back that was long overdue on his way to work. Well, he actually managed to remember but he was so flustered and stressed out about the baby that when he got out of the car to return the movie he accidentally locked his keys in the car while it was running! Thank goodness though he has a friend that owns a transmission shop right across the street from where he was at and he was able to unlock it for him for free! Anyway, so I got home about 3:30 and Kinglsey was just miserable. And it's so weird because this totally just came out of nowhere! I tried everything to make him comfortable and to get him to sleep and to eat and to get his fever down, but NOTHING would work. When Lindsey got home at 11:00pm he took over and I got some sleep and about 5AM he came and got me and we switched out so he could get some sleep. I think he finally woke up about 11am and by that time I had FINALLY got Kinglsey to sleep, but he would only sleep with me in this weird position to where he was laying on my arm and it had totally fallen asleep, but I didn't care b/c he prob hadn't slept in like 24hrs. Well the day went on and Lindsey went to work, his parents went and ran their errands, and Shelby went off with her friends and there I was alone w/a sick miserable baby. I had Kennedy stay w/her Dad b/c there was no way I was could handle both by myself. By the end of the night I was so exhausted I had to have a night cap. And there were a few times through out the day where I almost took him to the emergency room b/c his fever kept spiking. I mean...I had him dressed, me dressed, his diaper bag packed, and my keys in my hands. But then I called my doc and she gave me some reassuarance and told me to hold out until Sunday when she would be in the office that way we could bring him in. So of course Saturday was another sleepless night for pretty much everyone this time. Sunday morning rolled around and his fever FINALLY broke after I don't know how many bottles of Tylenol and Motrin. But to be on the safe side we went ahead and decided to take him in and it's a good thing we did! Our doc poked and proded and then she turned to us and said, "I'm pretty sure he has the Swine Flu..." My first reaction was to look at Lindsey to make sure he wasn't fixing to pass out or freak out, but he actually took the news pretty well and I think it was b/c the doc wasn't really concerned about it. She said he was prob already through the worst part and that she'd go ahead and give us some meds anyway. She gave us a Z-pack and some Tamiflu (which, by the way is hard to come by...every pharmacy we went to was out!). And that's it! He's doing better and we're just waiting on results from the swab to see whether it really is Swine Flu or just regular Flu. But he actually slept almost all night last night...he woke up at 4:45. So we got a little bit of sleep last night. Thank goodness!

Kennedy's Wordless Wednesday

Elvis' Wordless Wednesday

Pops' new learjet!

M

Mischievous

Moody

Mouse eater

Milk drinker

Meow

=

Mary Jane

Eddie the Shishi

What a nightmare...

And boy is that an under statement if it could ever be one! So I took off Friday the 7th to get ready for the big move into Lindsey’s parents house. I went ahead and sent the kiddos to daycare that day so we could get some stuff done. We started our day by cleaning out, dusting, painting, and steam cleaning the carpets of our new room over there. And all of those things are much easier read than done. Especially when you lose the main piece to the carpet cleaner and you have to steam clean the carpet all by hand…, which I did with no help. My knees were so swollen and carpet burned. But before I realized that the cleaner wasn’t working properly I had dumped a whole gallon of water onto the carpet and was freaking on how I was going to get it up. Anyway, with all that said and done we officially started doing things in our apartment on Saturday. Well kind of…Lol! We had no boxes and no help. NOTHING was done at our apartment. So we started with doing laundry and cleaning out closests and what not. I didn’t want to pack anything that was trash or that could go to Goodwill. Well, that started taking longer than we wanted it to and then we just started chunking pretty much everything…even stuff that I kind of wanted to keep. Oh well. Mid-day Lindsey started to get pretty upset because like I said things weren’t going as fast as we wanted them to…NOTHING was packed…still. Most of our friends were out of town for a Guad trip that we were supposed to go to and the other half of our friends have families that they had to tend to. And most of my family was out of town. So Lindsey decided to call his family and take everything out on them. I don’t think he was really mad that there wasn’t really any progress being made or that we didn’t have any help…I think he was upset because I cancelled our 1-year wedding anniversary dinner plans at Fogo De Chao. He had been looking forward to that for a weeks! I cancelled because I knew we weren’t going to make our reservations at the rate we were going. Lindsey works nights and weekends and he got off for this weekend only, so we HAD to get everything done this weekend. So instead we went to Jake’s for lunch. Which was also a nightmare. Our move hadn’t started out smooth and since we weren’t going to dinner we just wanted some good ol’ fashioned comfort food – greasy hamburgers and fries. So we walk in and almost EVERY table is full except for two small tables over in a corner. We take one of the tables and it’s pretty obvious that they’re weeded out. There was one waitress, one waiter, one bus boy, & one bartender. After about 15-20 minutes our drink and food order is taken. So we wait. And we wait. And wait. About another 20 minutes goes by and the waiter comes back over and tells us that we’re going to kill him b/c he lost our orders. So we order again and we wait again. In the midst of our waiting for a second time an elderly man comes in and sits at the table next to us. Mean ol’ man…making comments about Lindsey’s hair…telling him if he had hair like that back in his day he would’ve got his ass kicked, requesting for the music to be changed, telling the waiter they never get his order right, etc. Finally our food arrives and it was definitely worth the wait. During our meal Lindsey’s Mom called and said they were headed over to the house to help and that they had got some boxes…Yay! So we pull up back at our apartment and as we pull up we notice a TON of our stuff just sitting outside the apartment. Dennis (Lindsey’s Dad) had decided that we were going to get EVERYTHING out of the apartment, with or without boxes, as fast as we could. At first we were kind of upset because we wanted to go through everything and figure out what was going to go where and what needed to be thrown away, but in the end it worked out better. Plus, we were all on limited time. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that we hadn’t even rented a storage space yet. Soooo…Dennis turned into moving Nazi and had all of us working our butts off. Me, Beth, Shelby, and Stephanie stayed at the apartment while Dennis and Lindsey took the loads over to their house and each time before Dennis and Lindsey would arrive Dennis would call warning that we better have a load ready and waiting in the living room floor! Lol! We had that apartment cleared out in just a few hours; it was unbelievable. None of us girls had gone to house yet, so once we were done and we went over there we were not so pleasantly surprised by a garage full from floor to ceiling of our stuff! We rested for a little bit and then attempted to bring inside what was going to stay…which wasn’t much. We didn’t end up getting our bed set up, so that night Lindsey and I slept on a twin mattress that Shelby keeps under her bed for when her friends stay over…needless to say, it wasn't very clean. The girls had gotten pretty wasted the night before and Stephanie left us the lovely gift of her dry heaves on there. Lol! Of course, Lindsey had to give them a hard time about it… which he always does. He’s so mean to his poor sister. Anyway, it’s always really hot in the room we sleep in…so not only was I sharing a twin mattress w/my very large husband…I was burning up. It was a new place, a new bed, a new everything…so no one really slept; not even the kids. Sunday morning rolls around and we start at it again, but this time with no sleep. We organized like mad men all day. Throughout the day at some point I noticed the garage floor, which was slightly rewarding. Sunday came and went and of course it was another sleepness night…the new still hadn’t worn off and we still had no bed. Monday rolls around and we had all taken off work and we start once again, this time with no sleep as well. But on this day we got a storage unit! When Lindsey showed it to me…I was like there’s no way our stuff is going to fit in there, but it did! Once again we organized like mad men, minus Dennis and Shelby and her friends. Everything started to finally settle down at the house so Lindsey and I decided to go back over to the apartment and finish up a few small things. After doing that, we were on our way back with the last load from the apartment and Beth calls us and tells us that she’s had to call 911 for Dennis. We rush home to find Dennis being wheeled away on a stretcher. He was having hot and cold sweats and vomiting and had cramps and a bunch of other horrible stuff. We didn’t even unload the truck or anything…Lindsey immediately got in the car with his Mom and they went to the hospital and Shelby and I stayed at the house with the kids. We weren’t exactly sure what to do with ourselves and no one could tell us anything, so we just tried to keep ourselves busy and not think about it by cleaning and keeping the kids occupied. We eventually got the kids to sleep, but neither of us could sleep not knowing what was going on. Lindsey came home in the middle of the night…with no news though. Beth of course stayed at the hospital. I had a half day scheduled for Tuesday and since I didn’t get any sleep I took it the first half of the day instead of the 2nd half. Lindsey and I immediately got up and took the kids to daycare so we could come back and get some sleep, which we did. After work I picked up the kids and came home to what would normally be a chaotic, people-filled house…but it was quiet and no one was there. Beth was still at the hospital with Dennis, Lindsey was as work, and Shelby was off with her friends and it pretty much stayed like that for the remainder of the week. I don’t remember what day it was that we found out, but it turns out that Dennis had Diverticulitis. Nothing too serious. We knew he was going to be at the hospital all week, so me, Shelby, and Lindsey tried to get the house spotless and all the laundry done before they got home that way could just come home and rest. Needless to say…I worked my freaking butt off. That week my days consisted of getting up, getting me ready, getting the kids ready, getting me fed, getting the kids fed, taking them to daycare, me going to work, picking them up, getting them fed, getting me fed, entertaining them while trying to clean, dust, mop, vacuum, organize (still), unload the truck that never got unloaded from Monday night, laundry, etc. You name it. I did it. All by myself because Lindsey was at work of course. Ugh, I hate his schedule. Anyway, the week came and went and before we knew it, it was Friday and Dennis was coming home. Friday we all pretty much took it easy. And then on Saturday Beth and Dennis made their weekly trip to Wal-Mart as they normally do and about half way through grocery shopping Dennis slips on what may have been some water in one of isles and completely falls to floor! Keep in mind he had just gotten out the hospital the day before! Man, they were upset! So they filed a report and a couple that witnessed it filed a report as well. Still haven’t heard anything…go figure. Just wait…it doesn’t stop there! Saturday night while we were all sleeping the air goes out and it’s 100 degrees in the house. So we’re all up at 3 or 4 in the morning trying to get the stupid air to work. Kids are awake. Everyone’s awake. I waited till sun up and then I called my Mom and asked her if we could come hang out over there for the day until the air got fixed. Dennis managed to get a hold of some A/C man down the street and he just happen to have the part that we needed and was going to fix it for fairly cheap that same day. So…while at my Mom’s at around 1 or so…I had just woken up from a nap and I felt a little queasy. About an hour later I started vomiting violently and having diarrhea. Well that lasted through out the night and I was pretty much useless. I seriously don’t think I’ve ever been that sick before. I laid in the bathroom floor all night. There were actually a few times I wanted to tell Lindsey to take to me the hospital. Of course, I had to call into work the next day…which I really didn’t want to do b/c I had taken off so much recently. But you gotta do what you gotta do. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the Tuesday after Dennis had gone to the hospital we were up all night with sick kids…Kingsley was soooo congested he couldn’t sleep and Kennedy was puking everywhere. So yeah, I called in on Wednesday too. So my father-in-law in is the hospital, my mother-in-law is staying there with him, Lindsey is at work, and I’m at home pretty much calling in everyday…taking care of sick kids…cleaning and what not…trying to get all of our crap organized; still sleeping on a twin mattress. Then Dennis finally comes home and falls at Wal-Mart, our air goes out, and I get food poisoning. Oh, and Lindsey had to fire our baby sitter in the midst of all this; his sister has been watching Kingsley. Anyway, everything has finally settled down and Dennis is doing great. We got everything off to storage and the garage cleaned up. We got our bed set up. The house is clean. Everyone’s feeling better. Laundry is done. The yard is mowed. Our room is nice and cozy. Everything is it’s place…which much effort! Lol! Everything is going a lot smoother than I thought it would. I think we’re all going to enjoy living together, especially since the holidays are fixing to be here! I can’t wait!

Say goodbye to the fro...

Guilty As Charged

**I'm totally guilty of Fat Talk. It significantly effects my everyday life and after reading this today I'm going to make a vow to myself for me and for my family to end my Fat Talk**

PART 1

If you're a long-time reader, you know the issue of Fat Talk is something I take very seriously. As Jillian Michaels said, "Fat talk is transcending.... It affects your reality and damages you professionally, personally, and physically."

I've posted this video about Fat Talk a few times before, but not recently. If you haven't watched this before, please do! It's so powerful and I cry every time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPaxD61lwo

Here are a few tips for ending Fat Talk:

• Don't compare your body to others.
• Appreciate your body for what it can do.
• Turn a negative into a positive: Instead of "I'm stocky," try "I'm strong!"
• Never Fat Talk in front of your kids or friends

PART 2

This section of the Fat Talk discussion is dedicated to the statement, "I feel so fat."

How many times have you eaten something and then said, "Ugh. I feel so fat"? This is completely hyperbolic reaction to overindulging. First of all, even skinny women who aren't "fat' say it. Secondly, there's no way one meal or one dessert can suddenly make you "fat."

So, what do we really mean when we say, "I'm so fat"? We actually mean that we are FULL WITH AN EMOTION. Oftentimes, it's shame. Or sadness. Or fear. Why do we express our inner turmoil by hating our bodies? Because that's what Fat Talk and society tells us to do. Don't admit you're scared, just feel fat! Don't admit you're lonely or depressed, you're just fat! We can deal with ugliness, we cannot deal with weakness.

The next time you feel the urge to say, "I'm so fat," think about what you REALLY mean. By berating your body, you aren't doing any favors. But by honoring your emotions, you're living a happier, more honest life.

PART 3

If only one thing about this discussion about Fat Talk resonates with you, remember this: When you feel guilty about food, you are experiencing distorted thinking.

I'm not saying that means you have an eating disorder. I'm just saying that feeling guilty -- raw, consuming, upsetting GUILT -- is not a normal, healthy reaction to eating and is thus distorted. I think it's important to recognize when our thinking is distorted, as the way we view ourselves has a big impact on our lot in life.

All women experience guilt with food to some degree. I know I used to feel a really guilty if I drank two beers and ate a few slices of pizza. Or a big dessert. Sometimes, it didn't even have to be a calorie-heavy meal to trigger the guilt. I'd have a bigger breakfast than normal, and I would fret that I'd "blown it" for the day or that I'd "given into temptation."

Guilt is internal Fat Talk. It is shaming yourself for not meeting a perfectionist ideal that is unattainable and determined by the rigid standards our society has created! If you wouldn't say it out loud to a friend, why would you say it to yourself?

Maybe right now you're thinking: "But a little guilt can be a GOOD thing!" or "Guilt is a normal reaction to indulging!" But, if guilt was healthy or "normal," it would be PRODUCTIVE and it would make you HAPPY.

Do you find yourself feeling guilty over food a lot? Well, then -- you're repeating the same actions over and over again, and clearly... Guilt isn't productive, it doesn't work, and it only serves to lower your self -esteem. Guilt is a waste of time and takes away from productive things you could be doing with your time -- meditating, studying, sleeping, calling your friends on the phone, and more.

You aren't going to gain weight from one dessert.
You aren't a bad person for enjoying dinner.
You aren't weak because you were hungrier than normal.

How do you stop guilt? It's so much harder to stop than Fat Talk -- after all, we verbalize Fat Talk to others and it's easier to "catch" ourselves in conversation. Guilt, on the other hand, is this weird, creeping feeling that takes over you, ruins your day, and triggers the blues.

I would say I cut down on my guilt thinking by about 90%, which I consider to be a big accomplishment. I stopped guilting myself by really thinking about my eating in the grand scheme of life. Did that pizza make me gain weight? No. Did it actually hurt my health in any measurable way that I ate a bunch of French fries? No. Am I an awesome friend and hardworker who is so much more than the food she eats? Of course!

If there is something about your lifestyle that you want to change, be proactive and CHANGE IT. Guilting yourself about it does not work. Taking action to move onwards and upwards does. Every setback is an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve.

Join me on the quest to eliminate Fat Talk in all its nasty and evil forms from our lives! Remember, it starts now... and it starts with you.