Cheater cheater, ice cream eater

Tonight, I am officially purposefully cheating on my diet. There are those of you out there who would say, "You know, Annie, you're only cheating yourself." And to those people I say, "DUH!!!" I've been really really really good on my diet and have gone many moons where I've filled my emotional neediness not with the traditional brownies, cookies, or ice cream, but with the classic work Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte; or a small bowl of healthy cereal.
So, having lost a few pounds and feeling particularly needy tonight, I've sent my husband out for a banana split. If I'm going to cheat, I'm SO going to cheat. Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow. My wii fit and I have a standing date. So don't feel bad, public! Don't think to yourself, "What is she doing, diluting herself this way?" I will spend many more moons, filling my emotional neediness with the memory of this delicious, oh so so delicious treat I am about to indulge in. See? It's actually a weight-loss tactic!! It's allllllll part of the plan :)

Little Known Fact

Xander knocks on doors with the back of his fist.

Weighty matters

Ok. So, I've decided to try to lose a little weight/get a little healthier. I'm letting you all in on this now only because I am on day #9 and have seemed to be able to stick with it thus far. This is a new record for me by 7 days! In high school I counted Weight Watchers points for two whole days, and on a separate occasion I was faithful to the Atkins' Diet for a stellar day and a half. So, needless to say, I'm on a roll here and feel confident enough to admit it. I'm making no promises, however, about how long this will last, or if it will even make a difference, but I had to record that I even made it this far. I've even exercised for 4 days in a row! I know! Crazy!

It's really been coming for quite some time. It all started a couple of months ago when I could no longer deny the fact that I had developed a definite "muffin top." Hiding it under billowy shirts was no longer working for me.

Also, my friend recently decided to enter a pageant (Hi Jaymie!). I considered the possibility of entering one myself, and am rather embarrassed to say that I nixed the idea pretty quickly because I (it's horrible) was unwilling to give up Oreos. I know, shameful. The first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem.

Then, a few weeks ago I was purchasing a dress for a wedding coming up in May (I'm a bridesmaid, or matron) and the lady said that even though I said I was a size 12 over the phone(I'm not ashamed to say it), she said the dresses run small and I may actually be a 16, and would I please come in to be measured? I was really hormonal and started bawling like a baby over the phone. Like heaving boogery sobs. I went in to be measured and I really am a size 12, but I was shaken, I'm not gonna lie. Not that 16 is all that awful, but when you think you're a 12, it's not a number you want to hear.

The same day that I went in to be measured, I picked up my ring from the jeweler's and it was too small to fit my finger. I had a red, sore knuckle for hours. I later found out that they had sized it incorrectly and were off by a whole size. Still, not a great thing to happen that day to my already sensitive emotions.

I'm not even joking, but the final straw was also that very same day, when I came home and Aria pushed on my "muffin top" and asked excitedly if I was expecting a new baby girl. Yeah. When I finally, against her persistent insistance that I was, convinced her that Mommy was just a little chubby, she informed me that only daddies could be a little chubby, not mommies. While I did correct her assumption, I had really had enough.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, I run. I run away from my "muffin top," away from the Oreos which do so easily beset me. I say to my daughter, "No! Mommy is not pregnant and you can see it!" And to dress-makers and ring-sizers everywhere, "I am a 12 or smaller, dang it! And don't give me a ring bigger than a size 6!! This is my creed.

Inauguration day moment

Today I sat the three kids down to watch history-in-the-making. The presidential inauguration of Barak H. Obama was something I made sure that they would not miss. They all three snuggled under the blankets on my bed and watched as they began the ceremony. When they said the opening prayer, Skyler closed his eyes, bowed his head, and folded his arms. A few minutes into it, I heard this:

A: "Skyler, what are you doing?"

S: "Shhh! I'm participating in the prayer!"

A: "Well, I'm not. It's too long!"

S:"Aria! Don't you want our president to 'have the wisdom to lead us?

Turns out my little guy was listening very closely! After the prayer, he then went on to explain to her that it was a very important day because it was the first time ever that a man with dark skin was elected to be the president of the United States of America and that this was only possible because of a man named Martin Luther King, Jr. who worked very hard so that all people could be equal, no matter what the color of their skin. He even explained a brief history of slavery and segregation and why they were so wrong. I'm proud of my little guy, and was touched by the poignant reminder of why it is so important that we share our nation's history with our children.

I only make easy things

I only make easy things. Well, this used to be true until I started trying to make yeast breads a year ago. But, they never come out very well, so I guess I only make easy things well. One of the easy things I make well are peanut butter balls. I got the recipe from a friend of mine and I now proudly and unabashedly pass it off as my own. Seriously, they are delicious (as evidenced by the fattening ingredients). Several of you have asked me for the recipe, so I've decided to post it here. Now, you all may proudly and unabashedly pass it off as your own! Happy boasting!

PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

*1 cube margarine
*2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
*1 cup peanut butter

*Almond Bark (This is microwaveable chocolate found in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips. It comes in little squares. I microwave them a glass pie dish).

Mix together first 3 ingredients and roll into bite-sized balls. Dip into melted chocolate and let dry on parchment. Enjoy!

Fresh new look

A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine at church complimented me on my lip color and asked what color it was.

M:"Oh, thank you! It's actually a combination of things. I've got a lip-liner-"

F:"What kind of lip liner is it?"

M:"Uhm...pink?

F:"What brand?"

M:"Uhm...I don't know. It's really old. Then I have a kind of mauve-ish lipstick-"

F:"Oh! What kind is it?"

M:"Uhm... I don't know. It'll sound weird, but I got this huge box full of make-up for Christmas from Wal-Mart and I think the whole thing was pretty cheap. It's not like a real brand-name. I have no idea what kind it is, but it's actually nice, huh? I really like it. Then I just have a little pink lip gloss on top."

F:"You don't happen to know what kind of lip gloss it is, do you?"

M:"I'm so sorry, no I don't (laughing). It's also really old, like the lip liner. So...I guess, I wear old, cheap make-up, which apparently goes great together! Is that a brand? Look in the aisle for the Old Cheap line of make-up. It's fantastic!"

My friend has asked me twice since then if I've obtained the actual names of my make-up and would I please blog them? So, here they are. Who knows if they're actually sold any more, but if they are, you've got a great old look for less!


Lip liner pencil-N.Y.C. #956C (it's either N.Y.C. or N.X.C., it's kind of worn off, so I took my best guess).

Lipstick-The Color Workshop Lip Stick (It's so cheap that the colors don't even have names, so there's no way for me to tell you which one of the 5 it is. Like I said, they all came together in a big box along with 20 different eye shadow colors and other lip and eye-liners. So...it's the one that looks mauve-ish).

Lip Gloss-Karma Beauty, Chocolate dream. (You may actually be able to find this. Maybe. I have no idea where I got it. Happy hunting, all!)

Xanderism

One of Xander's favorite new words is "sit." He loves to say "sit" every time he sees a chair, proud of the fact that he's added the word to his repertoire. The only problem is that his articulation hasn't caught up with his vocabulary, so every time he says "sit," it sounds like a certain curse word I'm sure you're all familiar with. Imagine my experience this week when I took him to the library-a quiet place with LOTS of chairs. Yeah, we had to leave.

Xanderism

At church today, I was distracting Xander by pointing out letters he could identify in the hymnal. I stopped for a minute, which irritated him. So, he grabbed my index finger with his whole hand and moved it from letter to letter all over the page saying, "Good jaahhb! Good Jaahhb!"

Skylerism

[Warning, in order to get this you must be quite familiar with the musical AIDA].

A: "Mom! I didn't want scrambled eggs, I wanted eggs with yellow sauce (fried eggs)!"

M: "I'm sorry, Aria, but you weren't here when we decided. I called you several times and you never came."

S:"Pleeease, Mom! Let her have eggs with yellow sauce! It's (breaks into singing) 'all [she] asks of yoooouuuuu!"

Skylerism

Kids are arguing.

M:"What's going on here?"

S:"Aria wants to play a game of romance and I'm just not to that kind of love yet!"

Ariaism (she's on a roll)

In the bathtub this evening:

A: "Thomas bubbles smell just like Thomas!"

Ariaism

Shelby here, hijacking the blog again...

I was watching a football game last night when Aria came into the room and snuggled in next to me on the bed. After several attempts to lure my attention away from the game and onto her, she finally just asked me a question:

A: "Daddy, what's a 'little diva?'"

I suppressed my laughter long enough to answer her:

D: "Well, um...well...YOU. You are a little diva."

A: "I don't get it."

D: "You see, the word diva usually means an actress or a singer..."

A smile began to creep across her face.

D: "...who is the very best at acting or singing..."

The smile grew very large.

D: "...and because she's the so very good, she thinks that everyone should just give her whatever she wants and always pay attention to her and tell her how wonderful she is all the time."

I expected the smile to turn a little sour. Instead she beamed back at me and exclaimed:

A: "Hey, that IS just like me!"

You have been warned. Beware the little diva.

Ariaism

How you know you're spending too much time doing your calling:

A: I don't want to go to heaven-too boring! There's too many important meetings there!

Aria's pierced ears

Aria's been asking on and off for the last year to get her ears pierced. Each time she asked, I made sure she knew that it was really going to hurt. This tactic proved to be an effective deterrent until recently. This time when she insisted that she could handle it, I knew she was serious (trust me, if you know Aria, you know when she means business). So, when she also agreed to cooperate with the cleanings away we went! She got it done the very next day after Shelby's surgery, pleased with the idea that they would heal together. True to her word, she didn't shed a tear and only winced slightly after the first piercing, then whispered to me, "That kind of hurt a little."
Do you see this picture below? Now look at the first picture. The only difference is that in the second picture she had had her ears pierced only seconds earlier. Look how delighted she is! This girl's one tough cookie :)

Kvelling

In the last few weeks, Xander decided that 30ish words were no longer enough to satisfy. So, he's gone big-time and has been adding several new words daily to his repertoire. I've decided that now will be the absolute last time I'll be able to record the words he knows because tomorrow, I'm sure, he will acquire several hundred more. So, this post is mostly for me (sorry) and for those of you who know the little tyke. For the record, he also now says two new 3-word sentences. They are, "I love you," and, "I want treat." --you know, the essentials.

So, in no particular order:

Mama, Daddy, Aria(ahiya), Skyler(ahyer), fish(bish/fiff), Carmel-our rat(Marmel), Grandma(Maahma), Grandpa(Bahmpa), Emily(Emmy), Janna(Nanna), Shawn(On), Tim(Dim), Jess(Ess),Jesus, Santa(Anta/Ho ho ho), wuff wuff, meow, cat, puppy, dog, duck, quack quack, Paco(Caco), hi,wait, here it comes(ee ee comes!), ,Ruby(Buby...Iknow),Jake(Eek),wet,bath(bap),I,love,you,want,treat(eat),cracker(cacker),vitamin(ahmin),door,color(uhwo),notebook(ohbook),blanket(kankib),what?, red, blue, yellow(lellow),shoe, boot, pants, shirt, hat, coat, socks, diaper, NO!, yes(yesss/ess), have it, my turn, mine, book, head, ears, nose(beep beep nose), eyes, hand, foot, earring, cookie, breakfast, cereal(a-e-ol), alphabits cereal(E B Eh G's/E Eh P's),drink(ink), milk(unk), juice, apple(bapple), banana(ahnana), cheese, macaroni and cheese(and cheese), eggs, help, down, up, on, off, sky, some, lava, alligator(ahhgator), zebra(eebra), elepant(enephant), cold, hot, ouch, hurt, stuck(used frequently), roar(rarr), show, Max and Ruby(Ax and Buby...I know),Boo-Bah(bee-bah),Clifford(iffod), Nemo(Meemo), AIDA...and most of the original cast album including the choreography of Strongest Suit as well as the tribal chanting during Dance of the Robe, snow, yay, play(pay), more(moi), uh-oh, bubble(bubbos), me, walk with me(ah ih me),train(train/coo coo/choo choo), truck, car, plane(pane), snowman(no-man), dance, chicken, bawk bawk, mmm!, football(fooh-ball), story,binkie(bing' bee),please(pease), thank you, thanks,you're welcome(welcome),ok(oh-Kaaayy),weee!,EIEIO, spoon(meem),Frere Jacques(Re reh jacques), Three blind mice(ee bah mice),another one(nudda one), again(gen),one, two, three, four, seven, eight, more than what he has(two three). He can also correctly identify the following letters: A, D, E, H, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, X, Y. Oh, and when he wants something also(too-ah, too-ah).