Staying positive and finding your happy

I  watched this video on YouTube and it was inspiring. Take a few minutes (ok, about 17) and watch for yourself. At the end, tell me if you focus more on the cone or the crap :)  http://youtu.be/hkLM-IlwwPk  Today I will try harder to focus on the cone.  There is not much more for me to say today. I have had a long week and it is only Monday. I love your guts!

Madison is turning 5 on Friday

This little bundle of joy has been the light of our lives. This girl was a complete surprise from the heavens. HE knew we needed her here with us and boy oh boy has she made quite the impression. I remember when I saw her pudgy little face, just minutes old, that she would be as independent and stubborn as me. She had to stay in the hospital a little longer than the boys and put up with listening to her mom yell at the football players from Saturday to Monday night. Luckily most of my teams won...I think. Who cared - she was here and I had to learn how to take care of a little girl. Heck, I should know a lot, I was a little girl once.

On 9-11, she started her first day at pre-K at Palm Valley Lutheran Day School. She is in a class of 10 kids and it is obvious that she is the oldest and the leader (in a good way - she gives a lot of direction). The morning of her first day at her new school, I was watching some of the documentaries remembering that terrible day in our recent history. She asked me why someone would want to blow up a building. I told her that I did not know. She promptly reminded me, "In our house we don't say 'I don't know' because that is not an answer." Wow. I proceeded to tell her that there were a few people that wanted to hurt a lot of people and this is what they did to make it happen. She asked me why she did not remember this event and I told her because she was not born yet. I told her that Lorenzo was the same age as Brett when this happened. (then I was struck about what happened next) She burst out into laughter and very seriously told me, "Uh, Lorenzo was never that small. He has ALWAYS been very tall and at least a teenager. Brett is not tall. Brett is NOT a teenager." She glared at me in a very serious way waiting for me to respond. All I could muster was a smile and laughter. I hugged her and told her it was time to go to school. After that she stopped by the front door for her picture to be taken. As you can see, she cannot be still very often and is constantly moving, talking, singing and jumping. 

This Friday, she turns 5 years old and I am taking her to get her ears pierced. She has asked for the last few years and I am finally saying yes. She will get her wish granted. Miss Madison, we love you!

I love your guts!

Fantasy football is the great distraction

I am sure I could spend my "spare"time doing other things, like sorting out the little clothes and toys no longer relevant to Madison and Brett, or clean out the garage. Ha, right. I like my line ups and get flack from the guys in both leagues for choosing defense or running backs early in the rounds. I would like to say, that I am VERY happy with my picks, even the weak ones, like Janikowski, Gerhart and Rodgers. Sure, the last one I picked only because I liked his unusual name, Jacquizz. I don't know if I will play him but I might throw him in the mix if I'm ahead on the points board. Right now I'm 3rd in points in both leagues and would like to say I will stay there all season, but the games have just begun. 

What am I distracted from? Well, the fact that I have one more procedure to do in the next month and being on a diet is not going so well. 

I feel OK. I do not consider myself to be sick. I just need to get back to a more consistent routine. Right now I am a little out of whack, but trying like heck to stay on track. Perhaps the distraction is not helping me focus. Could I work out a way to keep my fantasy football leagues and still focus on the task at hand? Sure, I can. 

And to those wondering, yes, Peyton made it to one of my rosters and did a great job. This season is going to be awesome!

I love your guts!

Am I just one donut away from sane?

For some reason I am obsessing over donuts and not listening to my doctor's advice. Lately all I can think about is having a donut. I know I shouldn't eat processed foods and if I do, I should minimize the intake. One glorious donut won't hurt, right? Well, it will just lead down the sugar trail to eat more. 

DING! I know why I want donuts. Brett is going through a spell of broken skin due to eating items off his special diet. We promised him that if he does well and his skin heals up that we would treat him to ONE donut as a reward. Bless his heart. He has been trying so hard to do well and not scratch the irritated skin or eat the wrong items. I have been trying to eat more like him - no carbs (ok, maybe a few corn chips) and lots of fruit and veggies. My problem is consistency. I have a lot of changes going on at work now that has screwed up any chance for a consistent work out. However, this is going to change. I will be blocking off time on my calendar to get my personal time squeezed in - even if I have to wear the same headband all the time because I don't have time to do my hair. Ha!

Ok, I think I have talked myself out of a donut...for now. Next time you see me, ask me if I have had a donut. Let's hope I say it's been quite a while. On a positive note, I won the Week 1 match ups in both the fantasy football leagues I'm playing in this season.

I love your guts!

Rain

Is it raining or am I just crying too much? It feels like it's raining and I haven't begun to save for a rainy day. Right now I am all over the board. We had a fantastic weekend at the beach over Labor Day weekend. I came back rested and relaxed. Wednesday morning I went to my 6 week follow up appointment with my gynecologist. I spent 40 minutes in the waiting room, 30 more in the exam room and 20 minutes visiting with the doctor. He found that the cysts on  my left ovary were the combined size of an orange. The right was so far away that he could not see much but indicated that if the cysts were large, we would be able to see them. OK, so a black and white sonogram is not enough information to determine if they have cancerous cells, but if they did have prominent cancer cells, the cysts would have white spots on them and we did not see any of those. Bottom line option - remove the entire system and jump start me into early menopause. Ug! It's like I was walking and slammed up against the sliding glass door. OK, so maybe not as painful, but close. I had almost an out of body experience when I left the office. I knew what he told me and I understood what needs to happen, but not ready to say 'let's do this.' My doctor said I can come back in 4 weeks to get him to take a look again to see if they are going to reduce in size but if they are not smaller, then we will schedule surgery. I know it is inevitable that this surgery was going to happen, but I did not expect it so soon.

On a positive note, Madison's soccer season starts this weekend. She is playing with the same group from last season. If you are in the Round Rock area and have an hour to spend out at the soccer fields, come see her play. Here is a link to her schedule. You can find directions to the fields at Voigt elementary school. She is a little more focused this season and has learned that picking the flowers or grass on the field is not allowed. However, when the game is over, she is welcome to pick the flowers and take them home. I told her this on the way home today from practice and she was proud of herself for not picking the flowers during practice. Perhaps lunch at Niki's pizza is in store as a treat for her after the game this weekend. And a trip to Goodwill to pick out a fancy vase for her flowers. 

I love your guts!