Laneita from BabyBoomers referred me to SparkPeople.com, which is something like WeightWatchers, only FREE. I think it's a great site, although a little overwhelming at first. I've followed it faithfully for 3 days, but GAINED 2 pounds! I don't understand it, I haven't even had any wine. But I know I'm doing the right thing, so I'm not going to give up.
45 Years Ago:
-28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
November 4, 2008, Grant Park, Chicago, IL:
"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can."
-President-elect Barack Obama
And Lynzi's dress lit up! You pressed the little red button, and the whole dress would blink and twinkle. It was so darn cute, I wish I could have gotten it to show in the picture.
Kayla made some comment about moving to Reno because she "had to live with Miles' family for the first ten years of her marriage, so he should have to live with hers for the next 10." I don't know why I let her get to me, but I do.
I started back on WW yesterday and lost 3 pounds in one day! Even though I still went over the points goal. I know I won't lose that much every day, but WW plans do help a lot. I hope I can keep it up. I'm trying to eat 6 small meals instead of 3 big ones.
Today's Plan:
Get Flylady's Morning Routine done by 9 a.m.
1. Make bed.
2. Shower, weigh.
3. Swish & swipe in bathroom.
4. Hot spots in living room.
5. Unload dishwasher.
6. Take Meds.
7. Laundry.
8. Plan daily menu.
My computer desk - top shelf has box of adhesives, large punches, brads and eyelets. Next to that are various computer info books. Next to my keyboards is a box of pens and markers.
The picture below the computer has wicker boxes holding embellishments, rubons, ribbons, flowers, chipboard, and alphabets. On either side of the boxes are folding holders that I keep ink, stamps, and small punches in.
Dylan is standing to the left of my "before" album bookcase. It had PPs and albums, pictures to be scrapped, and miscellaneous. The "after" on the right holds finished albums, albums in progress, and albums to be filled.
I've been working on purging my scrapbook room, and here's what it all looks like now. The first step was to pull out all the old product, paper, etc., that I've been collecting for seven years and still haven't used. The first picture is of a box I made that I put in all the stuff I pulled out and am donating to Dylan's preschool. It's a lot of stuff, but Kayla said they can really use it. The second picture is of my TV/Entertainment Center, where I have some see-through boxes containing stickers and die-cuts, vellum paper, and card supplies. The next photo is of a stand that contains wicker boxes for keeping buttons, ribbons, and flowers. The hangings on the stand contain stamps, stamping ink, and punches. The next photo is of my desk with lots of stuff to put away on it. (Note my bed in the background-just barely enough room for it.) After that is the photo of my computer desk. You can see my blog on the screen. There's a lot of folders on the desk that I need to go through and purge, which will hopefully leave me some more room. And the last picture? Well, that's where I keep my albums-the finished ones on top, and the albums-in-process on the other shelves. I'm going to have to make room for some more finished albums soon. Maybe Santa will leave me a bookcase for Christmas.
In the meantime, wonder if I could win a contest for World Ugliest Scraproom.
Dylan always comes in my room to tell me goodbye before he heads off for school. I can't believe how much he's grown!
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Here's Dylan and Lynzi sitting at Miles' computer. Dylan's playing a video game and Lynzi is waiting her turn.
Dylan was watching Little Einsteins today, and they asked what your favorite animal is. Dylan answered, "All animals - except real dinosoars. Do you know what happens to dinosoars, grandma? They turn into bones - and then they turn into robots."
So there you have it - the truth about what happened to dinosoars!
I don't have much planned today, except getting back on track with FlyLady. I kinda got burned out, although i still kept with my daily routines. But since I got a "raise," i feel motivated to do a better job. The "raise" is that Kayla told me she and Miles were talking and they think that I should only pay $300 a month for rent instead of $400 - because of all I do. So i'm gonna take them up on it!
Aja and Lynzi are here and Valerie. Kayla asked me to go to lunch with them, and I didn't go. Why in the world did I say no? That's what Kayla complains about me that I'm a hermit. But I'm just so tired! She asked me to go to Oaks Park with them on Labor Day, and maybe I will, even though I was hoping to spend the day by myself.
I don't know...
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I haven't posted all of August, and now it's almost over. Here are a couple of pictures of Dylan. He had a friend, Zach, spend the night with him. They had a good time, wrestling and playing video games. And the other picture is of Dylan playing on a swing with a little girl he met in the park..JPG)
Yesterday, Kayla came in my room and told me she loved me! I couldn't believe it! But I told her I loved her too, and hope that we can continue to get along.
nights with Dylan this week. Today, I took them to the park and got some really cute pictures. Saturday nite, Miles stayed away all night and actually got home after Kayla did. He found a friend and went bar-hopping, which he probably needed. He spent the night at the friend's house and came in after Kayla. Today, she apologized that Miles dumped Dylan off on me, she said if she'd known he was going to stay out all night, she would have come home sooner. I told her I didn't mind him going out if he wanted to. Also, Dylan was playing computer games and she told him he had to stop or he would be a computer geek like his dad. MILES ONLY IS ON THE COMPUTER WHEN HE'S DOING HIS SCHOOLWORK!!!!
I don't get the feeling Miles is standing up to her, and he really needs to. I see him hovering around her, and she treats him like dirt. Today, she asked me how I was doing and I said fine, and asked her how she was doing, and she said, well, I'm here. She didn't look happy about it. Unless a miracle happens, she's going to leave him or make him leave her. Mike says I need to stay out of it, but it's so hard.
Kayla went on a weekend trip with some friends and Miles stayed home. They said they are going to try to be more independent. Miles went to a bar because he said he's bored without Kayla. I don't feel good about it, but maybe it will work out for the best. I hope so.
Mike was celebrating his first year of sobriety. I was so proud and happy for him, I had to give him a little cake to mark the occasion. Everyone applauded him. He's come so far since last year, when I was actually fearing for his life. His daughters were there, Lynzi on his left, and Aja behind him on his left.
Miles and Kayla seemed to have worked some things out, at least temporarily. I was so happy to see them holding hands and cuddling.
Here are some pictures of the fireworks display that Miles did for us. He's getting really good!
Above, Dylan is playing with a sparkler. He was having so much fun!
Above, Miles waves this one around, making a really special effect.
Here's a shot of Miles' audience. The kids thought the show was a little loud, but they still loved it!
And these last two shots show again what a great show Miles put on. We had such a good time!
Mike and Sarah were here together, and looking suspiciously like they are a couple again. They both told me that before they do anything permanent, they will have counseling, so I hope they do follow through on it. They were doing a lot of hinting, and at one point, Kayla congratulated Mike. I'm not sure if it was for his one year of sobriety or for being back with Sarah. Also there were Mick and Michele, friends of Miles & Kayla that I really like, and Dave and Sue, Michele's parents. Sarah's Aunt Terry and her husband were there, so I had some people my own age. And of course, the grandkids, Aja, Miles, and Lynzi. It was a perfect 4th of July for our family!
Kayla came in and told me I should have told her when my bathroom gets so bad, she would clean it for me. I told her I thought something was wrong with the toilet, that it might be leaking, and she said, no, there's urine on the floor, maybe Dylan has been missing the toilet. She said she's too embarassed to have the housekeeper clean it. I said I would do it, but she said, no, I couldn't get on my hands and knees to clean it. So I said, okay. She said, well, don't get - and and I said, I don't know what else to say. So she left the room.
Right after that, Dylan came to me and told me not to be mean to his mom. I asked him why he thought I was mean to her, and he told me she told him I was. I don't know what to do!
I was getting out of the shower and I heard Kayla screaming at Miles. She said she wants to be "Kayla" not "Miles' wife." She said, "don't you think I could get my f***ing degree without your help? Miles said, "it's not like that, honey." Then she was yelling at Miles for not having his driver's license. (He has epilepsy and has been approved by the doctor for driving, but he's been afraid to do it, because his first seizure was when he was driving a golf cart and lost control of it.) Kayla says she doesn't want to teach him, so he needs to man up and get someone else to teach him. I know Carol would teach him - there's any number of people who would. Carol says he needs to learn to drive so he can take the car away from her. Since she wants to do everything on her own, let her get a car on her own. Kayla also yelled at Miles that she wants to see her family more than once a year. He said, well, do it. Her family won't come to see her, that's not Miles' fault.
I'm hiding in my room but I need to vent here so I won't say anything out there. No wonder she's been so horrible to live with, she's been wanting to be free. Sarah had breakfast with her yesterday and tried to tell her what a mistake she'll be making, but Kayla wouldn't listen. I think she's made up her mind. It's going to be awful.
The good news is, my son will be celebrating a one-year anniversary. He took his last drink a year ago 4th of July, when he truly hit rock-bottom. Also, he's been smoke-free for about 3 months. Now it looks like he and his ex-wife may reconcile. (I'm not sure that's good news, because she married the guy she had cheated on my son with, divorced him, all in less than a year.) But they both say they will get counseling before they remarry.
The bad news is my other son is having problems in his marriage. I think his wife wants to leave him. Something happened on Sunday; I don't know what, but my son told me not to worry. (Hah - I think he knows me better than that.) It's going to be especially hard, since I live with them.
Oh, and my daughter is finishing up college. She has one more year to go, but she feels guilty because it's taken her so long, having had to stop and work to support herself before she could continue. She's always had a bit of an inferiority complex - I wonder who she got that from.
This 4th of July, we'll all be together. I guess that's the best news.
God Bless Our Dysfunctional Family.
the boomer formerly known as dydrmLinda
The following trivia from www.bbhq.com. I sent it out to the boomers yesterday, but so far, no one answered the questions.
Trivia of the Week
Our Trivia of the Week feature is on vacation until Labor Day. But here are three trivia questions from our archives:
1. From the BBHQ Post-Graduate Baby Boomer Qualifying Exam: President Lyndon Johnson battled the Vietnam war throughout his presidency. For most of the time, he had the majority of the country and the Congress on his side. But when he said, "When I've lost ____________________, I've lost the country." He was referring to "the most trusted man in America," who was (first and last name): .
2. From the BBHQ Boomer Movie Quiz: It's from an academy award winning movie from the early 70s; near the end; an exchange between the two lead characters: Henry: "You not gonna stick around for your share?" Johnny: "Nah; I'd only blow it."Name the movie. .
3. Boomer-era lyrics; finish the line: "I will never love you, the cost of love's too dear But though I'll never love you, I'll ______________________ one year."
This trivia teaser will be available through Sunday, June 29, 2008.
There are no prizes here... it's all just for fun.
I want to keep records of what goes on in this campaign and maybe do some scrapbooking on it. Here's a story about McCain, the Republican "presumptive" nominee.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/McCain_temper_boiled_over_in_92_0407.html
Aja drew picutres of Spongebob, Squidward, and Patrick. She colored Spongebob, Dylan colored Squidward, and Lynzi colored Patrick. Then Aja "wrote and directed" the Spongebob Show pictured in this video. It was SOOOOO cute!!
Here I am as a high school graduate, circa 1965. Sigh...so innocent.
Grandparents Day was today, and Aja asked her great-grandma Leona and me visit her school. We had cookies and orange juice, she showed us her classroom. She also showed us her Valentine box - hers is the biggest - i think she's expecting a lot of Valentines. She even showed me her "boyfriend." She's been talking about him for weeks, but rolling her eyes and denying he was her boyfriend. But today when I asked where he was, she pointed him out to me. Sigh... Can't believe she's in Kindergarten. The principal gave a little speech and told about how we should be glad they're all excited to see us in school, because when they get to middle school, they'll be saying, "Grandma, what are you doing here?" We all laughed, but we knew it was true.
