Like the summer of George, but with fewer broken bones

Well, I didn't win the Wii, so it's back on my Christmas list. Also on my list? iTunes gift cards--I've gotten a bit obsessed with my new Mother's Day iPod. Kim had a cool idea on her blog, asking readers to list the first five songs on their iPods, so now I have a bunch of new songs to try. Too early to be thinking of Christmas lists, you say? Oh ho ho, I say, shop now and relax in December. I myself am 25% done, but will freely admit that Christmas shopping is the ONLY area in my life in which I am ahead.

And why am I so behind? Perhaps it's because I've spent the last two weeks here:

This picture was taken about 6:45 Thursday night while everyone else was getting dinner in the other room (fajitas, in case you're wondering, and they were pretty good). Nine of us worked elbow-to-elbow testing our new software in this little, hot room for two weeks, and even though we stayed until 9:30 last night (ON A FRIDAY) we're still not done. Blergh.

But enough about me! We've had a big week in our house: Special graduated from kindergarten (sniff) and Pop and Baba were here for the big occasion.

What a cutie-patootie!

Batman and the girls are all out of school now, and I think they have big plans for the summer, although the majority of those plans revolve around swimming and riding bikes. That still sounds better than my plan for the summer, which mostly involves developing carpel tunnel syndrome.

But! Today is Saturday! And I don't have to work until after lunch! So we're off to the pool. Happy weekend, everyone!

You gotta want it

Three Kid Circus is running a contest to give away a Wii console and Wii Fit balance board. I REALLY WANT A WII and Batman won't buy me one, so I'm taking up her challenge to write my most embarrassing fitness story.

I've known for years that I needed to get into shape, not so much lose weight as redistribute it, you know? Tone up a bit, be able to walk up more than two flights of stairs without getting winded, go running with Batman without him forcing me to schedule an appointment with a cardiologist afterward. Problem is, I've always HATED exercise. LOATHED it. DREADED it.

In an effort to find a fitness program I'd actually stick with, we have bought a ridiculous number of exercise-at-home gadgets and videos, although not quite as many as this. We've had a treadmill, an exercise bike, weights, Pilates DVDs, Tae Bo videos, a jogging stroller, and jump ropes, and that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are a lot more items that ended up in one garage sale or another that I have blocked out of my mind.

Shortly before we left Florida, I started running. Okay, I can't call it running--it was jogging, and not very fast at that. But I did it several times a week, and by the time we bought our house in Texas I was up to three miles, four times a week. Moving messed up my schedule though--I had a longer commute, and was just busier than before--and I fell out of the habit. Until earlier this year, I was barely running once a week.

But recently, I joined a gym. It's right across the street from my office; I go on my lunch hour almost every day, and if I can't go at lunch I go on my way home. There's another one in the same chain near our house, and I go at least once every weekend. Which brings me to the embarrassing part:

I like it.

That's right, after years of whining and procrastinating and complaining, I Like Exercising. I'm enjoying working out. I like the elliptical machine. I like the weight machines. My lovely family gave me an iPod for Mother's Day, and I love listening to it while I sweat for thirty minutes every day. I'm not so wild about the locker room--it always smells vaguely of Nair--but I feel great and strong and fit.

There is one other embarrassing bit. I always see one or more of my coworkers at the gym, usually one of the (male) project managers, and I can tell you there is nothing like having a sweaty, drippy coworker leaning on your machine talking about software requirements while you do leg lifts and hope they can’t see down your shorts . . .

Hoochie Mama

Last night as we watched "American Idol," contestant Syesha took the stage in a low-cut gown that showed off a great deal of her *ahem* assets. Special, who was sitting beside me in the recliner, said, "Mommy! I see something!"

She leaned in and whispered, "BOSOMS!"

While I laughed she heckled the TV: "She's dressed so unappropriate! Put some clothes on, lady!"

Do you think she'll worry about what's "unappropriate" to wear when she's 16? Yeah--I doubt it, too.



P.S. Was it just me, or was last night the most boring "American Idol" ever? The song choices were awful, David A. bores me to tears, Jason has just quit trying, and I just can't stand Syesha's dull impersonations of divas. Bleh.

P.P.S. I've signed up to do Book Binge in May but so far all I've read is the new issue of Lucky magazine. Does that count?

It looks tasty

Special says it "tastes like yak." I think it's delicious, even though to me it looks like boiled ground beef. Batman thinks it's wonderful, even though he says it looks like fake vomit. What is it?

Homemade tapioca pudding with chocolate chips melted in, or as it's now called in our house, "yak pudding."

We also have two solariums

After living in our house for a year and a half, we thought it was high time we put some furniture into the living room. After a lot of shopping and not finding what we liked, we decided to turn it into a music room--a place where Number One can practice her violin and where all of us can practice the piano. Much thanks to Target and Craigslist, the proud sponsors of this room.

Here's a shot of the room in use (she really is practicing, not just posing):















We also bought a new (to us) entertainment center, since ours was a good ten or twelve years old and quite wobbly. It holds all our stuff and then some:















It's two pieces; the shelf portion sits on top of the base, and it's the single heaviest thing I've ever helped lift. Batman and I gave the girls an impromptu physics lesson when we levered the shelves up using the big ottoman, and I bit my tongue to avoid giving them a vocabulary lesson as well!

The only thing I'm sad about is that we no longer need any furniture--we're officially fully furnished. So, if you need to go furniture shopping, invite me along and I'll live vicariously through you . . .

SEVEN!!!!

My sis-in-law Kim tagged me for this meme: 7 random things about myself. Here goes:

1. I am a huge Seinfeld fan. I know—you’re shocked.

2. I hate washing dishes by hand, and would rather load and unload the dishwasher twice in one day if it means I don’t have to hand-wash a single dish. Yes, I know that takes more time. I don’t care.

3. I recently started going to the gym on my lunch hour, and I always use the same elliptical machine so I can watch “Ellen” while I work out.

4. I love making to-do lists, and will write things down that I’ve already done just so I can cross them off. I also make grocery lists, Target lists, lists of things to pack on vacation, and when we lived in Florida I kept a list of things to take to the pool and the beach so I wouldn’t forget anything important, like towels.

5. I currently own 36 pairs of shoes. Still, I could really use a pair of black sandals. And a pair of brown sandals. Maybe some red flats.

6. The girls get impatient with me when I want to look at shoes.

7. I am thoroughly addicted to Special K "chocolatey drizzle" breakfast bars in . I eat at least two per day and would eat more, but that would just mean more time on the elliptical and “Ellen” only lasts an hour.

That was fun! Okay, I tag Karla, Daddy, Greg, DL and Erin. Go! And check back with me this weekend--we finally put real furniture in our living room and I have pictures.

For my Schmoopie

I'm not the most demonstrative person when it comes to Public Displays of Affection, but after reading this list I can't help declaring my love for Batman in what is possibly the most romantic line ever:

I love you like a fat kid loves cake.

And that's the truth.
Love,
me

(Close runner-up for most romantic line: "You wore me down.")