Still Got The Right Stuff?

When I saw the first ad on NBC, I marked my calendar in anticipation of the end of a fifteen-year hiatus of my absolutely crush-worthy childhood band; New Kids on the Block (NKOTB for those who were cool like me). They were slated to perform in Rockefeller Plaza as part of The Today Show's Summer Concert Series.

Maybe it was due to the rain, or a bad sound check, but I was forced to admit that the performance sounded eerily similar to when school-mates used to perform the hits for a 'talent show' that always sadly lacked talent. It was more than a little disappointing, because it affirmed my recent suspicions that the lack of visible wall-space in my bedroom 15 years ago may have been for naught.

That said, it was also funny to note that my tastes have changed and I definitely prefer Donny to Jordan (who I had previously planned to marry), although I'm sure that has something to do with my slight adult crush on Marky Mark...known now as just plain Mark Wahlberg.

That said, in honor of the thirty-somethings who camped out for over 48 hours in order to re-visit their middle and high-school flames, here you go:

Heart of Steel

So, I was reading this post at Lil' Mommy That Could. I too am a glutton for Steel Magnolias and the slobbering sob fest that always results from watching it, so eagerly clicked on the video so that I could fully benefit from my raging pregnancy hormones and have good cry while H naps. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, because it certainly beats crying...all I can say is, wow!

Time Keeps on Ticking, Ticking, Ticking...

Last night I left my bathroom uncleaned and a couple of piles of sorting for a yard sale so that I'd have something to do when I woke up with contractions and was in active labor. I perused the calendar and decided that based on J's scheduled days off, and the amount of time (or lack of) that he'll be able to take off, Sunday in the early afternoon would be a fantastic time to go into hard labor.

Until then, I'll just keep reciting each night: "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my womb to reap. If I should dilate before I wake, I swear to Lord my child I'll take (to church when he's born)."

I have a feeling that all I'm going to end up with is a pile of crap in the loft and a scuzzy bathroom.

**I can just hear my mother, who refused to let us watch the Madonna video for Like a Prayer, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Sally that is sacrilege!

Gesundheit!

Yes, today I'm going to talk about health. Last night I went to my mom's group meeting, where we had a guest speaker on the topic of probiotics. I was pleasantly surprised by the speaker's fairly moderate approach to probiotics and supplements in general. While she was an advocate of the use of probiotics; providing approximate doses (NOT providing medical advice) for people, reasons they should not be used, reasons they should, and what they really are. As a whole, she doesn't advocate a lot of supplement use, as she feels that most things can be provided with proper diet and exercise...really? It was exactly what I needed to hear in order to be really open to the rest of the presentation. It certainly didn't hurt that she was very well-read, had a lot of information and the way in which she presented it did not in any way feel like a sales pitch.

This is the second speaker we've had, that I've been able to attend, who was a practitioner of alternative medicine; both of whom were fairly moderate and talked about utilizing both traditional and alternative medicine to have a balanced life.

So, while I'm still a fairly staunch believer in traditional medicine, I am open to hearing about small changes that I can make that will extent my life, while making it more enjoyable. It got me thinking about my family's recent eating habits. I already know that after the birth of C, I have a lot of work to do in the weight-loss department. Not because I gained a ton of weight while I was pregnant (because I've actually done fairly well), but because I started out as a bit of a fatty. Like Tommy Boy, I've got a little bit of what you might call a weight problem.

You see, I'm the girl who orders a large milkshake because it looks so damn good at the time, but then when you get back to the office and realize you have the ice-cream equivalent of a Big Gulp you hold it up and say Can you believe how out of control portions are getting? This is a small! It's crazy! Yep, that's me.

Growing up, my mom made whole-wheat bread from wheat flour that she ground herself, used 2/3 cup of sugar instead of 2 full cups in Kool-Aid...believe me, that makes a huge difference in the taste, and it was a family tradition to get the tiny boxes of pre-sweetened cereal for Christmas morning, because throughout the year, we almost never had cereal in the house with sugar in the first three ingredients. The point is that I have a good foundation for healthy eating, it's just slid away a bit in the past decade.

Overall, I'd have to say my basic eating habits are not horrible, it's the sugar that I crave like a slobbering fiend that has become my ultimate downfall. With my dad and his side of the family being LDS, ice cream played a large role in our lives (you Mormons will know what I mean, and if you say you don't you're lying...and can't take the sacrament on Sunday.)Over the past couple of years, it's come to the point that the day is not complete unless I've had at least one sweet treat.

I started thinking about this when H asked for broccoli the other day, and I was suspect. Each time J or I have tried to get him to eat broccoli, he has touched it to his tongue and then quickly turned his head pronouncing it to be yucccchhh, so I asked him what broccoli looks like. He looked at me like I had two heads and said "Cake." (duh). I was mortified and so glad that nobody else was around to witness his proclamation.

When we lived in Portland, H was fairly worldly eating everything off my plate from Curry with Tofu to real broccoli. Since I've been staying at home, it seems like he's had a steady diet of chicken nuggets, PBJ sandwiches and hot dogs. Also, I could have counted the number of times on one hand in which he'd tried McDonald's (including the long road trip out here) and he'd NEVER stepped foot in the PlayPlace. Part of the picky eating, I know, is his age (he wasn't quite two when we moved here), but perhaps a larger part is my complete lack of motivation to be in the kitchen over the last couple of months.

Because I have committed to completing my first tri-athlon in September, I know that I'll need to be eating more healthfully in order to achieve my goal. This seems like the perfect time to make that turn-around...new baby, new body, new life.

Plus, I have to look semi-decent in my bridesmaid's dress for the wedding in August, so I'm sure that has a little something to do with my resolve. (Because a Grecian-style flowy dress is really not all that pretty when you have arms the size of a Texas cattle rancher, except with dimples where definition should be.)

Mother, May I?

One thing that I noticed as a constant while discussing ideal Mother's Day plans with other moms is that most of us have a desire to spend at least a portion of that day without those people who have made us mothers; namely our husbands and children. While it may be ironic, it sure is nice to have some time to yourself without a little guy grabbing at your pant legs.

Yesterday my mom called just to let me know something that she appreciated about me, telling me that she loves being my, and my sisters', mom. What?! It was such a nice gesture that, of course, I had to pick a fight about something inconsequential about half-way through the other part of our conversation which had nothing to do with either she or I, but about one of my sisters, because we are always in each others' business.

In seconds we were back on a more neutral topic and all was well, but it just made me laugh after I hung up; not because it was funny, but because why did I have to spoil it? My poor mom always claimed that we would grow up to write a book called The Witch and Mr. Wonderful because she was convinced that we like our dad better than we like her. Turns out, we like them both quite a lot, but when you're going through the crazy hormonal teen years, the parent who sits quietly in the corner and observes, or merely shakes his head in disbelief usually wins out in the popularity department over the parent who matches us in emotional intensity.

Now, however, I hope she feels secure in the love that we all feel for her, because it's certainly there. No matter how much we tease and make fun (aka calling her Crazy Nancy because she's on Zoloft, which, ironically makes her notCrazy Nancy) we know that we couldn't have chosen a better and more loyal mom.

I hope my kids will know how lucky they are to have her as their Granny (as long as she takes her Zoloft, because Granny sans the ability to let the kids make a mess in the craft box, or make a wonky teddy bear without wanting to fix it for them would not be as much fun for anyone, including Granny.)

Random: I found boxes of MINIATURE CHARLESTON CHEWS at Walgreens while I was picking up my photos...I hadn't had Charleston Chews since I was in about 5th grade at the Cove Swimming Pool. Of course I snatched up a box and shared the love with H...just doing my part to spread the word of the nougatty goodness.

Oh yeah, and I'm still pregnant. Each night, I sadly do my own version of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep asking that I awaken to racking pain and fluids a'gushing. I'm pretty sure that I jinxed myself by actually packing a hospital bag, but I knew that I had to have H packed for the sitter and couldn't stop myself...now I'll never have to use it.

Here's to at least 10 more days of pregnancy until I officially become C's Mom.

Happy Mother's Day! Oh, and Congratulations to Alex for officially completing her first tri-athlon. What an accomplishment!