My Favorite Vacation Image

Take a look. Do you know what this lineup means? To me, it means that the Brute Squad has unpacked their stuff and once again checked into a hotel for a weekend or vacaction adventure.
I take a lot of cute pictures of my kids and family while we vacation here or there, but it's when I have all the shoes lined up on the shelf that I feel like I'm on vacation.
"Here are our shoes, hotel room. We're ready for some fun."
That is what it looks like to me.
We're back now, after a few days doing the Disney thing and seeing Thomas the Tank Engine.
This picture makes me insanely happy.

My Favorite Vacation Image

Take a look. Do you know what this lineup means? To me, it means that the Brute Squad has unpacked their stuff and once again checked into a hotel for a weekend or vacaction adventure.
I take a lot of cute pictures of my kids and family while we vacation here or there, but it's when I have all the shoes lined up on the shelf that I feel like I'm on vacation.
"Here are our shoes, hotel room. We're ready for some fun."
That is what it looks like to me.
We're back now, after a few days doing the Disney thing and seeing Thomas the Tank Engine.
This picture makes me insanely happy.

Image is Everything

As I'm losing weight, I'm more and more conscious of body image. Mine. And yours. I'm terribly judgmental. I would say that before I lost weight I didn't like my body. I just kept it hidden under big clothes and let it go, out of sight out of mind. It was actually easier on the psyche than actually considering it, though. My mom always says that the things you don't like on other people's bodies are really the things you don't like on your own. I don't know if that is true, but the things I don't like on my own body are increasing.
Maybe it's because as I'm losing weight, I just want things to look good. And just because there is less of me, it does't mean the bit left behind looks good.
My arms are fat. I have matronly upper arms. I want them GONE NOW.
My stomach is flabby. I have developed some sort of hideous paunch. I am doing crunches. It keeps not leaving. I suppose that previously it was all full of fat and therefore not droopy, in some sick way that was preferable.
My thighs have cellulite, and they are just fat fat fat. I don't mind fat. But fat fat fat is too much fat. I do not have calves I have steers. I inherited my stupid Grandmother Brandon's lack of ankles. I have huge thick ankles that there are no workouts to improve.
And then there is my face. The face that is coming out under my fat isn't right. I can't identify with this person. Who the hell is she? Do I know her? I'm remembering the things that made me cry in high school. My lack of cheekbones (why the FUCK don't I have any cheekbones like normal people?) My stupid round face.

I always thought that I could easily be a person who never had any sort of plastic surgery. It's vain and lazy.
Now I'm considering how awesome it would be to wake up with so many of these flaws eradicated.
The first boy who ever said I was beautiful and sounded like he meant it was Kayo. The only person who has always said I was beautiful even at my giantest is my husband - and I have never doubted his truthfulness. His sanity.....maybe.....(kidding)

A friend of mine was recently telling me about a guy friend of his who just lost a bunch of weight and how it has sort of messed up his head.

I told him it's because once you start really losing weight, people start treating you like you are a human.

Realizing that you have not been treated like a human for X years is quite damaging to the spirit. Permanently damaging.

So I thought that as a gesture of positive energy to those I love, I thought I would tell some of you something about you that I love, or covet, or otherwise envy.

My husband, I love your legs. You have some really good, really sexy man legs.

Sarah , I have always thought you were slender like a classic model. Like the women who lunch at country clubs and play tennis.
Becky , I think you have the most girly figure. I totally envy you. How anyone can have boobs and not be fat is a huge accomplishment.

Xta , Xta first of all has the most infectious laugh and smile you've EVER run into. She can make your day with her giggle. Her mouth is what you would call generous. When Xta talks to you, she's giving you a lot of things - expression, emotions, usually giggles. Even when she's pissed off her mouth is very pretty. If she was a crazy make up junky like me, she's probably have to wear the brightest reds she could find, to properly dress up that mouth.

Eileen is blogless to my knowledge. But Eileen has the most gorgeous eyes you have ever seen. They are round and a kaleidescope of color. They would make a million if they could make contacts the colors of her eyes.

So, there. I envy all of you your gorgeous traits. There are more of you that I envy.

Maybe someday I will actually like the way I look enough to find that people should envy me. But by that would mean I'm an arrogant ass, so maybe it's better that I not.

Image is Everything

As I'm losing weight, I'm more and more conscious of body image. Mine. And yours. I'm terribly judgmental. I would say that before I lost weight I didn't like my body. I just kept it hidden under big clothes and let it go, out of sight out of mind. It was actually easier on the psyche than actually considering it, though. My mom always says that the things you don't like on other people's bodies are really the things you don't like on your own. I don't know if that is true, but the things I don't like on my own body are increasing.
Maybe it's because as I'm losing weight, I just want things to look good. And just because there is less of me, it does't mean the bit left behind looks good.
My arms are fat. I have matronly upper arms. I want them GONE NOW.
My stomach is flabby. I have developed some sort of hideous paunch. I am doing crunches. It keeps not leaving. I suppose that previously it was all full of fat and therefore not droopy, in some sick way that was preferable.
My thighs have cellulite, and they are just fat fat fat. I don't mind fat. But fat fat fat is too much fat. I do not have calves I have steers. I inherited my stupid Grandmother Brandon's lack of ankles. I have huge thick ankles that there are no workouts to improve.
And then there is my face. The face that is coming out under my fat isn't right. I can't identify with this person. Who the hell is she? Do I know her? I'm remembering the things that made me cry in high school. My lack of cheekbones (why the FUCK don't I have any cheekbones like normal people?) My stupid round face.

I always thought that I could easily be a person who never had any sort of plastic surgery. It's vain and lazy.
Now I'm considering how awesome it would be to wake up with so many of these flaws eradicated.
The first boy who ever said I was beautiful and sounded like he meant it was Kayo. The only person who has always said I was beautiful even at my giantest is my husband - and I have never doubted his truthfulness. His sanity.....maybe.....(kidding)

A friend of mine was recently telling me about a guy friend of his who just lost a bunch of weight and how it has sort of messed up his head.

I told him it's because once you start really losing weight, people start treating you like you are a human.

Realizing that you have not been treated like a human for X years is quite damaging to the spirit. Permanently damaging.

So I thought that as a gesture of positive energy to those I love, I thought I would tell some of you something about you that I love, or covet, or otherwise envy.

My husband, I love your legs. You have some really good, really sexy man legs.

Sarah , I have always thought you were slender like a classic model. Like the women who lunch at country clubs and play tennis.
Becky , I think you have the most girly figure. I totally envy you. How anyone can have boobs and not be fat is a huge accomplishment.

Xta , Xta first of all has the most infectious laugh and smile you've EVER run into. She can make your day with her giggle. Her mouth is what you would call generous. When Xta talks to you, she's giving you a lot of things - expression, emotions, usually giggles. Even when she's pissed off her mouth is very pretty. If she was a crazy make up junky like me, she's probably have to wear the brightest reds she could find, to properly dress up that mouth.

Eileen is blogless to my knowledge. But Eileen has the most gorgeous eyes you have ever seen. They are round and a kaleidescope of color. They would make a million if they could make contacts the colors of her eyes.

So, there. I envy all of you your gorgeous traits. There are more of you that I envy.

Maybe someday I will actually like the way I look enough to find that people should envy me. But by that would mean I'm an arrogant ass, so maybe it's better that I not.

Baby Ruth Rides Again

So tonight in a fit of misbegotten efficiency I decided that I would bathe all three boys together. Into the tub all three went. Bubbles (yea!) and scrubbing with fun fruity smelling soap and washing the hair. Charlie hates the tub so he was fussing about not wanting to sit down but all in all a good time was being had by all. Scott was in the living room doing some cleaning while the kids were all out of the cool pen (Louis's name for the living room which is gated off).
A fine evening was being had.....lots of giggles and bubbles and bath toys squirting.

And then.

"What is that?"

OH NO.

That is right. A poop. Floating in the tub.

ABANDON SHIP PEOPLE! ABANDON SHIP!

I would've gotten my camera to document the floating horror......but by the time I rescued all the civilians and got them to safety, well an unpleasant disintregration had started.

I decided to jump in with the bleach and start cleaning rather than documenting for the web. Sorry.

I was also worried about people googling "poop" and getting a thrill out of a photo. You sick bastards.

Baby Ruth Rides Again

So tonight in a fit of misbegotten efficiency I decided that I would bathe all three boys together. Into the tub all three went. Bubbles (yea!) and scrubbing with fun fruity smelling soap and washing the hair. Charlie hates the tub so he was fussing about not wanting to sit down but all in all a good time was being had by all. Scott was in the living room doing some cleaning while the kids were all out of the cool pen (Louis's name for the living room which is gated off).
A fine evening was being had.....lots of giggles and bubbles and bath toys squirting.

And then.

"What is that?"

OH NO.

That is right. A poop. Floating in the tub.

ABANDON SHIP PEOPLE! ABANDON SHIP!

I would've gotten my camera to document the floating horror......but by the time I rescued all the civilians and got them to safety, well an unpleasant disintregration had started.

I decided to jump in with the bleach and start cleaning rather than documenting for the web. Sorry.

I was also worried about people googling "poop" and getting a thrill out of a photo. You sick bastards.

Coffee,Chocolate, Potato Chips and Omega 3 Fatty Acids

I just read some retarded study online that said that if you are in a bad mood that you should eat fish - apparently the study supports a theory that the Omega 3 Fatty acids improve your mood in some way. Now people, when I am in a bad mood, it's almost always due to your stupidity or my own PMS.
Will they put fillets of tilapia in the wheel of death at my office for these emergencies? Instead of shouting at someone to go get me a mocha java and demanding to know if it was their first day at work, I could have just requested they run get me a nice piece of tilapia.......and some rice?
"Are you a complete idiot? No? Then get me some Tilapia - STAT!"
I used to have to be at work QUITE early on a regular basis, 6am some days. Those who know me know that I am an unpleasant beast at that hour. My team that had to work with me at that time always had the coffee going by the time I hit the door so that all I had to do was pour a cup.
Chocolate, and salty snacks like chips are a complete stressed out food in my world. In cases of stress I have been known to eat them together. That would probably explain my great big butt, but that's another topic.
Am I supposed to seek out fish now? Is this what the study is suggesting?
Alright I'm not really this much of a jerk...I know that there probably was some cause and effect relationship to Omega 3 consumption and mood.

But isn't it every week that there is some NEW thing that is supposed to cure your bad mood? Dark chocolate, wine, omega 3. Let's just start making a pill. A pill that contains all of these things. It can replace Prozac. Everytime we discover something new that made someone somewhere happy, we add it to the pill. It would end up being a big pill, people. We might have to make it the human equivalent of a salt lick.....we all just stop by and take a few licks on our way out the door every morning.

I'm in. They can build the feel good salt lick right outside my office.

Coffee,Chocolate, Potato Chips and Omega 3 Fatty Acids

I just read some retarded study online that said that if you are in a bad mood that you should eat fish - apparently the study supports a theory that the Omega 3 Fatty acids improve your mood in some way. Now people, when I am in a bad mood, it's almost always due to your stupidity or my own PMS.
Will they put fillets of tilapia in the wheel of death at my office for these emergencies? Instead of shouting at someone to go get me a mocha java and demanding to know if it was their first day at work, I could have just requested they run get me a nice piece of tilapia.......and some rice?
"Are you a complete idiot? No? Then get me some Tilapia - STAT!"
I used to have to be at work QUITE early on a regular basis, 6am some days. Those who know me know that I am an unpleasant beast at that hour. My team that had to work with me at that time always had the coffee going by the time I hit the door so that all I had to do was pour a cup.
Chocolate, and salty snacks like chips are a complete stressed out food in my world. In cases of stress I have been known to eat them together. That would probably explain my great big butt, but that's another topic.
Am I supposed to seek out fish now? Is this what the study is suggesting?
Alright I'm not really this much of a jerk...I know that there probably was some cause and effect relationship to Omega 3 consumption and mood.

But isn't it every week that there is some NEW thing that is supposed to cure your bad mood? Dark chocolate, wine, omega 3. Let's just start making a pill. A pill that contains all of these things. It can replace Prozac. Everytime we discover something new that made someone somewhere happy, we add it to the pill. It would end up being a big pill, people. We might have to make it the human equivalent of a salt lick.....we all just stop by and take a few licks on our way out the door every morning.

I'm in. They can build the feel good salt lick right outside my office.

One Small Step

So although it isn't really a big deal on the great scale of things in the world, I did something tonight I haven't done in years. I bought something in a non-fat-girl store. A clothing something. Now given it was a larger size, as I still WARRANT a larger size. But for the first time in over 10 years I'm actually small enough to fit into clothes in a "normal" store.

It about made me cry. How amazingly lame that we let soceity put that sort of pressure on us to fit in. You'd think that at the ripe old age of 37 I wouldn't give a fig anymore.

One Small Step

So although it isn't really a big deal on the great scale of things in the world, I did something tonight I haven't done in years. I bought something in a non-fat-girl store. A clothing something. Now given it was a larger size, as I still WARRANT a larger size. But for the first time in over 10 years I'm actually small enough to fit into clothes in a "normal" store.

It about made me cry. How amazingly lame that we let soceity put that sort of pressure on us to fit in. You'd think that at the ripe old age of 37 I wouldn't give a fig anymore.