GO Jackets!

Today is the day of the "big game". I know, lots of big games in college football today, but where I come from, the only one that matters is the one between the hedges. Georgia vs. Georgia Tech. We had quite a win streak going before we hired a sucky coach. Now we've lost 7 straight but of course, this could be the year.

Back when we hired the sucky coach, I told a few people "I sure wish we could have hired Paul Johnson." The timing didn't work, and I'm not sure the powers-at-be at GT would have given him a thought anyway, but I am happy to say that last year, when we got rid of that sucky coach, we DID hire Paul Johnson. Better late than never I suppose?

People predicted we would have an awful season, as he needed time to rebuild the program and recruit athletes that fit his system. I told David "I hope the fans will be patient. He's good." Well, here we sit today, 8-3. Not super, but really good, especially considering a lot of people said we'd only win 3-4 games. And last week, we played Thursday night. Big game, Miami was ranked, and we KILLED. We really opened up a can of whoop ass last Thursday. UGA started the season ranked #1 but it didn't take them long to fall. Now, people who wouldn't have given us a chance at the beginning of the season are saying we might be able to pull out a win.

If the same team that played last week shows up today, we should be able to pull it off. I'll be watching the game, wearing my white & gold proudly. Scarlett will be in her yellow GT dress, and Matthew will have his jersey on. He might even pull out the helmet. We'll cheer and yell "GO Jackets" and Scarlett will pump her arm to the beat of the fight song. It will be a fun day :)

Sting'em!

sweet potatoes

Since I'm not around this week, I thought I would share one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. It's something we have pretty often at our house (well not so much since we started Weight Watchers, but I don't save it just for Thanksgiving). I LOVE sweet potatoes. Earlier this year I shared one of my favorite ways to prepare them - Sweet Potato Casserole. I also shared this tip that will make your casserole pretty & orange, not brown.

So if you're planning to serve sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving and need a recipe, give this a try. If you already have a recipe you love, that's ok, but keep the potatoes orange with my trick.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Who am I?

I got this from Nancy's blog. I think it's pretty accurate.

If you want to know who you are, take the quiz.


You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me
* Stand up for yourself... and me.
* Be confident, strong, and direct.
* Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
* Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
* Give me space to be alone.
* Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
* I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
* When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette
* being independent and self-reliant
* being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
* being courageous, straightforward, and honest
* getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
* supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
* upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette
* overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
* being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
* sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
* never forgetting injuries or injustices
* putting too much pressure on myself
* getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often
* are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit
* are sometimes loners
* seize control so they won't be controlled
* figure out others' weaknesses
* attack verbally or physically when provoked
* take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents
* are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
* are sometimes overprotective
* can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Heading out of town....again

Tonight we will be packing up the car & first thing tomorrow we'll head south again. We're planning to spend a few days in Tennessee visiting David's side of the family and then (probably Tuesday) we will leave there & go to Georgia to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I'm excited to be visiting again, even though we were just there a month ago. At least this time the visit will be for happy reasons.

We will actually have our Thanksgiving dinner either Friday or Saturday because both of my sisters will be with their in-laws on Thanksgiving Day. But that's ok, no biggie. My family is very much of the "it's not the day that counts, it's the occasion" mindset. I remember one year, long time ago, when David & I were dating. Just dating, not engaged. His mom planned a cruise for their family and invited me to go. Problem was, it was over Christmas. I had always wanted to go on a cruise, and when I talked to my parents about it, they were SO cool. Granted, I was old enough I didn't need their permission, but I was really struggling with what to do - I had never spent a Christmas away from my family and those traditions. My mom quickly said "you know Kaci, December 25th is just a day on the calendar. We can celebrate Christmas any day. You've always wanted to go on a cruise. You should go." I really appreciated that, and now whenever I can't (or chose not to) spend a specific holiday with family, I remember those words. I know we will celebrate and honor the occasion, no matter what day we happen to choose.

I probably won't post much while I'm gone, but I'll try to at least pop on a couple of times. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

frustration, decisions, and other news

This whole weight loss thing is getting frustrating. It doesn't help that the more frustrated I get, the more I eat, and the less I exercise. Eating too much is what got me fat in the first place, I don't want to be there again. Yet I'm somehow unwilling to keep myself on the right path. So I've decided to take a semi-break. Seeing as how I've fluctuated between 138-142 since early September, I don't know that I'm really taking much of a break. I'm just going to try not to worry much about it until January. We are going to be on the road a lot over the next month and we will have family visiting here too. Between now & January 4, we will only be home "just us" for 14 days. That's 14 days that I would definitely eat healthy, but when we have family here from out of town, I LIKE to cook for them, I ENJOY it, but that pleasure comes mainly from baking, and that's not healthy eating. And let's face it, I'm not strong enough to bake it & not eat it! Then when we are not home, it's even harder.

So I'll do the best I can, I'll eat as well as I can, and I'll try not to overeat. That has been a big problem for me in the past, but I've noticed I've gotten a lot better. Yesterday I didn't even come close to finishing the box lunch we had at the seminar I attended. A year ago I would have wolfed down the whole thing, but then a year ago I was exclusively breastfeeding and starving all the time...maybe that's not a good comparison.

In other news, yesterday I went to a seminar that will hopefully be a first step in our little foursome relocating to Georgia. I'm excited about the possibility, but nervous too. I'm rarely away for a full day and last night when I got home Matthew walked into the dining room and I would have sworn he grew overnight (he was still in bed when I left yesterday morning.) David mentioned that they'd gone for haircuts that morning and I know he always looks older after a trim.

Matthew is still doing great with potty training. He has had a couple of accidents but at least one of them was his daddy's fault. He is staying dry at naps and even sometimes overnight. (He gets underwear for naps but a diaper overnight.) Scarlett asks to sit on the potty too, and we are encouraging that. I'd love it if I had her potty trained soon too.

The interaction between Matthew & Scarlett continues to amaze me. They play together really well. A popular evening activity has been football. Scarlett likes to run around with her doll in one arm and the ball in the other. I have tried to get a picture of this but she usually drops one when she sees the camera - too busy cheesing it up!

WFMW: eating out for less

12/3 edited - I scheduled this post and then forgot to share my link, so I'm sharing the link in today's WFMW. The original coupon code I included expired, but if you use "JOY" it will save you 40%. Act fast, it expires Dec 4.

Saturday night was date night. We didn't have anything planned but we had a sitter coming. There weren't any movies out that looked great so we just went to the mall for a while and then to dinner. We decided Saturday morning where to go for dinner and looked on restaurant.com to see if we could get a gift certificate. Normally you can buy $25 certificates for $10, but we also did a google search for deals and found a coupon code for $7 off. We got a $25 certificate for $3! Printed it at home, went to dinner. There were some restrictions on the coupon use, but nothing that was bad for us. We had to spend at least $35 and buy two entrees, but we would have done that anyway. If you want to take advantage of this deal, you can use coupon code "SURPRISE" to get a $25 certificate for $2 (or a $10 certificate for $0.60). It expires tomorrow, so hurry! (But please check the terms & conditions before buying. A lot of restaurants here exclude game nights or theater nights, so just know what your restrictions are!)

Saving $22 on a dinner out works for me. To find more great tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

something that stuck with me

At my uncle's funeral a couple of weeks ago, there were a couple of things the minister said that really stuck with me. First, he had a prayer with the family before we entered church for the service. During that prayer, he thanked God for "being there for all of us to lean on during these times" and for "taking control from us for a few days so we could grieve" but then said "but as the weeks go by Lord, we will take that control back." As disrespectful as this sounds, I almost giggled. Isn't part of being a believer always letting God have control? Don't get me wrong, I struggle like crazy with that. I'm a control freak, I admit it. But I know deep down, ultimately I'm not in control. There's really not much, even in my little corner of the universe, that is in my control. But by golly I'll still try to control it all! I just thought it was funny that a preacher was talking about taking control from God.

Another thing, much more serious, that really stuck with me from the funeral, was when the minister talked about my uncle not being afraid of dying. He mentioned that because of my uncle's strong faith, he didn't have any reason to be afraid of dying. He talked about how most people are afraid of dying. It got me thinking, and I don't think I'm afraid of dying because of *me* but because of the people I would leave behind. I hate to think about causing them pain and grief. I can handle the "what about me?" part of me dying, but I don't like to think about "what about" for David, Matthew, Scarlett, my parents, my sisters, etc. if I die.

Maybe Kenny's right - Everybody want to go to heaven
But nobody want to go now

randomness and a potty training update

Scarlett loves to be naked. She would run around all the time without a stitch on, if I would let her. But we keep our house a little too cool for that, so I try to keep her clothes on her. To do that, I brag as I dress her about what a pretty girl she is. Now she will pat herself on the chest and say "preteeeee". If we play "where's your nose? your ears? your eyes?" I can ask "where's a pretty girl?" and she pats herself. She knows she's the pretty one.

Well Matthew decided one day he should be pretty too, so I had to tell him he was handsome. I said "Boys aren't pretty. They're handsome." We were shopping a few days later and he was wearing his pumpkin hat. (It was before Halloween, I'm just slow in sharing.) The clerk in one store was complimenting the hats and she told Matthew "it's very pretty," to which he quickly said "oh no, I'm handsome. Scarlett is pretty."

Today I took the kiddos to the pedi for follow-up flu shots. This was the first time either of them had one so they had to have 2 doses. I was trying to get Matthew prepared for it as he got dressed and I told him he was going to get a shot like last time we were at the doctor's office. He said "oh and then I can get a zebra sticker on my leg?" I had forgotten he got a zebra print bandaid last time, but he remembered. He did great with the shot, not even a flinch this time. He was too busy eyeing the bandaids the nurse brought in. Scarlett didn't do as well, she cried as soon as they started wiping her leg to prep her. She did get over it quickly though.

While we were in the waiting room there was an expectant couple sitting there. Matthew went right up to the man with a book and asked the man to read to him. The man did. Well it happened to be a fire truck book and the man is a firefighter. So then he told Matthew that he drives those trucks and Matthew wanted to go for a ride. I think when we go to Georgia for Thanksgiving I will be able to arrange a ride, as my hometown has a small volunteer department and my family is close with a lot of them. :)

Potty training is going much much better. Tuesday Matthew pooped in the potty just a little bit, and we had to call his Momma Joy to tell her. The phone got passed around there - his Aunt Ashlei & Uncle Marty were visiting, so he told Momma Joy, Aunt Ashlei, and then got Uncle Marty on the phone. He told his Uncle Marty that he was using the potty and that he holds his winkie to potty. Marty thought he said he goes "wee wee" and I couldn't control my laughter. He has not had a single accident since Monday until today at naptime. He called to me that he needed to potty (after being down for about 30 minutes) and had pooped just a tiny bit in his undies. He went on the potty & pooped a LOT. Maybe he's getting it, but I'm also practicing my patience!

Friendships and pain

When David & I decided it was time for us to "try" to have a baby, I snooped around the internet and discovered the WebMD message boards, mainly the TTC:JSO board. I lurked for a while, then jumped in and started posting. I met a LOT of wonderful wonderful ladies there, and a pretty large group of us eventually moved on to chatting in Yahoo. That group has dwindled down a bit for various reasons, but there's a group of us that is still there - we chat, we talk on the phone, we try to get together anytime we can. Even though we live far apart and I haven't met all of them, these girls are some of my best friends. I am so blessed to have these girls in my life. More blessed than I can even express.

Of this group, most of us have had babies in the time that we've known each other. Some had children already and have added to their families. Many of us have had more than one baby. Of this group, there are only a few left that haven't had children. One of these is the girl who lives closest to me. She's one of the 12.5% of Americans who suffers from infertility (I'm pretty sure that's the right number, but then again who really knows??). She's been through hell TTC, and my heart aches for her. There have been a lot of "hope this is it" moments, and nada. I can't even imagine the pain she and her hubby must feel, not when I think of how much I hurt when things don't work for her, and I know that what I feel can't possibly compare to what it must do to her.

Through it all, she's been a great friend to me. Supporting me when I wasn't planning to be pregnant and was, watching Matthew when we had Scarlett, watching both kidlets so David & I could have couple time, and let's not forget the time she & her hubby helped us paint our house! She's the best aunt my kids could ask for - the bond between her & Matthew is amazing really.

While friendship isn't about keeping score, I don't feel like I am half the friend to her that she is to me. It's hard, and I try but I feel I come short. I will continue to try, I hope she always knows I'm there for her, even when I don't have the words, I'm there.

The point of my post isn't really about all that, it's just the background. Two weeks ago, this friend lost her father. I went over to visit, planning to only stay a few minutes, but ended up staying longer. I had Matthew & Scarlett with me, and it was an eye-opening experience. I've been around her & her hubby a good bit, but never at their house with my kids. Here I am, I've gone there to offer condolences on the loss of her father, and maybe provide a distraction from the grief, and suddenly I'm overwhelmed with physical hurt because she has been unable to have children. I watch her, her hubby, their dog, and my kiddos, and think what a perfect world it would be, if only that was their world. After I got over the initial hurt, I got pissed off. But it still hurts, and I know the hurt for her must be a million times greater. If I could change it I would. Meanwhile, all I can do is offer my support, friendship, and love. But how?

You know who you are, and I'm so sorry for all the shit life has handed you. You're an amazing woman and I'm sorry life is so unfair. Thanks for being my friend. You've taught me so much. I wish I wish I wish...

it's about time

I decided it's about time I get busy writing. It's been a busy two weeks. There was a death in my family so we had a sudden trip to Georgia. Overall it was a good trip and I'll share more about it in the coming days. Today I want to focus on the present.

It seems my present is consumed with potty training. Yes, I feel like we should have conquered this long ago, but frankly I was lazy and didn't push it much. Matthew has shown interest but never seemed to show many of the readiness signs that you always hear. I finally decided to bite the bullet and just put him in big boy undies. I bought Thomas the Tank Engine ones and Lightning McQueen ones. I let him pick which kind he wanted to wear (he picked the car, I was surprised!) and we talked about how he should let me know when he needed to potty. This was Wednesday (last week). I asked him periodically if he needed to potty and he said no. I didn't push. A little later, I realized he was wet. I changed him and just said that he needed to let me know when he needed to go. A little later, wet again. I decided then to make him sit on the potty every so often. That worked much better. No more accidents. When David got home from work he was greeted by a yell of "Daddy I am wearing underwear just like you!"

Thursday was day 2 - Only one accident that day, and it was a poop. The boy does not want to poop in the potty.

Friday, day 3 - No accidents. He pooped in his diaper first thing in the morning and after his nap. We went out Friday evening for a few hours, still no accidents. We took his little potty in the car, and then at the mall he even stood up to pee in the little toilet in the family bathroom.

Saturday, day 4 - No accidents. He asked to nap without a diaper. We told him if he stayed dry for the nap that day then tomorrow he could nap in his undies. To our amazement he woke up dry.

Sunday, day 5 - No accidents. We were out and about almost all day and he did great. He napped in his undies and woke up dry. We're proud and starting to brag.

Monday, day 6 - That bragging thing seems to have backfired. He usually poops either first thing in the morning or right after his nap, but this morning I noticed him start to grunt a little, so I asked him if he wanted to potty and he said yes. I ran him to the potty (he can't get to it on his own yet because our whole house isn't scarlett proofed). He sat there for about 2 seconds and said he didn't need to go. I knew he needed to go, so I encouraged and finally told him he had to sit there for a while. He finally pooped and got to play with his trains as a reward. An hour or so later he told me he didn't have poop in his underwear. That meant he did. I reminded him that he should always tell me so he could put his poop in the potty. A little later he told me that Scarlett needed to poop and I should put her on the potty. She was in fact working on a nice messy diaper for me, but that's beside the point - the boy needs to worry about when he needs to potty, not when she needs to! About that time I realized he had pooped in his undies again. ARGH! So today he's in a diaper for naptime and he wasn't happy about it. I told him if he had accidents during the day he couldn't wear his underwear for naptime, so we'll see how that works.

So I bragged too soon, and it's driving me crazy that he just doesn't want to poop in the potty. Really why would you want to sit in that shit? (literally) I'm trying to be patient, and remind myself that it's been remarkably easy until today, but patience is not one of my virtues.

Enough potty talk, later I'll try to be more interesting.