This morning the little guy and I had to stop by his Occupational Therapist’s office to pick up a new CD for his Therapeutic Listening program. While we were there he managed to generate a hugely poopy diaper. I was able to change it there but couldn’t leave in the OT’s office trash so we took it with us thinking we’d dispose of it at the next stop. I put it in a bag in the car and headed off to Target since I needed to pick up a few things. Now the whole baby/shopping cart process is difficult enough; I have to attempt to park near enough to a cart rack so I can grab one quickly before taking little guy out of the car so I can get it loaded it with anything I need (diaper bag, store returns and in this case, a bag with a poopy diaper) as well as put on the shopping cart seat cover. So, I’d managed to throw in the stuff I needed and get the cover on the seat and parked the cart near the car trying to get it to “stay” which is always a battle. In this particular case, I lost. As I was unbuckling the little guy from his car seat I looked out the back window and saw a green seat covered shopping cart rolling by behind the car then picking up speed as it raced through the parking lot. In this moment I uttered an unfortunate phrase which I only hope little guy does not pick up or demonstrate at his next Speech Therapy session. I knew I couldn’t run after the cart real quick and leave the little guy because he was totally unbuckled at this point. So, I grabbed him quickly in one arm, my purse in the other, while attempting to sprint through the Target parking lot after a runaway cart carrying my diaper bag and a poopy diaper which has now picked up some serious speed. I have no idea how I managed to catch this thing but I did --just as it was about to hit a car which surely contained some very amused passengers. Now, if Target’s security cameras caught this scene surely this is a YouTube video waiting to happen. I’d also be surprised if the driver of the white car didn’t whip out their cell phone and try to capture this incident. I know I would have. This is blog fodder at its best right here folks. I can’t make this stuff up.
Unofficial Kick Off of Summer
Today is the last day of school, which signifies the unofficial kick off of summer. I can hardly believe it’s here already. The little guy is going to be so happy to have his brother home more! Of course, there’s bound to be abundant TT (teen ‘tude) when “there’s nothing to do”. He’s been trying to get a little job but so far no luck, poor kid. So the other night he mentions that among the various things he’d like to do this summer he wants to go to the water park with a group of friends and asks if we’d take him. Hubby told him sure we would, and we’d be happy to stay as well, Dad in his Speedo and Mom in whatever ridiculously embarrassing swimsuit-like ensemble she can find. Teenager was not amused. On a side note, I must give credit where credit is due; though no one really wants to see the “Husband sporting a Speedo look” I have to say that the Hubby has done really well at weight loss…far better than I have! I don’t know exactly what clicked for him, but he kicked his efforts into high gear and is now down by a total of around 35-ish pounds from when we started this thing. He’s pretty much eliminated his “spare tire” and I’m so proud of him! Now if only I was as successful. I’ve been in a holding pattern for a while now…you know that thing that happens when you lose and gain and lose the same exact pounds over and over again?! It’s maddening. I need something to “click” for me as well to really get past this number range I’ve been seeing week after week. So while the hubby’s pants are now falling off him, I’m still stuffing myself into the couple I’ve got that fit, lamenting the other ones in the closet I could be wearing if only I’d lose a few more pounds. Ugh. We are hoping to get motivated enough to kick up our exercise routine, add in some bike rides and stick with our morning run/walk plan. The “joke” at Weight Watcher’s is that everyone is trying to lose now to get into “bikini shape”. The irony is, even a “regular” swimsuit is about the furthest thing from my mind when I have extra weight on me…I cannot even imagine getting into a bikini! I’m pretty impressed though that Valerie Bertinelli managed this. It’s encouraging to see the “over 40” crowd lose the weight and get into shape and I am still hoping I can pull this off. At this point I’d be happy to just not have to wear shorts over a swimming suit.
New Orleans Trip... that I didn't get to go on
So, the hubby returned from his business trip safe and sound and with pictures. He brought back a hurricane glass from Pat O' Brien's in which he enjoyed a Hurricane drink. 
He also enjoyed several nights of dining out including one dinner with Bananas Foster, which apparently was invented in New Orleans and just happens to be my favorite desert. I know it was a "business trip" but still...I'm totally jealous.
Featured below is a slide show from the trip. At this point I'm planning to watch the photo slide show from my outdoor lounge chair while sipping a Hurricane in the Pat O' Brien's glass...I'm calling it my "staycation".
What, me worry?
The hubby was recently getting ready to leave on a business trip, this time to New Orleans. None of us are too excited for him to leave because, well… we don’t like it when he’s gone! I’m generally the worst because I always worry. It’s just my thing. We had a hilariously ridiculous conversation prior to his leaving in which I asked about alligators. Hubby informed me that they were in the swamps and generally did not just wander around the hotels and convention centers. I told him it would be nice if he could get some pictures of the area while he was there since I’ve never been. Then I proceeded to worry about him while mentioning something about the possibility of getting mugged if he were in a dangerous area. The hubby then decided it was time to end this discussion and told me that if he got mugged by an alligator who made off with his laptop he’d be sure to snap a photo.
That crazy mom who names salads after her blog
If you like Oriental Chinese Asian Chicken Salad here’s one made with another Litehouse Dressing and pared down to a mere 5 WW points per serving.
The following is for a lunch size salad.
SAHM Asian Chicken Salad
- · Lettuce, any type enough to make a big salad
- · 1 T slivered almonds
- · 2 T crispy wonton strips
- · ½ c mandarin oranges- drained and rinsed
- · 3 oz canned chicken breast
- · Chopped Green onions- to taste
- · 2 T Litehouse Toasted Sesame Ginger Dressing
Toss together and enjoy!
In other news…
Just a little welcome to any new readers. Perhaps you’ve hopped on over here to read about something other than deadly viruses, ignorant beauty pageant contestants or the latest fashion choices of the first lady. My most recent tasks have included proofreading a report on the Chinese Revolution and attempting to remove the fruit bar that little guy crammed into his Chevron cars.
Apparently their cute little faces said they were hungry. 
Yes, it’s quite a variety of mommy tasks—but that’s what life is like when you have a toddler and a teen at the same time.
So, when I’m not writing blog posts, journal entries or “the book” the majority of my day while the hubby is at work and teenager is at school is spent with my little darling who is in full-fledged terrible two mode. I don’t call it “Surviving Assorted Home Mayhem” for nothing.
The little guy has been doing a new therapy called Therapeutic Listening which involves listening to special CD’s through a special headset that is meant to over time help change the neurological receptors in his brain.
We can see a difference because when he’s done a 30 minute listening session because he is more focused and able to concentrate his energy on a playtime “task”. Sadly the program is not one that is paid for through his current services so it was all on us but we feel we have to bite the bullet and do whatever we possibly can to help him. The challenge with a little one with Speech Delay and Sensory Processing Disorder is that at this age it’s difficult if not impossible to tell the difference between a “terrible two” tantrum, frustration over lack of communication or a sensory seeking behavior. It makes it very difficult to know how to deal with each situation. There are times when I just have no clue how to deal with him….sometimes a Time Out seems warranted, which we’ve been doing now for a while with some success. Other times, there is just no calming him down or pleasing him. We find ourselves attempting to guess what he is wanting and running through a list of possibilities on numerous occasions. His high energy and “gets into everything” behavior makes him unlike other kids his age who are getting to the point that they can play without constant supervision. While other moms can sit nearby and let their little one play on equipment at a park, I have to literally hover over him making sure he does not do anything dangerous or doesn’t just bolt and take off. Therefore, a trip to a park is about my least favorite thing because basically I am running around the entire time and trying to navigate play equipment not made for an adult (insert “Winnie the Pooh stuck in the rabbit hole” joke here.) The little guy does seem to be picking up a little more speech though, so that’s good. In fact, a while back he barely put two words together and never said a whole sentence or phrase more than two words long. He recently learned a four word sentence and uses it spontaneously and often. It’s...
“I Love you Mommy”. Talk about making it all worthwhile.
Reflections on a life lived thus far: The happy, the crappy and the ridiculous
You know, I think at around the 40 year mark you have enough history behind you and [hopefully] enough history in front of you to be at a crossroads where you really do some serious reflection as well as looking ahead. A person can look back on their life and get a good sense of what they’ve so far accomplished, what they hope yet to accomplish and try to not regret too many of the mistakes made along the way. I’ve been thinking about all this and some really interesting things have come out of it.
Body image:
Twenty years ago I thought I had “fat thighs” and I in fact took a photo of them to remind me and motivate me to stay on track with diet and exercise. I still have that photo. I would kill to have those thighs today! They were not fat. And they did not have cellulite. Let’s just say the thighs I have today look like they ate the thighs I used to have and then asked for more. It’s not pretty. And I know I need to be comfortable with my body and understand that at forty-something I cannot have twenty-something year old thighs. But it’s still maddening to me. So, I’m still working on it. I can’t say I’ve come very far with adjusting to this.
Marriage and Relationships:
I could write pages on this one so let me try to sum it up. I did not know what I wanted in a relationship at twenty-something. I don’t think many of us do—thus a really good case for NOT marrying early (again, I could write volumes on this subject as well.) Somewhere in my thirties I figured out what I wanted in life, in a relationship and what was important to me. I figured out who I was and where I was going (or at least where I wanted to go.) I made some smart choices, mingled with some less than smart ones as well. But overall I worked this one out. This is not to say that a marriage does not require continual attention and work as it certainly does. In general, I’m thankful to be where I’m at today and to have finally figured it out for myself.
Kids:
This is an interesting one for me. I had a child pretty early in life (due to that early marriage) and really wanted more but divorce and subsequent years of being single put a damper on that. That is until many years later when I remarried and ended up creating a honeymoon baby. Though there are certainly women even older than me having babies, I felt I really pushed the envelope with this one. I felt lucky all went as well as it did and considered myself to have flown under the radar and had a healthy baby. Of course, this blessed event is not without its trials…as if children aren’t challenging enough, I have even more challenges with a special needs child. Still, I consider myself lucky overall..things could be worse. Yes, the little guy is behind on speech and he has sensory seeking issues which make him harder to deal with, but somehow I make it through the day. Like when we’re at the store and he leans over the cart and grabs something while I have my back turned for a second and I turn around and see him holding a bottle of wine he snatched from an end cap. I simply take that as a sign and have a glass of wine later. See? Everything happens for a reason.
Career:
For some odd reason I never selected a career as a teen…never had a clue really what I even wanted to do. My life continued on a course that involved an early marriage and child and putting a husband through school. Later on, I held various interesting jobs though none were what I would consider a career. I eventually settled into a stay at home mom role and as you can see, started writing about it. I have always had a passion for writing and speaking, as well as sharing life experiences. So, this is where I am today. I have lots of stories to share and between this blog and my eventual book I'll be sharing them all: the happy, the crappy and the ridiculous. Stay tuned.
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