Maybe They Test Marketed To People Who Don't Hear So Well

I was getting the kids ready to go for a ride this morning when I heard a commercial came on TV. I was trying to get #2 to take the final bite of banana and wasn't paying too much attention to the product being advertised.

Until I heard it's name.

It's apparently a new drug for heartburn...but I might steer clear of a drug whose name sounds like "ass effects." I did a triple take when I heard it and then watched the rest of the commercial to see how it was spelled.

Or, maybe, they're trying to tip patients off to a potential side effect? Rather than listing them all?

Just a thought.

I'm A Little Bit In Love

I love going to the gym, but had begun to feel that I could be getting more out of my time spent sweating and stinking it up. The gym offers a "results" membership where, for $30 more a month, you work with a personal trainer who develops a routine unique to your needs. $30 more a month may sound like a lot, but you actually get 12 session for $360, while 10 sessions - not as part of the "results" package - normally cost $499. I talked with J about upgrading my membership and he was skeptical at first, but then decided that I should go for it.

So I did.

I decided to work with the female trainer, figuring that she was a tad more knowledgeable in the whole having kids department (and, since we're still trying to get pregnant, I though this was a plus). She'd been away for the past couple of weeks, so even though I decided to upgrade my membership nearly a month ago, our first meeting wasn't until yesterday. Yesterday was a bunch of paperwork and talking about goals and some strength testing. Afterwards, she developed a routine for me. We met again today to determine my target heart rate zone (turns out I've actually been working out a little too hard and therefore not maximizing fat burn potential - who knew?) and then she showed me my routine.

I LOVE IT!

Granted, she's got me using the machines in the "dude area" (where the uber-serious weight training goes on), so I was a little unsure about that at first, but I can already feel a difference and it feels so damn great. I am so excited about stepping up my workouts and challenging my body in this new way. The best part? The trainer was truly surprised and impressed by my strength. The direct quote was, "Uhm, yeah, so you're a lot more fit than your numbers indicate. I'm very pleased with how strong you are." (This, after I successfully did the 12 deep lunges (24 total) -without complaint - that she thought might be problematic for me...and I didn't have an issue with the crunches (traditional and reverse!), either. Yep. Looks can be deceiving. I'm not just a fat chick. I'm a strong fat chick who can hold her own.

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I'm also more than a little in love with our new dishwasher. Holy hell it's pretty and it's soooo quiet!

Toddler Wrestling and Making Mom Happy

The Muffins had their 2-year check-up today and it's a grand thing that no shots were involved. While the 18-month visit went better than expected, #2 was none too pleased to see the doctor's office again and struggled so much that she couldn't be weighed or measured. Apparently, we grow the strongest of everything. The vet told us that Little Dog was the strongest chihuahua that she'd ever treated (this from a vet who worked in Mexico for several years and knows chihuahuas) and #1 and #2 are apparently the strongest babes that grace the halls of the pediatrician's office. The nurse was fine with their behavior at first, but rapidly lost patience and just gave up on measuring either kidlet. We did get a weight on #1, at least, and the doctor eventually got pretty good approximations of the kids' heights. The visit was a workout thought for both J and me, but the kids look great and all's well. #2 even calmed down enough and thanked the doctor when he resealed her diaper after checking her.

Mother's Day was pretty quiet. I wanted a nice, low-key day with J and the kids, but had come up with the idea of hitting our favorite summer eatery, thinking that it wouldn't be too busy (everyone treats their mother to nice, sit-down restaurants on Mother's Day, don't they?). Guess again. The place was packed so we just turned around and ordered take-out Chinese (which was, by the way, the original plan). I ended the day by hitting the gym last night and kicked the stairmaster's ass, which felt great.

C and I took Mom out today for a belated Mother's Day and I gave her the Mother's ring that C designed. It's so lovely and Mom is in love with it. I've been wanting to do a Mother's ring for her for years, but couldn't come up with a good design for 3 diamonds, 3 aquamarines, 2 amethysts, 1 emerald and 1 citrine (that would be me!). It was difficult to balance the lighter stones with the bright purples, green and ugly yellow (I've never been a fan of my birthstone). C came up with a great design, though, and the ring is just beautiful. Best of all, though, we included Mom's birthstone - ruby - in the center of the design and had the 10 smaller stones surround the Mom stone. I'm so pleased with the final result and Mom is boasting about the ring to any and all who'll listen. I'll try and capture a good picture of the ring to post, but am not sure how it'll photograph.

And that's the news from my world of mothering.

Rejuvenated

• Went up to visit Mom with the kids yesterday and ate a nice lunch outside at a cute little roadside drive-in.
  
• Had a massage this morning.
  
• Treated myself to a little gift at the jewelry store where C works.
• Had lunch with my former boss. It was great to catch up (and, she's finally gotten it that I've absolutely no interest in returning to work which always helps to increase the ability to relax with a friend).
  
• Had a fabulous day with J and the kidlets. Ended up buying a new dishwasher (finally!) and picked up some lovely dahlias. I think I'll plant them tomorrow.
  
• Life is good.

Blah

I'm feeling blah today and I don't like it. I've noticed that I end up feeling edgy on the days when I can't make it into the gym and that bothers me a little bit. I know it's good to get out and the exercise has been great, but I can't help but think that it's not a good thing to let not getting into the gym affect my mood. (Hello. Double negatives much?)

I'm not feeling like a very good mother. I don't have any reason to feel this way, but it's how I feel. The kids are happy and healthy and funny and wonderful, but I'm just not feeling worthy of being their mother if that makes any sense.

OK, enough sitting on my pity pot.

Oh, Hello There!

Yes, I'm still alive. I've kind of fallen into the Facebook abyss. I get it now. Reconnecting with people hasn't been as terrible/uncomfortable/awkward as I thought it might. Plus, there's a fantastic word game application that is beyond addictive to play.

That said, let's catch up, shall we?

Needless to say, I'm thrilled with the results from the primaries last night in North Carolina and Indiana. Now, even if Florida and Michigan delegates are seated (which I don't think they should be), Obama still has the pledged and elected delegate votes to win. Howard Fineman and Chuck Todd did a great job last night of discussing how a back room deal can be worked out where FL and MI are counted and Hillary steps down graciously and Obama is the nominee. Even before last night, I've been working with the kids teaching them to say "President Obama." And, don't you think Michelle Obama will be an amazing First Lady?! But, I will not be pleased if Hillary is VP. I don't think it'll happen, but a lot of people seem to think it'd be a good compromise. Uhm, no! She wouldn't settle for VP and, while I do think that Obama needs to select someone older, but not her.

I do think Spring has finally arrived. We got a little bit of a teaser a couple of weeks ago (during which I had J install the air conditioners in our bedroom and the kids' room - it gets hella hot up there, even with a couple of days in the high 70s), and then it was back down to rain and temps in the 40s. It's been nice since Monday, though, and the forecast looks good, so I think we're in the clear. And, this isn't to say that I really like Spring, either. I don't. I'm not looking forward to the heat and humidity and the grossness of Summer. But days in the mid-70s and no humidity do hold their appeal for me.

I honestly don't know where the time has gone for the last couple of months. It feels as though the days have just been melting into one another. I look at the calendar and shake my head in confusion. How the hell is it May already?!

#1 and #2 are terribly funny. #1 seems to be going through another stage of not wanting me to leave the room and throws a pretty good fit if I'm not around. Sometimes it's a little discouraging, but I know he'll outgrow it. #2 is talking up a storm! Oh, she is funny! We went to visit Mom last Friday and, when we returned home, I told #1 that I needed to change his diaper. Well, #2 clearly thought that the diaper change - 4 hours earlier at Mom's - was sufficient enough and she loudly proclaimed to me, "No, Mumma, no change diaper! Diaper change Nana's house!" To which I explained that more than one diaper change is necessary in a day. The Muffins also seem to be loving each other a lot more now and it's so sweet. They play together so nicely and #1 just adores his sister.

Oh! I almost forgot! I had my hair cut on Saturday. For the first time in a year! It's cute. I went with shorter, but still long enough to pull back in a pony tail and got bangs again. I really do need to take better care of myself and get into the salon more than once a year.

OK, time for a kid pic. They had just given each other a kiss...

Oh, what's that? You want to see the new hair? Oh, well, since you asked nicely...