People, Places and Things

Six Months Post Surgery

2012-01-04T19:03:00.000-05:00

Today was my 6 month Post Surgery Doctor's Appointment. A lot has changed since my last update. According to the scales at my appointment, I am 48 pounds down. According to my scales, I am 54 pounds down but since I didn't have the nerve to take off my clothes before stepping on the scale, we will stick with 48 lbs!

More importantly than the significant weight loss, I was most impressed with a statement that my doctor made as she wrote down the "diagnosis" for insurance. "Well, this is interesting...I have no previous diagnosis to write down anymore....your diabetes is gone, you don't have high blood pressure, you don't have reflux issues anymore and your potassium is normal. "    That was the best sentence that anyone could have delivered.

I am thankful for this journey. I am amazed at how the human body can work with just a few medical tune ups! And I am astounded at how I am dealing with the fact that I will be on this strict diet for the rest of my life.

My BMI (Body Mass index) has gone from 43% to 35%. I am no longer morbidly or extremely obese...I am just obese. It is very encouraging news.   :)

Although the weight loss has slowed down to a little less than a pound a week, I am totally ok with this. I am not out to be a model...I am just out to be healthy.

I do miss food. I miss chewing. I miss buffets. I miss diet coke.   But I don't miss the 48 (54) lbs that are gone. And all of the missing has been totally worth it!

Make it a great day!

Heidi

First day of high school AGAIN!!

2011-09-06T19:44:00.001-04:00

I love going back to school. It is fabulous! Where else can you become a slave to the sound of a bell? When you hear a bell, the kids enter. You hear a second bell and the kids are now tardy. The third bell of the day says that those kids can leave. You scurry off to the rest room. You have exactly 3 minutes to do your business because you will be late to your own class if things run long. Then you repeat this routine all day long...with a lunch and maybe a snack thrown in between more bells. It really is a very glamorous job indeed!

The learning curve is pretty high this year for teachers in my district. We have a new phone system, new computers with old and new software that doesn't always jive with our operating system, new furniture (which means that most have had to rearrange their rooms and ways of thinking), switching from microsoft word to open office software and today we completely ran out of paper in all of our copy rooms! Taking it all in stride...that is what we do best!

My numbers are good this year. 42 in Mixed Choir, 19 in Varsity Choir and 25 in Mini Musical. 1 student will be in all 3 of my classes, 8 students will be in 2 of my classes and the rest I only have once a day! I LOVE REPEATERS!! It adds integrity and depth to my program!

During professional development days with only the teachers, I got lots of "Wow, Heidi...you changed your hairstyle...it looks great" type of comments. The cardinal sin is to actually say to a fat person "Wow, you have lost weight" and then get the response, "No, I actually have gained some" so most people just don't say anything at all. That is safe. That is acceptable. That is fine.

Kids, on the other hand, are very opposite. They don't always have social filters. They say it like it is. Comments I got today: "Woa, Pelkey. You is shrinking". "Mrs. Pelkey, your face is soooo different. I mean, it's skinny and all". And my favorite one: "Pelkey, you are looking smokin' HOT". Honestly, I had to laugh at that one out loud!

Overall, it was a great first day. And now on to the second one!

Make it a fabulous day ahead.

Blessings,
Heidi

Eggs are NOT my friend.

2011-09-01T21:02:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, when we were on vacation in PA, I noticed that eggs were a main staple at breakfast time. When you have the choice between waffles, bagels, sugared cereal, or eggs... eggs have to win in my new eating life!

I noticed that I was having some pretty sad digestion issues almost every morning that we were there. So, when I got home, I decided to try other protein options and stay away from eggs.

Today, I was running very late to school so I stopped at subway and got an egg mcmuffin sandwich. I took off the bread and only ate the middle. An hour later, after fighting the gagging feeling for many minutes, I got rid of the egg.

I think that eggs are the culprit. SO, I will take another few weeks off from eggs and give them another try later this month. I love eggs so this is hard for me but I know that I have other options.

I lost another pound this week! 33 pounds gone...forever.

Have a great day ahead!
Blessings,
Heidi

Cause and Effect

2011-08-27T18:05:00.000-04:00

I have started to realize that when I have a sneezing fit during a meal, it means that I have swallowed something bigger than a peanut size M&M. It starts as sneezing, then I get a pain in my chest area, and then I realize that there is no solution for the problem except for a trip to the bathroom. It is one of the least desirable things that happens post surgery.

Tonight I had a piece of leftover chicken. It was dry. And I wasn't enjoying it so I was hustling to get down because everything else on my plate looked way more appetizing. Oh well, better luck next time. :(

Tonight I will need to have a Greek Yogurt Fresh Peach smoothie in order to catch up on my protein. I guess I'm okay with that! :)

Got a good amount of work done today at school. I have to pick music today and tomorrow for all of my groups...

I canned a bushel of peaches yesterday as a way of procrastination.

And for those of you who are facebook friends.... I got my circa 1995 Praise Walk tape replacement today. It was utter disappointment as I realized that it was the same one that I already owned. The seller said I can return it...so I will and I will keep looking. Sadness in the fitness department!

Well, the kids are both in Praise Band tomorrow at church so it will be a fun service. And then I plan to come home and cook lots for the week and get ready to start my professional development stuff on Tuesday. The end of summer is so near.

Make it a great day!
Blessings,
Heidi

God's Gift to me.

2011-08-24T21:04:00.000-04:00

In mid June, when I had to give up all fresh fruit and vegetables for the good of weight loss, I knew it would be a horrible summer. I am in love with fresh peaches. I love them. When August 5th rolled around and all fresh fruit and veggie restrictions were lifted, my world changed forever. This is my ultimate favorite snack right now:

And by the way, I would never take a picture with a dirty spoon. But Google images was a bit short on the FRESH peach and cottage cheese pictures. YUM.

Canning a bunch of peaches this weekend. Double yum.

Blessings,
Heidi

Doctor's Visit

2011-08-24T16:13:00.000-04:00

I am sitting in my local walk in clinic at my doctor's office. I am not fond of this clinic but when I called to get an appointment this morning, for a mystery rash on my belly, I was told that the earliest I could be seen was tomorrow at 3:30 and I was welcome to come to the walk in clinic today.

I am frustrated that doctor's offices are so overbooked. When you are sick or uncomfortable, you should be able to be seen THAT DAY! And you shouldn't have to go to a walk in clinic and then have to wait an hour and a half to be seen by a nurse practitioner. I am irritated.

On the upside, they actually have working internet. So, I will be able to catch up on my games on Facebook. Win-Win.

Make it a great day!
Heidi

The Never Ending Pasta Bowl

2011-08-23T22:55:00.000-04:00

I have never been a giant eater. Each summer, when Olive Garden, brings around the "Never Ending Pasta Bowl" offer, I usually go at least once and shove down one bowl and then ask for a second bowl just so that I can take the contents home for another meal. It's a great deal, after all. You get TWO meals for $8.95!! Hello??? Is anyone listening to that ridiculousness? Umm...cook at home and you can get much more for your money.

A few days ago, the kids and I went to Olive Garden. Although I am still never hungry and don't really have cravings, I know that I LOVE pasta (or I once did!). I also knew that it would be ridiculous for me to ask for a 1/8 of a cup serving of each sauce/pasta combination that I would have liked to try.

Buffets and never ending pasta bowls are no longer "good deals". And as I ponder that last sentence, I realize that they were never good deals...for the waistline at least!

Make it a great day!
Blessings,
Heidi

Interesting thought

2011-08-22T23:13:00.000-04:00

I just got home from a great visit with my husband's family. They live in Perkasie, PA. I love the company and the scenery but they really need to fix the roads! They are way too curvy! After driving them in the rental car for 5 days, I had just started to figure them out and then we left!

A vacation doesn't seem like a vacation when the scale registers LIGHTER at your return night than the morning you weighed in and left for the trip! Very strange. Looking forward to a real weigh in tomorrow!

Hopefully I will have more time to blog this week!

Blessings,
Heidi

A random thought.

2011-08-15T22:29:00.001-04:00

If I ever need a "last meal", I want Wendy's chili. It goes down well, doesn't over fill me and has a whopping 19 grams of protein. Tonight I ate a WHOLE small with 2 saltines crackers crumbled into it. Delicious. Nutritious. And SO TASTY.

That is all.

Blessings,
Heidi

A different weigh of thinking!

2011-08-13T20:36:00.000-04:00

I am very punny tonight.    A little thought for my 15 readers!

All of my adult life I have been chained to the scale. I would weigh myself a few times a week in hopes of not gaining too much weight.    And when I was dieting, I would weigh myself to see if I lost anything, and sometimes be happy when the scale would move a half of a pound a week and be really sad when it was a good week of exercise and eating that the scale wouldn't budge. At. All.

With this new journey, I have started to almost realize that I am not gaining weight anymore. If I get on the scale, I either am down in weight or I stay the same. I am starting to trust that my body is actually doing what it is supposed to be doing and I am just along for the ride.   Although it is exciting to still step on the scale and see that things are going in the right direction, it is also starting to get old. I don't need to step on the scale every morning. I just need to keep doing what I am doing and trust that things are good. Just a different way/weigh of thinking.

And on a side note, after 3 years of training, Gracie is FINALLY catching popcorn in the air. Hopefully when she stays with Grandpa and Grandma next week, she will catch those cheerios and impress them with her talent!

6 weeks.

2011-08-12T22:27:00.001-04:00

I had my 6 week appointment today. It has really only been 5 weeks since my surgery but I told my doctor that I was going on vacation and wanted the appointment BEFORE the trip not after! And boy, am I glad I made this decision!

When I arrived at the doctor's office, I knew that my first of three appointments was with the Nutritionist and it was a group appointment so it would last an hour. I don't prefer group appointments because they usually contain at least one clueless patient who ends up monopolizing the conversation but since I was a "reschedule", I took it without complaint. And in hindsight, I am glad I did. 2 other woman (who both had the "sleeve" not gastric bypass) were part of the group. As we were walking down the hallway to our lecture room, the power went out. It stayed out for the next 2 hours! We were in a room with windows so it was fine.

The six week Nutrition appointment rocks. Here is the basic gist of the conversation: Eat all kinds of meats/proteins. You can have legumes (woot!), beef, pork, chicken, seafood, etc., and soy. So, go for it. If you get your protein in, go ahead and have raw or cooked fruits AND veggies. Oh, and if you would like to, try eating pasta, rice, potatoes, and bread. And PLEASE don't count calories. Just count protein. AND...you can now eat high protein cereal WITH milk. Big day of good stuff!

My second appointment was a trip to see the Exercise Physiologist. He is a very practical kind of guy. I like him. He was extremely impressed that I was walking 40-60 minutes each and every day. He told me it was okay to skip a day. He helped me to set weekly goals instead of daily goals so that when school starts back up, I can see how to fit things in. I am very worried about my skin sagging and he simply stated that it wasn't about working out, it was about getting the vitamins in and keeping my skin healthy. SO, that was a big relief and I will religiously take those vitamins daily and pray for good elasticity.

My 3rd appointment was with my surgeon. He is a very soft spoken man and really listens. I shared with him that my sugars were pretty much hovering right around 80-90 whenever I was testing. He looked at me and smiled. He then proceeded to say that within the next 20 lbs of weight loss, I would need to start weaning myself down on my Lantus insulin. And eventually I will stop the insulin. This was very sweet music to my ears. This was the reason I had the surgery in the first place. And this imminent reality was the best news of the day! It is plain to me now, why some doctors are calling bariatric surgery a CURE for diabetes.

I lost 6 pounds from my last visit 3 weeks ago. That is great news too but very secondary compared to all of the other news.

It has been an excellent day. I am going to celebrate it with a nice long sleep!
Blessings,
Heidi

A great day of eating!

2011-08-07T20:30:00.000-04:00

Things are starting to be much easier in the eating department. I have noticed an increase in the amount I can consume and that is a good thing. Last week I was consuming about 4-6 ounces at my main meals and then getting in three small snacks. This week, I have dropped a snack and now am easily eating 6-8 ounces on a pretty consistent basis. I don't have large snacks...usually a quarter cup of cottage cheese with a little fruit (I like those Breakstone Doubles) or a cheese stick.

Out of boredom, I have self advanced my diet. (Sorry, Miss NUTritionist). The carbs that give me the most issues are still bread (which I have hardly tried) and rice. My "good" carbs that my body can tolerate at a very small level are mushy pasta and potatoes of all sorts. I can have bread in toast form...I have done very well with the thin Pepperidge Farm white bread toasted dark. It's kind of like a crouton! I miss Legumes...but those do a lot of expanding in your stomach so I will hold off a bit longer.

After rereading that last paragraph, I am reminded of the fact that God always provides. Before this surgery, I had a heart to heart with God and told him that I really didn't think that I could give up potatoes or pasta because those are my "white carb" loves. I seriously struggled with the fact that if I couldn't tolerate these two foods, my eating life would be very shallow and sad for me. SO, I guess he was really listening, because so far I am ok to eat small amounts of these foods. And when I say small, I mean like 2-3 tablespoons or so!! :)

I also have added hamburger meat to my growing list of protein. I like red meat. It tastes different than seafood and chicken or cheese or eggs. And since I am not a big fan of cheese, this helps get those protein counts up.   I haven't tried pork yet. And I don't really miss that!

Nate has been gone to a friend's house since after church. He just called to get permission to spend the night. I am grateful that both of my children have good friends. And that I have good friends too.

Man, so much thankfulness tonight...I might need to make a turkey tomorrow and celebrate!

Blessings for a great week ahead.

Heidi

Lost and Found!!

2011-08-06T20:38:00.000-04:00

I have been "finding" things lately. I think it is a lot of fun to find things you have misplaced. When I was painting the bedroom and bathroom, I had to move the bed. It had probably been many years (not months) since I moved the bed so it was scary! I knew I would find the dust, dirt, and grossness that accompanies no cleaning but I was not expecting to find the pair of glasses that I had "lost" on the Chicago trip that I took with my students back in April! I had already replaced them with an exact replica so now I have a spare pair. It was a good feeling to find them.

Today I was taking my daily walk around the neighborhood around 8 a.m. this morning. It was very humid and it must have briefly rained sometime in the night given the sidewalks were not their usual color. About a mile into the walk, I stumbled upon a ten dollar bill on the sidewalk. I have NEVER found money. I have lost a lot of money in my lifetime but I have never found it. So the real thinking began....there was not a soul around. Should I pick it up? It was wet which meant it had been there a while. I looked around again. Why didn't anyone pick this up? Certainly other exercisers passed it. Well, I picked it up. And I smiled and decided that I was being paid to exercise today. It was a great job!

Had 3 meatballs in some tomato sauce at Noodles and Company today. They agreed with me well. So far Chicken, seafood, and beef are all winners for me! I don't get cravings and I still don't have an appetite but I have been thinking about pizza lately. I can't eat the bread but I think that there is a super thin crust pizza that I might be able to handle. That might be a tomorrow activity! Of course it will only be about 1/2 of a piece but it will be a start.

Tonight we had salmon. I don't really like salmon. I tried to eat it but it didn't really go down all that well. I think I will make myself a crab cake or shrimp next time the family wants salmon!

Ok, enough talk about food. Time to enjoy the rest of this Tiger's game from the comfort of my couch!

Have a great day.

Blessings,
Heidi

A typical day.

2011-08-05T18:51:00.000-04:00

It has been one month since my surgery. I feel great! I have logged about 25 miles of walking, painted 2 rooms, cooked countless meals, and gotten back into the swing of life.

Everyday brings choices for me now. Since I haven't found any food yet that my body can't tolerate, I am busy trying new options. Today I had a chunked up nectarine in my 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. It was sooooo delicious. Tonight for dinner I had a crab cake, 1 tablespoon of winter squash, and a few broccoli florets. Everything tasted yummy!

On Friday I will go to GR for my 6 week check a few days early. I am hoping that I will be able to add beef and pork to my list of "good" food. I have had hamburger (in Wendy's chili) and have done fine with it so I don't forsee a problem.

I am losing weight again!! I have lost a total of 27 pounds! I am trying to hold off on buying any clothes for school because I still have a month left!

I step on the scale everyday. I look forward to the little reward. I am going to start to ween myself off of this habit and maybe aim for 2 times a week. And then actually record it only once a week!

One thing that my doctors office participates in is an online support program. You are able to log your workouts, keep food diaries, keep track of your measurements, read little articles, etc. I like the accountability that the site offers. It helps me keep track of what I have had as far as protein goes each day...and it also reminds me to take my vitamins! :)

Well, I have been told that the Pineapple Mango juice and the Mountain Dew are gone so I am off to the store. Nathan can't survive 2 hours without these things!

Pray for Maddie. She isn't feeling too well tonight.
Make it a great day ahead.
Blessings,
Heidi

Bad day/ Good day

2011-08-03T17:59:00.000-04:00

I have been very successful at eating and drinking these past few weeks. I have managed to get my 60 grams of protein in each day and my 64 or more ounces of fluid in as well.

A few days ago, I decided to take a whirlwind/unplanned trip to my parents for a few days. It was great because we had no agenda, the kids lounged around, the parents were talkative, etc. BUT, the eating and drinking were another story. I brought lots of protein stuff but my routine was thrown off so I never got all my protein in and my water intake was very low but I did have a lot of fun!

Today I am having a hard time keeping anything down. Smells are bothering me. Food is not appetizing and I don't feel the desire to keep drinking.

So, I will stumble through this day and jump right back on the discipline of eating/drinking tomorrow. Tonight a cheese stick will be dinner. And then maybe a double dairy smoothie for snack. I'll at least hit 40 for protein today.

Off to see my husband and son play in a church baseball game tonight. I love being the designated cheerleader!

Blessings,
Heidi

The new "normal" meal

2011-07-30T22:07:00.000-04:00

During my last trip to the doctor's office, I remember the nutritionist saying the following: "Please eat your protein before eating any of the "extra" food on your plate". I have been trying this week to put that extra thing on my plate. I have gotten so used to eating one cheese stick, or 6 oz of yogurt, an egg, or a glass of milk for a meal that eating more than one thing seems a bit daunting.

Tonight I had a beautiful toddler size meal! I ate one ounce of rotisserie chicken first and then I had a tablespoon of broccoli, a tablespoon of squash/onion, and 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes. And I ate the whole thing! Eating like this is an adjustment to say the least but it felt sooooo good to finally get in some veggies! Now I just need to make a more conscious decision to eat more things at a setting. I am starting slowly...I will continue with the toddler size dinner and will eventually add something more to lunch and breakfast. It really is baby steps!

I dropped a few more pounds this week. This is my 24th day after surgery and I have so far lost 24 pounds! I am happy with that. I don't have 200 pounds to lose like some people so I know that I will slow down at some point. 5 lbs a month sounds like a nice goal for a while!! But, who knows what is in store. It is just so great to diet and exercise and actually see good results!

I finished painting the master bedroom and bath. I will try to remember to post pictures when I find my camera. Make it a great day!

Blessings,
Heidi

A small snag

2011-07-27T17:31:00.000-04:00

I am sorry that I haven't been writing very often. I am sure that my 7 faithful followers have noticed. Of course, only 2 of you comment.... :)

I am doing well. My sugar was 118 this morning which made me really happy. It has been a little high the last 2 weeks so I am hoping that it will keep trending down!

One week after the surgery, I hit a weight plateau. A plateau is defined by doctors as a period of 2-4 weeks when no weight loss occurs and no change in diet has happened. So, there I sat. Every morning I weighed the same amount. I was eating about 600 calories a day and was walking 2 miles and sometimes more.

It has been frustrating to say the least. And a little scarey because thoughts that I had "broken" something inside were crossing my mind. But today, I lost a pound. FINALLY. Now if tomorrow, I am back up a pound, you will probably not see good things in my next post. I am going to learn how to draw tear drops on the screen or something.

A lot of people think that when you get the surgery, you just lose weight. In reality, at least for me, I have to diet and exercise strictly. The difference of before and after is that you actually do lose pounds. So 2 weeks and one day is a long time to wait to lose one pound since the first 22 came off so easily!

Bit by bit, persevering. That is what I am called to do each day!

Stan is gone to a meeting for a few days so I am going to paint! (He doesn't like the smell so I try not to do it when he is here). Going with a nautical theme to our bedroom and bath. Will go get the paint tomorrow! I love projects that have beginnings and endings!

Make it a great day.
Blessings,
Heidi

Eating into the 3rd and 4th week

2011-07-22T20:28:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday last week, I went in for my 2 week check. I had two appointments that day~one with the Physician's Assistant and the other with the nutritionist.

I am not a big fan of nutritionists. I feel like I know a lot about the calories, fat, carb, fiber, etc. of most of the foods that I commonly eat. I know how to count calories, fat, protein, fiber or whatever else a diet would call for. I know the Weight Watcher point value of almost everything and I still look at something and think about the "points". I am hoping that I will begin to forget some of this.

When I met with the Nut(ritionist), I was pleasantly surprised. She didn't talk in the familiar jargon that I was so used to. Instead of telling me what NOT to eat, she began to tell me what and how to eat. My primary focus right now is protein. She told me I can eat fruit, veggies (not legumes yet) and crackers only AFTER I got my 60 plus grams of protein in. Foods that I can eat this week are cottage cheese, milk, greek yoghurt, refried beans, any soup made with milk, applesauce (unsweetened), mashed potatoes, non fat dry milk, puddings, oatmeal, oat bran, and tofu. I have eaten everything except tofu...and that probably won't happen. Next week I will add luncheon meat, regular chicken, turkey, all seafood, and any kind of cheese.

Things that I have discovered--You can add a fresh peach (no skin) to 3 oz. of plain greek yoghurt. It is the most delicious thing ever--10 grams of protein. I FINALLY get to have a peach this season!
I have already decided that I will have this again for breakfast tomorrow and the next and the next, etc.

You can also add dry milk to almost anything that calls for regular milk. I just made my pudding with the normal 2 cups of milk and then added dry milk to the milk to give me double protein. 1/2 cup of pudding-8 grams of protein. I plan to add more dry milk next time. Pistachio flavor--yum!

I can't just eat a piece of fruit yet. Too much sugar I guess. I hope to be able to have a peach by the time the red haven peaches arrive in MI. That will be some time in early August.

By the time I go on vacation to visit my inlaws, I will be eating mostly everything. My next appointment is August 12. I then will have three appointments~ Surgeon, Nut , and Exercise Person.

I exercised 30 minutes today. I walked 2 miles and did some weights. I will continue everyday because my weight loss has stalled and I want the least amount of sagging skin as possible!

My family has been such a support to me. Madison saw me eating a cracker today and said, "Mom, is that legal?" and gave me the evil eye. I told her that crackers are now "legal" and she smiled and forgave me. :) Then she worked on writing a story via computer on the couch as I exercised. Cheering me on...because that is how we roll!

It's been a good day today. The temps have stayed in the 80's which is so much of an improvement for the week! I felt so sorry for so many Michigander's who don't have air conditioning. I hope that the heat wave is over.

Well, that does it. Make it a great rest of the day.
Blessings,
Heidi

Wow, a week goes by quickly

2011-07-21T21:12:00.000-04:00

I can't believe a week has gone by since my last post! Life got busy! My sister came to town, I had my 2 week checkup appointment, and we have been living in a sauna!! Wow, this heatwave can slow things down.

I feel great! I am not really losing any weight right now but I am bringing my eating and drinking back online, my sugars are improving, and my potassium was tested yesterday and is up to 3.9!! I don't remember ever being that high! Anyway, major goal accomplished.

This week, I am beginning the exercise routine. Lots of walking and a few weights right now are all I plan to start with. I refuse to go out in this heat so the basement will become the gym for a few more days!

I am exhausted but it is a good kind of exhausted because I am able to stay awake (except for a small cat nap in the afternoons) and get a good amount of stuff done. I got to see my nutritionist yesterday and I now get to eat all liquids AND things like cottage cheese, cream soups, mushy veggies, refried beans and puddings, crackers, and mashed potatoes. I am working on eating 6 small meals (2-3 hours apart) and getting in 60 or more grams of protein. It is a lot of eating! But I am doing it and managing to get my 64 ounces of water in too! Yay for surgery recovery.

Well, it's off to bed. Tomorrow Stan gets to sleep in so I will sneak out and do some grocery shopping before the stores get busy.

Make it a great day!
Blessings,
Heidi

Long Time, no Bloggin!

2011-07-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

I have been without phone, internet, and cable for a few days so blogging ceased. Sadness... I enjoy processing my thoughts via writing. :)

These last few days have been somewhat frustrating because for those of you who know me, I am a do-er. And I couldn't do as much because my healing body wasn't letting me. Very frustrating. But today, I have turned the corner! My incisions don't hurt anymore, I have taken no Extra Strength Tylenol and my body has started to return to "normal". Without going into the details... my bottom half has always had issues with anesthetic. It likes to freeze up for a long time. Today the issues got all worked out :) and I feel like a new woman! Shaaaazam!

Since I started on this "diet" a few weeks ago and had to give up real food, my potassium levels have plummeted. I have always had issues with this (I have a syndrome called "Gittelman's") since about the age of 15. It is hereditary and I am asymptomatic. Normal potassium levels are between 3.5 and 5.0. My highest reading ever has been 3.4 and that is with very strict ingestion of lethal amounts of potassium each day. When I had my pre surgery bloods checked my potassium was 2.9 which is in the critical level. On my discharge day, my levels had fallen to 1.9 which is critically low. Every single operation that I have ever had has ended up with me getting IV liquid potassium. It is very painful because it burns when it goes in. That day, they gave me 3 bags of it and my levels didn't change at all! Frustrating for them and very typical for me. Today I had my bloods checked and I am up to 2.2. Hopefully, I can continue the upward climb.

I had a chance to talk to the doctor tonight on the phone. I LOVE when doctors call you! :) I told her that drinking the protein shakes were starting to really nauseate me. She assured me that this happens to many patients. That made me feel better. She asked me if I liked Milk. I about fell over in excitement and anticipation! I LOVE MILK! It is the one food that I miss the most. She told me that instead of a shake, I can have a glass of skim milk and a packet of carnation sugar free instant breakfast. And then she said, "Do you like yogurt?". To which I replied, "Not as much as milk but a whole bunch more than those protein shakes". She told me I could have yogurt without chunks. I am elated! This is a major win for me! OH, and did I mention that those carnation instant breakfast packets taste a whole lot like Nesquik??? YUM.

Today I mowed the backyard. Don't tell anyone but during the last week of June when I was taking a class in Lansing, Stan mowed the front lawn and then the lawn mower broke. Instead of taking it to the shop, he waited 4 days until I got home. Then I had surgery, then I had recovery....So the backyard was like a jungle! But with the cool temperatures I had to do it! Tonight I will sleep well!

My sugars are a bit high again...pray about that one. But there is still time to kick the diabetes out. My body is just being a little stubborn. All in His time.

Ok. Off to bed so I can mow the front yard!
Blessings,
Heidi

Dumping

2011-07-11T11:40:00.000-04:00

"Dumping" is a type of syndrome that occurs naturally with up to 50% of patients who have gone through bariatric surgery. I researched it today on the Mayo Clinic website and it was very interesting. Yesterday, I think I had my first round of dumping. It is not pleasant at all and manifests itself differently in everyone. Symptoms can start immediately during eating or sometimes they creep up about 1-3 hours after a meal. It basically is your bodies reaction to having too much "food" quickly go into your small intestine without enough stomach enzymes...you can read more about it by clicking here.

Yesterday I was on my way to church and I needed to get my protein in before the service so I was sipping my hot chocolate all the way to church. When I got there, I had about 2 ounces left and instead of just leaving it, I guzzled it because without thinking, I fell back on the old way of drinking. So, about an hour later, I was hit with a major wave of dumping syndrome. I was lightheaded, dizzy, felt like my sugar was about 40, and had a major hot flash. And then I sang in the Praise Band and pretended I was fine. It lasted a good hour--most of the service--but I learned an important lesson from this.... I NEVER WANT TO HAVE THAT HAPPEN AGAIN.

Today, I have been very careful to take upwards of 2 hours to drink my hot chocolate. And I feel full and much better. So far, no down in the dumps feeling! And I hope to keep it that way!

The weight is falling off of me. 23 lbs today. I can't remember the last time I lost that much. My plan was to go back to school in September with my same old clothes...that plan may have to be modified. I think the consignment shops will be my new best friend for a while!!

Have a great day. I am going to!
Blessings,
Heidi

Cooking.

2011-07-10T18:54:00.000-04:00

Today was a pretty good day. I did succumb to a dose of pain killers last night and the pain subsided but the sleep was very sporadic. I spent much of the day in a comatose state on the couch watching the Tiger's move into first place.

I did cook some food for the family. Tonight they had meatloaf or baked chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy, pull apart rolls, squash, corn, and spinach. They will now have leftovers to take them through the first part of this week! I love to cook and during this journey, I have noticed that cooking is way more important than the actual consumption of food! I sat at the table with them and drank my protein shake and tried to fit in. It worked. My family is so supportive of my decisions. This really helps.

Today my stomach has felt much better. The gurgling sound when water is swallowed is starting to become much less and the tummy is much less tender to touch. Everyday is getting better.

Today was 20lbs down. I have moved from a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 42 to 38. I am proud. Today I wore a shirt to church that I haven't worn since two Springs ago. No one, except my family has really "noticed" a change but that is ok. I will be ready when that starts to happen!

I am going to work up in my closet tonight. I need to sort big clothes and smaller clothes. And maybe even crack open a crate of clothes that I have kept for at least 10 years...because I liked them. We'll see about the styles!

Make it a great Sunday.

Blessings,

Heidi

Painkillers and Me.

2011-07-09T14:16:00.001-04:00

We are not the best of friends... painkillers and me. We have been on semi speaking terms for a few days now but I really like to drive "heavy machinery" like a car, so I have broken up this friendship as of 2 nights ago. After moving around quite a bit this morning, it may have been a tad bit too early to end the relationship. Extra Strength Tylenol doesn't quite give you the same jolt!

I am trying to relax this afternoon. I am headed upstairs for a little nap and then I am making my men some seafood alfredo for dinner tonight. Madison is at a friend's house so the boys are the only ones here. Can't wait for the Tiger's game on TV tonight...I made it one inning with out falling asleep last night--tonight I will try for 2!

Today I got a few lovely get well cards in the mail. It is such a nice feeling to know that people are thinking of you! I also received a card from my hospital signed by all of the different nurses and units that worked on me. I remember exactly 2 names (out of 12)....this is also why I like to say goodbye to painkillers sooner rather than later!

Make it a good day.
Blessings,

Eating

2011-07-08T19:07:00.001-04:00

Many of you have asked what I eat these days. I have been told by several bariatric patients to follow the doctor's orders exactly and I won't have problems. So, that is what I am attempting to do! My goal is to drink 64 ounces of water and consume 4 8 ounce protein drinks daily. Today I had 20 ounces of water and so far have had 2 protein drinks. These drinks aren't just the "shakes" that people think about but they come in a variety of ways. Hot chocolate, chicken and beef broth, gelatin, fruit drinks, etc. so it really doesn't taste all that bad!

My first day after surgery I was drinking about 1 ounce every waking hour. 1 ounce is the size of a children's medicine cup. It isn't very much. After drinking the ounce, I felt incredibly full and couldn't put down any more liquid. My liquids are slowly increasing but it is still very small sips, no gulping, no multiple sips, etc. It is a slow go but I am resolved to get this done!

In two weeks, I will have a followup appointment with my doctor and nutritionist. I have heard that I get to introduce some high protein soft foods (like cottage cheese, eggs, etc) to my diet. And then 2 weeks later, I will add more things to the diet. They are kind of secretive about what you get to add next...probably don't want to tempt you to eat it early!

The hard part of all of this are the pills...you can take up to two an hour...but when you take them, it fills you up! So, I don't quite have this part down yet.

Today I gave up the heavy pain meds and haven't had any tylenol since 1:30 this afternoon. I want to drive tomorrow so I need to stay off the big meds....but I will take them if I can't sleep tonight!

I also went with Stan to pick up the kids at Spring Hill this morning. It was a bit much for the walking but I slept most of the afternoon and am relaxing now! Little baby steps.

And finally, I lost 12 pounds before the surgery. The doctor likes your stomach and liver to shrink beforehand. When I got home, I weighed myself and had gained 9 pounds. My mom says the nurses put in a ton of fluid into my IV bags. So, today I weighed myself again and I was not only the 9 lbs down, but I also have lost one additional pound. HERE WE GO!!

Make it a great weekend.
Blessings,

Recovery Day 3

2011-07-07T16:42:00.000-04:00

I wanted to blog again yesterday but somehow I got pretty hopped up on painkillers and making a sentence, let alone a blog post, was somewhat difficult!

I was discharged from the hospital late yesterday afternoon. It was probably a day too early but I was just exhausted from the constant door opening and vital checking all night long. I loved my nurses, the hospital was lovely and I appreciated all of the good care that I was receiving but I was so glad to say goodbye.

Yesterday they weaned me off of the IV pain medicine and got me to do liquid vicodin. I have decided that I am not a fan of this drug as it upset my stomach a lot. They then tried Altram and that was a winner! Last night I took a dose, laid down on the bed and 4 hours later woke up and realized that I was in the exact same position that I was in when I went to bed. Sort of funny...sort of disconcerting at the same time!

Today I have tried to do a moderate amount of walking along with some light housework. I have also taken lots of cat naps. The anesthesia seems to take forever to get out of my system.

My goal for this week is to gradually increase my appetite. Yesterday I managed to get down 8 ounces of protein drinks and about 4 ounces of water. Today I have had 12 ounces of protein drinks and about 6 ounces of water. I am never hungry so it is hard to remember to sip, sip, sip all day long. The goal is to get 64 ounces of water and 32 ounces of protein everyday!

I also am doing a lot of deep breathing to keep clearing out my lungs because there is a small threat of pneumonia if you don't keep things moving.

I am to walk to prevent blood clots. Gracie and I have done 2 good walks around the neighborhood and I will hope to get one or two more in tonight.

And finally, the best gift of all...my blood sugars have been in the low 90's all day today. NO oral diabetes pills anymore and I have a feeling I will wean off of the 26 units of nightly insulin.

So, things are well. Very well. Slowly getting back to a new normal each day. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Blessings,
Heidi

Recovery Day 2

2011-07-06T06:35:00.000-04:00

Surgery went very well yesterday. The gastric bypass took about 1.5 hours to complete and was all done laproscopicly which means that I will have a much shorter hospital stay. It looked like I might have even been released later today but an "event" happened that may get me an extra day in the slammer. :(

I slept the anesthesia off for most of yesterday. It always takes my system a long time to clear it all out but this morning, I am feeling much better. It always makes me smile when I look at a hospital and notice that they are just on a time schedule that is foreign to me...basically what I call baby time! You sleep for a couple of hours, you get up and they poke you with a needle or change an iv bag, or ask you to take a walk and then you can go back to sleep! Oh, and you eventually get lucky and start eating!

This morning the nurse came in at 5 a.m. to draw some labs and about 30 minutes later, another nurse arrived with 3 bags of liquid potassium. I have a rare syndrome that causes my potassium to sit at a very low level and stay there with asymptomatic effects to me. Today it fell into the very critical level (1.9) and so they are opting for the liquid potassium method. On a normal person this would raise the potassium up a considerable amount. But my track record has always been a tenth of a point per bag...not really all that impressive. The terrible side effect is that it burns my arm as it goes in. So, I am dealing with that nuisance until about noon today. Oh well, at least I can still type!!

I am looking forward to seeing the doctor this morning in about 15 minutes so I better rest up. Sometimes my words get very slurred when I talk with not enough sleep!

Make it a great day. I will try to update later in the day!
Blessings,

Nerves

2011-07-03T19:27:00.000-04:00

I am nervous. I know things will be okay but I am still nervous. My parents will be with me on Tuesday since Stan has his first day of teaching summer school class on that day. I am okay with that.

The kids are at Spring Hill this week. Madison will get to ride a horse 2 hours a day and Nate will shoot lots of paintballs! Each child was looking forward to a great week of spiritual renewal and FUN. They couldn't wait to say good bye to me this afternoon!

I will keep myself busy by cleaning house and getting things ready for the week. I don't think there is much recovery with this surgery since it is laproscopic but I want to be prepared for a slow end to the week. Stan and I will pick the kids up from camp on Friday--it will be lovely to share a 2 hour car ride up to Evart together!

I'll check back in after the surgery! Woot. Here's to the beginning of a healthier life ahead!

Blessings,

Surgery Confirmed!

2011-07-02T21:09:00.000-04:00

I got a surgery date of July 6th a few weeks ago. Before I left the office, it got changed to the 5th. A few days later my surgery went from 1:30p.m. to 9:30 a.m. via a phone call. When I was in the office for my last appointment, I asked for a confirmation of time and it was now at 7:30 a.m. Last night I got a phone call from the hospital that my surgery was indeed scheduled for 7:30 a.m. and that I should report to the hospital no later than 5:00 a.m. And that would be 5:00 a.m. in Grand Rapids which is about an hour from my house. Hmmm...looks like my 4th of July night will be incredibly short! That is okay though...less time to get hungry in the morning!!
Blessings,

The journey has begun!

2011-06-29T19:51:00.000-04:00

   Most of you know that I am a Type 2 Diabetic. I am on oral meds as well as a once a day shot of insulin at night. In March, my diabetes doctor told me that if my sugars didn't improve in the next 3 months, I would probably have to start taking insulin with every meal. That also means that you take your sugar- a finger prick- at every meal as well. I am not a fan of needles. And I am surely not a fan of poking myself 4 times a day. So I needed a solution better than what my doctor was suggesting.

Sometime in February, Stan and I had a pretty serious conversation. It happened one evening when I least expected it and the conversation is going to lead to some incredible changes in less than a week! Stan mentioned that he had been reading an article about Bariatric Surgery and how there is now clinical proof that 85% of the recipients had their diabetes "cured" by one year after the surgery.

I have given a lot of thought to surgery. I needed to research it. For the next few weeks, I scoured over every article online and started to consider the facts. I have diabetes. It is getting worse. I am an otherwise healthy person. Everytime I dieted, my sugar would go out of wack, insulin dosage would increase, and I would gain a pound or two as a result. It is sort of like my body is allergic to food!

I went to an Bariatric informational seminar in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. I talked to lots of people that had the surgery done themselves or knew someone who had. I made sure that I was going into this with my nerdy info armor on!

On June 14, I had my first appointment with my practice of choice in Grand Rapids. There are 4 bariatric surgeons, 3 PA's, 2 Nutritionists, 2 exercise people (physiologists?), and countless support staff. The place that I chose to investigate was a Center for Excellence which in layman's terms means that they take great care of you.

One of my qualifications was that I could get the surgery done this summer. I can't miss school!   I REALLY wanted it done when my kids were at Spring Hill so that there would be minimal interruption to their routine but I wasn't holding my breath since that was less than a month away!

Bariatric Surgery is all about insurance. You first have to call your insurance provider and ask them to send you a pre approval checklist of sorts. All insurance companies ask you to take a psychological test to make sure that you aren't crazy. I prayed that none of my crazy would show through. :)   A lot of insurance companies ask that you go through 6 months of medically supervised weight loss before you will qualify. Your BMI (body mass index) has to be 40 or greater and you have a greater chance of qualifying if you have a pre-existing condition such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc.   My insurance had all of these things except one--- the 6 month waiting period. First bit of good luck!

I met my surgeon on June 17th. His name is Dr. Foote. I certainly hope he knows more about stomachs than his name suggests! I talked to him honestly and openly. I told him that I was a choir teacher and that waiting until August or September really wasn't an option with my career. I asked him if he might be able to get me in during the first week of July. He looked up from his computer and said to me, "You are really serious about this, aren't you?" Finally a doctor that listened! July 5th surgery date... my second piece of super good luck.

In preparation for the surgery, I started my "diet". The doctor wants his patients to lose some weight 2 weeks before surgery for specific reasons. Since the surgery is going to be done laproscopically (I don't know how to spell this), the surgeon needs to be able to move the liver and stomach. When a person loses weight, both of these organs shrink! So, I am on an 800-900 calorie diet that contains no store bought food. It is pretty yucky. This is day 8. I am down 7 lbs. So, I will keep you up to date here. Not on facebook and not by email. Just here. Thanks for coming back to my blog. It's been a while.
Blessings for a great end to the week,

Trying again.

2011-06-28T20:16:00.000-04:00

I have a lot to catch up on. It has been almost 2 years since I have given any kind of attention to this blog but tonight I decided it was time to get back to it! So, I thought I would begin with a post that summarized the last 2 years. Life has been good. There you have it. So, now I can begin to blog again with absolutely no guilt!

Where to start....hmmmm....give me a minute or day to gather my thoughts. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy the anticipation!

Great things that happened today

2009-08-21T21:14:00.002-04:00

1. My husband is talking to to me again even though I was very mean to him and started his day off on the wrong foot.

2. My inlaws finally have high speed internet and can read this blog!

3. Madison went to play at the neighbor's house WITHOUT Nathan. He is starting to loose interest in playing with a 7 and 5 year old so this was a big step for her.

4. Nathan let me know that he needed items for his upcoming football season BEFORE I had to remind him on Sunday Night! By the way, he is now the same height as I am.

5. Both children asked what jobs to do today instead of having to be told.

6. House is clean.

7. Gracie hasn't had an accident inside in several weeks. I can't even remember when!

Sometimes I feel like nothing was accomplished in a day. Today was a day of thoughtfulness and thankfulness. I need to take time to do this more often.

Make it a great day!

Blessings,

Final Day of houseboating

2009-08-19T08:11:00.006-04:00

Here is a picture of a tired girl! She obviously slept about the same as I did! We decided that it would be good to get back to Egan Marina by noon so that the 8 hour drive to Lapeer and 10 hour drive to Kalamazoo would be doable. So, we needed to pull off the dock by 9a.m. and that is exactly what we did!

In looking back, there were great highlights of the trip:
1. Madison and my mom planned a theme for everyday of the trip: Entertainment Day, Mystery Day, Farm Day, etc. It was fun to watch each of them unveil the activities for the day!
2. We had no phone, computer, or internet for 4 days. It was an adjustment but it was good to not have an option to escape into cyberworld.
3. Although the accommodations where less than great and those white plastic chairs where my arch enemy by the end of the trip, it was fabulous to have time to reconnect with the family.
4. Lots of fish were caught. Nate and Madison caught over 100 fish. We just threw them all back since none of the older folks wanted to cook or clean them! It was so much fun to watch the smiles on my children's faces as they reeled them in.

5. It has been 15 years since I was last on a houseboat; Stan and I were just married and he was a nervous wreck about grad school. Now we are established in our community, love our jobs, have two beautiful children. Not bad for 15 years of work! But, the houseboat thing could be another 15 years until I do it again. But it was totally worth it. And I am sure the memories will get better as time passes!!

Make it a great day!

Pictures of Houses on the lake

2009-08-19T05:02:00.002-04:00

I took some pictures of some dream homes that we saw this week. I really don't want to live on a lake but I pretended and found some pretty houses!

Day Three of Houseboating

2009-08-19T04:56:00.003-04:00

Day three was exactly like day two expect for this:

Notice the choppy waves which just increased in intensity as the night progressed. I found it hard to sleep with the constant sloshing and rocking. Stan though it was the best night of sleep ever!

Day Two of Houseboating

2009-08-17T11:16:00.005-04:00

Just to reiterate my point of what boaters do each day, here is a pictorial feel for day two.

Mom enjoying the beginning of the day.

This is what I encountered on my way to the shower.

The next 4 hours of the day:

The Big Family Trip

2009-08-15T19:35:00.003-04:00

Nathan got hooked on fishing last year with his Grandpa. He looked forward to spending the day on a boat but it didn't happen enough according to him. In order to solve this problem, he crafted a Christmas wish list that was foolproof....he thought. #1. Boat #2. Boat Lisence #3. Boat cover

I always try to get my children ONE of their top three gifts. He obviously had me all figured out! So, as December 25th approached, and I knew that I couldn't win, my parents called me up and said that they would like to give us all a Houseboat Trip in August but really pretend to give it to Nate for Christmas. My parents equaled my heroes. Christmas was saved once again!!

Last week, we went on the big trip. We were set to pull out of Omemee, Ontario, at 9:30a.m. on August 11th and come back on the morning of the 15th. Four days of boating bliss. How shall I begin to tell you the adventures....

Day one:
Our day one actually started the day before since the boat was a hefty 10 hour trip from Kazoo. We gave the dog away to a friend for the week, and loaded the family up along with bedding, snack/breakfast foods, drinking water, and lots of Caffeine Free Diet Coke. We (Mom and I) decided that it would be wise to cook no meals on the boat because firing up the propane grill or cook top sounded like too much work. It was a good choice. And we were on vacation! Who wants to cook!!

We spent the night in a lovely hotel outside of Toronto so we packed up and moved out by 8 a.m. that next day. I enjoyed my last fountain diet coke from McDonalds as I drove through some very pretty Canadian countryside. I couldn't get a picture of the scenery because I was driving, drinking diet Coke and trying not to fall off the narrow roads. SO, just imagine it looked like this:

We arrived at Egan Marina around 9:40. My parents actually passed us (they drove separately with my Uncle Jon) at an intersection and so we followed them down the ever narrowing winding dirt road. My dad jumped out of the car, looked at me, and said "Well, it's not exactly what we expected" and then moved towards the boat. It was at best, very well used. Some people would probably not like it too much. I am one of those people that tries to make the best out of most things....but this adventure was testing me!

We ran to town (population 1100), picked up a non resident fishing permit ($33.00!!), and got lunch to go at subway. Canada doesn't have the $5 sub special so I was very sad. Loaded with my meatball sub, 24 cans of diet coke, and a 5lb bag of M&M's, I knew I could handle anything that might come my way. The kids were extremely excited and seemed to overlook the "rustic" feel of the floating trailor. We pushed off around noon and the adventure began.

Let me take a moment to explain the typical day of a boater:
6:30 am (or whenever the sun came up) Rise and shine
6:32 am Decide whether you can make it to the marina bathroom or just go on the boat.
6:35 am Take a shower or jump in the lake
7:00 am Realize that you forgot to brush your teeth while you were in the real bathroom.
7:01 am Pour a little drinking water in a cup and swish and spit off the bow or the stern.
7:05 am Pray that someone says they are going to "go up to town" for breakfast
8:30 am Walk a half a mile back to the boat and get ready for the "trip of the day"
8:45 am Take this little poker thing and push off the dock (that was my only official job)
9:00-1pm Eat, walk around, sit on the decks, drink a DC (diet coke) eat more, walk around, lay in the sun on the top deck, get hot, come back down, drink a DC, time for lunch, make sandwiches for people, eat, sit on the deck, steer the boat while Dad stretches, sit on the couch, sit on the decks, etc.
1:15-2:00 Arrive at your destination: Decide whether you are going to stay on the boat till dinner, fish, swim, or check out the town.
5:00-start to walk to dinner destination.
5:15 Eat again and pay for it this time.
7:00 Take a shower or fish or read.
9:00 Mosquitoes come out so everyone dashes inside and makes up thier beds and then tries to fall asleep.

And there you have it...a typical day in the life of a boater.

For our first night we stayed at a lovely Marina (Gordon's Yacht Club) that had electricity and shower/bathroom areas. It was along the Trent Severn Canal...Bobcaygon was the town's name.
I hadn't found my camera yet, so I am not sure that I have any pictures of it.

We did not have any locks to go through the first day. I will explain that tomorrow when I get to day 2!!

The vacation is over.

2009-08-08T15:33:00.002-04:00

In blogging time, the vacation is over. The unannounced, unplanned, unpredictable blogging vacation is over. It has lasted since May 12th and I think it is time to get back to writing. Sally, my sister, checks this blog everyday....sometimes twice a day. Let's see if she is still checking!! Post a comment Sal, I dare you!!

We are getting ready to depart for boating vacation on Monday. I am very excited and full of fear at the same time. There will be seven of us: Stan, my mom, my dad, my uncle, Nate, Maddie, and myself all on a 42 foot floating pontoon boat. Who, am I kidding.....it will be awesome. I can't wait.

Identity Crisis/Pets

2009-05-12T21:35:00.002-04:00

The dog arrived a few weeks ago and I have been very busy making sure that Gracie stays busy and doesn't make messes anywhere. She has done very well and is making great potty training strides!

The cats and dog are slowly becoming friends. They are good at sniffing each other and they are also eating each other's food~it is funny to watch. Cassie, the cat came out of the kitchen tonight smelling like dog food!! They don't growl at each other but it is quite evident that Tiger is the Alpha pet.

I am horrible at posting. It happens in May. Thanks for your readership, 3 people.

She is almost here!

2009-04-28T19:25:00.004-04:00

I have been horrible at updating. I have been really busy! Here are a few pictures that I received in my inbox today. Gracie is coming in four short days! I better buy some dog food!

Personal Days

2009-04-22T17:49:00.002-04:00

I took a personal day today. I decided that I needed a break from my students before I spent massive amounts of time with them touring Chicago on a chartered bus on Friday.

I have lost track of how many times the following scenario has happened to me. I decide to take a day off. I walk around feeling guilty for days. I then come to my senses, realize that I am only human and I fill out the sub form. I write out my lesson plans and leave them with the secretary the night before. After the children have gone to sleep for the night, I get around to telling my husband. And I specifically say, "Please don't tell the children". In the morning, I am awakened by a sick child. And my personal day becomes a mother/child sick day.

Nathan was home ill today. How utterly predictable.

The never ending circle of doom

2009-04-20T15:33:00.003-04:00

I haven't been to the gym in 4 days. That is a long time for me. Here is a list of pros and cons to help you see my dilemma:

PROS
1. I feel good for the rest of the day when I go.
2. I am very energized.
3. I don't feel as guilty when I eat a mini candy bar if I have gone. (Just being honest).
4. Visiting the gym adds structure to my morning routine.
5. I have some nice workout clothes that I like to show off.
6. My sugar levels are better when I exercise.

CONS
1. I have been having some foot issues-ingrown toenails to be exact.
2. Exercising aggravates my toes~a lot.
3. My shoes may need some stretching out.
4. My feet feel fine when I don't go.
5. If I don't go, I feel fat(ter).
6. If I don't go, I feel guilty because I have spent all this money on a gym membership and I'm not using it! (Thanks, Dad).

As you can see, I am in pain when I go but I know it is the right thing. If I don't go, I feel good but I know that is the wrong thing to do. AND if I have my feet operated on to correct the problem, I am out of the gym for a minimum of 3 weeks. Grrrrrr why can't this be easier?

A day to remember

2009-04-18T15:08:00.002-04:00

This week has been a good one. I managed to squeeze in 4 workouts, Stan received a big grant that will allow him to do free research at the British Library for 6 weeks this spring, and I received tenure at my high school. AND we have 72 degree sunny weather and have nothing planned for today.

I love this kind of a day. They don't come very often!
Make it a great one!

Puppy Power

2009-04-06T23:31:00.002-04:00

I proudly present the new Pelkey Puppy girl with no name. She will arrive sometime at the beginning of May. The kids are so excited! (and so am I!)

Cleaning Clutter

2009-03-29T19:53:00.002-04:00

It is embarrassing how long things have gone without being cleaned and organized. It never ceases to amaze me that when there is an "event" that is coming up at my house and it involves people hanging out in my living room for a long period of time, I am much more motivated to clean out the clutter that sometimes overtakes the corners of each room.

Tonight I tackled the eat in kitchen part of the kitchen. I started with a stand up pantry and moved my way around the room to each corner. I cleaned two bookshelves and then got to a basket that sits on the floor and holds my phonebook and various directories from church, school, etc. I noticed that it was getting a bit full of late so I went ahead and dumped out the contents onto the floor. Here is what I found:

1. One up to date phone book
2. A gardening magazine
3. Two different directories for Maddie's school friends
4. Two outdated church directories
5. One small packet of tissue covered with dust
6. Three outdated Schwan's flyers
7. My Favorite--A coupon for cereal that expired on 12/31/05

So, does that mean I haven't cleaned that out since I moved into this house 4 years ago??? Gross.

Well, I am off to tackle the next basket of junk. This one I have been dreading.

Heidi

An Easy Chair

2009-03-24T20:37:00.003-04:00

What kind of chair do you think of when someone says "easy chair"? Personally, I think of a cushy, leather high back reclining chair that you sort of melt into when you sit down and then you don't want to ever get out of.

Today we sat in an easy chair in my Aerobics class. But it sure wasn't my kind of easy chair that I pictured in my head. Instead, that easy chair involved that dreaded yoga ball......if you have that ball, try the following:
1. Grab your yoga ball!
2. Place the giant ball behind the small of your back and lean against the wall with it behind you.
3. Now, slide down the wall, until your legs are in a sitting position. Comfy yet???
4. Lean back in your "chair" and cross your legs....just like your were sitting in the chair.
5. Awww, great! Let's do some squats. 48 to be exact. And then cross the other leg over and do 48 more.

Some exercises are not worth repeating. Or talking about anymore. YUCK.

Boys and Shopping

2009-03-24T20:12:00.002-04:00

I took Nate shopping tonight. This is a blog worthy event because I don't remember him ever actually accompanying me on a clothes buying outing. He needed shirts and a pair of dress pants. Most of the time, I just go into the store, pick out a few items and then bring them home so that he can "choose" his favorites. I have noticed that the last couple of times that I have done this, my choices are met with great disapproval followed by rolling eyes, shaking of the head, and comments like, "I would NEVER wear that...my friends would laugh at me!".

So, tonight I beat him at his own game. I filled his belly with out-to-eat-food and then promptly turned into the Kohl's parking lot. Before he knew what was happening, I told him to get out and walk into the store. He protested but quickly realized that I wasn't giving up.

We made it to the boys section and I pointed out the following rules before he began to shop. Rule 1--you wear a size 14 in pants. Rule 2--you wear a size L in shirts. Rule 3---try to buy things that are on sale.

He trolled through the boys section and started picking out things that were "cool" and "awesome". He ignored all of my rules. He would pick up a shirt that he would like, not look at the price or the size and would throw it into the cart. I would quickly remind him to look at the size and he would pull it out of the cart, replace it with the correct size and throw it back in.

It fascinated me that EVERY SINGLE time he found an article of clothing, he would just throw it in the cart and not look at the price or size! Is this a guy thing???? Did he think that he was buying a toy and that all models are the same??

Anyway, after a $142 bill (yikes!!) and a plethura of clothes, he proudly walked out of the department store and proclaimed that he would be putting on a new outfit to wear when he got home. It was 7:45 p.m.

I can't help but love that boy!

World Class Athlete Training

2009-03-18T22:25:00.004-04:00

I have decided that the title of my post sounds a lot better than Fit 4- 50. I am so sore today and it hasn't even been 12 hours since my aerobics class. Today the teacher said, "I am really sore in my triceps, quads and glutes---how are all of you doing? Did you feel Monday's workout?" Well, that was enough motivation for me! I worked extra hard today. And now I really feel it!

She will be really happy with me when I tell her at our next class. I should learn her name.

If you see me around, just call me "World Class Athlete". I'll try not to let my giant pretend gold medal swing over and hit you as I run by!!

Make it a great day!

Sunshine Chicken

2009-03-14T18:12:00.002-04:00

Today I decided to make a chicken recipe that is one of my favorites. I don't think it is particularly lowfat but it is quite tasty and reheats beautifully.

I will post the recipe at the end for those of you who'd like to try this. I haven't made this recipe in several years. It calls for a healthy amount of orange juice, raisins, cinnamon,almonds, mandarin oranges, and a touch of ginger. I made the recipe according to the directions and after I put the chicken in, I realized that my cinnamon had started to clump in my orange juice gravy. It was not a happy moment in my kitchen....no one that I know of should have to eat lumps of cinnamon in their gravy! I quickly grabbed my weapon of choice which happened to be a wisk, and started to wildly stir the gravy. I was quite disgusted with myself when I realized that the clumps were the raisins not the cinnamon!

Without further adieu, I give you "Sunshine Chicken"
6 halves Chicken Breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

Sprinkle the chicken with salt while melting the butter in a large skillet. Lay the chicken in the pan and brown both sides a minute or so on each side. Remove chicken and leave drippings in pan. Add to the pan one more tablespoon of butter.

Mix into the melted butter:
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of ginger

Stir well. Add 1 1/2 cups orange juice and stir until thickened. Turn heat to low and add the chicken pieces back into the pan. Add 1/2 cup raisins (Golden ones are pretty but the black ones are just as good.) and 1/2 cup toasted almond slivers.

Let cook about 45-50 minutes covered. Stir occasionally. Right before serving over a bed or rice, add a can of mandarin oranges that have been drained.

Voila, stove top dinner at its finest!
Enjoy.

Fit 4-50

2009-03-09T16:48:00.002-04:00

The title of this post reflects the name of the Aerobics class I took today. I am not sure it if means you can take this class if you are between the ages of 4 and 50 or if it is a play on words and is geared towards the 50 year old person!

Whatever it means, it totally kicked my rumpus today! The lady that was leading the class was really good, inspirational, and challenging. She made the absolutely grueling 60 minutes class a lot of fun! I will go back on Wednesday.

I also want you to know that for the record, I HATE those yoga balls. They are too big for a 5 foot frame--even the little ones are too big. Since my arms are less than a foot long and my chest is large, it poses a bit of a problem when the instructor asks you to lean over the ball and touch the floor. My hands were about 3 inches away from that floor and it didn't matter how I shifted....the floor wasn't getting any closer. The final straw came when the nice instructor shouted out, "Ok, everyone, now that you are all comfortable on the ball, lift your left leg up high for leg lifts to the ceiling." I'm sure I had a panicked look on my face because she quickly gave me a modification!

Well, off to bed. I think I may lose a pound tonight. That would be encouraging!

Chickened Out

2009-03-07T12:21:00.002-05:00

Today I woke up with a specific fitness goal in mind. Since I have been exercising for a little more than a week now, I decided to change up my routine and attend a fitness class. My schedule doesn't permit me to be able to make many of these classes during the week because they are either too early or too late in the day. But Saturdays are different. And for that I am thankful.

I am a very social person and group classes are fun for me. It doesn't really matter what kind of class it is although Yoga and Kickboxing scare me so I usually avoid these. Today was a class called "BAC Conditioning" and we all know that I am in need of conditioning!

When I arrived, I nonchalantly surveyed the situation through the glass walls that surround the rest of the workout area. I can not begin to explain the emotional meltdown that was happening in my head as I looked into the classroom and saw the following: Steps that were all on the highest level, bands for your legs and arms, free weights, a 10 lb. bar for lifting, and the dreaded giant ball. EACH station had ALL of this stuff in a pile. It was truly overwhelming. And to put it all into perfect perspective, every person that was scurrying around to get their spot set up, had the body that really didn't look like it needed exercise. And they all were dressed in cute workout clothes! It was almost like I was looking at the filming of an exercise video in the making. I paced up and down the glass wall twice...and I never opened up the door. Instead I sat down in the recumbent bike, set it to 30 minutes and interval trained for 5 grueling miles as I watched the class through the window.

As I settled into my workout, way in the corner of the room, I spied a fat lady. She couldn't do all of the exercises but she was hanging in there. It was humbling and angering to see. I should have been in the class. I knew that. But, when you are overweight, you don't want to be the fattest person in there. Pride. Simple as that.

After the class, I was really bold and went up to the fat lady and said, "I want you to know that you inspired me today to try this class next week." She smiled and was a bit taken aback and replied, "Thanks for inspiring me to keep going! See you next Saturday".

So there you have it. A really truthful post. I better move off this couch before I can't move my sore muscles! Make it a great day!

A good buy?

2009-03-03T17:02:00.002-05:00

I can never resist a sale or a bargain or a markdown. It must be from my dad's side....he likes cheap too!

Unfortuneately, I have never been able to shop sales for my footwear. I wear a size 5 1/2 WW. In fact the shoe salesman today said after measuring my foot, "hmmmm....you should wear a size 4 1/2 on your right foot and a 5 1/2 on your left foot and you are right between a wide and a double wide". Wide sizes start at size 6 in a normal shoe. I have tried to wear size 6's....they are too big. So, I have to shop in the "special" shoe stores--the ones that reek of leather the moment you walk into them and contain little short men that walk around and insist on measuring your feet the moment you sit down in one of thier little cushy seats. That last sentence was all code words for two really simple words: "EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE".

When I moved to the Zoo, I found a special shoe store that carried my special size for my special feet. And they have a special deal for thier "best" customers! If you buy 6 pair of shoes at the normal price, you will get your 7th pair of shoes for a reduced price. They keep track of how much you spend, average it out, divide it in half and then give you that amount off your seventh pair. It's pretty high level math if you ask me.

Since I have been vigorously exercising during lent, my tennis shoes have not been performing well at all. Yesterday I came home with a blister on the bottom of my foot! I decided that I would either need to get new tennis shoes today or I would have to go swimming as my workout tonight. Weighing in on the two options, swimming in public was not part of my future so I headed to my special shoe store with high hopes.

I walked in and my salespeople flocked to my feet. They know me as the "hard to fit teacher". After exchanging pleasantries, I asked if they had any 5 1/2 WW tennis shoes. I recieved the furled eyebrow look and got the common response that I have come to expect: "Well, let's measure your foot"....as if my foot has really changed sizes in the last 17 years!!!! So I smile, they measure and then we usually put in a special order.... because I really am a size 5 1/2WW.... BUT TODAY WAS DIFFERENT.
Today I actually got to try on a pair of shoes. It was delighful.
The shoeman tied my laces for me. It was divine.
And I bought the shoes! It was a miracle!!

And with the purchase of my 7th pair of shoes, I paid a mere $11.74 for a $69 pair of shoes. You can do the math....I have spent a fortune on the other 6 pairs!

Off to the gym, in my new shoes~

Anybody still there?

2009-02-25T18:43:00.002-05:00

It has been a long time since I last looked at this screen that I create paragraphs on for my blog. I miss it. I have decided to add two things for Lent this year: 1) Blogging at least once a week, and 2) Exercising.

I am not sure how either one of them will work out. I know that I do better at exercise in a "club" environment because I am so social so during my two day break from school, I plan to check out a few places. And in the meantime, I plan to do SOMETHING even if it is little in the basement each night.

I am getting ready to cut back on my teaching load. I have taught a 125% schedule for the past 4 months and I am exhausted from it. I have two more class days left and then I will drop down to a 75% teacher to make up for the overload. This just means that I will teach 2 choirs and run the auditorium in the spring trimester! It will be AWESOME. I will teach from 10-1 everyday and then have flex time for running the auditorium!

I have decided to have all auditioned choirs next year. I currently have 3 students who can't match pitch and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY. I also think that I can see if they really want to work during an audition process. We'll see.

Ok. This is not really the bells and whistles re entry into blogging that I was planning in my head but it will do!

Make it a great beginning to Lent.

Just checking.

2009-01-16T15:42:00.000-05:00

I want to see if my signature looks better.

Friendships

2009-01-16T12:32:00.002-05:00

It is good to spend time with old friends. Yesterday, I got to spend a few hours of time with my youngest "old" friend Britt. She and I had time to eat dinner, play scrabble, and do some catching up. It was a lot of fun. And we didn't even plan to see each other!

This year I have been "finding" old friends on Facebook. In the fall, I found Vangie, my college room mate that I accidentally lost touch with for 15 years or so. During a Conference release day, I went to Michigan City and we met with each other, spent the day talking and rekindled a fabulous friendship. We have very little professional stuff in common and share no common friends anymore so it was great to reconnect. And to be able to talk about anything and know that it will never get around to anyone else!

Today was my second conference release day. Believe it or not, I found yet another friend from high school on Facebook a few weeks ago and she lives about an hour away from me! So, today I was going to get the kids on the bus and head up there for a visit. Julie was a friend that I shared A LOT of time with during my first two years of high school. We wrote notes back and forth everyday. Sometimes we would write 2 or 3 notes! It was fun. She was fun. So I was excited to rekindle another past friendship.

Enter Mother Nature. Last night we got dumped on by lake effect snow. As I traveled home from conferences, I had a good feeling that my children would have a snow day. When I woke up at 5a.m. this morning my hunches became a reality and with the temperature at -8 and the snow blowing all over, the kids had no school. Julie also had let me know that the roads were very bad up there as well. So, I sadly canceled the outing. Maybe in February......

OH, the best news of all. After 3 years of praying that Madison would find a neighborhood friend our prayers were answered. Tillie, a 5th grade tomboy that plays with little petshop pets and is very smart, moved in 4 houses down last week. They have played outside and at her house and Maddie is in friendship heaven. I think this will make our summer go faster!

Next Friday, my friend Cheryl and I will become room mates for a few days in order to attend a music conference. We have promised each other that we are going to play less cards and attend more sessions. I will let you know how that promise works out!

So, there you have it. Friendships all around.

Blessings for a great day,
Heidi

SNOW

2009-01-10T20:39:00.004-05:00

Today was a snow day. It was a perfect set up for a great day off. The snow began to fall yesterday around 2 p.m. and it never stopped until about 7p.m. tonight. It is really too bad this didn't happen on a school day because I think we would been given at least two days off. Here is a great picture of how much snow we got. I pulled it off our local news site. I don't really know this man but I thought his smile was great!

I forgot to take a picture when it was light outside (hence the "stranger man" picture) but I would estimate that we got about 14-16 inches. Tomorrow the "snow guns" fire up for some lake effect snow event which means we will pick up a few more inches before it is all over.

Today I sat and looked outside. It was a very unproductive day. Sometimes I need those kind of days. The kids went to the neighbor's house for a few hours. The house was completely silent. It was heaven on earth. I pretended I was in a snow globe except no one was shaking me violently every 10 seconds to make the snow swirl. Life is good.

Make it a great day.
Blessings,
Heidi

Surviving Vs. Thriving

2009-01-09T21:22:00.003-05:00

It is so hard to keep up with things lately! I haven't mentioned this on my blog (I don't think), but I am teaching an overload at school and it is really starting to catch up with me.

Last summer, my principal shared with me that he was "worried" about me last spring because of the amount of extra activity that happens in the auditorium during May and June. It seems that everyone wants to have a piece of space during these months. We had two dance recitals, two graduations, five concerts, and a vast amount of meetings, etc. I remember that I said to Stu once or twice "Well, I will see you next week". And it was only Monday night.

In order to make this year "easier", my principal and I thought it would be better if I taught 4 classes in the winter and then only two choir classes in the Spring. So, I am running the auditorium from 7:30-8:45 each morning and then I teach from 8:50-2:35 with one break at 12:47 for lunch. It is in one word, overwhelming. I feel like I am working at full strength each and every day and I still can't stay ahead. To make things more challenging, I am teaching a brand new guitar class that has no curriculum. I am embarrassed to admit that for many days in a row, I have planned out what I am going to do at 1:17 (guitar), during my lunch break.

I am bound and determined to thrive not just survive during 2009. I need to get back to exercising. And planning healthy meals. But maybe that will have to wait until March. March 5th to be exact. That will end the marking period.

So until then, I guess I just settle. And work as hard as I can. And pray for LOTS of snowdays!

By the way, we are getting a big storm tonight! Too bad it's Friday!

Blessings,
Heidi

Apples

2008-12-30T16:02:00.004-05:00

I love Macintosh! I love the apple named that but I really love the apple computer store more. Since we are vacationing in Rochester, NY and there happens to be an apple store in the mall about 10 miles away, I conveniently made an appointment to see a "Mac Genius" today at 1:00. For you non Macintosh readers, let me do a little bit of educating so you know what I am talking about!

Anytime that you buy any kind of Macintosh hardware weather it be an ipod shuffle or a top of the line computer, you get special "Genius" privileges. It means that you can go into any Apple store in America and get software or hardware assistance FOR FREE. So if your ipod stops working, you go in and they will fix it or sometimes even give you a new one--FOR FREE. Sometimes, your computer gets a little sick and needs some special medicine that only Genius people have. So you take your computer in and it gets "all better" FOR FREE. Once, my white top part of my Macbook got really dirty looking and they replaced it FOR FREE. It was a happy day.

A few weeks before Christmas, I noticed that my Macbook was starting to chip on the top white part where you'd put your palms right on top of the hard drive unit. This made me extremely nervous because I have dropped my Macbook and had to replace my hard drive. It was under warranty and guess what? They replaced it FOR FREE! Anyway, back to my present matter at hand. Today I walked into the Apple Store and wanted a Genius to look at my "chipping" problem. I knew I was going to have to pay this time because my computer is no longer under warranty. Sadness. I had booked a 1:00 appointment online the day before online and promptly at 1:03, I was staring into the beautiful blue eyes of John, my genius. He took one look at my problem, shut my computer down, popped out the battery in the back, and scanned my special barcode. He typed in some important (I guess) stuff into his little Macbook and said after a few minutes, "We can fix it today, would you have an hour of shopping to do while you wait". To which I replied, "Why certainly, I would be happy to waste an hour in your lovely mall". So there you have it.

About 45 minutes later, I had my new laptop in my hands. And my receipt. And guess what? It was once again all done FOR FREE. I not only have a new top but I have a new keyboard as well. It looks almost brand new. I don't know why it was free. I got a receipt that said the repair would have cost me $224.06. But I didn't pay anything. It is truly a marvelous day because once again, I have a new laptop!

I bought a new Scrabble game to celebrate!

Later,
Heidi

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T19:32:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I am a bit late getting this post up but I felt that family time today was more important than blog time.

My parents and my two uncles arrived at our house around 10:30. The kids made the decision last night to WAIT to open gifts until they arrived. I helped their patience out by allowing them to exchange gifts that they had purchased (with my money) for each other. SO, they each had a toy to play with for a few hours this morning.

We had a delicious meal after the present hoopla and a few hours later said goodbye to our visitors. Then I proceeded to spend the next 2 hours on the couch in a food induced coma. It was a lovely day!

Tomorrow I plan to get up and do some exercising. I feel so much better when I am more physically fit. And I tend to sleep better too!

Here is how our cat, Cassie, spent most of the advent season:

I hope your day was filled with food, family, and festive naps! Merry Christmas!

Heidi

My few loyal followers

2008-12-22T22:40:00.004-05:00

I finally looked at my blog today. 6 other people did too. They are my faithful friends. I can see the location using my nifty sitemeter so I sort of know who they are.

I have been buried this week. Buried by present wrapping, cookie baking, a cold, more present wrapping, and most of all SNOW! Lots of snow. After the plow finally came through today, it was piled up to the opening of the mailbox! We have had 55 inches of snow so far and winter only started yesterday!

The kids love it. They are into building snow forts and snowmen and having/preparing for big snowball fights. They love to hang out on the hill at the end of our driveway. They call it "the giant snow hill". It is really cool!

Tomorrow we have our 3rd storm coming through the area. It is supposed to dump 5-10 inches more on us. I am not sure where it will all go! As I look outside into the other neighbor's yards, the new snow is so pretty....totally undisturbed and perfect in its placement. I then look in our own front yard and our snow is all stomped down with a stray sled or shovel strewn across the lawn. Millions of little footprints fill up the whole landscape. Our snow isn't perfect at all. In fact it is downright ugly! And do you know what? I wouldn't want it any other way! I like having the neighborhood come over and play! And I am glad we live in Michigan so that the kids can have so much fun!

I'll take a picture next time they are on the "giant hill". It will be a great memory.

Make it a great day!
Heidi

Some big days ahead.

2008-12-13T15:55:00.002-05:00

I haven't been posting. I have wanted to but December has finally caught up with me and for the next week or so, my life will cease to exist but instead it will be woven into every kind of Christmas party, concert, church service, and decorating extravaganza known to mankind.

Tomorrow is a perfect example of why anyone who is contemplating going into music as a career should think twice about it! Here is my schedule.

7:45 Bell choir rehearsal
8:30 Church service #1 --Bell anthem
10:00 Choir Rehearsal
11:00 Church service #2--Bell anthem, 2 choir anthems
12:30 Childrens' pageant rehearsal
1:30 Arrive in Comstock for my Chorale Concert. Reset two lights that were too bright and need new gels.
2:00 64 other ladies arrive!
2:15 Rehearse "O Holy Night" with solist for the first time!
3:00 Conduct the Concert
4:30 Eat Dinner with my Parents who have travelled from Lapeer to see the concert!
5:30 Church Choir Christmas Party
8:30 Hopefully home.

So, there you have it. And then I do this type of schedule all over again on Tuesday and Thursday next week too!

I will post some pictures of the choir as soon as my mom takes them and sends them!

Feliz Navidad. Mele Kalikimaka. Joyeux Noel. Ho Ho.

Heidi

Thanksgiving Morning

2008-11-27T11:39:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We spent the morning (about 1 hour) in the arcade. I spent a huge amount of money supplying tokens to 2 very ravenously hungry game players. They weren't hungry for food but they were hungry for tokens. I liked playing Deal or No Deal. I realize that it is all guessing and luck but there is something about being able to stand on a lit up floor panel and punch numbers that correspond to suitcases that thrills me to no end. My best game (and I played many), was when I "won" 85 tickets. The highest amount of tickets you could win was 200 so I really felt like I had gotten my 4 tokens worth out of that game.

And now friends, in case you are wondering, here is what my $50 worth of tokens bought:

Off to the waterpark this afternoon. I'll take some pictures. Not of me, or course, but of other fat people wondering around the park! How absolutely mean.

Heidi

I am baking without an oven!

2008-11-26T21:15:00.002-05:00

We arrived at Great Wolf Lodge about 3 p.m. this afternoon. We have been looking forward to this vacation since September. Last night Stan came down with the flu. He tried so hard to sleep it off this morning and be ready to go but truthfully the thought of riding in a car for 3.5 hours and then having his body wrenched in different directions as he hurdled down the waterslides was just too much for him to even think about.

Great Wolf has a policy that they take your first night's fee off your credit card on the day that you reserve the room. I didn't want to leave my better half at home but if we didn't go, we would be out close to $200.00. Money eventually won and the kids and I piled into the car for a "new" kind of Thanksgiving.

This is our second year at the Lodge. (That's what we "cool" people call this place). It is always fun. The water park is huge. You can choose a simple trek on an innertube around Lazy River, or you can walk over to McKenzie's Fort and climb your way up through a maze of ropes, tubes, and contraptions until you make it to a 48 foot high waterslide that is super fast. Or you can travel over to a pool and shoot some hoops. Or you can climb up 5 flights of stairs and ride an innertube down the most gigantic water slide thingy you have ever seen! Or you can sit in a jacuzzi until your skin shrivels up like a prune. The choices are marvelous.

Thanksgiving Dinner is to die for. It is full of salads, meats, traditional thanksgiving fare, and the all important CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN. They have mini rice crispy treats to dip! How fun is that! The rooms are very spacious and the amenities are foofty. Everything comes in Extra Large size. Take the shampoo for instance. A full 6 ounces in a cool bottle! And it smells like vanilla. And the soap smells like vanilla too. I am sitting here smelling my hair and body as I type and I feel like I am baking cookies. It is a lovely feeling.

The kids are freshly bathed. I can't wait to see which cookie I get to sleep with tonight! Happy Thanksgiving Eve.

Heidi

Sam I Am. Part 2

2008-11-22T14:50:00.002-05:00

Do you remember this day a few months back? Today, I hit the taste testing Bonanza at Sam's Club. I was going in for a beef roast and blackberries. I came out very full and I hadn't eaten the roast or the blackberries!

When I walked in the door, I showed my card, flashed the card checker an encouraging smile and ran smack into a table that was filled with sweet samples including cheesecake, pumpkin pie, chocolate chiffon cake and a puff pastry of some sort. I passed the table trying not to be tempted. They put all that stuff on one plate! It looked extremely good.

I rounded the first corner and BAM....I saw another table with shrimp and cocktail sauce. I took one of those because they are low fat, low calorie, and they were gigantic in size. They barely fit intp one of those little tester cups.

I made it halfway to the back of the store where the meat was and once again I was greeted with another sample. This time it was chicken spinach sausage. Those little samples were very good.

I finally reached the meat and low and behold, I found myself standing in a small line for the next gift. I figured that since there were 3-4 people ahead of me that the sample must be really special. Well, move over small tester cups; hello little plates! On my plate was a beef wellington puff pastry, a spinach quiche, and a bacon wrapped piece of filet mignon. Oh, and a cup of sparkling white grape juice to slosh it all down.

I finally arrived at the beef roast section and found a good selection of cuts. Everyone seemed to be flocking to another portion of the meat section close to the turkeys. I wondered what was over there? I pressed on towards the Blackberries.

Standing in my way of making anymore progress was the seafood lady. She was handing out samples of lobster stuffed ravioli. She didn't need to twist my arm much, Lobster can really get to me in a good way. I don't mean to be rude, but Sam's needs to invest in bigger testing cups and spoons. This ravioli was so big (about the size of half a note card) that the lady had to shove it into the cup and it just flopped all over the sides. Can we say "fat girl's heaven on earth?"

I finally reached the blackberries. It was a good moment in my life. The visit had already been filled with lovely samples, what more (besides fruit) did I need? I started my escape to the checkout lines. There was a sample line in front of me a mile long. I wasn't going to stand in this line. I did see a plate from that line though....it had a bacon wrapped scallop, cheese cake, chocolate lava cake, green bean casserole, and something very big and delicious looking. I think it was a crab cake. I was still full. So I kept walking.

When I reached the checkout line, I was surprised to be able to walk right up and check out. It had been a really awesome day at Sam's Club.

Later peeps,
Heidi

Word Smittin

2008-11-14T19:53:00.003-05:00

Nathan's Language Arts teacher is very creative. My son is not one that especially likes to creatively write. This year, though, he loves his teacher and has started to love writing! A few weeks back Mrs. H baked a cake and brought it in to English class to celebrate a "Going Away" party. The students were a bit confused at first because they had no members that were leaving or moving away. During this party, the class said goodbye to the following words: got, getting, get, and a lot.

I have noticed that new words are replacing these "vacationing" words now in Nate's everyday speaking. Here are some things I have actually heard from him in the last week!

1. I would like to go to Meijer and obtain a plethora of food to eat.
2. I am in possession of my favorite cereal.
3. I have a myriad of games to try online tonight.
4. I have a super abundance of homework to complete since I was sick.
5. There is a vast array of things I'd like to play with tonight including my Legos.

He also used "gaggle" and "cornucopia" but those sentences were too bizarre to remember!
I hope this continues. It is fun to watch him think before he speaks!

Happy Friday.
Heidi

Just a quick tidbit

2008-11-13T23:08:00.003-05:00

On my way out the door tonight, I told both children that I expected them to empty the garbage from all the rooms in the entire house. When I arrived 3 hours laters, the job hadn't been done. They said they "forgot".

I turned the TV off that they were watching and told them to immediately go and do the job. It had gotten to be quite late so I said, "and since you didn't do what I asked you to do when you were asked, I am going to have to punish you." I proceeded to tell them that they were to go upstairs and get into bed with absolutely no silent reading tonight.

Madison put up a huge fuss and said, "Mom, this is the meanest punishment you have ever given to us. I can't believe that you don't think this is child cruelty".

I laughed silently and left her room. I love my kids!

Blessings,
Heidi

My Ladies Choir

2008-11-12T20:00:00.003-05:00

I don't know if I have mentioned this too much but I direct a community ladies group once a week comprising of 63 ladies who love to sing! They gather at a local school in order to sing, fellowship, and learn a little music along the way.

I really love the job. It is a chance to share my love of teaching vocal music in a non school environment. I don't take attendance, I don't have to listen to the morning announcements, and I don't have to be my own piano player! It is an absolutely fabulous experience.

As I get to know these ladies better, I have started to share a few personal stories with them. I opened up to them last night and started the rehearsal by apologizing for my somewhat abrupt and irritated mood because it was the "first day of cutting down my food intake". I was really surprised at how quiet things got when I shared. At the end of my "diet speech", a rather large woman said in a very serious voice, "Heidi, I don't want you to feel bad about being on a diet....I am currently on three of them." The group was still very quiet and looked at her in shock and amazement. She then said, "One diet wasn't enough food so I upped it to three".

It was REALLY funny and did that group ever roar!

Blessings for a fat free healthy week!
Heidi

Coming Back Home

2008-11-09T13:02:00.002-05:00

I was sitting in church this morning and realized that I needed to keep my promise and write in my blog. So here it goes!

Yesterday the children and I raked leaves while the snow fell at 8 a.m. I am sure that there were people peeking out their windows wondering if I was mentally stable or not. I mean really! 8a.m. on a cold, wet dreary Saturday morning? They would have seen 3 very mismatchedly dressed people wondering around pointing and figuring out the game plan. Finally after much talking and hearing everyone's opinion on "the proper way to clear the yard" we came to a conclusion. I fired up the blower, the kids wielded the rakes and we got to work. About 1 hour later the leaves were very wet and heavy but we had finally finished. We were all cold, cranky, tired, and hungry for breakfast!

I don't ask the children to do much around the house. I should. But yesterday Madison said something that truly was astounding to hear from a 9 year old's mouth. She said, "Mom, I really hated raking the leaves. It was hard work and incredibly boring. But do you know what? I really liked working all together as a family like that to get a job done. It was awesome. We should do more of these kinds of projects." And she walked away.

Wow. I needed to hear that. And especially from her.

Oh, she lost another tooth later in the day yesterday. That means the children have lost a total of 3 teeth since Halloween. I am now officially broke. Or the tooth fairy is. We are very closely related you know!

Make it a great day!

Heidi

A blog vacation.

2008-11-01T22:26:00.003-04:00

I need a little rest from my blog because posting once a week is just wearing me out! Actually, I have been very absorbed in work and family and haven't felt particularly inspired to share out!

I will be back next Sunday, so set a reminder on your calendar and don't forget to come back for a visit.

Thanks!
Heidi

Tigers are very Smart!

2008-10-27T17:56:00.002-04:00

I have always wondered how smart one of our cats is. Tiger always seems to know when it is about time to get up in the morning because he runs into my bedroom and bounds onto my leg or arm. Since he weighs in at a hefty 12 pounds, this serves as a cat alarm clock. It is much cheaper than batteries.

He also is a good problem solver which I think goes hand in hand with smartness. When we first moved into our house a few years back a cold streak happened in September. When the cold came, so did a family of mice. One evening around 7p.m., the mouse family decided to make a grand appearance on the first floor. Tiger went CRAZY. He raced around the house. That mouse was no match for a cat with no front claws! But Tiger, being the smart boy he is, solved the problem and sat right on top of the mouse. We watched his hair bristle back and forth as the mouse moved underneath him! And Tiger never gave up. He persisted until Stan finally rescued both cat and mouse from their fun.

And finally to close my three point paper on Tiger smartness, I end with this. Although Tiger is very gifted, he does have one small shortcoming. He barfs a lot. He has hairballs. Even with expensive hairball care catfood. Sometimes he goes for weeks without a barf but mostly he surprises us with a little pile every few days or so. He is usually quite thoughtful and keeps it very dry and in a straight line. Sort of looks like the letter "I" most of the time.

Well today, he proved his smartness once and for all. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with Tiger's latest masterpiece:

I personally think he is trying to tell me to watch CS and an implied "I" this week on TV.

Okay. Off to direct a ladies choir!
Heidi

A Culinary Tip

2008-10-21T19:30:00.006-04:00

I do not profess to be a Rachel Ray or Emeril in the kitchen but I do think that I can hold my own most of the time. Tonight was a true testament to my cooking prowess. I had some hamburger in the fridge that was about to expire and since we have about overdosed on Meat Lasagna and Veggie Lasagna leftover from our Sunday party, I decided that it was time to use up the meat. I started to skim through the online cookbooks but every hamburger casserole sounded like a variation of Lasagna or Beef with mushroom soup and rice and I am not a fan of that recipe. I went to the Soup section and decided to go with Taco Soup because I have never made it and I know a teacher who brings it to lunch and I want to be more like her.

Here is the original recipe:
* 2 pounds ground beef
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 can pinto beans
* 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
* 1 can stewed tomatoes - mexican style
* 1 can Rotel tomatoes
* 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix -(opt.)
* 1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry)
* 2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth

Before I started, I was sure that I had ALL of these ingredients in my pantry or my basement grocery store so I started browning the meat. Immediately I should have noticed that I was doomed. I had just 1lb of ground beef not 2 lbs as the recipe stated. I should have made hamburgers. Because in looking back at this recipe, I only had 3 ingredients (and one of them was water) out of 9. This was really going to be a stretch for my better than Paula Dean cooking contest.

Here were my substitutions in italics:
* 2 pounds ground beef 1 pound ground beef
* 1 large onion, chopped Had this!
* 1 can pinto beans 1 can black beans
* 1 can whole kernel corn ,drained 1 can creamed corn!!
* 1 can stewed tomatoes - mexican style 1 can diced tomatoes
* 1 can Rotel tomatoes Huh? What is this? Added 1 small can chilies and a can of tomato sauce
* 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix -(opt.) Had this!
* 1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry)Read the ingredients on my hidden valley ranch dressing bottle and added a splash of vinegar and dash of garlic salt
* 2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth Who can't come up with water?
So, how did it come out?

It actually tasted really good! Especially if you added grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream on the top. And don't forget the side of tortilla chips! :)

Blessings and bon appetit,
Heidi

A few Pictures!

2008-10-19T19:18:00.004-04:00

Since there are HUNDREDS of regular readers that have never seen my house, I thought I would do little show and tell. Plus, we only have it this clean 2 times a year....Fall party and Christmas party!

This is the front entance area.

If you look to the right when you enter,
you see the little bathroom tucked down at the end of the
room and Stan's office that we put a frenchdoor on.

His office--off limits to the general public as well
as our cats!

Living room that has Madison paper bats
hanging on the mantle.

More living room.

Between the living room and the kitchen/breakfast
nook. We don't usually have that eating table there.

Breakfast nook and more Maddie Halloween.
Sliding doors lead to baby grand shaped back porch!

Kitchen that is too small but pretty!

Dining room with my too small kitchen
in the background.

And that does it for the first floor. I need paint and curtains....but that will be another post!

Heidi

Shingles

2008-10-18T12:32:00.003-04:00

For about 4 days, I have had this weird burning/bruised feeling on the top left side of my head. It is so painful that when I sleep on that side, it wakes me up! I racked my brain for the first two days and knew that I hadn't bumped my head on anything and I didn't have the tell tale "knot" on my head. So I grew a little bit concerned.

On Tuesday night, I commented to a friend while chatting with them online that I thought I might be coming down with the flu. I felt my lips burning (this is how I 'feel' a fever coming), my head was aching, and the left side of my face was uncomfortable. So I just went to bed.

On Friday, I decided that it would be wise to see a doctor. When I arrived I was greeted with the following, "Hey Heidi. I can't believe how long it has been since you've been here--January 2006...you must really be sick!"

When I walked out of the office 20 minutes later, he had diagnosed me with the early stages of Shingles. I am not really a candidate for shingles. Most sufferers are over 60, have a compromised immune system, and are under a lot of stress. But, it does hit about 2% of my age bracket who are otherwise healthy. I read a lot about it last night online because I was curious as to what the symptoms are. After reading the articles, I pretty much agree that I may have shingles.

It is most unpleasant. It is quite painful. I am able to carry on with life and I am on some pretty heavy duty drugs. I haven't had the blisters develop on top of each other yet. (I think this is where the name came from). I am waiting for them. When they happen, I will stay home because people who haven't been vaccinated or had the illness in childhood can catch the chicken pox from me. They could last a long time. Oh, did I mention that I have no idea what to do about my choir concert in 4 days?

Tomorrow I have 17 people (one of Stan's graduate classes) coming over for an open house dinner. Today I work my magic on the first floor of this house and cook a lot of food. And today I wait for the Blister Family to arrive. Maybe they will be in time for my party tomorrow.

So, there you have it. Life in the very best form!

Blessings,
Heidi

A Concert...again.

2008-10-15T22:05:00.003-04:00

As a choral music director/teacher, I struggle with whether I want my choir to "know" music or just perform music. It is very easy to pick one road or the other yet I am not sure which one is better. I try every year to cram more teaching of the literacy/technical points of music while still trying to uphold a pretty rigorous concert/performance schedule. Usually the two collide many times during the trimester and my job becomes extremely frustrating.

Let me try to explain: In September and October, I focus on the very basics of tone production, vowel formation, and breathing--these all deal with the performance side of vocal music. I also spend equal amounts of time on Rhythm, Solfege (do, re mi's), note reading, and interval training--these would fall into the literacy part of "knowing" music. And then all of the sudden, we stop. We stop sight reading, rhythm reading, and ear/interval training because we have a concert to give. And then right after that concert (which is next week), we have about 25 class days to get ready for a Christmas concert. And the vicious cycle begins again.

Sometimes I wish I would have chosen to become a Math or Science teacher. (this is a joke because these are my WORST subjects). But honestly, those departments have teams of teachers that work together to align curriculum so that it works. Choir teachers are rarely found in teams but usually are singletons. So, who do we begin to align curriculum with? When we have monthly department meetings, I gather with the 4 gym teachers, 1 art teacher (who now is teaching at the elementary as well so she doesn't attend) and the band director (who teaches at the middle school during the meeting time!). It is called a "specials" team. Isn't it special that there are 4 gym teachers and 1 choir teacher that gather in one place to talk about things that they DON'T have in common? I don't think it is an extremely useful way to spend my time!

I now know why I am a special teacher. I am all alone. I teach in my own wing of the building. I rarely see another adult on any given day. I can go for days without communicating with any adult during work hours if I choose. I can actually get work done in my office (which I don't share with any other teacher) and not ever be tempted with idle chit chat. This makes me special. HELLO?? Does anyone know me? Do you know that I love to gab with anyone in sight? Sometimes, I walk up to the office copy machine (off limits to teachers) and make copies so that SOMEONE will say hello to me. So what is so special about this?

I teach my choirs to sing. I teach them to read music. I teach them to love music and respect each others gift. I deep down know this is why I am special. What math or science teacher does this? Oh, and have you ever heard of a "Math Concert"? Yup. Me neither.

And now onto a little plea. Would ANYONE like to direct my concert next week? My kids can sing an "O" vowel perfectly (when I convince them to and they are all paying attention) and they can count simple rhythms but they aren't really ready for this public performance piece of the curriculum. It is so hard to put my reputation out there every 6-7 weeks. I guess this makes me special too.

YUCK!
Heidi

How did this happen?

2008-10-15T09:44:00.002-04:00

I don't have a logical explanation for this but tonight I have nothing to do and no place that I have to go. What's up? Could I have an appointment that I am forgetting? Is there a rehearsal that will be without a director? Can I really begin to "catch up"? I hope I haven't just jinxed my plans or lack there of.

Thought you might want to know!

Heidi

When did they grow up?

2008-10-14T20:22:00.007-04:00

I frequently have Nathan let himself into the house when he gets home each day. This way he has a little bit of alone time to do his homework and practice trombone before Madison makes her entrance about an hour later. Most days, I am rolling into the garage a few minutes before or after she gets home. Today I was about 20 minutes late pulling up.

I always wonder what they do when I am gone. Today I entered the house to find this going on:

I am really not joking! I am just not sure how to punish them!
Happy Wednesday!

There comes a time when only a song will do.

2008-10-13T21:49:00.004-04:00

An event that happened tonight has changed my life.

IN YOUR NICEST VOICE, SING THE FOLLOWING TO THE TUNE OF "YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE". OUTLOUD. PLEASE. NOW.

When I got home from
My choir practice,
I spied a package on my porch.
It was a brown box
With lots of writing,
And my heart,
It lept with joy.

Inside the brown box
Was lots of paper--
The shredded type that hamsters use.
I spied my brown purse
Inside a sittin'.
And my heart,
It lept again with joy.

I now have credit
Oh lots of credit!
And a bit of cash to use.
I have an i.d.
And lots of receipts
And some hamster shred inside
As well.

Oh Mr. UP's man,
You are my sunshine.
You know just how to treat me well.
Your brown truck pulled up
And then you jumped out.
And you changed my life for the good.

Thanks Vangie for taking care of me!

A trip down memory lane

2008-10-12T17:59:00.002-04:00

7 1/2 years ago.
And it just keeps getting better!

Vangie

2008-10-10T18:26:00.002-04:00

We had planned to do nothing when we met in Indiana. We both were exhausted from our jobs. We needed listening ears, open minds, and non judgemental opinions. I know that we both got what we needed. It was good. Actually, it was super special.

I met up with my "lifer" today. It took about 10 seconds to feel like I was staring at the 20 year old that I lived with at Asbury so many years ago. She is pretty much the same. She looks a little older and is much more talkative but she still has the same mannerisms, smile, and great sense of thoughtfulness.

We had a very relaxing time. We did absolutely nothing....except eat, sleep, and talk. That is what we both wanted to do so it worked out great until the the last 5 minutes of the adventure. We were just saying our goodbyes and I realized that my keys were not in my purse. They also weren't in my pocket. Or my suitcase. Or my computer bag, my hotel room, the hotel lobby, the hotel breakfast area, the inside of my car (I have a keyless entry code thingy), or Chili's, or McDonalds. We searched for a long time. I had given up and already called the wrecker so that he could tow my car to the Ford Dealership and they could "rechip" my car. I guess my car is fancy because if runs with a key and a chip. I just know that a "chip" meant that my pocket book was going to suffer some great loss that afternoon. As we waited for the tow truck, I mentioned to the front desk that I threw out some trash from my car when I first arrived and was wondering if I could check the dumpster. They said that they would send someone out to look in the dumpster and so I waited. Well, miracles do happen because five minutes later said garbage picker came back with my keys and a giant smile on his face. The tow truck was canceled and we all felt great. Hence the photo opp with both of us smiling and me holding some beautifully dirty keys!

Part two of the awful day turned better and then turned awful again. Vangie and I parted ways and I calculated the time that I needed to get back home before the kids got off the bus. I had exactly ten minutes to spare which was great because my stomach was growling and by this time is was 2:30 and I hadn't had lunch yet. I got into the car and drove for about 30 minutes and then saw a fast food drive thru that I could tolerate. I reached behind my seat to grab my purse and BAM! My purse was not there. It was not there because it was in Vangie's car, which was heading in the opposite direction.

My purse is now in the mail. And of course Monday is Columbus Day. I am thinking that Tuesday may be my first perfect day since Thursday. We'll have to see!

Road Trip!

2008-10-08T21:36:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I have had parent teacher conferences and have been out everynight this week. I am looking forward to having Friday off. My children both have school on Friday so let me tell you what is about to go down!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had reconnected on Facebook with a college room mate that I haven't seen in 16 years! Tomorrow I will jump in the car after parent teacher conferences and travel to the halfway point in Indiana and have a "paint the town red" party with her. I am like a middle schooler tonight....I can't decide what outfit to pack and I can't sleep because I am so excited!

We have rented a room at Comfort Inn and I am bringing popcorn and a deck of cards. It should be a blasty blast!

I will take pictures....well at least one!
Heidi

2008-10-04T20:19:00.006-04:00

My children are currently reading the same book series called "Warriors". In the few years that both of them have been reading, this phenomena has never happened. Let me remind you that Madison prefers "historical fiction with two pounds of action and a spice of romance" and Nate prefers just plain historical fiction. This book collection is about a pack of cats and I guess they are warriors....or at least this is what I gather from their highly intelligent impromptu book group which happens at least once a day.
I asked Madison to summarize the "Warriors" Series and she said, "It's about lots of cats in the forest who are trying to survive and they are all in 4 different groups who have different territories and their goal is to have different territories by fighting for them with claw and tooth."

Since we are at grandpa and grandma's house and the toy options are somewhat limited, Maddie and Nate decided that they would play out the books in live feline action with little cats that they have. There is only one small problem:

The "warriors" aren't that fierce.

Over the river and through the woods.

2008-10-02T18:23:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow we "blast off" to Grandma's house! I can't wait to get on with the adventure. It is an understatement to announce that this week has been long. A break to Lapeer will be good.

One of the reasons that I am going for a visit is that my mom does all my laundry. Ok, that was true but really not the reason I was thinking of! Mom is participating in a quilt show in a few weeks that is being sponsored by her Methodist Church. She told me a few days ago that "when you do a show that is not sponsored by a guild, you really don't know how many entries/quilts you are going to end up with". So, in order to see this "show" survive, she is supplying about 75 quilts from her collection that she has made. I mean, who really wants to come to a show and see just five quilts? Since she has given me quite a few as gifts, I wanted to bring her some for the show! Now I wish that I could come and see the show because about 80% of the show is her! And everyone knows that you can never get enough of your mother! Hopefully, my dad will take lots of pictures for a future blog post!

The ones that are pictured in this post are the ones I am lending her.

Well, there you have it. Another tidbit that really doesn't matter that much to some of you but matters a huge amount to me!

Blessings for a great day ahead!

Heidi

Somedays are not so great.

2008-09-30T20:42:00.006-04:00

It has been a day that probably should not be repeated. For a very long time. Here's a rundown of the "highlights" of a low day.

6:00a.m. I woke up on account of my bladder. I glanced at my clock and relized that I had reset the time last night to my alarm time and my "actual" time had been set to my alarm setting. Thank you, Lord, for alarm clock bladders.

7:20a.m. Dropped Nathan off at school. At that point I realized that I had left my cell phone on the counter.

7:40 a.m. Arrived at Colonial Kitchen (my Fave breakfast spot) for a meeting with a friend/collegue. He forgot about it. I waited for 20 minutes and then ordered my breakfast.

8:20 a.m. Headed to school to take my first guitar lesson!

8:21 a.m. Realized that my guitar was with my phone. At home.

8:40a.m. Canceled the guitar lesson when I could get to a phone at school.

8:45 a.m. Listened to my band director friend talk about his awful weekend. For the next hour.

10:00 a.m. Gave a lecture to my Varsity (audtioned) choir about how they better start singing and acting like a Varsity choir.

11:30 a.m. Heated my soup in the microwave only to dump it on the counter, down the cabinets, and onto the floors while I was taking it out of the oven. It was very hot and it was a tomato based vegetable. (for those of you thinking about how I had to clean up a spill).

11:45a.m. Cleaned the kitchen area in my office and opted to go buy an apple and a carton of milk. And eat 6 whoppers (malted milk balls). (This moment was by far the most delicious decision of the day).

2:35 p.m. School ended and I walked to my car only to discover an almost flat tire. Nail in the tire. Could see it with my naked eye.

3:05p.m. Got the tire filled at a gas station on my way to pick up Nathan.

3:30p.m. Arrived at the middle school and almost fell asleep waiting for the boy to get done with band practice.

4:00p.m. Got ready for a quick nap.
4:01p.m. Stan arrived and wanted to go out for early dinner.
4:06p.m. Maddie arrived home "starving".
4:07p.m. Given up last bit of hope that I will get a nap.

4:20p.m. Loaded into the car for Cracker Barrel.

4:40p.m. Were seated and given the nicest waitress. Who was way too busy. So we waited for 20 minutes.

5:15 p.m. Dinner! Rush, rush, rush.

5:45p.m. Madison and I departed for Children's choir Rehearsal.

6:00p.m. I stood in line for "reserved seating" tickets for the December 6th Holiday concert.

6:45p.m. 45 MINUTES OF WAITING IN LINE--made it to the front of the line. The concert is on the 7th, not the 6th.

6:46 p.m. GIANT PROBLEM: MAJOR CONFLICT Trying not to cry as I make my way to my car.

6:47p.m. Reached my car, checked my calendars and confirmed that Madison's concert and my chorale concert (that I direct) are on the EXACT SAME TIME AND EXACT SAME DATE. Can't understand how this happened when I checked the dates twice before booking.

7:01 p.m. Arrived at Belle Tire only to find that they had closed one minute earlier. Put more air in my tire before I left.

7:02 p.m. Arrived at Meijer and broke a dozen eggs as I put them into my cart.

7:10p.m. Checked out

7:30p.m. Picked up Madison and headed home.

8:30p.m. Started this post.

8:45p.m. Getting ready to publish this and still have no idea how to make myself magically appear at both places on December 7th. Any ideas?

Goodnight. Heidi

A little Fall cleaning.

2008-09-27T17:08:00.003-04:00

Instead of cleaning the house today, I decided to try some new templates out and fix my signature which has looked a bit "skeletonly" since I changed the layout last.

Anyway, I guess I will try this look for the weekend. I should really start my fall cleaning now.

The 2nd week of Trombone

2008-09-26T17:12:00.004-04:00

It is with great honor that I present my first absolutely horribly homemade video post!
Enjoy!

Maybe I should actually read the instructions to imovie before the next attempt!
Heidi

A tough day for Maddie

2008-09-23T19:25:00.004-04:00

It was a mixed day of emotions for my youngest today. She is in a gifted/talented program at her school and the G/T teachers take the brightest out of school one full day a week and expose them to all sorts of engaging activities. It is a place that they all learn to get along and develop tolerance towards other G/T students.

The "getting along" with others was a real chore for Maddie today. In the process of not being nice to other children, she decided to also be rude and disrespectful to two of the teachers along the way. I got a phone call from one of the teachers before I left my own school explaining in detail the day-that-shall-not-be-named. Even though Madison has a lot of pride issues to deal with and doesn't do well with admission of guilt, I think she got the idea that she had done something really wrong. The two teachers who were the targets of her frustration today were Ms. K and Ms. C. She doesn't know Ms. K very well but Ms. C has been her G/T teacher for 3 years! Here are her letters of apology. Don't mention these to her in person....that would not be good for my relationship with her. Oh, before I share the letters, I wanted to tell you that these letters are actually 2nd drafts. The first drafts simply had the word "I'm sorry" scribbled across the half sheet of torn paper. By the end of my extremely well crafted and eloquent "speech of insensitivity", she ripped the letters up and stomped off to her room. We have to work on anger management too! But after 10 minutes of soul searching, she came down the steps with big crocodile tears in her eyes and presented the new letters.

Letter to Ms. K:
Dear Ms K,
I am sorry for the way I acted at the learning center. I acted like I was spoiled. I should have acted more like my friends who didn't get upset. Please forgive me.
Madison P.

Letter to Ms. C:
Dear Ms C,
I'm sorry about how I cried yesterday. I'm really sad about how I acted and know I made a mistake. Ms. K's letter was easier to write becsue I don't know her as much. But writing one to you is harder because I feel so guilty. So I hope you can forgive me.
Madison P.

Isn't it amazing that even a nine year old can feel how hard it is to apologize to the people that we care about the most? I think Madison is on the right track.

Always,
Heidi

Help me, I'm drowning

2008-09-21T10:40:00.002-04:00

I am not feeling well. I have watched all the people that surround me on a daily basis get colds for the past two weeks. I have been healthy through it all--until yesterday. I woke up with a sore throat and lots of drainage. It, the stuff in my head and throat, has now made its way to my ears and they hurt now!

Today I had no church responsibilities so I took the day off. I try very hard not to feel guilty but my parents taught me well and it is hard to just stay home. I decided that it would only be right. It is not good to expose people to this nasty cold!

I am cooking and cleaning today. I know it's Sunday but I rested a lot yesterday!
Happy week ahead!

An Old Friend

2008-09-18T23:29:00.005-04:00

I have walked through life with countless friends. About 20 years ago when I was in college, I heard a sermon about how we have emotional layers of friendships. I don't remember the whole sermon, but I do remember three of the friend categories. One category was an "acquaintance"--the kind of friend that is always nice to you and you are nice back but that is about as far as the friendship goes. I have a TON of these friends. I think it goes along with the territory of being in leadership positions in my professional life. (I always have wondered if people assume that I have lots of friends because I am the "director" or the "manager" or the "teacher"? ..... hmmmm)

Another category was the "casual friend"--it was the layer that included people that you might go shopping with or invite over to play a game with. I tend to have a handful of these friends that have surrounded me for most of my life.

The last layer of friendship that I can remember was called the "lifer". It is a friend that has been there for many years of your life and may not always be a physical part of your life but you always feel a connection with them and when they do show back up, you experience great joy and incredible overwhelming relief that they are still the same. Just like you remember. And you realize that you REALLY miss this person. I remember sitting in the pew that morning thinking "I don't have this "lifer" category in my life...it must be for old people". I was 19 years old then.

Well, guess what? I am officially OLD.

Tonight I was on Facebook and my old room mate from college found me and invited me to be her friend. She was also in my wedding. And she knew how to hot wire her Audi if it didn't start in the rain--this is still a very impressive trait that I hold very high on the coolness list. I, of course, accepted her request to be my friend, and was so excited when her name popped up on my screen. She and I were very close in college but somehow we lost contact with each other several years ago. Tonight she was online when I was online so we started to instant message each other. It took like 5 minutes to fall into the old rhythm of conversation and jokes with each other. It was almost as if time had stood still. She is still the same.... and I am too. And guess what again? I think I have a "lifer".

Sometimes it is really good to get old. I need to go dry my eyes now.

Happy Friday Peeps.

Heidi

Sam I am.

2008-09-18T18:38:00.004-04:00

Today after school I stopped at Sam's Club for 2 items-some gatorade for Nathan and some granola bars for Maddie.

I didn't know that Sam's was so special on a Thursday afternoon at 3p.m. I apparently have been left in the dark for some time. Besides picking up my two items, I also picked up the following: whoopie pie, frozen sliced strawberries, porkloin, chicken/spinach sausage, swiss cheese, chicken noodle soup, shrimp scampi, 2 bite scones, and chicken pasta casserole....all in sample size cups.

I figured that I consumed at least a few hundred calories and decided that dinner could be very small. Today Sam(ple) I was. Tomorrow Sam(ple) I may be again. It was an extremely tasty afternoon treat!

Happy day Peeps!
Heidi

Lean verses Fat

2008-09-17T19:38:00.003-04:00

I am getting ready to make a very important decision.... I made two choices for dinner tonight and would like you to help me make the choice of what to eat. Ready? Don't forget to comment!

THIS--

OR...........

THIS!!

See you when I have to wipe off my face and take a drink of milk!
HAPPY HEIDI

Coca Cola Cake

2008-09-16T22:05:00.006-04:00

I am all set to make this lovely tasting and looking coca cola cake tomorrow as my night time project. I call it a night time project because I have an evening meeting but I need the cake by Thursday so I guess I will be up a bit late. I owe it to a lady in my church choir. Please let me explain!

A few weeks ago our church celebrated their 175th birthday. The service was set to start at 10:30 a.m. and conclude many minutes later. In that service, we had a baptism, communion by intinction for 600 people, brass quintet, string trio, 4 anthems, 3rd grade bible presentations, and everything else like sermons, offertories, prayer, and hymns that you would find in a typical Sunday service. Just for fun, I decided that we, the choir, would have a contest to guess the ending time of the service. First prize would be a cake--not an ordinary Better Crocker $.99 cake but a Coca-Cola Cake. You can look at the recipe here. It is absolutely divine.

Most people guessed in the teens of 12 o'clock for an ending time. One lady guessed super early (11:35a.m.) and another guessed super late (12:44p.m.). Every time a minute clicked by and someone's guess lost the contest, I looked at that person and just shook my head. They shook back and acknowledged defeat. Some of them even put a quick "L" on their forehead. Much sadness spread through the choir. It probably wasn't the best contest for a celebration Sunday! My winner was Nancy with a guess of 12:38. People, we were in church for over 2 hours! We are Methodists....we must have set a record for something! Nancy, the elementary art teacher, will get the cake.

It's a lot of stress. I hope my frosting looks perfect. She's an artist! I know she will be judging....

Heidi

A rain to remember

2008-09-16T20:43:00.003-04:00

It has been a very blustery and rainy weekend. We felt the remnants of hurricane Ike way up in Michigan all through the weekend. 9.2 inches of rain fell in 3 days. It was bad.

My pictures do not show the rain all that well. But bad pictures are better than no pictures at all. These are all taken from my front and back porches....I didn't want to venture out into the puddles.

My beverage of choice

2008-09-13T16:54:00.004-04:00

Today started out to be just a normal day. It was the first Saturday of our first full week of school and I couldn't wait to be able to sleep in, do some power cooking, and enjoy my children's company! Here is a run down of my "normal" day:

1. Tried to sleep in until 8a.m. but my bladder woke me up at 7.

2. Got up and discovered that my other early riser (Nathan) was up as well. Our chatter woke the youngest member of our family. She decided that is was "Mom and Maddie Morning" and told me to get ready to go out for breakfast with her!

3. Even though I paid, it was fun! Then I got the phone call that changed and rearranged my whole day!

4. A client from the auditorium called me and told me that there was some major leaking on the roof that covered the stage. A performance was scheduled for 3 p.m. today and the leaks were were right in the front of the stage!

5. I called lots of people....and finally got a crew to commit to come out TOMORROW to fix the roof. Not much of a help when you have 2 shows that are scheduled for TODAY.

6. I made a trip to the auditorium to find that the clients had an American flag that they wanted to magically fly in at the end of the show. This is usually no problem but when we hung the flag, it was so huge that when we brought the flag down it piled miserably onto the floor when the stars started to appear. So, we tipped the flag fat ways and totally broke all the rules of safety to get the flag to stay in place and prayed that it wouldn't fall during the shows.

7. After spending just an hour at the auditorium, I had everyone taken care of and the show started. I snuck out the back door, leaving two very capable techies in charge.

8. As our family was enjoying a nice homemade chicken dinner in the late afternoon, I heard the siren blow. WHAT??? A tornado warning in September?? This can't be happening!!

9. I made a frantic phone call to my techies, couldn't get a hold of them, and then my cell phone rang a minute later. A stage manager from the group that was in there had already decided that they should stop the show and take cover. He just wanted to know where to put 200 people!

10. I very calmly gave him directions. I knew that I should have been there doing this in person. I then poured an extremely large glass of Diet Caffiene Free Coke, convinced my children that we weren't going to perish, and headed to the basement.

11. So, that is how my day has gone so far. A bit too eventful for a Saturday. The Tornado has passed and we are safe and I will continue to sit in the basement and sip Diet Coke for a few more minutes!

Heidi

A Wild Week

2008-09-10T20:35:00.007-04:00

It is the first full week of school and I have appointments, meetings, bookings, or rehearsals every night of the week! By Saturday, I will have experienced 14 hours of choir rehearsals, 4 hours of open houses, 5 hours of musical practice, 4 hours of auditorium set ups, 4 class orientation hours that I ran sound and lights for, and endless hours of tending to my daughter's newest cold virus. And this has all happened "after school".

It has been an intense week to say the least. But I am grateful for a job that makes me smile and makes me feel needed. And I am extremely grateful for Great Wall Express, Wendy's, Subway, and Papa John's. Maybe next week I can stick in 5 hours of cooking time as well and feel much better about my health!
Later Peeps!
Heidi

A fabulous weekend/Man of the day!

2008-09-07T22:11:00.008-04:00

It is not very often that you belong to a church that celebrates a birthday....a 175th birthday. Our church did just this today and it was a huge festive service complete with 3 commissioned pieces. Stu was asked to compose a piece in February that turned into a 5 movement piece that featured a string trio and choir. It was set in the style of Holst/Vaughn Williams and was done very well. It was a challenge for our choir because much of it was written using 9th, 11th, and 13th chords but it was very beautiful when it was finally learned and performed!

Here are some pictures from the weekend. Our sanctuary just got repainted and we are under a two million dollar renovation so I don't have many things to show.

This was a Saturday afternoon casual concert. Didn't
want to give you Baptists a heart attack!

Heidi

Coming up for air

2008-09-03T22:21:00.002-04:00

WOW! What a start to the week. It is too much detail to go into, but I am exhausted! My mixed choir (beginners) is comprised of almost half that are brand new to my choir program. It has been a lot of review of process this week. I vocally tested everyone and tomorrow will be seat placements within each section.

Tomorrow is a long rehearsal for choir at church. It is a long week and I am wishing that Friday was already here!

See you on the weekend. When I have time to breathe!

School Daze

2008-09-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

I am in a school daze. Of course I couldn't sleep last night and my alarm clock rang far too early.

Below is a picture of another procrastination technique that I used yesterday. Here is the best tasting pencil ever!

I'll write more after I collapse on the couch this afternoon!

Labor Day

2008-09-01T15:09:00.004-04:00

Rocks in My Dryer is having a "Labor day" meme. I am not one for doing these but this was kind of fun! Link on over to her if you'd like to join the fun~

How long were your labors?

Kid #1 (Nate), 24 hours plus.....
Kid #2 (Madison), 24 minutes.

How did you know you were in labor?

I never really went into labor. Nate (#1) was 5 days late and huge (9lbs, 12 oz) so the doctor induced.

Kid #2, Scheduled Labor

Where did you deliver?

With all of them, at a hospital. Where the drugs are. And ice chips too.
And to be a bit more specific: Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester NY. A teaching hospital....." where everyone got a glimpse of you" if you know what I mean!

Drugs?

#1- I had the cervix softening gel the night before things got started and then had the pitocin drip. Then as labor progressed, I had some drug that caused me not to remember ANYTHING for like four hours and then I got an epidural and the world was good again.
#2--Spinal. God's beautiful gift to women.

C-section?

Yes, both babies. Nate was HUGE (as stated above) and I never progressed past 5 cm after 24 hours of intense labor.
Madison was a "scheduled C-section which was literally a 24 minute surgery with absolutely no pain. Until after! :) Madison was 5 days early and weighed a whopping 10lbs, 5 oz.
Both were gestational diabetes babies--which explains the sizes at birth. Both fell in percentile rankings every pediatric visit for the first year. I never knew what size 0 diapers looked like. And my babies slept minimum of 5 hours a night from day one.
And a memory: With Nate, I could control my sugars with diet. With Madison, I was forced to inject insulin. As a hospital precaution, all insulin gestated babies have to spend their first night in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit to check her sugar levels. When I went down that first evening to finally get to hold her, I was suprised to see a nurse rocking her when I arrived. I asked her if everything was okay and she simply said, "Heidi, it is not everyday that we get to hold such big healthy babies so throughout the day, we have been taking turns rocking her. You see, she is bigger than all of her room mates (3 other babies) combined!"

Who delivered?

Dr. Ribb delievered Nate. I think that is a funny name for a doctor. Nate was born @10:02 p.m.

Dr. Rabinowitz delivered Madison. Madison was born @9:58 a.m. After the birth, I told her that it was too bad that she didn't come at 10:02 a.m. She told me she was sorry I didn't ask because she would have totally been into that challenge! We got along very well.

So there you have it. A little labor for the day.

Heidi

A little rambling

2008-09-01T07:44:00.002-04:00

I am getting nervous about school tomorrow. I have experienced the "first day" about 34 times, either in the capacity of a student or teacher, and it always makes me nervous. I guess when I stop getting nervous, it's time to change jobs.

I finished my last big job of the summer yesterday! I finally tackled my walk in closet! I through out 2 bags of yuck and have 4 bags to take to Goodwill today. My shirts are now organized according to color and all the collars point in the same direction. It is a beautiful sight!

Yesterday, we also had a really fun cookout with our 2 sets of across the street friends. We did a potluck style dinner and then played baseball with a bubba bat.

Anyway, Happy Labor Day everyone!

Gearing up for school

2008-08-28T22:00:00.007-04:00

I have been busy attending professional development, staff meetings, computer training, and potlucks this week at school. My day has started at 7 a.m. and I force myself to leave at 3 p.m. each day. It has been a little more hectic each day with trying to juggle the auditorium management piece and the teaching piece. My room doesn't look perfect but I think I can pull it together this weekend in a few hours and be ready for the first day. This week has been very scheduled as well. I have started to retrain myself to potty when told, and to eat lunch in 20 minutes, and not have a fridge close to me when I need a drink. I know that I am very tired. I know that structure makes me tired! I realized just how tired I was this morning when my eyes were closed as I flipped open the deodorant cap and realized just inches before it hit my pits that it was my Colgate. Minty fresh pits....can you just imagine?

Tomorrow I am going to spend most of the day at home making sure that we have enough fresh food to survive the weekend. We still are all set on the frozen and canned goods! And I am going to take my kids for their last hurrah for the summer--maybe the zoo or the nature center. Or maybe just bowling. They really aren't picky at all. :)

OH....breaking news before I sign off.....besides hamburgers, imperial chicken, pancakes, and spaghetti, we have added a new meal that everyone will eat! Hold on to your seats....put a life jacket on....we had fish (perch) tonight and EVERYONE ate it. It was not very healthily prepared (go fried food!) but it was a step in the right direction! So now I have 5 meals and 5 weeknights to fill. My life has just become beautiful.

Well, I need to listen to the Democratic candidate now....so I feel a little bit political. And don't forget....keep those eyes open for any stray toothpaste....

Hmmmm....that signature is gone again!

Heidi

Packing Lunches

2008-08-27T19:46:00.003-04:00

With school starting next week in Michigan, it is time to start thinking about the dreaded job--packing lunches! Since both Stu and I are usually out of the house as the children leave for the bus, it is very important to us to streamline as many of the morning chores as possible.

On Saturday or Sunday evening, the kids and I spend about 15 minutes making a consolidated effort to pack lunches for the ENTIRE week. I have a bin that stores snacky items and I organize the drawers according to "Kid food groups"-- Salt, sweets, junk, and fruit. I give them certain parameters to work within such as, "this week we need to have 6 items in our lunches--one snack, one sweet, one salt (Junk), a yogurt or cheese, a main food (sandwich, cheese crackers, mini bagel, soup, etc), and a fresh fruit. Since we are packing for the whole week at once I prepare "coupons" that say yogurt, cheese stick, strawberries, grapes, etc. so that refrigerated items are not left out to rot all week!

My husband, who gets the kids ready in the morning because I teach EARLY at high school, simply looks at the "coupons" and fulfills the last bit of the lunch each morning. Towards the end of the year, my 9 and 11 year old were starting to do their own "coupons" which helped us out even more.

I find that this method saves a tremendous amount of time.
Happy School Days everyone!