Sunday Chatter

In four days I’m going to get on an airplane and have a solo adventure.  If we get to keep our house, this may be the last time I go on a vacation until two or three years into my novel writing career when some royalty checks make their way to me.  (Like how I am visualizing the life I want rather than cowering under the weight of a parade of “if”s?)  So, no pressure to self, but I sure as hell better enjoy myself.  I have a plan: I’m going to eat only Mexican, Middle-eastern, and Chinese food while I’m down there.  Maybe some Greek thrown in.  I don’t eat Chinese food in Oregon.  There is no Greek food here in McMinnville nor is there a Middle-eastern restaurant in sight.  I know Portland is said to have some great Chinese and Mexican restaurants but the Mexican ones have been (at best) just decent.  I had a good burrito there with a friend but not what I’m used to.  NOT what I crave.  To offset the horrible commitment to caloric hell I will eat yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast every day and WALK WALK WALK.

I did not lose weight.  I mean, I lost 7 lbs and then I’m pretty sure I gained it back.  I’m not even willing to check.  My stress management has been crap this summer.  I was exercising a lot but then my back went out and I ate a lot of fattening food.  Dammit.  When I come back we will be in a two and a half week count down to the beginning of the school year and my plan is to kick off with a brand fresh effort at cleaning up my health all over again.  Max has decided to quit taking Kung Fu and so for now we have a little extra available money and I’m going to rejoin the regular Kung Fu classes while still taking forms.  If push comes to shove (and when doesn’t it in my life?) I will drop the classes again and stick with forms for the long term.  But for as long as I can I’m going to do both.  That’s three and a half hour’s worth of Kung Fu classes a week and I get PUSHED in those classes more than I can ever push myself at home so that will be an incredible boost of exercise.  Then I’ll have to practice.  I am NOT going to worry about practicing the material from the regular classes as much as the forms.

I just hope I won’t hurt myself much.  That constantly sends me backwards.  I know I will get where I want and need to get but I also know it isn’t going to happen even remotely as fast as I’d like it too.  I think it’s important for me to remember that I’ve kept off the top 15 pounds of my heaviest ever weight for over a year.  That’s definitely something.

Meanwhile… my ten year old has been letting loose with the teenage attitude lately and it’s been beyond annoying and tiring what with having to constantly reaffirm his boundaries.  Nine was such a sweeter year for him.  He’s so contrary and combative I really want to duct tape his mouth shut most of the day.  The only problem with that is that then I’d miss the really funny things he says in between making me want to head butt him.  It’s also a little weird that just when he’s becoming so horrid with the button pushing he also starts being more routinely helpful.  We don’t ask much of him.  This isn’t because I don’t believe children should be lazy asses.  It’s because trying to get a kid like him to help out is nearly always twice as much work for me as when I just do it myself.  He has to be closely supervised.  Usually.  Suddenly though he’s volunteering to feed the dog.  I mean he’s randomly piping up with “Has Chick been fed yet?” I say no and he goes and does it.  I say yes and he expresses disappointment.  I don’t get it.  I asked him if he’d get me more coffee yesterday morning and he did.  I ask him to go get something from the freezer outside and he does it.  So I’m wondering if this is a self defense mechanism in him- an instinctual counterpoint to the attitude so that just when I want to lock him in his room he does something completely helpful without the least bit of argument making me happy.  I don’t know.  I do know that this year has been one of the most challenging of them all as a parent.

I also can’t wait for the school year to begin again.  I have only one month to wait.  Once again I will have to say that it isn’t my goal to get rid of my child but he is so much healthier with all the structure of the school year.  Something I can’t give him in the summer.  I WORK quite a few hours of the day and don’t have time to go adventuring or managing his activities.  He loathes summer camp so we didn’t make him go this year.  His attitude is usually much better when his activities are directed all day long.

Time to go get another cup of coffee and find something to watch while sewing.  I don’t listen to music while sewing, as most people who know me know.  I like to watch familiar movies and programs.  I need the visual relief, something to rest my eyes on that isn’t my project.  Not sure what I’ll watch but I must figure it out before the heat paralyzes all of my grey cells.

 

8 comments

  1. Ann says:

    I have found that regular yogurt has too much sugar for me, so have started to eat either Icelandic or Greek yogurt. Much more protein and way less sugar and no fat. It also has a rather tangy taste. It’s really a type of cheese, but with the yogurt cultures.

  2. angelina says:

    By sugar do you mean natural sugars or added sugars? I eat Nancy’s low fat yogurt with live cultures. There’s no sugar added unless I add it myself. But I know milk has natural sugars in it. I dislike Greek style yogurts because they’re way too thick for me. Philip loves Greek style yogurt though. Actually, almost everyone I know loves it. A lot of people I know don’t like Nancy’s because it’s too tart for them. But that’s what I love best about it!

  3. Ann says:

    Added sugars. If there is any “flavor”, or fruit type thing added, it ups the sugar. Too much sugar like that for me and I’m useless. I don’t know if I really like the Greek yogurt, but I do like the double protein. It’s really something I’ll just have to get used to for a huge protein, low sugar, no fat food. I’ve never seen Nancy’s, but I’ll keep a look out.

  4. angelina says:

    That’s what I was thinking you meant. I never buy flavored yogurts for myself though I’ve bought them for Max before in desperation to get him to eat protein. I always get plain yogurt but then I do like to eat it with my home canned fruit and that ob viously has added sugar! I use a light sugar syrup but it’s still added refined sugar. Now that it’s fruit season though I want to start eating fresh fruit in my yogurt with no added sugars. That is heaven! Peaches just started coming into season here but we have blueberries and cherries everywhere and in a few weeks I’ll be up to my eyeballs in wild blackberries. I have to take advantage of all this while I can.

  5. angelina says:

    Oh- but as for protein- I don’t know how Nancy’s would compare. I imagine it won’t have the protein boost you’re getting from the Greek style yogurt.

  6. Aimee says:

    When you get around to coming up here to visit, I’ll take you to Meze, my favorite Mediterranean place, run by a guy originally from Istanbul. The hummus has SO much lovely garlic, Jason asked me to breathe in the other direction after I ate it last night. Heavenly. It’s the only restaurant at which I routinely eat vegetarian. Mucver, hummus & tabuli. Mmmmm…

    Or, we could go to Mediterranean Kitchen. I think the guy who owns that one is Persian? Maybe. Regardless, it’s terrific, and completely different from Meze.

    Have a GREAT time on your trip. I’m jealous. I’d love to go to BlogHer one of these years.

  7. Karmyn R says:

    Oh the 10 year old attitude. I’m living with it now….I think we are just getting a slight taste of what is to come in the next few years. It makes me sad that our boys are growing up. Some days I don’t think he needs me at all and it breaks my heart. Of course, I want him to be independent and self-assured. But, do I need to have eyes rolled and no appreciation for my efforts?

    Enjoy your solo adventure. you deserve it!

  8. angelina says:

    Karmyn- I meant to respond to this comment before my trip- forgive me!! I am trying to approach the whole teen-attitude thing with some humor. Don’t know how far that will get me.

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