Missing Sis

I'd had another post planned for today; but a thought struck me as I was getting ready for work this morning.

I miss my sister.

I wish we lived closer together. She was 12 (I think) when I got married; 8 or 9 when I left for college. With the age difference, after Mom returned to work, I felt like a second mom a lot of the time. Not in a bad way though.

Now, she lives in Hattiesburg with her hubby. They have a great life there with friends etc. and for the sake of simplicity I'll say we live in the Columbus area. For those of you not up on your Mississippi geography-that means it takes several hours of driving to get together. And I just don't like that. If I could just rearrange the state a little, that'd be great! Who cares if MSU, MUW and USM were a stone's throw from one another? I know my parents would love it!

I just think it would be nice to be closer together so we could hang out more. Maybe work out together. We wouldn't be together every waking moment by any means. She and Josh are still practically newlyweds-KT and I will soon celebrate anniversary 15 with our daughters in tow. We have wildly different interests. Sometimes when she gives me idea lists for Christmas gifts I have to consult with others as to what exactly some things are where to find them! I dearly love my Mac; she and Josh are both in computer fields and are PC all the way. KT would side with them there, I'm sure. And while I do work on my computer all day as a graphic designer and know some basic maintenance stuff, I'm screaming to the top of my lungs when something's not working properly. Cory and Josh are in the business of fixing problems for people like me. Cory put purple streaks in her hair not too long ago and while I make no secret of coloring my hair, I definitely want it to look natural!

I'm not angling for a favor or trying to butter her up for anything. I just miss my sister, that's all.

On the upswing...maybe

Well, yesterday was my "I think I might die" day! I originally planned on staying home with Abby, my youngest, who was running fever for no obvious reason. But she got up and going and was fine. I couldn't keep my mind off work because we have a magazine deadlining soon and tons of work to do for that. After about 4 text messages to co-workers for various things, I decided I might as well go in and get a little work done. I managed to work 11:30-4. It was a test of my endurance but I survived. I went home and crashed after taking some prescription decongestant/cough medicine I'd forgotten we had. And to address Kelley's comment on my previous post: Kenneth really does about all he can to make them let me rest. But they are at the age where that's much easier said than done. Ashleigh wants to take care of me like I do her; and at two, Abby just knows what she wants and expects to get it right that second. And what she usually wants is me. I'll be so glad when this stage ends. Ashleigh was bigger tantrums less often. Sometimes it seems like one tantrum ends when another begins with Abby. Kenneth says that's my side of the family coming out. : )

One of the worst things about being sick to me is the recovery period. You know, when you aren't really sick, but still feel weak and cruddy. Blah!

Watched Biggest Loser last night. I thought Bob and the team members he lost were a little over the top with their reaction to the situation. Of course, that's easy for me to say because I'm not there living with all the stress and emotional and mental fatigue they're dealing with. Wonder what will happen tonight. Maybe it won't be such a struggle to stay awake for tonight's episode.

Well, it's time to get back to work, even though I'd rather take a nap...

Clarification

I don't think my last post was entirely clear and after re-reading it, I can see where someone could get the wrong idea.

I was considering password protecting my blog; but I would generally give the password to anybody who wanted it. I don't think I'll do that. I mean, how important do I really think I am, anyway?

I'm feeling the full force of the dreaded "crud" that has been going around for a few weeks. The girls are doing much better though and that's what really matters, right? If I could just sleep for a couple of days I think I'd be much better. But that ain't gonna happen!

This weekend was pretty low-key. Kenneth was out and about some with his brother AND he had to work a few hours too. I really think his job might kill him; I'm beginning to really not like that place! Allegedly things will change...someday. HA!

The girls and I watched a lot of cartoons, especially after church Sunday afternoon. Or I should say we snuggled up and I tried to sleep while they watched. Notice I say tried.

Really nothing much to write about-I just feel really sleepy and tired, like I need to sleep a few days. Luckily I have plenty of work to stay busy and keep me awake! Our annual Progress magazine deadline is coming up soon and I have a major stack of work to get done!

A little privacy

Please let me know if you're reading my blog. I think I'm going to make it private for a few different reasons but if you're already reading this, I don't want to shut you out!

I think I'll feel a bit more free to really talk about my thoughts and feelings if everyone with an internet connection and knowledge of English can read it. I think putting stuff out there will help me; just not putting out there for EVERYONE to see. ; )

Also,
TGIF

Random Thoughts

::I love Cinderella as much as the next girl, but does anyone think it's odd that she sewed clothes for mice? Just asking....

::To the person driving the green Taurus in the parking lot behind my office-learn to park, please. The car should be between the lines, not on them.

::Why is there never enough time in the day? I never have enough time and I don't even do any extra stuff! No clubs or weekly (or even monthly) meetings with friends. Just work Monday-Friday & church on Sunday. People who don't have dishwashers, or who have to go to the laundry mat to wash clothes...I really don't know how they do it!

::How is is possible that I get rid of truckloads of stuff, literally, and I still feel we have too much stuff in our home? Does it multiply like rabbits or what? We had a massive yard sale in October last year where I even got rid of lots of toys. Ashleigh still periodically asks about certain things that were sold! And gets very upset when I tell her they are gone for good. Not sure if it's worth that drama to get rid of toys...

::I have a few friends that are going through various difficulties right now. I won't go into details, but they all need your thoughts and prayers.

::I'm on Face Book, but I don't look at it all the time; not even every day. So if you send me a request or something, please don't get your feelings hurt or get bent out of shape if I don't respond quickly. (See random thought #3)

::Saturday was Abby's second birthday party; I'll post photos on Face Book when I get a minute

::My new love is audio books! Since it is so hard to fit in leisure time; I've discovered that audio books let me "read" while doing lots of other things. I just load them onto my iPod, stick in my earbuds and enjoy. Not quite as good as curling up with the book, but I just don't have time for that these days.

::Tonight is Biggest Loser night-woo hoo! I will admit, however, that I'm so thankful I have a DVR. Not only to fast-forward throught commercials, but also repetitive (and sometimes boring) parts of the show. I really think 2 hours a week is overkill. One would do just fine, I think.

::Speaking of DVR, mine is perilously close to being full! YIKES! I try to watch shows while folding laundry and when doing home workouts, but I've not watched much lately. I just like too many TV shows, I guess.

A "New" Blog

I put new in quote marks because it's still the same URL; I just changed the name. I haven't posted in over a year, but I didn't want to start an entirely new blog. This is still under construction...it will probably stay that way.

Hopefully this will differ from my last attempt at blogging because the whole point of it is to express and explore those parts of me not related to motherhood. Sometimes I think the girls are overtaking every aspect of my life. It's very easy for me to let that happen. I love them and Kenneth (my husband) beyond words but I know it is vitally important for me to have an identity separate from "mother" and "wife." I'm probably not doing a good job at expressing what I'm trying to say; but hopefully you get the idea. This is basically the online equivalent of "me time." Of course, photos and stories about the family will pop up from time to time because they are a HUGE part of my life!

One thing I'm currently working on is my overall health. Not just diet and exercise, but all of it. Of course the diet and exercise is more a struggle than the rest of it.

Here's a list of my motivations for a healthier lifestyle:
::I want the be the happiest I can be.
::I want to be healthy to help me live a long and fulfilling life.
::I want to set a good example for my children and hopefully prevent them from having the same weight struggles I've had my entire life.
::I want to be comfortable in my own skin.
::I want to be able to look at photos of myself and not almost cry in embarrassment.

So far I've lost 5.5 lbs. That took over a month which is just pathetic to me. Of course, I'm proud of what I've accomplished, but I also know I've not given it my best efforts. I hate knowing that; but it's true. I have plenty of excuses, but that's all they are: excuses! So enough of that! Off to the gym I go...