Change is good.

I'm doing my best to keep up with the promises I made to myself... one of which was to spend at least a half hour a day doing some kind of physical activity with the kids. Last night, since it was chilly and threatened to rain, we made use of the Wii, but even modern technology cannot replace a sunny evening in the fresh air - or so I thought. So, the kids and I took our soccer ball to a baseball field a few blocks away and played a soccer/baseball hybrid (and if anyone knows the proper name for it, please let me know). Basically - with 4 people - one person rolls the ball from the pitcher's mound to the kicker at home base... one person stands between first and second base and another between second and third. Once the kicker launches the ball into outer space he or she makes their way around the bases, while the two basemen catch said ball and try to tag the kicker. If the kicker is tagged, they are out. If they make it all the way around, they get a point. The person with th...

I was truly looking forward to tonight's dinner. A nice piece of baked salmon, with rice and peas ... As I have always done, I fixed plates for my children before mine - they eat first here. I think, perhaps, this behavior of mine might be learned somewhat from my parents, but part of me wants to believe it dates back to prehistoric times when the young and virile were given the best opportunities to ensure the continuation of the species. Jeez that salmon sure looked delicious... pink and tender, smelling slightly of olive oil, rosemary and dill ... the rice just slightly sticky and hot, allowing the butter to melt almost instantly.... Alas, it was not to be. My youngest son, almost six years of age, tripped on his way to the table, and the contents of his plate scattered across the dining room floor. Simultaneously he began to cry and the dog devoured that nice piece of fish.There's no way I'm going to let my son go hungry, so I gave him my plate (I made sure to put it ...

After a long day of driving through rural Tennessee, my husband took me to the very edge of Knoxville to a place called Turkey Creek ( http://www.turkeycreekknoxville.com/ ) for dinner. I was good ... I ate my salad (which was HUGE) and ended up taking more than half of my burger back to the hotel... and I'm proud of that fact. HOWEVER - whilst driving past the plethora of restaurants and shops we came across ---- Schakolad, the chocolate factory. ( http://schakolad.com/ )Yup. I made him park the car so we could go in.... in the pouring rain. Yup. Nothing was going to stop me. Except the moment I paused long enough to snap a picture with my cell phone to send to two dear friends (one of whom texted me back calling me a name no lady should repeat). *Sigh* I could smell the chocolate wafting through the door... I can still smell it slightly in my hair as I finish the last of six chocolate strawberries I purchased there. Epic failure on my part. But it was so damned good.

Okie dokie, readers. I failed to mention before that my family and I are making plans to move to Tennessee at the end of the school year... yet another drawback of today's ailing economy. Anyway, I've shipped the children and animals off to family members and drove to Tennessee this morning to start the very long process of finding a place to live once we do move. So, this weekend I'm staying in a nice little hotel room which is where my little dilemma begins. To start with, everything is so very close together... so my rule about eating in front of the TV and the computer is pretty much out the window - unless I want to eat in the bathroom. Second, I forgot my manuscript at home. I set it on my desk so I wouldn't forget to bring it with me... well... you know how that goes. Ugh. I'll try to be as good as I can. I offset this morning's breakfast of grease and cheese with a nice dinner of green salad, salmon and rice. Actually, I only ate half of it, so the rest...

Yesterday I made a promise to myself and others that I would start making some changes in my hum-drum life. So, I've been going over in my head what types of things need improvement, so - in no particular order - they are the following : A. I need to spend more time with my kids. B. I need to lose weight. C. I need to pay better attention to the state of my home. (i.e. clean it) D. I think I spend too much time at the computer/tv E. I need to finish my book. I doubt I would be very successful should I take on all of these at once, but I DO think that some of these could be manages simultaneously. For example, the kids and I could spend time working on keeping the house clean - after all, they helped make it a mess. A couple months ago I made an artsy-fartsy chore chart, but it's collecting dust at the moment. Time to put it back into play. As far as food goes - I really love food. No, I mean I LOVE food. However, I have a habit (like so many others) of eating in front of the tv...

Introductions... hmmm... a necessary, but sometimes tedious part of life. Let's think of it like the "hump" one must overcome when quitting smoking... the first 72 hours are the worst... I certainly don't consider myself extraordinary in any way. In fact, I'm pretty much your average American. I live in an average sized town with 3 kids, some cats, a couple dogs and my husband of almost 13 years... I'm a stay at home mom that occasionally takes a college course, and my husband "brings home the bacon" which, unfortunately, I consume at lightning speed which has added to my larger than average waistline. In a nutshell, my life is pretty monotonous. So, why the hell am I writing this blog? What's so special about me that makes reading this worthwhile? Basically, I've found myself in a rut - just like so many others... most likely you, too, dear reader. So, I begin to explore .... what is it about me that sets me apart? For one, I am a stude...