Put a Fork in 'Er, She's Done!

I finished my final exam less than an hour ago. Bye-Bye, British Romantic Poetry! Hello, three more hours on my transcript!! Woo-Hoo!! And, I MADE AN "A"!!! Yeah, Baby!!!!!!

Only thirty-something more hours to go. *sigh*

Crazy

I was getting ready for school this morning, putting on a dash of make-up, brushing my teeth, that sort of thing so I was all the way back in my bathroom. Mark was already at work and the kids were just playing throughout the house. I'd been back there longer than five minutes when Phoenix came in and said, "Mama, ahna mahn here." I freaked out. There's a man here? Where? Obviously there was a man at the door, but he hadn't rung the door bell. What kind of man stands at the door without ringing the doorbell? And why couldn't I hear Maggie talking? She's a talker. If there was a man at the door, she'd be talking his ear off and I'd certainly be able to hear her...unless he'd taken her! GOOD GRIEF AMIGHTY...all this passed through my mind in a split second and I yelled, "THERE'S A MAN HERE?????"
Phoenix looked at me like I'd lost and said, "No, Mama. I. Ahna. Tuhm. In. Here."
"Oh," I said. "You wanna come in here...with me? Okay, Phoenix. Come on in. Mama has to sit down a minute and remember how to breathe."
I'm so crazy sometimes.

Planets in Alignment

When you are young, there are many things that are important to you. You must have sunshine in order to run around outside and play for hours without getting tired. You must have "Super Friends" on Saturday morning. You must have praise from your father and kisses from your mother. When all of these planets are aligned, you celebrate, for life is good.
When you are a bit older, there are many things that are important to you. You must NOT look ugly on the first day of school. You must get your driver's license ASAP. You must be allowed to pick out your own clothes. You must teach your parents the RIGHT way to think. When all of THESE planets are aligned, you celebrate, for life is good.
When you are a bit older, there are many things that are important to you. You want your daughter, who is five, to conquer the habit of wetting the bed. You want your son, who is two and a half, to go tee-tee in the potty. You want your 20 month old to find his own pacifier in the middle of the night. You want your husband to make all the plans for date-night on Friday. You want there to BE a date-night on Friday. You want to make a meal everyone loves. You want to have energy to watch the basketball game with your husband in the evening after cooking, cleaning, doing your own homework and dealing with kids. When all of these planets are in alignment...well, if all of those planets are ever in alignment, I'll let you know what happens.
As it is, life is good anyway. Maggie has gone four nights with a dry bed. Phoenix goes tee-tee in the potty at LEAST 4 times a day. Luke truly only cries for his pacifier if he's dropped it and can't reach it. Mark has already given me a heads up to be ready to go out Friday night. I've finished my homework early so maybe I'll catch some of the Lakers tonight....we'll see. I feel alignment is very close by.

Wordy Wordy Wordsworth

I think I nailed it! My exam on Wordsworth was this morning at 10:30. I had anxiety about it all weekend. I made myself a study sheet and Mark helped me study Saturday and Sunday and encouraged me a lot this morning, saying I'd do great.
When I got to class, one of the students suggested we all go to the computer writing lab to type our essay answers and the teacher agreed. So, we trouped down the hall and entered the FREEZING lab and chose our computers to sit at. After sitting down, I turned on the screen and then, as if joining the air conditioner in the corner, I froze up. I forgot how to use a computer. I thought, "What do I need? Do I need to be online to type this up? Wait...I need Microsoft something..." So, I looked until I found Microsoft Word, and then it all came back to me and I felt like the dinosaur that I am in this class full of little chickadees.
I was the first one to complete the exam and I expressed to the professor that I found this to be a bad omen...maybe turning my test in first meant I'd rushed through it and left much of it incomplete. He said encouragingly, "Nonsense. When you know it, you know it." Yea!
I truly hope this isn't one of those situations where I feel like I've completely conquered the entire test (including bonus questions) only to find I was WAY OFF and bombed. You know?

But, It's a Good Tired...

I'm so tired! But, it's a good tired. Today ends my first week back at college...I'm a Junior! Can you believe it? A 34 year old Junior! And, I'm loving it. Mark and the kids are being very helpful and supportive so I really have no excuse NOT to do well in this class. It's British Romantic Poetry...Mark says, "Well, I guess someone has to like that stuff. Better you than me." Ha! I DO like it! Ah, Wordsworth...which is who my first test is over on Monday. I plan to drown myself in his work all weekend so as to be prepared for the essay-style exam. It's been so long since I've done this...and I didn't have three kids the last time.
I was sitting at the table reading last night (so much reading!) and I found that my mind is tired in the evenings and it helps to read some of the poetry out loud...so I did. Maggie likes to do her "homework" with me, so she sat beside me with her colors and coloring book. When I finished reading "Lines...from Tintern Abbey" (it's beautiful), Maggie said, "Mama! That was a lovely story!" Sweet five year old...appreciating William Wordsworth!
Well, on a different subject, how's my dieting, you ask? I was challenged today. My friend Sharon wanted to take the kids and me to McDonald's (the treat is they play while we visit) and I gladly went (the kids have been cooped up in the house because I am always studying these days...so they deserved it!) only to find the place soooo tempting! I knew we were going so, last night, I looked on the McDonald's website and found that their lowest-fat items were the Caesar salad with low-fat Italian dressing...which is what I ordered (with water, of course). Then, I had to split the boys' fries and chicken nuggets...getting the salt and grease and yummy stuff all over my fingers....ooooooh, it smelled so good!!!!! I wanted to lick my fingers shamelessly, but I refrained. Instead, I wiped off my hands and dove into my salad. It was worth it. For the first time (maybe ever) I left McDonald's feeling much the same as I had entered...except not hungry anymore. I did NOT feel grease-laden, gross, heavy, guilty, or lethargic. Woo-Hoo!
(And, did I mention I've lost a pound this week?)

Headin' to South Beach

Mark and I officially began the South Beach Diet on Saturday. We love it! We think we can already tell a difference in our bodies!
Saturday morning, we had omelets and bacon and milk; for supper (the omelet was brunch) we had baked tilapia with sauteed mushrooms, green and yellow onions and tomatoes topped with feta cheese and served with a spinach and mushroom salad. Oh. My. Goodness. YUM!!
Yesterday (Sunday) we had another egg dish for breakfast (with the bacon, of course...turkey bacon), and then for lunch we had grilled chicken and vegetables over a bed of fresh spinach leaves. That night, we had my own rendition of a turkey sandwich: two turkey slices (deli sliced and 98% fat free) with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes and a layer of mozzarella (made from skim milk) on top then all rolled up, toothpicked, and heated nicely....why haven't we all been doing the diet all along? TASTY!!!
We snack on string cheese, boiled eggs, V8, and chocolate milk (sweetened with Splenda...fat free...) and drink tons of water. I am so excited about all of this. I wish you all the best in your weight-loss ventures...I obviously recommend the South Beach Diet!