Saturday, June 26, 2010

Quotes about body image

I was sitting around in the dentist's office, relaxing because I wasn't the one being checked... Anyway, I came across these quotes and I love them.

I struggle with not being thin enough. Not being pretty enough. Not running fast enough. You know, the usual doubt. So these quotes spoke to me. It told me that no matter, my body is great. It grew two beautiful children. It's carried me countless miles jogging. And it gives me the ability to snuggle with my family.

"We women are so hard on ourselves, especially when it comes to body image. It's always easy to say what we don't like about our bodie but hard to say what we do like. We all have to shed the layers of junk and judgment." Collenn Saidman

"I still wish my (fill in flaw) , but I am happy with who I am. I'm getting to the age where whatever happens, I want to feel I've done everythign I can and not held myself back. I want to make other women aware that we don't have to hide. WE all have different body shapes and issues." Sarah Keable

"Life and Love is like the ocean. Sometimes the tied is in and sometimes the tide is out and sometimes it feels like the frigging Mojave." I don't remember who said this...

"The older I get, the better I get. Gravity and wrinkles are find with me. They're a small price to pay for the new wisdom inside my head and my heart" - Drew Barrymore

Pictures!

I love when Zach comes up with something to do that doesn't involve the TV or computer.
Ryan with his evil look!

Cindy, Carla and I at one of our secret girls nights. This was before the matching jammies!


My kids are pot heads...
The boys are "taking care of" Troy by giving him ice water when he was so tired from his outing! They normally ignore the guy!


Nothing like a juicy watermelon on a hot summer day...


Zach was wearing at least 14 shirts around his waist like skirts. I'm not sure what gave him the idea, but it was hilarious. Unfortunately, he wouldn't pose for the camera!







Friday, June 18, 2010

Friday Five

Ode to Troy Boy...

Five stories about Troy the Duke of Edgewood. I recognize that these stories are just for my benefit and probably boring to the rest of you. Tough luck...

1. He used to run off and go swimming in the lake behind our old house. I loved to see him swim, but was horribly nervous because there is a giant alligator that resides in the lake. One day, Troy ran away and was picked up by Animal Control. We worried ourselves crazy, but were relieved when we found out he was at the pound. Since he was in doggie jail, we wondered if they painted white stripes on his black coat.

2. When Troy was a puppy, we kept him out on the lanai while we were at work. One day, he completely shredded a futon. It looked like it snowed inside and Mark had to use a rake to clean it up the mess!

3. Troy used to get into the trash and one morning he got his head stuck in the trash can lid and when we came home, he was wearing it like a necklace.

4. The floor in our old house was terrazo - which is basically a polished, smooth cement like surface. This guy, Wade, used to come over and Troy would be so excited to see Wade. He would run up to him, but slip and slide all over the floor. Wade would grab Troy's tail, spin him around in circles and slide him across the floor. It was like bowling with Troy. Troy would hop up and run back for more!

5. We used to dress Troy up in clothes. Not because we thought it was cute, but because we wanted him to be ready for the "abuse" children would give him. At one point, we took an old pair of "tighty-whities" and cut a hole for his tail. Troy had his own underwear and he wore this with a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a t-shirt. Troy was humiliated by all this... I wish we had a picture!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Troy Boy, my puppy dog

Here's Ryan imitating me taking pictures of Troy.




Growing up, we always had cats. My friends had dogs - and there always seem to be something special about the dogs. They greet you at the door, their tail wags, they love to play, they love to rest, they just seemed perfect.
When Mark and I got married, I begged him for a dog. Finally, it seemed like a lost cause, so I quit asking. Then on Mother's day in 1999, Mark suggested we get a dog. I wanted a Lab. We stopped by the pound, but didn't see anything that fit our needs, so we called an ad in the paper. We went to this house at saw 8 black lab puppies playing.
Mark and I had no idea how to pick out a puppy, so we asked the owners what they thought. She mentioned that "Kudjo" seemed full of personality, so we watched him for awhile. He was the one who ate so much food, he threw up. His paws were enormous, his ears were floppy, and we were in love! We knew this puppy was going to be big, and we loved his little cuddliness.
We carried him out on our forearm with his chin resting in our hand and his legs flopping over the sides. I have pictures, but they aren't digital yet. Now... to name this little dude. We thought about Jake, but my mom didn't like that name, so he ended up "Troy" after the city I grew up in.
Troy grew and grew and eventually stopped around 115 lbs (give or take 10 lbs...) He was our first child and we loved to dress him up, pull his ears, and just have a great time with him! He was hyper, loved to swim, and constantly jumping on people. At the dog park, he was the humper.
As time went on, Troy grew up and we had real kids. Troy was amazing with the little guys. He tolerated their "abuse" - of course it was nothing more obnoxious than his "children are coming" training!
It's been a slow decline for the old guy, but he eventually had more and more trouble getting out of the way. He no longer jumped in the pool to swim. He stopped getting up when we came home. It's heartbreaking to see the decline. You can see in his eyes that he is bummed too. After much thought and discussion, we are entering Troy's last days. We are going to miss the old bugger - but cling to our memories.
Soon I will share some of my favorite stories and dig up more pictures.



Friday, June 11, 2010

Friday Five!

I don't have anything profound to say... but I like the reading other people's random posts and I decided I like the Friday Five format. So here are the five thoughts on my mind...

1. Mark has been in Brazil for the last week doing some training for the new airplane Agape has. The airplane is Brazilian and the only place with a simulator is south Brazil. We've skyped a few times, but I'm pretty boring and didn't have much to say! Same old, same old around here! Anyway, he is taking his test right about now and so I'm praying he passes with flying colors.

2. Max Lucado tweeted something like this: Success is doing what the Lord made you to do. I love that quote... success is not having the "perfect life" or loads of money. It's doing what you were made to do. That got me thinking about what I was made to do, and I don't have the answer. And it made me think of Mark... he is a success! He was made to fly and he flies, for the Lord. How great is that?? So I can't help but be a bit jealous. He knew what he wanted to do and he does it. He doesn't make loads of money, but his job is something he is passionate about. This also makes me think of my brother. For as long as I can remember, he has wanted to be a police man. He is successful because he is doing what he was made to do. Then there is me... who constantly looks at other jobs and wonders if there is something better out there. Hmmm.... something to think about for the summer!

3. The boys and I went to the beach for a mini vacation last weekend. We took our friend Krystal and the Kramers met up with us. It was tons of fun, but I don't have any pictures yet. I didn't bring my camera to the beach, but Krystal did. Once she sends them to me, I'll be able to post a little more.

4. Triathalon training: What were we thinking?? I am confident that we will finish, but under two hours? I am not so sure. The bike portion seems to be our slowest, but the bike to run part is a KILLER. We ran last night and my legs felt like lead. That makes running hard and unfun.

5. I think today we will hit the gym for a treadmill run. Then the beach and splash pad. Hopefully that will sufficiently wear the children out for nap time! Well, gotta run along, they are using cutting boards as weapons!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

The Freak Show

WARNING: I am in one of those moods again. You know, the one where you are tired of the way your life is. So I'm not completely thrilled that God "trusts" me so much to be the mom to these adorable children. I'm not all positive and funny. And I talk about poop.

So here goes... don't say I didn't warn you!

Right now for me, I'm tired of being the freak show. Everywhere we go... we seem to be the freak show. It's pretty obvious that we aren't "normal" when you see Ryan wearing his goober hat. Then you hear Zach talk and the freak show status is confirmed.

Some people are great about it and some people make me feel worse. And then I make myself feel even "worser" by getting tired of it.

This week's freak show attraction is poop and pee. Thursday, we are at a pool party and Zach poops on the pool deck. The hostess is great about and doesn't even care. She even flings the poo over her fence onto her annoying neighbor's lawn. But someone else at the party gasps and is all freaked out about the turd on the deck. I didn't hear her gasp, and coincidentally left pretty soon after the poop on the ground. The next day at work the gasper apologizes and that's when I got annoyed by the gasping. In the middle of the incident, I didn't hear - but then to be reminded of my freak show status didn't sit well.

This weekend, I took the boys to St. Pete Beach for a little mini-vacation. Attack of the poop part 2. Zach is on the playground at the resort and poops. He doesn't know what to do and Krystal rushes him off to the gulf to clean himself up. (Hey, poop is better than oil...) I try to clean up the incident as best I can, but all I get are stares from people because their eight year old doesn't do that. Anyway, I can't exactly get the remnants off the sidewalk, so I cover it with a huge pile of sand.

Then later at a graduation party, Zach pees his pants. The family was great about it and didn't make me feel like a freak-show-ring-master. But I make myself feel like that. I mean come on... When is it my turn to have the potty trained kids? I've waited patiently and impatiently. But I've waited.

I know that even when the potty training is over, I'll still lead the freak show and I will have new things to complain about...

So that's it. I'm tired of being the freak show. I'm tired of the potty accidents all. the. time. I'm tired of Ryan getting stares because he wears an obnoxious hat. I'm tired of the overly-sympathetic fakeness. I want to live somewhere where everyone is a freak. So then I'll be normal for once.