I <3 Autumn!

Autumn is the best time of year in my opinion. My flowers are still alive and doing great, our grass is recovering from the heat and dryness, our garden is actually growing nicely  thanks to the reprieve of hot nights and even hotter days.   It’s a very relaxing peaceful time of the year for me. All the wonderful colors, smells and baked goods! And let’s not forget knitting in the fall, it rocks! When everything else is slowing down, I feel revived during this time of year. Hopeful, serene. I wish it could be this way always!

Weekly Workouts!

Tuesday September 6, 2011 – 1.5 miles – 2.4 km. Started to feel under the weather during my workout and went home and fell asleep!)
Thursday September 8, 2011 – 1 hour on the elliptical w/20% incline (This workout went by very quickly as I was reading my nursing textbook.)
Friday September 9, 2011 – 3.1 miles – 4.98 km – probably over did it yesterday but had to get in at least 3 workouts this week.
I didn’t lose any weight this week, but stayed the same. I didn’t eat as well as I should have but am allowed to have off weeks! So there!

Weekly workouts

Monday August 22, 2011: 3.5 miles = 5.6 km - good energy

Wednesday August 24, 2011: 3.31 miles = 5.3 km - good energy

Friday August 26, 2011: 3.28 miles = 5.2 km - had to really push myself to keep going.

in between daily workouts I do a number of toning exercises at home.

High and low of my day!

Happy Monday to all! My high began with an awesome workout that left me feeling energetic and positive because I am starting to see and feel results of my workouts. I actually fit into a pair of capris that I haven’t been able to fit into for 3 summers!
Here is a list of my workout for the last week:
Monday August 15, 2011: 3.26 miles = 5.26 km
Wednesday August 17, 2011: 3.15 miles = 5.06 km
Friday August 19, 2011: 3.18 miles = 5.13 km
Monday August 22, 2011: 3.5 miles = 5.6 km
I have been working out three times a week at the rec center. At home I do crunches, pushups and different exercises that uses my own body as resistance. I also have been working out to my Biggest Loser Ultimate workout for XBox 360. It’s great because one day I can choose to do  a workout or the next day I can do yoga. You have so many options with this workout, not just doing the same old exercise over and over like normal DVD’s. I had to quit WW when I decided to quit my job so that I could go to school fulltime this semester (14 credit hours) but I am still loosely following the point system. All in all I feel good, I actually love working out and I bought myself a pair of Asics running shoes  in fuchsia to keep me motivated!  They were on sale for $60 but normally sell for $100. Yeah sales!
My low of the day is when I received my criminal background check that I requested last week as part of my requirements to do clinicals. All was good until I got to the page where it shows the names under my social security number and there are three names THAT ARE NOT MINE! Some asshole has been using my ss# since 1992 under 3 different names and addresses. So all I can say is thank you very much dickhead Juan for using my number causing me to spend the last 5 hours online checking all three credit reports and on the phone with the CR police, Federal Trade Commission and the SSA who by the way are morons. The woman on the phone at the social security office told me that the individual using my number most likely doesn’t realize that he’s using the incorrect number. He might have written down a wrong number or something that could explain the mistake! Was this idiot serious? How do you use the same number since 1992 and not realize that it’s not your number?  I think I would have slapped her if I had been at a SSA office and she was trying to feed me this bullshit to my face! Seriously, how stupid did she think I was. I have enough work experience in currency exchange to know how many SS#’s are being used fraudulently!
All in all I am doing everything I can to cover my ass in the event that this person adds something negative to my report and that’s all I can do at this point. I felt like sending a letter to all three addresses on the report and telling him “I know where you live, so stop using my ss#!”. That would be funny but the addresses are probably just as fake as his name. *sigh* Oh well, guess what? I am not letting this bother me. It WAS my low but I am back feeling happy and positive. One of my favorite songs is from “Suicidal Tendencies” called “You can’t bring me down.” I live and love that song!  Today is the first day of my CNA  class so off I go to print my syllabus and schedule! Have a great night!
Tamara

I can save you….. I just hope I never have to!

Just got home from my CPR class with my brand new shiny CPR for Healthcare Providers card! So happy and relieved that is done. I was nervous because I had taken a previous CPR class and left feeling really unsure of my abilities to ever save a persons life but this class was great. I left feeling like I could save the world! LOL Well, not the world  but at least confident enough that if someone went into cardiac arrest I could perform CPR and use a AED until paramedics showed up.
If you are in Colorado and need to take a CPR class I recommend www.rockymountaincpr.com even if you aren’t going into healthcare CPR is a skill everyone should know.
Tamara

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. by Hanna Rion

 

Our seedlings are almost ready to plant in the garden! I am so excited! We just need to figure out the best time to put these into the ground. Most people in Colorado will say not to plant anything until Mother’s Day is past because it can snow on up to the middle of May. Last year was proof!

This year we have 16 different varieties of herbs and vegetables and one blueberry bush. Our next step is planting fruit trees, tomato's and of course strawberries! We are even thinking about getting some chickens. Living a more sustainable life is not a fade it’s a necessity!

My sick little guy

I couldn't post these during the week because the battery on my Nikon D70 died on me and I wasn't able to upload photos but I took care of that today. Poor Jack had a low grade fever and a persistent cough all week long. The cough is still bothering bim but otherwise he is doing better, thankfully. I think part of the problem is seasonal allergies. We administered a nebulizer treatment which helped him breathe better and have kept him off milk products which is one of the worse things you can do to that kid! He's a milk fiend and trying to explain to a 5 year old the benefits of being dairy free while sick doesn't matter one bit! :)

Spring is (almost) in the air.

Just when I thought (hoped) that spring was finally here, we had another snow storm on Friday. Luckily today has been warm, beautiful and sunny and a lot of the snow has already melted. I hope the weather continues to improve. The boys are now on spring break so I need good weather on my side or else all hell breaks loose when the three are stuck in the house all day with nothing to do but torment each other.
At least they will have a little change of pace over the next two weeks. I start my new job tomorrow! So the boys will still have to get up early, earlier than normal, to go to the preschool with me. Henry thinks he should be able to stay home while I work. Like that’ll happen anytime soon! For goodness sakes, he’s only 8! I just can’t see myself leaving him alone ever! Once a protective Mama bear, always a protective Mama bear.
What else has been going on? Did I mention that we were sick as dogs? There is some stomach virus going around our area and one night Jack vomited and was fine. The next night Henry vomited and was fine then it hit me. I was sick from head to toe with “all” the bad stuff (I won’t offer TMI but you know where I am going with this). Finally after the third day of being so sick I wanted to die I started to feel better. Then Jason got sick and missed three days of work last week. It was BAD. I am just so thankful that we are all doing better. Did you notice I didn’t mention Owen? That’s because Owen rarely ever gets sick. My middle child has an incredible immunity. We joke that it’s because when he was a little one he would eat just about anything he could pick up and put in his mouth which included a live cricket he caught and ate before I could catch him and a rabbit poop pellet he found in our backyard in Arizona.  I still cringe at remembering those  moments.
Lastly, I am working on my business website which has been (insert sarcastic tone) a complete and utter joy. I won’t mention the webhosting site (starts with IN and ends with TUIT) but all in all they SUCK! Ignore the commercials you might have seen because it’s such a bait and switch game. First I bought my domain name then the next day after a lot of searching online decided that it might be a good idea to have them host the site as well. So with a 30 day money back guarantee I thought “Why not?” well here’s why not… the $4.95 a month site is nothing the commercial made it out to be and I still can’t understand what type of business could get by with such a limited site. Secondly the next site cost $19.99 a month which was more than I wanted but I thought 30 day money back guarantee. Well, technically speaking the site IS $19.99 a month but what you don’t find out until you’ve signed up is that it is $239.88 up front and not a monthly charge. If you know me at all you know things like this piss me off royally so I immediately called and told them to cancel the webhosting part of the deal and I would keep my domain name and transfer to another company. The person I spoke to cancelled BOTH services and told me that I couldn’t have the domain name through them without a 3 page website and that would cost $14.99….. WTF? So in my anger I told them to cancel everything and I would just register my domain name with the other company. I don’t need this shit right now. So to make a long story short (I am kinda past that already, aren’t I?) I had to call them back because (of course) I was unable to register the domain name with the other company because the first person didn’t cancel it properly and it wasn’t transferrable without an EPP number or WHATEVER so after speaking to another representative not only did he cancel the website properly but reinstated the domain name for me for the original $9.99 a year.
I asked Jason if he thought this was a sign that maybe I shouldn’t start my own business and he said that he thought it was a sign that meant that nothing worth having comes easily and in the end it will all work out. I like his thinking better.
 
Quote of the day:
What if this weren't a hypothetical question? - Unknown

Didn’t mean for that to happen!

Wouldn’t you know it, I promised myself I would blog more and Facebook less. Since last week I have stopped going on Facebook altogether as somehow our computer picked up a nasty virus from that site that is nearly impossible to get rid of unless you restore your computer back to a date before the infection. I am still not even sure if that cleared it up completely but it hasn't popped up since the restore.
So now I am afraid to go back to FB because so far it’s the only site that we get this virus that our virus definition doesn’t pick up on.
I am not even sure if it was a virus but its called Vista 2010 Antivirus Malware. The weird thing is that Norton doesn’t detect it but it locks up your entire computer. So, I hate to lose my FB account as all my friends and family are on there and all my photos. Not sure what to do on that but that is also the reason I haven’t blogged because up until a few days ago I didn’t even want to get online in fear of the malware.
In other news, I think I have a job! The director at the preschool my son attends knows that I have a lot of experience with preschool and teaching and offered me a very small part time job in the mornings for 2 to 3 hours a day. 10 to 15 hours a week is perfect! With fulltime school, three kids, trying to work out consistently and yet needing to make a little money to help out, this would be perfect! I can totally afford to work 2 to 3 hours in the morning and still have time to go to Jazzercise in the afternoon, pick up the kids, work on my studies and still take care of the house, chores and grocery shopping!  I am excited about this.
I know the money won’t make the bills go away but at least I can do my part to help out. Not helping out financially really is an issue for me. I have always been so independent and on my own since I was 17 so not making money makes me feel bad about myself. I know that we both agreed on me being a stay at home mom and I absolutely love that I have had this opportunity but I think the independence of having a little pocket money of my own and paying off a bill or two a month makes me feel good about myself. I know that sounds silly to some but it really makes me feel crappy to ask my husband for money so I can get a haircut or buy yarn. So I need to turn in an application today and will find out when I get to start!  Plus, the two oldest will be in the before school program and will be taken to school on the center’s bus! That’s another obstacle for me when looking for a job because I take care of the kids from the time they get up until the time my hubby gets home and with his schedule he isn’t able to take them to school or pick them up. So having them at the center with me in the morning and taking the bus to school allows me to work and I know they are in good hands. 
I know I am rambling but this excites me.
Well I need to pick up the youngest and figure out what’s for supper. The boys are off tomorrow so hopefully the weather is nice so we can go to the park or on a walk!


Quote of the Day:
Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
--Anonymous

Jazzercise

What a fun exercise class to take. It’s been years since I’ve been to an aerobics class but I had fun laughing at myself trying to keep up but I did it and I feel good! I joined their program called “Forever Fit” that our area Jazzercise offers once a year. I pay for the monthly classes which are unlimited and a registration fee but with this “Forever Fit” I get a complete fitness assessment, nutrition seminars and 2 sessions of personal training. Depending on my results they use the people’s success stories in the advertising.  The program runs for 12 weeks so we shall see.
I need this type of program to keep me motivated. Once I start to lose weight and my energy levels improve I am hooked. I can honestly say that when I am in shape and exercise on a regular basis, I look forward to working out. It’s just getting started that’s the hard part.
 
Quote of the day:
It's all right letting yourself go as long as you can let yourself back. - Mick Jagger

Asperger’s Syndrome or whatever the hell it is…..

In a nutshell, the last two weeks have been hell. It seems so silly that a 5 year old can bring me to tears but there have been a lot of tears shed over the last few weeks. Mostly by me. 
I think I have posted about Owen’s issues here before but for those who aren’t sure what I am talking about here goes: something is wrong with my son. Period. I have been trying to get him evaluated by anyone over the past few years and finally we have an appointment with Children’s Hospital in JUNE and the second appointment in SEPTEMBER.  I actually set these appointment up in December of 2009 so you can see my frustrations in how long this is taking. I hear from other moms who are dealing with similar issues with their own children and the school steps in or the pediatrician helps out. But not here. Basically it’s been ME fighting for my son.
At school the kids have a behavior chart. They start off on green and have to work at keeping their green position. If they act out or whatever it’s moved to yellow…. or red. Think stop light here. Pretty simple. Green means good, red is bad. Well over the last two weeks Owen has had more red and yellows then greens. Today I wanted to speak to his teacher to find out what was going on. She seemed near tears when I first approached her. His behavior has been off to say it nicely. He has a hard time listening, he gets easily upset over almost nothing. Apparently it’s something to him but for the outsider it’s not obvious what set him off.
Today he had a full blown fit and was sent to the principal’s office. He’s been sent to the office 4 or 5 times now. What Kindergartener gets in trouble and has to be sent to the office?  I am so frustrated! His problems are at their worst when the teacher is out and has a substitute teacher filling in. They never seem to know how to handle Owen. Another time that causes his anxiety and issues is during transition time from one activity to another or being moved from one classroom to another. How is he suppose to go to first grade next year when he can barely contain his emotions. Kids are going to be so mean. I already see it.
I am at my wits end. With him, with his school, with the doctors, with everything right now. My back is against the wall and until he gets an evaluation and we know what his issues are the school can’t (or won’t) step in. His teacher is awesome but as she told me today, she’s not trained to understand what he’s going through….  and the only thing I can do is keep reading and researching his behavior and hope for the best. Each day he tells me he’s going to get a green and at the end of the day when I pick him up I can see it in his face that today wasn’t his day. It’s breaking my heart to see him so disappointed in himself.
As for the title, we honestly believe that Owen has Asperger’s Syndrome which is considered part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder or Pervasive Developmental Disorders. All the signs and behavior point to AS. I’ve looked up ADD, ADHD, and just about anything that can cause a kid to behave outside the “norm” and nothing makes more sense to me than AS.  His last pediatrician agreed with our concerns after a long appointment and told us that it is expensive to be evaluated and like I said he believed that Owen has AS. I was happy with that, it’s not that I WANT or NEED a diagnosis to make ME happy but once I knew for sure that I am not nuts and yes my son has AS I can go about getting him the help he needs both in school and at home. Then the inlaws, in complete denial, stepped in. The same ones who see him maybe twice a year and when they do they spend very limited time with him. Geez, thanks for the family support through what has been my most challenging issues as a mom!

Anyhow, thanks for reading if you actually made it this far. Hubby is taking us out for ice cream. G’night.