Running

Between Septembers

Rewarding

Elliot crawled into bed with me just before 7 this morning and exuberantly declared, "I love you mama. You're the most wonderful mama and you always do the best new things." He went on to add, "But I don't like looking at the TV when it's black." Way to butter me up, kid!

We left the house a few minutes early. I jogged the whole way to our first appointment, 26 minutes. (I haven't been on the treadmill in almost a week - had to fit a workout in somehow!!)  We went over the rules: Use your listening ears. No fighting. No yelling. No running away.  We went over the rewards: Fresh croissants at the French bakery next door. They were mostly well behaved while Felix had his treatment - that is to say, they were 125% better than normal. So we got pastries. Ok, they did. I had decaf coffee. Healthier.

We manuevered ourselves downtown, stopping at the baby store to pick up our free demo of all-natural bug spray and to get a gift for an expectant friend. Again a review of the rules and a new reward - this time: sushi lunch! They were 623498521% better behaved than normal.

We went to the library, again, reviewing the rules and reminding them about sushi lunch. They only chased the pigeons for a minute. They didn't run crazy. I only lost one child for a moment and he returned, apologetic. Felix grabbed the first book he found and sat down to "read" it while I got my books. When I went over to collect him, he wouldn't give up his book and wanted to bring it down to the children's section, where it was promptly abandoned for the play house. I apologize if any older child asked their caregiver what "Lust Confusion" was all about.

I was in another room, searching for a specific parenting book (Hold On To Your Kids, if anyone's interested) when I heard the cry that gives any parent the superpower of flight: "I have to POOP!"

Unfortunately, the cry should have been, "I'm pooping" as we didn't quite make it on time. Sorry kiddo, I know you love those Lightening McQueen underwear, but I wasn't bringing them home. As it was, all your spare clothes were outside in the stroller. You're lucky you mostly missed your pants, else someone would have been checking out the books bare arsed.

With minimal prodding and pigeon chasing, we made it out to the stroller and over to the bank and then sushi. They chanted "SUSHI SUSHI" with glee, as we rolled down the ramp to the food court. Only to turn the corner and see the place in darkness. A hand written sign informed us that the chef was ill with a very bad migraine. Poor dude. I've been there. But dammit, I promised sushi!!

We made due with tuna and ham & swiss sandwiches from the deli next door and got to sit in the fishie chairs. They forgot about sushi. And we came home, still smelling vaguely of poo.

Who were these children and how can I keep them? I loved our day today.

Five down.

Where did that one go??? Speedy little thing.

We spent last weekend recovering from my week away with the boys. We'd thought about going on a family camping trip, maybe going to the zoo or wildlife park or to the farm. But it was just too much effort. We did some walking trails close to home, hit a few playgrounds, filled the wading pool in the backyard. Sunday night there were fireworks, so we kept the boys up stupid late and went downtown for a low-level display. They loved it!

Felix looks like E.T.

Monday was a holiday, so hubby was home, which was awesome. We puttered around the house, then participated in the annual Bridge Walk for the first time. One of the 2 bridges spanning the harbour was shut down for the day and between 2-4, they opened it to foot traffic. The boys were so excited about walking on the actual road. (We've walked the bridge before, but only on the sidewalk.) But all the late nights and no naps caught up with Elliot pretty quickly and Mr. Crankypants fell asleep before we got there... and didn't wake up until we were almost home again. Man oh man, was he angry!!

Tuesday there was a fantastic thunder and lightening storm. I have no recollection of anything else we did that day. I'm sure it involved lots of TV.

Wednesday we ran errands - I had a chiropractic appointment that they were semi-well behaved for. Then we got groceries and donated all the old diapers and Pull-ups to the daycare. There was lunch. And the discovery (ok, more like admitting) of sick fishies. And probably more TV.

Thursday. Let's see. I put in a work out DVD in the morning. They did the first few minutes with me, then tried to trip me and brain me with the handweights. They also spent a good chunk of time climbing on me while I did the floor parts. I then tried a yoga DVD but had to turn it off within 5 minutes as they decided to run circles around the house, nipping and biting at my arms while I did downward dog. So then I made bread. And someone might have napped after lunch, it's a blur. I know we watched Cars in the afternoon.

Friday we got our shit together and met a friend, her son and the little girl she watches at a park we haven't been to in a long while. Brought the boys' bikes, they rode around in the parking lot before lunch. Add in a playground and throwing rocks in the ocean and then cue nap-related breakdown. Home we went where NO ONE NAPPED!!! Oh. Em. Gee. I was ready to slaughter them. Hubby and I stayed up stupid late on Thursday watching a Sandra Bullock flick and I was exhausted. We watched another movie that afternoon, too. And hubby didn't come home from work until after midnight. Ugh.

Felix said superheroes loved to swing

Elliot wouldn't take his helmet off.

This weekend we finally took the boys camping. I loved it. It was so much like the many, many trips I took as a girl. The boys were excited and too hyper to be well-behaved, but it was fun. Hotdogs and marshmallows roasted over an open fire. Beans cooked in their can in the coals. Hubby didn't have as pleasant a time. Lack of sleep and a headache plus sleeping on the ground made things difficult. I'm game to go again soon. He needs more recovery. So I'm actually considering taking the boys by myself. The only thing holding me back is my anxiety that we'll be killed by a serial murderer. Or snakes.

Hotdogs. Several were sacrificed.

S'mores!!

My moose-y boys.

We came home yesterday to discover that one of the fish was no more. Good bye, Cha-Cha. And then this morning, Rita went up to fishy heaven, too. Or somewhere. All drains lead to the ocean, and all that. The boys don't know, but I don't think they'll miss them. We're not going to make a big deal. It's sad, but we didn't ask for these fish and knew nothing about taking care of them. They were fine up until last week. There was either something wrong with them or their water. My money's on the time that Cha-Cha hit the kitchen floor in a failed escape attempt. Probably brought back tons of fresh, fish-eating bacteria. Poor things. Never stood a chance in this house. I'm kinda surprised the cats have lasted this long, nevermind the kids!

So, here we have week 6 ahead of us, which brings us that much closer to the end of summer and start of school. Don't know how I feel about that. Three weeks left to reflect, I guess.

Missed every little detail of our summer vacation so far? Well catch up, already! Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4.

25 lbs

5 bags of potatoes is a lot of weight. And somehow I've managed to lose it. And no, I still don't see it.

My cardiovascular health is greatly improved. I can run - at 5.2 to 5.6, even punching it up to 6 mph - for a full 30 minutes now, and then I really only stop due to time constraints. I've even been running outside. We were late for gymnastics class on Sunday and instead of taking the car, (The. Car. We finally own a car!!) I tossed the boys in the double jogger and ran the whole way there - typically a 30 minute/2 km walk -  arriving 10 minutes early for class. And today, the plan was to go to the library. I knew I wasn't going to get a work out in and time was tight - had to get back home, make supper and feed the boys before the sitter arrived so we could go to the parent-teacher meeting at Felix's daycare. (They had glowing things to say, he's a very happy, patient, well loved child. They've apparently never met the Screaming Pterodactyl of Doom.) So I again tossed them in the stroller and ran 3.3 km in the other direction.

Taking the car downtown at that time of day wasn't even an option. Parking would have been a nightmare and then we'd have been stuck in rush hour traffic coming home which gives me road rage and a rash.

But I did it and felt great! Pacing myself is tricky outside. And running while pushing 50+ lbs of kid in a hugeass stroller is no easy feat, either. I much prefer the treadmill. But I do love the fresh air.

(Who am I trying to kid? I live in the city. There's no fresh air here!)

I'm seeing more shades of our summer. Me running with both kids confined. Sounds like a great contingency plan. Toss in some munchies for them and an iPod for me and we're in business all day, baby! I've given myself a new mini goal... need to drop 4.5 more pounds before the boys are done daycare and preschool on the 29th. Then I'll only have 1 more pound left to shed. Well, 3, actually, since I'd much rather be under goal, as I know it'll spring back up. I only need to look at chocolate and I've gained a pound. I'm the person who ate a 2 lb bag of chocolate covered raisins and gained 5. True story.

And now I see that I'm already encroaching on the time my schedule tells me is 'hubby time'...What - you don't schedule? ... so I best hightail myself away from this computer before he comes looking for me. If he's awake, that is. It's awfully quiet up there. I think everyone may actually be asleep. Which is awesome.

Maybe tomorrow will be the day I wake up and FEEL 25 pounds lighter. Please?

Premonitions

So I'm setting up for it to be a fat and sweet summer.

The boys are gaga over these two books. I've had to drag Elliot out of the cupboard twice now - all he wants to do is pull down all of the the sprinkles and decorating supplies and get them set up in individual cups that would rival a Martha Stewart spread. Felix just wants ducks. I'm holding out as long as I can, but I know my days are numbered - I did buy the books, afterall. And then the sweet, sweet cuteness will be all mine. Maybe I should start doing an extra workout on the treadmill everyday now, so I can (over)indulge later.

In addition to fat and sweet, I sense our summer is going to be dirty.

Spent the morning in the backyard with Elliot today. We scrubbed out the wading pool, filled it and dragged the slide over to make bigger splashes. In the giant bare patch the pool made last year (hot plastic in the same spot for a few days = no grass and lots of dirt. The upside is no weeds there, either!) It's the perfect spot for mudpies. And mudbaths. We may charge admission.

I also spy lots of adventure over the summer.

Elliot has got it in his head that we're going to go berry picking. (Ok, I may or may not have put that thought there. But we'll need to corral Felix. I remember many a summer spent at the strawberry u-pick after my mother had convinced the attendant that we were good kids and good pickers. Felix is not. I may not even going to consider it this year!) Elliot is desperate to go pick our own blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Luckily, we have several prolific raspberry bushes in our very own backyard, but there will be many day trips planned this summer, since we finally have a car! Trips to the farm. The beach. Camping. (Yes, we're actually going to brave the wilderness with our feral children and a tent. We're going to outsmart them, though, and maybe stay in a cabin somewhere for our first excursion.)

The countdown is on. The boys have 13 days of daycare left between now and the end of the month. I'm going to use the time to catch up on my reading and bookkeeping and appointments and then it begins. I'm kinda giddy thinking about it now, not simply terrified. It's been a while since I had them both home with me for any length of time. It didn't end well last time. But I've had an upswing in my moods lately. Might be the SUN that's finally here after more than a month of rain, could be that the PPD is finally, truly gone. Whatever it is, i'mma embrace it!

Gimme a B!

Congrats Kelly on scoring 3 points! I'm awarding 1 point just for posting and 2 points for whichever response strikes my fancy.... stay tuned!

Still struggling with self parenting. Obviously, it's not going to be an overnight fix. And I will have to work on it - looking through to next week, I've scheduled or promised every minute of my time. Most of it is fun stuff, like lunch with a friend. But some is work. Some is boy stuff. And the house ain't gonna clean itself. I'm about to run a bubble bath, so maybe that's something. Of course, the boys will be up to join me before too long. They love it - such a treat for them when I'm in the tub. But it's hardly relaxing.

I took Elliot to the dentist today. The hygienist, who I haven't seen in at least 7 months, gaped at me and asked how I managed to lose the weight, that I looked fantastic. I told her about counting calories and how hard it was and that I hated it because I love to eat and blah blah blah. People must remember me fat, or I must have been a huge cow before because I still don't see the change. Sure, the number on the scale has dropped and my clothes are fitting me different, but I just don't see the change when I look in the mirror. Everyone says that you can really see it in my face. Which must have been rounder than a full moon for them to be so amazed at the difference.

I found a picture of myself from Christmas time. It makes me cringe, mostly because I know my posture is terrible and so I blamed that for the fat. Until I took new pictures tonight in the same outfit. Can you see the difference?

Granted, I'm not hunched over as much...

Posture - it's important!

November 2010

May 2011 - I don't think I lost any weight in my nose.

Which brings me to tonight's GMBOA question. What is the most memorable underhanded compliment you've ever received - or dished out? How did you deal?

Complaints

My head hurts. I think it was replaced with a bowling ball.
My sinuses are full.
Yes I'm using the blasted Neti Pot.
And drinking large amounts of Emergen-C.
There is an old fat man sitting on my chest, I'm struggling to get enough air.
My back hurts from all the coughing.
My brain is foggy from lack of sleep.
My feet are wrinkled from the days and days of rain. 
My eyes sting from the long hours in front of the computer.
My head aches from all the information that's being crammed into it. And people yammering away at me. Constant noise. Constant motion. Constant go go go.
My Fitness Pal informs me that if I continue pushing myself this hard, I will drop 8 lbs in the next 5 weeks. That can't be healthy. Of course, I will look good for mom's wedding! Don't worry - I'll post pictures!

Is it Monday yet? Tax season is breaking me once again. It's a common complaint. That and my office manager. (Did I tell you he looked at my belly and asked if I was pregnant? He did, the cad. And this was at the 16 lbs lost stage, too! Mrrrrrrrr.)
On the other hand, it looks like I'm going to win the office pool for correctly guessing the number of returns prepared over the season. Yay me! Money in my pocket!

I'm going to lay down. If I'm not up in a few hours, can someone come prod me with a stick or something? Prop me in front of the computer? Thanks!

I'm in big trouble now

Luckily, they don't taste as good as the creme eggs themselves.

19 pounds

Photo from Pound per Pound - go check out her blog for some impressive results!

So. Yep. I'm down 19 lbs total. And would be more if I'd actually exercised over the past month! Shocking, I know. I've been lazy. I've not tracked any of my food. I've pigged out on wine and sweets and huge helpings. But I've made a good dent - almost 2/3 to my goal weight. Eleven pounds left to go. The treadmill arrived and I've been trying to get a run in every other day. But it's stretching out to maybe once a week, especially given the latest run of barfies that have camped out at our place. (Elliot's been battling it out both ends for a week!! Ugh.) But the upside to the barfies is that I've lost another 2 lbs. And that's on top the water-retention week that visits once a month - we'll see what I'm down to in a few more days.

My FitOrbit progress.

I'm feeling good. Energetic. Except for the sleep deprivation and anxiety caused by a deep and frantic need to disinfect the whole house. It's giving me a tic. But I can shake it. I can do it. I also did some fundraising for Bust a Move for breast health over the weekend, about 12 hours before the barfies hit, so I hope I didn't infect everyone. I worked in the morning and went to the event late, but got to do some fabulous work outs (the boxercise one left me wonderfully sore for days). Paula Abdul was the celebrity trainer and she lead us in a choreographed routine. 

Random action shot during Bust A Move

I've made a few life decision changes, too. Remember over the supper when I got that crazy idea to go back to school, get my Bachelor of Commerce and go on to get my accountant designation? Yeah, that was a crazy idea. It was causing me waaaay to much stress. And so I reevaluated. I spent some time with my friend Allison who does life coaching and we tackled a few giant mountains that were blocking me in - mainly, my intense desire to please people and an equally intense fear of failure. The failure thing is a major issue with me. All my life, I've only ever wanted to be a mom. Never had any career plans. Never wanted to work. Just to have lots of babies and stay at home with them.

Well.

Postpartum Depression put a damper on that. I wasn't instantly good at as I'd expected to be, I didn't enjoy it like I figured I would and so I failed. And hated myself for it. And then floundered, wanting to create a new identity for myself but not knowing how to do it. I thought that the accountant designation would give me the confidence to get over that crisis. But that's not realistic. I don't want to be in school for the next 8 years, only to be starting out as a junior accountant. Or whatever.

I'm a bookkeeper. Have been for 10 years. The clients I have now want a bookkeeper, not an accountant. If they wanted an accountant, they wouldn't be my clients. I do need to upgrade my skills, that's a given, but I can do that at the college level. So I am planning to head back to school full time this fall, but in a smaller classroom. In a much more manageable and attainable manner. Now I'm starting to feel smart and back in control.

So things are coming together and melting away, I suppose. I'm holding out buying new clothes until 5 more pounds are gone. Though I'm having a hard time keeping my work pants up. Looks kinda sloppy. Maybe I should spring for one new pair? Could be dangerous, me being let loose in a mall. Still don't have my willpower back under control... one thing at a time....

A new year

Yesterday was my birthday. Work passed in a blur - the joy of peak tax season. One client after the next, no time to eat or pee.

Last night, we had reservations at a dinner theater, a new experience for us. We arrived in a rain and wind storm and sought shelter at the bar. Soon, the actors came out to greet us and show us to our table. It took me a while to realize they were in character from the get-go. We were seated with 2 other couples at a long table. Introductions were made. We were all dinner theater novices. Someone mentioned that the evening would be 'interactive' and a nervous titter went around the table.

Our server came by and welcomed us to the first annual Lollypop Convention, part of the Atlantic Wizard of Oz Fan Club. Menus were explained. Bread was served. Sweet hubby slipped out to the washroom before the show got underway. A woman in a cowardly lion suit sat down at his vacated seat, and made small talk until the rest of the actors jumped up on stage - a mere 2 feet away - and burst into song. When hubs came back in, that sweet lion sang to him from across the room and then draped herself over him when he sat down.  Turns out he was in one of the room's many hot seats.

More wine was imbibed. Soup and entrees were eaten as we watched the performance. We were drawn into the act - after all, the entire audience were actually the convention participants, complete with fictitious and seemingly on the spot made up message board screen names. We were serenaded with songs by Elton John and Billy Joel. We laughed until our cheeks hurt.

What a fabulous experience. One hopefully to be repeated when their next performance starts in a few months. It's so refreshing to take a chance on something new and have it turn out so perfectly!

Today was a lazy day. The rain turned to ice and snow overnight. It was bitter cold and messy. I did my workout in the house, running laps through the living room, hallway, kitchen and dining room; the boys and sweet hubs cheering me on with playful participation. I tried to get some sit ups and stretches going afterwards, but my helpers were a mite bit insistent that I wasn't working hard enough.

See that wet spot on my tummy? They were both sitting on me and someone had leaky pants. Lovely!

I announced this morning that I wanted to go buy a treadmill, since the laps around the house thing makes me dizzy, and I've nearly worn out the springs on the poor mini-trampoline. And sweet, amazing hubs admitted that he'd already been pricing them and even did an in-store visit to check out the offerings as a birthday gift to me. So when my mom came to visit this afternoon, we left the boys with her, took her car and went to the fitness department at Sears. The order will go in tomorrow, the treadmill I want (best sale and specs)  will be available after the 17th of the month. A bit of a wait, but I'll make do. I'm very excited - I have been dragging my ass about going to the gym and my weight loss has plateaued.

Of course, that could be due to all the wine I've had this week.

Next week is shaping up to be a doozy with over 46 hours to be spent in the tax office. Somewhere in there, I need to fit in a haircut, since these locks are looking lank and messy. Wish me luck! And send more wine. My bottle runneth out.

My princes on a day home with an uber-creative daddy.

Melting away?

I mentioned a while back that I had a trial membership to FitOrbit, an online personal training site. I've been mostly following the meal plans and workout schedules custom designed by my trainer, Brandon for 3 weeks now. And guess what? I've lost 10 pounds! I'm amazed at the results, but really, I shouldn't be. This is just what happens when you go from eating 3000 calories a day down to 1400.

I think I'm supposed to be following their nice slope. Oops.

There have been some bugs to iron out. The first week had me eating nothing but oatmeal and hard boiled eggs for breakfast, and my suggested dinners are still repeated at least twice a week, despite asking for more variety.  So I feed the family the meal the first time around, then make separate meals for me the next time.

I think it's the fact that I have to log everything I eat that's making me stick to it. A drawback is that it's an American site, so many of the products I eat aren't on the list, so I have to add their info in myself. And it's not saved for future use, I have to re-type each time.

It's a pricey membership. I got mine as a Groupon special.  (*Note, this is not a paid review, just a product I'm trying out for myself and thought I'd share!) Maybe I'm not getting the best of the best experience because I didn't pay full price? I certainly don't value the service I'm getting at their regular price of $194. But it's been a helpful starting point for me. I just need to stick with it. Twenty pounds left to go!

I sure do miss eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I know it wasn't healthy, I know I hated my body. But I know I miss food. But it is getting better - the last 2 days I've been less hungry and have been sticking to my meal plan better - not as much cheating because I'm starving!

Don't forget the sprinkles!

I'd like to be pregnant again.

Only so I could eat what I wanted - another child right now would snap what thin threads of sanity I have left!

Ok, let me back up a bit. All I could eat during the first trimester with each of the boys was blueberry yogurt, raisin bran cereal, nectarines, apples and toast topped with peanut butter and fresh strawberries. I've been lactose intolerant for most of my adult life, probably my whole life.  One of the surprise changes in my body during pregnancy was the ability to consume dairy products pain-free. And boy oh boy did I enjoy it! Cheesecake - don't mind if I do! No agonizing pain and bloating afterwards. And ice cream ~ I ate a banana split every day for the last 3 months of Felix's pregnancy. So. freaking. good.

Sadly, these changes didn't last. Within 3 months post partum, the lactose intolerance came back. And I also developed an allergy to nickel, giving me itching rashes whenever my skin came into contact with belt buckles, snaps and rivets on jeans, my name tag at work.... so attractive.

Yesterday I got the results back from the Carrol Food Intolerance testing I had done on a whim a few weeks ago. Dairy is my #1 culprit, no surprises there. But what I didn't realize until now is that is apparently not just a "simple" inability to digest the lactose, the sugar in milk. My sensitivity has changed to - or perhaps has always been - an aversion to milk protein. So now I'm not supposed to have any dairy at all. Whatsoever. And sugar - well, I knew that one, but now there's a catch.

I picked up the tissue salt supplements today. And discovered they're in a base of lactose, so they'll be going back. Buggers.

Such fun. And guess what? These things are typically passed down and with the boys having such an awful string of lengthy ear infections and lingering colds, they also need to come off of dairy. Post haste. No more grilled cheese. No more mac & cheese (sorry, Elliot). No more Yop (sorry Felix*). No more ice cream...... no, WAIT!!!!! *Felix weaned from breast feeding to Yop yogurt drinks.

A few weeks ago, after a nasty bout of icy rain washed away all of our fluffy snow, I found a blog with a recipe for Snow Ice Cream. It intrigued me and I was antsy as all get out for it to snow again.  I certainly got my wish today! (Yes, ok, I admit it. All the blizzards this week are my fault. Blame me!)

Elliot cleans the slide...

Those poor groundhogs. Can they get frostbite? The good news is our local guy didn't see his shadow, so we're gonna get an early spring! The bad news is that I'm sure a lawn gnome could've popped out of that burrow and no one would have been the wiser, given the amount of white stuff flying around in the air!

Jay waits for Felix to catch up...

So, back to the important stuff. Snow ice cream. I went into the back yard and scooped up a bowlful (don't pack it down, just fluffy, fresh stuff) and crammed it in the freezer while I gathered the rest of the ingredients.

I goofed right off the bat and even though I was following the recipe, I added double the amount of sugar. So I had to double everything else. A bigger bowl would have made it easier. You should only start with about 8 cups of snow, 1/4 cup of milk (I used almond milk, given that we're all now supposed to stay away from traditional dairy), 1/2 cup sugar, and a splash of vanilla. (Just for fun, I put this all into an online calorie counter and came up with about 85 calories per serving!)

Mix and mix and mix, adding more milk if your snow is very dry, like ours is, until it's kinda runny, like porridge. Then add more snow, about 4 cups. Once it's firmed up to your preferred consistency, divide it and add food colouring, if you want. We wanted. Once you've reached your perfect hue, you can eat it right away or put it in the freezer to firm up a bit. Or add a wee bit more snow for some last minute chill before serving. (Something I'll do next time, as ours was a touch watery when it came out of the freezer.)

Don't forget the sprinkles!!

I found this to be very satisfying. It's sweet, so next time I won't add as much sugar. I think we'll make another batch tomorrow - one specifically for me, made with (decaf) coffee-laced milk. Mmmmmmmm. Yes please!

Ooooh, and I wonder if I can replicate that recipe we made as kids - you know, the one for snow taffy?? I remember boiling everything (while supervised, duh) in a large pot on the stove, then pouring it out into a fresh patch of snow to cool. Then pulling the bejeezus out of it to make taffy candy. Ours always turned out hard and glassy instead of soft and chewy. But I think that's because we were impatient and unwilling to pull it long enough.

The metal bowl may have been a bad idea. Or maybe a brilliant one?

Soooooooo..... how did you spend your snow day(s)?

Artzooka!

Elliot's sick again. Double ear infection, the doctor expects one side to rupture, it's so bad. Hopefully we got him on antibiotics quick enough to prevent that. Poor kid. Crazy high fevers causing delirium and crazy nighttime antics. It's been a thrill.

So, sickness combined with -30 temperatures has been keeping us in the house. And oh dear, we had to skip yoga this morning. We've watched a heck of a lot of TV. This morning I dragged out a bunch of furniture and toys and made them an obstacle course around the house: over the chair bridge, belly crawl under more chairs, through a dark cave (kitchen table, draped with blankets) over the rickety floor (play table flipped upside down) into a tent, down the hidden tunnel, hopping on one foot across some mats, ride-on cars over to the trampoline, 5 bounces then on to the "kill zone" - a free fall from the couch, then back over to the chair bridge. 

It kept them occupied for 30 minutes.

This afternoon, we brought out the art box. We've been watching some crafty shows - Artzooka, Mr Maker, a new Pirates show that dear hubby works on... so paints, glue, sponges, scissors, tape cluttered up the dining room table .... Elliot made spaghetti out of string and paint, using cut up sponge for cheese. Felix tried to eat it and Elliot was tickled that he'd fooled him.

Kept them occupied for an hour and a half.

And then cue the TV.

I'd had some pain in my ears and some dizziness. I hope it's not the start of an ear infection for me, too! That would suck. Already, I've had 2 rather sleepless nights of bed hopping. At one point in the wee hours of this morning, Felix tracked me down in Elliot's room and wanted me to go lay down with him. I'm even more tired than usual and all this being stuck in the house paired with eating crap food (lots of bread) is making me pack on some of the 6 pounds I managed to lose after the first week of my new diet plan. Need to get back on track!!

Also need to start watching some of the dozen or so shows saved on the DVR. But I'd have to stay up late to do that. What's a girl to do?