the sooner you come to terms with that, the better off you'll be...

That is exactly what I said to the young boy who was my cashier in Price-Chopper yesterday concerning how he hated being inside working on such a nice day. I told him he was going to spend most of his life doing things he really didn't want to be doing....and if he chose to be happy anyway, he would have a good life. The poor kid probably thought I was cray-cray, as one of my girls would say. But isn't it so true? I personally spent yesterday picking up some girls from school...heading to the library. We had to drive the BIG van, the gas guzzler, because the small one was in the shop getting new brakes. We got halfway to the library and I realized that I hadn't grabbed the huge bag of overdue books from the kitchen table. Evelyn NEEDED more books, and of course we couldn't just go check out another few stacks when we already so many out. We turned around. We wasted gas. We got the books. We library-ed. We shopped at Target. I let one of the girls get sandals for regular price. ouch. Then to the grocery store for grapefruit, oranges, apples (they had some amazing Washington state apples for 99cents a pound, so I picked out almost 12 pounds). The kids didn't want to come in the store with me, they stayed in the van reading their library books. Home. I grilled burgers out on the deck while Evelyn made a salad and put some fries and tater tots in the oven. We were totally out of ketchup. I do not eat it, so I forget to buy it. I silenced some complainers by pointing out that if they had come into the store with me instead of reading library books, perhaps they would have remembered to get some.

Anyway. busy busy busy. I have packed some of our stuff, but not all. We are leaving on Friday afternoon for our Florida trip. We are planning to drive all night, then stop on Saturday near the Georgia/Florida border in the early afternoon, to spend the night. We chose a nice hotel with a good breakfast buffet. On Sunday, we only have four hours left 'til we get to Grandma's town.

I wish I could go back in time and have eaten more strictly, exercised more diligently this past winter. blah. I hate being so chubby still. I swam yesterday, walked this morning, and will lift weights and do push-ups, ect., later. I have been watching what I eat more closely, drinking tea in the evening instead of snacking...even "good" snacks, like almonds and peanuts. I have been counting the almonds again, instead of just non-thinkingly eating a few handfuls. I did have chocolate chips yesterday, but just a few. Not a few handfuls. And, I have lost a few pounds. So I KNOW it works. It just takes hard work and focus. And endurance. That is the hardest, I suppose...the sticking with it.

So here I am, ready to go to Florida, and my favorite bathing suit...a black one that hides a multitude of sins, which my sister gave me four years ago...is rotting. Right through. The fabric is just wearing out. Dang. Why didn't I notice it last week so I could have perhaps ordered one and had time to get it in the mail before my trip? I have a few other ones, but the undersuits are rather baggy. I feel awful in them. Now, if I were smaller, I could just go to the store and get one, but...dang.

But there is nothing I can do about it now. So I will take the advice I gave the boy in Price-Chopper, and come to terms with it.

But it felt good to vent about it.

Oh, the things I could vent about!

But instead of doing that, I am going to go pack my clothes. I am going to wash a load of light colors, so Sonja can pack her pink shorts. I am going to wash those dishes and put the clean carseat covers back on.

Sometimes I hate being The Mom. Like when it comes time to pack. Shampoo and kids' shampoo, conditioner, hairbrush, towels, a few sleeping bags for that first night in the hotel that has only two double beds. All the Just In Case medicines. Phone charger. Sunscreen. Birthday presents for Jonathan and Sonja, who will turn 9 and 11 while we are there. The little girls don't like sandals that hurt their feet, which all sandals seem to. They like flip-flops, and I don't know if those will kill their feet at Magic Kingdom. I only have my Birkenstocks, which are comfy but if they get wet, I will be slipping and walking like a zombie. I have snacks for the trip, which I have to keep my hands out of. I still want to buy more almonds and some beef jerky. I really want to make my own, but that ain't happening this week.

So my head is swirling with details. I woke up an hour early this morning because my brain started ticking. I realized that I had better write down the names and phone numbers of the places we are staying....I am so old-fashioned. We can just look them up...but. What if I forgot the names of the places? Anyway. Too much info going on in my brain. It is quiet here so I will go get some things taken care of while there are no precious little children here Mom-Mom-Mom-ing me.













D