Why Do They Insist On Torturing Me?

This is my favorite time of year, partly because I love all things pumpkin. Unfortunately, because of my gall bladder issues I had to give up Starbucks. This means no Pumpkin Spice Lattes for me. It makes me sad every time I think about it.
On top of giving up Starbucks (and the Gingerbread Latte that will also be coming out soon), I've now been advised by my acupuncturist to give up dairy, sugar, and cold foods and drinks. This means giving up one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, ice cream.
I haven't been doing such a good job at this no sugar, no dairy thing. I've actually been behaving like one of the Things, doing the exact opposite of what I've been told to do. This last Saturday Little Bit bought me a couple of loaves of sweet bread (one lemon poppyseed & the other blueberry) . They were both gone by Wednesday, and I didn't share much with my family. Last night I met with a client and we shared a Pizza Cookie.
A 1/2 pound of Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, or Peanut Butter Chocolate cookie dough, slightly baked in a 6-inch pizza pan then topped with 3 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. Ours was half peanut butter, half chocolate chip.
After eating such a yummy dessert and having a tummy ache for the rest of the night, I decided that I was going to start taking my care provider's advice seriously. I decided to kick my sugar habit once and for all.
I woke up determined to behave but when I opened my email I saw this:

This description followed:

Doulala,

Sadly, thousands of pumpkins are destroyed and wasted each November. And for what? Distance. We're talking about the new cruel "sport" of Punkin Chunkin, whereby people build highly powered machines, such as catapults, to see who can hurl pumpkins the farthest (yes, we're serious). Barbarians! Well guess what, Chunkers?! We built a machine, too! It's called a Blizzard® machine! And it blends pumpkin pie with creamy DQ® vanilla soft serve to make the delicious Pumpkin Pie Blizzard® Treat! Now the DQ® Blizzard of the Month! In our opinion, no other machine in the world can beat it. Well, maybe the space shuttle. Maybe.

That is, if space shuttles could make DQ Blizzard Cakes! This month, try the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Cake. It's our Pumpkin Pie Blizzard layered with creamy DQ vanilla soft serve and irresistible pie crust pieces. Perfect for Thanksgiving or any other occasion.

and then they included this:

How could they do this to me? Not only do they put two of my favorite things together but they also tempt me with a coupon??? Maybe that's what I get for being part of the DQ Blizzard Fan Club.

I Can't Get The Doobie Brothers Out of My Head

It keeps you runnin', yeah it keeps you running...

I must be nuts! I let someone convince me to do a 10K run that is just 10 days away. What in the world was I thinking??? That is 6.2 miles! I am in such trouble! I haven’t taken training for this seriously enough. I have been running 3 miles at least twice a week, sometimes 3 times a week for the last few months. “If you can run 3 miles regularly, you can run 6, no problem”. This is what my whack job of a friend said to me to convince me to sign up, and I believed him. The problem is I run those 6-9 miles per week on a treadmill, which I am now learning is much different than running outside, on pavement.

Yes, I am nuts!

Yesterday I ran 2 miles (on the treadmill) , then boxed for a half an hour, then ran another 2 miles (one on the treadmill and one around the track). Surprisingly, I feel fine today. I boxed again today but didn’t run because I had to watch Jane’s girls for her (Thanks for getting me out of running Jane!). I am supposed to somehow run 5 miles on Saturday and then next week a friend of mine is going to help me train so that I can run 6 miles by next Sunday. Yeah, right! I’m going to go from running 3 miles, (occasionally 4) to running 6 miles in less than 10 days.? Dear readers, you should start saying your goodbyes now. Anyone want to volunteer to help Hubby raise the Things?

The only thing that might save me is that I am on call for two mamas right now. Maybe I’ll get called to a birth! November 11^th sounds like a wonderful day to have a baby, don’t you think?

NaBloPoMo???

The reason I started this blog was because I wanted to start writing more. I am surrounded by wonderful women who seem to have a gift for making written words dance and sing. I have a gift of gab. I can talk all day long but I don't enjoy writing, even though I really want to. I want to be able to write as much well as I talk. I want people who read my writing to know me as well as the people I talk to do.
I'm really tempted to try this because I'm the type of person who needs outside motivation to do things. For example, I need an appointment with someone to make myself go to the gym. I needed a friend to convince me to sign up for a 10K to make me get serious about running (which really isn't working but that's a whole other post waiting to happen). I need to invite people over in order to get motivated to clean my house (I really enjoy having a clean house so I must do more inviting).
On the other hand, it seems quite silly to commit to blogging everyday for 30 days when I average about 3 blog posts a month. Someone like me should probably set smaller goals like blogging once or twice a week for a year (or maybe for a month).

Maybe I'll do NaBloPoMo or maybe I'll fail miserably. If I fail, it's not like anyone will think less of me, anyone besides myself.

Do You Ever Feel Like Wearing A Sign?

Thing 1 and Thing 2 are finally civilized enough to take out in public without me having to worry about being utterly embarrassed by their behavior. On Friday I happened to be feeling like a nice mommy so I agreed to take all the Things to Jamba Juice after I picked them up from school. We placed our order for 2 Power sized Peanut Butter Moo'ds, substitute strwaberries for peanut butter, with immunity boosts, split into 5 cups. It's a yummy chocolate, strawberry & banana treat.
As we were waiting for our drinks, I noticed a woman staring at us. I'm used to people looking at us when we are out in public but this woman was studying us. She kept looking at each Thing, then at me, then from Thing to Thing, over and over again. She was so busy scrutinizing my family that she didn't even notice that I was watching her do this. I almost wanted to ask her if she had any questions.

Maybe I should make it easier for people by wearing a sign that says:

• Yes, they are all mine (even the pale, blondish one)!
• They are bi-racial.
• Two of them are twins. Nope, not that boy & the girl. The two younger boys.
• Yes, I realize that one of the twins is much taller than the other.
• The oldest boy is 10, the girl is 6 and the twins are 16 months younger than she is.
  
• Yes I have my hands full and yes, I'm done.
• Any other questions???

Do you think a sign like that would have stopped that woman from staring?

My favorite part of the Jamba Juice trip was the man who commented "It looks like a school bus!", as I was rounding all the kids up into the van.
Do people really think these kinds of comments are cute?

She's One Of The Many Reasons I Run

My Aunt left me this amazing comment in my Running for Life post that I had to delete because she had a few personal details that I'd rather not have on my blog. Her words were so beautiful that I had to repost them (an edited version).

I think it's time to make sure my wonderful, generous, and so full of love niece/sistah knows how much I appreciate and love her. Doulala, as I'm sure everyone who knows her is aware, is an unbelievable support system. Most times, before you even know you "need" she is there offering to help. We have a special relationship - always have. Even though I told her she looked like a monkey when she was little! From diagnosis to today, Doulala (and all her "things") have taken care of me and allowed me to basically take over their home (her poor husband!). As only "Aunties" can do - I had those "things" in boot camp! Hey I was bored and on drugs. At times they asked me, "when are you going home?" But, with love...it was all with love! Doulala...thank you for ALWAYS being strong for me when I wasn't able to be strong for myself. I love you ding dong...

You are always welcome, my wonderful (but crazy) Sister/Auntie! I love you too!