Thanks for the birthday wishes! I didn’t end up knitting because I forgot that all of my knitting books and magazines are still packed somewhere, and I need the lace book to do the daisy pattern on the scarf. So much for that. But we weren’t home much anyway.

It’s incredibly dark outside. I just heard that it’s supposed to rain all week and all weekend. As in, Memorial Day weekend, when we are planning our big camping trip. I’m very aggravated.

I had a good idea, or at least what I think will be a good idea for an activity with the kids when summer vacation starts. We inherited an old picnic table in the move. I’m going to examine it, and if the wood is sound, I think the kids and I are going to sand and paint it. It’ll doubtless be a messy project, but they’ll really enjoy it and it’ll get something done that needs to be done. Plus, I’m hoping it’ll stave off Olivia’s inevitable summer boredom for a few days.

I’m compiling a list of ideas to make this summer productive and fun. Abigail and Veronica are frequently content to entertain themselves with what we have here at home, but Olivia seems incapable of it.

And now, I’m going shopping before the rain comes in for the week because I’d much rather be home watching the rain when it hits than out running errands with kids.

Good morning! This was a pretty good week for me. I found the free weights last Saturday and used them on Thursday which provided that pleasant “you’ve worked these muscles” ache on Friday. Love that. I also did physical therapy on Wednesday and Thursday.

I’m driven by the very short cap sleeves on the pretty dress I get to wear at my sister’s wedding in August. My upper arms have been the least favorite part of my body for a couple decades, so anything I can do to help them out before a very public and photographically recorded exposure sounds like a good idea to me.

Today is my birthday. I’m 31 now. It snuck up on me and I still don’t know what I want. Maybe I’ll knit on that pretty lace scarf and let Nate take care of baby and things? Happy birthday to me!

It was so weird. I’ve been eating really well the last few weeks, starting the day off with a varying, homemade breakfast shake, eating a super healthy lunch, and a little less healthy of a dinner (but still pretty darn good). I’ll grab a string cheese for snack if need be, or some soaked almonds, or a couple dry apricots or cranberries, or a Talking Rain.

Usually indulging in some sort of sweet either shortly before or after dinner to satiate a craving, which I’m going to try to curb in the future. (I had an unfortunate conversation with someone about Snickers Bars recently. I haven’t eaten a Snickers in years, and it sounded so fantastically good, I bought some. They’re gone now).

Yesterday was craving day. I have no idea what the deal was, but immediately after a very satisfying lunch of chicken vegetable stir fry over brown rice, I turned into Rabid Craving Monster. Seriously. I could have eaten 2 dozen cookies and 5 candy bars if I’d had them around, and probably still been looking for more.

Instead of fighting it, I quickly made a shake with milk, peanut butter, a frozen banana, and some wheat germ. Yum, yum, yum!

It may have been a calorie-fest, but I’m pretty proud of myself. The craving monster disappeared until 9:30 or so last night when it showed up again in full force. Only this time, it wanted curly fries and pepperoni pizza. I decided to starve it out and woke up ravenous this morning, which is unusual for me. So far today I’m doing well, and the monster has yet to return.

Hehe. I won.

Clark is 6 weeks old now.

We’re going camping over Memorial Day weekend with a couple of Nate’s brothers and their families, so I’ve been shopping to fill in the gaps in our camping gear. Which were significant. Veronica and I were at the mall for most of yesterday, and spent much of that time in REI, which is the coolest store ever. Every time I’m there, I want to buy everything and live in the mountains like a recluse.

Moving on, I bought Stahman’s Shawls and Scarves online finally. Unfortunately, the binding has come undone, so I’m waiting for another one to be sent. But before it all fell apart, I had some great ideas for conquering the world, or at least for knitting a shawl.

Don’t know when exactly I’m going to be able to do it.

But getting into the spirit of things, I drug out all of the lace yarn in my stash and came across the Daisy Swatch-turned-Scarf (see sidebar under WIP). I think I’m going to finish it as soon as I can find any length of time that isn’t claimed by something else.

Which might not happen until we’re camping, and even that’s thinking optimistic.

And now I’m sad. I just followed the Daisy Swatch-turned-Scarf link and saw my pretty fingernails. Pout. They haven’t looked like that in a long time. I had finally broke my life long nail biting habit, but it rears its ugly head when I’m under significant stress.

I bit them on 9/11. I bit them when my insurance company said it wasn’t going to honor the rest of my PIP coverage after the accident, despite my continuing pain.

So in January when we were suddenly and unexpectedly buying a house and needing to rapidly fix ours to sell, (remember the bathroom floor?), amidst pregnancy sickness, impending delivery, and car accident attorney stuff, my nails went to pot.

Where they remain.

I’m going to go find my cuticle conditioner and clear polish now, because I’m not ok with this.

Good morning! It looks like we’re going to get a nice Saturday, finally. It’s lovely out.

I’ve been doing well. The breakfast shakes are still fantastic. I’ve had one every day for 2 weeks, and as I’d hoped, it starts the day off well and I don’t graze on junk the rest of the day. I don’t even want it until about 4:30-5:00 in the evening, and that’s been manageable.

I’ve run out of soy milk and yogurt, so this morning I made a shake with a cup of orange juice, most of a frozen banana, some raspberry sorbet (first time for that one), and the protein and vitamin powders. It was way good. I drank one full glass of it, and gave the leftovers to the girls. I made Nate’s the same way, but used mango sorbet instead of the raspberry. His was better.

The reason I like the protein powder is because I think protein is very important in the morning. Ultimately, I think a couple of eggs with whole wheat toast is the perfect breakfast, but I don’t usually want anything that heavy that early.

And on the scale I’m 221.

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday I did some physical therapy and ab work. Thursday night, Nate suggested a walk in the neighborhood. We took the girls and went for about 30 minutes. It felt really great. I had hoped to start on my biceps and triceps this week, but I can’t find my free weights from the move yet, and the pulley system is surrounded by boxes still.

I hope to find the weights today, as well as to get some ab work in.

It’s so great to be posting about HEALTH on Health Group again! I’ve really missed it!

How’s it going for you?

We are so going.

My beautiful sister is getting married in August. She has spent many, many hours diligently looking for a pretty, modest bridesmaid dress that won’t break the bank, that we her bridesmaids would like enough to wear again. And she finally found one.

I am very excited. I like it a lot. The problem is that I need to order it soon, and I’m only 5 weeks postpartum. My waist is not it’s normal proportion to my hips. I don’t want to order a dress any larger than I HAVE to just to accommodate flabby baby abs that may or may not still be flabby in August.

Pout.

So I need to call them and ask how much $ they charge for a rush fee, and how much time it will buy me.

And I need to tone, tone, tone. Fortunately, I have already started that.

you’re beside yourself with glee when you think to raid the Mag-lite for batteries upon discovering the swing has gone dead just after midnight, along with any hopes you may have had to get to sleep.

Stealing from a flashlight is much better than getting dressed, waking and loading the baby into the car, and driving to the grocery store to get batteries in the wee hours.

I can think of no other time or reason to be SO glad that those dumb flashlights take FOUR “D” batteries.

Now, I’m going to bed.

I found the liner to my Superman blanket today while cleaning up a pile of boxes in my entryway! So that’s good.

Clark is 5 weeks old today.

After the kids were in bed late Saturday night, I took a zillion super-up-close pictures of him.

Nate hit a bad pothole over the weekend and really messed up his car. We just heard that the part needed is $1000, all by itself.

That is so lame.