September 27, 2004

ZONE 5, my brother as guest speaker & stuff

We are FLYing in ZONE 5 this week. ZONE 5 is improving slowly & this week we're only there for 4 days. I've gone from the entire room being a hotspot to the coffee table, the bookcase & the catch-all between the LR & the kitchen. Each week we're in ZONE 5, I declutter a few more of DD's toys. They are almost down to a managable level. I need to declutter the bedroom of some more of her toys, but that will be comming in a few short weeks. I was trying winter clothes on DD today & most of them fit from last year. I bought 2 T's instead of 18 months because the 2 T's weren't so big they were sloppy. Living where we do, we don't have much of a winter season, so I hate to spend the $$$ on "winter" clothes. Last year she wore shorts & t-shirts for several weeks in JAN & FEB because it was so flippin hot! Today I walked for a total of 46 minutes & 2.609 miles (according to my pedometer). It was over 5000 steps. Now I need to find another enjoyable activity to add to my exercise program. Preferably something I can do while DD is asleep.

September 21, 2004

No new entries for a few days...

I've been on-line preparing or a trip to San Diego with my family. This will be the first vacation DH, DD & I have taken that doesn't result in going to see any of our family members. We COULD have gone to IL or TX but DH said he needed a FAMILY vacation that he could just relax. SInce we've never been to SD together, we picked SD for our 1st "just us" family vacation ever. We are certian that Sea World will be one day. Balboa Park & Mission Bay Beach will probably be included on 2 other days. We used Expedia.com to find a smokin' rate on a nice room. We then called the hotel 800 # & asked if they could match it....they could only come within $5 of matching it. I told her thanks, but we'd go ahead & book with Expedia. You may be saying "It's only $5", but we are staying for 4 nights. This is our first experience with Expedia so we will see how it goes at the check-in counter. My friend Barbie (yes it's her REAL name) goes to SD yearly & said that $85 per night for a 2 room "suite" is cheap. Since our goal was to keep lodging under $100 per night, we came in at $385.68....according to Expedia. That includes daily Continental breakfast. I've had Continental breakfast before & know it's no big deal. Because DH, DD & I are NOT big breakfast eaters, it is perfect for us. That equals AT LEAST another $20 saved per day. There are refridgerators & microwaves in each room. That is nice to have & we used the one we had while staying in Mexico quite a bit. Since we will probably be back at the room fairly early, due to our 2 1/2 yr old daughter, I'm sure the fridge & microwave WILL be used. ** I only caught part of Starting Over yesterday. I had too many things to do. **I'm not 100% sure of who I'll be voting for in November. To be completely honest, I don't care for BUSH or KERRY. I am among the "undeceided" that the parties are fighting over. Hey, I LIKE that! It's been a long time since I've had 2 men fighting over me! (LOL) I can say that I'm leaning toward KERRY right now. I WISH we had a strong 3rd party that was a truer representation of middle class America. The only problem is that it costs $$$ to run for President & middle America doesn't have that kind of $$$. I like what KERRY has say in several issues that are important to me. The real question is "Can KERRY deliver on his promises if he were in the Oval Office". I would probably be classified as one of the New World Order's sheepeople. I've been blissfully ignorant of the truth. I have no idea WHO to believe. Do I believe certian websites that I frequent, favor the right or the left. Personally, I'm thinking that the truth lies somewhere between the three. I DON'T agree that we should have a draft, I DON'T think we should lose anymore of rights or freedoms & I DON'T agree with amensty for illegal aliens...working or not. I DO believe that we need some form of socialized medicine program, I DO believe that our education system is a complete joke & I DO believe that we need to regain crediability within the world community. ** FLYlady's zone is the master Bedroom this week. I found an on-line Yahoo group for FLYbabies & FLYladies in my local area. The members seem pretty nice & not at all "catty" like some other boards I've tried in the past. Sorry but I'm just too damm old for "catty", petty, grade school bu!!shit. Unless you'e on a debate board, it's not a place to "flame" someone for expressing their opinions. **

September 17, 2004

Another FLYing post....

**I MISSED Starting Over today (sniff sniff) Oh well, I did see it yesterday & Towanda Braxton (Toni's sister) is in the SO House. I'll catch the show Monday.**

~~My DH announced that he'd like to go to San Diego in October for 3 or 4 nights. Since i haven't been in about 10 years, I would enjoy it also. He just wants us to take a family vacation that doesn't involve visiting any family members for a change. Since we've NEVER been on one of those, I am ALL for it. The only definate is that we WILL be going to Sea World & NOT the zoo. We will also probably spend one day at the beach. It will be a nice little get away. After the year we've had with family health issues & strained family member relationships...we need the break. We haven't had problems within our marriage, but because we are close to our family members...it has caused some stress. ~~

**DH is on his way home, DD has deceided it's necessary to run around the house naked & she has a habit of peeing on the carpet when she is naked. We are potty training so I expected some of that behavior. **

~~I'll write again soon.~~


September 16, 2004

**Today on Starting Over Josie DID reveal who Chloe's father is & it's NOT Jonathan. She said Jonathan tries to call & leaves messages for her & she pretty much doesn't return them. !!! GOOD FOR HER !!!**

~~My little girl refused to sleep last night so at 2 am we were finishing cleaning the bathroom. While I was in the shower waxing & buffing it, DD grabbed the broom & began sweeping the floor. Then I gave her a towel & she "cleaned" the bathroom door for me. Since she's only 2 1/2 I don't know how clean it actually got, but she had fun helping mommy. She FINALLY went to sleep about 3:30am.~~ **This afternoon, I boogied & organized the coat closet. Living in the desert SW, we don't have many coats. Now I can find EVERYTHING that is in there with ease. It's a multi-purpose closet that is NOW a functional organized one. It only took me about an hour. I was expecting it to take nearly two hours.**
~~I neglected to shine my sink & things today, but tommorrow I'll be refreshed because I will of had some sleep & I'll be able to get back to my routines. Routines are the keys to making FLY Lady's system work. ~~
** I was conversing via IM with my mother & she told me something interesting & surprising about my Grandmother. When she hits her goal weight, she wants to either take a Mule trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon OR she wants to take a rafting trip at the bottom of the Canyon. My mother DID finally tell me that Grandmother wants to take one that doesn't have any whitewater. She said it's something my Grandmother has wanted to do her entire life. Grandmother turned 82 in July. She has had a heart mumur (born with it) & has been a big girl most of her life. In the past few years she has had an artifical heart valve put in, a pace maker & replaced both of her knees. Since January of 2003 she has lost 75+ pounds with Weight Watchers. She still has about 40 pounds to go to reach her ideal goal weight. She walks daily with her little ankle biter dog named Cindy. If the weather is bad, she walks inside of her small 2 bedroom home. She has worked very hard & I'm VERY proud of her.**
~~My brother had an interview to teach at a local community college. The interviewer took 3 pages of notes & seemed VERY interested by my brother. I know that he REALLY wants this job. It's the first thing I've heard him excited about since the death of his infant son & his wife about 1 year later. He almost sounded like the brother I once knew. The one that was full of hope, life & energy. In the past 2 years he has gotten married, buried his first & only child, moved from the midwest to the southwest away from his best friend & god children, lost his job & had everything he's ever owned burn up in a fire in his friends garage in the midwest. The only things he has are what he brought in his car when he moved & what he's acquired since he moved out here. He moved out here to be close to his niece (my DD) & his nephew (my brother). He's been through SO much that he deserves a little happiness & a sense of pride in what he does. Pray for him please.~~


September 14, 2004

FLY Lady, the bathroom & Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decesion

First thing is first. The Supreme Court has tossed a case to overturn Roe v. Wade

Here's the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/09/14/roe.v.wade/index.html

Okay, on Starting Over today, JOSIE didn't reveal WHO Chloe's father is! The preview of tommorows show makes it sound as if she'll do that then. URRGH! I WANT TO KNOW! I don't sit around & watch TV all day, just this one show. It can be very inspiring for people to improve their lives. For me, it's helped inspire me to begin healing the pain of things in my past. Funny thing, the VERY day I found this on-line support group (which I'd told NOBODY about) I get an e-mail from an old co-worker/friend (Dick...this IS his name btw) titled "25 ways to say I LOVE YOU" It was pretty funny & really lifted my spirits.

As for FLYLady & this weeks zone...I have yet to look at my e-mail & it's 9:13 pm as I write. I underestimated how long it would take to rid the shower of soap scum & hard water build-up last night. I did get THAT done last night, but then today I spent an hour waxing my shower. It was the first time I've ever waxed a shower so I had NO idea how long it would take. BTW...did YOU know that you can wash a shower curtian liner in the washing machine? That made the white build up vanish! The reward of a clean, sparleking shower & tub felt great. For the first time in years, I actually ENJOYED taking a shower. It was a very relaxing experience. DH noticed when he went to shower tonight & said "GEE! What happened here? This looks REALLY nice". That just made the reward more sweet. I guess a clean shower really does say "I love you". I also decluttered the bath cabinets & tossed an entire trash bag FULL of half used cleaning products, old make-up & misc. "stuff" that I had no idea WHAT it's use was. All of DH's "read" bathroom reading material found a new home as well. My DD (age 2) even wiped down the bathroom door for me. She's such a little helper sometimes. :-)

The next task is to tackle the "guest" bathroom, or should I say "junk" room. There are things in there that I don't even know HOW they got there! For example, WHY in HOLY H5!! is there a foam mattress in there that I asked DH to dispose of MONTHS ago. Granted, I SHOULD have taken it to the dumpster myself, but I was always overwhelmed with everything else that needed to get done. The reward for me will be this weekend when I get to paint & begin to decorate that bathroom. What I've heard from many sources is in fact true..."You CAN'T organize clutter". My home is by no means a health hazard...it's not 1/3 as bad as many of the homes shown on TLC's Clean Sweep. The fact of the matter is that I can see that my home is headed that way in the future if I don't change things now. Just like I'm headed for a heart attack or worse if I don't begin to convert to a healthier lifestyle now. Last month I lost 3 pounds & haven't lost anymore this month. I also haven't gained any weight. I'm doing something right though because my pants are fitting looser. It know it probably means that I am exchanging fat for muscle. I also know that muscle is more dense than fat & that muscle weighs more than fat. In addition, the more lean muscle mass you have, the more efficently you burn stored fat. When I remember these things, then I no longer get discouraged & go on an eating binge. Slowly, the junk food is dissappearing from my home. Once again I hear FLYLadys voice saying "Baby steps Mary, take those baby steps". I'm beginning to think I'm becomming FLYwashed. LOL My fellow FLY Babies will know what I'm talking about.

September 13, 2004

FLYLady today & other stuff

While I was waiting for DD to go to sleep last "night" (3 am), I worked on my control journal. Because my home had fallen into such a state of complete CHAOS, I pulled things from my daily routine & combined them with this weeks zone work. I made a list by day of what I want to acomplish. WHY? This way, all I have to do is look at one page instead of flipping back & forth...allowing my SHEness to rear it's ugly head. I have managed to get 1/2 of my list completed so far. The rest I'll tackel after I've completed this entry. I was proud of myself today because I was getting sidetracked like MAD this morning, but then I heard FLYLady's "voice" saying "Baby Steps my friend, Baby Steps". She was also telling me "You can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes". It sounds strange to those that aren't SHE's, but to those that ARE...they understand. I got Mt. Washmore under control this weekend...in one day instead of three like PF (Pre Flylady). My sink is shining, my countertops in the kitchen are sparkeling & my chef is "Le Crock Pot". My dishwasher isn't empty, as I'm cheating until things are more under control, the dishes are loaded & the Electrasol tab is in place. All I have to do is turn the dishwasher on after dinner tonight. Then the only dishes I have left to do before I turn on the dishwasher is what we ate & drank from. I even have a clean towel on my clean countertop...waiting to be used. This weekend, I picked up Turtle Wax to wax my shower for the first time. I'll do a heavy cleaning on it to remove any unseen soap scum & hard water buildup, then I'll wax it to my hearts content. Since I've been FLYing, my shower has stayed pretty clean. That is an acomplishment since DH comes home from work greasy everynight. After DH gets home, I'll be blessing my heart. I'm looking forward to it. My 50 pound dog looks forward to time with his human "mom" on our walks.

Did anyone watch Starting Over today? Isn't Josie's little Chloe the sweetest little girl? I'm a bit biased but I believe MY daughter is the sweestest little girl on the planet...like many OTHER mothers believe THEIR children to be. LOL Tomorrow we get to find out if Jonathan is the father or not. HUMMM....sorry but if she hasn't ALREADY dumped him...I think he needs to GO! Unless he's sought some serious counseling for his control issues with Josie. My EX-HUB was similar to him & I often say that the best thing he ever did for me, was to get seperated from me. It made ME see HIM for what he REALLY was & ME to really KNOW what I needed from a marriage. He just didn't fit the bill. The bill being honest, faithful, supportive, & remembering that I was a person with feelings & thoughts...not just a sperm receptical. My DH #2 is all these things & more. He's my best friend.

I recently have begun dealing with the pain of some decesions I made earlier in my life. Part of that is loving myself enough to do so. Part of that is finding an on-line support system that allows me to do that at my own pace, in my own way & with support of those dealing with many of the same issues. To the creator of that place...thank you. Thank you a thousand times over. I truly believe that I found both that place & FLYLady at the time in my life when I was ready to receive the support & guidance I needed. My life is far from perfect, but hey...it's already much better than it used to be.

My sister is in the ARMY & is a Vetrenarian. She just returned to her family after 2 long months of being apart from them. The ARMY required that to further her "training". She did return home just in time to begin celebrating Samuels 6th birthday, Issac's 4th birthday & Rebecca's 1st birthday. All three of them were born in the month of September. She missed them & her DH so much while she was away. I could just hear it in her voice when we spoke of them. I'm just glad that she's stateside during these troubled & turbulant times. I pray nightly for all of the servicemen & women from all the countries with troops in Afghanistan & Iraq to be safe. This isn't a place that I'll state my opinion on the US involvement over there, as I don't discuss that with anyone other than my DH, but I DO keep all of the soldiers & their loved ones in my prayers.

Why my site is named Purple Puddles

My site is named Purple Puddles because I am learning to FLY. Some of you are saying "What in the heck is she talking about?" I am a member of FLYlady.net It is a system available online for FREE that teaches people how to conquer the CHAOS in their home. When FLYlady is truly touched by a testomonial or by something in life, she cries "Purple Puddles". I've only been a FLYbaby for a few months but have noticed improvements already. If you'd like to find out more about FLYladys system, please checkout her website.

Now, this is my very first attempt at blogging so I'll be learning as I go. Please forgive any "mistakes" I make along the way.

It's REALLY early in the AM & DD is FINALLY asleep. I have to shine my sink bright & early so I need to get some shut eye.

Mary