Getting in Shape

Still can't roll, but does crunches all day long.
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Here's a better angle.

Mom Jeans

I saw a lady at school today who was wearing classic Mom Jeans.

I like her.

And I like most women who wear "Mom Jeans." They are some of the most selfless, generous people I know.

So what's the problem, you ask? The problem is anyone who makes fun of Mom Jeans. The women who wear them usually have a bit (or a lot) of a pooch from having children, who might not care about fashion, and/or who might not be able to afford anything else.

And that's okay!

We all come in different shapes and sizes, and we all prioritize things differently.

And really, what alternative does this woman have? To let the pooch hang out the top of her pants? Is that really better?

So stop judging Mom Jeans, or you'll have to answer to me.

He Threw Off My Groove...(Name that movie.)

Joseph, that is.

But I got it back!

I mean, it has been over a year of being pregnant and sick, pregnant and tired, pregnant and sore, postpartum and sore, and postpartum and tired.

It helps that Joseph has been sleeping 10 hours each night for the last week. And then he has been taking regular naps during the day. And since Caleb goes to school while the other two nap, I have free time now!!!

Is this is what it feels like to have energy again? Awesome.

Beds

#1, January to November 2003: Fairly nice king size bed, owned by the couple for whom we house-sat.
We moved.

#2, November 2003 to June 2004: Taco, full size. It literally sank in the middle by about 6 to 8 inches. I had to sleep with my pregnant belly facing outward, else I would fall face-first inward.
[Given to us by my parents. Many thanks!]
We probably gave it to DI, or some other poor newlywed couple.

#3, June 2004 to June 2006ish: Daybed with trundle, pushed up next to each other, with two completely different twin mattresses. Although not pretty, better than the taco.
[Thanks go to my grandpa and late grandma.]
Still have the set.

#4, June 2006ish to August 2009: Matching twin beds with matching frames and headboards, also pushed up next to each other. It was a drastic improvement from the daybed and trundle. But there was always a rift between the beds.
[Thanks here go to my parents, again. And although you may think my thanks facetious, you are mistaken. Beggars can't be choosers, and we were beggars.]
Still have them.

#5, NEW BED!!! 6.5 years later, we finally saved up enough money for a beautiful, amazing, bright, shiny, sparkling, wonderful, brand new king size pillow top bed. Now we just need to fork out the money to cover it...

[So now we have one extra twin bed, so when you come to visit, you can sleep on a bed!]

[If you have done the math, you would have figured out that we have 4 twin beds and one king. And now you are asking why we only have one extra twin bed when only two kids sleep on them. And the answer would be: you really don't want to know what one of the beds has been through... We will not be keeping it.]

Emotional Coercion

1. I almost never get emotional when someone tells me I will, or when someone else is. Bryan will tell you that I am an emotional being, or that I do get emotional often. And that would be true.

2. But I am also very independent. I like to do things myself, in my own way.

3. I almost never realize, right at the height of huge transition, how it will affect me. And then later, when I do realize how the transition has affected me, I'm already immersed in it. And it's too late to get emotional about it.

So you might not have seen me get emotional very often.

Today was no exception, yet. I just dropped Caleb off at Kindergarten half an hour ago.

Caleb couldn't sleep last night. He was up at the crack of dawn. Every other thing out of his mouth today was how excited he was to go. I've known for a long time that he was ready, and I've known for a long time it was coming.

In the car on the way to school, Caleb said, quite matter-of-fact-ly, "Mom, I'm going to miss you the most." But when I told him Daddy and I were going to walk in with him, he was a little perturbed because he wanted to be "dropped off."

When we got there, we still had 10 minutes before class started. Bryan and I held him off for a few minutes taking pictures. But every 2 minutes, Caleb whined, "When is it going to start? Is it time yet?" Finally, after an eternity of waiting, the teacher opened the door, and Caleb was the first to line up. When she told the Kindergartners to say goodbye to their parents, Caleb turned around and yelled in an indistinct direction, making no eye contact.

As Bryan and I walked away, I said, "That was it?" Which is exactly the same emotion I had when the realtor dropped off the keys to our new house. What? No fanfare, no fireworks, no high five?! Alrighty then.

Now I'm home, Savanna and Joseph are taking naps, and I don't exactly know how to spend my time. Should I clean? Yes, but nah. I could nap, but I'm not sure if I can sleep, especially if I know I have to pick Caleb up in a short while.

Maybe later I'll get emotional about it, but probably not.

More on Femininity

I was going to write this as a comment to my other blog post, but I felt like it deserved a little more attention:

What it boils down to for me, after thinking on this subject some more, is that femininity is not doctrine. Being Christlike is. Women and men come in all different shapes and sizes, different strengths and weaknesses, and extremely variable personalities and tendencies. Perhaps the thing we should focus on, instead of femininity or masculinity, is just being the best disciples of Christ that we can be. Wearing makeup, or not, will not determine if we get into heaven or not. And the type of perfection we should all be striving for is only possible through the Atonement of Christ and our willingness to be humble and obedient. I think we should be striving to meet the Lord's standard, not the world's. And by the Lord's standard, perhaps there are a lot of things we do to please society that just don't matter eternally. There, I've said my peace.

Don't Get Me Wrong, I Love Old People

Today some friends and I gave a classical music recital at the Senior Center in town.

I met Liz. On her left hand, she had a gold ring about half an inch in diameter. It was a fairly big ring, but it was totally dwarfed by the jewelry on her right hand. Imagine this: a round ring, two inches in diameter studded with diamonds. And a matching bracelet, about an inch wide, also studded with diamonds (probably not real diamonds...). I might not have noticed it if she hadn't tried to put her hand in her pocket. Okay, I would have noticed, but it was especially funny to see her stick only the tips of her fingers in her pocket because the ring wouldn't fit! If you thought she was kidding, you might then have noticed the glittery sparkles on her face. And if you still thought she was kidding, you might have noticed her hairspray encrusted hair, also complete with much glitter.

Dark eyeliner under her eyes and bright pink lipstick.

And she was wearing a white and yellow sweatsuit.

HI-LAR-I-OUS!!!

I wanted to get her picture, but it might have appeared rude...

When I get old, please help me...