I think the universe doesn't want me to get through school!

Well, life is hectic if nothing else! I've been remiss in blogging lately due to an overload of schoolwork, a 17 month mess-maker, a self-proclaimed lazy husband, and a rather large impending move which has already necessitated a two-day garage sale and soon multiple trips to donate "stuff". So i haven't been keeping up with this blog or my other one either. It might be awhile longer before life calms down enough for me to regularly post again, but I hope it's not too long! I have been excited to take some pictures with my 35 mm camera, and I would like to share them soon.


And of course, the only reason I actually get to log on today to write is due to the weather. Yup, today would be the day that a fairly large storm is rolling into the area. There is booming thunder and flashes of lightening which make me question my attempt at computer usage right now. And of course, this is all occurring on the day that I had scheduled to drive at least an hour to a Natural History Museum to finish up my research for my Southwest Cultures class. And anyone who has driven in Texas in even the smallest amount of weather can tell you that Texans LOSE THEIR MINDS when faced with less than perfect weather. So, it's a distinct possibility that I could die driving around my block today. Sigh... But the upside is that the rain sounds beautiful outside my window, the temps are in the 70's, the baby is still asleep (I think?), hubby too, and the dogs and cat aren't pestering me to let them outside!

And that is why I actually got a moment to log on and post :)

I wanna win some free stuff!

So, I'm addicted to entering cloth diaper and crunchy mama stuff giveaways. I would love to have some of this stuff for free, since the costs can really add up! And it quality stuff too. So I keep jumping through the hoops, and hoping I win something. I think I have more cloth diaper Facebook friends than real people I know these days!

Today's contest is from Cloth Diaper Addiction for Bummas cloth wipes. I am super excited to start gathering up cloth wipes to make the switch. I am even planning out all the different scents of solution I could make. Yup, I'm a big dork. But needless to say I would love to win this, but I want to spread the word too, about this contest and the others at Cloth Diaper Addiction too! Lots of stuff there to enter to win, and some really cool posts too! Great for anyone feeling overwhelmed by cloth diapering, or anyone who is a fluff dork like I am! So, go check her out.

Stop the world, I wanna get off!

So I've been outta sorts lately. There seems to be something in the air that has been making the lives of everyone I know fall apart. For me, I've been losing interest in following Weight Watchers strictly and staying on top of my running. I don't know why since I have lost 22 lbs in 11 weeks, which is 10% of my total weight when I started. That's amazing, and still I'm bored. So I wasn't tracking points, and I'm not looking things up, and I'm letting myself slide into my weekly points a bit too much. Right now I'm terrified of Wednesday's weigh-in! I need to recommit to the program, but stress is definitely messing me up right now!

It is almost October! Yikes! Normally I would be rejoicing, and I am so happy I could pee. The weather in Texas has called it quits on the heat a bit earlier this year, and I couldn't be happier! With toddler in tow, I was literally dancing down the aisles of my grocery store with sheer delight yesterday. I absolutley love Autumn. So why the 'yikes'? Well, we are getting ready to  move to New Mexico at the end of November. That's a mere two months away! OMFG..... My house looks like it has exploded, I am taking waaaaaaaaaahahahaaaayyyyy too many classes that all require papers due at the same time, and I have made commitments to my friends and myself for these next few months. So I'm feeling the pressure. And I keep wondering, 'why MUST I do things the hard way?'

And then on top of all that other stuff, I just had my Mirena IUD taken out. But not in a misguided attempt to add the stress of a first trimester (read: fatigue, morning sickness, irritability, etc) to my long list, but in the hopes that I will be able to ditch the hormones in that thing. Sheesh! I never react well to hormones, so why did I think this was any different? I was wondering why I was always mean and snappish with my husband, and then I read that irritability is common. And I had stopped having periods... well, actually I hadn't had one since before I got pregnant (we're talking about 2 years here), and while I wouldn't use the word "miss", I definitely noticed that they weren't there, and it freaked me out. I know myself, and I am pretty dependable, so to be counting on them and get nothing really messed with my head. So I went to the doctor to have it removed. And then I got a lecture in how women naturally aren't supposed to have monthly periods. huh?? Yup, people, this male doctor told me that 100 years ago women went from knocked up to nursing, then right back to knocked up, so it;s not natural to have Aunt Flow every month. o_O ?? um, ok.... So I guess one can only infer that the natural state of womanhood is to be constantly pregnant. Yup, we are just breeding machines, and if it wasn't for the invention of the birth control pill we wouldn't have periods at all. So, I guess I was a medical miracle at 12 when I started all this cycling business... If only I'd have known, I would have gone on Oprah, wrote a book, and got a charity in my name! Sheesh..... men!

I love losing weight!

So I weighed in this past Wednesday and I have lost 20 lbs total so far! Go me! That is how much Journey weighs, AND I am back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. woot! Too bad I was overweight when I got pregnant.... But never fear, I am still determined and with only two pounds to go until I reach my 10% goal at Weight Watchers, I am enthusiastically moving forward ( I hope!). But this has been a crazy week, and I have let me running program slip away from me a bit. I got through week one of the Couch to 5K program last week, but this week my running buddy and I have been having trouble meeting up, so I let things slip. But I am resolving to recommit next week, and make it through the program! And with weekly weight losses of 2 lbs on average, it sure is good motivation to keep running!

But along with the good comes some bad. Nothing terrible, but I really hate arguing with my husband. We aren't good at fighting, and we get pretty nasty with each other. But, in all fairness.... He started it! : P If he didn't want a fight, he shouldn't have been out all night on a weeknight, without telling me. Next time, I might just do the same... then he'll see! Well, not really, but I like to wallow in immaturity from time to time. However, we have since made up and things are going well for now. We were actually able to talk about our impending move to New Mexico that is steadily creeping ever closer. I think I have found an apartment to live in, which is a big step in the right direction, but we still have to wait until October to find out what availability they will have in December. I hope there is something, but I keep asking myself "Who moves at the holidays??", then my little smart-ass voice answers "Well, we are, duh!"So, fingers crossed for cheap apartment availability, so we can have a home for Christmas! No self-respecting 31 year old with a family wants to move back in with their mother, no matter how much they love her. Please, god, let us find a place of our own!

I'm on overload....

So, classes have started! Five online classes, and all have quite a bit of required reading. What was I thinking again?? Oh, yeah, I was thinking I need to torture myself, because I can never do things the easy way. No, really, I can't. Just ask my mom!

And in addition to the craziness of my first week of online classes, I have been delving deeper into the world of Cloth Diapering. Yes, I stalk Diaperswappers.com regularly, and get oh so excited when I spot a Goodmamas at a good price, or a new Clover with adjustable legs! My pulse rate increases, my hands get a little sweaty and I frantically try to do the math to see if I can swing this purchase without causing a bill to bounce. And then there are the fabulous websites/blogs of The Cloth Diaper Whisperer and Cloth Diaper Addiction, both of whom have give-away contests for random diapers! I keep entering and praying that I win, long shot that it is. But I really want to expand my stash, and get rid of all velcro! I'm tired of it tearing clothes apart. So, I stalk and lurk and talk to my friends, and completely obsess about it... all the things I usually do when I get an idea into my head. My poor DH really is starting to get worried!

And on the weight loss front, things seem to be going well on the scale, despite my best efforts to change that! I am slowly starting to fail at the good habits I had going, like tracking everything I eat and staying within my Weight Watchers daily points, and even writing positive comments daily to keep me motivated. Each week I keep expecting to lose less or even gain, but then I end up losing 4 lbs in a week (as happened this last week), and I'm shocked! But my total weight loss is 18 lbs! I'm so close to my 10% goal of 22 lbs, I can taste it. I'm hoping that I will taste weight loss this week rather than all the cheats I've had, because I have made it through my first week of the Couch to 5K plan. Yes, I have decided to start running again, but on my own terms! When I was in the Army, it was pure hell; torture of the worst kind (and I should know! I was an Interrogator). And now that I'm out, I guess the masochistic side of me just misses it. However, this is a great program for non-runners, since you start VERY SLOWLY, and build each week at your own pace. I'm doing this with a non-runner friend, and we seem to be making progress. And I love that running is a great way to really increase cardio and get my big butt moving, and it shows great results at the scale! Even with all the Army related injuries that refuse to go away, I am actually having fun running! My god, who knew??

A Knitting Fool!

So, with my copious amounts of free time (Ha!) I've been knitting like crazy! I am still fairly new to knitting, so I consider all my finished objects to be quite the accomplishment du jour. I've made a handful of scarves and hats... I love knitting baby hats, it's just too bad when the babies get big enough to pull them off their heads. It was a sad day when Journey could reach the top of her little skull... But today I finished my first real challenge, a set of wool longies. Well, more of capri-ies, since I didn't want to make them full length pants so Journey could wear them now, in the heat of the Texas Summer which will last until about November (when we move). And not that I have extra yarn left over, I'm starting to improvise a pattern for a simple pillowcase top to match. I'm so excited to see how the whole thing turns out that I just can't stop knitting! It's also exciting to think that I might be making an outfit for the next little one that comes around, too.

And speaking of the next little one.... No, I'm not preggers, but TTC is my main motivation to lose weight quick, fast and in a hurry... and healthy! So, I went to my weekly Weight Watchers Weigh-in and I lost 2.6 lbs this week. That makes a total of 14 lbs lost since I started July 14th. Woot! That was an unexpected sudden drop, but it totally motivates me to keep having those nice surprises on the scale. Plus I'm just that much closer to making my 10%, only 8 more pounds to go. However, I really don't want to start TTC until I get about 30 more lbs or so off..... It just seems like it will take forever to accomplish that though : / But I'm starting to implement a new running program for exercise with one of my friends. It's the Couch-to-5K Running Plan and it sounds awesome! So, I will keep checking in with progress on that for you all, and with any luck I'll be running 3 miles in 2 months.... or so. Running is something I generally loathe, but it's such great exercise that I really wish I was better at it. Stupid Army ruins everything, to include exercise. So wish me luck!

School's out.... Now what do I do with myself??

So, I'm officially done with my summer session. The final grades were posted today... and I got all A's! Not too bad for taking an extra class over full time (4 instead of 3) and raising a 15 month old and a 27 year old husband. So, that housework may not have been done perfect (or at all.... mostly) but I got all A's! woot! Now to go apply for scholarships.

Today was also a Weight Watchers weigh-in day. I've been losing consistently. I've decided I want to lose as much as I can as fast as I can, while still being healthy. That way we can start TTC for kiddo #2 before Journey gets too big. I know that I need to have healthy weight loss, but come on! I average 2.3 lbs a week over the last 5 weeks, with a 4 lb drop the first week. So, yeah, I think I'm fine right now. And I have this momentum going that I don't want to squander! As of today I've lost 11.6 lbs AND I hit my 5% goal of 11 lbs! I'm really happy. But I still look at all the weight I have left to go. My goal is 130, that would be the smallest I've EVER been, but I would like to be there someday. However, I'm not waiting until I hit that goal to start TTC. No, Maybe once I get down to 160-170, then we'll talk. The DH doesn't quite understand, but he just shut up and lets me do my thing. I love that about him!


And while I'm off doing my own thing, I've decided that I want to knit a pair of wool longies for Journey so I can cut back on the pocket cloth diapers I have been using. I figure it gives me a good excuse to knit again, and with fall coming I'm super excited! I love the fall and knitty things. But this will be a stretch of my knitting powers, so I think I'll stop by my local yarn store, The old Spinning Wheel in Killeen, TX, and hang out with the group that meets there. I'm gonna need a LOT of support I think. Short Rows scare me!


And In addition to all that other stuff, I'm also expanding myself in the spiritual arena with a chakra class and a crystals and stones class! I am totally loving both of these and I think I'm fixing some areas of my life that have been messed up for awhile now. Go self-improvement! Plus I think I will be starting up another try at facilitating an Akashic Records reading class again at Gaia's Garden in Copperas Cove, TX. So with all my downtime, I've been writing up the class materials I'll use for that too. So, with my two weeks of "downtime" I've managed to over-commit myself and stay insanely busy. Well, I guess it'll keep me in the rhythm so when I start Fall semester the Five full time classes I'm taking won't seem so overwhelming.... right? Right??