Chattanooga Road Trip

As previously mentioned, last week was my school spring break. A lovely perk for dealing with demanding children 40 hours a week. And a needed respite so said children don't get hurt.

I have trouble being still and quiet, so when I have time off Spring breaks, summer etc. I have a to do list. It usually involves our house or school. I have built stone steps, re-grouted tubs, and finished master's thesis' during these 'breaks." And it always makes me feel good to look back on a break and know it wasn't taken for granted.

Well after I had Wesley, breaks changed. For the better I would say. When I had any time off it was time to soak her up. I still had to do lists, they were just shorter and didn't involve electricity anymore.

This spring break felt different though. Our house is pretty close to where we want it to be as far as big projects like painting and such. I am not currently in a class (shocker, as Matt discovered about a year into our marriage, I'm always in a class). And Wesley is in that wonderful 2 1/2 time were tantrums and "I can do its!!" abound, so I was kinda ok with her going to play with her friends at school for a couple of the break days.

So I wasn't sure what I would do with this blessed break. And the first days of it were cold and rainy and I kinda had a cold which made me want to do even less. The first day I had my dr. appointment and subsequent bout of depression and eating only lettuce. Tuesday I had lunch with the girls to celebrate my good friend Laura's birthday, which is such a treat since teachers don't ever get to eat out (I had a salad, and it was still fun). And my friend Kendra and I headed to the outlet mall to get Wesley's spring wardrobe. During these days I did make a list that I wanted to change some outlets that are worn out and sand and paint a dresser for Wesley's room. But both things seemed so easy I kept putting them off until the weather and my health improved.

And since the weather was yuck, and I didn't want to do anything at home, that made me suddenly very wistful for a getaway. So Tuesday afternoon I booked a trip to Chattanooga. I kinda asked Matt, and he was all in, but he didn't know if I was for real or not. Until he came home and we had a package weekend booked! We had hotel, tickets to Rock City, Ruby Falls and the Discovery Museum and we were leaving Thursday!!

I had Wednesday to pack us all and prepare for a 6 hr car trip with a 2 year old, and we had invited Micheal (Matt's 9 yr. old brother) to come along. One thing, Wednesday was gorgeous. Finally it was 70 and perfect outside. I couldn't spend the day doing all my house projects, cleaning, laundry and packing. No, no, we needed a trip to the Botanic Gardens Big Backyard!

If you live in Memphis and have small children you must go to the Big Backyard. They have done a great job and it's only $3 for kids and $5 per adult. We've been a couple times now and both times Wesley has had an absolute blast. She gets to climb and run and touch and see. Just can't say enough good.

OK. Done with the infomercial.The consequence of enjoying our beautiful day is I didn't get anything ready for our trip. And we had friends over for dinner Wednesday night so no prep whatsoever.

Thursday Matt went in for a half day at work and I was to pack the kid, the car, and the pup. It got done. Was it the best it could be, no. But our day in the gardens was worth it. So Thursday afternoon, an hour after we meant to leave, we were on our way!

Stay tuned for what happens next :)

Pill popper

I've been in Spring Break mode, which would make you think I would post more..but really I do more so I post less. I have lots to post about, that's good. But first (In the voice of Julie Chen, Big Brother Fans), let me tell you about my first morning of Spring Break.

I like to schedule my check-uppy appointments on breaks, so I don't have to waste precious PTO on teeth cleanings and such. So Monday morning I had a follow up with the neurologist. See after I popped out a kid I started getting these ridiculous ice-pick-through-my-brain-like headaches about once a month. You'd think I could deal with that except it took about a week to get over them, so I was losing a 1/4 of my life to these stupid things (do you like my dramatics there?!?). So I went through that from December 2009 until October 2010, with some words to my OBGYN and normal dr. to no avail. FINALLY, when I woke up at 2 am with one and lost my dinner, I decided I was ready to call the big guns. I went to the head dr. we had the MRI, EEG blah blah blah. And he said "You have migraines." After 3 weeks of tests and lots of $$$, I wanted to say "No $%it" but I nodded and took my prescription like a good girl.

My prescription was for Topamax. Which is actually a drug for epilepsy, but also controls migraines. Skip to the end (Princess Bride voice), I made it 3 horrible days on it. It made me nauseous, horrible headaches, dizzy, and mostly dumb. No really, like I could not think of words. Called the Dr. apparently these are all possible effects. So he told me to stop taking the medicine. He called me in a new one. Elavil is an antidepressant, but at low doses it helps migraines. So I started that. Great! No more headaches! I had a follow up with him in a month, told him it was working he said "Great, but 1 thing...1 side effect is weight gain, will that bother you."Again, not the most perceptive cookie. Yeah, it bugs me. But for no migraines I'll take a couple of pounds. Plus, it's mind over matter right?!?! Right, he says.....

Skip to March. Check in. Weigh in. Weight up 10 FREAKING POUNDS!! Ok, not only is that shocking for 3 short months, but I have been working out! And I stopped eating in the cafeteria at school as a New Year's Resolution. I mean I am actually being good and I gained more than I gained after the baby!

This is not ok. He agreed. So he took me off the Elavil. But what about the migraines?! His idea, let's go back to Topamax, but down to half dose. Fine, anything. In the meantime I immediately stopped eating carbs and started the 17 day diet.

So I went on my merry way, dieting, upping the exercise and changing meds last week and I did shed some lbs quickly. Probably mostly water weight, because I can't drink carbonated beverages on Topamax, it makes them taste awful!! But whatever.

Skip to now. I made it on Topamax 8 days, and again I am not feeling well. Not as sick, but dizzy, slight constant headache and the bluhs.  I'm kinda against going back to the fat pill. And I can't be "off" all the time. So I think I'm ready to be done with "maintenance drugs" What do you think? Can I just wing it from her, and take a mac daddy pill when a migraine comes back? I don't want to be a constant drug trial. Anyone been through all this?

Ideas please!

It's standardized testing time again my friends! And this year I thought it would be awesome to add a teacher flash mob to our annual TCAP pep rally! A good friend of mine, also a teacher, did this at her school and the students LOVED it!  So I have the teachers, I can choreograph....but what song? I thought "I Gotta Feeling" Black Eyed Peas, "ABC" Jackson 5, what?!?! It has to be clean for school. And it has to a crowd pleaser. Something you can't listen to without moving. What do you think?

Vice and Virtue

Ok, Lent is upon us. I need help deciding.

Here are my ideas for sacrifice:

1. Make-up: Because it is an exercise in vanity, but I may need to put on an exception. Because sometimes when an adult woman doesn't wear make up it's looks like she didn't bother getting ready...and I'm hosting a wedding shower April 2nd, I feel like I should present a "good face" that day.

2. Internet while with Wesley: I refresh facebook and twitter way too much, just because I can. I admit I have even put playing with my precious daughter on hold because I am blogging, or tweeting. I would love for this sacrifice to turn into reality.

Here are my ideas for addition:

1. One random act of kindness per day: self-explanatory

2. Scripture: I need to add reading scripture everyday to my life.

Ok, those are my ideas. Voting is appreciated and recomended. Also I would love to here what you are doing, if anything, to celebrate Lent.

Ashes Ashes, we all fall down.

Last night I took my annual turn in hosting our Bunco club. As always we had a blast. Though it is a tad intimidating to host because our group of girls happens to be chock full of professional hostesses. I mean the last girl that hosted made homemade chips!

When you host you are responsible for all food, drinks and decor...there must be a theme, we love a good theme. Laura did Valentines in Januray, because by the time I hosted in February Valentines would be over. I felt like it was two early for St. Patricks....so I went with Mardi Gras. I didn't take any pictures...sorry, but here's a mental snapshot. I had purple tablecloths, and each table had a centerpiece of purple, green and gold beads and coins. I prepared a blue cheese wedge salad for appetizer and guest had a choice between Sausage Gumbo or Shrimp Jumbalya with crusty french bread on the side. For dessert I made bought a King Cake. All and All, I think the theme was carried out!

So, since I spent all this time thinking about Mardi Gras, it led me to think about Fat Tuesday, which, of course, leads me to think about Ash Wednesday. And I started pondering, how will I celebrate this lenten season?

My tradition (stemming from the Methodist tradition I was raised in) is to sacrifice a vice and add a virtue. I have a strong aversion to those who just give up something for the sake of saying they gave it up. I include myself in this admonishment, I am way guilty. I wasn't grasping the meaning until about 3 years ago. No big revelation, I just started listening at church. Turns out me giving up twizzlers doesn't make me consider the sacrifice Jesus made....just saying. I want to give up something that is hard enough to make me call on him for help, and will make a change in my life. But not give up something that only causes me to be miserable and whine about lent to my friends. Or make me miserable so I just count the days down and go right back to it on Easter.

I haven't decided at all what I'm going to do. But I was wondering have you? Do you celebrate Lent? What has made the difference for you in the past? Anyone up for a accountability challenge?