Garrulous Gibberish

I'm skipping out on Wordless Wednesday this week only because I haven't touched my camera in over a week.  I wanted to take the Picture a Day challenge from someone's blog... I'm sorry I don't even remember who that was.  That challenge is still on my to-do list and I'm sure there are plenty of good photos on my camera that I could use but I feel like I'm in such a slump because I'm tired of taking pictures indoors.  I've got Spring Fever and I always get it bad this time of year.  As I hear the rain dump down by buckets outside,  it's a constant reminder that again I won't be able to get out and walk the dog... at least for now.

I have so many things on my mind that I need to get them written down before I forget.  My Notes app on my phone is full of ideas to write about but yet life happens everyday and there's never enough time to sit at my favorite spot in front of my computer and write.  That's okay.... for now.

Update

I have officially completed 14 days of gluten free.  Very successful, I might add!  Two weeks flew by and so far my only struggle is when my kids ask for chicken nuggets for lunch.  I'm not even that crazy about chicken nuggets but as they leave one or two on their plates, it was such a habit for me to eat them so they don't go to waste.  Tsk tsk!  Such a bad habit to break as a parent!  I'm learning that my calorie intake everyday was so high because I eat after the kids, I snack while I cook and 3:00 is my worst time of the day when the kids get home and ask for a treat.  That was when I was the most tired, most unmotivated and most craving sugar.  Damn you, Oreos!   Writing down everything I eat has helped tremendously and I've cut my calorie intake by half, easily.  I'm still only down three pounds but at least my jeans still fit me better. I've passed up bread, alcohol and my favorite appetizer at two restaurants this week.  I will confess that I did a happy dance in the bathroom one of those nights.

Sugar Challenge

To make a long story short, I put my kids on a No Sugar Challenge for five days.  Such torture!  Their incentive was going to Galaxy Golf to play right after school.  They were very excited and made it through the first two days with little encouragement needed.  The third day was harder because they asked daddy for a fruit roll up while I was walking the dog and blew their efforts out of the water.  Yes, Daddy sabotaged their challenge but the kids were equally to be blamed for even asking in the first place.  They are kids, afterall and I can't fault them for that.  But I will say that those three days were wonderful!  Ellen wasn't whining over everything and the meltdowns around dinnertime were gone.... until she had that fruit roll up.  That night she had a meltdown and the kids have been fighting ever since.  Needless to say, we didn't go to Galaxy Golf.

A New Chapter?

Since I made the link to my new Marcellen Photography link, I have, all of a sudden, two events scheduled to take pictures at.  My nephew-in-law and his wife are having a wedding reception this March and my sister and her husband are renewing their wedding vows in May and they both have asked me to take pictures.  I have zero experience and no proper equipment (besides the camera) and I have no clue about what I'm doing!  They know that and that's why they've asked me.  I have to start somewhere and I'm so thankful that both of these events are informal and small, and so thankful they asked me!  I'm so excited... but with a little (okay, a lot) of panic mixed in!

This is a lot to read so I will sign off with a little conversation that my sweet little 5-year-old Ellen and I had in the car yesterday:

www.flickr.com/ Stephen Neven

The sky was turning gray and looking like it's going to rain...

Ellen:  Is it going to thunder?
Me:  No, we don't get thunder in the winter.  Just rain.
Ellen:  What if it does thunder?
Me:  Then we'll get a lot of rain.
Ellen:  What if we die?
Me:  Then we get to go to Heaven.
Ellen:  (very excitedly) ... and we'll get to see Koda! (our last dog who passed away)
Me:  Yeah!  Wouldn't be so bad, huh?
Ellen:  When will I die?
Me:  Not for a very very very very very very long long long long long long time, when you're old and your hair is gray and you're all wrinkly.
Ellen:  Like you?

Oh, God love her!

Second conversation, just a minute later:

We were pulling into her school parking lot and as we rounded the corner, she pointed to a window in the far side of her school and said, "That's Ms. Williams' classroom."

"Yeah?  All the way down there?" I said.

"Yeah.  She's so romantic!"

Oh the stuff these kids pick up from their Disney movies!!!

Have a blessed day!