Thursday is Over

It’s been another long week with work and I am glad it is almost over.  I have a ton of paperwork to sift through tomorrow and I am NOT looking forward to it.
On a better note…. I am still in Cycle 3 of the 17 day diet.  I have started to analyze everything I do as far as eat and exercise to come to the conclusion as to why I didn’t lose any weight in Cycle 2 and have yet to lose weight in Cycle 3.  The most current theory I have come up with is that I am not eating enough calories.  After logging everything I put into my mouth over the past three days I am only hitting the 1300 calorie mark because I find something to shove in my mouth at the end of the day to hit that limit.  According to my own personal research, I should be eating at least 1300 – 1600 calories a day (1300 being on the much lower end) in order to lose 1 -  2 pounds per week.  All I can do is experiment, yet again, and continue to log in my calories and weigh in next week and see if it has made a difference.
I feel like I am trying to seek out that happy medium that my body needs to finally click and lose some weight.  I’m older, and just going on a diet doesn’t seem to be working anymore.  It feels like there are all these equations and factors that have to be met to get the perfect results and VOILA!  You lose a pound!  That’s a lot of work for that pesky pound, but it would be worth it.
My co-worker is also on this diet and is steadily losing weight.  She has lost weight in both Cycle 2 & Cycle 3.  It is a little discouraging, but it doesn’t last long because I know what an achievement it is to lose that weight and I can only be happy for her.  Then I go back to my little head and try to analyze what I am doing that is not giving me the same success.  Is it the age difference, she is 10 years younger than I am, is it the exercise she is doing vs. the exercise I am doing??  She doesn’t seem to be hitting her calories either, but she is still losing the weight so it isn’t much of a concern for her.  This isn’t something I have just started to battle.  It is a battle I have been having with my body for over a year now.  I have done exhausting workouts with trainers, walked miles upon miles, ran miles upon miles, dieted – you name it I have tried it – and without much success.  Logging my calories eaten and calories burned is my last stop before I take all this to a doctor and/or nutritionist.  I will take all these printed out papers and say WTF??? What is going on here?  I don’t want to take any medicines to make it right.  I just want to find the answer.  What else do I need to do to lose weight?  That is pretty much the only source occupying the frustration side of my mind. 
On the creative side, I made my own lip gloss tonight for the first time.  I had all the ingredients around the house and decided to whip some up.  This is what it looks like sitting on my night stand “setting” until tomorrow morning when I can cap it up and put it in my purse.  It is an experiment for one of many planned Christmas presents for friends and family this year.  You can see where I haven’t been able to keep my finger from dabbing in it even though it hasn’t set yet.

As for TomTom, I love that kid.  He told me that this diet thing just isn’t working and he is going to love me know matter what I look like…  that I was always going to be his mom.  Yep, I love him!  He is getting back into the flow of school and enjoying his gifted classes.  He is studying a grade level above his own in math and reading and about to start soccer at the end of August.  I am going to enjoy this next week because it is the last normal week we have before all the extra curricular activities start full blast.  We will have religion on Monday, soccer on Tuesday, Cub Scouts on Wednesday, soccer on Thursday and hopefully nothing on Friday.  Phew!  Just thinking about it makes me want to pull out the calendar and start writing it all down.
Thanks to TomTom’s motivation I have quit smoking… again.  I fumbled over the weekend when I was drinking and bummed a smoke today to appease a craving.  I am learning what triggers a craving and for the most part trying to avoid those things.  This is easier said than done.  I learned today that chewing gum is a trigger for me.  I always popped a piece and went out to smoke.  Today I popped a piece and had a huge craving that I gave into – but I am going to pick myself up and push forward with the hopes of not falling prey to another craving.
I have made a goal to do three journal entries per week.  For me that will be blog entries per week.  So here I am writing my first entry of the week on Thursday (I know, I’m late, right???)  Better late than never.  Until next time…

Getting to know you again

Well, what can I say?
It's been awhile.
You are still looking good!
And many other fancy lines that skirt around the actual fact that it has been a really long time since I have wrote something in my blog.
Why?  I've managed to keep myself busy doing other unimportant and insignificant things.
Or I just haven't made the time to sit here and type something up.
So let's get past all the excuses and whining and get to the meat of this post...
Where am I now?
I am sitting in my bed, a few months older, but not much wiser, as the end nears to this too fast summer of 2011.  School will be starting just around the corner and my life will resume its normal routine once again.

Today is August 1st - and I have officially quit smoking... again.  I think that will be the third time in 2011.  Let's not mention how many times I have been down this road before.  One thing I am doing different is using "the patch" and looking to my son when I need some serious motivation to get thru cravings.  Maybe that is what the difference is for tonight.  Instead of spending this time smoking a cigarette on my carport with the dog and cats I am in my room typing a post to keep my hands and mind occupied.
It sounded like a good plan to me.

And since my life is and always will be made up of a plethora of dieting I should add that I am currently on cycle 2 of "The 17 day diet".  As for all those great workouts I accomplished at the beginning of the year, I hit a great lull on the workout front and lost all motivation up until I started the 17 day diet about 20 days ago.  The diet recommends exercising for about 17 minutes a day to keep up the weight loss.  I have been doing about 17 minutes on the treadmill and slowly increasing my incline by one notch every week.  I usually do this Monday thru Thursday, and also do a yoga practice in the evenings on these same nights.  I haven't been able to put much time into exercising on the weekend because I spend that time with TomTom.  I do try to make something we do together active so I get my calorie burning in one way or the other.

And this is where I am right now.  Getting used to the diet regime, continuing on with the exercising, and coping with nicotine withdrawals...again.

This is a pretty generic post... but it is a new start to a good habit.

New Haircuts

Summertime…. and the livin’s easy…..
And you have to get a haircut to match.  I’m thinking camping…. I’m thinking tubing…. I’m thinking swimming… and you have to have wash and go hair, right?  Well, we went for it.  Here is the debut of TomTom & Mom’s summer hair 2011….

And here is his close up, Mr. Deville….

I’ve gotten into a bad habit of cutting his hair myself, but it’s kind of fun.  A bit of an art project if you will… we haven’t had any hard core mistakes yet, but I’ve been pretty much able to fix any OOPS so far.  And his hair grows like a weed, like the rest of him!

This week in a flurry

This week I've lost my motivation to blog.  Here I am on Thursday night deciding that I need to get something down on paper.... or computer screen.... whatevah!

Things I am working on this week for the overall wellness plan resolution:
I am following the meal plan on sparkpeople.com.  It basically gives you a set up meal plan for the week.  You can choose to follow this, or choose to hide it and go with your own food items.  The custom diet I am on calls for three meals and two snacks.  The three meals average about 400 calories and the snacks are somewhere around 200 calories a day.  I noticed in just being aware of my eating on sparkpeople that I can easily chow down on about 1000 calories at lunch, especially if we go out for lunch. 

My other goal I have set for the next 28 days is to be part of sparkpeoples 28 day boot camp challenge.  You do a 10 minute strength training video every day - it's not complicated at all and works out different body parts every day, some take less than 10 minutes - and you commit to doing 30 minutes of cardio for 5 days of your week.  You repeat these steps for four weeks. 

Well, I know I can commit to getting my exercise.  Thanks to the Wii 9 week challenge I have instilled in myself a nice little habit of waking up an hour earlier, working out, then getting to the showers and getting ready for work.  With the boot camp challenge, I actually have time to loll around if I wake up an hour early after my work out.  I only have to commit to the half hour of cardio and the video, maybe 50 minutes of work if I draw it out.

So far I have used the treadmill Taty sent over to me (thank you for the hand me down - I have wanted one of these for awhile), yes it is rickety, yes it is ancient, but it works and I can get a workout in the comfort of my home quick and easy.  I have been doing interval training on the treadmill to keep me interested and am starting with a 22 minute beginner interval training on the treadmill based on an article from sparkpeople - yes, this website is FREE and a wealth of knowledge about the rat race of getting in shape and losing weight.  To sum up the interval training, I do a warm up - two minutes brisk, 1 minute fast, two minutes slow, one minute fast as I can go, etc on for about 15 minutes, and then on to the cool down.  I have also been following that up with a 10 minute yoga for flexibility and relaxation video.  All in all it gets the job done and doesn't draw out my workout for an hour like the Wii Sports Active 2 did... not that it was a bad thing, just a bit of down time waiting for an exercise to load, etc.  After I finish my workouts I scurry over to the kitchen and fix up my breakfast for the day according to the meal plan.  I also pack up my lunch and snacks for the day at work. 

So far things are going well with the meal plan.  It isn't really expensive to buy groceries based on it, because you can swap out items you don't like for things you do and make it work with the items you had already bought.  I spent about $150 to get started on it a week ago and have lots of groceries left (that $150 was based on a completely empty fridge and cabinets, now they are still stocked nicely after a week).  I just have to make a small run for more meats - not necessary, but I like to keep the variety up - and some more produce.  I am pretty much keeping up with the same grocery budget, just buying drastically different things.  For instance, I had a great conversation with my meat man at Fresh Market the other day about only needing 4 oz of salmon and about the same in tilapia and pork tenderloin.  He grumbled a bit about the salmon, said "I would like to meet that doctor", told me he couldn't cut the tilapia (no big deal I got one fillet) and I didn't even bother fussing with him about the pork tenderloin.  I am making my dinner while my family eats there's, but TomTom wanted my salmon so I told him I would get enough for both of us next time.  Go TomTom!  I had never cooked salmon before and it turned out great.  Then we had Tilapia, I had never cooked that before either, but he ate all of that too.  Looks like he will be on board for my sparkpeople meals which makes life easier for me. 

Some times I do get hungry, and some times I do feel like I am not eating any meat.  I am getting my protein thru nuts and egg whites, not necessarily meat.  I'm used to having meat with every meal, but lately... not so much.  It is a difference and I notice it now and then, but I have also come to appreciate the sacrifice an animal makes for me to be able to eat its meat - something I have thought very little of in the past.  I realized a lot about the whole process when I read the "Slaughter" chapter in the "Ravenous" book.

Some times it gets hard - today I had a piece of cake for Jessica's birthday at work.  However, I didn't eat my other snack to help make up for it.  Was it worth it?  I think of all the watermelon and produce I could have eaten instead of that too thin piece of cake, but it was damn good.  Tonight I wanted to give in because I was HUNGRY - why??? Went too long without eating because after work I went to TomTom's baseball evaluation.  I was going to hang it up and go for ice cream since he had all A's on his report card.  Fate intervened because the shop was closed that was on our way home.... but right across the street was Mamma D's... the best pizza ever... and I could smell that pizza... it had my name on it... a big ole greasy piece with pepperoni, italian sausage, black olives, onions, and jalapenos.... HEEEELLLLLOOOOOOO LOVER!!!  I had a moment and breathed it in and told TomTom... what I would do for a piece of Mamma D's right now!  He was of course up for it, but I told him I couldn't do it, I was trying to be good.  I had set a goal for myself.... and I WALKED AWAY!  I came home, hungrier than all hell, but I cut up my romaine lettuce, swapped the feta for some full fat sharp cheddar, skipped the light weight dressing and went for the full fat hidden valley ranch dip (I made the other day), needed meat... must have meat.... got a piece of the cooked pork tenderloin in the fridge... added walnuts, added sunflower seeds.... and Voila!  Dinner!  I changed up the meal plan because I was hungry, but not to far from the original, and I measured out everything into the portions that were called for in the meal plan.  And it satisfied me.  No, I wasn't so full and miserable that I couldn't move, but I was complete - no more hunger over the edge.  I finished it up with oreo suprises for TomTom and I since the ice cream shop was closed.... fat free frozen chocolate yogurt (carefully portioned out for control) and three oreo cookies crumpled up, and all of it stirred together in a coffee mug.  Yumalicious!  I got him off and to bed after American Idol and did my cardio because I woke up too late this morning, ajnd that is just another day.  I am often tempted to stray from my meal plan, but I am holding steady.  I am often tempted by a huge hunger, but hold fast, and end up satisfied with the meal plan options.

Here is another example of weakness... I have been not feeling the best this week.  Monday I went to the doctor because it sounded like I swallowed a frog I was so congested and stopped up.  She gave me medicine and that awesome cough medicine with Hydrocodone.  I didn't sleep at all Sunday night because I coughed all night long so I was ok with it.  I came home early Monday, took the cough syrup and antibiotic - with my meal plan lunch - she told me to take it with food so I did - and about an hour later I was like WOOOO HOOOOO high and laid down in the bed.  I don't think I got good sleep because I knew I had to pick up TomTom from my mom's.  I went over there, made my meal plan dinner and brought TomTom home.  I got him to bed, took my medicines again (because it was right after dinner and she said to take with food) and passed out. 

The next morning I woke up, worked out to my video and cardio on the treadmill, then yoga.  I made my meal plan breakfast and ate it beginning to feel a little woozy, but carried on with the morning routine.  I got TomTom awake and into the bathroom to get ready for school.  I was drinking my hot tea and watching the room swirl around me.  I told him to scram... fast... MAKE WAY.... I knew I was going to throw up (this never happens to me unless it is late at night and I am drunk), but it happened... I threw up right then and there into the toilet... three times... gingerly thinking to myself how do I log that into sparkpeople?? Do I get calories back??????

I tried to persevere and continue on, TomTom was thoroughly grossed out.  I showered, got ready for work, and got on the road.  I was stopping here and there to catch my breath and steady myself.  The drive was the worst.  Getting him to school I thought I was going to hurl again, but knew I had nothing left in my stomach.  I made it to drop him off then went right back to my drive way.  I sat there a few minutes and decided to call the boss man.  I told him what happened so far and that I was going in to set up crew changes, call the doctor, and I would update him later.  He said he trusted me to know what I could or couldn't do and to take care of my work from home.

I called the doctor, hooked the computer up, set up crew changes, and next thing I know I was passed out.  I woke up again around 3 PM when my mom called me.  I think this was possibly a sign from my body self saying slow it down girl, you really are sick, and you need to heal.  I got new medicine from the doctor that my mom was nice enough to pick up and bring to me.  I hadn't eaten.  I threw up my breakfast, part of last nights dinner, and slept through lunch.  My mom was bringing TomTom to me so I didn't have to pick him up.  I told her I was going to order pizza for us.  Easy, simple, no prep, pizza.  I thought about it for about a half hour.  I decided to get up, cook the Tilapia - tater tots for him and salad with it for me, and be done with it.  He was a bit upset he didn't get pizza, but I explained that I set a goal and pizza was the lazy way out.  I didn't want to blow it with five pieces of pizza. 

I am learning that it is just laziness that makes me go with the easier way out of food.  Why get up and fix it when it can be delivered to your door ready to eat or picked up the same way?????  But I did it... I moved past it.  Not to mention, the night before when I came home with TomTom my medicine container was on the floor with NOTHING in it.  Turns out the cats knocked it off the table and the dog ate it????  I freaked out at first thinking it was the blood pressure medicine but it turned out just to be the antibiotic, and 45 minutes later when I was on the phone with the pet poison people I started to find the blue pills scattered all over my house.  I found 14 of the 19 and they decided it wasn't necessary to bring the animals in, just get the dog to puke by putting peroxide down his throat.  So I did, and Forest did, and there were no pills in his stomach.  I felt like crap.  I felt like it was an evil plot by the cats.  I felt horrible for what I did to Forest out of concern.  Maybe it was karma that made me nauseous the next day and a throw up queen.

And that is where I am at now, still on the meal plan, and with all that drama exactly one week into it after my fast.  That is another thing that gets me through my hunger.... I went three days without food, certainly I can handle another half hour.

This weekend is promising to be a great one because Nando and I are going to see Mamma Mia in Baton Rouge and then following it up with shopping.  I also got a new hair cut and am going back to henna... sweet henna.  I plan on doing that tomorrow night and will have to blog the process for shits and giggles.

That is this week in a nut shell!  Toodalooo!

When TomTom's Away....

TomTom spent last week in Gatlinburg, TN with my parents.  I stayed home and had some fun of my own.  In the last days before his arrival back at home I decided to do a massive clean out of his room while he wans't looking.  I am going to participate in a garage sale soon and I figured now is the time for out with the old and in with the new.

This is his room before the clean out.  I had already moved his dresser into the closet because there just isn't enough room in there for all of his furniture.  I had already strippe dhis bead and was washing the sheets and comforter. 

To put the dresser in his closet I had to take the bottom shelf out of his closet.  I'm not sure if I will regret that later, but everything seems to fit nicely in there.  I also cleaned out all the clothing and shelves of things that no longer fit him for the garage sale.  Here is a photo of the dresser in his closet after I took out the shelving.

And here is a photo of his room after the cleansing!  Everything has a place and he can play with all his legos and Star Wars toys on the other side of the bed so that you don't have to jump over them as soon as you walk into his door.  What did I learn from all of this?? Momma REALLY needs a life!

Edward & Alice

Today TomTom & I decided on a name for our two new kitties.... Edward and Alice. 

They are pretty much settled in to their new home, but I am steadily freaking out.

First of all, TomTom seems to be having some sort of allergic reaction to the cats.  He has the stuffy nose and sniffles as expected because he has seasonal allergies, but it is one step worse - his face is starting to break out in little bumps (hives possibly).  The second night we had the cats he woke up at about 5 AM sneezing in search of kleenex.  Then when he woke up officially later that morning his eyes were bright red and he had bumps all around them.  We solved that problem with his zyrtec and some eye drops for allergies.  I also gave him more allergy medicine later that night when he came home and eye drops.  We also washed all the sheets and made our rooms designated no-cat-zones for sleeping.  All went well and he seemed to wake up this morning in better condition as far as bumps, but they were still there.  He came home today and the bumps seem to be getting worse.  And they are slowly but surely making an appearance all over the rest of his body. He is also still sniffly and blowing his nose when he comes home.  So is all of this running full circle?  When he was born I had cats, one passed away days before he was born and the other a few months after.  Thomas suffered from skin allergies at the time too.  We associated them with milk formula and he changed over to soy and zyrtec and we haven't had such serious issues since then.  I am wondering if this was all owed to the cats and not the soy?  I am slowly freaking out because after administering protopic ointment his face seemed to get worse!  We washed that off and I put him in an oatmeal bath and coated it on his face to let it dry out.  I also gave him 2 tspn of Benadryl after researching hives as an allergic reaction and it said antihistimine was the way to go with it.  I also put the lotion on his face we used last night that seemed to help him.
My parents HATE cats, HATE the fact that I ever had them.  And ofcourse, now they are drawing the lines as I am that the skin issues are a result of the cats.  I have researched a lot online about this and supposedly these are symptoms that you can slowly get over from desensitizing yourself or being around them.  It also says that HEPA filters help eliminate pet dander and that is what is causing the reaction.  So out of this I have to wait until I get my income taxes to go buy multiple HEPA air purifiers, a steam cleaner for the floors, and HEPA vacuum cleaner.  Hundreds of dollars of accessories so that he can be around the cats.... if they even work!  But when is enough, enough?  Is he going to be able to suffer through the week until I am able to purchase these things?  We have a dog that he has never been allergic to, but after research the dander cats give off is different.  I am starting to freak out here because I hate seeing him break out like this... it looks miserable.
To top it all off I have NEVER taken a pet and given it back in all my years.  I've always adapted to or dealt with the issues that come with owning a pet.  I would feel a bit defeated if I have to talk about returning these cats where they came from or trying to find another home for them.  This isn't about what is happening to me, it is about what is happening to my child so it takes it all to the extreme level. 
TomTom seems to be ok with it, like it is a minor inconvenience and no big deal.  I am the one freaking out and he is the one sleeping soundly in his bed (thanks benadryl).  He wants to try to get through it and keep the cats.  What in the hell am I supposed to do??????????????????
I'm at a loss here.  Cat haters say get rid of them instantaneously.  I would like reassurance that the HEPA purifiers are going to work and my child won't be a big ball of snot and bumps by the time I get them in!

Sick TomTom

My Boo Boo is feeling like Pooh Pooh....

But you wouldn't know it from his photo of the week.  He is running a low grade fever and his nose is running like a leaky faucet.  I taught him the wonderful trick of homemade nose plugs when you just get tired of constantly wiping off your nose.  You twist up your tissue and VOILA!  Anyway, he spent most of the day in my bed and my motive was to snap a photo of him feeling down in the dumps and as awful as his congested nose sounds.  However, what I got was a fake sleeping little boy doing his best not to smile at the camera.

FMX Motocross!

This weekend we ventured over to New Orleans to attend the FMX Motocross.  Santa Claus gave both TomTom and myself tickets to the even for Christmas.  I thought the show started for 7 and the print outs I found online said doors opened for 6:30 PM.  We were on a very limited budget for the evening.  Thomas went with seventeen dollars, an accumulation from his Paw Paw and the tooth fairy.  I went with twenty in cash.  According to online information parking would only be ten dollars so with that amount I figured we would have to make a night of it.

We went to Texas Roadhouse in Covington for dinner and used the gift card I received from Santa for Christmas.  It is one of our most favorite restaurants in the area.  I love the Grilled Chicken Salad, and Thomas likes the steak bites (and that they offer applesauce as a side dish).  We both sing songs of joy when they give us the fresh baked bread and cinnamon honey butter.  We think we have both died and gone to heaven as we finish off every bit of it before our meal comes.  It was at the table that I got a really good view of the new missing tooth.  Tooth #3!  Thank goodness, now Tooth #2 has room to finish growing in!

With stuffed bellies we journeyed across the Causeway bridge to the big city and got to watch the sun set on the way over.  It was beautiful with all the pretty colors, the clouds, and the still water.  I think the Causeway is one of the better places to catch a sunset in New Orleans.



We made it to the Superdome parking Garage by 6:15 and started walking up to the New Orleans arena.  As usual I am the last one to know the event is sold out.  There is a huge line forming at the downstairs door and upstairs door waiting to get into the arena.  We got in the line that stretched over the bridge and wrapped around the Superdome.  We made it inside by 6:50.  TomTom decided he wanted to spend his money before the show started and we found the nearest stand and freaked out because of the prices.  There were no shirts under $20 for boys.  They had useless stuff for $5 and $10, nothing he was interested in and they didn't have checkered flags this year, only pirate flags????  He settled for a FMX beanie with a skull on it (his latest trend) that was $20.  He paid ten and I gave him the other ten I had on me.  He wore the hat all night.

We made it to our seats at about five to seven and I looked at the tickets again and saw the show didn't start until 7:30.  We decided next time we need to bring binoculars so we can people watch while we wait in our seats.  The show came, and by the end there were a few scares that the guys were going to fall off their bikes and slide across the pavement.  Luckily no one was harmed, even after one or two slips, and the show was a success. 

Thomas wanted to wait for autographs.  We went to stand in another line.  After about thirty minutes of waiting the guys came out and they each signed a promotional booklet and the beanie.  We left the arena and I realized we were the only ones out there walking to our car in an empty parking garage.  I freaked out inside my mind.  When I am out having a good time in the city at all hours in the night I am never stressed out, but involve my kid in a possibly scenario when he can be hurt, and I turn into Nervous Nellie.  I decide inside my head we will never wait for autographs again unless we have a larger group with us.  There were a few family members walking about a half a block ahead of us and I grabbed my sons hand and walked at full speed ahead.  Soon they were in the garage and we were walking the streets alone and I realize we have to go in and down to the first level of the garage.  I also realized that there were hardly any cars in the garage.  We headed straight to the car at top speed and I had my keys out ready to get in and lock doors.  I knew TomTom knew I was freaking out about something but I kept it to myself for later conversation.  We got in, locked doors, started the car and took a deep breath because we were home free!  I explained to TomTom that we were a bit careless in our city safety and the many reasons we should have not waited for the autographs and many scenarios we could have put ourselves in, etc. 

We stopped by Micky D's for late night snacks and the bathroom in Metairie.  It was 10 minutes to 11 PM.  I spent the rest of the money we had on that gift card and had to put up some cash to finish off the totals.  As usual with every Micky D's I go to lately, there are no shakes or ice cream available... what is up with that??????  Then after waiting too long for our order I got to witness the manager tell the cook not to give us the blackened and burnt burger patty that had been on the heater for too long.  She demanded he make us a new one and he couldn't understand why??  After fussing at the cook for this and that I think she asked him where his mouth was because he wasn't responding... some times I just miss Metairie, right?  After we got our order and made our drinks I went back to the counter to ask for ketchup.  One of the male employees walked behind the counter from one end to the other, made eye contact with me, and was smiling at me as I asked "Can we get some ketchup?"  Yes, ladies and gentleman, after smiling and making eye contact, he just continued to walk out of view as if I didn't even exist.  The lady next to me heard me, and I heard me, I wasn't sure what he heard??????  Finally the manger lady came back and she heard me ask and got me the ketchup!  Amazing!

Finally we were back on the Causeway, and after two minutes of singing to the radio and getting into that toll-bridge-zone I heard silence in the back seat.  My son was completely passed out and hunched over his seat belt. 

Can you see the signatures on the beanie???

Sweet Lil man, he's still just a baby, ya know???  He is 3/4 of my length and lugging what the scale says is 60 lbs (I say it is closer to 80 lbs dead weight) out of the car and into his bed was the final ending to my Saturday night.  He slept so hard he didn't even sneak into my bed later that night.

The Pirates of Penzance!

There is a new group on the north shore, a performing arts group for children of all ages located right here in Covington.  We heard through the Boy Scouts grapevine that they were doing the Pirates of Penzance and I figured, what the hay??  TomTom's first play!

I grew up watching a few musicals when the Beverly Dinner Playhouse was around in New Orleans.  And I was luck enough to live close enough to the Saenger that I got to see all the Broadway shows as they toured through our city.  I know many crazy facts about many crazy musicals because of this.  I also know one too many show tunes and this tends to annoy my co-workers and my son, but I press on!  Anyway, TomTom's time had come.

Tickets were only $10 because it was the first show of 2011 so it was a steal!  I invited a local friend who I knew enjoyed live theatre and it was a date.  I bought tickets online not knowing what we were getting in to the Friday before the Saturday showtime.  The tickets said they would ship, but I knew there was no time for them to get here.  I tried calling the office, but could not get in touch with anyone and left a message.  No one returned my call.

The night of the show we left our house at 6:15 and arrived in the parking lot at 6:30, the show was starting for 7 PM.  The parking lot was completely vacant, save one other vehicle, and I had doubts as to if we were in the right place.  We got out and went inside.  I saw my name on a card as our "tickets" and knew all was well in that department.  Then we sat and waited because they weren't ready to seat us yet.  Since we ordered tickets online our seats were all ready marked out inside the theatre according to the card.  I also saw that my friend had ordered online and was much farther down the row from us.  I asked if this could be changed since we were the only one there, but this seemed like too much of a task for the young girl at the table so i just told her not to worry about it.

Around 6:45 PM my friend showed up with husband in hand and I felt bad because I realized how far off Broadway this production was going to be, but it was all children so at least it would be fun for Thomas.  My friend told us she had invited some of her friends too.  I was excited they were coming because I hadn't seen them in awhile, but would have preferred it be over a cold beer instead of a play full of children.  I secretly cringed over this news because I knew these were young outgoing people that had no idea what they were getting into.  And the fact that the guys were going to be there, the good ole sports loving guys that they were, it just seemed miraculous that everyone was on board with this so I smiled to myself and my friend.

They finally let us go to our seats and there were maybe three or four rows of folding chairs as the seating area.  We were in the first two seats since we took care to pre-order and avoid the crowd of twenty that showed up for the night.  My friends were down on the other side of the theatre.  I didn't want to disturb any of the fans that showed up so we decided to stick it out on opposite sides of the audience.  While we were waiting for the show to start, my son was so excited to see his first play that he couldn't look up from his DS to say HI to friends or look at the stage.

The facebook comments my guy cousins left me were of the following nature...
"Poor TomTom, how could you do that to him?"

Then the show started and Thomas was an avid watcher.  I don't know if it was the fact that the kids were on stage and a hairs breath away from him or that he was just exhausted from a long day, but he was very quiet and observant.  It was hard for me to sit through.  I was glad I was supporting the community, but it wasn't anything close to the Pirate Movie I watched and sang to in the '80's (a spoof of the Pirates of Penzance). 

Intermission came and I scooted over to the other side of the room to visit while TomTom went back to his DS.  It was at this time my friend told me there was an alcohol smelling homeless type person in the row behind her that was making her nervous.  He didn't seem to know anyone there and I was worried we had a Chester-the-molester on our hands.  Intermission ended and we were back to our seats.

My friends left as soon as the show was over and TomTom wanted to stay and grab something out of the treasure chest as he was invited to do by the hostess of the evening.  We got to see the cast take a photo from their performance that night.



He grabbed a doubloon from the treasure chest and we sang our way home by way of Menchies!!!!  The next play I will take him to is "The Music Man", one of my absolute favorites!!!  I hope it is at least three steps closer to the sidewalk that leads you to Broadway than this gem of a play, but kudos to the kiddies that got up there and performed!

Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby

The Pinewood Derby came and went today.

When we got there we weighed our car and made sure it met the regulations.

The excitement was in the air as the boys waited patiently in the "pit" area by the track.

Nana made an appearance to help out with the concession stand.  TomTom did an "Act of Kindness" by giving her help without her having to ask him for it.  He earned a dollar toward his Den's charity. 

We were all ready for the races!

On your Marks!

Get Set!

Goooo!!!!

And after a day of good sportsmanship and fun, you'll never guess who won 1st Place!

 

TomTom won First Place!! GO BUDDY!  We are very proud of you!

And you know they couldn't let the little ones have all the glory.  The grown ups had a version of the Pinewood Derby for themselves.

Good Job to Pack 222 at the Pinewood Derby today!