6 Nuts in a Nutshell

Update: On Just About Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 28 May 2018 19:04:00 +0000

I got a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas.

Had a blast making these magnet

boards for friends!

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted!

Since the last post, our lives have been changed in so many good ways! I know it sounds crazy, but getting my diagnosis of ADHD not only changed my life, but the lives of my whole family. I can not describe how much better everything is for all of us.

We are no longer in Oklahoma. We are now living in the great state of Texas and enjoying our time in El Paso. It is very different here than it was in Tennessee, but we like different! We found a nice big place outside El Paso with some land for the kids to run around on and be loud. We got tired of bothering neighbors with our shenanigans.

Our Family, Christmas 2017

Still homeschooling, and the boys are doing SO well!

Homeschool Art Class -- learning how to blend color pencils.

We got two dogs. And we love them so much! Hudson is a doxle (beagle/dachshund) and Luna is a chiweenie (Chihuahua/dachshund). Hudson is a rescue. We got him from an animal rehab that saved abused animals. He has PTSD, but is doing so much better now that he is part of our family. He adores the boys and has a special connection to Sam (my 12 year old) and is with him all the time. Luna is my girl. She was originally found at a shelter, but then her previous owners were getting a divorce and couldn't keep her. So we took her and she's a little spit-fire lovey. And they love my sweaters I made them...

Sam and Hudson: BFFs

Rocking my sweaters!

Luna loves to ride in my sling... I love it that she loves it!

Car rides are serious business. Just sayin'

I started back to school. Online school. After receiving my diagnosis and treatment, I was encouraged by my doctor to go back to school and get my degree. I am tired of hearing people complain about the problems of the world and think they are doing something about it by re-posting articles on social media. Keyboard warriors kind of frustrate me -- demanding change but not willing to actually DO anything about it. My doctor suggested I go back to school and be a part of the change I would like to see happen in the world. So I am studying psychology with an emphasis in mental health. I am planning to continue on for a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, specifically working with couples and families dealing with mental illness. On the side, I am studying up on Art Therapy in hopes to apply it to what I learn to help others; and also the mental health issues that are common in the military communities among service members and their families. I already did all my generals back in college when I was young, and the credits counted. So now, I get to focus on all the fun stuff! And I am loving it!

Military Ball, Christmas 2017. This man makes me feel like a princess!

Things are busy, but I feel so blessed to be able to do all the things I want to do and the things I need to do... except laundry... I hate laundry...

Well, that's the Nutshell in a... well, a nutshell.

-Cat

Diagnosis: Are You Kidding Me?!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 19:29:00 +0000

I have so much to be grateful for. I have been blessed with 5 beautiful boys and an amazing husband who is not only my very best friend, but my eternal love and companion forever! We have such amazing Army adventures and for the first time in a LONG time I am feeling better about my outward appearance since the big weight loss. I am training for another half marathon, and I am right on schedule... what more can I want? Then why oh why am I so unhappy?

You see, I have a deep secret. One I have kept inside my whole life. Only, I really didn't know it was secret... I have learned at a very young age how to cope and adapt and appear mostly normal to everyone around me. I always got excellent grades, I was always the teacher's pet because I was quiet but I participated and I never acted out. I never got in trouble, not even once -- I even got an award at the end of my 6th grade year for never getting in trouble since kindergarten.

I was a good kid. Then I hit puberty and went a little nuts. I was a very difficult teenager. I was angry, I was moody, I had super low self-esteem. I slept A LOT or didn't sleep at all. I started skipping classes in high school because I was bored and I thought my teachers were wasting my time. My grades started going down my sophomore year, and I honestly could not have cared less. I KNEW I needed good grades to get into college, I just couldn't get myself to care about it. Sure I wanted to make something of my life, I had a super high IQ, I knew I was talented and smart, I just didn't really care enough to apply it. I wasn't lazy... just unmotivated.

My parents then moved my sister and I from the city we grew up in to rural southern Utah. In fact, we moved right down the street and around the corner from my future husband! I thought I would be more bothered about the move, because "normal teens" I knew would have been furious and really struggle with the life change. I was okay with it. Although, for the sake of all teenagers everywhere, I pretended to be a little outraged. I did get a rise out of people by showing up to school the first day with purple and pink hair (This was the mid-90's and colored hair was way outside the norm). I found a group of friends that accepted me, mostly... one of which became my future brother-in-law. I survived high school, for the most part. I was so ahead academically from living my life in gifted classes in the city, that the small town stuff was a no-brainer and I hardly even had to show up. I think I only got caught sluffing class once, and I sweet talked and BSed my way out of it... I was good at that. Because of my big blue eyes and blond hair, I was often underestimated and I took advantage of that all the time. I was really good at playing innocent, when I was clearly guilty as all heck.

Now, I know what you're thinking... that doesn't sound too different than what most teenagers go through.... here's the thing, that's what I wanted you to think. I LONGED to be normal. I wanted to fit in, for the most part anyway. I was an introvert, but I still wanted to be asked to dances and feel like people saw and cared for me. I wanted to have friends. But inside, I knew I was odd. Different. I didn't quite measure up. I felt unworthy of attention.

I managed to graduate high school with honors, and off to college I went. This is where I really started struggling. My mom wasn't there to sing annoying songs in the morning to get me out of bed. She wasn't there to make me meals and tell me to do my homework. I started to develop serious anxiety bordering on depression. I couldn't go to sleep at night and I stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning, then I couldn't wake up for class. I tried, I really did. Then I stopped caring. I stopped going to class because I realized I could just show up and pass the tests, because I was really good at that. I couldn't sit still in lectures, it was almost painful... and I kept getting distracted, like thinking about what I was going to do later, who I was going to hang out with, the book I was currently reading, whether or not that guy over there was checking me out... hey, is the teacher looking at me?! What did he just say?! All. The. Time.

I started drinking Pepsi. It calmed me. I became addicted and drank a 12 pack a day. I gained weight so I switched to Diet. I felt better, I started passing my classes.

Then just before I got my associates, I completely freaked out. Total melt down and missed ONE final. PE. And they wouldn't let me graduate. My mom was livid. I didn't care. Whatever. I was too tired and anxious. I wasn't good at school. I was ready to move on.

I opened a used bookstore. I loved books and I could sit in there alone most of the day and read and play video games on my computer. It was perfect for me. But again I got bored. And when 9/11 happened, I decided I needed a change. Closed my bookstore and went on a mission. I had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue in college. I was so concerned about my abnormal issues I saw a few different doctors. Most of them thought I was full of crap and dismissed me. I figured I was going crazy and no one would listen. I looked and acted normal for the most part. I was smart and creative... I was just odd. Nothing wrong with that right? So here I was 21 years old, tired all the time, stressed, anxious, and serving a mission for my church. My companions didn't much care for me... I could only pretend normalcy for so long without telling them off for being lazy (I thought) or unorganized, or not following the rules to a T. Rules are SUPER important to me. I think I had one companion who loved me for me and that was the best part of my mission was being with her.

I served with honor and came home. I thought, okay, I will come home get a job and get married. But I seriously put off all the guys. I couldn't figure it out, what was wrong with me?? I could sew, cook, draw, clean, write, I was great with kids, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom like nothing else! I wanted to be a good, supportive wife... and I was very religious and traditional. I wasn't super skinny or beautiful, but I honestly felt I made up for those short comings with who I was on the inside... but most guys didn't go for it. It was like I opened my mouth and their eyes glazed over.

Which brings me to secret number one: I was and am a human lie-detector. My BS meter is through the roof! My kids HATE it. I can also tell what people are feeling or how they feel about me. I am extremely empathetic... or how I like to call it: I have a great gift of discernment. But I hide it most of the time. No one likes to know you know they are lying to you. No one likes you to know they can't stand you. So I pretend like I don't notice... I get more friends that way. But you know, it hurts a lot. It took my husband a long time to believe me when I told him so and so didn't like me, so I didn't want to hang out with them or sit next to them in church.

So I pretty much tested the dating waters when I got home from my 18 month mission in Southern California. Guys were jerks to me. I thought I would never live my dream of being a wife and mom because I was fat and ugly... and weird.

Then Ben came along and looked at me like I was the only girl in the room... actually I was, but that is beside the point. My long time readers and friends know that from our first date to the day we married was exactly 5 weeks. It was fast... but we both went into it knowing what we were doing. You see our first date was like a very logical, rational, well thought out interview. I didn't care for games, and neither did he. I was sick of playing around and not getting to the point. I told him exactly what I wanted in life and he told me the same and our goals matched, so logically and reasonably, we decided that we would make a pretty good pair. Turns out we were right! Almost 13 years and still going strong! Ben was the best choice I ever made. (For the whole story click here).

We forged our lives together, meeting our goals together one at a time. We grew together. We learned together. And we made our lives wonderful together. Ten months after we got married Sam came along, and parenthood and schooling on Ben's part consumed our lives. Our families didn't always understand our choices, but we always thought that they were right for us. And we have done very well for ourselves. Was it easy? Heck no!! But tried to be the best we could be.

You all know the rest. Ben has Inattentive ADHD (previously called ADD), and so far, our 3 oldest boys have it and I pretty sure the babies have it too. College was a struggle for Ben. It took him 8 years to get a bachelors degree... even though he was the hardest worker I knew, he also worked full time to support me and the kiddos (by this time we knew their issues and it was vital I was home with the kids). Ben survived off of very little sleep and worked hard. He wasn't a great test taker and that was were he struggled, but he is so brilliant and smart that he really did know his stuff... better than his peers even! But tests gave him anxiety and he would blank out. Because of being in the Army, Ben is not allowed to medicate, so I learned all there was to know about ADHD and I supported and helped him the best I could. I also worked with the boys. We knew Sam was "special" when he was very small. But we were blown away when Nephi's Kindergarten teacher approached us with ADHD concerns. (Story here). Then a couple years later, a friend that had kids with ADHD pointed out that we should get Sam tested, after he swung on her chandelier and wouldn't get off her banister at a little party he went to at her house.

Over the years, I have become a professional on ADHD, all the symptoms, all the treatment options, how it manifests in men and boys... I could seriously write the book... if I could bring myself to finish any book I start.

Which brings me to now.

Last November, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and put on a very strict eating plan. You can see the whole story here. I lost a lot of weight. Seriously, I am down 125 pounds. I am almost the thinnest I have ever been in my adult life. I am running again, I fit in my favorite clothes, and I don't feel so self conscious when I go out in public... for the most part. But as the weight came off, I became more anxious. I was sad all the time. I KNEW rationally, that I should be SOOOO HAPPY!! That I should celebrate my achievements. But I couldn't. I couldn't wake up in the morning. I couldn't get out of bed, and when I did, I physically struggled to even leave the house. I had to force myself to walk out the door. My temper was always on the edge and I would have serious melt downs over little things. I was shaky. Fidgety. Messes gave me so much anxiety, I shut down and couldn't move... and I couldn't bring myself to clean up even though it was causing me issues. I started forgetting a lot. Birthdays, appointments, etc. I was losing things. I was frustrated at myself for being so irrational. What the heck was wrong with me!?

I started studying Hashimoto's and found that lots of my issues kind of fit. Maybe I had food intolerance's. I cut out dairy and lost 10 pounds in one week after a two month stall! But my mental state was still in turmoil and being a wife and mom became such a struggle. I started working out more if I could find the energy... but then I couldn't sleep at night! I literally thought I was going crazy. I cried a lot. I had no hope. I worried Ben would get sick of my crap and leave me.... I know he wouldn't but I couldn't think clearly. I. Was. A. Mess.

I called my doctor and told him I was a walking disaster, a ticking time bomb, I wanted all my levels checked. I went in got tested. My thyroid meds needed changing. So I got a lower dose. The symptoms got worse! Six weeks later I went in again and told him to check the Hashimoto antibody levels and all my vitamin levels. He did, because he's a great guy and super patient with me. He called me and told me that all my levels were normal, in fact, because of my excellent diet, my Hashimoto's was completely in control. He said that if I hadn't tested positive back in November he would think I never had it to begin with. Great news... but what the heck was wrong with me. I cried. He told me to think about things, to make another list and let him know in the next few weeks what steps I wanted to take next. He didn't know, I was a mystery, but he was great enough to be open to my suggestions. I love that he recognized that I wasn't lying and that I was smart enough to figure this out and he would help me any way he could.

Last week was particularly hard for me. I was mentally shutting down. It wasn't just hard on me, my family was really suffering too. I prayed like I have never prayed before. God, I said, only You know what is wrong with me. Was it depression and/or anxiety? It didn't really feel like that was the root of my issues... just a symptom. The thought came to me, what changed since November except your diet that could be giving you mental issues?

Then at last my prayers were answered. In the last place I expected to find it. On Facebook. In an article posted on a support site I am part of for parents of kids with ADHD. I was home alone. Ben had taken the boys to church because I just couldn't do church that day. So there I was, checking my feed when this article popped up: There's No Way I Could Have ADHD, Right?!

I don't know why I clicked on it. But it changed my life.

I just sat there in shock as I read. Missing puzzle pieces started shifting in my head and fitting together. Things were making sense for the first time in my life...

I went to other articles:
What it Feels Like to Live with Undiagnosed ADHD
Hair Pulling! Skin Picking! Nail Biting! OH MY!
ADHD is NOT a Male Disorder

I downloaded a podcast that was highly recommended: ADHD in Adults Vs. Children: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

I. Was. Blown. Away.

Never once in ALL my ADHD research and dealing with it with my husband and my kids, did it ONCE cross my mind that I could have it too.

No one in my family was ever diagnosed. We were a tough bunch that dealt. We coped. We sucked it up!

I feel to the floor in the kitchen, with my headphones in, still listening to the podcast... and I sobbed. Uncontrollably.

All my issues. Not my fault.

It wasn't my fault I was weird. Odd. That life was particularly hard.

My brain was wired differently. And it was okay. It. Was. Okay.

I have ADHD.

There was no doubt in my mind.

Everything... my whole life... made sense.

I cried because I was relieved. I had an answer at last! I cried because I wasn't going crazy. I cried because I had unfairly blamed Ben for my kids genes when it was my fault too. I cried because I had hope for the first time in my life that things could get better!

I emailed my doctor that night. I said: "I have ADHD!!" He called me first thing the next morning and laughing said, "Yes! I can't believe I didn't think of it. You are exactly right. Come in first thing tomorrow and we will do the evaluation and talk about it."

I went through the evaluation, and it was pretty smooth because my doctor knew me so well by now. I was officially diagnosed (I am to follow up regularly with my new doctor when we get to El Paso next month), and he gave me a light dose of ADHD meds (same as my 10 yr old, Nephi's).

I took the pill when I got home.

Within 15 minutes, my anxiety, depression, anger, everything just faded away like the morning tide. I was calm, really calm physically and mentally for the first time in my life. No kidding. The first thing I noticed was that it was so quiet. How could that be? I was surrounded by my 5 crazy loud boys. Then it hit me. It was quiet in my head. My inner voice, that is usually SOOOO loud and thinking thoughts at a million times an hour... was silent. It was the weirdest most wonderful feeling in the world!

And of course, I started crying. I felt so happy. So peaceful.

My life is going to change people. Everything is going to be different. Without that weight on my shoulders, and proper treatment, life is going to be so bright for me and for my family! For the first time in a long time, I really truly look forward to the future.

Why wasn't I diagnosed as a child?

In girls, we can manifest our hyperactivity internally. I was bright, smart, well-behaved. I literally read 600 plus words per minute. My mind goes so fast. No one can see that. No one could see my anxiety, stress, random bouts of depression. Intense boredom. I looked normal. I masked my inner weirdness by acting as normal as I could. When I am excited, I can't mask it as well, and I talk fast, but not like a hyper person... just a happy person. If you look back at all my posts, you can see it coming out in my writing. I use a lot of !!! because everything is exciting to me. And I have amazingly long run on sentences because I have a lot of thought to put down.

Also it wasn't caught because ADHD was still a tricky thing to diagnose back then and neither one of my parents were, or their parents.... but it's there somewhere undiagnosed because ADHD is VERY genetic. In fact, if one parent has it, 50% of their kids will have it. If both parents... yeah, my boys don't stand a chance.

85% of women with ADHD go their whole lives undiagnosed. 95% are self-diagnosed (we are master problem solvers and we know something is wrong, we don't give up until we get an answer) AFTER the age of 30.

I am one of those statistics.

Do I regret not being diagnosed earlier? I mean, my life could have been SO different!

This was my first thought. Then I squashed it. I love who I am. Who I have become. I am a strong woman who has fought like crazy my whole life to control something I didn't know I had. I have no regrets, only happiness that NOW is the time to get it really under control. To have answers is liberating, to say the least.

Am I aware that many people don't believe in ADHD? They think it's an excuse for bad parenting or lack of discipline...

Yes, after years of dealing with it with my kids and husband, I know there are people who don't believe in it. That's their prerogative. I don't care what they think... my advice to them: knock on wood, because chances are they may end up with ADHD person in their life. It's a very real disorder.

ADHD is a bad thing right??

Wrong. I mean, yeah it's hard. It's complicated. It is heartbreaking to feel different. But we also have some pretty cool superpowers. What I always called my "Getting in the Zone", is actually called hyperfocusing. I didn't know that most people couldn't do it... it comes so natural to me. Also, many of us are super smart and extremely creative. We love to learn new things, but like to do it on our terms. We do get bored easily, and we tend to finish others sentences when we feel like they aren't talking fast enough for our brains. We can either read really fast, or listen to audiobooks on x2 or more and comprehend it all. We are empathetic. We are sensitive to other's feelings. We are also hyper-observant... we can sense everything going on around us... I seriously thought every one could do this. We are also quick learners and cool under pressure. This is why Ben makes such a great soldier!

But People with ADHD are so weird...

Yeah, we are. We KNOW it. I recently joined a Facebook group for Adults with ADHD and I tell you, it's my new favorite group. I am not alone in my weirdness! These people are just like me! It's so wonderful to find a place where I fit. Yes, I have tons of friends... who love me most from a distance, yes, I know you are nodding your head like yeah, I love you Cat, but too much Cat is too much Cat... I can count on one hand my very best friends who actually enjoy my company often... and now that I think about it, most of them are probably ADHD or already loves someone with ADHD. I'm not saying that it's bad thing that I drive people bonkers... because I get it. Even more so now, so don't feel bad if you feel that way about me, I understand.

People with my kind of ADHD, yeah, it's kind of a spectrum, are extremely loyal to their loved ones. In fact, so much so, that we often have what is called, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. It means: "extreme emotional pain of perceived rejection is a feeling unique to people with ADHD." It can be debilitating and catastrophic. It happened to me once about 7 years ago... click here to refresh your memory. If we feel rejected or betrayed by someone we love and care about, we have a complete melt down. I mean, really bad stuff. Many can even end up hospitalized for it. I had actually had a mini episode a couple months ago when a family member criticized the way I was parenting my ADHD boys. I was able to pull myself together after a few hours, and I forced myself to let it go... but it was really hard!

I could go on and on about what makes different and how our brains work, I've been dealing and coping my whole life thinking that I was just weird... but I'll save that for another time.

So what made me get all these really bad symptoms these last nine months? What was different after November that set me off?

I stopped drinking my diet soda. That's it. Simple really. I was self-medication myself for MANY years without even knowing it. I drank over a hundred ounces a day of Diet Coke (embarrassing confession)... because it made me feel calm and collected. I had to quit to lose the weight. Not a day went by that I didn't crave a sip... but not because I was thirsty, it was because I craved the calm it gave me. Without it, I was flying blind. Going insane because I didn't know what was wrong with me. I couldn't focus. I couldn't finish any projects. I was discontent for no reason. People bothered me. Facebook stressed me out beyond reason. I struggled to leave my house. I couldn't sleep at night and then sleep too much in the morning. And I couldn't pull myself together. It was tough on all of us. Caffeine was my life saver for YEARS.

Could You or a family member have ADHD?

Maybe. I am not a doctor so I can't tell you. But if you think you might, read those articles I linked above and listen to the pod cast. Do your kids have it? Then chances are you might. I suggest you study up on it. Ask your doctor for an evaluation and go from there. If you have it, it is VITAL that you get diagnosed ASAP so you can get any help you may need. You may feel like you can handle it now, but you never know when life happens and can set you off. Also, I highly suggest the YouTube channel called How to ADHD... she is hilarious and very informative!! My boys have a HUGE crush on her. Also, follow the ADDitude page on Facebook for lots of great articles about ADHD.

What am I going to do now?

I am going to continue living my life to the fullest. I am going to get out of bed every morning and choose to have good days. I am going to continue to homeschool my boys and support my husband in his career. I am going to pull out all my hundreds of unfinished projects (another big symptom of ADHD) and I am going to finish them! I am going to FINALLY write and complete a novel! I am going to help and educate others about ADHD and the symptoms and encourage people to get the help they or their family needs to live a semi-normal life. I am going to utilize my strengths that I didn't know I had, and have a great life. I am going to stop being so hard on myself, I am unique and that's okay!! That is my plan, and I'm sticking to it! (At least until I get bored and make a new plan... *wink wink*)

-Cat

Finding My Style

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 17:47:00 +0000

Let me be the first one to admit that know next to zero about fashion. I've never worn the "in" things simply because by the time I figured out what was "in" it was already "out". I tried through elementary school to be one of the cool kids, and failed quite miserably. Mainly, because I was largely on the chunky size, and in the eighties, it was REALLY hard to find jeans and cute clothes for chunky kids. I wore leggings all through elementary, and I think it wasn't until I was in probably 6th or 7th grade until I really started wearing jeans... actually make that 8th grade...

In high school, mid nineties, I adopted the grunge look, much to my mom's displeasure and sported huge skater pants, tie-dyed tees, huge hoodies... anything to hide my stomach rolls and other body imperfections. At this point, I stopped caring so much what others thought.

Then I became a jeans and t-shirt gal. All through college, that was what I wore. I gave up on trying to fashionable in most ways, and just wanted to look normal, presentable, and pleasant. On my mission, I wore dresses and skirts for 18 months, then when I got home it was back to jeans.

Yoga pants and HUGE jeans became my go-to's when I got married and pregnant, and things just never really changed from there. When you're morbidly obese, you really have little choice in clothes. You wear what you can to look decent and comfortable and then you don't think about it. It didn't matter what I wore, I felt fat and ugly. There came a point where I wouldn't hardly leave my house, and I refused to get my picture taken or even look in the mirror. I was so horrified. I was so unhappy. And I felt like I lived in a prison.

Now, I have lost well over a hundred pounds.... but I have about sixty more until my goal weight. I thought, with all our kids and expenses, there was no way I could afford a whole new wardrobe. I wanted to just suck it up until I got to my goal weight. I mean, I had some smaller jeans from when I was thinner last time, I could wear those and just work with what I had in my closet.

But one day about a month ago, Ben came home I was wearing my "fat clothes" and he told me I looked like a total frump and I needed new clothes. I went to Walmart and bought a $4 t-shirt. He told me that was pathetic. But I seriously have major anxiety about spending money, especially on myself. It drives me crazy, and I actually lose sleep over purchases sometimes if I feel they aren't justified. When you spend the last 13 years pinching every penny that comes your way, it becomes a habit.

After a heated argument over my frumpy wardrobe, Ben and I came to a compromise. That I would get a small budget for clothes and if I used it wisely, shopping sales and such, I could get a few new shirts, pants, and a dress or skirt. So for a few days I thought about where I would go, when all of a sudden I realized that I don't even know what I like... or what I want... what is my look? What is my taste? I spent a few days online looking around on online stores, and nothing really stood out at me. Then by chance I stumbled upon a website, and I can't find it again for the life of me, about shopping for vintage clothes and how to rock the looks with a touch of modern. For those of you who know me, you know that I have my education in History and anthropology, so this idea fascinated me beyond explanation! So I started researching on how to find and identify vintage clothes by their make, style, fabric, and clothing labels/tags. I was HOOKED! Couldn't wait for Ben to get off work, so I could go to the local Goodwill's and thrift stores to see what I could find with all my new knowledge. I spent less than $200 and I replaced my entire wardrobe with vintage clothes, and vintage inspired clothes... and I couldn't be more pleased!! But not nearly as happy as my penny pinching hubby who was beaming with pride at all the deals I got.

So what is considered "vintage"?? Anything older than 20 years... so yeah, my junior prom dress is now vintage... wow, that makes me feel old.

Now, having lived through the 80's, I can't bring myself to wear any of it, unless it is Victorian inspired, which I have found quite a few lovely blouses from the 80's with high necks and beautiful lace. But the rest... yeah, not there yet.

Victorian inspired lace top. NOT vintage, but super cute!

This lace top is vintage 80's. This was a fun look for a church picnic.

Same lace top as above looked great over my 50's inspired swimsuit and large sun hat.

However, I have found some really nice 60's and 70's pieces!

1970's vintage blouse with modern day flares. Peace!

Late 70's-early 80's vintage blouse with modern day black leggings.
I couldn't resist a little Farrah flip with my hair... but I kind of failed.

Here I am this morning, sporting a sleeveless late 60's early 70's vintage dress with a black
undershirt and modern day black leggings.

Now, for the record. I don't dress up every day. In fact, these styles only really lasted a few minutes because with 5 boys, jeans and a t-shirt is just so much safer. Already my little guy has broken some of my jewelry and peed on my nice clothes.... So I just play dress-up for a few minutes every few mornings to remind me that I am not just a Cinderella mom, but that there is a women underneath the yoga pants that wants to feel pretty every now and then. I feel vain and stuck up taking these selfies... and probably even more like an idiot because I don't know what to do with my hands and arms... but my mother-in-law encouraged me to take them and share if only to let people know that there are some very cool clothes to be found at second hand stores, I seriously only paid less than $2 for each of these pieces above. The last dress, I only paid 25 cents!!! AND the best part... vintage clothes are usually one of a kind. So no one is going to be showing up to the party in the same outfit I am. How sweet is that?!

Still trying to figure myself out, but I think I have found a love and a place in my heart for the vintage look... if clothes could only talk, the stories they would tell!

-Cat

PS -- for the record, I'm really not a vain and stuck up person... When I look in the mirror now, I'm not thinking how wonderful I am, because I know I am TOTALLY not! When I see my reflection I think, wow, I finally see ME! And I smile because I'm so stinking happy about it!

Becoming Visible

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 15:05:00 +0000

Ran a 5K this weekend with my BFF Jessica -- In the RAIN!
It was AWESOME!

When you're fat, people either stare with a snare, stare with pity, or advert their eyes and pretend they don't see you. It's hurtful to feel like a non-person. Like you exist, but you don't. To walk around life, and feel invisible.

The soldiers, for the most part, try to be polite by just not looking. I could go anywhere around post and people just pretended I wasn't there. (Unless they were secretly taking pictures of me to shame me online later -- which I didn't notice happening, and I'm really glad). When I visited Ben at his office, the soldiers would smile and be kind and complement the boys, but not one... NOT ONE would look me in the eyes.

Ben overheard one guy poking fun of me once behind his back, and he shut him down so fast no one dared to speak less than favorable about me... at least when he was around. And no, Ben didn't just come home and tell me what happened, he would never have mentioned it and I don't know what the soldier said, but I asked Ben once if the guys ever made fun of me, and my dear husband can't lie to me to save his life... he said, "Once... but I squared him away." That is Ben's way of saying he probably made the kid pee himself.

But I didn't go visit him at work again after that. And I refused to go to any of the military balls. I was so afraid I would ruin Ben's career by being fat... I was afraid that his men would lose confidence in him because of his taste in women. My husband said I was totally full of crap, because there are wives bigger than me, but I didn't believe him. My weight made me feel so self-conscious I just couldn't go to Army things, even thinking of going put me in a panic attack and throwing up.

I know, I should of sucked it up and just did it. But, I just couldn't.

Being fat is more than just physical. It consumes a person mentally and emotionally.

When I first started seeing the weight loss doctor and nutritionist, they sent me to see a psychologist once. No, I'm not crazy. It's totally standard when going through the process I did. They want to cover all the bases because being morbidly obese didn't just happen because it wanted to happen. In MOST cases, people become fat because of events in their lives, many completely out of their control, and it triggers the bad eating habits. I have meet many other morbidly obese people in my journey (support groups) and they tell me it all started when a loved one died, or they were abused, raped or molested as a child. One women said it started when her parents divorced. Another man started overeating when his wife left him... etc, etc. There is a story behind each and every person that struggles. I was one of the lucky ones, my journey was because of underlining health reasons. I almost felt like an outsider in the support groups... but I learned so much about not judging, and being a little more kind and patient with people who struggle with this disease, food addictions, and similar disorders.

I was lucky, my issues weren't so bad that I needed to continue seeing the psychologist, but many, MANY others struggling with serious underlining issues NEED the help mentally and emotionally to get a hold of themselves and get in that place they need to be internally to get the weight off physically... or it will never STAY off permanently.

Anyway....

Back on topic...

I have felt invisible for a very, VERY long time. I almost forgot what it felt like to be looked at, really truly SEEN by other people.

The best part about being in the Army life, is that we move so much... no one here at Fort Sill know I used to be fat, unless I tell them, that is. I lost the majority of my weight at Campbell, so with each move I start fresh. No one here looks at me and thinks, oh, yeah, she used to be fat. Nope, just a normal woman now... and I LOVE that! A fresh start ever couple years. And now, when we move to Fort Bliss, TX (Yeah, we got orders last week!) in a couple months, I will just be that girl that runs with 5 boys.

Men are fickle, you know. They say women are weird... but I'm telling you... they have this thing were they don't want to be too nice to anyone they don't think is cute because you know, we might get the wrong idea. As if! PAA.... LEEEEEASE!! They think WAY to much of themselves. I just want them to look at me politely when I talk to them... but apparently, their feet are way more attractive than I was.

For the last 4 years, my competition has been shoes. And I got used to it.... so whatever. But it was hurtful, you know? I wanted so badly to look on the outside like I felt like the person I was in the inside.

Now, here I am over a hundred pounds later, and life is soooo different for me. One would think it wouldn't, couldn't be too different. Not now, living in a world where people SHOULD be more accepting and tolerant and loving and kind.... can you read my eye roll between those words??

I don't know when things changed really, the way people saw me.... I have been so focused on how I saw myself, that I guess I stopped thinking about what others thought. It really didn't hit me until a couple days ago.

Sunday, I took a chance and tried on my old heels. When I got fat, my feet got so big, I went up two sizes!!! I couldn't wear heels because I was too heavy and they were too small. But for church this week, I thought I would pull them out and give them a go. They fit!! Woo Hoo!! The family was waiting for me out in the car, and I came out, and was totally strutting my stuff for my husband... because you know, who wouldn't right?! When a bus of soldiers came around the corner... all heads turned and watched me as I walked to van.

Longest walk in the world.

"Do I have something stuck on my butt?" I asked my husband, totally mystified as to why those guys were watching me. He laughed.

"No! They were totally checking you out!" He said.

"What?! No they weren't! Why?" I am ashamed to admit, I was clueless...

"Because you're hot!" He said chuckling to himself... "Yeah, I got me a sexy wife and now everyone knows it..." He snickered. The turd.

I seriously thought he was just teasing me and blew him off. I mean, come on! I am still about 60 pounds over weight. So whatever. Guys only check out skinny girls right?

Then this morning, Ben and I decided that after he came home from PT in the morning, I would go do my run while he got ready for work. I just needed 30 minutes to get a good hard run in to start the day. So I'm out there doing 60/120's to get my speed up (60/120's - interval training of 60 sec sprints and 120 sec fast walk) and it happened to be the time that the training convoys are going past... and all the buses transporting soldiers to and from breakfast are heading past me. I felt suddenly VERY visible and self-conscious as they went by. I couldn't even look at them, I was afraid they were making fun of the chunky girl running around. So I looked away. The couple times I did look, some of the soldiers waved and I thought, "Wow, people at Fort Sill are so friendly..."

When I ran around the corner to my house, my Garmin read 2.42 miles... I HAD to have an even 2.5... my little bit of runners OCD DEMANDED it. So I ran around for about a min to round it out. I started walking just as a mini bus came around the corner and the soldier in the front seat actually leaned out the window and called out to me waving. My first thought was to look behind me too see who he was waving at. Wait me? Did I know him? No.... Was he flirting with me? Impossible.... Right?! I know... he was digging my striped compression socks... that's it!

I'm so blessed to have such a supportive husband who makes
me feel beautiful no matter what!

Has this invisible girl suddenly become visible?? I don't know how I feel about this? It's new territory for me... Last time I was this size, I lived in Utah, and it was a whole different world. Guys didn't smile and wave at me, they just treated me like a person, which was nice...but I was never skinny enough to be considered a hot mama.... Here, it's just different....

And I'm not sure how I feel about this... it's just so weird.... Maybe I just look cuter from a distance, because seriously, I've got like 15 years on most of these guys around here... I'm getting to old for this....

-Cat

The Comeback

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sat, 10 Jun 2017 19:04:00 +0000

Deep breath.

This is the bravest post I have ever written.

No one likes to talk or dwell on their failures and weaknesses. No one likes to admit their pain and their struggles. No one likes to succeed, then fall flat on their face, tumble down that hill they struggled to climb, only to try again and again and never quite make it to the top... and certainly, we don't like to share those experiences.

Total and utter humiliation is what I have lived with for a few years now. Sometimes, my failures hurt so badly, I find it hard to breath... and I'm not talking about my asthma either. I'm talking about my weight-loss/ weight-gain roller coaster journey.

Most of my long time readers are familiar with my life-time struggle with weight. You can read about my journey here -- but it stops a few years ago, because I have been too ashamed to talk about where I got to after losing weight and running a half marathon back in 2013 -- BEST summer of my life!!

Then I got pregnant, twice in a row, and gained a ton a weight back. I blogged about it here. I resolved to get it off, and I really, REALLY tried. And it just wouldn't come off. I'd lose a little and then gain a ton back. I fell into a depression and wouldn't hardly leave my house. I was so humiliated. It was worse that I lived in a military community where over-weight wives are publicly shamed. I am not kidding. There are some female soldiers and other military wives that sneak pictures of the overweight ones at the store or gym and post them on a "Dependapotomos" (that's what they call the fat military wives) website and everyone makes fun of them. I kid you not, it's a thing! I don't know if I even made an appearance on there, and I pray I never find out, but it was a deep fear of mine.

You can't look at a fat person and KNOW them. Each one of us has a story to tell, and it will probably break your heart... but then again, sometimes our stories can inspire.

So, here is my update.

It's been over a year since I posted about my weight loss/ fitness goals. I can honestly say, this year was not only the hardest of my life, but also the most rewarding and amazing.

Last June/July, I did the hardest thing I have ever done. I went home to Utah weighing the highest I had ever weighed: 324 pounds. I was sick about the trip. When I had left Utah, 3 years prior I had been in the best shape of my life having just run my first Half. And here was over a hundred pounds heavier. It was the most humiliated experience of my life.

No, my family didn't judge me... my biggest critic was myself.

It was there, at that moment, that I made a choice... that would change my life forever. My family and friends in Utah were NEVER EVER going to see me like this again. I was going to do everything I could to change this.

Rewind a year. I don't remember if I blogged about this, but I went to my PCP (Primary Care Physician) and I told her that I was doing all in my power to lose weight and I was actually gaining. She was so rude to me and I quote: "You are what you eat, Mrs. Lang. Calories in equals calories out. Ignorance is no excuse for being morbidly obese." I was so stunned I couldn't speak and I started balling when she left. I felt so trapped and I knew something was wrong with my body and the doctor just saw this fat girl and assumed I was downing big macs. I was in a prison and no one would help me.

I gave up. I tried to work out and I was so heavy that I got heel spurs and did some damage to my bones in the hips and back. I was living in a nightmare. After going back to Utah, I came home with a strong will and determination. I called my PCP, and they had THANKFULLY got me a new one (found out later that the beast before got FIRED! Can I just say: Karma!), and I told her straight out that there was something wrong with me. I wrote a whole portfolio of my weight loss journey, all the stuff I tried, my complete history! I was prepared and I wasn't leaving until she helped me. I told her I didn't want pills, I wanted to know why my body wasn't responding to my efforts and I wanted to see someone who could help me.

She said yes. SHE. SAID. YES!!

I got a BUNCH of testing done.

Turns out, I have.... drum roll.....

Hashimoto thyroiditis aka Hashimoto's Disease.

It went undetected my WHOLE life because I was already on the meds to treat my Hypothyroidism-- same meds treat both. But the big difference is that hypothyroidism can be a symptom of the Hashimoto's and when it comes to what you should and shouldn't eat it can make a HUGE difference. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease and it's not common in young people, that's why I wasn't tested for it when I was a teenager and the problems first started. It is when your body thinks that your thyroid gland is the enemy, so your body produces antibodies to fight it and kill it. For those of you who don't know what the thyroid does, it produces a hormone that regulates your metabolism and it's located in the front of your neck and throat. So basically, even though I have been taking the hormone replacement pill since I was 16 (late 30's now), the hashimoto's has been under control in the way that my thyroid won't swell and I am alive. However, after getting my metobolism tested, turns out it is basically not functioning at all, hence the weight-gain and lack of loss. My PCP told me that my weight problem isn't my fault. This time I started crying... but happy tears.

It wasn't my fault.

So what I could I do? I couldn't live my life like this any more. I didn't recognize that person in the mirror... it just wasn't who I was.

She referred me to a weight loss specialist in Nashville at Vanderbilt, who specialized in cases like mine, and he along with a nutritionist gave me the tools to get out of this pit of despair and change my life forever.

It wasn't easy.

I had to give up a lot!! No more diet coke (hardest thing for me), no more breads or pastas or even crackers. No more ANYTHING with soy. No sugar. No chocolate. I can only drink water, and an occasional Power-aid Zero after a workout. I have to keep track of everything I eat and drink and I have to get in lots of protein a day. It's hard. But it is SOOOO worth it.

Heel spurs? Gone.

Hip issues? Gone.

Hashimoto's and Thyroid? Under control.

Asthma? So much better.

So a year later... after my worst embarrassment of my life: the people I love the most seeing me at my ultimate worst:

Fast forward to today...

I decided my goal for the summer was to once again do a half marathon... so into training mode I go!! Today, was my four mile run. I mastered the 5K these last couple weeks -- my time still isn't where I want it to be, but it will come in time with my training schedule. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do 4 miles. We are in Oklahoma in June. It's hot, humid, and muggy. However, my spirits were lifted with an overcast and a nice breeze. I told my husband to map out a four mile route for me with no hills. I just didn't think I was there yet.

This was my first time actually running outside where people could see me in almost 4 years. I was really nervous, especially running on post on Saturday morning with all the Army peeps seeing me as they ran or drove by... or even the ones playing golf (my path took me around a course).

Let's start off by saying my husband is a trickster and a liar-liar-pants.

"The only hill is a slight incline coming home... and there is a huge down hill here... super easy route... a total breeze."

Liar. Liar. Pants. On. Fire.

Not a hill run? I call BS. Look at my proof:

Okay, so I admit, they aren't HUGE hills to normal people, but for me, they were steep and beastly.

I was a little mile into it when the clouds parted and out came the sun and a big-a hill. I cursed him in an un-Mormon way under my breath. Then came hill numero 2. A real killer and I don't think I would have made it but not for my stubborn streak.

Then there was a nice down hill....

But when I hit my 5K mark, the humidity got to me and I had a minor asthma episode and had to speed walk for a few minutes while my inhaler kicked in -- so glad I thought to bring it. Then I started running again... and came up to the last hill to my house. I said a prayer in my mind, that the Lord would give me strength to run and some wings to fly because, heck, I was really going to need some divine help!

And He did. I flew up the last hill and hit my four miles in exactly the goal time I was going for!! Hills and all, thank you very much.

I may not look like her, but I sure felt like Wonder Woman today!

Half Marathon, here I come!!

Oh, and you are probably wondering what I look like now?

Here I am today:

After my run today in all my sweat and glory! (Don't be jealous of my hair... lol)

I am not yet where I want to be... but I am 2/3rds of the way there! And I'll get there -- to the top of the proverbial hill, and this time, I'll make it to the top!! The journey... well, it's amazing and I am enjoying every minute of it! I feel so blessed and thankful for the Lord and all He has done for me and the strength He has given me to try try again. And I am so thankful for my husband who loved me and supported me even when I was at my heaviest and who believes in me more than I believe in myself... even if he has to trick me sometimes to discover my strength on my own.

Now, I'm not giving any numbers, so don't ask me. One thing I learned on my journey this time is that the scale is just a number... it doesn't measure my worth, my potential, or how far I have come emotionally and spiritually. And it certainly can't tell me who I am or how I should feel about myself. Only I can answer that question.

So...

Moral of the story: Don't let ANYONE tell you you can't. Your biggest advocate is yourself. Stand up and do what you have to do for yourself and your health. Don't let any stigmas of getting professional help keep you from getting it if you need it!! This is YOUR life! Be the leading lady or leading man to your personal story and be your own hero. If I can do it with Hashimoto's, Asthma, heel spurs, and everything else that comes with all of the above, you can do it too!

-Cat

Being an Introvert Among Extroverts

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 03:29:00 +0000

I'm not shy. I have no problem socializing, in fact, I really enjoy spending time with friends chatting and doing playgroups once in a while. I love going to church meetings on Sunday. My husband and kids are my world! And nothing thrills me like running a good race among peers...

But I am an introvert, and sometimes it's a real struggle... mostly for everyone else. I have no issues with being a introverted homebody. I love reading, writing, art, running.... spending quiet nights with the hubby after the kiddos are in bed -- I LIVE for these moments. But I think my extrovert friends really have a hard time understanding and they get impatient with me. I don't know why, but I feel like they just can't grasp where I am coming from... and they look at me like I'm a crazy weirdo. It's so uncomfortable. I understand extroverts and their needs to be out and about and around people and keeping busy doing things and volunteering for everything under the sun. Lots of my friends live for the moments when they are heading up a PTA committee or getting out for a girl's weekend out on the town hitting the movies, spas, and/or the latest concert. I know they get their vibe and energy from being around others. I get it. I really do. It's perfectly okay and fine. However, it seems like they don't understand introversion as well as we understand extroversion. I don't know why. But, to me, all that rejuvenates the extroverts, just sounds EXHAUSTING... and not in a good way. So here I am writing this, to help my extrovert friends try to understand just a little about me and people like me.

Introverts are a minority in a world where Extroverts are the norm. We don't care really, we just like to be left alone for the most part to do our thing. But Extroverts seem to think we have some kind of personality disorder, or we are just shy (shyness and introversion are NOT the same thing), or that we are standoffish and rude. This is simply not true. People and crowds exhaust us. We get our peace and energy from solitude. Introversion is not something that needs to be cured. It's who we are, and the world needs people like us to keep the balance. I truly believe we are some of the most misunderstood people ever.

For years, I struggled to come to grips with not wanting what everyone else wanted. My loved ones who were more outgoing, just could not understand me. It doesn't matter what I say, they think I am making up excuses and they take my lack of interest as a personal insult. They thought I was weird. I hate feeling like I didn't measure up to their expectations as a person because I didn't like the same things they did. And sometimes, it's makes me feel guilty and sad, and a little depressed... for just being me. Like I have a serious problem. It hurts to feel judged for something I can't help and I really don't feel like this is such a bad part of me that I need to change. This is who I am.

A few years ago, I made a decision that I won't let it bother me anymore. And so far, it's been okay. But once in a while my resolve slips and I feel like a total dud. One of my problems is that sometimes I feel like a bad Mormon -- and I consider myself a pretty good girl. I attend church regularly, I pray alone and with my family, we do family night, we study the scriptures together and on our own, and I am worthy to hold a current recommend to attend the temple, which I do when I can. I live my life the best to my abilities, and I strive to be a good wife and mother and continue to develop my talents and discover new ones. I am kind to others and I try to help those in need. I am honest and I go out of my way compliment others. I try not to judge those with struggles that are different than mine, because I know how it feels to have it done to me.

So....

Here's my big confession...

I don't enjoy attending big church parties... or any big parties. When our church holds big conferences, I am not there. While all my friends are posting pictures and thrilled to be at the big General Conference in Salt Lake City in the spring or fall, I think: better you than me. Just the thought of trying to drive in downtown Salt Lake and find a parking space gives me so much anxiety I can hardly breathe. When they have local conferences on a smaller level, we stay home because I just can't cope. It might be different if I didn't have 5 boys with 3 dealing with some special needs... but sitting in a hot crowded room for 2 hours is more than I can handle.

Now, don't try to talk me into it. Don't try to give me well meaning advice on how I can do it anyway if I do such and such thing. Don't tell me I love Jesus less because I'm not going... I've heard it all. I am a happy person. I like myself... we've been through a lot: me, myself, and I. We've overcome a lot. And I will over come even more in my time... in. my. time. Not yours or anyone else's. Mine. Or maybe I will never get used to it, and that's okay too. Because I am a unique person and my family loves me and that is what matters to me the most.

My greatest strength and comfort is knowing that I am good enough anyway. I am by no means perfect, but I know that the Lord knows my struggles, my weaknesses, my pains... He knows my strengths, my abilities. He knows my potential and He knows my heart. I am not ashamed of how I am... I just want those around me to know that I love them, I just show my love differently. And just because I am not a party person or attend every church event, I really do care and your love and your life matters to me.

And my husband adores me and loves my silly quirks... most of them anyway...

So my beloved Extrovert friends, here are a few tips on how to deal with and understand me and people like me:

1. Don't stop inviting me!! You'd be surprised, but sometimes I do need some social fun time and I will say yes. And if I don't, the thought really did make me feel loved and wanted and included.

2. If I don't want to come, PLEASE don't take it personally. It really is ME, not you.

3. Visitors in my house are always welcome! We introverts love one on one time and deep, meaningful conversions. I love people to visit me and I will probably feed you too! Cooking for others brings me a lot of joy!

4. Run a race with me, but don't be offended when I put in my headphones and zone you out. Remember: lots. of. people.... I have to go into my own world when I run... and I count my breaths with my steps or I get side cramps. But if you match my pace, I will stay by your side and we can cross the finish line together.

5. Even though I'm not on the front row at church or at such and such church event, I still have a strong testimony of the gospel. My religion is in everything I do and every choice I make. I love my Mormon faith very deeply... sometimes, I just worship a little different than you do.

6. If it's important to you, it's important to me and I will try be there. I may feel uncomfortable and leave the event a little early, but I will be there for the most important parts. (Unless it's out of state, then sorry... but my thoughts will be with you!)

7. Being an introvert doesn't mean I am shy. I am totally not shy. And I actually like public speaking... I just don't like sitting in the crowds, and small talk is awkward to me. But talk to me about something important or meaningful, and I will open up.

8. Introverts make the best of friends! I may seem stand offish at times, but I'm not. I'm probably just tired or thinking extra hard. But I am always listening to you, and I feel your concerns, I cry with you, I laugh with you, and I rejoice in your successes with you. Introverts aren't big on gossiping, so we are very true and loyal friends.

9. Your fun isn't always our fun and that's alright. We can still be good friends! Because friendship is based on so much more than just that.

10. This introvert loves to share and teach others. Why hog all my talents and abilities to myself when I can SHARE with people. Come over anytime and I will teach you what I know about crocheting, art, homeschooling, or whatever... and we LOVE to learn new things, so teach me something I don't know how to do! (Like, please, come help my decorate my house!!)

11. Introverts are not lazy. This one myth really irritates me. Just because we aren't out getting involved in everything, it doesn't mean we aren't working hard in another area. I keep busy all day long. If I'm not schooling the kiddos, I am cleaning, cooking, reading, painting, playing with babies, running errands, doing projects, etc.

12. People like me, we don't like talking on the phone. Don't take it personally. Please. We hardly answer it because the ringer is on mute (which drives some spouses crazy, no names...) but send us a text message and we are all over it! And because we are a reliable bunch, for the most part, people usually only call us if they want something. This is hurtful, even if it isn't intentional, it makes us feel a little used. We absolutely love people to text or message us just because they are thinking of us and want to know how we are doing. But don't email and expect an immediate reply... we kind of hate email.

13. We park at the very back of the parking lot, not because we want the extra exercise (although that is a perk) but because we don't like the crowds near the front.

13. We hate confrontation and contention. We don't like talking to angry people or debate. We just don't. So if you post something on Facebook that could start a fight, don't be offended if we don't join in. Even though we hold very strong opinions about things, we aren't big on sharing them publicly.

14. We NEED alone time. It's essential for us to function and it's our way of recharging our energy. So if you see me and I'm frazzled after a day of homeschooling, just run... it's safer that way.

15. Contrary to popular thought, we make excellent leaders, because we think things out and stick to our guns.

16. Please don't pressure us to do things we don't want to do. It just makes us angry and resentful. When we say no, or we don't feel like going somewhere or doing something, move on. I can't tell you how many hurt feelings (on both sides) start with this conversation:

Friend: "Hey, are you going to so-and-so's BBQ tonight?"
Me: "No, I don't think so, not tonight."
(What they should have said: "Okay! Well, I'll miss you!! Maybe next time!" -- what they really say:)
Friend: "Why not?"
Me: "I really just want to hang out with my family and relax tonight. Maybe soak in a hot bath."
Friend: "Ok... well, you should come anyway! It will be soooooo fun! Hanging out at home is no fun."
Me: "I'm just tired, and I am not in the mood. Please understand, I just don't feel up to going."

Then said friend won't talk to me for a week or two and both of us aren't haven't kindly feelings toward each other. Please accept no as an appropriate answer and understand once again, that it REALLY isn't you, it's me.

17. We know all the best days to shop at Target, Walmart, and the grocery store (when there are less people, naturally), the mall is exhausting, and we hate going to movies on the opening weekends (again too many people). We do most of our shopping on Amazon, order our take out on an app, and like to make things as hassle free as possible. Black Friday is a no go. Cyber Monday is God's gift to the introverts.

I am truly sorry if I unintentionally offended any of my friends by my introvert ways... I never, ever, intend to hurt anyone. I truly try my best. Even as a mother with an extrovert son... I am constantly stepping out of my comfort zone to help him feel loved. My Sam (11 yrs old) is a very touchy-feely kind of kid and as an Introvert, I'm just not... But Sam wants to snuggle with me all the time and he loves on me and sometimes even does this purring sound. It's awkward for me, but I take some deep breathes and try to relax because he NEEDS to feel me loving him. Love languages and all that... so I understand doing things sometimes, not because I want to, but because I love the people who need me to step it up and step outside my zone of comfort. I will always strive to understand, you, my person I love. So every time I go out with you on a girl's night, or I give you a hug, know that I REALLY love you to do those things for you... and I always will.

-Cat

Here are some FANTASTIC articles about Introverts that are far more eloquent than I am:

What is an Introvert?
6 Illustrations that Show What's it's Like in an Introvert's Head
Nine Signs You're Really an Introvert
Carrying for Your Introvert (This is my favorite one!! So read it... right now!)

Operation: Gnome Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 23 May 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Traditionally known as Fairy Gardens, I thought it would be fun to tweak the tradition and make it Nutshell style... so Operation: Gnome Garden was born.

I have been thinking for a few weeks now about what I wanted to do with the boys for a fun summer project with disguised learning involved. The last two summers we did the vegetable garden, and this year I wanted to do something new but super cool.

The history of Fairy Gardens started back in 1893 at the Chicago World's Fair. There was a bonsai tree display in the Japanese Pavilion, which was so popular the the New York Times did a feature about it and the tradition was born.

What is a fairy garden?? Basically, it's a miniature garden with tiny structures and live plants. The tradition is, that you can lure a fairy or two to take care of it, bless it with their magic, and bring everyone luck.

I would like to add to that tradition, and tweak it my favor for ultimate coolness. Remember, I have five boys... who love all boy stuff... and "fairies" aren't very manly. So I changed it, to the legend of Gnome gardens. Because gnomes are grumpy little men who stomp around, create mischief, and make messes... they have so much in common with my kids. Practically soulmates. Just sayin'.

Okay, so my boys are very believing in the magical side of life. Those of you who have read this blog for a while, know that they are really into Santa, Elf on the Self, and other mystical beings that come bearing gifts in baskets and taking baby teeth. So it wasn't hard to confidence them of the Legend of the Gnome Garden. I explained to them that if we got a pot, filled it with dirt, put a house on it, then either a fairy or a gnome would come move in. They seriously thought this was the most awesome thing on the planet. I told them that I wasn't sure there were many fairies in Oklahoma, so we would probably get a gnome, and they were pumped. Now, I'm not a total idiot. I have my suspicions that the older two boys may know I am full of crap, but they are excellent sports and play along for the little ones... or they may be totally snookered after all... I can't tell... yet.

So, how to get started....

Like any self-respecting woman who is coming up with a crafty plan, I got on Pinterest... and hit the mother load. (You can check out my Fairy Garden Board here!) I got all sorts of ideas, and then made them my own.

Warning: Your neighbors will most likely think you are a crazy person. Mine thinks we are soooo weird... and I'm pretty sure only 30% of that is because we are Mormons. The rest is the crazy projects we are conducting on the front porch and of course, if you read my post yesterday, because of the haunting claims... should have kept my mouth shut... and now the Gnome garden... I can't help but chuckle to think about it... hehehe

Anyway, fellow awesome people... let's begin!

First step:

Get a pot!! I looked at Goodwill, Walmart, and Target before I went to a ranch/farm store and found the one I wanted for a reasonable price. I wanted a big metal round one. (See pictures below)

Second step:

Get potting soil enough to fill your pot, and a bunch of medium sized rocks (rocks optional, but important if you want to make the working wishing well). When my husband isn't a soldier, he's a hydro-geologist... his specialty is understanding underground water and fluid movements, so I had him design an amazing watering system.

Third step (optional):

This is where we started making the wishing well... we had to have at least part of it made before we put in the rocks and soil.

What you will need for the well:

-1 2 in PVC pipe and 1 1 1/2 in ABS pipe that will fit inside one another. We got a 2 in one (pvc white) and an 1 1/2 in one (ABS black) -- mostly because I wanted it to look dark if you looked down the well. You will have to cut them the depth of the pot... the 2 in one to the depth of the top of the soil line, and the 1 1/2 in one cut to how tall you want your wishing well base. The 2 in pipe will be underground from the beginning and the smaller one with the well made on top will fit down inside.

- A 1 1/2 in plug that will fit into the bottom of the 1 1/2 in pipe... we actually had to super glue a flimsy one in and drilled holes in it for water to escape. The plug is to capture coins when the kids make wishes so they can be later retrieved by pulling up the well.

We cut the pipes to the lengths we needed, and drilled holes up and down them. Sorry, I didn't take pictures of the process...

Forth step:

Place your container where you want it, it can be indoors or outside. But it's going to be heavy so make sure you like your spot. We went up into the mountains, and LEGALLY collected some medium sized rocks. We placed them on the bottom of the pot, this is so the water is more evenly distributed. If you are placing a well, stand the 2 in pipe up where you want it into the rocks. Now start filling the pot with the soil and patting it down.

Fifth Step:

Get rocks, marbles, shells, sticks, whatever you want to decorate your garden -- I hit the jackpot at the Dollar Tree!! I got a ton of little rocks that I used to make the house, wishing well, and path. I also got marbles and other cool stuff to magically add to the garden later.

Sixth Step:

Get little plants and flower seeds. I got most of mine at Lowe's. Do some research to find what you want, every area has different choices depending on climate. I wanted live moss, but in Southern Oklahoma that was a no go, so I ordered some from a lady on Etsy (link to her shop here). It is on it's way, so I will keep you updated! Need plant ideas? See this link here!

Seventh Step:

Plant your plants. I secretly planted the flower seeds, thought my kids would be surprised when they popped up later. And do a little landscaping.

In the picture above you can see where we placed the plants, some of the rocks we collected, and the beginnings of the well.

Eighth step:

This is where we filled it with water! Down the hatch!! Or wishing well, anyway... we filled the well with 2 utility buckets full of water before the water stayed in the well. The ground was now saturated with underground water for the plants, and wishing well fun! With the plug glued in the bottom of the 1 1/2 in pipe, any coins can be later retrieved by pulling up the well. To water the TOP side of the well, I ordered a mist-spray bottle... here is the link: CoreGear Personal Water Mister Spray Bottle.

And it is SOOOOO awesome! After spraying all my kids, I tried it out on the Gnome Garden and it kept everything nice and wet without making it look like a hurricane came through.

Ninth Step:

Make the house and finish the well. I actually started this at the beginning, because it took me DAYS to finish it!! There are a MILLION ways to make your house and your well if you want. Be creative! I found lots of great ideas on Pinterest! (see my page link above). But this is how I did mine:

What you will need:

House:

-Some kind of plastic container. I used a Great Value Ammonia bottle.

-Large Funnel for the roof: I found mine at the Dollar Tree.

-Little Rocks: once again Dollar Tree to the rescue!

-Grout: got mine at Lowes

-Paper Clay -- Hobby Lobby for roof

-Tin Foil

-Little sticks for door

-Button for door knob

-Watercolors

-Can of Polyurethane -- I got mine at Lowes

Clean and dry your container. Cut out the windows and partially the door, keep the hinge area attached. Hot glue rocks around and up to where the roof will meet the rocks.

Use paper clay to make the roof:

First use tin foil to give the roof some extra shape before covering it with the clay. I got some design ideas from this site here.

Let it dry over night, and if it cracks, fill in the cracks with extra clay:

Paint with watercolors or any other paint you choose, and after dry, coat with polyurethane to waterproof.

I don't have a picture, but we then used grout over the rocks and let it dry overnight. For grout instructions, see this link here! Then hot-glued the sticks on the door with the button doorknob. Cover the rocks and door with polyurethane to water proof:

We also hot-glued the roof on and plugged up the chimney as to not attract spiders.

Wishing well:

You will need-

-little rocks (same as house)

-tongue depressors or Popsicle sticks

-thimble for bucket

-piece of wire for the crank (we used a chunk of a wire hanger)

-thin piece of wire for the bucket handle

-piece of twine or string for bucket rope

-polyurethane

After you have done all the pipe work, mark your inner pipe so you know where to put your rocks. We built the roof first out of tongue depressors, then hot glued it on, then covered the bottom with the rocks when we hot glued them on. Then after we glued the rocks on, we added the grout and painted the roof with watercolors. After that dried, we covered the whole thing with polyurethane to waterproof it.

My husband then drilled the holes for the bucket and assembled it.

Last night we placed the well and the house in the garden just before bed. After the kids went to bed we worked a little magic....

And when they woke up, they ran out to check on the garden and were AMAZED and THRILLED that a little ladder had appeared over night! A Gnome had come!! (Obviously, because Fairies fly and don't need ladders, duh).

Rope ladder made of twine and sticks...

We love our garden! I will be posting updates on my Facebook page -- if you want to follow our progress! Each day, something new will magically appear... And PLEASE share photos of what you come up with as well!

Also don't forget to check out my Pinterest board for more ideas!

-Cat

Update: Day one, the ladder appeared. Day two was this morning (Tuesday) and the boys woke up to a gravel path! (Found this pretty rocks at Dollar Tree)

In Which We Move into a Haunted House

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 22 May 2017 23:49:00 +0000

I am so ashamed that I haven't blogged once this year... and here we are nearing the end of May already!

Truth is, I have been so busy with the 5 boys, homeschooling, moving, etc etc...

And I haven't really been in the mood to share much. Lots of personal things happening, things I don't want to talk about... you know how it is.

However, I have felt recently, that I need to start blogging again. Writing is such a passion of mine, but like most of my hobbies, it's been put on the back-burner for a while now because of all the special needs of my kids. But I am going to try harder, I promise. There is just too much fun and crazy going on not to share, or write down even if it's just for myself.

The first thing on my list of crazy, is the fact that we have indeed moved into a haunted house... but let's not get ahead of myself, I will start from the beginning...

Disclaimer: This is a true story. I am not making it up. Every word is as true as I know it to be. But it's up to you to believe what you will...

When my husband got his official orders last fall to attend Captain's Career Course at Fort Sill, OK, we made the decision to live on post this time around. (If you remember, we were stationed here for a brief time almost 3 years ago and we lived off-post). We figured that since we were only going to be here for 6 months, we might as well, just get a place on post and save us all the rental headache.

But housing only had a 1200 sq foot place available. Now, you are probably thinking... oh, 1200 sq feet isn't too bad! Let me put it this way. I have have 5 boys. The oldest three have ADHD and various other issues, and I am homeschooling them. I also have 2 toddlers. Yes, 1200 sq feet is a HUGE problem. We needed at LEAST 1800 to keep this mama's sanity intact.

So we told housing that we just couldn't do it.

And we started looking off post. However, everything that looked good, either didn't feel right, or it fell through.

Finally, we decided just not to worry about it until we actually got to Fort Sill and we would go look around and figure it out... but a few weeks before we were set to leave at the end of February, Housing called us and told us that a place opened up that was 1800 sq feet. They told us it only had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, but that they were huge, and that there was basement storage and an attic space. We knew we wouldn't get a better deal, so we took it. They gave us the address and I did what every reasonably planning woman would do, I Googled the address to find pictures and a floor plan so I could start sorting things out in my mind where everything was going to go.

But instead of getting a map and some housing links, a whole bunch of posts and articles popped up about hauntings. I was like, what the heck?! So I started reading them... who wouldn't be curious as all heck?! And it turned out there were a whole bunch of accounts of people who lived not only in this same building, but on this street, that had crazy experiences of the haunting variety. I started doing some research into it, and there is a lot of information out there about famous Fort Sill hauntings. So cool.

I was pumped!

I had always wanted to be haunted!! How cool is that!?

But to tell you the truth, I kind of thought it was BS, but I REALLY wanted to find out if any of it was true.

The second week of March could not come fast enough for me. The move went smoothly and we met the housing coordinator at the house to get the tour and the keys. She was really nice and really went out of her way to get us the best place for our family.

Our place is the lower left section of the house.. with our super cool name sign in the front!

Kicking back on my front porch, enjoying the view

Let me describe this house. Built in 1907, it was designed to house the families of officers stationed at Fort Sill. There are four separate 1800 sq. foot "apartments" in our building. Our house is on the very end of the road, and only have neighbors (aside from the ones we share the building with) to the east of us. To the south is a large, grassy, parade field. To the west is a basketball court and then hills and forest areas (we hear the coyotes a lot) which curves behind us to the north. Our street is quiet and it's perfect for the boys who have made friends with many of the other kids that live on our street.

We are living in the lower west apartment, with lovely views out the windows of the green hills. When the housing lady took us around for the tour, she took us up to the attic, it's like a million flights up and the movers hated us when we had them take stuff up all those stairs. But on the way up, I noticed that the apartment on the upper east side was unoccupied, I asked about it because she told us they keep these places full. She paused for a moment and looked thoughtful like she didn't want to say anything... then she said, "Ummm... yeah, we don't rent out that unit... well, sometimes we do if a Colonel comes to visit for a couple days... but that's all." She wouldn't say anything else, I was naturally super suspicious. Of course, I just KNEW it must be the most haunted of all the units and they couldn't keep tenants in there, right?! That HAD to be it...

Sunset from my kitchen window

I was so wanting to see a ghost. I imagined myself like a heroine in Supernatural or The Ghost Whisperer... because well, my life isn't too exciting, and needed a super cool adventure!

Our attic space... just like something from a movie!

But after two weeks of zero creepy happenings, or unexplained events I was calling BS on the whole haunted thing... I was so disappointed. I even took a whole bunch of pictures of the front of the building to show my friends on Facebook, and then zoomed in on all the windows to see if there were any creepy faces looking out... especially in the suspiciously unoccupied unit upstairs. But nothing! I was so bummed. Such a let down, and I figured if the ghosts (or spirits, as my mom insists they be called) didn't show up by now, then it wasn't going to happen.

Then my mom came to visit.

I don't know what it is about her, but her presence seemed to stir the supernatural pot... and that's when the fun began.

It started on the second night my mom was here. She was sleeping in the dining room on an air mattress. I'm not going to tell the whole story, because it isn't my story to tell, but the next day my mom told me that our house was, in fact, haunted. Over the course of the two weeks my mom was with us, she saw a young woman in a blue dress, and an older man with a white beard. I kind of jealous... and not sure if I believed her... but I did ... I wasn't sure what to believe... I felt so torn!

Then my husband and I had an argument.

I'm not one to air my dirty laundry around, and we really do have a wonderful marriage, but for the sake of the story, the reader needs to know that we had a disagreement because I think the feelings floating around the house is what triggered this particular spirit into action.

We were laying in bed late that night, my husband on his side of the bed sleeping, (typical of a man being able to sleep after a fight with the wife) and me huddled away from him crying on my side. After sobbing for about an hour, I started to drift off to sleep. I was in the fetal position facing toward my edge of the bed, with my knees curled up and slightly peeking out of the covers. When suddenly, I felt a hand on my knee. I jerked my eyes open and saw a youngish man (I couldn't make out too much in the dark, but it kind of looked like he was wearing an old uniform) kneeling next to my bed and he was patting my knee... like he was trying to comfort me. I wasn't scared, because I felt this strong feeling overcome me like he was really concerned for me (and I am pretty sure he was taking my side in the argument too).

Then I blinked and he was gone.

Since then, every time Ben gets a little snippy at me (which isn't often, but once in a while) I feel this soldier around... I like to tease my hubby about my ghost boyfriend and he'd better be nice to me... Ben doesn't think it's very funny, like at all.

I think he went to Target with me once, my soldier ghost.

I had just taken the boys to target, this day in fact:

When we returned to post, we pulled up to the gate guard and I handed him my military ID. Conversation as follows:

"Good morning, Ma'am!" said the gate guard scanning my card he looked inside my window. Then looking at my EMPTY passenger seat he said, "Oh, good morning, Sir!! I didn't see you...." I looked over to the empty seat and then looked at the gate guard. He was leaning in, blinking at the unoccupied passenger seat. "I could have sworn...." he whispered. Then he turned red and told me to never mind and waved me off to get going.

Cue eerie music.

I think we also have a childish, trickster spirit that comes around once in a while. My oldest boy heard someone jumping on one of the boys' bed, but when he popped his head in to tell them to stop, there was no one there.

For some reason, the boys wouldn't turn off their bathroom light. One night, in the middle of the night, I got up to get a drink and their bathroom light was on... again. They keep telling me they remember to turn it off, but here I was in the middle of the night, turning off the blasted light again. I was muttering something under my breath about taking out the light-bulb in the morning, when I flipped off the switch, and just as I turned around, it flipped back on. Just like that. Kind of an in-your-face ghost with an attitude move.

These events absolutely happened. And I have actually been debating whether or not to share them... I am sure y'all think I am crazy... maybe I am. My neighbor certainly thinks so. I asked her a couple weeks ago if anything weird has happened in their side of the building... she was like, no, and asked why. I told her a couple of the things that happened and she thought I was crazy... she literally hasn't spoken to me since. Whatever. I'm cool. She's missing out. I mean, seriously, who doesn't want a friend who thinks she's being haunted?! Hello?! Right?!

Screaming hungry kiddos call, I'm off! Happy Hauntings!

-Cat

Elf on the Shelf Nutshell Style!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Thu, 01 Dec 2016 07:00:00 +0000

If the Elf is not your cup of cocoa, then feel free to move on, no feelings hurt. But if it IS, here are a few ideas my ~~partner in crime~~ hubby and I came up with last year. Feel free to steal!

In which the Elf defaces the family pictures:

In Which the Elf Plays GO FISH with some friendly toys:

In which the Elf gets his comeuppance:

In which the Elf gets revenge the next day:

(some of our best elf setups were easy peasy two-parters)

In which the Elf calls in the Cavalry to save him from himself:

In which the Elf takes a bath in marshmallows:

In which the Elf is Batman:

(We found these fun cutouts here!)

In which the Elf steals everyone's Kindles and takes a million selfies:

In which the Elf takes the lookout in our kitchen chandelier:

In which the Elf goes bananas for Minions:

(I totally stole this idea from here!)

And the crowning glory of our Elf on Shelf season:

In which the Elf delivers the Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve morning in true 101st Airborne Style!!

If you use any of these or have some awesome ideas WE can steal from YOU this year, PLEASE post us some pictures on the 7 Nuts in the Nutshell Facebook Page!

Merry Christmas and Happy Elfing!

-Cat

PS Some other ideas we did but didn't get pictures of:

-We had the Elf hanging from a string looking totally cool in the middle of the school room...

-The next day we had him tangled up in the same string, like he was trying to get off but messed up.

-One morning we had him on the Christmas Tree and had covered the tree in candy canes and put a little note that said he felt the tree needed Sweetening Up!

-We had him a little rocket we found here!

-Once he got touched so we took two days doing this project. (What happened when the elf lost his magic!!)

UPDATE!!! This is how our Elf made his grand entrance this morning: (Got idea here!)

In Which the Baby Wears a HUSH Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:30:00 +0000

I feel so incredibly blessed to have 5 healthy and strong boys! But I have to tell you, this little one is one cute pumpkin baby! I can hardly stand keeping my hands and lips to myself every time I see this precious little face!

This little guy is the happiest baby I have ever had. And I have to give it to him, it would be hard to be such a little man in a house full of crazy. Being the youngest of 5 boys can't be easy... even at only 10 months old.

Boys are so LOUD!

It's a wonder little man can even nap.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I got an email asking me if I wanted to review a HUSH Hat. A what?! A HUSH hat! A little hat with ear pads for little ears to help them have some quiet. I LOVE this idea!! And I jumped on the chance.

Two days latter, and I kid you not, they have super speedy delivery, I got my Hush Hat.

How stinking cute is he?

Did it work?

Yep!

Sleep the whole way home from our trip to Nashville the next day.

We love our Hush Hat!

You can buy your own at their website or at Target Online! (Note: Cutest Baby in the world not included)

-Cat

Ramadi Declassified: A Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:59:00 +0000

It's been a while since I have agreed to do a book review, and it isn't for lack of material. I literally receive at least one request per day to review a new book or two -- but truth of the matter is, I just don't have a lot of time. To say things are a little crazy around here is a massive understatement. Between the 5 boys, the ADHD that runs through their veins, the dog, the toddler, and the baby... then throw in homeschool, chores, church responsibilities, Army stress, and everything else... you get out of control chaos. In fact, my husband had a four day weekend these last few days and he told me he couldn't wait to go back to work to get a "break" from the stresses of our household. And he's a rear-detachment commander. What does that say about this place?

I try to maintain some level of order. I really do. And when I can't, I put on my headphones, put on an audio book and ignore everyone. So I DO get a long of reading in... just not technically "reading". Audio is my thing these days. My only way to escape this circus of my own making and still get some housework done.

I love being a mom. I really do.

Anyway, about a month ago, I got another request to review a new novel called Ramadi Declassified, by Colonel Anthony E. Deane. I almost skipped right past it, because you know, the time issue. But I read the brief synopsis and decided I would try to give it a go. I am really glad I did!

I read (or listen) to A LOT of military books. I may not be a service member myself (I actually almost enlisted when I was in college, but I couldn't get my run in because of my breathing -- which I later discovered was asthma and they probably wouldn't have taken me anyway... ), BUT I have always loved everything about the military and the lifestyle. So I live vicariously though my husband, our community, and educating myself through literature and keeping up with current events through military publications.

The majority of the military books I have read have been written by previously enlisted men. They love to write about the adventure, the thrills, the dangers, and the unbreakable bonds of friendship and brotherhood they find among the amazing men they serve with. Also, they don't particularly like the majority of officers and their leadership, for the most part, and have no qualms about letting the world know that fact. Being the wife of an officer myself, I get a little tired of reading about poor leadership... not because I don't believe them, but because I DO! "Toxic leaders" are a HUGE pet peeve of mine and it makes me REALLY angry! And it's not only because it's in a book and I am relating to their story, but because to me, it's personal, it's part of our life too. I can't tell you how many times I want to march right over to my husband's office and tell off some Captain D-Bag or Major Jerk for being so horrible. But I don't. I may be a little crazy, but I'm still classy... I just tell them off from a distance, where they can't hear me.

Grrrrr....

Moving on....

Now, books actually written by officers are few and far between. I don't know why, they just are. Of all the military books I have read, only FOUR were written by officers. Two of them, were so full of self-righteousness and self-praise I could hardly stomach all the wonderfulness of these men. It was so off-putting. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the other two were some of the best military books I have ever read. Ramadi Declassified, is one of those two.

Ramadi Declassified: A Roadmap to Peace in the Most Dangerous City in Iraq, is the first hand account of Colonel Anthony E. Deane, who is now retired, and his experiences, thoughts, and insights of what happened in Ramadi back in 2006. This book is not only well written and composed, but the narrative is top notch. I really felt like I was being taken along for a ride in this real-life scary adventure. What impressed me the most was Col. Deane's humility. He took very little credit for anything, but at the same time, the reader knew very well he was the one in charge. He made sure the men serving with him got the credit they deserved for their heroism, bravery, ideas, and their deeds. He didn't have to tell me how wonderful he was, I could tell by the way he serves and cares for others that he truly is a good man.

Col. Deane, was and is an amazing leader with a great sense of humor. He shares so much wisdom and insight, I actually read the book with a highlighter and shared a ton of stuff with my husband. And often times, I found myself laughing out loud at some of his subtle one-liners. He also has a great love and respect for the men and women he served with and it reflects in the way he talks about them in his story. He has a deep understanding that we are only as good and awesome as those around us, the people we love and work with everyday. That if we want to rise above and be a great leader, it is only truly accomplished by raising up those around us as well.

You know, they say that the Military family lives in a relatively a small world. And the more years go by the more I realize how true that is. We met people all the time that we have mutual friends with, or we run into people who know my husband's Dad or his brother. It's actually pretty cool and a lot of fun. This is, however, the first time, I have sat down to read a book and have someone I KNOW pop up in the story!

Those of you who attended ROTC with my husband, one of our beloved Utah State ROTC cadre stars in this book. I'm not telling who though! You have to buy the book and read it to find out who. But I'll give you a hint, despite being one of the scariest, he was also one of the cadet's favorites and most beloved. My husband still talks about the time he smoked the Utah State's Girl's Volleyball team... good times. Needless to say, I was absolutely THRILLED to read about his pre-ROTC cavalry adventures.

Col. Deane included LOTS of background and history to his narrative which helps the reader not only understand what is going on in the middle east, but WHY it is going on and WHY they do the things the do. Which is the most important information to know when trying to win this war. Know thy enemy, and all that. What I really liked is that I felt I was reading a history book, but at the same time seeing history through the eyes of someone who was there and living it. The book was thrilling, and exciting, and stressful (Military books always stress me out) but at the same time teaching history on a personal level and drawing conclusions based on personal experience and facts.

There is a saying that I hear a lot in the military community: "We fight not because we love war, we fight because we love peace." Col. Deane's narrative is not a man who loves the hunt and a good shoot up. Col. Deane is a man who fights for peace -- not just for us, but for those people over in Iraq who can't fight for themselves without the help of those who are stronger and better trained. He believes in good. He believes that with understanding of the past and present, it is possible for a better future for the people of Iraq and other areas there in the middle east. I love his optimism and attitude.

I also appreciate his honesty. He tells it how it is. Sadly, the majority of American's have NO IDEA what is going on over there. They read their Facebook feed of their favorite biased news, and tout they have "done their research" and everyone else is ignorant. If one really wants to know the truth, they need to pick up first accounts like Ramadi Declassified and read about the men and women that were there, that know what is going one. That have seen things so horrific the news stations refuse to cover it.

Col. Deane understands politics and how they work to the benefits of those in power. Staying classy all the way, he describes how politics are deeply influencing and in most cases causing many of the problems the military faces. He also offers up his own ideas and some solutions.

Ramadi Declassified is a must read for everyone who seeks some understanding and truth about what's going on in the world. We can only hope for a better future when we come to understand the hard truths of the past. I think everyone who seeks to be a better leader politically or militarily needs to pick up this book and read it as well... like me, with a highlighter.

Ramadi Declassified is thrilling, suspenseful, at times funny, and as an Army wife I found it very personal and at times tragic and sad. But I feel smarter and more informed for having read it, and as soon as I can find it on Audiobook, I am having my husband read it too.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some proverbial whip-cracking to do in the next room... Kids Gone Wild is in full swing in the living room and there is a ton of work still to be done today!

-Cat

The Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 17:28:00 +0000

I know, I know, it's been a while.

Two words: Five Boys.

Seriously, between a baby, a toddler, a 5 year old, and a 9 and 10 year old, life is just simply crazy. Add in summer vacation, 6 very longs days stuck in a van driving, doctor appointments, church responsibilities, homeschooling, keeping a house decent, and now add a dog... yes, you read that right, we the crazy family got a dog... and you get chaos.

I haven't been on Facebook much, I only check my email once a week if I am on top of things, and trying to post a blog page... just isn't happening often. What? You want to know how I managed this? Well, the 3 big boys are working on school work, the toddler is the play pin, baby is on a play-mat, and the dog is out in the backyard digging holes in my garden.

I have a few minutes to get down some thoughts.

About 3 weeks ago, Ben and I had this brilliant idea that maybe it was time to get the boys a dog. We both knew there were things that a pet could teach them, that we couldn't. Like learning to care for someone other than one's self, and what it's like to have important responsibilities, even more important than household chores... but only slightly so.

So we took the boys to the animal shelter and let them pick out a dog.

Meet Lego (Short for Legolas):

Cutest little German Shepard mix you'll ever see... those ears, right?!

Don't be fooled.

He is a little beast.

I wanted the old geezer dogs that just lay around all day. But the boys, heck no! They wanted the big puppy. That bites. A lot.

He was only home a minute when the kids discovered his trickery. He was so sweet at the shelter, then he gets through the door and becomes Satan's minion.

We realize he is a puppy and there is a learning curve for everyone involved. So we decided to work with him the best we could, and give him some time to adjust.

All the boys, except Jojo (the fearless toddler) became terrified of him. No one would play with him. Ben and I became all scabbed up from being repeatedly bitten. But we were determined to get through this and have a great dog. As most of you know, we aren't quitters!

The boys and I started taking him for long walks:

We been using all the training methods we could find online and in support groups, we even checked out the Pet Smart classes. But Lego is just so naughty.

Last Friday, Ben took him running and afterwards as he was letting him the backyard to do his business, Lego full on attacked him and bit his leg pretty bad. After a long week, we had had enough.
The boys weren't sad at all, as they said their goodbyes to Lego. He had to go back. We couldn't have a biting dog around the babies. Nipping and puppy bites were one thing, but full out biting is a HUGE no go.

So Ben took him back to the shelter and they wouldn't accept him. Not only were they super rude to my husband, but they told him he could only bring him in on certain days and certain times -- all times he had to work and they didn't care. Now, I understand that there are jerks that take their pets to shelters because of dumb reasons, I get that. But don't we want to discourage people from abandoning their pets on the streets? A shelter is a much safer place and people should feel like they are understanding no matter the situation. In our case, the dog was a danger to our babies. Shouldn't that warrant some kindness and understanding??

Whatever.

Ben brought him home.

The kids where like what the heck?!

I asked Ben if he thought maybe it was a sign that we needed to give him another chance. He said, he thought it was a sign that the shelter people were total dicks.

So we decided to give Lego a second chance. First thing we did was go to Walmart and get a bark collar. He was driving us CRAZY barking. At first, I wasn't for it, because it seemed so cruel. But let me tell you, he only tested it's power twice and he hasn't barked since. Woo Hoo! He has also been much better with the biting. He is finally learning that we don't like it and he gets in doggy time out when he does... and doggy time out is no fun -- on a leash attached to the banister for a few minutes.

It's getting better, things with a dog. And I am actually glad we decided to give him another chance.

-Cat

Phat Girl Running

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 24 May 2016 21:30:00 +0000

Last year, after I had number 4, I got a heel spur trying to run. It was so disheartening, so say the least. Here I was at 285 pounds and unable to exercise at all. I got depressed. Then just as I was feeling better and getting ready to go for it again, I found out I was pregnant again and my heel got worse. My midwife banned me from running for the rest of the pregnancy.

Slowly my heel healed, and I got the go-ahead to start running again at the 6 week postpartum checkup. But here I was now at 325... The last time I was able to run at all, I was a good 40 pounds lighter.

Full of hope, I hopped on the treadmill telling myself I wouldn't stop until I did at least a mile! I mean, come on, I ran a half marathon 3 years ago! I got this!

I didn't have it. Not even close.

I couldn't even run a quarter of a mile... And even then I thought I was going to die.

I gave up. Plain and simple.

I was fat and that wasn't going to change unless I could run and I couldn't. I hate walking. I just hate it. Once you start running, walking is ruined forever. It's so slow and boring. And my heart and soul longs for the speed and feeling of complete freedom that running gives me.

So, I've been doing Just Dance and other Wii programs at night to get me going and ready to run again. It's been okay. I even challenged the family and kicked butt every time. But my true love is running.

Today, I had a doctor's appointment and I weighted in at 303... Soooo... Since Doctor scales suck, I am guessing I am just under 300 now, YIPPY! And even though I am still huge, it gave my spirit a burst of determination.

When I got home, I put the Littles down to nap, and hooked the Tweedles and the Middie up with a Wii game. Then I went upstairs to face the treadmill once again. I dusted off the cobwebs and shoved all the toys over, and got on. Turning on my jams, I faced the treadmill said a silent prayer, and made a goal.

Cat, you got this. Just one mile. Just. One. Mile. I thought, giving myself a pep talk. I have to do this, I CAN do this, even if I am going a snail's speed.

Remember: my body is mortal, but my spirit is divine!

I started out with a 3 min warm up walk. Then I adjusted my treadmill so I had a slight decline, yes, my treadmill does downhill, how cool is that? Every little advantage helps, anyway.

And I started running.

Okay, so my run right now is the pace that some people can speed walk. But that doesn't matter right? Since I am so chunky, to a bystander I look like I am booking it.

I was feeling good as I passed my 1 mile mark and thought, woo hoo! Going strong! Let's go for 2!

And I did!!!

When I got passed the 2 mile mark, I thought, do I dare? Do I dare go for the 5K?? I dare!!!

And I did!!!!!

I am a 35 year old mother of 5 and I weigh 303 pounds. I just RAN a 5K. Feeling badass.

-Cat

Confessions, Goals, and Hope for the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Fri, 20 May 2016 06:00:00 +0000

Typically, I try to keep my articles upbeat and uplifting with a dash of humor and sarcasm... because that's generally me and what I am good at. But if I am going to be completely honest with myself about some things I am struggling with right now, I need to be upfront and honest to you.

Additionally, this is a really hard post for me to write. I'm really putting myself out there today, about something I am combating. I hope that you will be patient with me, loving, and understanding.

Those of you who have been faithfully reading my craziness these last eight or so years, have followed me though many, MANY adventures! From student housing (the original Nutshell) to the Army life. From just 2 kiddos to 5. Y'all followed us across the country from Utah, to Oklahoma and on to Tennessee! You've watched us and cried with us as struggled with our boys' special needs, and you've cheered with us in all their growing successes. You have been faithfully following us in our daily shenanigans and all our adventures in public school and now homeschool. You've been with me and supported me through all my weight loss and fitness journeys, from barely being able to walk up a hill to running up mountains and half marathons! You've watched our family grow and laughed with us, weep with us, and celebrated with us. I can never thank you enough, my dear friends, for all your love and support, and I hope that in some small way, our lives have touched yours too.

I have always been up front and honest. I am not ashamed to admit my failures, my struggles, and my life lessons. Every time I write things down and share them, I do it for me. It helps me to put things into words and organize my thoughts. This blog has helped me grow in more ways than I can ever begin to say. So, I am going to start my journey of healing once again by sharing with you some of the things I am going through right now. I could really use a "You got this, Cat!" or "Praying for you, girl!"

It is true that I have been very, VERY busy lately with the new baby and all the homeschooling going on. I feel immensely blessed to have 5 healthy boys, a beautiful home, a loving, hard working, studly husband -- but some times I feel that if I share my struggles and even complain a bit, I am being less than grateful for the wonderful things in my life. This simply isn't true. I want you to know that I am SO grateful for all my many blessings. I have a good life, and I love it. And I owe God for all that I have.

All that aside, the main reason I haven't blogged very much in the last couple years, is that I don't feel good about myself. In fact, I am so humiliated by the way I look right now, I hardly leave the house. And even the very thought of leaving it makes me panic.

There, I said it.

I worked very VERY hard to get my weight off originally, then again after I had number 3. I was able to keep it off and maintain it for 3 years!! I had no problem doing it. But I don't know if it was my thyroid, my age, or just the fact that I was having kid number 4, but the weight gain with that baby was almost 100 pounds. I kid you not. I ate EXACTLY like I did while I was maintaining. I ran the WHOLE pregnancy. In fact, if you remember, I ran myself into labor! I was absolutely flabbergasted each time I went in to weigh. The doctors would roll their eyes whenever I told them I was eating right and working out. They gave me this whole lecture about calories in and calories out until I wanted to punch them in the nose!! It isn't that easy! My body has really been through the ringer with these babies and my metabolism and thyroid are shot. When I found out our surprise baby was on his way, my heart just fell. Sure I felt very blessed that we were having another even if it wasn't planned. I know that God knows I can handle it.... Every baby is a blessing and a miracle.... but my selfish side knew I would be packing on more pounds, again. And I did. Although, this time I only gained 35... which makes the running total of 135 pounds gained in two years.

Moment of absolute truth: When I weighed in AFTER I had baby number 5, I was a DEVASTATING 325 pounds.

Three hundred and twenty-five pounds.

Let that soak in.

Less than 3 years ago, I was in the best shape of my life running a half marathon. Today, I am in the worst I have ever been in. And I am so ashamed, I can't even look in the mirror. I don't know that face I see there. Who is that sad person that stares back at me?

When I left Utah, I was at my best, now, next month we are going back to visit family and I am absolutely sick about it. I love my family and want to see them more than anything, but I am so embarrassed about my appearance. And the most frustrating thing of all, is that I worked harder than I ever have to keep the baby gain down and it was like my body just totally freaked out. It doesn't seem fair! And it kills me to think that my family and friends might be judging me for it.... even though I know they love me and probably wouldn't judge me... but I judge myself.

Sometimes, I think God is letting this happen to me because I took too many selfies when I was feeling good about myself... Don't say I didn't warn you! Seriously. Now, I won't let anyone take ANY pictures of me. At all. In fact, I can get downright nasty about it.

Now, on the up side. Those of you who know me, also know that I am not a quitter. I don't just roll over and take it. No. I stand up and face my issues and gosh darn it, I do something about it!!! Change begins with US. This begins with me.

These last few weeks, I have stopped feeling sorry for myself and started working out again. I know what I can and can't eat, and I have been cracking down harder on my portions than I ever have before. I have taken into account that my metabolism is slower than it was after having two more kids and have adjusted properly. I am taking the bull by the horns and getting my life back!

I have finally started getting out more, and try to swallow my humiliation that all my church clothes are ill-fitting and make me look like a sausage. Instead of hiding on the back row, I force myself to sit up front and comment at least once. I am, as the military calls it, embracing the suck and soldiering on.

I make myself put makeup on at least twice a week -- allergies permitting. And I do my hair... Sometimes.

Baby steps, my friends... baby steps.

But I got this. Only I have the power to change my life. Pull myself out of this dark place I found myself. Sure, it wasn't all my fault, I tried my best to keep the weight off. But it WILL be my fault if I don't do something now. I need to believe in myself again, feel like I am worth it... and you know what? My boys think I am worth it, and my husband, bless his heart, tells me every day how sexy and beautiful I am, and he thinks I am worth it. And I know that the Lord loves me, he knows my heart, he knows my pains, and he knows my will to not give up! With all of their help, I can do this!

I don't need to be skinny -- I just want to be able to run again and feel healthy and good about myself again.

Already, I am starting to believe in myself again... and writing this post is my first step to really facing this head on. I'm going to do this... I know I can!

So here are my starting goals and I am counting on y'all to hold me to this:

Run a 5K without walking by the end of June.
Run a 10 K without walking by the end of Aug.
Run a Half Marathon by Thanksgiving.

That's it. I'm not making any weight loss goals. In fact, I made Ben hide the scale. I am focusing only on my fitness... and the weight loss with come with it, I am sure. I truly believe that if I give it my all, I will be feeling like myself again by Christmas!

Thanks for being here for me!

-Cat

PS: Just in case you have it in mind to mean well and try to get me to join your Beach Body whatever, the answer is no. I love you, but no. I know exactly what I need and how to get it. And if I don't, my husband is a personal trainer. I don't want any diet pills or promises of a quick fix. There are no oils or body wraps to fix me. It's hard work, exercise, and sacrifice. Plain and simple. And when I cross that proverbial finish line, I want the satisfaction of knowing it was all me that got me there. And I say this with all the love I have and no snappiness intended.

The 3 Flat Brothers Project

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Thu, 19 May 2016 06:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, I mentioned in my homeschooling update post, that we were going to do a Flat Stanley geography project based on the books by Jeff Brown.

If you have no idea how it works, it's like this: Flat Stanley is this kid that gets smashed by a bulletin board and becomes flat. So his family sends him all around the world in an envelope -- why CPS isn't involved is beyond me -- and he has many great adventures.

Many class rooms around the globe for many years have participated in the Flat Stanley project by sending out their own Flat Stanley's or Flat Kids out to friends and family and have them passed around. I thought it would be GREAT fun for the boys to do it as a year long geography project. They can follow along with their adventures on a big huge map I have yet to buy. I decided to take the project a step further and create a Facebook group, The 3 Flat Brothers, for friends and family to follow along on the journey as well.

I couldn't decide how I wanted the boys to make their Flat people. Well, I could just print out the formula ones on Pintrest.... or I could have them make their own, like a little girl did that sent us one while we were living in Oklahoma:

But I wanted to do something new and original. So I found a Flat Stanley body on Pintrest that I liked, cropped the head off in Photoshop, and then I sketched my boys' heads in an illustrator program and copied them over onto the bodies. After I sized them, I printed them out on card-stock and let my boys color them. Jake, my 5 year old, then refused to give his up, so I let him make another one to keep... little cutie.

I posted on Facebook asking if any of my friends wanted to be the first destination. I was completely blown away by the responses!! So off they go into the mail tomorrow! Can't wait to see where this little journey takes us!

If you would like to follow along on our little Flat Brothers' adventures, come join our Facebook group.

Flat Mama out! (I wish....)

-Cat

Homeschool Awesomeness!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:31:00 +0000

Most of you may remember we started homeschooling last November. I was really nervous and scared and afraid I was going to mess up my kids even worse.

But here we are 6 whole months later!! And loving it! Here are some of the highlights since we started:

If I Were Trapped inside a Snowglobe writing activity:

Count down until Christmas charts and elf-themselves:

How to draw Christmas stuff pictures:

Giant snowflakes:

We made Nativity ornaments for family and neighbors for Christmas:

Nephi drew these Minions... LOVE THEM!

Art Class is an all time favorite!!

These Van Gough's are my FAVORITE!!!

Here are our Picasso's:

For Valentine's Day we did scientific experiments on candy hearts:

We also started our garden!

World history is also a favorite!!

Here they are making cuneiform tablets from the Mesopotamian times:

Next was ancient Egypt and we mummified dollar store Barbies:

We even made them some death masks... I still can't look at them without laughing myself silly!

Right now we are learning about ancient Greece and Rome. Just finishing up these Trojan horses:

Between all the fun stuff, we do math, reading, geography, science, grammar, spelling, etc.

When I took my boys out, they were so behind. I didn't know if I could do teach them. Who am I to a trained, experienced teacher?? How the heck was I going to do this with a 4 year old, a toddler, and a new baby to boot!!! But I am most pleased to report that not only have my boys caught up with the public school kids, they are already well into the math for the next grade level up! They are reading on a 6th grade level, and above all, they are HAPPY!

I wish I could take credit for their awesomeness, but I know I can't. They worked hard all on their own. I was only there to give them ideas and directions. I am so proud of them.

We have decided to work through the summer on a shortened schedule. But we are filling the days with fun stuff. Our first big summer project is called The 3 Flat Brothers. We decided to do the whole Flat Stanley project with a homeschool twist. I took a Flat Stanley I found on pintrest, cropped the head off and sketched each of my boys's faces on them. I honestly can't believe they turned out!! I will post more on this project tomorrow.... I think it deserves it's own post.

This summer and next school year I will homeschooling my 3 oldest... little Jake is kindergarten age and totally pumped to join in the fun officially.

For those of you who want to know what curriculum I am using, I use many. I have had to twist and change things to the needs of my boys. Most of it is now on the computer or iPad. ADHD kids focus so much better if the stuff is on a screen for some reason. But we also do lots of hands on things. For history, I focus on world history and start from the beginning. I add in some bible teachings and also stories from the Book of Mormon. One day a week, the boys play a game on the iPad that focuses on geography. Workbooks didn't work for them in school, and they didn't work for them here. We did try, but it was a bit of a nightmare. But that's okay, that's why we are homeschooling!

For those of you who are thinking of taking the plunge and homeschooling, don't be afraid. If you are even thinking of it, chances are, you'll do just fine. I love it. It was the best choice we could have ever made for them!

-Cat

Introducing #5

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 17 May 2016 21:49:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been 5 months since I blogged!! Bad me! I'm so sorry! Christmas was just CRAZY and then Baby numero 5 made his debut in Jan. With having two babies under 15 months old, homeschooling the Tweedles, and keeping up with my preschooler -- this house has been wild! I have had very little time to even check my email (20K unread messages, I kid you not!) let alone blog.

However, blogging has been an important part of my life these last 8 years... (Wow! Can you believe it?!) And I have resolved to jump back on the bandwagon.

I will start with introducing the newest addition.

Moroni was born the first week in Jan, at 7 pounds 11 ounces, 20 inches long. I went into labor the night before (at 38 weeks and 5 days), and was admitted into the hospital around 2 am. It was a long labor. He was determined to float around up top, the stinker. But finally, after about 15 hours, he fell down and I gave birth around 3:30 in the afternoon.

Baby MoMo, as we call him, was born not only with a tongue tie (his tongue was completely attached underneath to his gums), but also a huge inguinal hernia. For those of you who have no idea what that is, it means the lining that separates his intestines from his reproductive organs wasn't developed properly and his large intestine had fallen down into his scrotum stretching it out and down to his knees.... it was about the size of tennis ball.

For the first two weeks of his life, he was in and out of the hospitals.

Finally, after surgery at Vanderbilt in Nashville, we were able to take home a healthy baby.

He has been a joy to our family!!

And today, he is a very happy and healthy 4 month old!

I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that I am a mom of 5 boys and we are a family of 7!!! I hardly had time to get used to being a family of 6.... but I wouldn't change one thing about us!! I love my life, and I love my boys.

-Cat

In Which the Elf gets Touched and Loses His Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 07:00:00 +0000

The Elf on the Shelf is no joking matter around here. I mean serious business folks.

The other day, I took the boys to Target and there they were, the Elf on the Shelf dolls on sale for all to see. My kids just stood there and stared.

Luckily, I had prepared them for this in advance. Go me.

Sam (10 yr old): "Mom! Look! It's the knock offs!"

Me trying not to make a public scene: "Yep, just keep walking kids..."

Nephi (8 yr old): "Why do they sell fake ones?"

Me: "Remember, I told you, you have to get on a waiting list to get a real one. Some parents get impatient and just go buy fake one for their kids."

Sam: "So, Mom, let me get this straight... mom and dad's who buy the knock offs take them home, pretend they are real, and at night they move the elf themselves?"

Me: "Yeah, pretty much."

Sam: "That's really sad. I'm SOOOO glad we got a REAL elf!!"

Nephi: "Me too!"

I'm trying not to bust a gut laughing....

Then everywhere we go, the boys have to tell people that we have a REAL elf! Not one of the knock-off's at Target. People are always trying really hard not to laugh, because it's just too stinking funny!

But this Elf business, it's no joke.

On Thursday, my 4 year old was goofing off around the Elf, and bumped him off the table... I try to keep him up and away from the little ones, and I thought he was pretty safe, but I was wrong. My older boys started FREAKING OUT!! Yelling at him NOT to touch him, which he did...

You would think someone in the family had just died.

Drama. Tears. Flying fists of fury. Jake almost got disinherited from his brothers for ruining Christmas. It was all very tragic.

Time for mama action.

I had read something on Pintrest about a magic recovery kit and I told the boys I would get online and order one and have it over-nighted. Finally, they calmed down, but Jake was still in the dog house.

So I searched around and found a super cute idea, but it included glitter. I hate glitter. I hate it even more than that stupid Easter basket grass. There was no way I was going to have it sprinkled around my house.

So I came up with something better.

The magic band-aid.

Because band-aids fix everything, right??

I found the original letter here... and I just changed some of the wording for the band-aid instead of the magic dust. I also colored the band-aid with a red gel pen with a little sparkle in it. On the inside of the band-aid, I also colored the white square with a green glitter gel pen to make it look like the patch of magic -- which turned out to be an excellent move because my kids were super observant about that green magic square that was going to save Christmas...

I was pretty happy about how the design all turned out!

We put it in the mailbox that night, and told the boys next morning we thought we heard jiggle bells out by the mailbox in the middle of the night. They ran out to check!

Doctor Sam took charge and decided to put the band-aid on like a belt...

He probably should have aimed a little higher... just sayin'...

Since it was Friday, and our Elf takes the weekends off to party at the pole and go to church on Sunday, he left this note under the tree this morning:

And all is well in the world again!

Now, I have had some requests for copies of my Elf of the Shelf Magic Band-Aid Recovery Kit from other parents who are anti-glitter and anti-mess. So I whipped up a PDF version to pass along!

Elf on the Shelf Magic Band-Aid Recovery Kit.PDF

Enjoy!!!!

-Cat

Credits for the designs used in the making of the kit:
Poem: Over the Big Moon
Snowflake backgrounds: Emma's Trend, Wallpaper Cave
North Pole Stamps: santasofficialnorthpolemail.com, Wacky Jacquis Designs

Elf on the Shelf and Homeschooling

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 02:18:00 +0000

Last year for Christmas, my mom gave us an elf on the shelf. I think she sent it to us early and told us to open it soon, but in my brilliance I completely forgot. Luckily my kids were paying zero attention to me when I opened it (their little faces glued to their new kindles), so I was able to stash it away for the next year. Well, it's the next year and I almost completely forgot about it, again! But was reminded as I was on Pintrest looking for fun Christmas themed homeschool stuff. I found a great way to incorporate the elf with morning journal writing and other activities.

You can download this journal page here!! (Also, I have them draw a picture on the back of what the elf was doing that morning)

For their first morning of homeschool, they came into "class" with the Elf (who is now named Zippy Lightning) sitting there looking oh so innocent. We read the book and wrote letters to Santa (yes, they still believe... Like hard core believe - and I love it!) And then we moved on. Tonight after they went to bed, Ben and I had a little fun playing Elf...

We thought we were VERY funny. The boys not so much. They were really insulted that the Elf would be so rude as to draw on our family pictures. I believe Sam said, "What a little jerk!"

Okay....

So we decided that we'd probably better stick with nice and silly... safe.

This was well received!

The next night we had him Air Assault repealing off the ceiling light. And they loved it... then Ben and I got this idea that it would be fun to do two parters. Like have him doing something one night, and then have a part 2 of what he was doing. It made moving him around super easy! So after we had him repealing, Ben made him look like he had been trying to get off and got his his foot stuck and the boys found him hanging upside down the next morning. The boys got a huge kick out of this!

This week, we had him decorate the class with Christmas bows... which would have bothered the boys, but we made sure the elf was paying the consequence of being naughty right off:

And then I thought it would be fun and easy, to make this into another two parter and had the elf trap the soldiers instead. Of course, this was received with many giggles.

Now, to make life a little easier on us, we told the boys that the elf goes back to the North Pole on Friday night and hangs out with the other elves on Saturday. On Sunday he goes to church. And he will come back on Monday... we needed to have weekends off so we didn't burn out. :)

All and all, it's been great fun for the kids! And great fun for us. I know a lot of people are anti-elf, and that's okay. It's really just what you make it. I never planned on doing it, but grandma stepped in and then I saw the great writing opportunity and went for it. It's been a great addition to our Christmas traditions.

Cat

Ginormous Leaps of Faith and Lots of Change

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 19:16:00 +0000

I've always been one of those people who don't like to include others in the choice I make. I mean, outside of the people involved. These days decisions made are between my husband, me, and God. Sometimes we include the kiddos. But I really don't like to post via social media, because I don't want other's opinions to cloud the answers I am receiving from my own reflection and feelings I feel when I pray. THEN once I make the choice and act on the choice, I don't mind sharing. In fact, I really enjoy letting my family and friends know what we are up to, just as much as I love knowing what they are up to as well.

This last month has been a whole new adventure in the Nutshell family. My husband and I made a huge choice that will change everything. EVERYTHING. And it was a HARD choice to make. One of the hardest of my life.

Let me start at the beginning.

All my long time readers know that my oldest two boys have each come with a unique set of "issues." Sam, 10 years old, has ADHD, some ODD, and a speech/language impairment. Nephi, 8 years old, also had ADHD (but manifests it in a totally different way!), and some other compulsion issues as well.

We started them out in a charter school in Utah that had some great structure, and they thrived! In fact, they were a whole school year ahead in reading and math when we moved to Oklahoma. Enter common core (which OK did away with the summer we moved)... and the nightmare began. Disclaimer: I am in no way blaming common core for my children's behavior. I know there are LOTS of kids who do well. My kids' brains are just wired differently and they couldn't wrap their minds around how they were teaching things. They stopped doing work. They couldn't focus. They got bored. They got fidgety. Slowly, their grades started to suffer. My once brilliant boys who GOT math and reading and everything else, were now struggling. I didn't get it. Sam's ODD got so bad in Oklahoma, there was a point where the police were involved just to keep him from getting expelled.

I didn't get it. Wasn't I a good mom? Wasn't I doing everything under the sun to help my boys? I got them on some mild medication (which helped... a lot), I got them speech therapy, counseling, tutoring, etc.

Then we moved here to Tennessee. I was looking forward to a fresh start with a new school and teachers.

It was worse!

I thought it couldn't get worse, but it did! Nephi had to get a 504 to FORCE the school into giving him daily recess and not taking it away as punishment. I'm not kidding you. They gave them such a short time to eat lunch that he stopped eating and actually started losing weight. He started pooping his pants all the time because he was afraid if he went he wouldn't finish his work and his privileges would be revoked. (He did it at home once in a while, but this really escalated the issue).

Sam decided he already knew everything, so he would read his Goosebumps books instead of doing his work. He was loud and disruptive. He started getting bullied at recess because he is really short, and is a bit socially awkward. Because of his speech/language issues, he doesn't understand everything people are telling him, and he is a bit more immature socially than the other kids. Except the fact that he REALLY likes girls... and that gets him teased too.

Between both boys issues, I was getting calls from teachers at least twice a week. I was taking them out a couple times a month for doctor appointments. And I was meeting with teachers and school councilors at least twice a month. So here I am, super pregnant, with a one year old and a 4 year old, trying to balance everything without completely losing my mind! They fought me at home too. It was a challenge every day to get them out of bed and out to school. Then I had to fight them at night to do their homework. We were constantly fighting, and the feeling of contention saturated our home.

A month ago we had parent teacher conference. I left crying.

I don't blame the teachers. They are very sweet women and they tried really hard to help my boys in the way they could. But with their hands tied with the set common core curriculum and lots of other kids who need their help and attention, they just couldn't do for my boys what needed to be done.

Over these last months I have completely exhausted all ideas on how to help them and I felt like the biggest failure of a mom EVER!

What was I doing wrong?

God had given me 4 beautiful boys and I had flunked motherhood. I had somewhere along the road missed something and now my boys were failing out of school. I didn't get it.

I came home from the meetings just devastated. So I did what I always do when I don't know what else to do. I knelt by my bed and I prayed. I poured my heart out to the Lord. I told him I had done everything I could think of to help them and I was failing. As I said Amen, I literally felt warm arms around me and a feeling of great peace fell over me. Then a voice as clear as day said in my ear. Homeschool.

NOOOOOOOOO!

If you read my post last fall about back to school you will remember how I feel about this...

That was the ONE answer I REALLY didn't want!

I sobbed now. I felt comfort and peace as I cried. But cried, none the less.

Did God not understand all I would give up if I homeschooled? I'm not a selfish person, for the most part, but I LOVED my alone time. I LOVE having the older kids out of the house so I can do what I want to do.... mostly household chores... but I get to do my crochet and watch whatever I want on Netflix. I get to nap while the other boys do as well. I would be giving up all of that to homeschool. Because I knew that if I choose to do that, I would go at it full force and my kids would get the best education I could give. And that would take away my alone me time.

And what if my kids turn out weird?? Face it, we all know someone who was homeschooled that turned out less than normal and blame it on the homeschooling factor. (Never mind that we know a million weirdos that went to public school as well).

I thought about it all day. When Ben came home that night I told him what I felt. And he said that was exactly what I needed to do then. He then told me that he knew I could do it, and that he felt that everything would work out.

So I started researching it. I started looking into all the curriculum people suggested for kids with ADHD. After two weeks of research I had a complete plan worked out for the rest of this school year. Everything seemed to just come so easily to me.... I know the Lord was guiding me, no doubt about that!

The boys were actually pretty excited about it. They were looking forward to the new adventure as much as I was terrified.

I called their teachers and talked to them. I let them know how much I appreciated all they did for my boys. I wanted them to know that the choice was all about what the boys needed and I wanted to part amicably. And we did. They were so sweet and encouraging about it. The only one who gave me a bit of a hard time was the school secretary when we went in to withdraw them... and only because I know she loves me and will miss seeing me there every other day. It was a very positive, yet scary experience.

Today, we have been homeschooling for 2 weeks.

Let me tell you: Best decision we have ever made for our boys. They are HAPPY. I mean REALLY happy! They get an extra hour of sleep, which makes a huge difference. They love that I have all their work all ready in a daily folder so they can track their own daily progress. They know when we start, when we have lunch, and when we end. We are still flexible, there are errands to run and doctor appointments to attend, but they have these little clipboards and they bring their work with them. We have a school room, just for school... used to be Ben's office and gym. They know where all their things are, they have weekly schedules to look at, and I try to make things fun.

As for me? I actually have MORE time to do things. My house is actually cleaner because my kids are happily helping me! Emphasis on happily. I tend to the other boys while the big ones are doing worksheets, and I don't seem as tired and need naps because I'm not fighting the boys every 5 minutes. Not having the homework factor and morning drama has made me SO LESS stressed. I am happier too!

Many homeschooling families would disagree with my methods. But with my boys special needs, this is the best way for us. And my boys LOVE it. In two weeks, they have gotten back on track in math. Where they were once struggling, they are now succeeding. And all they really needed was more attention and a learning method that worked for their little brains. And I think, above all, they needed me... and if I am honest with myself, I needed them. I think I have learned more about my boys in the last two weeks, then I have in the last year. I thought I knew them, but they have other sides to them I didn't know, and I am really enjoying getting to know those sides.

Well, folks, sorry to cut and run, but lunch is over and my kids are bugging me to start math. Imagine that!

-Cat

Car Accidents, Pregnancy Problems, and Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 01:04:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been a few months since I posted. Well, actually I can. Life has been giving us some big mama sized lemons and we are having a hard time making the proverbial lemonade.

Aside from almost all of our electronics blowing out... you probably read that post a couple months ago about losing our computers and phones. I miss my laptop so much I can't even think about it without crying!! And since then we have lost our TV and another phone... and well, our van.

Three weeks ago, my husband and I were on our way home from a doctor appointment when a lady came cruising out of a Walmart parking lot cutting us off (after cutting off the semi to our right) and we t-boned her. Air bags deployed and everything. Ben and I were fine, just shaken up and a little burned and bruised from the seat-belts and the airbags. The other lady hurt her back and neck, but she's fine too.

But our van... our dear beloved van... wasn't worth the cost of replacing the airbags and seat-belts so the insurance company had it totaled. We've been driving around in a rental (which my 4 year scraped up with the handlebars of his bike) the last 3 weeks, trying to get everything worked out, but after 3 moves since we got the van, the title has been lost and it's been a huge deal just to get another one. So this week, I get to look forward to having no vehicle. Yay.

Then there is the issues with the un-born babe.

At my 20 week ultrasound they determined that the baby was in the 11th percentile and since all my others were beefcakes, it was a cause for concern.

So off we go to a perinatal specialist. Longest ultrasounds ever.

At 26 weeks, the baby was in the 10th percentile, and now at 29 weeks he is in the 8th. He is still growing, but slowly and he's a tiny little man. So I have to go in every week for monitoring and measurements. But the doctors are hopeful that I will carry to full term.

Then there are the on-going ADHD issues with my two oldest. My 8 year old is struggling really badly controlling impulses and focusing. He also has some behavioral issues, like not taking personal responsibility for his choices among other things.

Along with other trials, I won't talk about on-line, I feel like I'm being attacked with crap from all sides. It's been a ROUGH few months. It seems like no matter how hard we try, we just can't catch a break. But I'm hanging in there and trying to keep my crying to a minimum and keeping my head up as best as I can. I think being hormonal makes everything worse, but whatever. I can do this. WE can do this.

But I didn't let all the bad stuff get to me this Halloween. We had a blast! My husband and boys are really into the theme thing -- or at least I am and they are cool enough to go along with my shenanigans.

This year's theme was Harry Potter:

AND it was little guy's 1st Birthday!

Also, while I was on bed rest for 6 weeks, as depressing as it was, I got a lot of crochet projects done:

Only, I had to stop because it gave me a bad case of pregnancy carpal tunnel... BOO! Which is much better since I got some super sexy arm braces to sleep in. But whatever.

But that's life. It's a roller coaster. And ALL of us go through things we would rather not have to go through. Even though many of our trials AREN'T our fault, we ALWAYS have a choice on how we choose to face them and how we are going to come out of them. Yeah, things are pretty sucky right now, but know what? It's going to get better. I KNOW it. Sometimes trials are so big, it's hard to see the Lord's small tender mercies hidden within. Yeah, we lost our beloved van - BUT we found a great one for the perfect price to replace it as soon as we get the money. It was really depressing when Jake "keyed" the side of the rental van, but my brilliant husband was able to treat and buffer out the scratches so they were hardly noticeable and he even fessed up with the rental company about it and because he was honest and he did a great job they didn't charge us a penny. Yes, the baby is tiny, I hurt all the time, and it's been the hardest pregnancy by far! But the baby still healthy and he is cruising along and this pregnancy will be over soon. Yes, Nephi's ADHD is really out of control, but our doctor's and teachers are working hard with us to figure things out. And not having a good TV was pretty stressful at times (especially being on bed rest, and now being on partial bed rest), but then our neighbor sold us theirs for a reasonable price and saved us!

I am sure all the other trials will work out too if we just keep faith and hope and do our very best to make good choices, be patient, and work hard to get things done. We got this!

-Cat

Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life: 10 Tips for Families (Guest Post)

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:32:00 +0000

Written by Sara Furlong

Maybe you’re ready to make the transition from military life to family. Maybe your separation is already scheduled. Maybe you’re worried about drawdown and how you would get by if it happened to your family.

Making the transition from military to civilian life can be daunting – and exciting! – for the whole family. Below are a few tips to help you get on the right foot for a successful transition.

Start early!

Don’t wait until the week before separation to start planning your new life. According to a leading veteran employment firm, you should begin preparing one year before your transition to ensure you have time to discover the best options for your family, keep transition costs to a minimum, and use your military benefits to the fullest.

Cultivate options.

As you embark on this new chapter, you’re going to want to explore as many options as possible to ensure your family finds its best possible situation. Luckily, there are lots of cost-free services available to help military families transitioning to civilian life.

Be sure to check out military job boards, placement firms, job fairs, and the military Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and Army Career and Alumni Program. It’s also important to reach out and make connections with veterans in the career world. Try your VFW and military associations and be sure to contact every former military person you know to let them know you’re looking for a new career.

Oh – and once you find yourself loaded with options, be sure to investigate them all thoroughly!

Make the most of your military move.

So many families use their military move to head straight for their home town. While this is certainly understandable, it’s not always the best choice. There may be significantly better opportunities available to you in other places and not having to pay to move for your new job would be a great thing.

Plus, many companies pay for employees’ relocation. Having a military move that could save a company your moving expenses could give you an advantage over your competition and tip the scales in your favor. It could also be a nice bargaining chip when negotiating salary and benefits.

If it takes some time after separation for you or your spouse to find a job, there could be a period of time when your family isn’t covered by insurance. Military health insurance coverage usually ends on the day the service member is discharged. By signing up for gap insurance, you can make sure your family is covered throughout your transition.

Get your papers in order.

Now is the time to start getting your and/or your spouse’s resume in order.

Be sure to include any special awards, honors, training, leadership roles, and responsibilities you’ve earned during service or past employment. Haven’t been working for a while? (Or even a long while!) Don’t worry. Make a list of every organization you’ve been involved with, any volunteering you’ve done, and any experiences you’ve had that might add to your value as an employee but that might be unusual for civilians. (For example, you might be able to say foreign travel in the military has made you comfortable interacting with diverse groups of people.)

Brainstorm any skills that you might have displayed or acquired through the items on your list. Include them in a well-crafted cover letter when you apply to jobs, explaining whenever possible how those skills will help you perform that job well.

Helping your spouse to prepare their resume? Remember to remove as much military lingo as possible. Most civilian employers probably won’t understand it. Also, help your spouse to keep from being too modest. The military mentality stresses the team over the individual, so service members can sometimes be reluctant to talk up their accomplishments. Make sure they highlight their achievements, knowledge, and experience and explain how they make them an exceptional job candidate.

Clean up your internet persona.

It’s a fact of life that job recruiters, hiring managers, and employers now check out their candidates on social media to weed out any candidates whose personal lives raise red flags.

Get ahead of the curve by logging into every one of your social media accounts and removing anything even slightly questionable. While you’re at it, share a few links to articles about recent developments in your industry of choice. This will show the person reviewing your profiles that you will be truly interested and engaged in the job. Applying to jobs in numerous industries? Make posts highlighting any volunteer work you’re involved with or share links to articles that demonstrate good character.

Once you’ve cleaned up your accounts, sit down with your spouse and help them to do the same.

Take advantage of military education benefits.

College is a great way to ease the transition from military to civilian life and to prepare active duty service members and their spouses for new careers. And the best part? There are tons of military education benefits available to help make it super affordable.

The G.I. Bill offers significant tuition assistance, whether your spouse is still serving or already discharged. If your goal is to prepare your family for a future transition, you might want to take advantage of the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program which will afford you with funding for many great educational and job training opportunities.

The first step is to find out what benefits you qualify for and how many college credits your spouse has earned through their experience and training in the military. (Yes, military service often earns you college credits!)

Once you’ve requested this information, start searching for military scholarships and programs that may interest you at military-friendly colleges. What’s a military-friendly college? These schools will not only honor your education benefits – they’ll also provide important services that will ensure you get the most out of your experience. Even more important, many of them offer reduced tuition for military veterans, service members, and their families.

For instance, Pace University is widely ranked as one of the most military-friendly schools. They offer impressive military discounts, host special military admissions events that speed up the process, and you can even estimate your college costs with Pace’s handy online tool.

Trident University International is a military-friendly college that provides military education grants that decrease the cost of tuition up to 36% for veterans, service members, and their dependents. Trident also has a Military Assistance Center that is knowledgeable about all aspects of education during and after the military. They’ll help you identify and take advantage of all available opportunities and lower your costs as much as possible. (Sometimes as much as 100%!)

Below is a list of military-friendly colleges that may be helpful as you begin your research:

Ask for help when you need it.

There are so many services available to help service members and their families with everything from finding jobs, getting into good schools, or coping with the complex emotions that can sometimes accompany switching over to civilian life. Seeking help and overcoming issues before they get too big is always the best approach. So don’t hesitate! Contact your Veterans Affairs office (VA) if you find yourself struggling.

Look into joining the reserves.

This is a great option if your spouse is having a hard time wrapping their brain around not serving and wearing that uniform. And it’s simple. They can transfer to the reserves without making a commitment that will conflict with any job they may take in the future. However, the money they could make by committing for a certain number of years could also make your family more secure as you pursue employment options and get settled into your new life. Either way, joining the reserves can ease the mental shift required when one goes from military to civilian life.

Stay positive!

Embarking on any new life situation can be daunting. Just remember that it is perfectly normal to be nervous, but that you and your family will be just fine. There are so many companies out there that are clamoring to hire veterans and loads of educational opportunities available for military families. So, while you may be apprehensive, you should get excited, too! Now is the time for your family to pursue your dreams, move any place you want, and spend lots of quality time together. Do your best to stay positive and focus on all of the ways this change will be great for your family.

Did you and your family make the transition from military to civilian life? Leave your tips and stories in the comments below!

In Which I Let the Man Cut My Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 19:49:00 +0000

Oh, yes I did.

For a couple months I have been wanting to cut my long locks. I just couldn't take it anymore. Long hair isn't all that it's cracked up to be... seriously.

1. It takes FOREVER to blow dry.

2. It takes FOREVER to style.

3. It gets to a point where it's too long to do ANY of the cute styles for so-called "long hair" and you just end up looking stupid. Prime example:

4. It gets caught in the seat belt. All. The. Time.

5. It's hard to fasten my bra without catching hair in it.

6. I have to braid it every night or my husband gets tangled in and it ends up in his mouth or drooled on. Sometimes he even rolls in it and I get stuck. This particularly sucks if I have to pee.

7. It gets stuck in my armpits. It gets stuck in other people's arm pits too.... please don't even think of hugging me... I know you mean well, but my hair... just don't.

8. It falls in my food.

9. The baby loves to pull it. Baby loves to eat it.

10. It gets zipped up, tied up, and shut up in doors.

11. Lipstick, gloss, and chapstick are a nightmare... all it takes is a little breeze.... People standing around me shouldn't wear it either... Just sayin'

12. The snarls and tangles... oh, let's not go there...

13. We actually have to budget in shampoo and conditioner.

14. It's just too hot!

15. We find long blond hair EVERYWHERE! It clogs the bathtub drain. It sticks on the shower walls. It gets caught in the vacuum. It's like an invasion!

16. And my favorite: Changing poopy diapers is a new level of nasty when your hair is taking a dip. Shuttering at the memories....

Now you have to understand something about me. My mom is a hairdresser. I was raised watching her cut, color, perm, etc. I spent many MANY hours in a salon helping out and watching. Now, even, my dad is a retired cop and went to barber school and they work together... so cutting hair is in my blood.

And I am SUPER picky about who I want to touch it. I even fought my mom on many occasions... she still tells the stories of how I would refuse to let her cut or trim certain sections of my hair.

But she's in Utah, and I'm far far away in Tennessee. So I started looking around for someone to cut my hair. Checking out websites, Facebook pages, asking around for referrals, etc. And nothing felt RIGHT to me. AND I am super cheap. With forking out the big bucks for back to school, (y'all know how I feel about THAT) I couldn't justify a $35 haircut for myself.

So, a couple nights ago, I had this brilliant plan. I could have Ben (who has zero experience) cut my hair and I would guide him through it.

Me: "Hey, want to cut my hair?"

Ben: "Okay."

So we decided that we would do it today. I wanted an A-line cut -- shorter and stacked a bit in the back, and long on the sides. I prayed. Then we did it. I'll let the pictures tell the story....

Before:

The cut:

After:

It looks a little asymmetrical... but it isn't. I just have more hair on one side due to some breakage from always wearing it in a braid. Oops. But hey, It looks GREAT to me! I'm really happy with it and I think Ben did a really great job. What a studly hubby I have.

And I'm feeling lovely today... I needed that.

-Cat

PS - My boys are really creeped out about the braid. They think it's a little freaky.... which makes it HILARIOUS to me!!

Unexpected Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 00:40:00 +0000

It all started with a desperate need for a pressure washer.

This last year since we bought the house, we have plotted and planned to weatherize our wooden fence and deck out back. We knew that in order to save money we would have to do it ourselves, but getting the equipment together was going to be a little pricey even if we rented it. So all year, Ben and I have been looking for and waiting for sales on paint sprayers, weatherizing stain stuff, and pressure washers. We found a really good deal on the paint sprayers, working on getting the stain stuff still... got the paper and tape to cover the house when we do the deck, we just couldn't seem to get our hot little hands on a reasonably priced pressure washer.

Now, it couldn't be just any pressure washer. Ben said it HAD to be 3000 PSI -- those babies are around $400-500. He has standards you know...

And I have been pinching and saving the best I can, especially with the whole back to school thing going on. (Y'all know how I feel about THAT.) Anyway, I felt this strong urge that we really needed to get the fence done soon. I have learned never to question my 6th sense... so I actually prayed about it. Yes, I really did ask the Lord to help us find a pressure washer we could afford. I told Him that if we REALLY needed to get the fence done, I really needed his help.

Seriously, only a few minutes later I felt like I needed to check Craig's List.

Which I ignored at first. Craig's list creeps me out a little. You know all the horror stories.... But after thinking for a minute that people usually aren't targeted over things like pressure washers, I got on and took a look.

And there it was....

EXACTLY what we wanted and needed!! A $400 pressure washer for $175. In almost perfect condition. Apparently, the carburetor needed to be replaced and the owner bought one but didn't want to deal with putting it in. He just wanted to buy a whole new one. And since Ben is Mr. Fix-It it was a great deal for us.

But since I was too scared to call anyone on Craig's List, I got Ben to call. (Who was WAY more than willing to because he was so thrilled we found one we could afford, it was like Christmas).

After talking to him, Ben felt like it was legit, so this morning we headed out to meet the guy. He lives south of Nashville so it was a little over an hour drive. We put his address into the GPS, and off we went. I told Ben if his house was in a shifty neighborhood and he was selling it out of the back of a condemned trailer, we were going to get out of Dodge quick!

But as we drove through Nashville and hit the other side, the area was lovely. After we got off the freeway, the houses started to get bigger and bigger and BIGGER. We weren't quite sure we got the right place when we pulled up to a huge mansion.

Ben went up and knocked on the door and the guy was super friendly and had us drive around back to his garage(s). When he opened them up, they we saw several classic cars in there... it was pretty cool. He invited us in, and it was like he made up the whole basement and garage area into a museum that looked like an old English town. It was SO cool. And what impressed me the most was that the kids actually behaved very respectfully and didn't touch anything. He even let them hold and play with a few things and take some pictures.

He let the boys try out this boxing stuff in his gym:

And he will forever be known as the guy with the sword... forget everything else...

Nephi was more impressed with his collection of miniature cars and planes and WWII paraphernalia.

Here the boys are in front of his award winning car:

Apparently, the owner is a big time music producer in Nashville. And he was super nice and extremely patient with my boys. I think he really enjoyed showing off his cool stuff to people who were genuinely interested.

We had such a good time. And we got to explore a part of Tennessee we would normally not have been able too.

... Oh, and the baby's favorite part was going to Panera after and eating part of Nephi's grilled cheese sandwich. Seriously, I give up on trying to give this kid age appropriate food... he is grabby and fast and wants it all.

Good times! All and all, an excellent adventure!

-Cat

PS -- In case you were wondering, Ben got the Pressure washer up and going pretty quickly and we look forward to playing around with it.

A Challenge to Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 15:17:00 +0000

Y'all know I LOVE running. It's one of my passions. I'm not fast, but I have found that I have great endurance if I work up to it.

The peak of my running life was a couple years ago when I ran the RAGNAR and my first (and only, so far) half marathon.

That was my best summer I have ever had! Oh, the glory days... sigh... Then last summer I was in my last months of pregnancy. I continued to run, but I was lucky to get 2-3 miles in at a time. I finished my pregnancy with the last run of 2.5 miles that actually ruptured my water just over 38 weeks. That was the best labor and delivery! (I mean it wasn't fun, per se, I mean we are talking pushing 8 pound babies out of small holes, after all -- but it was by far the "best" of my four).

Then I had to wait the 6 weeks after to start running again... and I did. But man was my body fighting me! There was all the pregnancy weight I had put on, the weeks without running (it really takes a toll when you go so long), and the whole my-body-is-still-recovering-from-a-BIG-event. It didn't help that I was nursing and my chest hurt when I ran... like a lot. When baby was about 5 months he weened himself, and I was gearing up to start training for a 1/2 marathon I wanted to run in October.

Yeah, that lasted a couple weeks.... because then I found out I was pregnant and a couple days later the extreme exhaustion and nausea hit. Trust me, when you can't keep your eyes open, you have 3 boys running around and another one that needs your constant care, running is the LAST thing on your mind!

Then I got put on "pelvic rest" because of the bleeding. So no extra curricular activities with the husband and no running.

This week I finally got the big "okay" to start running and enjoying other things. So my first challenge to myself is to get back to running. But I don't want to to over do it, and hurt myself and the baby. That would be stupid. So I am going to start slow with the Couch to 5K program (C25K). I think it's excellent for someone in my spot... Start off slow and repeat weeks if I have to. I really have no reason to run more than 3 miles while pregnant anyway. I'm not trying to prove anything, I am just trying to keep myself and the baby healthy, the weight under control, and hope for a smooth labor and delivery like last time.

My goal is to run a 5K the last week of this 2nd trimester. I know it's a lofty goal and a little crazy... especially for a pregnant woman who hasn't gotten her running grove back yet. But I think I can do it. I really do. I did Day One Week One this morning and it was actually pretty easy... so I am pretty sure I got this. I guess we will see, huh?

Any beginners, preggers, or out-of-shapers want to join me?? Train and run a 5K by the end of Sept?

-Cat