Thursday, January 14, 2010

The Topic of Conversation

Apparently "my girls" were the topic of conversation this week at work. Several people asked me if the story of a coworker staring half the night was true. These people need to get a life! Can't wait to see that coworker again and ask him if he saw "the girls" I brought to the party last weekend. That should shut him up for a while!

Other than that, it finally warmed up to a regular Houston winter temperature (50's), so the puppies (the actual canine kind) have been enjoying lots of time outdoors. It seems that 4 hours in the back yard protecting us from errant squirrels and deer is quite exhausting. No one has attempted escape in the past few days, and no one has made a mess in the house, either. I'm waiting for the shoe to drop, if you know what I mean. No real chasing of the kitties. Makes me wonder if my doggies are feeling okay? Y even took them for a walk the past two days. Maybe that's what's made the difference.

I'm down 9.5lbs now, another 1.5 inches gone in the waist, 1 inch in the hips and 2.5 inches in the bust. That just flabbergasts me. Losing inches up there. I didn't think that was possible. Might even have to go buy new bras!

Enjoy your day.
Natalie
TX

Monday, January 11, 2010

Moments You Treasure

Y finally got together a load of clothes for me to wash this evening. It was bribery, I told him if he cleaned his room he could have an extra hour on the computer. He didn't clean his room, but he did bring down one load of laundry. As I was putting them in the washer, his dog Michael was getting in the way. He knocked over a full basket of clean clothes onto the floor. I said in exasperation, "Get him out of here, he's knocking everything over!" Y called the dog out of the tiny laundry room and asked me if I liked his dog Michael. I told him yes I did, just sometimes he's very annoying when he tries to 'help' you. Y said, "Michael help you like I help you, yes?" I said, "Yes. Sometimes Michael 'helps' me by creating more work for me to do. Sometimes you create work for me to do, too."

Y replied, "You like me?"

"Yes, I like you."

"You like Michael more you like me?"

"No, I like you more than I like Michael."

We continued our conversation in the kitchen.

Y - "I like Michael because Michael is my dog."

"You like Michael more than you like me?"

"No! I like you more because you my Mama. And, Michael likes everybody."

Natalie

TX

(Probably the first time he's said something like that and then didn't immediately add, "Come on, maybe you buy me something.")

Y's 15th Birthday Party

Enjoyed having everyone over on Saturday afternoon for Y's birthday party, although it made for a very long day. I got up at 4am to report to work at 5:30am, the got home a little after 2pm; picked up two Subway party platters and a picture cake from Kroger and off to home I went. I barely had time to put the food out, put the dogs out and finish sweeping the floors before all the guests arrived. Good thing they don't expect a spotless house when they come to see me!

The kids immediately wanted to go up to Y's room, so I told them it was at their own risk. He refused to clean his room or his bathroom before the party. And both are disgusting. I mean bordering on health violations disgusting. Just keep the door closed and keep that mess out of the rest of my house. He can go to school wearing stinky clothes for all I care. Don't want to clean your room and bring your dirty clothes downstairs - reap the consequences of what you sow.

It was barely warm enough to be outside, but it was beautifully sunny, so that made things better. All the kids were bundled up and they spent quite a bit of time hanging out on the trampoline and playing with the fur covered kiddoes in the back yard. K.G. so kindly came in at one point and told us "Houdini" was at it again. Took me almost 15 minutes to chase his skinny butt down, and with the help of a neighbor, corner him - collar him - and haul his butt back home and into his cage. Michael (the dog) was not pleased to be stuck in there for the next hour or so until everyone left. Again, a natural consequence - escape and you'll be jailed up in a more confining spot for a longer time. End of story. Y was confused when I called from my cell phone to tell him Michael had escaped and was running toward a busy street and that he needed to come out immediately and help me. Y said, "No! Michael in room with me." I had to clarify that I was talking about his dog.

Goofy and Squirt conducted themselves quite well, although A seemed very wary of Goofy's size (120lb lab - and no he's not fat, just a slightly chunky, seriously huge dog). Little did she know the only way he could kill anything is with slobbery kisses. Tigger spent the better part of the party locked in my bedroom because one guest was allergic. Daisy spent the entire time hiding somewhere. She didn't come out for almost an hour after everyone left.

Y made out pretty good on his birthday, considering Christmas wasn't too long ago. His cashiola turned into a pair of jeans, two t-shirts, two long sleeve shirts and a heavy fleece jacket. (He really needed that.) And, he's been enjoying way too much birthday cake.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves, even Bill. He stayed after the party and we discussed some divorce things and I think that went pretty well. That's all I'll say on that subject because he doesn't like being discussed in virtual reality.

Then I changed clothes and told Y that I was going to another party with people from work, and that I would be home in about two hours. He said, "Is party for adults, yes?" I told him it was (we were going to a bar, not somewhere I want to take Y just yet). He then said, "You drink vodka, you no my Mama!" I told him I would only drink one drink, and that would be it. He told me he wanted to smell my breath when I got home and if it smelled like vodka, then I would "no be my Mama." I said okay and left the house. I was actually gone about 2.5 hours. I called when I was leaving and told him I would be home in 15 minutes. He was quite curt with me on the phone. When I knocked on his bedroom door, he was annoyed, but I breathed on him and he said, "Okay - you go out my room now!" and he went to bed. This morning he was much more chipper. I guess he realized that I came home sober just like I said I would. I hope I proved to him that being a responsible drinker is possible, but I'm sure he'll need a gazillion more examples before he believes it to be true. I totally understand his fears, but considering that I have an average of four drinks a year, I'm not going to not drink just because he tells me not to drink.

I met some really cool people at that party. One is a coworker's fiance and the other is a coworker's wife. They seem like really neat people to hang out with, and I hope we can do it a little more often. Mama needs more of an adult social life every once in a while. One of the gals even provided interference for me when she noticed that one of the guys was spending a lot of time sneaking peeks at my "party" top. It's the only low-cut top I own, and it makes my assets look quite good, I might add. The dude is in a relationship with another co-worker, so I was not offended or impressed with his attention. Apparently he was also not willing to pay bribery money to C. to make her move out of the line of sight, either! LMAO.

No one seems to have teenage boys, however! Everyone has girls. Well, Y might actually want to go with me once in a while if he finds out the girls are gonna be there! I did feel a little bit out of place there because almost everyone was married or there with a girlfriend/boyfriend. Alas, not many eligible bachelors! Good for me, though. Some time to myself to adjust to single motherhood wouldn't be too bad. I think if I start dating right away it will be a big adjustment for Y. We'll have to play it by ear.

Other than the fact that I completely screwed up my diet for that day, it was a very good day.

Natalie
TX