Need more time

I can't keep up on this blog!

Since my last post, my 3rd child turned 5 and my 4th child turned 3 (1 day apart). #3 is the one who almost died because of the hospital's mismanagement prompting me to look into and eventually have a homebirth with #4. Very glad I did, it was one of those experiences of a lifetime.

Work has been crazy, doing web design all week and organizing all weekend. Yesterday (the 4th) was good for the kids, the neighbors had more illegal fireworks then you can shake a stick at and put on a great fireworks show. Too bad it was 3 hours long, past midnight before it was over, and I had a migraine. Ah, well. It's over now. Managed to get some gardening done too!

14 years ago

I was 16 years old, and 38 weeks pregnant. We lived in the middle of nowhere in Northern Cali, in a tiny place outside of Seiad Valley called Fort Goff. My boyfriend (later husband, later ex-husband) was across the road at my aunt's and he called up, frantic that she had fallen. I ran, belly and all, as fast as I could and basically ended up just staying there until the ambulance came. The ambulance driver asked if I was ok and I joked that I'd probably be in the hospital in labor soon. She ended up going to a nursing home and in October, she died - this was all caused by overdosing on potassium thanks to a doctor in Happy Camp. Who I later found out had been run out of town for killing other people in another state. Lovely.

Anyway, I went to bed that evening and awoke at 1:30 definitely in labor. Michaela was born at 9:50 that morning. The first year was smooth and easy, but then things got rough with her dad being in the Navy, then a brother, then her dad abusing me... it was a long road but she's turned into the best teenager I could hope for. She's a truly talented artist (really, as a graphic designer I'm not just saying that - she's good!), smart and very temperamental. Being a teenager, she does the "hormonal" thing pretty regularly (and her 3 brothers are left going "WTF is wrong with her?!?!") but the rest of the time, she's a great big sister/oldest kid. I love my daughter!

Too hot to work out

It's been really hot, too hot, even. 85+ outside and 85 inside. I hate the heat. If I get too hot, I get a migraine, so this morning before it got too hot (7:30 and 73 degrees and it had only cooled that much overnight), I got dishes and laundry done, opened up the house and took it easy from then on. A few kid's baths (3 for one, the mudball, and 1 for another), a shower for myself and then I just worked and helped the kids with school work. The fans are making it just barely tolerable and we're still all pretty cranky. So yeah, no work out.

People

I don't have friends for a reason and sometimes I forget why. And then I'm reminded why. Ugh, I fucking hate people, especially women. So hateful and catty to each other.

Also, the reading comprehension of so many message board users is catastrophically bad.

Just a workout post

None yesterday, I decided to try 30 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes yoga today (w/My Fitness Coach)... I had to beg Maya to take it down a notch next time for the cardio next time.

I think my official goal is to get rid of the belly fat (where the hell it came from, I do not know. I had a flat belly until #4 was born, for christ's sake). Ideally, I'd like to be 145 lbs, but I'll be happier with being heavier as long as I can fit comfortably in size 10 (since muscle weighs more than fat).

My Fitness Coach vs EA Active

I'll give a better, more in depth review later, but I am liking My Fitness Coach much more than Active. EA is too clunky, worse than Wii Fit. It doesn't give as good of a heart pumping, sweaty work out.

May 25th: 30 minute cardio w/Fitness Coach
May 26th: 15 minute cardio w/Active, 15 minute upper body w/Fitness Coach

uber l337 canning ski77z

We ran out of homemade jam early May and I could not find storebought that didn't have HFCS (we have corn allergies) or red food dye (sensitivities). So on the 18th I picked up some strawberries and made a batch for everyone else (I'm allergic to strawberries). Everyone was going through that bath quickly so I picked up more strawberries and found frozen blackberries on sale, so I grabbed enough for a batch. Yesterday, I canned. 4 pints strawberry jam, 2 quarts blackberry jam, and a quart of blackberry-strawberry syrup with the leftover fruit (2.5 cups fruit, 3.5 cups sugar and 1.25 T pectin). Now we're all happy munching away at peanut butter and jam sandwiches and not getting rashes, migraines or hyper from the storebought crap.