New Beginnings

This morning I woke up to birds singing and the sun shining.... Could it be? Is Spring *thinking* about coming? (I know, the thinking process will probably be a month and a half long or more, but I can hope, can't I?)

The singing birds and bright sunny morning got me thinking about new beginnings. The fresh new start Spring offers is one of the reasons I love that season so much. I started thinking about all the changes we are going through in our lives... Our "new beginnings" if you will. J is back on second shift (he was moved to first for four weeks - *sidenote: That move had its own blessing despite the upset to the schedule and the lack of any overtime at all for the four weeks.... Those weeks were the exact same weeks that the bro, sil and little man were home on vaca from Italy. And our "time change" meant that the kids and I could go to W-town with J and spend the day with my family at my parents house while everyone was up! Had he still been on second shift, those visits would have been far more complicated. end sidenote*) and that move makes our life a little easier, although, this week we are definitely getting used to late nights and late mornings again... Retraining the kiddos.... 9:00 a.m. IS too early to get up.

Another change being made around here is me. Well, more specifically, I am embarking on a lifestyle change. It is NOT a diet. It is a "retraining" of my (mostly head, I think) body to eat enough.... Some days, "enough" means "more" and other days, like yesterday, it means "less". I used to scoff at those (well, really scoff is a strong word.... snicker and then say "no way!! Couldn't catch me counting my points!!!!") who chose this method... But really, the more I have watched, the more I have seen it work. And, I have finally accepted that I do not have my 16 year old metabolism and the ability to eat six hot dogs, buns and condiments included, and remain at the same "anorexic" weight. (*No, I was never anorexic... That just is how my body at 5'7" and 110-115 lbs was often described.) Hey, back then I TRIED to put on ten pounds.... Had I been a couple inches shorter, that weight would have been fine, but..... Oh well, I'm digressing AGAIN. Now as I am cruising toward 30 at the speed of light (that's how it feels anyway), I am finding that those ten pounds I so coveted twelve years ago have FIRMLY attached themselves to my body, plus a *few* friends, and they WILL. NOT. LET. GO. It is very disturbing. I've been watching my sil (no, not that one, one of the other ones... from the other side) and she has "joined up" and is doing a fantastic job of counting points and is gradually and steadily losing weight. Very good for her. I'm very proud. S, if you ever read this, high five. Good job. Sorry, I keep getting slightly sidetracked. Moving on.... So I've watched her, and realised, if she can do it, I can do it. And if it works, what is there to lose? (Uh, besides the weight.) So I called her up and told her to give me the low down. She helped me figure out my point scale and allowance and helped me figure our how many points I had just eaten for breakfast that day.... Two. Twenty-one to go. Crud.......... If you don't eat ENOUGH, your body is in starvation mode and it will store every ounce of fat you eat and start burning up your muscle. Ew. Can't have that. So THAT day I tried really really hard to reach my points. I actually had to *force feed* myself a small bowl of ice cream. Oh, the horror. Now, YESTERDAY, on the other hand, was a COMPLETELY different story...... For lunchsupperdinner, I blew all 23 points. In. one. meal. One serving (portions are important here, folks) of spaghetti, two meatballs and sauce with grated cheese on top and a slice of garlic bread. All my points. Gone. I almost cried. In fact, I might have... I can't completely remember... I kind-of blocked out that day from my memory... Thank God for those 35 flex points a week. All of that potentially over-share to say, I am making a change. I cannot do it completely on my own. And, while I am jumping head first into the points counting and portion watching, I am not attending "the meetings." (Heresy, I tell you.) First of all, they are on Monday nights, and I am still in class for EMT training on Mondays, and plus each week (going to the meetings) costs $12, and what can I say... I'm being cheap. So my "support group" is you... I vent, share, rejoice, cry, whatever, and, if you want, you read. :) Otherwise, skip that post.

But back to my thought track this morning, listening to the birds. Spring brings fresh starts and new beginnings. I am in a fresh start.... But fresh starts aren't limited to Spring, different schedules at work or lifestyle changes. Every morning we have a fresh start. A new beginning. God's grace grants us that.... What are you going to do with your fresh start today?

The Way to My Kids' Hearts

If the way to my husband's heart is through his a) stomach b) three wheeler c) motorcycle d) all of the above, (for the sake of THIS discussion, we will stick with the c) motorcycle -- or maybe that's the way to MY heart??), then the way to my children's hearts is definitely through their very own motorcycles as well.

On Saturday we ignored our knock-you-flat-out-and-make-you-wish-for-the-raptureRIGHTNOW-week- long-sickness and started with a fantastic lunch with good friends and family. (Don't feel bad for the family.... they are the ones that shared the ..... sickness... to begin with.) Then we made our way to a hockey game (and if said family will get pictures of said game to me, perhaps there will be a post on that as well....) then off to shop for new motorcycles for very deserving and cute little children. The motorcycle shop intitally only had ONE bike and just about went to another city to retrieve it for us then found another, then realized that an employee had mismarked the second motorcycle.... By two hundred dollars. I love saving money that way. :) The manager of the store was nice enough to just say that her employee had messed up, congratulations to you, I owe you a large chuck of money and refund us the "overcharged" portion. Yay!!

T's bike is running,

daddy is prepping B's bike

and they are completely prepared to test them out. And also praying that God will send more weird warm Western NY weather our way so they can do some serious riding up in the gravel pit rather than try them out in head-to-toe-stay-warm-and-un-frostbitten snow gear up and down the road once. Hey, you have to start somewhere, though. Both adorable children have been found sitting on their bikes with wistful expressions on their faces. Wistful is better than devious. Safer, too, I hope.