I'm sore. but that's a good thing...

...it means I worked hard right? I went back today for Step and Core and the boys had a great time at the babysitting. They had a lot of kids so they moved half up to the racquetball court and when I went to get them about half the kids were doing laps around the track. One of mine was leading the pack and the other was bringing up the rear. Gibson was so proud of himself to be doing "extherthise". I was a bit sore this morning but I pushed through it. I like doing the classes because I can't just quit in the middle like I can do at home with a tape. Too embarrassing! I also like that I feel sore because it tells me I am working different muscles. I am never sore after the Treadmill, even if I go for an hour and a half. My leg muscles are used to that motion. I am planning next week and I will try to go 3X.

Morning at the YMCA...

Yesterday I finally did what I had intended to do for months. I called the YMCA and booked my kids in for babysitting during a time when a drop-in class was offered (Circuit Challenge). So this morning we headed off at 8:45 to drop them off for 9:00 a.m. at babysitting. I was a littler early for the class and went up on the treadmills for 10 minutes before it started. What a class! It was a nice mix of cardio and resistance and she kept us working. I think my knees might hurt a bit tomorrow, but I was so glad I went. I signed the boys up for babysitting again tomorrow and I will go at the same time for Step and Core. THEN, if I am still moving I will sign them up for Friday and do the Circuit Challenge class again. I have to commit to this and the boys had a great time in the babysitting room so that was cool, and it was pretty cheap ($7.50 for the two boys for 1.5 hours - half of what I pay my regular sitter). I know that some weeks it won't work with Oliver's summer programs, but for the weeks it will work I am going to try and do it. If I get in the habit now it will be so nice in the Fall when I only have to put Gibson in because Oliver will be in full days.

A fun time was had by all...

Last night we had a babysitter booked and we went out to a party at a friend's house. It was so very nice. There were a lot of people from the theatre scene there. I knew about half and was familiar with most of the others. It was nice to feel at home in Edmonton, as it reminded me of the parties we would go to in McMurray. Lots of food, talking, laughing and just feeling comfortable. I didn't feel like the "newcomer" so I figure I am home now.

WW Report

Oh yeah. Down 0.8 lbs this week for a grand total of 21.2 lbs! Yay! That's with a very food-filled weekend in there. Very happy.

The Evidence...

Pencil drawing by Gibson
June 22, 2007
"Portrait of Auntie Annie"

My Child, the Artistic Genius....

Okay, this is a second child I am talking about, so I am not in that happy delirious haze of first time parenthood. Had to get that out of the way first. My child, Gibson, is an artistic genius. Maybe it is too soon to tell, but if you can't brag about your children on your blog, where can you? But get this, he sings, in tune, all the time. Now, his favorite songs are "Stupid Girls" (Pink) and "Upside Down" (Jack Johnson - Curious George Soundtrack), but still, - in tune! Why is that so amazing? Well, for me it is because he is 2 years and 8 months old. The reaction of the teacher at Kindermusik has confirmed for me that Gibson's vocal skills are unusual. Most of the children his age listen to the music and dance a bit, but very rarely do they actually sing along and extremely rarely are they ever in tune. He can also tap out beats correctly and in tempo - most kids his age just bang away randomly.

So that's his musical genius - but get this - today he drew some amazing pictures for his age. Today he drew faces, with correctly placed eyes, noses, ears, mouths and hair. I know that is unusual for his age. His older brother (almost 6) doesn't even consistently do that when he draws. Get ready Auntie Annie for your first portrait a la Gibson --> it's a beauty!

So will I become a psycho stage parent? Pushing him to develop. Vocal lessons at age 3, shoving gouache and water colours into his hands at age 4? I hope not. But I think it is cool and if he likes singing and drawing I will provide that outlet, after all I like to do those things too.

Now, if I can only get through potty training!

No Man is an Island, but it's so much easier when we pretend to be...

Despite my intention to "live purposefully and without regrets" I find myself wondering about my purpose and regretting an attempt to be understood. Today I tried to let someone in on some stuff that had been bothering me for quite awhile (the stuff bothering me was not with that person but with another person we are both close to). Unfortunately for all involved I did it by email (I advise against this) and I ended up not only failing to achieve my purpose, but I also hurt them, which was not my intention.

Thus I now have regrets. I have "I feel sick to my stomach" regrets. I am not sure how to deal with this. Do we keep everything to ourselves and create our own personal island? I am not sure. I guess we could talk an objective outsider, but that doesn't offer any solutions other than venting. I have no interest in having an "outsider" understand me better. I do want the people in my life to understand me better and to understand why I act certain ways in certain situations. So if you can't reach out to them to say "this is me, these experiences changed and shaped me and continue to affect how I view and interact with the world; you know me, I need you to know me better" - If you can't tell them without hurting them too, what can you do?

I don't want to hurt people, but I don't want to live in a superficial world where I pretend everything is okay when it isn't.

I don't know.