Something New To Try

I got a new toy in the mail today!

Well, more like a new accessory.

Corey got a Power Balance band from his sister for Christmas. We weren't sure what it did, but Corey's been wearing it ever since. It's apparently suppose to help your balance/coordination, energy, as well as taking away minor pains and irritations from everyday stuff. Among lots of other things, which I will let you discover for yourself through the website.

He didn't notice much of a difference, if any at all, until he took it off for a day. The next day, he started noticing he wasn't feeling as well. His stomach was bothering him and he was feeling very off.

We didn't think much of it until late in the day when he realized he had his band off. He put it back on, and the next day he was starting to feel better. Coincidence? Possible. Except he talked to a friend's kid that has one, and he had the same thing to say. And his mom said she was feeling less pain in her joints.

Corey thought about buying me one, but they were about $30 at Scheels, and we didn't have the extra money to spend.

Since quitting smoking, Corey's been the one dealing with it easier this time around. I've been the one fretting and itching for a smoke badly.I decided to do some searching online.

I looked at the Power Balance website, and Scheels website. Both had the bands in stock, in the color and size I wanted, but they were $30, plus about $10-$12 shipping and handling.

Just for S&T's, I decided to check Amazon. Guess what I found? That's right! I found a purple Power Balance Band in size small for less than the other sites! And it's the same thing.

I received it today and immediately put it on.

Not sure what's going to happen, but I'm hoping a few things: I have a tendency to get tendonitis in my right wrist (the wrist that the band is on now), I have knee pain in my right knee, and I keep having nic-fits. If the band helps either or all of these, then awesome! If not, then it looks cute at least and wasn't TOO expensive.

I'm too much like my mother sometimes... not that that's a bad thing! I usually think that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. So I don't hold out too high of hopes for stuff like this, but if it works, that's fantastic and I will recommend it highly. If not, then at least I tried something new. Trial and error, right?

I will update if I do or do not notice any difference in the coming days/weeks.

6 Days!

Ummm....... Hi!

.

.

.

I WANT A SMOKE!

There. I said it.

In about an hour and 15 minutes, it will be 6 days since my last smoke.

Let me tell you, it hasn't been easy. Still isn't.

Each day is fraught with the desire and temptation and CRAVING for a cigarette.

Even now, knowing that Corey's up working with his friend Scott just a half mile away, I'm tempted to go up there and bum a smoke from Scott. Corey already tested Scott's friendship tho, by asking him for a smoke right away today and Scott said no. Good friend. He knows what he's suppose to do.

Now, if we both ask him nicely, we could probably get away with one. But, that would put all of our hard work over the past 6 days to waste.

Maybe.

Maybe if we have one now, we will discover they don't taste like the use to and never want one again.

Or, the other side, is that we'd think they tasted like heaven and want them MORE.

Which will it be? Should we even try? The answer, most obvious, is no. But, the temptation is still there. We're doing what we can to not give in, and we're going strong.

We also haven't freaked on each other yet, although there have been a few close calls. We've evaded them though, thank goodness. I am remembering Patty's advice, to be gentle and easy with each other through this, as otherwise there's a good chance we'll both say something we don't mean because we're strung out on nic-fits.

I feel better having vented my frustration, but my cravings haven't left yet. I'm sure that will come in time. If anyone else has any more advice on how to get through it, please, feel free to let me know. We'll take what we can get.

Also, apparently I have what most people have, which is an oral fixation, which is what's not helping my situation. I've got suckers and butterscotch candies. I've also got gum and candy canes. Any other ideas? Any lo-cal ideas for cravings? I'm not really a chewer, unless it's gum. I'm more or less sucking on things, so I can still talk for my job. Really, any suggestions would be welcome!

Enough is Enough

I did it.



I finally did it.



I had had enough.




I'm finally done with it.



After 14 years. Thank god.



I finally had the balls and willpower to do it, to overcome the irrationality of it.



I stood up for myself and what I really wanted.



I was scared and conflicted.



But I was tired of putting up with all the BS and expense that came along with it.



I had enough guilt over the past year and a half, it finally overrode what my body wanted. I finally listened to my head and my heart, not my body.


I finally QUIT!


.......


.......


.......


.......


...smoking. We both did.


It's hard and it sucks, but Corey and I haven't had a cigarette since 5:30pm Sunday.

We Googled the nicotine withdrawal symptoms last night. We are currently suffering from a bad case of fatigue and muscle aches. Those are suppose to last about a week or two.

We haven't had TOO strong of cravings, but it's been bad enough. We just quit. Cold. Turkey. No cutting down, no substituting or reorganizing. Just up and quit.

We also haven't killed each other, quitting at the same time. We've learned the last few times from trying that we need to be nice.

Quitting on a week with no kids here doesn't hurt either. Less stress.

I'm sure I will do another post at some point about this whole experience. For now, this will be enough as I'm too tired to do much more.

Such is the life, at the moment, for this Fairy and Frog.

Last Week

Well hello there! I'm here, just busy busy busy with the busy season at work. Been putting in some overtime and readjusting to the summer schedule with the kiddos. Hell I tell ya.

Corey and I had a hard time the last week with no kids, we were not motivated at all. Of course it doesn't help when the temperature was over 100 the first 2 days, then in the 80s Wednesday, then 70s, 60s, 60s, etc... 40 degree temperature change within days. Crazy!

The 6th of this month began the T-Ball season, and Alexis and Kayla's dad signed them up for it up in Woodville. Without talking to me about it. Insert irritation here! I find out a week before practices start, and he didn't think it was a big deal. Ummm... yeah. Let's not go there, 'kay?

So I went to the first practice/game, they are held every Monday night. The first one was during the 100 degree day, so the kids were not happy. I'm surprised they didn't call the practice off! So I get there, and it turns out the Andy's girlfriend Jenny is the coach, and his mother is the assistant coach. Lovely. Just what I wanted. To top it off, his mother asks me if I want to help out since I was going to be at every game. I said sure, no problem, it's for my kids, I'll do it. his girlfriend wasn't sure how to react, which made me do my happy dance. Silly, I know, but still.

Kayla hitting

 And running

 Alexis hitting

 She, for some reason, decided to make a wide arc to first base lol

 Alexis is all serious, and Kayla is goofy

 Kayla practicing catching the ball with another girls named Brooke.

I cried when I left my girls, and it didn't help that Alexis cried as well. She wanted me to bring her home with me, so I had to explain that even thought I wanted to so badly, I couldn't, as this was her time with her dad. She kept yelling "I love you Mommy!" "I'll miss you Mommy!" over and over. My heart cracked. I had a hard couple days after that.

As my last post stated, the 8th was my parents 20th wedding anniversary. Corey and I went up there last weekend and took them out to dinner, just the 4 of us. It was a quiet ride, lemme tell you. No kids yelling in the backseat, none asking for help on a word in a book or on a game, etc... Quiet, but bittersweet.

Since my parents hadn't figured out where they wanted us to take them, I decided on Famous Dave's. Yum!

I think that's enough typing for now. Don't want to overwhelm you all with facts and pictures. Will post more this week!

20 Years

I would like to wish my parents, Rick and Sandy, a very happy 20th Anniversary today.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

I hope you two had a wonderful day today!

We all love you very much and wish you a very happy day today and many many more to come!

Whirlwind

It's been a whirlwind the past few weeks! We've tried to find time to get stuff done after work and also trying to spend time with the kids.

Should be a little easier now, although a little more lonely, as we'll have time to get projects done around the house every other week, since those weeks all kids will be with their other parent, and we'll have more time to focus on the kids when they are with us on our weeks.

I do have some photos to share from the last few weeks before I get into Friday's Graduation.

 Love sitting on the deck at night and seeing this.

 But I equally love being able to take these on nice days.

 The tree that seems to attract ants badly also looks quite beautiful for about a week or two when it flowers in the spring.

 The kids decided to play in the driveway, but I made sure they filled in the holes when they were done lol

 Walker's new bike for his birthday, a Mongoose Mutant.

 Cool gift boxes Grandma Baier got that turn into masks.

 Playing with the bag Amy's presents came in.

 His cool cake

 He's 6 now!

 Corey, Paige, Brady and Walker playing with the badminton set Walker got for his birthday.

 A Great Blue Heron flying above

 Corey and Beaver at the Memorial Day Party at Jeremy and Amy's

 Jeremy, Ross, Shannon, Al and Jamie

 Beaver doesn't like his picture taken for some reason....

 Devon wanted to wrestle Corey lol

 Then Al got him back

 It rained and hailed for about a half hour during the party

 After the hail and rain, the kids decided to play in the puddle

 And then make a mud slide lol

 Bailey decided to join in the fun!

 And so did Jamie!

 Al and Red wrestled

 Then Red decided to slide too!

Now, onto the kids' graduation!

It was a wonderful program, the kids did awesomely! They sung a few songs and then were handed their certificates. I didn't get too many good pictures, being inside and a lot of people, but I got a few of them.

Oh, and yes, I cried!

The kids all "excited" about the last day of school

 Our Kindergarten Graduates

 Waiting for the bus

 The background for the program "Sailing into 1st Grade"

 Walker's the last one on the right on the bottom

 Alexis is the last one on the left

 Walker's accepting his "Diploma"

 Alexis accepting her "Diploma"

 Our graduates!

*sniff* Now, this fall, all of our kids will be in school. Kayla will be beginning Fab Four at Caddie, which is 2 full days a week; Alexis and Walker will be 1st Graders at Arkansaw; Brady will be a 2nd Grader at Arkansaw; Paige will be a 4th Grader at Arkansaw. Yes, Kayla will not have her siblings at the same exact school, but her buddy Kayla T will be a Kindergartener there, so she will have a friend.

So sad, kids growing up. Some days you just wish they'd stop growing up and stay small forever, but then the next day you wish they would hurry and grow so they can do more stuff. *sigh* Such is the life of Fairies and Frogs!