Spring Break for the weary!
Finally!! It has been a long–fast 9 weeks! I tried to post…wasn’t going to happen. After BOMBING my very first test back (literally. failed. less than passing.) I am back up and over the minimum required to graduate in May. And of course I am going for the A again. I got to. It’s close. It’s within reach! And since I seriously do not do ANYTHING else now…(that includes: exercise, cooking, laundry, cleaning, sleeping….) I should be able to manage it. Its a boost for the class and a boost for my grade point average. Its all about the resumé now!
Anyway I won’t go on and on about boring school stuff (even though I have gotten to do LOTS of skills and get experiences these last few weeks that no one really wants to hear about!) because I want to catch up on LIFE! And laundry!
My BF, the BEST!! in the land, made a valiant attempt over the weekend….cleaned and dried and folded AND put away! Thank you thank you thank you…and I love you….and I am truly sorry about what a sucky GF I have been…I promise it will get better!!! Please hang in there!! XO
But, now 4 days go by and wtf?? a pile of clothes again! What a rip! So in between posts and making a half dinner (from a box, but with some ingredients!) and driving my mother to the doctor, exercising, and the inevitable homework (tests when we get back and some other stuff) I will try and do this here housework! It may not happen all today! But I think I can fix it up by tomorrow afternoon! Then I can have a whole week to slack off!! Maintenance, people!! It’s all about maintaining!
So I need to update my Ipod. It’s not as crammed up with junk anymore so it works alot better now. After my epic meltdown last summer with the maximum capacity overload, I wiped it out and just put on the music I use for running or driving. Much smarter. 30,ooo songs is nice but it’s really not realistic for anything except maybe a radio station and even then, they only play what someone wants to hear. Over and over and over again! And I need some new music!
And I need to hit the road! With my feet. Me and my sissy are doing another crazy running adventure…for charity of course. But that won’t make it any easier. 6 miles and a cart following us, breathing down our backs, putting on the pressure, just waiting for us to fall below the minimum time to complete, and ready to scoop us up off the road and drive us to the finish line! HA! She says it won’t happen! I hope she is right! That ground hits hard though on my out of shape feet (and body!) I haven’t gained any weight—mostly because I don’t have time to eat! but I haven’t gained any muscle either or tone or shape….then there is the Warrior Dash! It’s that time again! So be prepared to hear ALL about that! I need Tony Horton to bring it! To my house and get me off my fat a**! P90WTF??? It only works if you actually do it!
Anyway…That’s it for now! I will go look for something good to post as a picture for the top. Something that is NOT snow. It’s gorgeous today in the midwest! Chicago is teasing us for spring!
Happy St. Pat’s Day to all who celebrate.
Please give a quick thought to the folks out there in Japan trying to keep it together for another day, and wish them the best before you have that drink!
And here’s a little shout out to my new, number one fan! Stevie! Hi baby! Love you! Now get back to school stuff please!!
Thanks for hanging with me for a bit! More later!
So, where was I??
Let me go back to my P90X notebook (yes, I have a separate notebook just for the X–don’t laugh, you really need one or you can’t gauge the process) last time I was here was….Day 10? Well, I guess I’m behind. Here it is already Day 21. I’ve done the sequence three times now and it’s a tiny bit easier. I say that with emphasis on the tiny bit. Let me re-cap, but quickly:
Day 10, I finished my arms and abs and went running. I discovered a better way to train. Use the Random setting on the treadmill. It’s got inclines and all that. I started with a level 10 of 20 just because I didn’t know where to go. Did 30 minutes. Started slow. Like, walk/jog slow and worked up to actual running. I increased speed every few minutes. The BF says I don’t work hard enough and that may be true. I like the feeling of running not the feeling of winning. I only have to do five miles in less than 55 minutes. That’s my goal. Very achievable at the slow ass rate I run on the treadmill. So that’s that. I highly recommend some extra cardio with the P90X, especially if you have the time and if you are like me and not eating perfect. Plus it makes you feel darn good and so strong.
Anyhoo…I have to hurry because I told the BF I would run with him today at the gym and I really don’t want to…I really brought it today to make up for me NOT bringing it the last three days. Blah. Here’s the fast version:
Day 11 thru 20: I ran thru the schedule just as written. I think I missed a day or two, but nothing drastic. Still hurting. Still can’t do all the Abs to save my life, but I can do all 25 of the first exercise. Ten more to go at the same rate. I am using my pull up bar and it’s good. The day I can do unassisted (without the chair) is going to be a highlight. Push ups are moving along. Still on my knees…uh huh…but working toward on my toes. You people are sick.
The best news is that I actually lost 2.2 pounds and did not alter the diet super dramatically. I will say that I am eating far less than I was and I try to make the good choices but I am not there yet. I feel better in my skin even though the jeans still fit the same.
This week, my kids are gone again. 😦 They get another vacation with their dad which I am happy for, but sad because summer is flying by and we have to start the grind, and I love having them around me all the time. But I am taking this week to clean up my diet. It’s easiest when there is only you to worry about.
Day 21. This is today. Felt really out of it because I skipped Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Lazy/Fatigued (thanks monthly cycle—it hits me harder some months than others, damn aging), Birthday Party (happy b-day to my double nieces born on the same day, Elexa and Jesse, 8 and 15), Pierogi Fest (the Polack in me must go eat bad foods and drink the hootch). So after getting up to move the car for the BF and assessing the monthly situation…I went right back to bed. And after sleeping my once a year, 12 hour nap, I was ready to get up for good.
I picked Plyometrics as my choice workout. It gives me the best feeling of working and the most fun and activities. Then I added in my own push-up/ab/arm exercises to finish the burn and punch out that last little bit of strength I had. The sweat is unbelievable and disgusting. I like to keep the air off for that extra bonus “heat” effect. Glistening. Anyway it’s not nearly as hot as it was outside so it’s saving money too.
Now it’s about 6:30 pm Chicago time, and I am dreading the phone call to meet at the gym. I am trying to clean out my body today. Nothing bad in. Water (and coffee–I’m not a superhero) and I ate blueberries and a banana. One day of “sort-of-fasting” is not going to kill me.
For tomorrow, Day 22, I am adding in one more week of Phase 1. I feel I need an extra boost with these exercises and a nice clean lead in to the rest phase and the next weeks to come.
I’m going for alot this week. Exercise, complete catch up on this site, complete school reading before the new stuff comes, an I-Tunes/I-pod updated player and lists, money–in and out, the never ending always waiting laundry and housecleaning. Yuck to the yuck. I’m even gonna go workout special with my friend Beth on Friday—so I really got to work it this week. And I’m gonna help my sissy with her garage sale for one day—I’d love to help all three, but…no I wouldn’t! Sorry Amanda!
Follow me here if you care, and give me your comments and advice and any other thing that crosses your mind. I know I can ramble with the best of them.
Just because I love it, I’m putting pictures of the Pierogi Queen and her Babushka Brigade around all these words. Just a bunch of Polacks having fun!
Last post of the night…
Hold on, let me get a drink for this….
Ok. If you read this in any kind of dailyway, I pretty much list off my activities for the day. So, even though I had good intentions when I woke up this morning (early , so that I could watch the WGN Morning News—I even texted what kind of underwear Pat Tomasulo should wear to co-host his first Regis & Kelly Show on Tuesday—sad), basically I did nothing. The road to Hell…
Drank coffee. Bitched and moaned when I had to take the car to the brake shop, which we desperately needed. Grumped about having to go buy windows and stain and rocks for the house to make it look nicer. Hated the lunch I ate, even though I picked the place. Was bored at the Pet Store getting feeders for the cannibal Oscars (which are getting big–I’m going to do a before and after post when I sober up in the morning because I’ll never find the old pictures in this condition). Sat inside and played BeJeweled on the computer and Facebook while the BF cleaned off the roof, gutters and patio in the blazing midday sun. Perked up a little when we had to go get the car, brand new brakes—so nice!–only because I knew we had to go right past a liquor store! Yay! Happily walked around said liquor store picking up various drink items for tonight and tomorrow. Drove car home thinking about making delicious martini’s and laying across the couch like a lump. Sitting here, right now, drinking second martini and typing about the things that I won’t be finishing up tonight. Like…
The laundry.
The kids room. So close too! Got it painted and ready to re-build. Got proof too! See pics below! I was going to save them for the big before and after unveiling, but who am I kidding?? I might not even finish that room now until Sunday or Monday. HA. All I have to do is hang curtains and move the furniture back. Oh Cursed Vodka!!
Another thing I didn’t do was run. And I feel bad about that. It’s been 2 days; three when I wake up tomorrow. (I did paint for those two days—today was just pure lazy) It’s going to suck running around out there for 4 miles, maybe more, as punishment, with a hangover and reeking of booze sweat but I can’t get behind. I have a five mile race in one month and you saw those butt pictures. Eee-yew…did any one else just feel a chill?? Goosebumps. Or giant lumps (of fat in my pants—yuck). I’m not even telling you where those pictures are or linking it. Find it yourself.
What I am going to do though, is finish this up, post those pictures (the walls and windows really did turn out nice–good work SoberLisa!) and make some moves on my BF. (Too much information???)
Like Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, once said (and she totally rocks):
“One drink makes me want to go to bed.
Two drinks makes me want to go to YOUR bed.”
Goodnight, Chicagago!



Happy Birthday Amanda!!
It is Friday the 17 th! My sister’s official birthday! And I see we are reading this webpage a little more regularly now. Thank you! AND making comments. Thank you again!
So, I never got back here yesterday because normal people stuff takes up more time than I thought, which is probably why I don’t do it on a regular basis. But I payed the bills, bought some groceries, tidied up the house a bit…we even had an overnight guest (the kids friend). Next up is laundry—have to get that dang pile down, posting more exciting things from yesterday when I was out in the world (Dodge Challenger…oooh) and basically waiting for my sissy today to come over!
The plan is for her to come here. We are going to have as nice birthday dinner while we can still eat through our mouths and not the feeding tube they will have to put in along with the full body casts that they put on when you break every bone in your body doing some crazy athletic race-type event because you think it’s cool. Then we’ll leave at 5 in the morning tomorrow and prepare for an all liquid diet for the next month! Kidding, I’m sure. We are highly trained athletes. Used to extreme adventures and bad terrain. WE ARE WARRIORS!!
Here are some true excerpts from the e-mail we got:
Warriors,
Brace yourselves for the wildest 3.75 miles of your life, a battleground full of dangerous and insane obstacles! Warriors, prepare to battle.
That doesn’t seem to bad, right? Then it’s all blah, blah, details about packet pick-up, parking, etc… And then this:
Danger Warning
Please understand portions of Warrior Dash are truly extreme – your best judgment and respect for every participant is expected and appreciated.
This is no joke: there really will be fire, swamps, extreme hills, etc. We urge you to take special caution when entering the forest immediately before Splintering Spools because the hill is extremely steep (too steep to run down) and there’s limestone jutting out of the hill in several areas.
Excuse me, while I go poo in my pants. “Splintering” spools doesn’t sound too bad, you know, splinters in my knees and hands maybe…unless it’s like giant shards of wood sticking out…It’s the “steep hill” and “jutting limestone” that concerns me. I would like to NOT crack my skull open on a piece of extreme rock. Fire, swamps…I guess if I’m wet already I can’t technically catch on fire right??
At any rate, I’m getting a stomach ache thinking about it!
So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER!! We are going to have SO much fun tomorrow!! I’ll make sure Mom gets us a room at the hospital together!!
Here are some flowers from my front wildflower landscape thing I tried to create! Aren’t they pretty? Won’t they be soothing to look at through giant, swollen, teary, puffy, black and blue eyes?? Ha.
For all you other folks who can only imagine…check out the web here for the actual event,
And here for the Face Book Link.
I don’t have it but some of the comments are funny.
Here’s your pictures Amanda! Happy B-day! Love, Me!



My fans await…
And here I am being lazy all day. Seriously lazy. It’s 3 pm and I am just now up and doing stuff. Too bad too, cause it’s really nice outside. I probably could have done tons more.
I’m adding a warning right here, before I get a call from my sister telling me how lame and annoying I am:
This post contains a long, possibly boring narrative of my days and nights since Saturday morning, before the party. Proceed with caution (and a drink for maximum enjoyment, I recommend the Vodka Mixer, but only if you’re over 21. Please drink responsibly.) if you continue. I cannot be held accountable for what you think is funny or not. End of warning.
I was awake at 10 am. And I had coffee and watched tv. I checked my e-mail because the kids both got their own e-mail accounts and they like to send messages and videos and chat back and forth even though we are all in the same house. It’s really fun. They send an e-mail, hand me the computer, I open my e-mail, read and reply, and hand the computer back to them. Only kids can give you this kind of entertainment.
Anyway, as luck would have it, they are at their dads right now (which is why I can lay around until 10 am in bed on a Monday. School is over for them and mine is on Tuesday’s) so since they are actually out of the house I knew there would be messages. And there were. Checked and replied. Drink more coffee. Watch a movie.
Ladies, (or guys), if you are going to cheat on your spouse, watch this movie first: Clash By Night
It’s surprisingly violent and straightforward. I flipped it on thinking that old movies sometimes are the best on days like this. And I was right. The poster and IMDB kind of make it seem like a Marilyn picture, but it’s not. It’s about love and the giant mess it makes when you get married, and have kids, and have lovers and families and live by that sexy ocean when it’s hot outside…but judge for yourself…that could be the Bailey’s talking.
After the movie, I decided that a shower might be nice. I was kind of hungry too, but way to lazy to make anything or even go out to get something. So I did all the personal hygiene stuff I like to do when the kids and BF are gone, played some Pocket Poker (lost everything) and moved onto the mail and the couch. It’s windy and keeps trying to rain. I wish it would because then I don’t have to feel guilty about sitting inside like a hermit.
After the paperwork I had to do was done, I moved onto laundry, and vacuuming. This is gripping reading I know. (Shut up! Aman-duh!) I am just now getting the house back to it’s pre-party condition. Not that there was a big mess or anything. My sisters and family toatally helped clean up! Thank you! I just like to remove our daily living paraphernalia from the public view. But, you have to put it all back because you find out you need it at hand. Stuff like, my food journal, and bills, and magazines and school books, things like that.
Speaking of the party…it was good. Really good I thought. Party was scheduled to start at 2 pm. It rained at exactly 2 pm.
But then it stopped and warmed up just enough for everyone to go outside. I’d say a majority of those invited actually came. Very successful. You never know with these kinds of things. You want the party to NOT be a disaster. It’s really all you can hope for. The food arrived, everyone ate, drank, socialized, and left. Last people out were my sisters. 11 pm ish, I think. Not bad at all.
Sunday morning was raining a bit. Mason had grass to cut. Another job! Then we went to the movies. Land of the Lost
It’s not bad. But it’s not worth paying full price unless you really LOVE Will Ferrell. There are some really funny parts and some that just aren’t. Also, alot of swearing and jokes and visuals that might be a little too adult for the younger crowd. Mine are 10 and 11 and I was cringing a few times and working up the explanations in my head.
We had a gift card so it wasn’t too bad. The food cost more than the admission! Bleah! Then we motored the children on over to their daddy’s. The BF and I watched Mr and Mrs Smith for the gazillionth time, ate food and hit the sack. And here I sit today.
Laundry is cooking, books are waiting, pictures need posting…I could spice up the story with some sordid little details about how I earned a buck-oh-two on Saturday night, or what vodka, 7-up and bags of ice brought to the party Sunday night, but I bet you can think of a million better things than I could come up with, including the truth. This site is interactive! YOU tell ME and I’ll let you know if you’re close.
Which reminds me, my brothers favorite movie is coming on tv soon. You can’t handle the truth! At least I think it still is. I personally don’t care for the “Jack” myself but I try to be nice. I prefer his other favorite Keyser Söze. I’m not sure why, but if it’s on tv I watch it, no matter where in the story or what time it is. I’ve watched it at 4 in the morning on Christmas Eve. Why is it even on at that time?? It’s a sickness.
Alright look around for some pictures. I have more stuff to come, including a caterpillar update. What are those crazy cocoons up to?? You know you want to know.
Find out! Later!