Preschool Sent Me On A Bender

First, an apology to any readers who, like me, are completely annoyed by my inability to stick with a single font. Posting from my iPad means more posts but less options. I'm working on it. Well, OK, I'm thinking about it which is kinda like working on it. And that's as good as it gets around here...

Oy, it's depressing to read my last few posts. I did stop chewing my cuticles, and I've even been eating better (a move further prompted by the DMV lady asking me when the next baby was due because apparently the DMV isn't bad enough), but I've just found new ways to distract myself.

I've been on a sudoku bender. It's a sweet, horrible shame to be so geeky.

Cha-Cha went to his 1st day of preschool last Monday. It's actually an after-care program for a local preschool so it's all playing and crafting (no academics) but the child is just super excited to get to do anything different than hanging out at home with his momma. Which is ironic (life in general is ironic when you're a Gen-Xer) because Cha-Cha has always been a momma's boy. For the 1st two weeks of his life, he even refused to go to Monkey Man. So of course I gave him a hug and a kiss, and he went off with the teacher. And when I waved at him through the window, he waved back, but the look he gave me clearly said, "What are you still doing here?"

It was so surreal because Quake never hesitated to go with other people. He never had a shy stage, and I often worried that he'd start chatting with a stranger and be carried off. Perhaps you'd like a reminder of how well his 1st few days of preschool went...

After a few years, you start to think the kids are just messing with your head.

Anyway, Cha-Cha can't wait to go back. He spent most of the week disappointed it wasn't another school day for him (he's only going once a week). And of course Quake has started asking again to be home schooled. I'm pretty sure in his mind being "home schooled" means getting to play lots more video games. 

Forget Math, Impulse Control Is Hard!

Sorry to disagree with Barbie, but even when I thought I was bad at math (turns out that many math teachers just suck), it was still easier than saying no to a pile of sugar. Preferably one mixed with butter and baked to delicious golden-ness.

I was planning a post this morning about trying to impose a little self control by making some small changes to my diet. Like maybe cutting out all the sugar. Some of the sugar. Any of the sugar. Then I ate a handful of Indian corn and candy pumpkins for breakfast. So...that's going well.

ADD (or the more modern ADHD if you're nasty...or, you know, you're hyper) is often characterized as an 'attention' problem- it's in the name! And despite thinking the people who named it would know what they were doing, it's usually more helpful to see ADD as a failure in the brain's executive functions, things like impulse control and long term planning. Can you already see where this is going? Unless you're some freak of nature with impulsive salad eating and the ability to literally see food you eat instantly turn into fat, you're going to need these skills to make healthy changes.

It's become really popular to blame one's problems on ADD. "It's not my fault I ate all the cookies! My brain doesn't work well!" It smacks of not taking responsibility for one's actions. And wouldn't that indicate that your 'executive' functions are working really well? Badda-bing!

But there is an upside to blaming ADD for my dietary failures. Until now I've blamed my poor character and generally being a terrible excuse for a human being. It is soooooo much easier to get treatment for ADD than for being pathetic!

Starting Over - Edition 28,062

Today is a new day. Obviously.

Things have been going swimmingly here in the land of the-soon-to-be-constantly-gloomy-or-so-I'm-told-anyway. Quake started at his new school and loves it. I've had the chance to hang out with old friends, which has felt like we never spent the last 8 years sharing too few phone calls. Every single box has been unpacked. Wait, let me repeat that - every single box has been unpacked! We've gotten a few new pieces of furniture that fit the space better, and we finally have everything arranged comfortably.

So of course I've got to do something to keep myself unhappy. I mean, really, what will I talk about in therapy?

Oh, it's nothing dire, just your average self-sabotaging behavior. You know - eating a pint of ice cream in one evening, nibbling my cuticles to bloody little shreds, doing absolutely nothing on my to-do list for over a week, letting the the super critical bitch voice in head take up way too much of my time. The usual.

Yesterday afternoon I slapped myself upside the head -metaphorically speaking- and cleaned the bottom floor of the house. Not just picking up all the clutter and moving it somewhere else. There were three different vacuum cleaners involved. Which totally begs the question, why do I have three different vacuum cleaners?

And that brings us to today. The boys and I all slept a bit late this morning (Monkey Man is in Finland) so it's been a bit of a madhouse, but after I drop off Quake at school I'm gonna keep the groove going. On the agenda - some exercise, more cleaning, studying for my Oregon driver's license test, and quite possibly taking a shower.

Watch out world - I'm making my comeback!