Battle of the Sexes...

The other day I went to sit down in the bathroom and almost fell in! The seat had been left up (totally normal in a house with 3 guys and 1 gal) and I had failed to notice it till it was too late! ARRGGHHHH!!! I hate when that happens! Those of you with the balance of power leaning on the side of Estrogen most likely cannot relate to this, unless you grew up in a household full of boys!

My home has also become an "Axe" and "Tag" body spray zone! As the boys are entering their teen years, they have started caring about their appearance (Brandon more so than Andrew right now) and their "scent". I had to ask Brandon to pick a different scent of Axe this last time because the musky scent he previously chose was making me sick! Tony and I laugh at the smells coming out of Brandon's room when he sprays too much body spray. I think I need to have a "proper-body-spray-application-technique" chat with my 13-year old. You know, the "spray-and-walk-through-it" technique?

And for those of you who have girls and think that with boys I am avoiding all the "drama"...no such luck! My boys fight over things as silly as one of them will like an article of clothing at the store but the other one likes it, too. So they argue over who saw it first because God forbid they should own the same piece of clothing! (I'm rolling my eyes right now)

Parenting...whether boys or girls...once they hit the teen years and the hormones hit, look out! Funny how we can't remember how we were now that we are parents, huh? I think our brains must block out the brat years...LOL... Brandon's voice is also changing, which is very interesting. Half of the time now he has quite a deeper voice but the other half is higher and squeaky! And it's taking longer than I thought to change completely. Not to be mean, however, I am tiring of the inconsistency, I just want it to change already!!! : ) (Those of you with boys may feel the same, support me on this!)

So, I guess I should have a point to this blog entry, shouldn't I? Maybe not, maybe it's okay to just have a venue in which to simply vent your life's frustrations and subject your friends to sympathizing with you...ha!

Well, whatever parenting dilemma or frustration you may be having today...rest assured, you are not in that boat alone! Just try not to dump YOUR teen overboard!

Blessings,
Eliana

Google It !!!

You know, as a homeschooling mom, there are many times when I am asked a question by my boys/students, that I just don't know the answer to! At those times, I am so thankful to be able to say to them, "Google It!" and within moments, we have the answer and we learn something new. Due to the technology of today, the boys are walking fountains of random information!

Some of the things they tell me surprise me. "Mom, when is Election Day?", my 13 year old asked me day before yesterday. "The first Tuesday in November," I answered. "Wrong!" he answered, all too happily, "it's the first Tuesday AFTER the FIRST Monday in November...if November 1st falls on a Tuesday, it is NOT Election Day. It would be the following Tuesday, November 8th!" I was completely astounded...I never knew that!

With the internet, you learn something new every day! Homeschooling the boys have become the re-education of ME! And you know what they say...as long as you don't stop learning new things and challenging your brain, you stay younger! And as I approach the big 4-0, anything that helps me stay younger is great! So, the next time you find yourself wondering about something totally random, like what a "rain chain" is and how much they run...just "Google It!" and find the answer!

Blessings,
Eliana

A Fashion Statement...

You know how sometimes you have the best intentions and then life just benches you? Well, I went to a Foot & Ankle Specialist yesterday and was told that the bone fracture in my right foot has not healed yet. So, I was given the lovely special "shoe" that you see above. I am to wear it for an entire month and lay off the cardio. Of course, I can still strength train, I just have to not impact my foot at all. So, I have to get creative.

Of course, I could take this as an excuse to stay off that wagon, so to speak, but if I do, I will just disappoint myself more. I think that if I am able to keep up with a modified fitness routine through this challenge, I will feel even more accomplished once I start seeing results! It takes a lot of determination, though. The mental work needed to stay on track with a challenge like weight loss is greater than the actual physical work. I know, I went through this 5 years ago and believe me, it is harder now, mentally, than it was then. I think I just know how to justify things too much but I also know how to stay on track. It's a constant battle, day-to-day! It doesn't help that I have a sweet tooth and have all my desserts business "supplies" on hand at all times! I don't quite know what to do about that, short of abandoning my business...it's a lot harder to resist when temptation is just in the other room. If I struggle too much, I just may have to abandon my business...for a while, we'll see...

Well, I hope that whatever you are struggling with in your life you are able to overcome it. We all have personal struggles that challenge us but they are also what make us the person we are, they help us grow, no matter how much we hate it at times! So, stay strong and do the mental work needed...you'll be glad you did!

Good luck!
Eliana

I'm a Size..."Do I really care?"...

Have you seen the new Jenny Craig ad campaign? Queen Latifah strolls out and says, "I'm a size Energetic! What's your ideal size?" and she proceeds to try to convince us to stop looking at numbers when it comes to our weight. I understand what she is trying to do, she is trying to make us all feel better about ourselves. So many of us struggle on a daily basis with our weight and self-image.

I know I have a real love/hate relationship with food myself. I struggle day to day. I am NOT the size I want to be.... I used to be, 5 years ago I looked great! I worked hard, I was disciplined, I lost the weight and the acknowledgement of my hard work was so wonderful. Though I never left the gym for over 3 years, I began to allow myself more slack on the eating part of my life and the weight slowly crept back on. That along with life stresses and then an entire year of Plantar's Fascitis, followed by a bone fracture in my foot (which is my current struggle, it has yet to heal!) made for a rather chunkier-version of my former self!

I no longer have much of a wardrobe left, I think that is the most annoying part of this. I refuse to buy a whole new wardrobe in a bigger size! I keep thinking that if I don't have anything to wear, maybe i'll be more motivated to get the weight off but like I said, I have injury issues to contend with, so I should cut myself some slack, huh?

Well, seeing as I am a believer that when you are married, you and your spouse have an obligation to stay attractive to one another, I have a hard time cutting myself any slack. I also want to look good for me. When you start getting towards the big 4-0, you need the reassurance that you are still attractive to the opposite sex, at least I do! It's a nice feeling to "turn the head" of others on the street. Who doesn't enjoy a little boost to your self-esteem! Especially when you have had children. Although motherhood adds to your identity, it also takes a lot away and I think many of us lose ourselves for too many years. I don't think we have to let ourselves get frumpy-looking just because we are moms! Put on a little eye makeup, dab on some lip gloss, feel like the beautiful woman you are!

So, that is my "rant" for today...and one more thing...be sure to participate in regular "Girls-Night-Out" evenings with friends...that is the best therapy ever!!! I have a dear friend whose hubby gets to go out EVERY Saturday night to hang out with friends...and they have 2 young kids... but she doesn't allow herself the same luxury. Why?! She works just as hard (in my opinion, WAY harder than he does!LOL) So, I make sure she is always my number 1 invitee to my Girls Night Out dates! She deserves it! Reserve time for yourselves, ladies! Life is too short!

Love & hugs,
Eliana

Monkey Wrench *&$(#$)!

So, I awoke this morning to a rather pleasant day...the boys have a writing class on Friday mornings, and then we were to enjoy a potluck luncheon at the park with our homeschool group (for which I made these darling Back to School cupcakes) and then we were to have our annual "Kick-Off Meeting" for our homeschool group...then life happened!

...and a monkey wrench was thrown into my day! Everything was cancelled, we missed it all! And I was stuck at the computer with emergency paperwork for the next 3 hours of my day! Boy, was I upset! I am STILL upset..and it doesn't help my mood that it was nearly 100 degrees here today! And I do NOT live in Arizona, I live in California! In the San Francisco Bay Area! Not even inland! We are in the middle of yet another Indian Summer heatwave and I am readly for FALL!!!

Right now it is 4:30 pm and we have all the curtains drawn, the big fan going in the window (we don't have the luxury of air conditioning here) and my tank top is moist with perspiration! I think we need to hit the local Jamba Juice for a liquid dinner tonight cause there is no way I am cooking ANYTHING!

So, if you are experiencing a heatwave where you are, take a day off from the kitchen, have breakfast for dinner, a cold salad, hit a restaurant or have a liquid dinner at your Jamba Juice or Starbucks! Hot days like this are the perfect excuse!

Stay cool!!!
Eliana

Calgon, take me away!!!

Have you ever felt bogged down by life? Sometimes it just seems that I have too many concerns on my mind and I just want to run away and disappear! The bills and problems will still exist, I just will not acknowledge them for a while. I'll feign blissful ignorance...

Many days I dream of just packing it up and moving to Spain! That is my (not-s0-secret-anymore) dream. When we were self-employed, I told Tony, "We don't have a job to report to, we don't own a home, we have nothing really "keeping" us here, you know? Why not just up and move to Spain for a couple years? Well, unfortunately, unless you are debt free, that's just not an option. We are working on it, we are closer than ever, but not quite there yet. It's frustrating!

So, this isn't a "everything-turns-out-okay-in-the-end" blog entry, sorry! But maybe it will help some of my friends out there feel that they aren't in that "boat" alone. I'm in it right now and i'm sure others will be joining us shortly! I think the key is to focus on the things that ARE going well, to help minimize the problem areas...at least for a bit. Think of it as a "mental" vacation! So, grab a Starbucks, put on your iPod and put on your "Life is Good" playlist! We were given imaginations for a reason!

Blessings,
Eliana

Labor Day !!!

Wow! I can hardly believe that it is September yet again! These holiday weekends are nice but always tend to mix my brain up. I keep thinking it is Sunday : )

It's a beautiful, clear, sunny California morning. It promises to be a gorgeous day. My day started off realizing that I failed to get a new jug of coffee for my poor hubby! So, I scraped the last bit of grounds and managed to make him an entire single mug. He's such a good sport, he didn't even complain. Sometimes husbands pleasantly surprise you!

Well, Andrew has decided he wants to switch from guitar to bass guitar so we are off to Guitar Center today to check them out. Brandon continues on the drums and guitar. They have found a singer and another guitar player so their band is almost set! They still wish their friends Billy & Bobby lived closer because they really "mesh" well with them, as musicians, but alas, it is not to be, for a band anyway. (Tam, if you are reading this, we gotta get together soon! Brandon, especially, keeps requesting to jam with Billy!)

So, I hope you all enjoy your Labor Day today...relax and enjoy the leisure time, as the busyness of fall is upon us again!

Blessings,
Eliana