Trying to get better

Art and I have embarked on trying to get healthy. I’ve included other things that I want to improve about myself. I can be lazy and have begun to notice I’ve been relying on Nick Jr. too much with Lexi, been just throwing on anything, not bothering with makeup or doing my hair when going out and been wasting my precious free time on FB or Hulu/Netflix.

I really don’t want to be that mom: that overweight, sloppy, lazy mom. I don’t want Lexi embarrassed by me in the future (well, I know she will be, it’s part of growing up. But I don’t want her to be embarrassed by me for being overweight or sloppy).

Anyway,

We’re doing things in 30 day batches so as not to tackle too much at once.

So, this "first 30" I’m focusing on:

1. A diet of no wheat, no sugar (I SHOULD cut out artificial sweeteners…but don’t know if I’m ready yet)

2. Making the effort to take care of my hair/skin/teeth. I’m 41, I should have a good skin care routine by now, right! (I’ll tackle make up in the future and I REALLY should start flossing and brushing longer than the quick swipe I do).

3. Making more of a daily schedule with Lexi instead of just going with the flow everyday. She does better when there’s a schedule in place. I want to plan out a loose structure of things I’ll do with her every week. You know, sit down on Saturday or Sunday and just draw up loose plans/activities/outings for each day of the week. Cut down on TV time! Right now, she’s at about an hour a day.

4. Keep up with housework.

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In potty training news……

A week ago Lexi "decided" she was ready. We went two days in underwear (except for night) with no accidents and Lexi cheerfully asking to go and getting excited when she did go (pee only).

Then she freaked out. Again. The third day she began whining and crying about underwear (again). She began to hold her pee (again) until she was dancing around. When I made her sit on the potty at that point, tears and drama ensued. But she’d sit there, crying, wailing until she peed. As soon as she did, the drama/tears/wails turned OFF like a switch.

So, I’ve been sticking with it, not wanting her to go backwards to diapers. She still will hold her pee until I make her go. She still cries the whole time on the potty-but it’s a lot less. It’s just a little whine rather than a full on tantrum. And when I ask her to stop…she will. She’ll just sit there with teary eyes and a pout until she pees, she’ll have the occasional accident when she waits too long (please tell me I’m not doing irreparable psychological damage here).

I also have her in those old school Gerber training pants with the thick, cotton bottom. I’m NOT paying for pull ups, which she treats just like a diaper anyway. If she has an accident, I put old school plastic pants over them. She HATES the plastic pants-they crinkle and are hot. We talk about if she goes in the potty, she doesn’t have to wear the plastic pants, it sometimes works. Today, she went in the potty I keep in the car while at the park rather than wear the plastic pants while playing. As long as the pee goes in potty, not her underwear she can be plastic pants free. And they are GREAT at keeping her pants dry. I don’t have to carry lots of pants now, just a few pairs of underwear and plastic pants when we go out.

I know my daughter. I know if I allowed the whining/crying to let her go back to diapers, she’d be even MORE fortified and stubborn about getting out of them. It’s a "win" that I think will set her back a lot.

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In crazy brother news: two months or so ago he had that emergency surgery  for the blood clots in his legs and hips. Then he was in physical rehab for a month. Then he had another surgery to skin graft the area from the FIRST surgery. And now?

He is very messed up. From the surgeries? Perhaps he had a stroke while under? 

But he is beyond spaced out, he’s almost mentally challenged. He can’t carry on a conversation. His short term memory is shot-every half hour or so, he asks what’s going on. He’s developed this gagging problem when he eats. And, the worst, he’s developed speech aphasia. His sentences are a mixture of words and gibberish.

For example, when we were over there a few days ago, he asked if Lexi was there for the afternoon or sleeping over. But it sounded like this: "Is Lesssie slaaaaaaaaping ahhh juh juh?"

Sigh. I’m telling you, my family has this grim joke about this. If its not one thing, with him, its another. There’s never any "normal" with him. Even as a kid, I remember my parents constantly at the principals office, hospital with him….whatever.

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So, I’m entering summer with a health plan, bathroom drama with my kid and a mentally unstable brother.