Swimming lessons

Today is Baby Girl's first day of "Duck" swimming lessons.

from the activity guide:

To enter this level the toddler must be at least 16 months old and participate with one or both parents. Children will build confidence while enjoying the water through games, songs and active water play. Parents come prepared to demonstrate for your child. Please note Duck is determined by age. Your child may take this course several times. (Min 5- Max 11)

And then tomorrow is the first day of "Diaper Fit":

This registered waterfit program is designed for the busy mother/caregiver who finds it difficult to exercise while watching children. During this shallow waterfit class you will be positioned in the water with your baby/preschooler to provide the best possible workout using the resistance of the water. Each participant needs to provide their own flotation seat to place the child in during the class. An excellent,vigorous workout while watching your child! Due to age prerequisites you will register the child for this program.

I'm feeling anxious about being in public in a swim suit...

But I'll survive!

Some drinking and dancing

Yes, that's what I did on Saturday the 17th.

Here are some pics from that night.  Some by me and some by a friend (the ones in which I appear far more intoxicated).

the latest

Hubs is looking for work. It appears that he does not have enough hours to qualify for EI.

Baby Girl and Hubs and I all are at varying stages of having a cold or reacting to allergies. Baby Girl has a very snotty nose and is sneezing. Hubs is coughing and achey. I have a snotty nose, the sneezes and a sore throat with fever (so I am definitely under the weather).

:(

In other news - Little Man received his green stripe belt in Kung Fu on Saturday and we are very proud of him.

:>

1G1D1Y is on her honeymoon and I miss her.

I have been all over the place emotionally. Sometimes I'm fine, sometimes it feels like the end of the world.

My exercise has decreased and my binging has increased.

I don't know why it can be such a challenge to harness and control my emotions/mood but it's probably because I have a ton of things that I still don't really deal with.

So it's been tough and I haven't been around as much because whenever I feel like my life is going downhill - I tend to try to hide from it, like an ostrich with its head in the sand.

If I can't see it, it can't be happening.

All that being said - I have had some great days. But more of them have felt like days I had to struggle to get through, or days where I'd have rather stayed in my bed and not come out for anyone.

That's the part that's the hardest to deal with.

I don't like being perceived as weak or vulnerable by others. So I have a hard time really sharing how I am feeling. Or I do share it, but I make sure I'm still able to laugh at myself or at the shit life throws at me to make sure that other people don't worry about me.

Also - I haven't shared pics in awhile - I'll have to log in using one of my other email accounts so I can back-date a pics post (because I want this one to be the most recent).

1G1D1Y's wedding (pics and video)

Here are some of the pictures I snapped at 1G1D1Y's wedding and I'll add one of the videos I took of her oldest daughter dancing with Little Man...

The wee dancing queen herself :>

The groom, our friend R. and the bride :>

Myself & 1G1D1Y (in her dinner gown)

It's myself and Hubs

1G1D1Y's youngest girl and Little Man

Myself and MoH, M.

And here are D., Little Man & MoH's daughter

My niece's wedding (PICS)

My niece's wedding on Sept 3rd. 

This was an event on my adoptive side of the family... (some of these I took with my sister's camera - hence the date-stamping) and the others were with my own camera:

(the whole adoptive family was present except for my 2nd youngest niece).

The bride and groom

My 2nd oldest niece & her husband

My two nephews-in-law, 2 of my great-nephews, my great-niece, my sister & brother-in-law and my 2 oldest nieces

My youngest great-nephew

My 2 sisters showing me some love at my niece's wedding

My youngest niece and her grandparents (my brother's in-laws)

My Mom's rings reunited.  My sisters and I each own one of these.

My nephew and his wife & my oldest nephew and his fiancee

My brother-in-law and my sister

Myself and Hubs

My brother and my sister-in-law

Another wedding and another reading ;>

So yesterday was the day, 1G1D1Y got married to the man I introduced her to back in 2006.

I've been told that that should mean they have to buy me a pair of shoes in some cultures.

WHERE ARE MY SHOES?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I was asked to do a reading during their ceremony but I couldn't find anything that really expressed what I wanted to say so I wrote something for them instead.

I have a video of it... but I am alarmed at the angle because I look WIDE and I think I look healthier than that in person. Perhaps this dress I love(d) should not be one I wear often if this is what I really look like in it.

Oh and the woman who did the second reading -- whoa, so glad I didn't have to follow her Neil Gaiman show-stopper.

Anyway, here's me.

Are you Effing kidding me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

OK so yeah... Hubs gets home today and there is a vibe and it's not a good one. Turns out that the new job decided that he wasn't going to be a fit for their company after all and he was let go. This is horrible! It was completely unexpected. The last time Hubs lost a job, he did expect it and he knew he wasn't fitting in but this time, it was a total shock. He felt he was doing good work and that he was getting along with the other people who worked there (though in his department there was just his supervisor and himself). The only theory I can come up with is that his supervisor (who has worked alone for 5 yrs... Hubs was the first assistant/employee to be hired in all this time) was perhaps too used to working alone? I really don't know. No matter the whys or what have yous -- this is not a good thing. I don't even know if Hubs has enough hours to receive EI this time around!! *sigh* I'm at a loss here.

A bit on Spell Crafting - yes, that's what I wrote... it's part of my belief system

Little Man came upon me as I was reading some advice on spell-crafting and asked what I was doing.

I told him that I was contemplating some spell work to help strengthen my will and resolve while I've been having a tough time, emotionally.

He said that he wished there was a spell that would help him make good choices.

That got me thinking.

So, I asked him to bring me his stones and I thought of the ones he has, that the green calcite was the best choice (after re-checking "The Crystal Bible.")

Each day he is going to take 9 minutes and hold the stone in his hand, imaging that he is having a great day.

He is going to hold it in his receptive hand and say,

"I will use this stone to balance my mind and soothe my soul, allowing me my self-control, counting minutes, 3 by 3, as I will, so mote it be."

And he will hold it for 9 minutes.

I think holding that intention will help and that is part of what I need to do for myself.

Am debating if a self-esteem/self-empowerment spell would be good on the night of the next full moon as well as a weight loss spell for the waning moon.

re: self-esteem/self-empowerment and general health and well-being, well this one is trickier for me to think of.  I have to be careful with my wording and intentions and it's harder for me to focus on this while feeling the way that I do, if you know what I mean.

re: weight loss, I was thinking the most I'd like to lose would be 78 lbs in a 6 month time span (13 lbs per month)

I came across a spell I liked here and I can tweak the words to something that accurately suits me and my intentions.

Any thoughts?