Child Psych Project

We got the information on a poster project we have to do in my child psych class today. The poster isn't due until the last day of the semester, but I'm so thankful she gave us the info today - now I don't have to be the nerd, asking for it so I can knock it out during spring break.

We get to chose our own topic - anything "childhood related" and I am at a loss. I want something thought provoking, interesting and something so awesome that I can make the "wall of amazingness."

Any ideas???

Devil Cookies

Do you know what annoys me??? People that assume because I am banded I don’t eat.


Um, yeah. I never eat. Haven’t taken a bite of food in 18 months.

Believe me, if that were the case, I wouldn’t be struggling at this plateau I’ve been stuck on!! Of course, if that were the case, I’d be DEAD.

But anywho. Other than being stuck at my current weight, not needing a fill, needing to get off my butt and get active banded life has been “normal.” Well, except for that minor incident in the truck on the way to school yesterday morning. I know exactly what I did wrong: a) I was eating while driving. b) I was eating something “new”. c) I was eating in the MORNING. And d) I was eating too fast.

While shoveling some of those little Lorna Doon or whatever they are called, cookies from a 100 calorie pack into my mouth I was barely chewing because I was dying of starvation. Had I paused to slow down for a second, I would have felt the second or so bite get stuck. But it was when I had a mouthful of cookies that I got that old familiar feeling. Uh oh. Luckily I had a water bottle handy. Welcome to slime city. Lesson learned.



Funny thing, though. I’ve never actually PB’d. Ever. (knocks on wood, crosses fingers, spits twice) I’ve had my fair share of sliming experiences and the occasional stuck episode. Or that oops I gulped too much water and have to spit out what’s in my mouth. But never an actual PB.



Spring is springing here in Texas and that means two things: 1. allergies!! and 2. lake trips!!! I love spring!!

AND less than two weeks until Spring Break. I really am considering becoming a professional student. I love studying and learning new things!!! And my grades this semester are “refrigerator door” worthy, according to Sanford. My test grades so far: 94 on Child Psych; 96 on Nutrition; 99 on A&P Lab Practical and 102 on A&P Lecture. =)



But now we are studying the skeleton in lab. Lots of bones. Lots of markings. I’m starting to feel whelmed. You know that feeling right before overwhelmed??? Yeah, that one!!!



I really need my very own skeleton…hmmm

boo

I'm sick of my Nutrition book. I want to throw it in the river.

That is all.

Shopping and other schtuff

Last week I went shopping to find some "college student" clothes. I was tired of looking like an old lady, wearing slacks and dress shoes!!! This is really the first shopping trip where I could go basically anywhere. As a teacher I would stick to the "boring" stores....Penney's, Stage, Macy's...but I wanted some comfy clothes!!! I started at 0ld Na.vy. I really wanted some Holli.ster or Aero.postale sweats, but I just couldn't make myself pay $40+ for sweats!!!

I got several super cute tops and some sweat pant capris....all for under $50!! I was in the market for jeans, but I was in a bit of a rush. I also got a pair of shoes I have been wanting FOREVER!!

I got these cuties in a size 9!!!

Tuesday I decided I was sick of my baggy butt jean, so I went to my favorite store for some Levi's. I still head straight for the women's department in every store I enter. It always takes me a second to realize that I can't wear anything in that department!!! Now, I don't even go near the juniors department. I refuse to wear jeans with a 2 centimeter zipper!! By anywho, I did find me some jeans...I found some jeans that almost didn't need to be hemmed...I am not short enough for petite, but too short to be average. It is a pain!!!

In other news...

My band is at perfect restriction. But I am still not losing. Not gaining. It is so frustrating. If I could just lose these last 20 pounds I would be happy. I apparently rock "maintenance" because I can hang out at a weight for months.

My biggest issue? I am not hungry all day. Then after I eat supper I am insatiable. I know it's in my head. I know what I need to do. I haven't exercised in a month. I gotta get off my butt and DO something!!!

Sanford started a new job this week!!! He is a service technician for forklifts and whatnot. This job could not have come at a better time!!! He is making MORE DINERO, and he has a company truck with a gas card!!

I have a busy weekend planned. Studying until I drop!!!

Catching Up

Have you ever felt like you are drowning? I am so insanely OCD about school I feel that if I'm not working on something school related at all times I am falling behind. I think it may be unhealthy!! But, since my Anatomy book is in the kitchen, I figured I would take a second to dump all the things floating around in my brain - bullet style!

• College - here's a rundown of how classes are going
• Child Psych
• It seems to be a requirement for all psychology/sociology professors to be a little whacked out, and mine is no exception
• We had 93 slides to cover for our first exam, but she is such a spazoid that we only covered 36
• I think one reason I like her so much is her teaching style is a lot like mine. If something pops into her brain during lecture, she shares it. (Like watching a random Monty Python clip about a dead parrot)
• I had to research female circumcision and write a short report
• Being the ubernerd, I ended up with an entire page when most of my classmates wrote 4 sentences...
• We had our first test Monday. I made a 94!!! The class average was 62. I had the highest grade out of 42 people. I'm kinda proud of myself!!
• Nutrition
• My professor is a year younger than me and pretty cool. The class is super laid back!
• We had "snack day" on Friday. Class is at 12, but I'm still pretty tight then. I was able to refrain from PBing - even after me and my stupid self decided to try a pomegranate rice cake. Hello!! What's a rice cake made of?? RICE. I did try a couple of wasabi and soy sauce flavored almonds...super spicy, but pretty good!!!
• Anatomy
• Sigh. This class is going to be the death of me. SOOO much information.
• Anatomy Lab
• So, I rocked the quiz last week - 16 out of a possible 15 points!!
• We had our first practical yesterday. Out of 50 "questions" I was a little iffy on 2 of them. I came home and looked up the answers and I'm pretty sure I got them both right. Plus we had 4 bonuses. So, maybe I made over 100!!
• Lab is more anatomy and lecture is more physiology
• the anatomy part is like learning a new language - which I'm totally good at!! Too bad you can't put that on a resume - languages spoken: English, Spanish, Anatomy
• Life
• We went to the lake this weekend. Super relaxing and super fun!!
• We also went to the church Sanford's mom grew up in. She comes from a huge family. Her dad had 26 children!!! Not all from the same wife of course!! Sanford's MawMaw was the last wife and had 10 children.
• When they have a family reunion they rent a STATE PARK!!!
• This weekend we celebrated my mother-in-law's parents' birthdays. Her dad would have turned 124 yesterday. Crazy!!!
• Our Marine came home yesterday!!!! He's been gone - deployed - for over a year!!
• We all went to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Like real Mexican food, not Tex Mex. I enjoyed it, but I came home smelling like a fajita -ick.
• Banded life
• There's no question, I HAVE to start exercising. I've got to make time for it.
• I ate really well over the weekend, then I came home, jumped on the scale and it told me I had gained 5 pounds. WTH???
• I got on the scale Monday morning and managed to lose 7. I think my scale is on crack.

Ok, I've rambled on about nothing at all for long enough. Back to my Anatomy book.

Keep on keepin' on, ladies!!

Got my hurr did!!

Here are a few pics of my hair...I will try for some better ones tomorrow, lighting doesn't really show the color too well!!!

I ended up chopping about 4 inches off!!!

Didn't capture the color with this crappy lighting =(

I'm agitated that these pics make it look gray. The color is awesome!!!

Ignore my messy nightstand!!!

My new purse!!! Made from recycled water bottles!!!

hmmm...

Have you ever thought about the fact that you haven't seen someone post anything on facebook in a long time, go to their page to see what's up only to find that you have been unfriended?? Maybe I'm just irrational...but then the wheels start spinning and I start wondering what I did to be unfriended...

In other news, I made a 16 on my A&P quiz yesterday!! (Out of a possible 15 points)

AND, today I get my hurr did. Super excited.

AND tomorrow I'm on a quest for "college student" clothes. I'm tired of looking like an old woman!!! I went jeans shopping yesterday - no luck. I finally got sick of trying on pants. The 14s I took in the dressing room were a bit baggy and everything was too freaking long. I hate being a midget. Plus the selection at the store I went to was less than wonderful. I can't stand the new jeans trend - you know, the ones with the one inch zipper?? I am old school and prefer my butt crack being COVERED at all times!!!

Hair

I haven't cut or colored my hair in over year. Other than the occasional trim, I've pretty much ignored my hair. Well, I got the wild hair -bahahaha- to do something drastic!!! SO here are a few pics I found online to show my hairdresser...I need some FEMALE opinions, because Sanford wants me to practically shave it all off!!!

This is the color. YES, those are purple highlights!!!

A

B

C

D

E

I can't decide on a cut!! I don't want to go super short, because I really want to grow my hair out. BUT, once it gets to my shoulders it does this weird flippy thing. I want it all to go under, but it flips out randomly.

And of course I have a head full of baby hairs, so they like to stick up!!! Any advice ladies??

Or, do you know of a good website that I can just browse tons of styles??

Seriously??

Ok, so I've had this little tidbit to share for a while now, but Sanford, being the cautious one, was like, "What if you put this story out there and then the person you are telling it about reads your blog and hates you?"

Yeah well, I seriously doubt she reads my blog and this is just too crazy not to share.


So, here goes...

Let's call her Jamie. Back in August Jamie contacted me on facebook, asking about my surgery. I've never been one to hide it, so I was more than happy to answer any questions she had. She was a classmate of Sanford's and my mother is friends with her family. I wouldn't call her a friend...but that's beside the point.

Being "friends" with her on facebook was pretty entertaining. She is the type of person who always has some sort of crazy - I mean certifiable - drama going on in her life.

Back to the lap band story. In a matter of a few weeks she went from looking into the surgery to actually having the surgery - or so she says. She was on liquids for weeks and weeks and weeks. Once she moved to mushies, she found that she couldn't keep anything down and had to go back on liquids.

I found this odd, and when I asked her about her level of restriction she said that she had 6ccs put in DURING SURGERY!!! Let's call that head scratcher #1.

THEN she said that she had also planned to have a boob job AND a tummy tuck on the same day as lap band, but the surgeon ran out of time. Head scratcher #2.

She seemed to have nothing but problems with her band from the beginning and was constantly making trips back and forth to her surgeon, who is in Houston - 2 hours away.

Here's the kicker: Right before Christmas she had some "major complications" and had to have another surgery. Only this time, for whatever reason she went to Lake Charles...LOUISIANA. Why?? Did her band slip?? Was there erosion?? Port issues?? Nope. She said her band had become tangled up around her intestines. WTH??? I laughed at first, then I decided to research it. You know what I found?? ONE CASE...where the tubing had become entangled with the intestines during a tummy tuck procedure. It was the ONLY case of anything like that ever happening, and it was several years ago. It was written up in medical journals.

This is just the most bizarre thing to me. I mean, I know there are people out there who are willing to do anything for attention, but WOW. Jamie has also NEVER posted any pictures of herself...she talks about her band constantly, and has lost "100 pounds" since surgery. In SEPTEMBER. But doesn't share pictures.

Her aunt, who is friends with my mom, told me to stay far far away from her and all of her craziness. NO problem!!! I can't handle all that crazy in person. I can, however, sit back and laugh.

Now, maybe I'm just skeptical. Have any of you heard of any such complication?? Or "success" stories? I don't know. For now I'm calling BS!!!!

Measurements

When I started my lap band journey, I didn't take any measurements. AND up until about a week ago, I still hadn't.

I was just going by what the scale said. And my clothes.

But, when I was searching for something last week I came across an old record that had all of my measurements!! It was from about a year before my surgery - when I was going to a "fat" doctor. You know, the diet pills and shots that help you lose a little weight....until you stop and gain it all back and then some.

Anywho, I was pretty stoked to find these records and immediately took my current measurements!!!

                             Before                                    NOW
Arms                      19                                           13

Chest                      52                                          37

Waist                      48                                          33

Hips                        55                                          40

Thighs                     29                                          21

That's a total of 59 inches!!!!!

I LOVE my band!!!!


I've got another knee slapper of a post floating around in my noggin' and as soon as I finished my Anatomy homework I'll share!!!

Everyone should have their own personal redneck!

I'm telling you, ladies, if you don't have one, you should go find you one!! Even if you already have a significant other. Just a redneck on the side for emergencies!!

This morning, before coffee, I threatened murder. My poor and innocent Sanford was sitting in his recliner, minding his own business when I unleashed on him. I went to the laundry room to put his work clothes in the dryer and they were sitting in a washer full of water. I assumed that he had pulled the knob out last night when he took a shower then forgot to push it back in when he was finished.

Oops. The one time I have ever been wrong in 8 years of marriage!!! (OK, maybe there has been one or two more occasions...lol) Anywho, long story short: the washer was broken. I was so mad I kicked it. It didn't help. So, Sanford - you know, my amazingly handy redneck hubby - managed to jerry rig it. He cut the wires that went to the safety mechanism - you know that thing that stops it from spinning when you open the lid - and wired the two wires directly together. Now, of course if you open the lid during the spin cycle you could lose an appendage AND he informed me that if the nut thingy that is holding the wires together comes off and sparks and the sparks land on some dryer lint the house could go off like a roman candle - BUT I am able to wash clothes!!!

My poor, dear Sanford. He is a super handy man to have around.

He is currently going through his second childhood. His poor old truck, Cletus, was breathing its last breaths, so he TRADED his 2001 truck for a 1996 4x4 -"Big Old Red." After spending 1000 on the transmission that went out the first we he had it he is now back on the road!!! Or, I suppose I should say OFF roading. Every time it so much as sprinkles we are hitting the backroads, slinging mud. It is actually a lot of fun (except for the time I was playing with my iPod, not paying attention and ended up with a lap of sweet tea)!!! At at the end of the week he is going to get some new, wider and bigger tires....he is like a kid with a new toy. Super cute!!!!

I really love that man!!!