Yep! I'm still here

I can't believe it's been almost a year since my last post. A lot has happened and on the flip side, not much has changed. Since my June 13th post, I became the mother of a teenager. Yikes! It's been stressful, trying and sometimes I look at my son and think, "that is not the kid I gave birth to." So far I haven't killed him or caused bodily harm. I've been showing great restraint and patience.

Don't let the cute face fool ya

In September, my maternal grandmother passed away. It hit me hard. I mean really hard. She was my last surviving grandparent. She's the one that gave me my name. It still hurts but I know that she is in a better place. Always, the up side to a death in the family is that family comes together. It was great seeing all of my uncles, aunts and cousins. We are scattered all over the country and don't get to see each other as much as we should. With the death of my grandmother, we all made a vow to not let so much time go by without visiting whether it be in a central location or whatever.

The weight struggle continues on. I went to my Gyno at the end of last year and I didn't gain any weight! Woo hoo! But I hadn't lost any either. Boo. So right now, I am using the internet to help me with my weight loss. I'm using the Lose It! app to track my calories and workouts. Thanks to Pinterest, I discovered the workout jar. You put $1 in the jar for every time you workout. Once you get up to $100, you buy yourself a treat. I'm at $15 and I started the Workout Jar back in February. LOL! Baby steps. I have been consistent with tracking my food. Now I just need to do that with working out. Now that the weather is nice, it won't be too much of a hardship going to the gym (I hope). And I have decided to not let anything or anyone get in my way of getting to the gym. I'm putting myself first. Everyone else can wait.

A friend of mine (ex co-worker), Felicia, was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago and she passed away last month. She fought the entire way. She didn't let the diagnosis or the treatment slow her down. She wasn't sure if she would have a little or a lot of time left so she did everything she wanted to do but had always put on the back burner. She traveled to Europe, visited New Orleans. She had her own bucket-list that she was determined to fulfill. I admire her so. damn. much. And I learned so much from her. Life is too damn short. Live it. Love it. Enjoy it.

That's how I want to live my life. Not everyday will be a great day or even an ok day. But I am going to be appreciative that I am alive to LIVE another day. The one thing Felicia taught me was that we should treat our bodies like a temple. She was into holistic, natural remedies and products and fitness. She was a runner and was trying to get me to start running. Thanks to her, I've started making my own products -- facial cleanser, body scrub, hair treatments. It's cheaper, better for you and you actually know what you're using on your body. My husband is on the same healthier living kick. He is about to turn 41 and he does not want to get the "Whitmore belly" as he calls it. So we as a family have cut back sugar, processed foods, red meat. We do allow ourselves to cheat because you still want to have that nice steak for dinner and that yummy cheesecake for dessert. But we are more cognizant of what we're putting into our body. Like I  told my husband, I don't want to be 50 and taking a bunch of meds to be able to function and get through the day. No sir, that will not be me!

Hopefully this won't be my last post for another 10 months. I will be getting back to being more consistent. We're actually going on vacation this summer to Aruba! (That's another motivator for getting my ass in shape). I will be detailing my journey through life. Some of it may be boring, some may be interesting but either way, I can guarantee I will find a way to make it funny!

Happy Birthday D!

I can't believe my baby is 12! I know I always say this but I'm going to say it again - Time flies! He's becoming a little man. He's starting Middle School in September. Soon he'll be going through the dreaded puberty and start thinking about girls! I just hope that as he gets older, he'll still want hugs and kisses from his mom. 

THEN

NOW

6th Grade Graduation

Last Thursday, Darrius' school had their Promotion Ceremony. The kids in teh 6th grade are leaving behind elementary school and headed to the big league - Middle School. I don't know where the time has gone. It feels like just yesterday I was registering D for kindergarten. My baby is no longer a baby.

The graduates seats

Of course, with the last name starting with W, you're destined to sit in the back

Darrius' "graduation" certificate

D got the Presidential Fitness certificate

The grandparents came out to celebrate the occassion

After the ceremony, there was cake and punch at the school. Afterwards, we went to Darrius' favorite restaurant, Bertucci's, for some brick-oven pizza. Once lunch was over, the grandparents headed home and I became a taxi for 4 ex-sixth graders. They had their graduation party at a bowling alley.

Now it's summer and Darrius will be attending summer camp. He also has homework that will count as his first English test grade. I still can't believe he's going to middle school. Time truly goes by too fast.

Braces!

I'm about 3 weeks late posting this but you know the saying, Better late than never. We finally did the deed - Darrius got his braces! After a year and half of pre-orthodontia treatment, the orthodontist finally said that Darrius was ready for braces. He has all of his permanent teeth, including his 12 yr old molars. I couldn't believe it since he's only 11!  But first, he had to have 4 teeth pulled.

Here they are. All 4 of them. Root and all. Aren't they huge?

Once the teradyctal teeth were pulled and he had a week to heal, it was time to get the braces on. The entire process took 2 1/2 hours. Darrius was a trooper the entire time.  He also got his braces "decorated" with colored plastics that they put on the braces. He got them black and gold - the colors of the Baltimore Ravens.

Cheese!

Once we got home and the Tylenol wore off, he was in a lot of pain. And no longer excited about having the braces. He had difficulty eating for about a week but now that we're almost a month in, he's finally getting used to them. He had a band concert tonight and I didn't think about how the braces would affect his clarinet playing. Whenever he had a break, I'd catch him massaging his jaws. But he soldiered through.

He has to wear the braces for 2 - 2 1/2 years. Darrius already has a great smile; it's going to be a showstopper once we finishes the treatment. Watch out!

Conversations with Darrius #179

Today Darrius had a dentist appointment. Nothing serious; just a cleaning. He has a cavity (of course) and has to go back next week to get it filled. Darrius is excited because he's getting nitrous oxide. He looks forward to the laughing gas whenever he goes.

We leave the dentist, hop in the car and head home. We're listening to the radio, talking about Lady Gaga and homework. I know; it was a weird conversation. So, we're cruising on Fairfax County Parkway, on our way back home when Darrius asks me this:

"Why do guys lean back in their seats when they're driving?"

Me: Most guys do it to try to look cool, I guess.

Darrius: To look cool? Why do they want to look cool while they're driving?

Me: In case they see a cute girl in the car next to them.

Darrius: Oh my gosh. That is so stupid.

Me: Well, girls do it too. Maybe not lean back but probably make sure they're looking cute when they're at a traffic light. You'll be doing the same thing when you're older and driving.

Darrius: No I won't. I'm not going to be leaning back, trying to look cool so that I can get girls.

Me: You say that now, but just wait. Once you're a teenager with a driver's license, that's all gonna change.

Darrius: No. I already know I look good so I don't need to do that to get girls.

This is where I bust out laughing. I laughed until my stomach was hurting. Thank goodness the traffic light was still red.

Me: No you didn't!

Darrius: Yes I did. (laughing) Some people would say that's cocky but I'm just confident.

He gets that from his uncle (my brother).

Mr. Confident getting a fluoride treatment.

Conversation with Darrius #263

Today is my birthday. I wasn't expecting a present or anything. My birthday is at an awkward time. We just had Christmas and Valentine's Day is around the corner, so I don't ask for anything. I just make sure I have a really nice Christmas present to hold me over until Mother's Day. I get home from work and to my surprise, Alfred hands me a gift bag. Inside are lotions and bodywash from Bath & Body Works. As I'm going through and smelling the lotion, Darrius and I have an interesting conversation about my gift.

Me: Oohhh. Black amethyst. Smells good.
Darrius: Let me smell.
I hand the lotion to him so that he can get a whiff.
I pull out the shower gel and body spray.
Me: I see a theme here. Amethyst is my birthstone.
Darrius: Oh yeah! And you're black.
Me: (laughing) Thanks Darrius.
Darrius: You're welcome.
He pats me on the shoulder and walks away.

Conversation with Darrius will start appearing regularly on my blog because sometimes I can't believe what comes out of that child's mouth. You have to read it, to believe it.

Telling it like it is

The other night, I was watching MTV Jams. They were doing some type of countdown - the Top 9 of 2009. Darrius comes in just as Beyonce's "Video Phone" video starts playing. This is Darrius' take on the video and Beyonce.



Darrius: Hmph! Every since she married Jay-Z, Beyonce's been showing her "stuff" a lot.


Me: (giggling) Beyonce's always shown her stuff. She always wears skimpy outfits.

Darrius: Not like that. Lookit. She's wearing the one-piece outfit. She shouldn't dress like that when she's married to Jay-Z.

Darrius continues watching the video for a few seconds.

Darrius: I feel sorry for Jay-Z, having people look at your wife and all that and she ain't wearing any clothes.

Slowly shaking his head, Darrius exits - stage left.

Here's Beyonce "showing her stuff" with Lady Gaga in "Video Phone"

Family and Pizza Night

Every year at Franconia, the 6th grade class hosts a fundraiser. This fundraiser always coincides with the Book Fair. The school orders pizza and sells slices or whole pizzas at a discounted price. There's also a bake sale where you can buy cookies, brownies and cupcakes for $.50. The purpose of this fund raiser is to raise money for the 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony and the 6th grade gift. Every 6th grader is required to sign up for a "shift" to help set up, sell pizza and baked goods or clean up.The fundraiser is held in the cafeteria. Darrius and I have gone every year. Last year, while sitting in the cafeteria and eating our pizza, Darrius was telling me how excited he was about working the fundraiser when he becomes a 6th grader.

Darrius taking an order

Cheese! Mr. Pizza Man

We had a great time. I bought D two books at the book fair (of course they weren't chapter books). And they were serving my favorite pizza - Papa John's.

End of Season Soccer Party

Monday night Darrius' soccer team - The Assassins - had their End of the Season soccer party. The party was held at Fuddrucker's, the boys favorite spot. Personally, I wish they'd find a new restaurant. But I guess it's not about what the parents want. As long as the kids are happy, that's all that matters. Coach Rick handed out the trophies. The trophies were personalized with each player's name. As Coach Rick grabbed a trophy out of the box, we would give a description of the player who the trophy was for and the boys had to guess who it was. Darrius was the last player to receive his trophy. This was D's exact words: "Coach is saving the best for last."  LOL!

The Assassins finished the season 6-0-2. The scored 41 goals and only allowed 7. They had 5 shut outs. It was a spectacular season. They were the division champs! Woo-hoo! It was worth the many Saturdays spent sitting in the drizzle/rain during the games. 

Yet another trophy to add to the collection.

Darrius with his trophy

p.s. I need to update the date on my camera.

Halloween

Sorry to be posting late. I didn't take many pictures on Halloween night because I was too busy trying to keep myself dry. This was the first Halloween in a very long time where the weather wasn't perfect. But the rain didn't slow the kids down. Not one bit. We hit up at least 4 or 5 neighborhoods. We trick-or-treated for almost 3 hours. My feet were aching by the time I got home. And my clothes were nice and damp. Darrius dressed up as a psychotic clown this year. I think he did this to scare me. I made the big mistake of telling him that I'm afraid of clowns. So this was his way of having a little fun with me. I didn't dress up this year. I couldn't think of anything for a costume and I just didn't feel like it. Maybe next year. Despite the rain and humidity and a run-in with some teenagers who knew they had no business trick-or-treating, we had a great time.

Happy Halloween!

Darrius is looking forward to some trick-or-treating tonight. This year he's going as a psychotic clown. I made the mistake of telling him that I'm afraid of clowns. I think he chose that costume to try and scare me. We'll see about that. Hmph! I've decided to not dress up this year. I don't feel like putting forth the effort. I know; I'm a Halloween Scrooge. It has been cool, cloudy and drizzling all day. I hope the rain stops and the temps rise in time for tonight's festivities.

I will post pictures and a recap tomorrow.

Trick-or-Treat!

Stock piling Teeth

In the last 3 weeks, Darrius has been losing teeth left and right. He has literally lost a tooth every week.  Currently he looks like a jack-o-lantern.  The other day, Darrius was eating an apple (Honey Crisp) and lost yet another tooth. I noticed that he placed the tooth on the kitchen counter, next to two other teeth that came out a while ago.  Curious, I asked him about it. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Darrius, why are your teeth on the counter? Shouldn't you put them under your pillow for the tooth fairy?

Darrius: I'm not going to do that yet. I'm going to wait until I need some money.

Me: So you don't need money right now?

Darrius: No. I have some.

Me: Oh, okay. So you think the tooth fairy is going to wait until you stockpile a small fortune in baby teeth before she gives you the money?

Darrius: Yeah. As long as they're not under my pillow. See look. I already have $12 dollars in teeth.

(So he expects to get $4 a tooth. His price has gone down. It used to be $5)

I had no response. I can't believe he's hoarding his teeth so that he can hit the jackpot with the toothfairy!

That boy is too funny.

p.s. And I'm glad that at the age of 11, he still believes in the toothfairy. He still has some childhood innocence left in him.

Honey Crisp Apples - Deelish!

Sunday Darrius and I went to our new favorite hangout - Trader Joe's. He needed more Joe Joe's (vanilla sandwich cookies) and I wanted to get some more yogurt and cottage cheese. And check out the veggies. As I was roaming the produce section, Darrius went to check out the free food samples. That's the second reason why he likes Trader Joe's. I followed him over there. They had some type of sauteed pork wrapped in a flour tortilla. It was really tasty. After sampling that, the Sampler Guy suggested we try the apple. He said apples and pork go great together. We picked up a slice and tasted it. Wow! The flavor exploded in my mouth. It was crisp and sweet and fresh. It was delicious. It reminded me of Fall (if that's possible). The Sampler Guy told us it was a Honey Crisp apple. I'd never heard of them. But I knew I wanted to buy some - pronto! The Sampler Guy pointed us to the display carrying the apples. We walk over there and the first thing I notice is the price - $1.29 per apple. Say what??? The apple was good, but was it that damn good? And then I noticed the size. They were huge! Which explains the price tag. Darrius says we should just get enough for me, him and his dad. Three apples cost almost $4. I grabbed 3 apples. I told Darrius he better eat one too.  We grabbed a couple more things and headed to the checkout counter.

Yummy. Looks delicious.

Darrius ate an apple yesterday. He couldn't finish it. He said it was too much. And in the process he lost a tooth. I guess that makes the $1.29 price tag worth something. He did say that the apple was good. This morning I decide to take one to work. It will be my mid-afternoon snack. So around 1:50pm I wash off the Honey Crisp apple and start chomping. It tasted better than I remembered. "Crisp" is the right name for it. It's crispy, juicy and sweet. I had juice running down my chin. And I, like Darrius, started getting full and could barely finish the apple. I would love to see what the calorie count is. The Honey Crisp was worth the $1.29 but it's not something I will buy all the time.

The apple is huge compared to reg apples.

If you get the chance, try them. They are very tasty. I'm sure they make very good pies. Too bad making pies is not my forte.

2 Turtles and a catfish

Today I did not feel like going to the gym. But I still wanted to get in some sort of workout. I decided that I was going to take a walk around/through my neighborhood. I see people all the time walking and jogging. And the area where I live is pedestrian friendly. They have lots of sidewalks and paths.  I didn't want to walk alone so I asked Darrius if he wanted to come with me. Plus I didn't want to leave Darrius at home by himself. I knew I'd be gone for an hour or so. He hesitantly agreed but I could tell that he wasn't feeling the idea. So I bribed him. I promised him that we could feed the duck and geese once we got to Kingstowne. Of course he was down with that idea.

Darrius feeding the ducks.

Beautiful fall foliage.

More ducks arrived once they saw that we had food.




The evening was nice. The temperature was perfect for walking. Darrius and I talked the entire time which was nice. He updated me with what was going on with school and his friends. Sixth grade is so dramatical. LOL! Once we arrived at the pond, we fed the ducks - 100% whole wheat bread only.  When then walked over to this bridge so that Darrius could throw rocks in the water. As I was peering in the murky water, I saw something move. It was a turtle. Two of them! We watched them for a while and then Darrius saw more movement in the water. He says it was a catfish. He pointed it out to me. I saw the tail then the head of the fish. I don't know if it was a catfish but it was a fish.

I wish I'd brought my camera so that I could have gotten a better picture. This was taken with my cellphone. Somewhere in that murky water are 2 turtles and a catfish.

As we headed back home, Darrius was excited that we had our walk. He recounted the events saying: "We fed the ducks. And we saw two turtles and a catfish. This was a good walk mom."

And there you have it.

Kings Dominion

Yesterday was my company (ICF International) picnic. The picnic was held at Kings Dominion. Darrius has been looking forward to this for over a month. Earlier this week I checked the weekend weather. It was showing rain for Saturday. Uh-oh. I was hoping they were wrong. I continued to check the weather daily and it didn't change. I told Darrius about the rain and he asked if my job could move the picnic to Sunday. Ha! I wish. The idea of being out in the rain for numerous hours was not how I imagined I would be spending my Saturday. Also Saturday was the premier of the Halloween Haunt. So of course Darrius wanted to stay for that.

We made our trek to Kings Dominion - me, Alfred, Darrius and two of his friends (Jaylin and Jacob). It rained all the way there. I wanted to turn around by the time we hit Fredericksburg but decided to keep on trucking. When we arrived at Kings Dominion, it wasn't raining but it was overcast. I prayed that the rain would hold off for as long as possible. The boys went off and did their own thing (as 11 yr old boys do) and me and Alfred went to the pavillion to get some FREE food. LOL!  The weather held up pretty well. It drizzled off and on. I only got on two rides - The Scrambler and The Ricochet. And I am ashamed to say that I screamed on the Ricochet. I am not a thrill seeker and rollercoasters are not my friend. The Ricochet wasn't even a big rollercoaster. But I acted like a punk anyway. Oh well. I provided Alfred with some entertainment and laughter.

 

Alfred and Darrius in line for The Volcano.

Around 5pm the drizzle turned into a steady rain. We stuck it out for as long as we could. We stayed until after 7pm so that the boys could see a little bit of the Halloween Haunt. By the time we left we were all soaked. Wet, tired and with aching feet we made our way back up 95 and headed on home.

Scary clowns set up around the park. I hate clowns. They've always scared the crap out of me.

They had smoke coming out from all over which made it difficult to see. And combined with the rain, it was hard to take any pictures.

I would love to go back to the Halloween Haunt and experience it in drier weather but with the cost and the drive, I don't know if it's really worth it. If someone has any tickets they'd like to give away, I'd be more than happy to take them off your hands!