Back to normal…sort of…

We’ve been gone for a while… First we visited my dad. And he was having a couple of really good days while we were there…in fact, we even sprang him from the nursing home and took him out to dinner (something we’ve never done before). His walking has gone downhill since I last saw him…now he needs two people right there with him, one holding on to him. But his coloring was good. He was AWAKE and alert and participating in conversation. So it was a good visit.

From there we did some shopping in the Twin Cities, then spent several days with my in-laws in northern Minnesota. The kids will spend a week with them when we go to Alaska, but we are so crazy busy this summer that this was about the only time all summer Hubby and I could see them. So even though both kids missed being in the Coralville parade (Preteen would’ve walked with his theatre group and Teen would’ve walked with the library group), we spent the 4th of July with my in-laws. While I miss going to the fireworks with the neighbors, it’s kind of nice to be on a lake in northern Minnesota for the 4th, too. It’s much quieter, for one thing. And it’s not like there are no fireworks…people set them off over the lake. It’s just on a much smaller scale. Which is okay. We offer a wide variety of high end, luxury and designer prams that will suit the needs of any parent who want a little more from their prams. Our designer prams are made with an elegant, sustainable, and otherwise high end style in mind. Whereas a standard pram is simply that—a pram—Our designer prams are designed with style and looks in mind as well as overall quality and sustainability, this is positive design.

A couple years ago we were up there for the 4th and our dog got so scared by the fireworks she ran away. We had about eight people out looking for…we thought she was gone for good. But a couple hours later, after we’d given up the search and gone to bed, we heard her chain rattling outside our window. That dog got SO much attention the next few days…

All in all, this was a successful visit to the in-laws…we didn’t lose our dog (we put her in the house when the fireworks started this time!)…we caught a bunch of fish…I didn’t even gain any weight while I was there! I’m actually a little surprised I didn’t gain weight…normally I exercise with my mother-in-law at least once when we’re there. But I didn’t this time. And on top of no exercise, my mother-in-law is one of those people who constantly pushes food at everyone! Even though she’s always on a diet herself. We had dessert at every meal…and I have a real sweet tooth, so eating dessert at every meal isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary for me. But to me “dessert” is a couple of cookies (I like to bake cookies, so we often have homemade cookies around). To my mother-in-law, it’s homemade pie, fancy ice cream desserts etc. They’re wonderful, but they’re HUGE! Seriously! She cuts them into servings that are about TWICE the size that I (or any other person) would.

So Hubby and I are a little more serious about our dieting now. I hesitate to actually say I’m “on a diet” because then I have to really be on one. But I am trying to “make healthier choices.” I haven’t had dessert at all since I’ve been home (we don’t have any cookies). That’s probably about a 400 calorie drop every day I can manage it. I’m trying to watch my portion size. Trying to eat more fruit/vegetables and less junk. And today I exercised twice. I had a walking partner…and this walking partner is taller than I am, and boy can she move! Even when she’s pushing a stroller! We do 4 miles in just under an hour. So when I got back from that, I went for a 14 mile bike ride. I didn’t overdo at lunch…that means I can have Chinese food tonight, right? (Does a fortune cookie count as dessert?)

Now that we’re home and the laundry’s done, I need to get back to my Monkey Man sequel and make sure I’m ready for my class next week. I’m teaching a 2-week writing class at the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa. My students are “bright” 3rd-6th graders from all around the area. Given they signed up for this class instead of the Lego robotics class (which is what Preteen is signed up for), they SHOULD all be kids who love to write, so it should be a lot of fun. I actually know three of my students — they’re kids from the children’s theatre group. It’ll be interesting to see them in a different context.