I learned something new

I really don't want to talk about weight and dieting, but I thought this was so interesting that I couldn't not mention it.

In this article, a doctor says that tight pants can contribute to cellulite. http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?channel_id=159&relation_id=8522&news_channel_id=159&news_id=19159

I really never thought about it before, but it makes sense. I mean, do you have cellulite on your arms? I don't, I'm getting wings, but no cellulite. I guess that brings up a whole 'nother question, would you rather have cellulite or loose skin?

I have to go to work now. My website is down. I can't believe this.
Whatever you do, if you do decide to make a website, research your hosting company. They are not all the same.
http://www.domainsite.com/ has tech support from 10am to 5 pm. Have you ever heard of anything so stupid????
So, now I'm off, knowing that no one can access my website today. I won't get home until 6, so I can't even fix it tonight.
I am NOT a happy camper!!!
If anyone knows of a good hosting company, I am definitely shopping. I have to wait to transfer it after 60 days.

I have to go, so I'm not late for work. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

You Know Best What Your Kids Need

I hope that none of you feel that I am one of the moms described in this newsweek article.

I am writing this blog, not to toot my own horn or to make you feel inferior. I do not think that my way of doing things is the only way. And, I don't think I'm self-absorbed. In fact, I feel I am writing this, because I want to help other moms.

If I have ever given the impression that I think there is one perfect way to raise your children, I deeply apologize, that has never been my intent. I fully believe that each mother knows what is best for her own children. And, whether or not she realizes it, she is accountable for the way they turn out. (I'm not minimizing Dads and their responsibilities, but I'm talking to the Moms right now.) Whether your children grow up to be doctors or bank robbers won't effect my life in a measurable way, but it will change your life.

If FlyLady, your mother, your best friend, your hairstylist, or I give you advice, it is your responsibility to decide if it will work for your family. I will never call anyone names, and I will never get into an argument over which parenting style is best. Whatever you feel good about is the right choice for you.

Please, take the time to get, not self-absorbed, but self-aware. If you haven't taken the time to try the FLYlady system, please do. It's really not about cleaning your house, it's about Finally Loving Yourself. Every Mom needs that.

Just a Little Laundry Tip

This is the month when FLYLady reinforces our laundry habit. I've been keeping up with mine for over a year now, and it is great. When I started trying to keep up with it daily, I had a problem. Maybe you're having the same one.

I sorted laundry the way my mother taught me, lights, darks, delicates. But, when I started doing a load or two a day, I kept ending up with these left over small loads. I am water conscious, so I hated doing half loads.

Well, I started something that really helps. I take the laundry for the day and start the lightest things I have. It doesn't matter if I would call them light or medium, just the lightest, then I do a darkest load. I keep rotating between lightest and darkest and eventually I'm left with is medium.

I do admit that I sometimes I leave that last little bit of medium for two or three days. Sometimes when I realize something has been there for a while, I do a medium load. But, for the most part, my half loads are non-existent.

On the High School Reunion

I've decided not to go to my High School Reunion. I don't think any of the people I really wonder about are going to go either. That's not the kind of people we were or are.

I can't help thinking of Garden Party by Ricky Nelson:

If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck.

But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck

I wish the entire class of 1987 the best in whatever they are dreaming of, and I hope that none of them have stopped dreaming yet. -Go Knights!

And you guys thought I was slacking...

I've just been a little distracted. I have a new website: www.paisleytude.com.

Those of you that have never built a website will be under impressed. There's nothing fancy yet, just some links to other sites where I have my store and blog. But, it took months for me to get what I have up and running.

It wouldn't have taken as long, but I taught myself CSS to get it to that point. I didn't want to build it all in XTML and have it out dated in 6 months. Now that it's done, I am a little proud. It's still very much a work in progress, but I'm pleased with what's there.

When I get my own checkout, I can list it on Indiefinds. But, I want to get more items made before then anyway.

The bank never called, so I don't know if I'll get that job or not. If I don't hear from them by 2:00 tomorrow, I'll call them. If I don't get that job, I'll have to get more aggressive with the temporary agencies in Gainesville. I still really wish I could get something at home, but I have a feeling that will take a while.

Anyway, I should get back to my schedule here. I do have things that I've been wanting to write about. See you tomorrow.

Yes, I am a little weird

My family has been accusing me of being a "clean freak" lately. They are saying that I'm upset when the house is messy. I can understand why they're confused, they've interpreted the cause as the effect.

When they see me cleaning the house like a madwoman, I'm in a bad mood. When I'm finished, I calm down. They interpret this to mean that I don't like cleaning. It's actually the opposite.

When I am like this, it is because I feel I have no control over my life. I feel that things are closing in on me from all sides. I need a way to feel in control. So, I make a world that I control. On this 3 acres of land, I have some say. I can decide whether the grass is overgrown or mown, whether the laundry is piled up and smelly or neatly folded in drawers, whether the sink is full of dishes or shiny. I have a method for mowing the grass, folding the laundry, and washing the dishes, this is my therapy. When I am in complete control of those few things, life is good.

So, when I'm in a bad mood cleaning, it's not that the cleaning put me in a bad mood, it's that the bad mood made me clean. When I'm better when it's done, it's the actual act of the work that helped my mood. If anyone does the task for me, my coping mechanism is gone. I don't know how to get out of that mood.

So far, it has not become a compulsion. I hope it never does. For now, being a good housekeeper is just a way that I can feel in control.

Please Excuse Me, I'm in Mourning

I am mourning the loss of my dream.

My dream was to be a stay at home mom. It's all I ever wanted to do, just be a good mom and wife.

Being a housewife is very rewarding, but the pay stinks. The fact of the matter is that I have been struggling and juggling the budget for years, and it is time to pay the piper. I have to get a job that will pay the bills.

I saw this coming several months ago. I've been applying for stay at home jobs for a while, but I haven't had any sucess in finding one yet. I've been selling on Ebay, but the summer is always slow, and no matter how I write my business plan, I can't figure out a way to make enough after fees. So, I looked for less expensive ways to sell online, signed up for Etsy, and made my own website. But, as much as I want to stay at home and be an artist/designer, I have to face the fact that it will not make enough to feed the family now.

So, I am litterally crying as I email my resume to every available job. I am yelling at my family and resenting every responsibility I have. I am in general, being a real jerk to everyone around me. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it right now. I've lost something very important to me, my dream.