Lance

Mr. Armstrong has made me so sad.  I remember listening to the JB and Sandy show when I was in high school, and they talked about this up and coming cyclist named Lance Armstrong that battled and defeated cancer.  He helped with their Bikes For Kids program even after he had begun winning the Tour and I just thought he was an all around inspirational story that continued to give back even after he had suffered.  I even read his book and stood by him all these years when my friends asked what I thought about him.  I always defended Lance. 

I heard a quote the other day and went and found it:

“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling, and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” [International Cycling Union President Pat] McQuaid, a former competitive cyclist himself, said at a news conference in Geneva. “This is a landmark day for cycling.”

That is super heavy.  I can't even imagine someone saying that in regards to anything I have ever done.  Jane Hatter deserves to be forgotten in blogging.  Well, I could see that, but it's not quite the same, eh?  Think about that for a second, think about what you do best, and have done all your life, and someone publicly comes out and shames you to the whole world.  He has got to feel super awful now.

And he should!  There are stories that are coming out that he told his teammates that they either follow his doping program or they are off the team.  Scott and I discussed this the other day and now that we have a son it makes me think about how much time, money and sacrifice parents and families put into their child's sports/dreams/activities.  The teammates were put in a position to either get on board with something so heinous to lie to everyone they know and the whole world watching or leave (yes there are other teams, but come on!)

Further, today they announced that no one, I repeat NO ONE will sit in the TDF history books as having won those years!  So either they said it's best to just let it lie, OR there was not another team they could give it to that didn't do performance enhancing crap!!!  I'm sure there were people in there not doped up, but can every team say that they didn't have a cheater in there?  Maybe my perception of that is wrong, but that's what it seems like.  Or, would the second place finishers just not want to win by default?  That wouldn't be so great to me either, I guess.


Article with quote about Lance being forgotten

Article discussing the idea of just allowing athletes to dope (boo)

Confessions (a la Anne)

My friend Anne used her facebook a few weeks ago to get a few confessions off her chest, and I thought I would share a few of mine.

1. I am HORRIBLE at compound words.  I have to look up everytime every time... every time I use it.  Other ones I hate are: eachother, everyother,  anyone - I always think that is two words, sometime- two words again, and someday.  

2. I am a math teacher, but I always forget where the dashes go in written out numbers.  For example, twenty-one. So when I teach that lesson, I have to review it well for myself too!  I'm sure after a year or two of consistent teaching I'll have it down, but it's just not something you use very often, eh?  Writing checks gives me heartburn sometimes!

3. I'm reading the Harry Potter series...again. I have read it all the way through once, and then the first and the last books both at least twice.  Luckily, I loaned my collection to Cici so I have to wait to read the fourth one until she is finished.  I have a lot of books on my 30 before 30 list, so I need to get crackalackin.  I found some more educational books that I want to read so I also need to purchase those!

4. I hate American Idol.  I'm sorry friends and family that love this show, but I think I have watched it twice (not all the way through) in my life.  I'm very glad for the people who love it, I just can't do it.  I like some of the artists who have come through the show like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Elliot Yamin (I went through a moment of that because I didn't understand how that voice came from that kid) and Phillip Phillips which is the awesomest name ever.

5. I also hate ironing.  I have 3 shirts in my closet that need to be ironed and have just been sitting there waiting to be ironed for, um, sixth months...and that's being kind to myself.  If my grandmother read this, she would make fun of me for weeks.  It also helps that I'm not working (as a professional) so I don't need blousey type shirts very often.

6. I listen to no less than 6 podcasts a day.

7. I'm watching the 90210 series on the CW.  Liam is in some serious trouble, and I canNOT believe that Naomi kissed that dude.  Wow, it felt good to get that one off my chest.  

more later!

Today is THE day!

Goodbye Boppy!

Goodbye baby au lait nursing cover!

Goodbye pump!

Goodbye freezer stockpiling!

Goodbye worrying about nursing in public!

Goodbye late night google searches to Kellymom to ask, "can I take this and not cause my baby to grow a third ear?

Not all is super happy, I am a little sad too...

Goodbye serious uninterrupted cuddle time.

Quitting nursing.

This is on my 30 before 30 list.  It was kind of one of those things that I put on there just so I could cross it off.

We are right in the midst of quitting!  I read a lot about quitting but in the end it's another one of those nebulous things that can't be explained in a checklist.  Everyone does it differently and from what I have found there is no perfect way.

A few notes:

I HATE the word wean.  Cici hates the word panties.  What word do you hate?  This is why I'm just saying quitting nursing.

I started quitting with 3 nursings spread through the whole day (6am, 12:30ish, and 7:15pm)  I left the 12:30 in the dust first last week.

We have been doing sippy cups with straws, which he likes... but he still hasn't mastered those so we are reverting to the bottle for a week or two so that I can make sure this kid is getting his daily need.

Going with cold milk.  Doc said to try that first and hopefully he would take it, and then we wouldn't have to warm our milk.  He's doing well with this especially since we changed back to a bottle today.

I'm slightly uncomfortable.  yikes.

I thought it would be hard to let go, but Kai has been sick this week so we have gotten a lot of good cuddle time!

I'm also hoping that this may help my back pain a little.  Being a nursing mom keeps your hormones out of whack so keep your fingers crossed that this strengthens and heals me some!

Lastly, I'm ready to not have any dietary/medicinal/adult beverage restrictions.  I'm not some crazy indulgence type of person, but just having freedom back is a great feeling.  I found out I was pregnant in January of 2011 so almost two years of being restricted.

I should be done by 10/27 and at the very least by Halloween. 

My favorite wines!

It is 10:53 AM so what better to talk about than my favorite wines....Don't ask me why this came up on my radar (not that anyone follows, or comments on my blog) but I was just thinking about how delicious wine is last night and decided it needed a post.

I have learned a few things about wine over the years and let me tell you, the most important thing is to love the wine you are drinking!  If you don't love it, then you are drinking just to drink and who needs to do that?  That's what Natty Light is for, or at least that is what I hear.

I started with Rieslings when I first tasted wine because it was so sweet and now I have moved all the way to the super spicy and or "full bodied" red wines. 

Malbec: This is a wine that I look for from South America, usually Chile or Argentina.  I just looked it up and evidently there is a variety of grape grown in Bordeaux that is used in French wines, but they are not the same!  Who knew.  I like the ones from down south, and generally they are reasonably priced and yumtastic. Usually I'll buy whatever is cheap.  I haven't really had any in Texas...and if it's not a Texas wine it better be on sale!

Pinot Noir: Can't go wrong with a good pinot.  Scott and I have drank this for most of our marriage, and it's a little less intense than a Malbec or a Cab. La Crema makes a wonderful Pinot, but it's pretty pricey at the grocery store and at restaurants! Make sure it's a great occasion.

Cabernet Sauvignon: I just started drinking these again.  Becker vinyards in Texas has a super yummy Iconoclast Cab that is a great companion to any meal.

Pinot Grigio: A great white.  This is not so sweet and great with most meals.  Try Flat Creek Estate Winery's bottle, it's a win, win, win.

A few good bottles lately (Because we went to Santa Ynez/Los Olivos)

Fess Parker (The Big Easy Syrah) Surprisingly awesome.  Usually syrahs are too much for this gal.  We bought a bottle and flew it home!  Shared it with some friends.  Delish.

We also went to a vineyard known for their Savignon Blancs.  Blew me away!  I hate them.  Always have.  But they were so crisp and great.  Uhhhhhhhhh, I have to ask the hubby what that place was called.  It was the third vineyard we tasted at that day and I can't even remember.

*Note: This was a very peppy post.  Lot's of silly words, and interesting placements of exclamation marks.  mmmmmmmmmm, wine.  Back to my big fat bottle of water.

Kai's first birthday

Well, Kai's first birthday was...good, but then...kind of a drag.

On the day of his birthday (Wednesday), we all got our shots!  Not thinking that we would have reactions to them...so it's like Oprah, "YOU get a flu shot, YOU get a flu shot, EVERYBODY gets a flu shot!"  That's how Wednesday was.  Scott and I both were feeling a little bit allergy ridden that day, but just brushed it off.  We went to Luby's that night with my parents which was awesome, because last time we went Kai L-O-V-E-D the mac 'n cheese and fried chicken etc, etc.  The next day we started feeling bad and all three of us were congested.  Things went progressively downhill and we decided on Friday to call off the party.  In the end, we weren't sure if we all just had serious allergies, colds, reactions to the Flu shot or a combination of the above.  ( I know you can't get the flu from the shot anymore...)

We have such amazing friends, and there were going to be people driving in from other cities, and across town so we just figured it would be better to call it off.  Also my mom got really sick!  Grams can't be sick too!!  No party.

We let him open his presents from us that morning.  I followed the rhyme that I've seen all over pinterest.

Something you want (bath toy)
Something you need (straw sippy cups, and snack cups)
Something to wear (new shoes)
and Something to read! (nursery rhyme book)

New Shoes!

new bath toy!

New sippys with straws!

Scott's mom and step-dad came over so we were given some serious toys for Kai to play with from daddy's side of the family!  What a fun afternoon Kai had on Saturday.  I could tell he was sick but that kid just keeps going and loves attention from his Nana so much, that he just wouldn't stop even for one moment. 

We were able to reschedule his party, though the Wheel of Fortune theme has been nixed.  (I had some cute stuff too!)  We are going to have a costume/cupcake party for his birthday and hopefully lots of friends will be able to come.

pics from Luby's: