They Came Home

Trust me. That pillow did not return from Boy Scout camp that color.

Neither did the Boy Scout shirts.

Neither did the boys.

They came home a dingy shade of brown.

Can't believe Boy Scout khaki can get any dingier? shadier? brownier?

It can. Trust me.

They came home responsible.

I found myself reminding them of things they already did.

"Did you get the stuff out of the car?"

I already did mom.

"Have you unpacked your packs yet?

I already did mom.

"Did you call your dad?"

"Did you remember to put bleach in the laundry?"

"Did you shower?"

I already did mom. Can I give you a big hug now that I'm not so dirty and smelly?

(A mother's heart melts when her gigantic sons want to hug her. I think one of my boys kept forgetting he hugged me already because every half hour or so he'd come back for another hug.)

They came home affectionate.

They wanted homemade pizzas for dinner with a fruit salad. Apparently, nobody cooks like mom cooks, but I gotta tell you, homemade pizzas are not my specialty. Pizzas from Vons are my specialty, but I cracked open the big bucks and bought Boboli and real pepperoni with real previously shredded italian cheeses by Kraft. They each had one big one of their own.

They came home thankful.

They also came home with stories. Zach met Sam and walked with him everyday from one class to another. Sam, he knows strangely enough, from Fresno - where we don't live but where we have friends who do. Leave it to Zach to make a friend connection. Evan received the Boy Scouts of America Lifeguard certificate and came home confident. His Troop Leader was so impressed he emailed me with a suggestion on how we can surprise Evan at the Court of Honor with a special something. I can't say more. What if he reads my blog? Needless to say, leave it to Evan to make an impression.

It was a long week for Jillian and me without them. I had plans. We did good things, but something changed this year. My boys came home different. I think they come home every year ... different. But this year, they came home different-er than all the other years. This year, I longed for them. I think they also longed for me. Perhaps it is because we are all realizing, that some day, they won't come home.

For now, however, my gigantic, smelly, brown, responsible, affectionate, thankful, friendly, impressive boys are home.

Thank you Jesus. They came home.

Eat Chocolate

I’m eating chocolate.

And I’m celebrating!

Okay. Truths out. I’ve lost weight. I didn’t need to lose weight, but I started gaining weight which led to me watching my weight which led to me watching what I eat which led me to praying to God.

Dear Lord, Life stinks and the last thing I need right now is to have to buy clothes to fit into! And the Lord provided.

My Fitness Pal.

I lost 9 pounds. I weigh what I weighed when I got married. Yay for me! I am recommending it to all the mommy women I know, because in all my years of watching my weight off and on, I have never been so simply successful. I know you mommy women who need a change can be successful too!

BUT, I have had to buy clothes. Smaller ones. Never thought I’d be doing that!

Here’s the story.

After I prayed, my husband called me.

“Hey sweetie, I was reading this article about a guy who ate twinkies...”

Don’t believe me? I swear to God my husband said he read an article about a guy who ate twinkies and lost weight. Click here and you can read it, too.

“Hey sweetie, I was reading this article about a guy who ate twinkies and he just counted the calories and he used this cool website, My Fitness Pal.”

Joe started using My Fitness Pal.

Joe started showing ME how to use My Fitness Pal and even though I balked at being tied down to a computer dictating to me what and how much I could eat, I found My Fitness Pal to be my PAL! my FRIEND! my BUDDY! It was so easy and now, most often, I use My Fitness Pal to manage my day. When Joe is home, we sit at tandem computers and make our entries and determine how much dessert we can or can’t have that evening. Sweet fellowship! Isn’t it Romantic?

You manage what you measure and now I am managing my weight nicely.

Joe lost 23 pounds. He’s my pal on My Fitness Pal, kind of like you have friends on Facebook. So, if you want to be my Pal, sign up! I highly recommend it.

Like me, you may find yourself eating the best chocolate cake in the world and not feeling one bit of guilt, remorse or dread.

I’m watching my weight and eating cake too! Yahoo!

If you find yourself feeling slightly ugly at my pronouncement, take a minute to read this amazing blog post about body image and be encouraged.

God answers prayer.