Over the weekend, I drove up to Aurora to see my mommy. Greg took me, her, and Aidan out to dinner at Max & Erma’s. At first, Aidan was insisting on Cracker Barrel, which I don’t like. But I was going to go with it because I could always get a salad or something. Well, my mom talked Aidan into Applebees, but on the way there, Greg and Mommy started talking about Max & Erma’s. They were convinced Aidan wouldn’t know the difference. But as soon as we got there, Aidan blurted out “THIS DOESN’T HAVE AN APPLE!” Luckily, Aidan likes Max & Erma’s fine, so all was well.

Kids have marvelous brand-recognizing capabilities.

When we got back, Greg yelled out “There’s a prophylactic on the patio. What’s a patio?” I laughed for ten minutes at that.

I relaxed quite a bit at my mom’s. Managed to fall asleep a lot more easily, so I took a couple naps. Caught up on a few Food Network shows when Aidan wasn’t hogging the TV with his kid show DVDs. It’s pretty sad that the only TV I get is when I travel, so when I get it, I soak it in like a dry sponge. I mean, I guess I could watch broadcast TV, but who wants to fuss with the rabbit ears? It’s easier to pop in Mean Girls or something. Anyway, got Aidan to sleep in his own bed, even though he was up Sunday morning at 7am, talking about GOOD MORNING and climbing onto the love seat with me. He eventually went to play with my mom, giving me a little bit more time. Sunday we relaxed mostly. My mom filled up my gas tank for me, and I headed back to Columbus about 4pm when POW. Yet ANOTHER flat tire, not even six months after my last one. 🙁 I managed to pull off the highway and into a McDonald’s parking lot. Roadside Assistance came and changed my tire (I totally need to learn to do that), and I headed back to my mom’s on a donut that sounded like it wanted to fall off at any second.

At first I was annoyed. I mean, I had to work on Monday, and I wasn’t into giving up a vacation day when I already have it scheduled for May 25th. Now I have to take some unpaid time. But oh well. The bright side was that I got an extra day with my mom, and she brought me breakfast at Bob Evans the next morning while I was getting the new tires put on. I also got to hang out with crimsonghost_oh a bit too. He didn’t like my spaghetti. It wasn’t my best batch, to be honest. 🙁

I headed back to Columbus about 1:00. I got here at about 3:00, way too late to try to go to work. Kiss a vacation day goodbye. *grumble snort* So I kept Aidan and spent the next four hours with him. We went to the library and to the playground, and then he got to meet the little kittens:

Trying to teach Lucy to calm the heck down. Often, she simply will not hop on my lap and settle down. She marches around, puts her face in my face, bites and pulls my hair, and usually walks across or in front on whatever I am reading or working on. IT’S SO ANNOYING. But now she’s snuggled up beside me, which I like. Early this morning, I finally got fed up and put her out of my room. I’d been tempted for a while but felt badly, but I need my sleep.

Especially because I have a two hour style guide meeting tomorrow. Help.

OH yeah, at the health fair, I discovered a yummy, low-cal recipe. You just take some chocolate Quaker rice cakes, some chocolate Cool Whip, and strawberries. Can you guess where I am going with this? I cheated of course. You can cut even more calories by using fat-free Cool Whip, cocoa, and Splenda, but why do all that work when Cool Whip isn’t that loaded with crap? So, just take a rice cake (quake?), spread on some of the Cool Whip, and add a strawberry or two. Yummy! You can eat seven of the mini ones or four of the big ones. It’s filling without making you feel like a pig, and it’s 100 calories. Woo. I’m guess that 100 calories is like, nothing? Does anyone know what a regular meal should have, in terms of calories?

*blink blink*

Chill out time now. See ya.

Um. I tried to put 60¢ in the vending machine to get out a Diet Mountain Dew and the machine happily ate 50¢ before I wised up and decided not to give it anything else. I guess the self-stick notes indicating that it had stolen $1.10 from two other people should given me some sort of indication to stay away, but as I said, I am caffeine deprived. So now I’m drinking Dr. Pepper (compliments of John), which is bad on three levels. First, it’s pop (I know, I know, I was going to drink Mountain Dew which is pop, but somehow it doesn’t seem as big of an offense as brown pop). Second, it’s brown. I tend to avoid brown pop because I don’t like it as much. Third, it has 150 calories. *sigh*

A week ago, I put in 60¢, selected a Diet Mountain Dew, and got a regular Sprite.

ZB is switching vending companies in about five weeks. Thank goodness.

Today might be the day I finish 100 books for the year!! I just got the latest Au Pairs novel by Melissa de la Cruz. It’s called Crazy Hot. Her 2nd Blue Bloods book (Masquerade) is at home as well. It kind of drives me nuts when an author comes out with 2 or more books in the same month. She and Meg Cabot do it all the time. All I have to say is thank God for Columbus Metropolitan Libraries. I’d never be able to read all the books I want to read if I had to buy them all. There’s no way I could afford it. But the teen selection at my library is amazing, and what they don’t have at the branch I go to most often, I can reserve. Now I’m just waiting for Confessions, the next book in the Private series. I’m #1 on the reserve list (for that and some other things too, yay). I’m going to have to take the next few weeks and go into a reading frenzy again—there are tons I want to read.

Oooh! My friend Elizabeth’s cat had seven kittens yesterday morning! Last night, I got to see them and hold them. Mom was very gracious and sweet and very generous, letting us hold her little babies. I’ve never seen kittens that tiny before, and their little squeaks! Oh my gosh!! So freakin’ adorable! If Elizabeth’s around tonight, I’m going to take Aidan to see the kittens. I think he’ll love seeing them.

Awwwww.

What’s frustrating is that I had to get new jeans last night because most of mine just feel icky anymore. I tried on the 28″ waist and they were way too big. I’m wearing the 27″ waist right now. They felt fine early this morning and last night when I was trying them on. Now they’re binding. I know exactly why, too, and I hate it. 🙁 I don’t know if anything will fix this problem, outside of surgery or starving myself, neither which I want to particularly do, although I’m not going to lie. If I could afford lypo and a tummy tuck, I’d do it in a heartbeat. That’s the only thing on my body that I am so very unhappy with.

But whatever. It’s not going away no matter what I do. I have genetics and a past c-section to thank for that.

Yeah, my mood is kind of weird if you haven’t guessed. So is the music I’m listening to.

‘Til next time.