07 August 2011

Summer Indulgence

( Those Of A Less Creative Breed Might Call It Slacking.....)

But who's listening to them?

This week continued at a breakneck pace.  My boys all had physicals for the year, and oh,yes, there were forms to be signed for school.  (Can one institution possibly need this much paperwork for a child who has just been cleared as 'perfectly healthy' by a doctor??  Who takes no medications?  Who has zero health problems?  Apparently so.....but it makes you wonder.)  My boys are on the 'smaller-ish' size.  But as my doctor so succinctly stated - smaller doesn't mean un-healthy.

I bring this up because I actually had someone say something to me about my eight year old.  First of all, I'd like to say that I think that took some nerve!  I certainly don't mind when I'm talking to someone and they comment on my boys' sizes.  Because let's face it, when your kids are smaller it is noticed. (And I'm sure this holds true if your kids are big for their age, too.)  But usually, the person means no harm; they're just pointing out the obvious.  But sometimes, people cross a line that enters the rude department.  My eight year old son is just over 50  inches tall and weighs about 50 pounds.  I get it!  He's skinny!!  He hovers in the thirtieth percentile for height, and in the twentieth percentile for weight.  I've definitely seen smaller kids.  My six year old gets a little closer to 'average' on the charts, but it seems he's always being compared, too.  So please bear with me a minute while I scream......."Small doesn't mean malnourished!  It means small!"
 - okay, I feel better, thanks for sticking with me this far - ;}

Anyway, this week also kicked off the back-to-school- school-shopping-extravaganza!  I managed to buy everyone pants and shorts - see above to understand just how taxing this can be - ( slim fit pants and adjustable waistbands may be one of the most ingenious ideas of the modern world....really.)  And I didn't break the bank.  Backpacks, lunch bags, pencils, paper - all checked off my list.  It felt like good progress.

We also attended our friends' annual Hawaiian luau party yesterday.  Unfortunately, it rained  - no maybe down poured is a better way to describe it - all day!  But being the resilient crowd we were, we made the best of it.  All the kids cut holes in garbage bags and took advantage of the slope to the backyard, creating a surprisingly quick moving 'slip-n-slide', and once the yard filled with huge puddles of water younger kids began taking a running dive into the mud-fest.  This only encouraged the adults to follow suit.
The D.J. played, the rain fell in buckets, we enjoyed great food, made new friends - it was a blast!

Alright, Alright....I'm Getting To The Goals Now.....

I've completed the second read through in Claiming The Prize and begun the third.  I've made excellent progress.  Things are moving along much better than I expected, and I'm very satisfied.  I also picked up a new beta reader.  I haven't sent her anything yet, but it's great to have another reader ready to offer insight. 

I've visited around so many fellow ROW80 pages this week that I exceeded my goals twice over.  (I've just been a little social butterfly all around this week.......sheesh!)

But...I've written only one page in Her Dark Baron.  It's not that I don't want to write, but that when I've finished putting in my hours on the editing, I'm burned out.  I tanked on this goal.  But maybe this week will be better.  Let's hope anyway. 

I'm off to church!  I'll be visiting around this afternoon, too.  I hope everyone is having a great weekend ~ Nadja

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good week Nadja. BTW, I was one of those little guys. Always one of the shortest three in my class. My grandmothers were constantly cramming food in me, but my metabolism was so high it didn't matter. Now I'm 5'-8" which isn't going to get me in the NBA, unless your spud Webb. You know what, go to YouTube and type in Spud Webb slam dunk championship. You'll actually see a guy shorter than me take Dominique Wilkins to school and win the NBA slam dunk championship for that year. Also look at the face of Michael Jordan on his last dunk. Priceless. Short guys can rock too.

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  2. Great job on your goals! I can sympathize with the mental exhaustion, it happens to all of us. Just think of this as brew time for what you will be working on soon.

    Have a great week!

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  3. Hey, Nadja, look at your progress--really! Editing is mind-numbing, so don't beat yourself up about it!

    My eldest son is 5' 9" at 19; my youngest is 110 pounds, 5'10" at 18. I heard all that the whole time they were growing up. I know you know they're fine, but maybe it helps to hear it from others. Mine are fine, strong, young men, despite being in the lower half of the percentiles!

    Have a great week, and keep at it! It'll get better!
    Nancy

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  4. I think the beauty of these goals is it pushes us to get something done, even when we may not have it in us. Even if we don't accomplish every bit we planned for the week, we may push through to do more than we would have.

    Best wishes for the week ahead!

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  5. Aww, your comment about your sons reminds me of my younger sister, who has always been very slender. She was still small enough to fit her crib when she was about 5 (and she didn't want to tell ANYONE in her kindergarten class that she didn't have a real bed yet), and she was light enough to carry until she was about 8 or 9. On the other hand, I was the big kid who was a head taller than everyone else, and super chubby on top of that (this probably came from my grandmother making me eat seconds, and finish my sister's food, since she was picky and ate like a bird). But, indeed, healthy children come in varying shapes and sizes, and as you say, small definitely doesn't mean malnourished.

    Glad to hear that the editing is coming along, and hopefully once you've finished, you'll have the energy to start working on Her Dark Baron.

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  6. It is brilliant that you finished your second read through and are now on your third. I guess if you are knee deep in one project it is hard to find the time, energy and brain space for another!

    Have a great week!

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  7. I have a small(ish) boy too, who is still in 24mths at 3. Thank goodness for adjustable waistbands!!!

    Good luck with your writing.

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  8. lol I feel your pain (or rather your sons' pain) about being ridiculed for being small. Up until I was about 18 I was always bullied for being anorexic. I wasn't anorexic, not by a long shot (I'd stuff that much junk food down my yap it would put the Biggest Loser contestants to shame), but since I did exercise like swimming and karate and seemed to have a fast metabolism, I just never put any weight on. By then, though, I'd come up with a good retort for the people (and they were usually of the larger variety) who kept telling me I should eat more food: "Well, how can I if YOU keep eating it all?" They left me alone after that :D

    And one new page may not seem like much, but it's much better than nothing :)

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  9. I had no idea that small-ish was so prevalent! Ha! Thanks for sticking with me through my paragraphs on my small kids. I just had to get that out of my system.

    Thanks for the encouragement, too. I've been boggle-eyed for days. I guess that's what happens when you read for four or five hours a night. But I took Saturday night off, so I got back to it last night. I've gone through six chapters so far in my third read-through. Whew!

    @Rebecca ~ That's great. I'll bet that shut them up!
    @Kerry ~ I'll definately check out that challenge. Who likes basketball anyway? (Just kidding)
    @belledame ~ I do know my boys are healthy...but it is nice to hear it from someone else.
    @Jamila ~ you dealt with both ends of the spectrum. My oldest son was tiny like that. I was just saying yesterday that he actually wore a 2T clothes when he started kindergarten! He was really tiny. But now he's not so far behind. He's 5'8" and about 130lbs at fifteen. That's the result of a lot of lifting. Ha.
    @Kate ~ Awwww, he sounds like a little peanut!
    @ Em & Wosushi ~ Thanks for the encouragement. I don't like not meeting my goals, so I was not real happy with myself yesterday. But today's a new day, and a new week. I needed the reminder that I did accomplish a lot with the editing!

    Have a great week everyone. ~ Nadja

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  10. good work on clothing kids - nightmare time - sounds like a great weekend was had by all there
    all the best for this week and keep on smiling - ignore the rude and crass folk they are not worth it!

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  11. Thanks Alberta. You're right. Besides, smiling is much more fun than frowning or scowling. Have a great week! And good luck with choosing your genre. ~ Nadja

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  12. I updated the information within the post......How about my Dr.'s office sent me a printout with height/weight/vitals/diagnosis/problems/allergies/and follow up information! Isn't that great? I've got it all in front of me now. Fantastic! ~ Nadja

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