Corn Dogs and Squeaky Cheese

On the way back from the cheese factory today as Kai began kicking my seat and demanding his third giant piece of squeaky cheese I started thinking about comfort food. I think it's safe to say that anything cheesy counts as my comfort food. I remember when I was little occasionally making the hour-long trip to the cheese factory to buy the rare extra mild cheddar and squeaky cheese. I think we bought ice cream, too, but the cheese was the most important thing. I used to love watching the giant stirring machines through the big window in the store. I wonder what foods my children will consider comfort foods? With Kai it will probably be corn dogs and squeaky cheese.

Graeme Is Also Exceptional

Okay, I just have to do a little more bragging. I talked to Graeme's teacher today and she was very impressed with how well Graeme is reading (he's in Kindergarten). She also said that his pronunciation is very natural and a pleasure to listen to.
Of course, every time I talk to his Speech teacher she goes on about how smart he is and what a great kid he is.
The funny thing is, I was considering waiting a year to start him in school because he's so super energetic and I didn't think he would do well in school.
Hooray for Graeme!
You know, Kai (who's 2) can already spell his name...........

Stupid Cat

Our cat is shedding like there's no tomorrow. The kicker is, he only sheds on me. Really. Of course, this is the same cat that hasn't wanted anything to do with me up until now. He's always been my hubby's best friend even though I feed him and give him fresh water more often than anyone else in this family. Hmmm....sounds kind of like my children. Anyway, now he suddenly never wants to be more than five inches away from me. And, of course, he won't go outside to coat things with hair because it's muddy and stinky and wet and icky outside. I'm not real fond of this not-still-winter, not-quite-spring season. Everything's brown and dirty and nothing's blooming yet and it still snows and the sun comes out and pretends to be warming things up. I say pretends because it's still in the low 20's at night and the high 30's during the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dying for the blazing, unrelenting heat that is summer at my house, but a little green would be nice. Sigh.

Chloe is Exceptional

My hubby took Chloe to her parent-teacher conference this morning. She's doing spectacular! Her scores on almost every reading test are off the charts! She's only in 3rd grade but she's reading at a 5th grade level. She turns in all her homework and scores 100% on all her in-class assignments. Her behavior has even improved. Hooray! She scored in the top 10% (of the whole country) on the Iowa standarized test they took. Her score was so high they gave her a certificate. She really is amazing.
Now I just need to convince the district to come up with a gifted and talented magnet program. Hmmmm...........

Hypnosis

I saw an ad in the paper the other day for a weight-loss class at a hypnosis clinic. Since overeating is one of the coping mechanisms for people living with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) I'm getting fatter and fatter as the years go by. The way I see it, since my overeating is the direct result of a problem with my brain, why not confront my brain directly and see if I can solve the problem?
The class is only four weeks (once a week) and is supposed to start after Easter. The "hypnosis consultant" sent me a brochure and some information. I have to admit, there was a considerable amount of what I consider to be hippie technospeak but I'm still willing to give it a try. After all, it's gotta be better than putting unknown drugs into my body.

Welcome to the Crazy Club

Well, I've recently discovered that I suffer from a mental illness known as Borderline Personality Disorder. I have to admit, I'm relieved. It turns out I'm not a bad person after all, I'm just crazy! It's also nice to know that my mother doesn't, in fact, hate me, she's also crazy. (Fortunately for me, she doesn't know about this blog)
I always assumed that if I manifested a mental illness it would free me from the consequences of my actions. That's not the case. It has, however, freed me from assuming the worst about myself every time I freak out. Also, now I have a starting point for getting better. My husband is incredibly supportive. He got me a book that is a skills training manual. From what I've read about this particular disorder, it's not necessarily a chemical imbalance so I'm taking antidepressants occasionally and I'm working on retraining myself. I just want to stop screaming at my kids (they're really terrific!) and start liking myself. Here's to me!