Get Over It Day

Yesterday's lunch was fun. I love getting together with this bunch: my mother, her two sisters, their cousin, and my first cousin, who is nine months older than me and was one of my closest friends growing up. So you've got four women in their 60s and two in their mid 30s, which is an interesting dynamic. It's great to get their perspective on life, kids, marriage, and we discuss almost every subject under the sun. These lunches often run three hours long because we're so busy chatting, sharing photos, planning holiday get-togethers. Plus we only do it about once every month or two, so we always have lots to catch up on.

Unfortunately, I'm not pleased with the changes at the restaurant we usually go to. I think their ordering options have actually decreased, especially if you're looking for "healthy" choices. Finding something to eat also got tougher for my cousin, who has been a vegetarian since the 1980s. In addition, they remodeled and gave up seating space for a lunch buffet (fried chicken, pasta, etc.), so we lost our big table in the back of the restaurant where we could hide out and talk the afternoon away. Now we're stuck right in the middle of the restaurant with everyone trying to squeeze past us. I have a feeling we may be looking for a new place to gather.

I wound up getting a side salad (my low-cal dressing came in handy because their dressing choices were poor), and a side of baked beans for my lunch. For dessert my aunts always order ice cream (it's been a soft serve ice cream place for as long as I can remember), so I ordered a baby size vanilla cone. Not the most exciting meal, but it was satisfying enough.

Supper was very light (baked fish and roasted asparagus) and within half an hour I was hungry. I forced myself to wait another half hour before I had my evening snack, then ate one of my high fiber snack bars, and that did the trick. I just don't know how people can do the low carb diets. Granted, they're eating all the bacon, cheese and nuts they want. But I just don't think I could go without my carbohydrates. I've definitely reduced the number I consume during the week and have make them high quality ones (whole grains, high fiber, etc.), but I don't think I could go cold turkey. Nor do I think it's very healthy to do so. But that's my opinion.

Yet another weekend is approaching. Talking about carbs, I've got "Pasta Night" coming up Saturday and know that will be a blowout. Sunday will be yet another meal out with the in-laws, which I actually made a game plan for with Hubby this morning as we got ready for work. Why, you may ask? Because I'm getting to dodge a bullet tonight and don't have to go to the high school musical at Hubby's school. I went last year, and while it was okay, it was such a long night (we didn't get home until 11 p.m.), I don't like being crammed into a packed auditorium for hours, and I don't know any of the kids in the production (they're Hubby's students who I've never met). Plus last year we took the in-laws and had to go out for dinner with them, too, which added even more hours to the evening.

I know I sound like a party pooper and an ungrateful wife and daughter-in-law. But I have to draw some lines somewhere. We see each other and eat out together so often (meals once or twice a week, plus visits), it's not like I'm missing out on some rare opportunity to be with them. Plus, I admit I'm a bit claustrophobic, and I get uncomfortable in that sardine situation those high school auditoriums produce. It's not only the sitting on top of each other in those rows of seats, it's getting crushed in the throngs of people getting to and leaving the seats.

I'm glad Hubby's giving me this one, because it's only fair. I don't give him grief about not coming to church with me. This past week I gave him a bye and took Mabel to an evening school event without him. My thinking is, if he doesn't want to go, and as long as it's not an important event (mainly something Mabel's performing in), I'm all right with it. I don't give him guilt trips about it.

Mabel may give me grief, however. She likes to pull the "I want to have Mom and Daughter time" guilt trip on me. But I know the truth: it's just Mom & Mabel every morning (Hubby leaves early for work), and Daddy isn't involved in the bath and bedtime routine. I'm the one who takes her to lessons, doctor appointments and the like. And sometimes after dance class on Saturdays we have a Mom & Daughter lunch (which is usually Chinese because Mabel loves it and it makes Daddy sick). And in the evenings when Mabel wants to cuddle it's rare that she's not curled up on my lap. We're even planning some more Mom & Mabel trips for this summer. So I won't let her try to sway me.

What will I do? Oh, something crazy like read a book (such a huge indulgence for me now!) or rent a girly and/or artsy movie my husband and daughter would turn their noses up to. And no, I'm not looking for an opportunity to sneak in a binge; I'm determined to stick to my Monday-Friday rule, even if it's just for the principle of the thing. Although I may have to switch this to a Sunday-Thursday week here soon so I can go to one of our local Lenten fish frys. But that's another post.

Feeling confident about tomorrow's weigh-in. Not sure if it will be a loss, but I expect it to be within a few pounds. At this point, with the illness and everything, I'm happy to be maintaining. Now that I'm near the end of the antibiotics and I'm beginning to feel rested and energetic again I'm getting geared up to get back to the regular exercise. I have a 5 or 10K (haven't decided which yet) walk to train for in June, so I want to be in top form.

Oh! I almost forgot! Today, March 9, is Get Over It Day. According to the site, "Everyone, at one time or another, has needed a little help or encouragement to let go of something, to forget about something, and to just get over it! Well, we've created a new holiday. The exact midpoint between Valentine's Day and April Fool's Day, March 9th, shall forever be known as Get Over It Day, an inspirational annual holiday to encourage people to get over whatever is holding them back." They even have a fire pit page where you can type in what you want to get over and throw it in the fire! Very cute.

I plan to get over my guilt about not going to the musical tonight. What would you like to get over?