Anna Skamarakas

you have to buy new clothes   Why is it that no matter what size you are, you always feel like you look like crap in new clothes?   Brighid irritates me to no end.  When I go shopping with her, I really look at her like the person who would look great in the proverbial potato sack.  Then she tries clothes on and her face drops, she fidgets, she gets frustrated.  It always annoys me.  But now that I am a more normal size, I headed to the mall a couple of times, deluding myself into thinking that I could just walk in to any store, pick up a dress or two off the rack, put it on, and be beautiful.  Okay, not beautiful, but at least presentable enough to be seen in public.

(more…)

Stealing an idea from my cyber-buddy and gastric bypass surgery peer Melting Mama (visit her awesomely amazing and talented self here:   http://www.meltingmama.typepad.com/wls/  ), I am going to review these protein bars that I picked up at WalMart last week.

(more…)

Eilis came home from a sleepover at Dram’s yesterday with her second loose tooth in an envelope.  On the envelope, in her printing, she wrote “Tooth Fairy 2″.  She handed it to me and asked me if I would put it where the tooth fairy would find it and leave her something.  Before I could ask, she explained to me that the number 2 was so the tooth fairy would know it was her 2nd tooth, in case the gift she left was different for a second tooth than it was for the first tooth.  I had to laugh, because I don’t know if little kids think the prizes go up with each tooth, or if they would be something different than money for each tooth or what.  She was very cute though, in making sure I knew what the 2 was for.

(more…)

(more…)

On August 1st, as I was sitting on the gurney waiting to be taken in for my surgery, I kept thinking two things.  The first thing, as you expect, was how much I didn’t want to die and leave my husband and daughters behind.  But the second thing that kept running through my mind was Please, don’t let me fail at this.  And as I waited, becoming more and more anxious, I thought about what I would have to accomplish to consider this surgery successful.

(more…)

Well, with not much time on a normal basis to write as often as I’d like, you may have wondered why there hasn’t been much of anything going on here lately.  After a couple of great trips to Orlando - one with Jim, Eilis and Granuaile; the other with just Brighid - I came home to get back into the groove of things only to find myself in the hospital.  I had emergency surgery nearly 3 weeks ago for a bowel obstruction.  I spent a week in the hospital, and came home last Thursday.  I missed Eilis’ sixth birthday party in the process, and feel like I missed a whole lot of other stuff, but I’ll catch up with what I can.

(more…)

Nope, not my daughter’s birthday!   Today is my 16th wedding anniversary  

I decided to take a statistics tour and see how great that is compared with other marriages in the country.  I was pleased to learn that most first marriages that end in divorce do so within about 8 years.  43% of first marriages end within 15 years - another milestone reached.  And 60% of all marriages end in divorce.

(more…)