What's the point?

Ugh...I'm hungry. I'm not going to lie, I have been doing this Weight Watchers deal for four days now and I want to give into foods that I shouldn't be tasting, looking at, much less sniffing. It's really all psychological and I need to remember that. Mind over matter. Matter, matter rhymes with platter and a Chicken Fried Steak platter sounds soooo good. Doesn't it?

It's hard keeping track of the points and writing things down. It really gets to you once you become obsessed with the goal. You start thinking that points are money and you have so much money to use in the day. How do you want to spend it is the question. So I pretend that I have these dollars to last me for the day and I ask myself, do you want to go to the movies at night with a jumbo popcorn and a receipt of $30 or do you want the $1 Redbox movie with a $2.75 box of 6 popcorns in a bag. All for under $5. You see the difference? See where I am going with this? This is why I will win this battle. The devil cannot tempt me anymore but deviled eggs are soooo good.

It's Friday, it's the weekend and I have many temptations waiting for me these next few days. The Sweet 16 with lots of sweets, the company party with different companies of food. Help me Point Master, help me say no this weekend. I want out of the boys Husky jeans.

May my pocket point guide, guide me. Help me with my weakness of steaks and baked potatoes and hamburgers. I need to remember I left my heart in Madrid. No, not Spain, Chris Madrid's. I need to remember that I don't want to look like Wimpy but more like Popeye. So the whole line of "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today" is a bunch of bologna. Umm..bologna with toasted bread, cheese and mustard. 

So I ask you, what's the point?

Papi Maldina

Thank you very much...

Well it looks like our boy, whom we shall affectionately call Nugget (after his therapy horse), has been learning about someone new in school recently. Was it Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Roosevelt or ooh, the guy who invented the cotton gin?? One moment while I google his name to confirm...Eli Whitney. No, not him but let me read up more on 'ol Eli to see if he makes sense to me now that I am out of school.

Actually, Nugget is practicing for a Christmas recital which shall take place in two weeks and their person for the month of December is Elvis Presley. Wow, Elvis...he is such a, such a...such a hunk of burning love. The song they will be entertaining us with is Blue Christmas.

A little slow and a little on the romantic/missing someone side but okay. I'm thinking they might as well sing the sad holiday Eagles song of "Bells Will Be Ringing" and have us all reminisce and look off into space wondering if we should make that holiday call to our 8th grade love. But, he's our Nugget and that is his song and we will be present with cameras flashing and tears in our eyes.

I have to share though what this song reminds me of before this group of 2nd graders replace my memory. My family had this vintage stereo cabinet system in our living room which contained hundreds of albums, well seemed like it to me at that time. I am talking about Earth, Wind and Fire, James Taylor, Steely Dan, Bee Gees, Kenny Rogers and whoever else you can think of. The album collection was not the only thing this old heavy wooden stereo carried, we also had 8 tracks. Oh yeah baby, Chicago's "Color My World" is playing so pipe down!

The album we always played when decorating the tree was none other than Blue Christmas. I admit, I played it so much out of the holiday season that I ruined the record needle and thought we only had one holiday out of the year. It brings back sooooo many memories, oh yes, "Memories" with Barbra Streisand was in the collection too.

So now I will have a new memory in a couple of weeks that just may be good enough to fill in. It's not just about a song, it's not just about a holiday, it's about my boy. It's about Nugget finally having a school where he is seen as an equal and not a boy with disabilities. Special Ed mentality does not exist in this school. Special Ed may as well be a puppet character name of an elephant who celebrates his birthday year round.

And so I say in my best curled lip to Elvis, I whisper "thank you, thank you very much"...

Papi Maldina

Your Presence is My Present…

I always use that line when friends and family ask what I would like for my birthday or Christmas. I really don’t want to answer that I want all my bills paid so I go with the next best thing of “Your Presence is My Present”. I don’t need anything aside from love, health and happiness, but it’s the first day of December and so the countdown begins. The countdown to open presents? The countdown to visit family or is it the countdown to days off at work? Actually, it’s the countdown to when the kids leave us for the holidays…and that’s not a good thing. Sure the babies will come back to the nest and sure they will experience new adventures and make new memories while they are away but try explaining that to your heart.

A child of divorced parents now means two separate households but I believe two separate households is a good thing when the one was just not good for the soul. I myself was not a product of divorced parents so I did not know what it was like to get my things ready and pack a bag. Packing your bags is usually associated with the fun event of going on a great trip. Not the case with our children since packing the bags is associated with going on a four day business trip to the same seminar. So our home is accustomed to the every other weekend routine and some of our friends have even said “that’s great…that gives you guys a break”. Yes, but no. That’s not a forced break we wish upon, especially when the kids make it known to you that they want to stay home with you. So now we enter the holidays, the long school break and unfortunately on even numbered years, the long time away break. They will separate for 12 days from us and so the 12 days of Christmas is not just about a song. No, partridge in a pear tree for us.

Here is what is looks like from my stance; chaotic house and not from gift wrapping, constant washing of clothes to pack, ordering medical supplies, preparing the medical supplies, ordering the medication, preparing the medication, getting in those multiple doctor visits, trips to the store, studying for finals, extracurricular activities, schedule and reschedule of multiple therapy sessions and…HO HO HO…

So I share my job with you in the Maldina household during this time. Please note that my job is simple but I dare you to define simple. I have to make sure there is enough oxygen in the tank of Mama’s breathing mask which is no easy task itself. I have to make sure she takes it easy and emotionally, that sometimes is not possible. I have to have the arms ready to embrace, hold the tissue box, keep the T.V. on Law and Order and keep the horrible jokes coming. I’m sure Superman cried too…So on this first day I December, I pray for strength and I pray for understanding.

To my babies, always remember…your presence is my present.

Papi Maldina

The WEIGHT is over...

You know when you look in the mirror and you see the same number of eyes and eyebrows but definitely not the same number of chins you were born with? Yeah...same here. It's just ridiculous. Where did all this weight come from? I am thinking part of the contribution was from my past major surgeries but that was not the reason I ate three cheese enchiladas and kept dipping at the queso with never ending chips. So why were these jeans tighter? Why was I so angry after I bent over to tie my shoe? If you are what you eat, then psshhh...I am an International Buffet open 24 hours. I can't do this to myself anymore. I want to stop using the words "oh, take a picture from here up only". What is that all about??

So today, 11/30/10, the end of the November, the end of making excuses, I decided to join Weight Watchers. I was thinking that this was not a very manly thing to join but then I noticed the men around me losing inches by the minute. So what was stopping me from wanting to do something about myself? I didn't want the New Year's resolution of losing weight, I wanted the New Now resolution! It's going to be hard but then look at all my accomplishments in life and what I have achieved. I have broken through obstacles before and I have watched others reach their goals as well. I'm a Papi to a boy who made doctors scratch their head in amazement. I am a Papi to a teenager who knows how to balance life better than the trapeze artist in a circus. I am the partner of the woman who was the maestro to those two I just mentioned. So give it to me baby...

It's you and me Weight Watchers. You and me.

Papi Maldina