5 things going on in our house - February

5 things going on in our house this month:

1. I finished my 2nd book of the year. I chose to read Stephen King's It. It was not scary as I was reading it, but it got into my head and now I'm imagining things... especially when I'm in the bathroom by myself. If you've ever read the book, then you know why the bathroom can be scary.

My mind is also playing tricks with me and it has me imagining weird things and then wondering if anyone else sees it too.

For my 3rd book, I tried to get into Pride and Prejudice Zombies, but I couldn't. I wanted more zombies and less prim and proper.  Oh well, off to find book 3!

2. Ms. Merida has adopted a rather stinky habit that has to do with dog poop. It's revolting and it's times like this I wish she could talk so I could ask her why she chooses to do this. To combat this, we picked up a sonic trainer.  You aim it at the dog and press a button, which sends a low frequency sound to the dog. It's supposed to deter the unwanted behavior.  We've used it a few times and it does startle her enough that you can call her away. We give her plenty of treats and praise when she does come inside, so we are hopeful.

If it works, we'll use it on Gimli next with his barking.

3. In my weight loss efforts I've lost about an inch since this time last month. I'm slowly starting to fit into things. Last week, I put on a pair of pants, ate a large dinner and didn't feel like I was going to pop a button. PROGRESS!  I have a bit more to go though, but it's in the right direction and that's all I care about.

I do have another strange thing. I've been working my arms and my chest - not too much, but much more than before and now I'm finding certain articles of clothing are too tight in the chest and arms. I guess it's a nice problem to have, but I didn't think I'd have to purchase new clothing on account of growth in other areas! I was trying to avoid purchasing new clothes!

4. Mike is slowly getting back to exercising. He's been using his wheelchair inside and that means he's gently been using his leg and that has made a difference.  It's starting to heal and he's starting to get some strength back in it.  His first goal is to return to exercising to a) get in shape and b) lose weight so he puts less strain on his joints.

5. It looks like I'm going to get a mouth guard to protect my teeth when I sleep. I, "unofficially", have been diagnosed with bruxism, which is grinding of the teeth or clenching of the jaw. I do the latter and I often complain of pain in the jaw. I'm going to go in next month for a teeth/jaw impression and then it will be made for me.  Hopefully this will help.