Recent Comments OtoXb1Ypde on Don 't Park Here ! msshelly247 on Ratted Out ! msshelly247 on Run Son ! Run ! Donna Williams on Run Son ! Run ! Donna Williams on Ratted Out ! Archives February 2014 My daughter is graduating college in May . I am so proud of her . I knew at birth , she would do something special . She was so aware of her surroundings when she was born . I remember going to see her where they hold all the new born babies . When I got to the baby viewing window , there was a crowd of people looking into the window and pointing . What could be so amazing with new babies ? My daughter . My daughter was 9 lbs . when she was born . She could hold her head up by herself . She had a strong neck . When I looked into the baby viewing window , she was on her stomach , lifting her head up over the little bed looking at the other babies . It looked so weird . She never cried much as a newborn . All she wanted was me or her Dad to hold her up so she could see . She hated the car seat because she wanted to see everything . As a college graduate I know she will see everything and do everything . My daughter did everything fast . She talked fast , she walked fast and she was so aware . I remember telling her Dad not to curse in front of her , but he did . Some people do not understand that babies pick up everything you say and do . They are like sponges . Chelsea was about 8 months and we were waiting for an elevator to go down to the parking garage . When the elevator doors opened it was full of people . We had to wait . When she saw all those people , she said in a loud cute baby girl voice , " Aw Shit ! " The people in the elevator laughed as the doors closed . No ! No ! little girl . It was too funny , especially since now she does not believe in using curse words . Speaking of elevators , I do have a funny about me in an elevator . This was about three years ago . I was leaving from my doctor 's office and needed to catch the elevator going down . When the elevator arrived and opened it was semi - full , but I was in a hurry . I saw a small space to the side . When I got ready to get on the elevator , everyone looked at me as if I was making a mistake . I dont think they wanted me to get on . It was not that full and I was in a hurry , so I squeezed into the small space . We were on the 10th floor . Suddenly , the elevator stopped on the fifth floor . We were stuck ! Why did everyone look at me . I heard one man say , I knew it ! You know I had that black woman attitude look on my face . Was he talking to me ? I pointed at the sign that said maximum 2000 pounds . " There is not 2000 pounds in this elevator . " I said sarcastically . The sighing man said " Yeah , not on this side of the elevator . " Next , a lady said maybe we need to even the elevator out . " People , there is not 2000 pounds in this elevator ! " I was thinking to myself that all I need is one more indication about me being the weight problem and I will … Suddenly , a man standing behind me said , " Everyone needs to shut their mouth because you are taking up all the air . I am not that fat , but big mouths are sucking up all the air . " I looked around and noticed he was taller and bigger than me . I did not notice him when I got on the elevator because I was trying to squeeze in at the front . Oh , they were not talking to me . I guess , I will be quiet . Wrong ! The same sighing man told the other man , " Maybe fat people should take the stairs for exercise . " They started arguing in that elevator . Now , it was funny and if you know me , I will make a joke . I started chanting " NO JUSTICE FOR FAT PEOPLE ! " There were two college looking boys on the elevator and they started chanting with me . The lady next to me started chanting . We were so loud , the two men stopped arguing . We all laughed . After about five minutes , the elevator started . When we got to the bottom , some maintenance men were there and ask if we were all right . We all laughed and went on about our business . It was probably the first elevator fat protest in history . LOL We are off again because of a cold day . This is amazing for Texas , but as a teacher I say Woo Hoo ! Parents need time with their wonderful children . LOL I actually had a veggie sandwich today . It was good . It is like when you don 't have enough meat on the sandwich , but you have all the other things . It was good . There are a lot of good vegetarian meals . Try them ! you will like them . Try them Sam I am ! A little Dr . Seuss joke . No ? Oh well . People keep saying my kids must understand my humor because they put up with my crazy adventures . I guess they had no choice . I kept them so close and sheltered early on . Also , I was very involved in all their activities . We did have a lot of fun . When we went places , I called it " In the Wind . " This means I don 't know what we are doing that day , but we are in the wind . We were going anywhere and everywhere . Having kids is so special , but all parents worry . I think when they are little you worry more about them getting sick , somebody bothering them or loosing them through sickness or kidnapping , etc . I lost my son once . It was at that horrible water park Schliterbahn in New Braunfels . I say horrible because it is one of those places that kids get lost easily . In the summer , my kids use to spend time at a Park in the Park 's and Recreation summer program . It was like a free camp . I was off in the summer , so I would volunteer my time . I became close with the staff and the kids . It was so much fun . We decided to take a group of kids to Schlitterbahn . At that time my kids were 8 and 9 . The adults decided to split the kids by some adults going with a group of kids to the big water rides and some adults staying with the little kids at the slower rides . You know I was the one that volunteered for the slower rides . It was hot and a lot of walking , so the little kids were great for me and my fat . LOL There was a big pool in the kids area that the kids could go around and around using floats . I sat a beach chair in the shallow part of the water and watched them go around . We had a good time , until I did not see my son . I saw all the other kids , but not my son . I called my daughter over to me and asked her where is her brother . She had not seen him . OMG ! Panic began to rise up in my body . Where was my baby ? All kinds of things came into my mind . I got up and went around in the water myself . We looked everywhere and no son ! I wanted to faint . It was like being in a nightmare . Wake me up ? Finally , I saw my son . He was running toward me . I hugged and kissed my baby . " Where have you been ? " " I wanted to ride the big water slide and it had a long line . " The fear of loosing him had left my body . Now , anger was rising up . After fussing at my son , I explained to him about never leaving the group without permission . After that day , I made up the term , " My right leg . " I told my son , if he cant see my right leg then he is too far . I dont know why I chose the right leg . I guess because I am right handed and do everything to the right first . I dont know . It worked . From the time my kids were old enough to go places with or without me , they knew they were a package and they needed to keep up with each other . My daughter hated it because my son was always getting in trouble . My son hated it because my daughter was always telling on him . It was good for awhile , but now she thinks she is the boss of my son . Poor boy ! I lost two pounds ! I am so happy . It had been awhile . I had to make some adjustments on my diet . I am following my nutritionist , but I had to tweak a few things . I have to learn to make my dinners more exciting . I can make it through the day , but if my dinner is boring , I will cheat . I am finding some good quick recipes . So it is all good ! Celebrating the two pounds ! LOL I am not a animal person . I like dogs . Notice , I said like . I prefer small dogs . Fish are ok . Cats and me do not match . I hate them . I am a cat racist . If they stay in their world and leave me in my world , we can exist together . LOL My son always wanted a dog , but I would not buy it . I did not want to take care of it , and the way he kept his room , I knew he would not take care of it . My poor son . He use to watch those late night commercials about those pitiful dogs and get sad . My daughter likes to joke and say she saw him rocking in his room singing , " In the Arms of an Angel " to one of those commercials . He said she is lying . Poor child ! The next few post , I will dedicate to my kids . They have put up with a lot from me . Being a single Mom is not easy , but I tried to make sure they had the best childhood . We did not always have enough money , but I made sure they had fun activities , friends and good schools . I moved a lot so they could live in safe and clean neighborhoods and be zoned to good schools . It was the least I could do . They both are in college now , so I guess it is all good . All I can do now is pray that they have productive lives . I definitely want them to have a much better life than what I gave them . This is not a funny story . It is more of a OMG ! What a horrible Mother story . I dedicate it to my Son . He always has his Mom 's back ! One night , we were leaving from my parents house . My kids were about 10 and 11 . We were singing songs on the way home . We lived in Stafford . We were about 15 minutes from home , when the car started making a noise and stopped on main or Highway 90 going toward Stafford . If you know where I am talking about , it is a very dark road . I pulled over and tried to start the car . It would not start . I looked at the gas gauge and realized I was out of gas . Dang it ! I forgot to put gas in the car . I knew when I went to my Parents that I was going to need gas , but I forgot . Dumb ! Dumb ! Dumb ! What to do ? It was dark ! I had my kids and the nearest gas station was about 15 blocks down the road . I could see it . It was the only thing I could see . I could get out and walk to the gas station , but I was too fat and too slow . Plus , I could not leave my kids in the car . I could not take them with me for the same reasons . I was in a dilemma . We did not have cell phones back then . Yes , people had them , but I did not have one that worked . It was a pay as you go phone and I had not paid it . A car pulled up behind us because I noticed we were in a turning area . I was scared because the people could be robbers or killers or OMG ! The man got out the car . I could see that it was two men . Young men . I told the kids to be quiet and if anything happens , we will fight to the death . We had codes back then that meant different things like look out for people walking up to the car , run , my daughter is in a bad mood . LOL You would think my kids would be scared siting on that dark road with no gas . They were not ! They always felt that I could take care of everything . If only they knew . I always had to be strong . Sometimes , I really wanted to scream HELP ME ! I never did , but sometimes late at night , I prayed to God for help . Thank you Jesus ! The man got out and asked if I needed help . I told him no . " My husband is on the way . " I probably should have told him the problem , but I was scared . If they knew I was stranded , they might of helped , but they might of saw an opportunity to hurt us or kill us . The man got back in his car and left . OK ! It was time to think of what to do . We could wait until daylight , but it was only 10 : 00pm . We could not sit there that long . I made a horrible decision that will bother me the rest of my life . My son was a fast runner from playing little league football . In fact , he had on his football cleats and football pants with the pads . I told him that he was going to have to run down main street to the gas station and get a gas can . Fill the can with gas and bring it back to the car . Many kids his age would of said no . My son quickly said okay ! My daughter wanted to do it , but she was a girl and she did not run as fast as my son . She does not agree . I knew better . I hoped . I told my son to stay close to the grass , but don 't get in the grass . There might be snakes or any type of animal in that high grass . I told him to run fast , watch for cars and to not stop running until he gets to the gas station . OMG ! I kissed my son and let him out of the car . I wanted to cry , but once again , I had to be strong for my kids . I gave him $ 10 . It is all I had . I told him to tell the gas station attendee the problem . I would pay for the can when I reached the station . I am sure he would believe a little Kid . Right ? " I Love you Son ! " My daughter and I watched my son run toward the gas station . I kept thinking horrible thoughts . What if he got ran over by a car ? What if someone stopped and kidnapped my baby ? What if a animal got him ? What if … . OMG ! It seemed as if it took forever . I saw him reach the gas station . Sweet relief ! No ! Now he had to run back . I held my breath again as I thought the same horrible thoughts . He made it back . It was all God ! Thank you again Jesus ! My son put the gas in the car and I was able to make it to the gas station and eventually home . My kids and I talked about it all night . We laughed , but I wanted to cry . I told them we could never tell anyone . I always thought being a single parent that if I messed up , they would take my kids from me . This would be a good reason . Not really , but I was young . My kids never told anyone about that horrible adventure . In fact , this is the first time I told anyone . Later that night , I prayed and cried to the only one who knows my pain and what I have had to struggle through . He has brought me this far and will continue to bring me further . In the name of Jesus , Amen ! It is sooooooooooooo cold in Houston . You know us southern girls do not like cold weather . I know it is much colder in places like New York , but we feel like it is about that cold . I usually joke by saying it is the season for us big and beautiful girls . Men want someone they can snuggle up to and be warm . We are looking good right now ! LOL . I am doing a lot of research right now on foods and how they work on the body . My diet with the nutritionist is going ok , but it is getting boring . There are so many different ways out there , so if you know some good strategies , let me know . Also some good recipes . I have never been the chicken breast person unless it is very tender . It is a lifestyle change , but it does not have to be boring . Fit Foods that I talked about has some tasty foods , but they are too expensive . I will get the hang of it . I have know choice . It is my life . Today was a horrible day at the school that I work at because I saw a rat ! Yes , I said a rat ! Now , I know buildings can have rats , but I dont want to see it . The building I am in is only two years old and very clean , so I was not expecting it . I was standing in the hallway waiting on my class and I thought I saw something small coming down the hallway . My eyes could not believe it . I blinked and saw it was a small rat running down the hallway toward my way . It turned into the classroom across from me and went under the door . The thing they say about rats not having bones is true . It went under the smallest space . Yuck ! ! ! ! OMG ! I panicked and started knocking on doors . By this time all the kids were coming into the hallway . I was panicking and saying there is a rat . Here is the horrible part . Everyone was looking at me and laughing . What is wrong with you people ? We need to clear the school ! Call the exterminators ! Do something . ! Everyone was looking at me . I thought at least the girls would be scared along with me , but they were not . The class that the rat ran into , did not move . The teacher was upset , but the kids … NOTHING ! Did I dream it ? Did I lose my mind ? I started my class and put a student who sits near the door on Rat Watch ! I told them that Ms . Taylor will not be able to save them . If the rat comes in , get out of my way . I am a big girl and I will knock you over . LOL They laughed . The assistant principal came in and he was laughing . I said there is a rat ! " I know . We were watching you on camera and you are so entertaining . " WTH ? It is not funny and they better not show that tape at the next faculty meeting . Most of my students live across the street in some low income apartments . Apparently , they have seen rats . Apparently they have seen them at the school . I dont need to see them . I guess I will be looking for another job . LOL At the previous school that I worked at , they built a new school . Before they built the new school , we were in a old building that had been there for over thirty years . Talk about rats . They had rats big as cats . Yuck ! Some teachers would have to clean poop up every morning . Rats would fall though the ceiling if the tiles were missing and they would get caught in the AC and die . The smell was horrible ! Well , one day after school , some teachers and I were talking in another teachers room . There were about five of us . I noticed that one teacher had stopped talking and was staring across the room at the windows . I asked her what was wrong . She pointed at the windows . Ladies and gentleman , I saw the biggest rat I ever saw crossing the room on the windowsill . I grabbed my purse and started running toward the door . Here is the problem . Another teacher who was as big as me started running toward the door . When we got to the door , we both tried to go through it and became stuck . Oh my ! It was like one of those old three stooges movies . We tried to push through until we finally got loose . Both our big tails ran down the hall . You should of saw people moving out the way . It was like two eighteen wheelers speeding down the highway . Big people have a hard time running , but that day I was a track star . You know when I go back to work , I will probably walk down the hallway and into my classroom like I am in a scary movie . It is scary ! They never found the rat . One of the guys said it is probably hiding in the file cabinet until people leave . All I will say is if it comes anywhere near me or I open a file cabinet in my room and something jumps out , get the defibrillator or get the hell out my way because I am on my way to my car and I am going home ! ! ! ! I wonder how much I can get on unemployment ? LOL Trying to drink 8 glasses of water a day is a chore . Who knew ? I love water , but I am not that thirsty . With diabetes , you do get thirsty , but when everything is going right , you don 't fill as thirsty . My sugar readings have been good and dieting is helping , so I am not as thirsty . Today , I forced water down my throat . You would of swore it was medicine . I have to do it , so drink , drink , drink ! LOL Speaking of water . I love to take showers . They are refreshing and quick . However , sometimes it is good to soak in the tub . It is good , but not always the best for fat me . The first time , I realize soaking in the tub was a problem , was a few years ago when I gained more weight . I was getting into the tub and noticed , I could not sit down as easily as others . It is like trying to sit on the floor . It is a process . I could not slowly lower myself into the tub . I had to plop down into the tub . Good ! No ! Water is in the tub . When I plopped down , all the water shot up and out the side of the tub . OMG ! It was like the Brazos river running through my restroom . I had to laugh , but I had to clean it up . This is when I notice another problem , GETTING OUT OF THE TUB ! Of course , I cannot get up like most people by pulling myself straight up from the sitting position . I tried , but no luck . Instead , I had to turn over onto my hands and knees and then pull using the soap handle . Good ! Wrong ! Turning over made more water shoot out into the new Michelle River . Well at least I can get out now . WRONG ! I dont know what they use to attach the soap handle thingy , but apparently it is not strong enough to hold my beauty . Yes , it broke when I tried to lift up . Yes , I fell back into the tub , and yes more water went out into my The Michelle River . What a site ! LOL . By the time , I got out of the tub , I was standing in Lake Michelle . Horrible ! Now , when I want to soak in the tub , I put than a million towels . I run the water after I get in and let it out before I get out . HORRIBLE ! WHY IS FIT FOODS SO EXPENSIVE ? I do not understand why healthy food is so expensive . You are getting less , so the price should be less . The thing about Fit Foods is it is too portioned . Talk about being hungry . The crazy part is people are lined up to get the food and there are people that go weekly . Fit Foods will make you realize that cooking your own food is best . The sad part is busy people need a good healthy quick pick up food . However , Fit Foods is too expensive for regular folk . My daughter has become good at cooking healthy food , and portioning the food out into containers . Maybe she needs to start a business , whereas she fixes good healthy food for less . The average folk is where most of the obesity is running rapid . The people I saw in Fit Foods were a size 2 . LOL If you know where to get reasonable already made healthy food , let me know . This is a very recent story . I have sciatica that is brought on by my weight , therefore , I cannot walk a long way without my back hurting . If I walk and ignore the pain , I cannot walk at all , so when the pain comes on , I sit down for a few minutes and then I walk again . It does not affect me at the grocery store or on the treadmill because I am holding onto something that helps hold my weight . I try to know how far I must walk and wear the right shoes . Ugly shoes . ( Another good reason to lose weight . lol ) I know what to do now , but a few years ago , I would not go places that I had to walk or stand too long . People thought I was being lazy , but it was my back . Anyway , I needed to get some vitamins that my nutritionist recommended and the only store that had this certain brand was the Vitamin World . It is not any vitamin store . The closest Vitamin World to me is in First Colony Mall . You know my first reaction was , NOT THE MALL ! However , I was smart . I called Vitamin World and asked the guy which way is the best way to come in near the Vitamin Store . If I come in the right way , I will not have to walk much . The guy told me to come in between the two JC Penney 's . Ok ! Wrong ! When I got to the mall , I saw the two JC Penney 's . There was no way that I saw to go in between the two JC Penney 's from the outside . I saw where I could go in next to JC Penney and probably walk down a little bit . WRONG ! It looks different from the outside . Duh ! My silly tail went in through the food court . Bad idea for the fat and hungry . When you are trying to eat healthy , the food court is the wrong entrance to go trough . Why was there people standing with samples of food ? GOOD SMELLING FOOD ! I passed three guys with food samples . Good Michelle . No ! The fourth guy had tiny pieces of a Philly cheese steak sandwich . I had to taste it . OMG ! I think I tasted heaven . After eating healthy , low sodium , low everything food , this salty , fatty , tasty piece of good food melted in my mouth . I wanted to steal the tray , take off running and devour the entire tray . However , I cant run fast enough . LOL I kept walking . When I got to the end of the food court , I looked to the right and I saw JC Penney . Why was it a whole 90 blocks down the corridor ? I parked in the wrong spot . Too late . I was there and I was on a mission . Maybe it would not be so bad . WRONG ! It was like crossing Texas . When I arrived at the first JC Penney , I did not see Vitamin World . Of course it was near the other JC Penney . The other JC Penney was not next to the first JC Penney . It was miles away in my mind . MORE WALKING ! My back was killing me , but I made it to Vitamin World . I had to sit down first . There was a bench in front of the store . Unfortunately , there were two college looking girls sitting on it . I was in such pain , I decided to go stand by the bench . I am sure when they see me , they will be polite and get up . Wrong ! They sat there talking . I really needed them to move , so I started breathing hard and coughing . I said excuse me and tried to sit in the little space next to one of the girls . They looked at me and quickly moved . I know it was wrong , but I was in pain . LOL I sat for about five minutes . I went into the Vitamin World and found everything I needed . Now it was time to make that long walk across Texas back to my car . Usually , walking back is not so bad because I know where I am going . I thought I knew where I was going . After walking for a while , I did not see the food court . Where is it ? Did they move it ? Is this a cruel joke on fat people ? I saw the end of the mall . I dont remember what store it was , but there was no food court . I turned around and began walking back toward the JC Penney that I did not see . Was I in so much pain that I was delusional ? I saw a sign that said Food Court with an arrow . I think I turned wrong . I began walking the direction of the arrow . OMG ! No food court ! Where am I ? I had to sit and think this through . I sat down with a old man . He looked about 80 . We began talking about his grand kids , the mall , the weather . It was nice , but I realized time was passing and I did not know where I was . I said goodbye to the old man and continued my journey . By this time , I figured there was never a food court and I was in a dream . WAKE UP MICHELLE ! It was no dream . Finally , I asked one of the workers who was in the middle of the mall selling jewelry or something . She pointed to a little hallway that led to the restroom , but it also led to the food court . I was so excited . It was like the yellow brick road to OZ . I knew at the end of the road , I could go home . " There 's no place like home . " There 's no place like home . " I followed the hall and ended up at the end of the food court . I went out the door and got into my car . Sweet relief ! It is a shame . This was another great reason for me to lose weight . Plus , I felt like the 80 year old man . Although , he could walk better than I . I am on a mission to lose the weight and be able to walk the entire mall without sitting down . I will conquer the beast . LOL It is almost MLK Day . I think of the struggle that Martin Luther King Jr . and others went through to insure equal rights . I am grateful to all who put their lives on the line to ensure freedom for all . However there is much to do in many minority neighborhoods . One thing that is somewhat minor that I have a problem with is DOGS ! I love dogs , but I do not like stray dogs . For some reason many Hispanic and Black neighborhoods have stray dogs . It is as if , once people cannot take care of them , they let them go on the street . Horrible ! Some of the dogs are dangerous and for a fat person like me it is not good . I can run a little , but I cannot jump or climb or whatever it takes to get away from the dog . Maybe I need to have a march on not letting your dangerous dogs loose . " Say it Loud . Stop Stray Dogs ! " The funny story today is not about me , but my fat was part of the problem . My daughter plays the piano . She went to a school in elementary that had a focus on music . One of her classes was piano . In fifth grade , she had a difficult piece to learn , so I hired a private tutor to help . In fifth grade , my daughter was short and a bit chubby . She was not fat , but had a little more weight on her butt and thighs . The piano tutor was the aunt of a friend of mine and she lived in a neighborhood not to far from where we lived . The neighborhood was diverse , so I did not worry to much about dogs , but I am always on the lookout . After piano lessons , my son and I were sitting outside in the van . I drove a mini van back in those days . My daughter came out of the house , and that is when I saw it . A big white dog coming down the sidewalk . It was almost a block away , but it started running when it saw my daughter . We did not have much time . I told my daughter to run . She saw the dog and started running toward the car . My son began yelling run ! Here is where my fat comes in to being a problem . Most people would have opened the door and got out to help their child , but I knew it takes me forever to get out of the car and get in , so this would not help . The dog was coming and coming fast . I decided to roll the window down and have my daughter climb into my window and across me . There was no time for her to run around to the other side of the van . She threw her books in and started climbing in the window . She tried to go across me , but my fat and the steering wheel was in the way . She was stuck . Her feet and butt were dangling out the window . Her brother who was in fourth grade at the time , jumped in the front and tried to pull her through the window , but the dog was almost at the car . The only thing I could do is drive . I started the car and drove with my daughter 's legs dangling out the window . We drove down the street and around about two corners . I could see people pointing at us . I am sure it looked strange . We stopped and my daughter was able to scoot into the window and go over to the passenger seat . It was horrible . We looked at each other and started laughing . My poor child . However , my kids are use to me and my fat . It is a good thing , but also a pitiful thing . I thank my children for putting up with my silliness and my fat . For them and myself , I am working hard to lose this weight .