Happy 4th of July!

Well, I'm spending mine at home. There are a few big fireworks shows around here, but none are worth the nuisance (IMHO) of trying to attend one by myself with both kids. Two would require taking public transportation (so much fun with the kids when it's crowded). The other one does have parking, and had I thought more about it beforehand, I probably could have gone to that one... but the other issue is the fact that none of the shows start until 9:30 pm or later. My daughter would be fine, but my son would not. The fact that he's only 3 and doesn't nap anymore, would make it nearly impossible for him to remain even remotely manageable, or stay awake, for that matter, that late. It would not be fun for anyone involved. So the kids went to bed at their usual time (8 pm) and I firmly planted my ass in front of the TV.

My husband's grandma passed earlier this week... although it is sad, it feels like a weight has been lifted off of everyone. Not only are we not on a 'death watch' any more, but she is not lingering and wasting away in a fashion that she never wanted. Hubby's grandpa was at the BBQ my in-laws had today for the 4th, and I could see a big difference in his demeanor. He's still a crotchety old fart (he's 94, it's allowed) but he seemed *happy*. For a long time, he had gotten so *mean*, I think because he was depressed (invalid wife, trapped at home all the time). He was mean to my kids, which I really hated, and they didn't like to be around him. Now, he's great with the kids, they can see now when he is just teasing them because it no longer has that overtone of meanness, and they enjoy visiting with him.

I've been reading 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' and really enjoying it. It has been very interesting to learn about the various aspects of industrial agriculture, conventional and organic. It's quite scary, in some aspects, and it's sad what we're doing to our planet and our bodies. I've found myself being drawn back to simpler foods- I've given up diet ice cream, fat free half & half, and fake butter, for the real thing. I'm learning that the more complicated and processed a food is, the more unknowns there are. There are just a lot of things in diet foods that my body doesn't need. What it needs is for me to stay within a certain calorie range, and eat a balanced diet. I don't think I should need to eat 'diet' foods to do that. Only the scale will tell if that works out in the real world, LOL.