Writer #10

EARLY-ON NMW

The family went down to my mother-in-law' s condo in Florida. My husband had gone out golfing or somewhere and I was taking the two kids to the beach. Daughter was under 3 years old (didn't walk yet...toddled) and son was about 7. I packed everything ... toys, towels, sunscreen, food for them etc. and my w'd&m'd lunch ... thought ... great! I'll eat on the beach. The condo was about a 5 minute walk to the beach. E could walk next to me but I had to hold C...or, very patiently let her attempt to toddle. I was also wearing a tensor bandage on my ankle or something that affected my mobility ... so, if you can visualize, I was carrying an infant, with a kid next to me, beach stuff hanging off my shoulders and like, limping with a bum ankle...etc. etc. Got to the beach and set up. Everyone's happy...I pull out my lunch. I start eating and realized I left part of my protein back at the condo. Because I had started eating, I knew I only had the hour to work with ... didn't have cell phone to make the call. Was I pissed that I didn't have a stroller. And, I have to admit here, I did think about asking some stranger to "watch" my kids!!!! Somehow and with God-given grace, I managed to pack everything up ... hobble back to the condo with the two kids in tow ... and eat my lunch within the hour ... and REMAIN abstinent. 

EATING BEFORE MIDNIGHT NMW

I had left my dinner in the car when my husband and I went to a party. I chose to not eat at the party. We got to talking and it was getting late. I have fears of eating past midnight. We got on the highway to head home around 11:20 (the drive should've taken about 25 minutes) ... there was serious traffic ... thank goodness I had my meal in the car with me...I was able to eat and finish before midnight...phew! 

GIVING BIRTH NMW

I had prepared all of my meals for my hospital stay when I was having the twins. It felt great to be ready. And yet, you can never be ready for labour and delivery!! I didn't have a scheduled birth (all 3 kids were vaginal and then our son -- the last -- was a "C"section) so scheduling my meals around my eventual labour and then delivery was going to be tricky!! I was most concerned (okay, aside from everything else) about my MEALS ... I didn't want to have to give up ANY MEAL ... turned out I delivered around 7:00 at night ... had an emergency C-section and so basically missed dinner (for a CO missing a meal is ... well, you know ... serious business). The NEXT MORNING I was RAVISHING ... I probably was more emotionally hungry than anything else...but.. .gosh darn...I WANTED MY FOOD. Nobody told me that you can't eat after abdominal surgery if you don't pass gas!! The nurse on call had a VERY heavy accent ... she kept telling me "you must pass gas, you must pass wind" ... I had NO CLUE what she was talking about ... all I was thinking about was my BREAKFAST and that I wanted to EAT. When the doctor did rounds (9:00 a.m.!!! I had been up since 5:30) I ATTACKED him. I said, "look, I am hungry...all I want to eat is two X and one fruit" and he said "ok"... sigh ... I ate ... was so happy ... my stomach was happy ... and, my bowels were relieved ... eventually. 

DEALING WITH KIDS NMWs

You know it's funny ... or at least, it's a good thing ... I've never had my kids pick anything out of my meal (you know those stories where someone just helps themselves) ... I've also never had one of my kids "ask" me for something on my plate that was w'd and m'd (guess they know). I did have to eat "lighter" when the twins were newborns ... I had fear of not being able to finish a "heavier" meal (and having to go and attend to them). I've been camping and other places ... can't recall any serious mishaps ... I know that I will try to pick off debris and eat it if my food falls on the ground (nothing too gross).

MAKING A MISTAKE NMW

I was eating my w'd and m'd meal at, of all places, the cafeteria at the NYC round-up. I realized -- while I was MID meal -- that I was actually eating "two" lunches (I had prepared all of my meals for the weekend in advance and somehow brought two tupperwares when I only needed the one ... I got confused). I stopped, found someone I knew that could sort this one out. She told me what to do (I had to throw out the remainder of the meal) and ... I THANKFULLY was still abstinent. For me ... making the phone call, turning it over, is MUCH easier today than LIVING with the guilt-ridden thoughts of "what if" or whatever. I love NOT having to decide around my food.