You'd think as an editor slash writer, I could come up with headlines for my own blog. But I'll admit: I've always had trouble with headlines. Even professionally.
It was all I could think of, because this is going to sound like an excuse, but I'm not thinking of it that way. I skipped my workout last night. We had a 4pm art exhibit at school, an unexpected Tball practice, and my in laws arrived yesterday. Dinner was at 8 pm. Kids went to bed at 9.
I've decided "30 consecutive days" is just not practical for... well, for anyone really. But particularly not for me. So I had to skip last night. (I've only skipped twice during this thing, plus the 3 days I was sick.) I don't workout if it's past 9:00 before I can attempt to change clothes.
However, I'm still in the MINDSET of "30 consecutive days," which is a change for me. I'm planning to workout tonight as if I were still on-track. In all the times I've tried before, one slip has led to a complete fall off the wagon. It was, 'Oh, now I'll never finish... it's over. Might as well not even keep trying."
This time, I just change my mental day-counter and continue. So today becomes Day 20 and I'm still on my health kick. Or, I should clarify -- my fitness kick. Because the strawberry pie I made last week (even though it's pretty low in calories) isn't exactly helping my health. Still, a fitness kick is a good kick to be on. I'm happy about it.
Friday, April 30
Wednesday, April 28
Home
I'm working at home today. Oh, working at home, how I have missed you so!! I love sitting next to my kitchen window, with only the QUIET sounds of Napoleon snoring and my dryer finishing a load of whites -- nothing to disturb me! I'm writing an article about going green today, so I've got all the lights turned off, the blinds open, and the appliances unplugged. (Well, not ALL of them, but the ones I can unplug.) I get up every once in a while with purpose. To go swipe down a bathroom or let Puppy out -- not to idly walk to the restroom. I am getting a lot done without the stupid phone or inane chatter to interrupt me.
Home, hommmmmmmme! It's too bad we spend so little time here.
Speaking of home, one of my dumb insecurities was relieved last night during Book Club. I have been thinking a lot about my 1986 kitchen cabinets and ugly off-white Formica countertops. They embarrass me. So, while looking covetously at the hostess' beautiful granite, I came right out and asked, and guess what? Neither girl in attendance could recall what my cabinets look like. Nor have they ever thought, "el-e-e's kitchen is ugly." My longtime friend Melissa said, "You know what I notice about your house? The pictures of your kids. And the way it always smells good."
I tell myself these things, but it's so nice to hear them being spoken.
Home is where the heart is, it's true. And that's a serious cliche of a transition sentence, but I'm glad to be here today. One final reason: A florist delivery man just left my front doorstep. He dropped off a dozen roses from my Darling Husband, with whom I celebrate 9 years today. What a happy anniversary for me!
Home, hommmmmmmme! It's too bad we spend so little time here.
Speaking of home, one of my dumb insecurities was relieved last night during Book Club. I have been thinking a lot about my 1986 kitchen cabinets and ugly off-white Formica countertops. They embarrass me. So, while looking covetously at the hostess' beautiful granite, I came right out and asked, and guess what? Neither girl in attendance could recall what my cabinets look like. Nor have they ever thought, "el-e-e's kitchen is ugly." My longtime friend Melissa said, "You know what I notice about your house? The pictures of your kids. And the way it always smells good."
I tell myself these things, but it's so nice to hear them being spoken.
Home is where the heart is, it's true. And that's a serious cliche of a transition sentence, but I'm glad to be here today. One final reason: A florist delivery man just left my front doorstep. He dropped off a dozen roses from my Darling Husband, with whom I celebrate 9 years today. What a happy anniversary for me!
Wednesday, April 21
Gratitude check
--- Whew. That was rough. I didn't eat for 2 days. I supposedly lost 4.5 pounds. I am grateful that's over, and REALLY grateful that I have a husband who took care of me and handled the household while I was sick and useless!
--- I am still loving T-ball. Probably more than the T-ball player, himself, at this point. Last night's game, although it was at 7 pm (LET ME RESTATE: TOO LATE FOR 5-6 YR-OLDS!), was amazing. These kids have finally come together as a team, each one doing his or her part, playing with and FOR each other. They still fall over their feet sometimes, or play in the outfield dirt -- it's still Little League after all -- but they also score their first home runs. Not AJ, but his teammate MC, one of the older boys on the team who works really hard and LOVES baseball. SMACKED one over the fence. His Dad jumped up and down. Team Mom opened the dugout door and all the other kids ran to home plate to congratulate him as he came home. Big moment! It. Was. Awesome. I nearly cried for a kid who's not even my own! (Am nearly crying now, typing it up.) It's just enormously fun, watching kids grow up.
And P.S. opposing team coaches: Trash-talk is not cool at this age. Come On. DH tells me that the kid standing on the pitcher's mound (who wasn't pitching - this is coach-pitch baseball, and DH is our pitcher) was saying all kinds of rude things about each of our batters. "Oooh, bummer, a GIRL." when our pink-helmeted Caroline was up, and "Oh look, a 2-year old!" at AJ's turn. NOT COOL, coaches. There's no place for that crap in wholesome family t-ball. Rrrr. Mama Bear.
--- The weather. Finally spring. Last night it was 74 beautiful degrees for our game. Perfection.
--- Quiet week at work so I can be sick, and now in the last part of the week, accomplish some important lunchtime errands. Sigh..... errands. Oh well, grateful I have them.
--- I am still loving T-ball. Probably more than the T-ball player, himself, at this point. Last night's game, although it was at 7 pm (LET ME RESTATE: TOO LATE FOR 5-6 YR-OLDS!), was amazing. These kids have finally come together as a team, each one doing his or her part, playing with and FOR each other. They still fall over their feet sometimes, or play in the outfield dirt -- it's still Little League after all -- but they also score their first home runs. Not AJ, but his teammate MC, one of the older boys on the team who works really hard and LOVES baseball. SMACKED one over the fence. His Dad jumped up and down. Team Mom opened the dugout door and all the other kids ran to home plate to congratulate him as he came home. Big moment! It. Was. Awesome. I nearly cried for a kid who's not even my own! (Am nearly crying now, typing it up.) It's just enormously fun, watching kids grow up.
And P.S. opposing team coaches: Trash-talk is not cool at this age. Come On. DH tells me that the kid standing on the pitcher's mound (who wasn't pitching - this is coach-pitch baseball, and DH is our pitcher) was saying all kinds of rude things about each of our batters. "Oooh, bummer, a GIRL." when our pink-helmeted Caroline was up, and "Oh look, a 2-year old!" at AJ's turn. NOT COOL, coaches. There's no place for that crap in wholesome family t-ball. Rrrr. Mama Bear.
--- The weather. Finally spring. Last night it was 74 beautiful degrees for our game. Perfection.
--- Quiet week at work so I can be sick, and now in the last part of the week, accomplish some important lunchtime errands. Sigh..... errands. Oh well, grateful I have them.
Monday, April 19
Derailed
Of course. Of COURSE the one time I get really, really motivated and want to DO THIS THING to the nth degree, I get sick.
I did Day 12 yesterday, but that was right before I began throwing up etcetra (TMI, sorry), so no suprise, I didn't even finish it. And I'm unsure if I'll be able to do it tonight, either. I haven't been able to eat much of anything besides crackers and Ginger Ale and feeling generally weak.
Dammit. I was going to DO 30 days straight! Oh well. I'll be tacking 2 days on to the end, I guess. So now it's May 7 toward which we're counting down.
Bah.
I did Day 12 yesterday, but that was right before I began throwing up etcetra (TMI, sorry), so no suprise, I didn't even finish it. And I'm unsure if I'll be able to do it tonight, either. I haven't been able to eat much of anything besides crackers and Ginger Ale and feeling generally weak.
Dammit. I was going to DO 30 days straight! Oh well. I'll be tacking 2 days on to the end, I guess. So now it's May 7 toward which we're counting down.
Bah.
Thursday, April 15
The difficult things I do
Day 9 was hard last night. I didn't wanna. Luckily, the 20 minutes goes much faster the more you do this stinking workout, but I will admit last night I was whiny before getting started.
Not to worry -- I GOT R DONE. I hate Level 1.
At least yesterday's job task was out of the ordinary. I am planning a small "fashion" spread in our little women's wellness magazine, so I had to go shopping. (Had to.) I like a day where I'm not in the office, but am doing work. Especially one that involves the mall!
But it is difficult for me to spend money like that. And even though it's the company's money, which I kept telling myself -- you're spending someone else's money; shop like you're NOT YOU, pretend you're [my friend who's a good shopper]; don't worry, your budget is padded for this -- I still had to use my own credit card. Which DH had JUST paid off the night before. It hurt a little. Especially when USAA called my cell phone as I was driving back to the office -- to make sure all those charges weren't fraudulent. HA!! They're not used to me spending nearly $300 at a pop.
I did find an $80 Kenneth Cole blouse on major sale for $20 -- and an awesome pair of $80 shoes to match -- so guess what, I will be keeping those after the photoshoot. Heh. That's the upside of using my own credit card. I just won't turn that particular receipt in! (Hey, I HAD to try the shoes on, anyway. Shoe departments get particularly suspicious if you buy a pair without trying them on.)
Not to worry -- I GOT R DONE. I hate Level 1.
At least yesterday's job task was out of the ordinary. I am planning a small "fashion" spread in our little women's wellness magazine, so I had to go shopping. (Had to.) I like a day where I'm not in the office, but am doing work. Especially one that involves the mall!
But it is difficult for me to spend money like that. And even though it's the company's money, which I kept telling myself -- you're spending someone else's money; shop like you're NOT YOU, pretend you're [my friend who's a good shopper]; don't worry, your budget is padded for this -- I still had to use my own credit card. Which DH had JUST paid off the night before. It hurt a little. Especially when USAA called my cell phone as I was driving back to the office -- to make sure all those charges weren't fraudulent. HA!! They're not used to me spending nearly $300 at a pop.
I did find an $80 Kenneth Cole blouse on major sale for $20 -- and an awesome pair of $80 shoes to match -- so guess what, I will be keeping those after the photoshoot. Heh. That's the upside of using my own credit card. I just won't turn that particular receipt in! (Hey, I HAD to try the shoes on, anyway. Shoe departments get particularly suspicious if you buy a pair without trying them on.)
Wednesday, April 14
8 Days A Week
I have been keeping a secret from you. It's not a big deal, but it is, kinda. I haven't kept it from everyone, just this particular space. Guess I just haven't been ready to reflect on the whole situation yet. Sometimes if you think too much -- more than 140 characters, for instance -- you ruin it.
Here it is:
I've done Level 1 of the frickinfrakkin 30 Day Shred every day for 8 days. I swore to myself I wouldn't post anything about it here until I'd gotten through a full 8 days -- don't know why I picked that number, maybe because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out any longer than that.
EIGHT. DAAAYYYYYYYS, Y'ALL!!!!!! Maybe it doesn't sound like much to you, but me? Working out 8 days in a row without fail? Is a pretty significant accomplishment.
I've been doing it mostly at night, after the kids go to bed. It's not that hard to fit in Jillian's 20 minutes; I don't know why I thought it was, before. I still get to watch my weeknight shows (ahem, fall asleep on the couchevenduringthefinal6episodesofLOSTOMG!!) and get to bed by 11:00-ish. Last night I managed to make AJ's lunch and fold a load of laundry, as well. On Sunday, I did it in the morning, both kids underfoot, and guess what? They didn't care. AJ did it with me, actually. And then, since I wasn't doing it again until Monday night, I felt so grateful that I had "a long break." HA! My brain has been scrambled.
My endurance is improving. Those cardio butt-kicks? Easy-peasy. Although last night I tried to use larger hand weights (5 lbs each) and ... uh, no. I'll stick with 2.5 for now. Heh.
I'm pretty sick of Level 1, but determined to do it for TEN DAYS and then switch, because Level 2 is going to be such a welcome relief. I'm actually looking forward to feeling SORE on Day 12, after Level 2's inaugural run.
I'm hopeful that there will be visible results, but I also know to keep my expectations in check. I am counting calories too, but not being very strict about it. (Last night's jelly bean overdose as an example. These modern jelly beans from Starburst and Jolly Rancher, my goodness! So yummy! So soft!) My long-term plan is to FINISH this 30 days, to ACCOMPLISH a fitness goal for once in my life, and then rotate in more yoga and pilates. Maybe walking/jogging. Maybe even have a rest day. Mostly I want to be beach-ready. I have hated myself in my bathing suits the last 3 beach trips.
So, that's it. Health kick!
Here it is:
I've done Level 1 of the frickinfrakkin 30 Day Shred every day for 8 days. I swore to myself I wouldn't post anything about it here until I'd gotten through a full 8 days -- don't know why I picked that number, maybe because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out any longer than that.
EIGHT. DAAAYYYYYYYS, Y'ALL!!!!!! Maybe it doesn't sound like much to you, but me? Working out 8 days in a row without fail? Is a pretty significant accomplishment.
I've been doing it mostly at night, after the kids go to bed. It's not that hard to fit in Jillian's 20 minutes; I don't know why I thought it was, before. I still get to watch my weeknight shows (ahem, fall asleep on the couchevenduringthefinal6episodesofLOSTOMG!!) and get to bed by 11:00-ish. Last night I managed to make AJ's lunch and fold a load of laundry, as well. On Sunday, I did it in the morning, both kids underfoot, and guess what? They didn't care. AJ did it with me, actually. And then, since I wasn't doing it again until Monday night, I felt so grateful that I had "a long break." HA! My brain has been scrambled.
My endurance is improving. Those cardio butt-kicks? Easy-peasy. Although last night I tried to use larger hand weights (5 lbs each) and ... uh, no. I'll stick with 2.5 for now. Heh.
I'm pretty sick of Level 1, but determined to do it for TEN DAYS and then switch, because Level 2 is going to be such a welcome relief. I'm actually looking forward to feeling SORE on Day 12, after Level 2's inaugural run.
I'm hopeful that there will be visible results, but I also know to keep my expectations in check. I am counting calories too, but not being very strict about it. (Last night's jelly bean overdose as an example. These modern jelly beans from Starburst and Jolly Rancher, my goodness! So yummy! So soft!) My long-term plan is to FINISH this 30 days, to ACCOMPLISH a fitness goal for once in my life, and then rotate in more yoga and pilates. Maybe walking/jogging. Maybe even have a rest day. Mostly I want to be beach-ready. I have hated myself in my bathing suits the last 3 beach trips.
So, that's it. Health kick!
Monday, April 12
Tending
Something I notice is that when I see the lady who tends all the plants in our building, I feel a little jealous of her. She's quiet, unassuming, and walks around with her watering can and spray bottle, in a beige uniform shirt and work boots.
I used to get this same feeling when, on a weekday, I would see landscaping people in people's yards, or on the grounds of a corporate building. Especially if they were women. Tending little pansies and peonies in the middle of a Wednesday -- imagine! What a pleasant life that must be, I think.
The irony is that my Career Skill Set does not include plant-tending. I've killed many a houseplant and even some in the yard, accidentally, over the years. (I think it's because I don't have TIME to tend them properly, but you could argue it's a real-live black thumb.) I also don't do any of our yardwork at home; I leave it to DH. I babysit, he tends the garden.
Anyway, I think being a plant-tender/landscaping assistant would be a pleasant existence. "Touch the earth every day," is a simple living mantra I've liked. Maybe it's my farming roots calling to me.
What's something completely surprising that you think you'd enjoy?
I used to get this same feeling when, on a weekday, I would see landscaping people in people's yards, or on the grounds of a corporate building. Especially if they were women. Tending little pansies and peonies in the middle of a Wednesday -- imagine! What a pleasant life that must be, I think.
The irony is that my Career Skill Set does not include plant-tending. I've killed many a houseplant and even some in the yard, accidentally, over the years. (I think it's because I don't have TIME to tend them properly, but you could argue it's a real-live black thumb.) I also don't do any of our yardwork at home; I leave it to DH. I babysit, he tends the garden.
Anyway, I think being a plant-tender/landscaping assistant would be a pleasant existence. "Touch the earth every day," is a simple living mantra I've liked. Maybe it's my farming roots calling to me.
What's something completely surprising that you think you'd enjoy?
Thursday, April 8
Perfect Easter
For me, it was perfect.
We woke up early, AJ rushing downstairs to find the Bunny's treasures, and me whispering, "Wait! Wait for everyone!" behind him, as I watched the adults (Mom and Dad came up to stay with us) stumble into their pants and rub their eyes. Hee. The rest of us caught up and the kids marveled at all the CANDY. Admittedly, there wasn't as much as some years; the Bunny tried to restrain herself in light of all my Jamie Oliver talk. Pinwheels, a frisbee, a book or two, stickers, and Hex bugs rounded out their baskets.
But chocolate for breakfast is totally allowed on this one day of the year. (In fact, I was so lenient that KT ate chocolate all day. We'd find her trolling the plastic eggs looking for more treats, at various quiet times during the day. She used our busy kitchen duties to her full advantage and found a lot of times to sneak away.)
After that -- and seriously, no real breakfast -- we went back upstairs to get ready for 9:00 a.m. Mass. We did this last year, and pulled it off, so we thought we'd try it again. Easter miracles, indeed -- we made it with plenty of time to spare, no meltdowns, and found both parking and an empty pew into which no usher attempted to squeeze any more than the 6 of us. I was feeling guilty for the luxury of comfortable seating the whole time, but... eh. If the usher isn't aware that he could seat 2 more parishioners, Not Really My Problem. The kids were even well behaved.
We had two funny things happen during Mass. One was by our own kid. KT, at one point before Communion but after the readings I think, said aloud, "I weady to go home now." Clear as a bell. I don't think anyone heard her but the folks directly near us, but it had us giggling. And the second was during the Consecration. We had just sung, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!" when another baby on the other side of church shouted, "YAYYYY!" I mean, right in rhythm. The priest actually had to stop and calm his own giggles for that one. He smiled and said, "AY-MEN." It was awesome. Made the whole church happy.
I whispered to DH during Mass that I Wanted to Take Pictures afterwards, out in front under the cherry trees. Because he needs a preemptive warning, otherwise he'll rush off to the car toute de suite. I'm all for hanging around to see if there's anyone who wants to chat with us after we leave Mass (there never is) but he's OUT the door. Heh. It doesn't bother me (parking IS sort of difficult there) but think it's funny. Anyway, we took some pictures that, if I do say so myself, turned out beautifully. We found our cars and headed home where the front-yard egg hunt awaited.
Fast forward to the cooking. I had planned a simple but nice Easter dinner. Mom and I tottered around the kitchen from about 11:00 until we served at 3:30, but it was so nice. We were able to kind-of cook one thing at a time so it didn't feel rushed at all. AJ was oblivious, working on his new Word Search puzzle book. DH and my Dad did some work out in the yard, which I know tired them out. Maybe for them it wasn't exactly the Perfect, relaxing Easter Sunday, but still. (They were out of my kitchen, which was helpful. Thank you, dear hardworking men!) I was worried that since KT was so busy eating chocolate and hadn't napped, we'd have a meltdown right at serving time. Didn't happen. She managed just fine, ate lots of corn and ham, and didn't even break the Lenox plate I let her use. We ate:
Honey Baked Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Sweet and Sour Green Beans
Deviled Eggs
Dinner Rolls (from frozen, are you kidding?)
and Strawberry Shortcake for dessert. Dinner was slow, and conversation lively. I like that. I don't like when holiday dinners are over in fifteen minutes, all that work gone with barely enough time to acknowledge it.
We cleaned. Again, it was enjoyable, and comforting, to stand there with my Mom washing, me hand-drying, playing with my wedding pretties. :) I love that we went ahead and used the good china and silver. I was inspired by the simple minded suburbanite to attempt to create some kind of little legacy for my kids. I hope it worked. Afterwards, we sat down with a glass of something to drink (white wine for me, Dr. Pepper for Mom), and after I put KT to bed -- At 6:30 p.m., another miracle -- we could just reflect on what a lovely day it had been.
I just wanted to record all that. A Major Holiday so stress-free and easy is truly a treasure I want to remember.
We woke up early, AJ rushing downstairs to find the Bunny's treasures, and me whispering, "Wait! Wait for everyone!" behind him, as I watched the adults (Mom and Dad came up to stay with us) stumble into their pants and rub their eyes. Hee. The rest of us caught up and the kids marveled at all the CANDY. Admittedly, there wasn't as much as some years; the Bunny tried to restrain herself in light of all my Jamie Oliver talk. Pinwheels, a frisbee, a book or two, stickers, and Hex bugs rounded out their baskets.
But chocolate for breakfast is totally allowed on this one day of the year. (In fact, I was so lenient that KT ate chocolate all day. We'd find her trolling the plastic eggs looking for more treats, at various quiet times during the day. She used our busy kitchen duties to her full advantage and found a lot of times to sneak away.)
After that -- and seriously, no real breakfast -- we went back upstairs to get ready for 9:00 a.m. Mass. We did this last year, and pulled it off, so we thought we'd try it again. Easter miracles, indeed -- we made it with plenty of time to spare, no meltdowns, and found both parking and an empty pew into which no usher attempted to squeeze any more than the 6 of us. I was feeling guilty for the luxury of comfortable seating the whole time, but... eh. If the usher isn't aware that he could seat 2 more parishioners, Not Really My Problem. The kids were even well behaved.
We had two funny things happen during Mass. One was by our own kid. KT, at one point before Communion but after the readings I think, said aloud, "I weady to go home now." Clear as a bell. I don't think anyone heard her but the folks directly near us, but it had us giggling. And the second was during the Consecration. We had just sung, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!" when another baby on the other side of church shouted, "YAYYYY!" I mean, right in rhythm. The priest actually had to stop and calm his own giggles for that one. He smiled and said, "AY-MEN." It was awesome. Made the whole church happy.
I whispered to DH during Mass that I Wanted to Take Pictures afterwards, out in front under the cherry trees. Because he needs a preemptive warning, otherwise he'll rush off to the car toute de suite. I'm all for hanging around to see if there's anyone who wants to chat with us after we leave Mass (there never is) but he's OUT the door. Heh. It doesn't bother me (parking IS sort of difficult there) but think it's funny. Anyway, we took some pictures that, if I do say so myself, turned out beautifully. We found our cars and headed home where the front-yard egg hunt awaited.
Fast forward to the cooking. I had planned a simple but nice Easter dinner. Mom and I tottered around the kitchen from about 11:00 until we served at 3:30, but it was so nice. We were able to kind-of cook one thing at a time so it didn't feel rushed at all. AJ was oblivious, working on his new Word Search puzzle book. DH and my Dad did some work out in the yard, which I know tired them out. Maybe for them it wasn't exactly the Perfect, relaxing Easter Sunday, but still. (They were out of my kitchen, which was helpful. Thank you, dear hardworking men!) I was worried that since KT was so busy eating chocolate and hadn't napped, we'd have a meltdown right at serving time. Didn't happen. She managed just fine, ate lots of corn and ham, and didn't even break the Lenox plate I let her use. We ate:
Honey Baked Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
Sweet and Sour Green Beans
Deviled Eggs
Dinner Rolls (from frozen, are you kidding?)
and Strawberry Shortcake for dessert. Dinner was slow, and conversation lively. I like that. I don't like when holiday dinners are over in fifteen minutes, all that work gone with barely enough time to acknowledge it.
We cleaned. Again, it was enjoyable, and comforting, to stand there with my Mom washing, me hand-drying, playing with my wedding pretties. :) I love that we went ahead and used the good china and silver. I was inspired by the simple minded suburbanite to attempt to create some kind of little legacy for my kids. I hope it worked. Afterwards, we sat down with a glass of something to drink (white wine for me, Dr. Pepper for Mom), and after I put KT to bed -- At 6:30 p.m., another miracle -- we could just reflect on what a lovely day it had been.
I just wanted to record all that. A Major Holiday so stress-free and easy is truly a treasure I want to remember.
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