Momedy Sketch

Surviving 'til Spring

This is the hardest time of Winter because the end is kinda, sorta in sight. It's like the last hour of a 12 hour trip. It feels longer then all the other hours combined. Pretty much everyone I know is done, done, done with Winter and ready for Spring. Sadly... Spring is not ready for them.

Over lo these many years of living in Ohio when my body was made to live in South Africa, I have gathered a collection of " homestretch to Spring" survival tips, and I now I share them with you my freezing friends, my chilly comrades, my brrring buddies..

1. Fresh Flowers

I resolved here that I would treat myself to a constant supply of fresh flowers, and I have been true to my word so far. They really have taken the edge off Winter. To see something fresh and living, not to mention beautiful and vibrant. has such a profound effect on my mood. Here are some tulips I have been enjoying this week. Cheapest therapy around.

2.Aromatherapy

I got a Bath and Body Works Optimism "scent-port" for my birthday. And it really does lift my mood every time I go into my bathroom. Even when I find wet towels on the floor and the seat up.

3. Buy yourself a little something pretty.

Are you sooo super sick of your jeans and over you long sleeved shirts and increasingly pilly sweaters? But putting off buying anything new because "spring is just around the corner" and you want to splurge then? Hey guess what! Winter will be back again next year! And you can enjoy what you buy now (on clearance) then as well as now. I know! Whoduthunk!? Buy something in a bright springy colour. Like a pink coat. Or some pretty little earrings. There is lot of Springy yet warm stuff out there look...ohhhh..prettttty..

Spring fling - by KirstyS on Polyvore.com

Declutter
Who says spring cleaning has to wait til Spring? Nothing feels more
Springy then purging some of the winter clutter, and creating a fresh unfettered space. Pick a small room (like a guest bathroom) to re-decorate. Paint it a fresh, light or bright new colour. It really does not take much time at all. What they say is true, a fresh coat of paint is the biggest bang for the buck ever. My easiest Winter was the one I spent painting and redecorating our house just after we bought it. I was thoroughly distracted and thrilled by the emergence of my home.

4. Focus on the Winter wonder

Yeah I know, WHATevah. The whole winter wonderland thing wore off for most of us by December 26th -latest. I know, I know. But it struck me the other day as I lowered myself into the nirvana of a hot bubble bath after a day of being chilled to the bone, that this is a luxury that just is not quite the same in the summer.

What else will I miss about the winter?

Laid-back Saturday mornings. No soccer, no sense of urgency to get up early to work in the garden or go for a run, or whatever.. not every Saturday morning is relaxed in the winter of course, but there are none of them in the Spring.
Good TV!
Hot chocolate (although I'm missing that already due to my new sugar policy...)
Soups and stews. Easy to make, yummy, and cozy
No swimsuits!

Of course as you know, my scientifically proven, fail-safe winter survival kit includes my magical and magnificent SAD light box and regular exercise.
If the other things make life nicer, these make life possible in the winter.

So go out there and embrace, or at least shake hands, with the home-stretch. Hang in there peeps! We'll stick this thing out with style.

Pain

It never fails..
I get super motivated, raring to go, ready to whip my house back into shape after an extended period of semi-chaos and grubbiness, I make my list, I check it twice, I can't wait to make everything nice..
And then I wake up sick.

Gah! It is so frustrating!
Actually I woke up sick on Saturday morning after a rough night, felt like death but decided to go to the gym since that often makes one feel better, it did almost right away! I worked out like fury for an hour, felt miraculously recovered, on the drive home realized that was a big mistake. Spent most of the rest of the day in bed, decided I would definitely be skipping church the next day to recoup. Had another dreadful night. Woke up with every intention to skip church. Except...for some reason I suddenly I did not feel sick enough to do that in good conscience. Figures. By the time I came to terms with that, it was 10 minutes til church started and I was in my PJ's. I tossed on some clothes and we got there a few minutes late. Sat down in the pew...

Started feeling awful. But of course. But hey, I was there so may as well see it through...

Got through church, came home. No rest for the wicked! Time to go visiting teaching! (So ironic, it's not like this is a common occurrence.) Wanting to die!

Get home, back to bed for most of the day ...yet another bad night. Wake up today, hoping, hoping, hoping that I would feel good. All sorts of big plans..spirit soooo willing... oh no....flesh so weak.

Find myself at 10am lying on couch dozing- in the sun (!) -while Finny cuddles up to me, watching Dumbo. It's not all bad.

I did eventually have to resurrect enough to be a taxi driver and go and do a massive, massive grocery shop. Why is it that when you really do not feel like shopping, you are out of everything? Plus I had to shop for a big church function. And it was then that I came to understand old people just a bit better. As I pushed my trolley around the shop I just wanted to get the job done and get out of there already. I'm sure I had a grim expression due to a burgeoning migraine, smiling at people was actually painful, I had no patience for those lolly-gagging in the cereal aisle, let's just keep this train moving people!

This is why so many old people are mean and cranky. I'm sure of it. They are in pain and tired. Pain really does make the simple niceties of life a supreme effort. I was reminded of two things today:

Get out of old people's way, and don't feel hurt or irritated when they do not return your polite smile. It's not personal.
Take care of your body as best as you can, while you can. Health is a precious gift which should not be taken for granted.

Actually it taught me three things,

People who handle pain with grace and patience are truly remarkable and they have my extreme admiration.

If you aren't feeling well in mind body or spirit, these are for you. I hope you will be feeling better soon.

(courtesy FTD)

Just so you know...

Isn't it funny that the absolute worst thing you can say to a woman with PMS is that she has PMS? Especially if you are of the male gender-(that's one for you boyz-no charge.)

When I saw this I had to laugh. I vividly remember doing that to a boy in high-school when I may have been a tad irritable, and he chanted "gimme a P! gimme an M! gimme an S!". Except since I have opposable thumbs, but am unable to roar with any great force, I grabbed his lapels and pinned him to the wall despite the fact that he was considerably heavier and taller then I. (PMS=Super human strength when angered), and told him in dangerously quiet tones to never ever say that to me again. He looked exactly like that there unfortunate lion. It is a pretty satisfying memory.

My magical Mary Poppins bag

My friend Aunt Lolo was inspecting the contents of her purse (or as we say in my language-hand-bag, since a purse is the little thing that holds money), the other day which prompted me to share the wonders of mine.

I usually carry a small and compact Kate Spade (knock-off) bag, which my sweet sister Shona bought for me as we emerged from the theater in New York City. The guy selling them was acting stressed and we naively asked if what he was doing was illegal. He laughed, "of course not". Umm...yeah. But we sinned in ignorance so there ya go. I think my sister paid about $60 for two of them, so I'm fairly certain it is not an original as the not engaged in criminal activity man claimed. But I have had Kate Spade oficianados say they could not tell the difference so there ya go again.

I love this bag because it goes with most of my wardrobe. It has a pink stripe in there, it has a red stripe so we're good to go. I like the structure, it stands up straight and ready to serve.

But the most marvelous thing about this bag is how much you can fit in it. It's pretty amazing. When I turned out my bag to report everything in it, even I was astounded. It really was like that scene in Mary Poppins when things just keep coming out of it

Let's take a peek inside, shall we?
Brace yourself now..

As I made an inventory I broke things it down into related groups:

Grooming:
1 small hairbrush
3 small bottles of perfume
2 lipsticks
emery board (not photographed)
package of blotting paper (not photographed)
Tube of hand-cream
Contact lens drops
Mirror

Dental care:
1 box of floss
2 toothpicks
1 package of gum
1 mint
I tin of tiny mints in a tiny-mint tin my sister brought from Australia
1 coupon for mouthwash
2 dental reminder cards (for my kids)
There was a whole lot of dentist going on in there. I am obsessed with not having stuff stuck in my teeth which explains most of it.

Random paper things

1 invitation to a friend's trombone recital (which was amazing)
2 thank you cards to give to people when I see them.
1 receipt to submit for something I bought for church.
Coupons for toilet paper. Nice!
Pass-along card
My business card (with an outdated phone number! Excellent!)
And of course, a pen

Mom stuff:

1 horse for when Finny accompanied me to lunch with a friend (there were 3 matchbox cars and a sheep in there too which he re-claimed)

Money stuff
super cool license/credit card/coin holder thingie which Julie gave me, you can attach your keys too, for those occasions when you do not wish to carry your magical handbag
Dollars and change 'cos there's a money pouch in my magical handbag too! Wow! (I also discovered during this exercise that my license expired on my birthday). Awesome.

Keys
1 big set for church (with a big beaded key-chain in the shape of a K)
1 big set for my car and home (with a big beaded key chain in the shape of a goldfish) AND Leatherman.

Oh and don't forget the CELL PHONE (no photo of that but fits in there too, snug as a bug.

That be a lot of stuff peeps. But the bag wasn't bulging, it never feels heavy either. It is a marvelous bag indeed.

Sooo what it's in your bag?

AMAZING Giveaway! Lots of sleep and no more crying!

I go back and forth on this as hormones dictate, but right now I have to admit to being so delighted to be baby free. Don't get me wrong, I think yours are completely delicious, and I want to eat them. I just don't want one of my own anymore. Every day I am gaining in freedom and sanity, and enjoying the independence of my kids and the new things we can do together as a family at this stage.

But perhaps the main thing which makes me think I am over the baby stage for real, is remembering the sleep issues. They were profound in my house. I could never let my babies cry. Consequently I spent about 9 straight years being incredibly sleep deprived. I needed sleep, my husband needed sleep, my babies needed sleep and everyone around us needed us all to sleep because we were getting more crazy and weird every day. (I used to be quite normal). But I could not figure out how to get them to sleep without letting them cry, and I was just not wired to be able to tolerate the sound of my baby's wails. Oh how I wish I'd had access to these books during those very tired years.

By mentioning them here, I may have the opportunity to give one of my readers an autographed set of these books by bestselling author Elizabeth Pantley who wrote the famous "No-cry Sleep solution". If you win, your prize will include an autographed copy of all of the following books:

The No-Cry Nap Solution *NEW*

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers

The No-Cry Potty Training Solution

The No-Cry Discipline Solution

Intriguing...

There's a spot left for a free gift here. You have to be one of the first 3 to comment, and link on your blog. I'm a sucker for a surprise, and Kallie, just wanted you to know you have not been forgotten, I am working on it ;)

Steel Cut Oat Delight

I am surprised it took me as long as it did to try these because I love crunchy, heavy grainy things. I am also obsessed with oatmeal. So it makes sense that this is something I would adore, but my need for ease in all culinary matters overrode all other consideration. It took running out of my mushy quick oats to finally break into the package I had bought on sale. And now I am in love, let me count the ways:

Well then...

It feels like so much more of a substantial meal as there is chewing involved and it just is more filling and heavy for me. It takes longer to eat which is a very good thing for a scarfer like me.
I stay fuller longer. This may be my imagination, since my research suggests that they aren't really that nutritionally superior to rolled oats but maybe it is because it feels more substantial going down. I can't imagine that they would not have more fiber though.
It has the crunch of cold cereal with the warm comfort of oatmeal minus the sugar and other junk of cold cereal
With just a drop or two of honey, strawberries and blackberries or blueberries it is a magnificent breakfast. I like the berries to stay above board, I don't like them getting all mushed in with the milk and the steel cut oats holds them up there much better. (I realize this may be a bizarre quirk unique to me, but maybe I have a fellow weirdo out there)
And it really does not take that long or much effort to make. You just toss a 1/3 of a cup in with one cup of water, get it boiling and then let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Just enough time to unload the dishwasher, reload it, put on some laundry, make a cup of tea and get the berries ready... and then..yum. For those crock-pot lovers, you can have them ready to go in the morning if you think ahead the night before.

Try it, you'll like it. Your kids might too.

Purge

Along with the sugar thang I am purging clothing. Holy moly people! You would not believe the way the clothing mates in my boys' bedroom. It's quite obscene! The scene in there this morning was X-rated. I even took photos, although I'm fairly certain CPS would take my children away if they saw them, so I shall keep them to myself, for the sole purpose of inflicting guilt upon my offspring when the job is finally done." Look children! Look! Once AGAIN I took your room from THIS *flash photo of lavishly cluttered extravagantly wrecked room,* to THIS" *throw open arms to reveal magnificently organized and beautifully serene room* [cue angelic choirs]

ANDNOWFORTHELOVEOFEVERYTHINGGOOD
ANDHOLY
ANDYOUROWNSAFETY
KEEPITTHATWAY!!

Here's the thing peeps. We have too much stuff. We do, we do. Particularly when the average gerbil cage exceeds the space we have to put stuff. You think I kid? I do not.

I'm not fond of buying things, spending money causes me anxiety, I do not relate to retail therapy. I feel the need for therapy after I visit a retail establishment. I don't buy my kids toys unless it is their birthday or Christmas. They are not inappropriately spoiled by relatives. I only buy clothing for them when I feel that there is a glaring need. Or when I see a glaring knee. Through a hole in their pants. (Such holes occur more and more frequently as my boys grow and with them their penchant for throwing themselves around on their knees, it's really frustrating, all these impeccable new jeans trashed only at the knee, and no, I do not mend these holes, even if I was domestically inclined, that would be considered incredibly nerdy and not OK by my too-cool for school boyz in the hood. )

But still, all these things considered...STILL! We have way, way WaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAYYYYY too much. Mostly thanks to generous benefactors of hand me downs. This is the problem with the spending anxiety/limited discretionary income. When someone gives you something for free, you clutch it to your bosom and weep copious grateful tears of joy and gladness, even if that something is a slightly stained t-shirt from Puerto Vallarto. And before you know it, you are literally drowning in someone else's vacation t-shirts and team issued t-shirts, and huge numbers of jeans which will never in this lifetime fit your skinny child in his waist before they become too short. I thought I had mostly overcome my hoarding complex but it would appear not.

Let me tell you something else. No matter how brilliant and diligent you are at organizing stuff. (Which I'm not), but even if you are if you want your kids to keep something organized you simply cannot have too much stuff. Kids can only keep a very limited amount of stuff organized. Apparently that would be in the range of 10 things or less.

About a year ago I stripped that boys' bedroom of all toys save select stuffed animals. (Which then grew to a full menagerie of Webkinz -talk about a mating problem, but that is another rant for another day). I was certain at this time that I would have no trouble walking into an immaculate room every single day. I mean how much mess can three boys make with just clothing. Oh my dear gentle reader, you just don't even want to know. Because that would be A Lot.

I have been threatening to pare down their wardrobe to just 7 outfits per season and some church clothing for a long time now. Today I came so much closer to that goal. We tossed everything that was a bit stained, a bit nerdy, a bit big, a bit small, or a bit what IS that anyway? We had another pile of knee-less pants. That pile was enormous. Lest you think it has been years since I last did this, let me assure you, it has been months. And not very many of them. I'm telling you true, the clothing mates like my frustrated bunny wishes she could.

And then there was the tres delightful pile of dirty clothing that was shoved back into the drawers. (Apparently the only time they can manage to gt their laundry into the drawers is when it is filthy). That batch filled my amazingly empty hamper (just as I thought I was caught up with the laundry).

So all day I sorted and tossed (and sniffed and gagged). We tried on clothes, marveled that Finny's legs have apparently grown 3 inches in three weeks, folded, stacked, re-folded, re-stacked, purged some more...

And now they are in bed. And still their room is not tidy. There is yet work more to do there. I feel deeply unfulfilled.

I'm thinking about the naked tribes-people again and feeling a pang of yearning and envy. And not just for the cellulite-free fat. Imagine not doing any laundry related task ever again.

Why is it that we think we are such an evolved society? We are absolutely enslaved by fabric.

Eschewing Sugar. It's time to Just Say No.

Peeps, I am exhausted. EXhausted I say. I have been uncharacteristically exhausted for the last week. I was wondering why this might be and I think I have the answer. Sugar. Sugar. Sugar. We lurch from one sugar laden holiday to the next in this society. It is catching up with me.

My body cannot process sugar well. It gives me the shakes, it gives me terrible stomach woes, it makes me irritable, it exhausts me. Yet I continue to shovel it in. Now considering sugar is prevalent even when you aren't aware of it, shoveling massive quantities of it into your maw on a daily basis, knowingly is very self-destructive behaviour.

I believe going cold turkey off obvious sugar is the way it's going to have to be for me. No more chocolate, candy, cakes, pies and various yummies. NO MORE I SAY. (Are you reading this Aaron??!!! Do not tempt me, boy!!!!)

I find it interesting to note that when I finally lost my accumulated four baby weight a few years ago, it was at just this time of year (to the day really) that the process began. I suddenly resolved that the sugar must go and the rest would follow. (There must be something about Valentine's Day that just finally puts me over the edge). From that day forth, I got very serious about consuming no sugar and sure enough, the rest did follow. (Now don't get me wrong-it took a psychotic determination, great deprivation and huge amounts of exercise along with the no sugar to lose 40 or so lbs in 3 or so months-and I do not recommend my methodology,) but eschewing sugar was definitely the first step and I think it gave me the energy to pursue the psychotic level of exercise and contributed to considerably less cravings in general.

Last night I was watching this thing on the travel channel, ( it was some tribe going about their business in some remote area of the world where it is apparently sexy to put a huge chunk of wood through your lower lip and chin), and what struck me was that the adult members I saw of the tribe were very rotund. They were fat. And they had multiple rolls everywhere (I know this as they were naked). I am perplexed as to how they could be fat since the documentary was pointing out what an enormous amount of work went into creating a small amount of something edible from some really un-fatty looking root thing. Their kids were scrawny though. Maybe they eat the fatter kids. Interesting. ANYWAY, I paid close and careful attention to the roly poly matriarch's thighs and buttock area and noted NO CELLULITE. I have a very non-scientifically supported theory that the hideously ugly CELLULITE comes from processed food and sugar. This woman was fat, but the fat was smooth and uncomplicated. That kind of fat is easy to lose and even when it is around, infinitely less objectionable then the *gag*, *puke* pockets of cellulite.

Did you know that sugar also wreaks havoc on the immune system? My other highly non-scientific theory is that the reason kids get super sick en masse around the beginning of November, is not just because the weather gets cold and they are locked up back in school with other snotty kids. It is because around the end of October they started glutting themselves on all that Halloween candy! And don't forget all the crap that comes with the multiple Halloween parties for a full week or more preceding that spooky night. So the immunity they would have to ward off the other kids' germs gets destroyed at just the time that everyone starts huddling together. It the Perfect Germ Storm. I'm telling you, I'm right. Watch for yourself this October/November. It is scientifically proven though, that sugar drastically suppresses immunity.

So anyway I'm thinking that for the sake of not feeling like a 98 year old woman at the age of 33, I am going to have to say goodbye to the sugar. There are about a thousand other compelling reasons to do so (or at least 124). Now don't overestimate my commitment here. I am not going to get completely crazy about it ferreting out every gram of sugar in every piece of fruit and so forth, but no more overt sugar consumption at least until I am feeling more like myself. Hopefully at that stage I will have lost all desire to self destruct in this way again.

Anyone wish to join me with my quest?

PS: This does not mean I endorse fake forms of sugar. Splenda, Sweet 'n Low and such freak me out big time. Aspartame is straight up poison, so if you are kidding yourself that you are doing something good by drinking the diet soda, let me assure you that you are not. To the contrary. Go with the real sugar or nothing at all. The fake stuff is freaky deaky. Trust me. I am not a Dr. but I watch them on TV all the time.

PPS: My husband just walked through the door with the shipment of Girls Scout cookies. Out! Out! Damned Thin Mint!

Clueless

Every hour of every day I'm learning more, the more I learn the less I know about before.

I quoted these immortal words to the young women I teach today. They seemed nonplussed. They have never heard of UB40. How sad and wrong is that? Additionally, I don't think they have any idea what it must feel like not to know anything, since when you are their age you are pretty confident that you know almost everything. Well at least I was.

The older I get though, the more I realize how very little I know about pretty much anything. So much for getting wiser with age! I thought that was deal, you know...it came as a consolation prize along with the wrinkles and declining tolerance for junk food? (Make no mistake, the spirit remains willing but the flesh rebels)

Could it be perhaps, that realizing how unwise you really are is in itself a sign of wisdom? Gosh, I hope so. The alternative, taking Occam's Razor into account, is that I am in fact, a moron.

Homer Simpson-Moron

Homer-Ancient Greek Poet(The Iliad and the Odyssey) Not so much a moron.

Scenes from V-day

In no logical order...

We had a lovely V-day dinner. We deviated from our tradition of spaghetti and meatballs and went with salmon instead. Aaron and I went out last night for sushi. It's been a deliciously fishy weekend.

I walked into the kitchen this morning to discover a change. One crappy mixer had made room for one beautiful not-crappy mixer. Who says women aren't happy with household appliances for Valentine's day? I hugged it and kissed it. Oh yes I did. I am not ashamed. I am a real woman today.

Benj and Gabe came up with the idea of Wii Valentine boxes....see? Complete with Mii's (that part was my idea. Aren't we all rather brilliant? Yes I think so too. )

Gabe's Wii and Mii and Finny's mouth full of sugar. He decorated his bag at school so no Wii/Mii but cute no?

I heart Gracie's mail-box. The glittery paper made me very happy. I stroked it quite a bit. Look, it even has a pretty Gracie stamp on it. I may have taken over a tad. I wish it was my box.

Gracie is so thoughtful, this was found in Thumper's cage this morning

I got an expensive appliance. Aaron got chocolates and a card. But the card was kissed repeatedly, which makes it a completely fair exchange.
We had festive pancakes this morning and berry smoothies (which were appropriately pink). Finally found a use for that cookie press. No fear, the pancakes were less anaemic then they appear here.

My mom used to tell me that red and pink should never be put together but.... see how pretty? I think my mom was wrong, wouldn't you agree mom? I made those cupcakes using a crappy mixer. Never again. Never, I say.

A fun and mostly loving day was had by all. I hope you had a very happy love day too!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

How Do I Love Thee?

Last week a friend of mine asked me for some ideas of what to do for his wife for Valentine's day.
I remembered an article I wrote for iVillage.com years ago when my kids were quite a bit younger.

Since he is in that stage of life now I referred him to it, but when I think about it, it's just as applicable to me now as it ever was. Here is a Valentine Primer to print out and casually leave in a prominent spot for your loved ones to read.

Getting what you really want...

So I don't know if I mentioned that I had me a little birthday last week. No? Well I did :)

And it was fabu as I may have mentioned. Having the day dedicated to making the world a better place and so many people sacrificing time, comfort and effort to do just that, is a gift that can't be beat. However to make the day even more extra special I got a couple of lovely gifts from my husband and kids. They were things I really wanted but could not justify getting for myself. My husband loves to get me gifts and he generally does very well on his own, but sometimes he spends way more then he needs to or expends too much stress on the search when really, a bottle of bubble b ath is all I am craving.

But don't you find that when you are pressed to come up with something you would like as a gift you can think of absolutely nothing? Isn't it frustrating? Like when you have money to spend and an event to go to and you can't find a single appealing outfit but when you're broke and have no reason to buy a beautiful dress, there are beautiful dresses everywhere? Life tends to be that way. A couple of days before my birthday, my husband was whining that he had no idea what to get me, while I was surfing the net finding great sales here and there and everywhere of things I really fancied but wouldn't consider buying myself. When suddenly the obvious solution struck me. Ya think?

So here's a big idea. Go to your Bookmarks, open a new folder. Call it Wish List and every time you come across something you really love but would never buy for yourself bookmark it. Inform your signifcant other of this file. Invite them to feel free to peruse this file at any time. They may not get exactly what is in there but they can sure get a feel for what you'd like and it saves you from the "I can't think of a thing even though I know there are so many things I covet and I will regret this in about a week.." syndrome.

Valentine's day is coming. You might want to open that file.

Splish splash I was making a dash....

It is a gloriously warm today. They say it will be 60 degrees. For people who give thanks for anything above freezing during this month, it is practically warm enough to be declared a state holiday.

As I drove to the gym this morning, joyfully splashing through the puddles of melted snow, I relished the SWOOOOOOOOSH each time.

About ten delicious Swooshes into our trip, an exasperated little voice pipes up from the back-seat.

"Learn to drive already!"

"Huh?" I turn down the radio, "learn to drive? Who? Me?"

"Yes" the little voice curtly replies

*suppressing the laughter bubbling in the top of my chest* "Um..why would you say that?"

"You keep scraping the car along the sidewalk mommy, and it's not good for it!"

All this time, all these years of indulging in the grown up version of puddle jumping, thinking I was giving my little passengers such a fun treat, and all the while they are biting their tongues, thinking, "dude...my mom is a moron".

until that fateful day when a brave four year old male passenger could take the abuse of the family vehicle no longer...

(It would of course be one of the male variety defending the vehicle and casting aspersions on my driving abilities. I'm just saying.)

The unsucky birthday report....

As I mentioned below my birthday was lovely. I knew it would be when I started reading your resolutions and it just kept getting better!

I awoke at around 4:30am to the sound of my husband rustling around. He was placing my presents next to my bed, before he left for work. This also woke Finny who came sleepily into my room, enthusiastically wished me, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!" kissed me and fell asleep cuddled up at my side.

I was later treated to a gourmet breakfast in bed. You can see the lovely milk jug there as they sing Happy Birthday It was accompanied by a small serving bowl filled to the brim with cereal. A delicately presented culinary delight. And presents! A whole slew of Bath and Body Works to indulge the senses (hooray for that awesome sale :) and a lovely willow tree ornament picked out by the kids. The sign behind their heads is one Gracie had put up to decorate my room (see the bows? she tied them herself) it says, "33 areddy! OLD! (No effents!)" It was accompanied by a pefect picture of a penguin. Which was appropriate. Because nothing says "hey no ofents but you're old!" like a penguin. Am I right?

Then it was off to the gym where I had planned to shuffle a 5k (which on the indoor track is 24 laps). However I was so energized (and distracted) by thinking about what so many of you would be up to that day, that I decided I would go for 33 laps instead in honour of my advanced age and feeling the urge to do something a bit out of my current comfort zone. (By lap 30 I was deeply grateful that I was not turning 44, or 66)... but I did end up running 34 laps (you have to add a lap for the cool down ;). It's been a while since I pushed myself much beyond 3 miles so it felt somewhat triumphant.

Upon my return home I decided to indulge in a bubble bath. One of my gifts was a bubble bath called Optimism. It felt fitting for my mood and as I soaked in the bouncy bubbles, I decided it would be my theme for the year. (A friend later brought over a whole gift package of Optimism products (including a cool water bottle with the "my glass is half full" reminder on the side) so I took it as confirmation that this was to be the theme for me and 33.

Finny decided that I looked like I was having a good time and begged to have a bubble bath after I was done. I cringed a little as I sacrificed my precious "optimism" for his bathing pleasure. But a moment later he sat up from his basking and said, "Mommy? " "Mmmm??" I replied vaguely wondering what toy I was going to be asked to track down to join him in the suds.

" This is so nice. Thank you so much. I love you"

This is a boy who is very loving and demonstrative and frequently exclaims at the exquisite agony of loving me so much "I just can't handle it anymore mommy! I love you SOOOOO much, I just can't stop!" but this quiet, genuine and grown up moment was one I will never forget.

My toes got their first (very quick) pedicure in as long as I can remember and are now festively polished in Valentine red. I feel pampered every time I see them. Speaking of red, just before I dropped Finny off at school I remembered it was National Wear Red day. As I scanned the room for something red and warm to throw on, the UPS guy ran up to the door. I grabbed the package, ripped it open and found a perfect little red pea-coat inside. It was SO cute! I put it on, it fit perfectly. I ripped off the tags and ran out the door feeling on top of the world. It was only half way to Finny's school when it occurred to me that I should maybe have checked the address on the box since I might be wearing the coat of the girl a few doors down. Oh! And when I got into the car my favourite song was playing on the radio. That's a good omen you know.

After dropping Finny off at preschool I realized I had enough time to treat myself to lunch and so I went to the local bakery and supported a wonderful local business (how selfless and philanthropic am I?) I sacrificed myself with spiced Indian carrot soup (divine) a gourmet grilled cheese (unbelievable) and belgian chocolate mint tea (sublime). I sat in a sunny window, read the paper, chatted to Aaron on the phone (the coat happily, was meant for me) and felt altogether spoiled.

It was then onto the kids' school where I volunteered at the library for a couple of hours. When I got home, Aaron was there feverishly cleaning up. I had been girding up my loins to walk in and clean out Thumper's less then fragrant habitat (what a messy little thing she is) but I found it fresh and clean (he had risked his very life for me people!)

I had lovely friends bringing by lovely homemade gifts including two of my favourite girls in the world show up with the most delicious chocolate chip cookies they had baked from scratch right after school.

That night we went out with some friends for Indian food. Friends, Indian food, need I say more?

And finally I was serenaded as never before with a rendition of Happy Birthday. When I went to the Benjamin Zander lecture he taught us how to sing Happy Birthday like we meant it. Happily these friends had been there too and I was the beneficiary of his tutelage and their considerable musical talent. It was glorious.

Aaron made a cupcake cake! (I ate most of a 3).

And the next day...was Saturday. Going to bed knowing you can sleep in! Does this sound like the perfect birthday? I think so. Now you may have noticed that something was missing from this day of self-indulgence. I do not feel as though I contributed considerably to the world that day which does seem a bit wrong since so many others were doing so in my honour. However I do believe that people who are happy create positive energy and that does improve the world and I had a very, very happy day. Does that get me off the hook? I also started compiling a list of 33 things I would do to improve the world this year. I'm excited to get started. You are all so inspiring! Have I mentioned I love you?

And the winnah is..........

So that was just lovely. I had the most wonderful day, evening, and weekend thinking and reading about what you all were doing. I am blessed with amazing people to call friends. Did you see this? Did you read this? Did you all read what each other did? If you didn't, you should. It was phenomenal. I really could not have received any better gift and it made me feel sunny all the way through to my cold old bones. You people are just plain good. It soon became very apparent to me that choosing a winner myself would be impossible, so I went the non-emotional robotic route and got the computer to do my dirty work for me.

Just so you know how I went about doing this....I gathered all "report back" posts from the sundry places they had been posted, both on this website and elsewhere, and put them all together under the Feb 6th post. (I counted two comments by a single poster as one. )

I used the random number generator and here is what I got:

Which led me to the conclusion that the winner of the Less Sucky Birthday Then Before sweepstakes is...drrruuuuummmrooolllllllllllll.....

Sweet Kallie Browne!

Kallie said...
My neighbor has this awful disorder that requires she be on formula so she can get the nutrients she needs. she is in her first tri. o' pregnancy and even though she was sick as a dog before (with two kids under 3), now she is SICKER than a dog-- can't even take care of her family. She sent a mass email about writing to our state reps to ask them to vote that private insurances be required to cover the cost for this "formula" and i knew i should -- seriously thought about it, then when it became too hard to do and know exactly what to say -- i put it off. (you know when you put things off, sometimes . . .they don't happen) well, i'm going to write my Rep on your birthday. it may be confusing and frustrating, but it will be doing good for my neighbor and the other people of the world who have this disorder. Have a Happy Day!

Yay Kallie! I think you did a great thing and I especially love that it was way out of your comfort zone. I wish your neighbour all the best, and hope that this campaign will result in easing the burden of many people. For your super duper not party pooper prize you shall receive......

A HOLE PUNCH!!!! (Nah, only kidding, I'm just referring to your really pitiful Christmas wish list a couple of years ago. I so hope that you are now the proud owner of a hole punch). I am excited to shop for you tomorrow. I think I know just what I will get. (I'll show the rest of you voyeurs as soon as I have it.. so long as Kallie promises not to peek). Like I said, I don't think I can be restrained from sending a few honourable mention packages too....you just never know.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you again for being such wonderful friends, stellar people and fine citizens of the earth. I love you all.

THANK YOU so much for your participation in my non-sucky birthday sweepstakes. I have absolutely LOVED reading your resolutions and it makes me super happy to know all the wonderful things that will be happening in the world today. Sniff. I am blessed to have you all in my life. PSSST....If anyone did not get their resolution in yet, I would like to mention that my aging eyes probably missed that and I bet you'd still have time to sneak something in :)
Thank you again! The sun is shining! xox

Last call!! Last Call!!

You GUYS! (in my TAMN tone) I am so thrilled by the response to this! They are funny, heartfelt, unique, interesting and fabulous all (with perhaps the exception of The Soxy Pirate's resolution, which I CANNOT condone, however full disclosure requires that I admit to laughing out loud.

ANYWAY. For those who do not wish to wade through all the endless introspection of the last post, and want to get on board before it IS TOO LATE! Here's what you do to enter the
Make Kirsty's Birthday Much Less Sucky Then In Years Past Sweepstakes:

1.Decide on something you are going to do on February 6th to make the world a better place. Your world, the world at large, someone else's world, whatever. Just some conscious act of positivity/contribution (even if that contribution is for yourself).

2. Post about it here before tomorrow. (Be sure to post it on that original blog post if at all possible so as to keep all the entries together.)

3. Come back tomorrow and tell me if you actually did it.

4. Cross your fingers that you win a prize, a gift that will be chosen especially for you. (And if you think that I don't already have a good idea of what I would get each one of you, you sadly underestimate me. Or maybe you think I have a life.)

After much deep thought I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to draw the winner's name out of a hat or some such random act. If that helps to relieve the pressure to be brilliant and gets you to just DO something, that's great. It also helps me not to ruin my birthday with feverish indecision and people pleasing stress ;)
However, I am getting a premonition that there may be some honourable mentions..and perhaps more then one little package going out because I have been truly touched. Thank you!

Purell...it's not just for staph and stuff anymore

So this one is courtesy of my mom so technically it WFH (works for her)but I trust her implicitly in matters of stains. Yes! Apparently, Purell is an absolutely magical stain remover. It removes the stain (even lipstick, she claims) and does not leave a water-mark on the fabric. I do highly recommend that you test on an inconspicuous area first though.

Since most of us don't always carry some sort of stain remover but there is pretty much always some germaphobe toting a bottle or two of Purell in the vacinity, this is one that is useful to know I think. Thanks ma!

A quick google search revealed another fabulous use for Purell (or the cheap generic substitute we all use). Hair dye stain removal. From your face that is,'cos I know I am not the only one who ends up with those fun little hair dye splashes here there and everywhere. I have not tried this myself but it stands to reason and no harm done if it doesn't work. Just go back to scrubbing ferociously with Cetaphil and staying home for a day or two post dye-job. (Having it done at the salon is so much more pleasant, er expensive er fabulously worth it er prohibitively overpriced isn't it?)

And super important yet quick reminder about the Fabulous February 6th Change the World Sweepstakes. Only 2 more days to declare your intentions! Because trust me, the personalized prize is going to be worth it. That and the whole making the world a better place thing...

The boy knows how to take a hint...

Now I wonder what would make Aaron come home with these last night? If you think they are pretty, you should smell them. Sometimes a blog is just so helpful.

Romancing the ordinary...

There is a book I love by Sarah Ban Breathnach (author of Simple Abundance), called Romancing the Ordinary. I find it so inspiring and am always recommending it, but I have not read it for a while. Time for it to go back on the bedside table.

This blog post by Melissa at The Inspired Room, reminded me of the book and of the importance of doing just that-romancing the ordinary. I really believe that everyone should strive to create their own version of romance in their homes. And it doesn't have to be romance in the traditional, romantic comedy movie, chocolates and roses, sense. It's about romancing life itself. I'm talking about our homes romancing us.

We have a finite amount of time here on this earth, with these bodies to enjoy what it has to offer, and I am increasingly aware of what a blessing each day is. We have been blessed with 5 amazing senses and I think that our homes should be our havens and a pleasure to each of our senses. I am very tactile and am a big fan of soft and fluffy fabrics and blankets to cuddle with on the couch in the Winter, and nice cool smooth sheets in the summer. I also have a pretty highly developed sense of smell and my house smelling nice (or not) can have a major effect on my mood and how I feel about my environment. I talked about good music last Wednesday, and although it's not my forte, I do think it is important to be able to create food that is a comfort and pleasure for us and our families to enjoy in our homes.

It does take a little extra effort to create a romantic environment for our senses to enjoy, but it is so worth it. I really think having an orderly living environment that is pleasing to all of our senses can enhance our sense of purpose and self worth. I know that when my house gets out of control, I feel the same way, and I am less likely to be inclined to give much of myself to anyone else, so wrapped up I am in my own little chaotic whirlwind. Having order in our own lives makes us more productive, more excited about life, more kind and service oriented....that is pretty much proven. I know that every time my sister comes to visit, and gets my house in the kind of great shape that really only she can, I feel a new lease on life.

So we have established that order is pretty key to our sense of well-being, but let's examine the senses a little more. Why, when our precious time on this earth is really unknown, do we so often put off indulging them for some undetermined time in the future? Why do we wait for a special occasion to wear the expensive perfume? I am pretty frugal natured but when I was a little girl my granny exhorted me not to save my perfume, she said it evaporated and went bad, and was meant to be enjoyed every day. Over the years I went back to my hoarding perfume-pinching ways. Last year, my always lovely smelling mother gifted me a big bottle of my favourite perfume, and reminded me again to use it and enjoy it every day. (No I don't think it was a hint about any BO issues). So now I don't save my expensive perfume. I use it every day. A little of the good stuff goes a long way actually. Last week one of my lovely girls at church commented, "Sister Sayer you always smell so nice. It is just so refreshing!" So if you are having trouble justifying breaking out the good stuff, remember that you are just doing those around you a service. It doesn't have to be expensive. There are many lotions and potions from Bath and Body Works guaranteed to send everyone around you into swoons of olfactory delight. (Just don't overdo it and send those around you into allergic spasms).

On that note, why don't we indulge in bubble baths more? They are oh so much more rewarding then watching an extra mediocre half an hour of TV, and they make us more relaxed and hence more pleasant to be around-(not to mention they make us, and the bathroom smell delightful). When you think about it, it's really just all about doing service again! Try it tonight if you have not in a while. There is nothing like a hot bubble bath at the end of a long, cold day. Add a magazine that does not mind getting wet, and you will achieve Nirvana.

We hear all the time not to save the good china and linens. I actually think saving some of it for holidays and birthdays is fine, (I have a great sense of occasion), but setting a simple but nice table every night doesn't require breaking out (or breaking) the crystal. We have a fresh tablecloth every night, real plates, serviettes (napkins) and all the cutlery (not just the fork!-that's another rant for another day). I think it goes a long way toward making family dinner time something that our kids can tell we are committed to and invested in. It also encourages people to sit and talk rather then eat and bolt.

I LOVE fresh flowers, seeing them makes me happy every time I walk by them. But again, the frugality kicks in and I often feel that I can't justify them if they aren't out of my own garden or for a special occasion. Today! I resolve to sacrifice something else in order to always have fresh flowers in my home from henceforth. Life is too short not to indulge our senses with these most amazingly pleasing and exquisite of God's creations.

So for me it is the flowers (and oh yes, I suppose doing the laundry would help too), how about you? What are you going to do to romance the ordinary and create a home that reaches out and embraces you with love and affection (or loves you even more then it already does) each time you walk through the door? You totally deserve a house that loves you, you know.

Merry February!

I feel like I should say something profound about love and whatnot, but I am still reeling from how long it took me to change my template into it's fancy new February outfit. Something that has in the past taken a matter of moments, something that SHOULD have taken a matter of moments. It's not like I'm writing code here, we're talking about copying and pasting from a website with the name "cute" in its title. Don't you hate it when for no discernable reason, things that really have no business being troublesome or time consuming suddenly decide to be? I still don't know what was not cooperating but for a while there, things were looking dicey people. You might have been stuck with lime green font and very little else. I'm not going to lie, I was scared....real scared.

I have realized that I don't cope with frustration well. When I expect things will be tough, I'm better, I pace myself, and can be more patient, even stoic (year long labours for instance), but when things don't have any business whatsoever being convoluted, I get absolutely apoplectic with rage at the silliness of it all. I want to commit violence. Fortunately it is my computer I desire to destroy. This type of rage always involves my computer. I don't see myself getting past this any character flaw any time soon. It's pretty deep seated. I guess that's bad. Hmm. Do you think our lives may be better without computers? I ponder this pretty regularly.

Onto other related topics (violence), the bunny hates my husband. We aren't sure why. It's sad because he is really quite devoted to her, avidly reading up about all manner of bunny turn-ons and turn offs online and such, but she has some sort of vendetta ,and I frankly believe she would kill him if she had the power to. I have been avoiding confirming my husband's dark suspicions regarding this fact, not wanting to hurt his feelings. I have been telling him that maybe she actually really, really DID like him and her lunging, growling (ever heard a bunny growl? It's sort of eerie), biting, and penchant for chewing only his shoes, was some sort of elaborate mating ritual. But I think it is time we all faced reality. The bunny hates him. The bunny is the only entity on earth that hates my husband. It's probably a good experience for him. Character building, as my dad would say. Still...something that can hate Aaron. ..it kind of makes you want to sleep with one eye open...

I have goals for February! Do you? Most of mine involve getting the Wii Fit to stop making passive aggressive comments at me. Oh!..I guess you won't make your goal after all! What is up with the "Oh!" about everything? I find it disconcerting when something says "Oh!" in a sweetly alarmed tone when I stand on it.

Actually I have many goals, (you know how I get carried away at the beginning of a month). The first of which is to go to bed at a more wholesome time so I will spare you from hearing about the rest of them. As for you, I know you are feverishly working on something absolutely life/day-changing for February 6th. Right? Can't wait to hear about it!

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