Benefits

Sometimes, I really wonder why I have magazine subscriptions.  I have three.  There is a pile on my counter of prior months' issues that I have every intention of getting to, though it may be December when I finally get to the one that has all the cute ideas for Halloween.  So yes, I sometimes wonder why I have the subscriptions.  But the great thing about magazines is that they require little commitment.  I can read an entire article in the five minutes it takes for me to eat my breakfast and feel like I have actually started and finished something (a rarity these days).  I don't feel pressured by magazines like I do books...I won't crack a book unless I know I have ample time to devote to reading it from cover to cover.  Not so with a magazine.  There is no long term relationship expected by a magazine.  Nope.  It's more like a blind date.  Or a one night stand, I suppose.

The date I had with my magazine this morning lasted about forty-five seconds.  And I will share every detail with you right now.

Straight from Shape magazine, page 31 of the November issue (yes, I skipped October so I had a chance of catching something current.  I will get back to you, October, I promise):

SAVOR THE SIMPLE THINGS.  While having a hefty paycheck is nice, it can make it harder to enjoy life's little pleasures.  A study in Psychological Science found that the higher a person's salary, the less they savored small things like a piece of chocolate.  Researchers believe it's because as you earn more, you have greater access to expensive experiences that make you happy, so you don't notice the mini moments.  Take time to appreciate a sunny day or dinner with friends.  Rich or poor, you'll be enjoying every minute.

Do you find this as interesting as I did?  Personally, I am happy to savor a piece of chocolate (or a Reese's Cup, as it may be) and I am happy to hear a non-conventional plus to having a non-plus-sized paycheck.  Oh, and a reminder to appreciate the moments never gets past me.

Highlight Reel

Some days aren't the best.  Some days are long and frustrating and stressful and overloaded and without enough of the things I love the most.  It is on those days that I find an exercise in identifying the best of recent moments is most beneficial.  When you are writing them down, you can't help but focus on the positives.  After all, life is about the moments, right?  I want to preserve the good ones.  So, here is my highlight reel of recent days:

• Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch with our little pumpkins.  We took pictures beside the growth chart pumpkin on the side of the barn.  (It is amazing to think that last year, Everly couldn't even stand next to her brother for the occasion; this year she stood with her purse on her arm saying, "cheese!!")  We walked through the corn maze.  We played in the grain shed with dump trucks and diggers.  Everly had her first hayride; she sat perfectly still perched on a hay bale between John and me and loved every minute.  The rest of us did, too.  And of course, we picked the best pumpkins and took home a gallon of apple cider.
• A picturesque Sunday morning spent climbing over rocks and tree roots through the woods at one of the most beautiful places around. 
• Cortlan getting to be "Star Student" at school for the week.
• Everly drinking out of a big girl cup like a pro.
• A text that read "What are you doing on November 14th at 8:30 AM?"  Ummm....not sure.  Eating breakfast?  Having a cup of coffee?  Saying "Happy Birthday" to my husband?  Nope! Those things will need to be done a bit earlier on that day, because at least until the date is confirmed, I now have tentatively written on my calendar that I am going to become a Godmother to one of the most precious baby girls!  Yay!  So honored and happy. 
• A family yoga night.  We actually all did yoga with the wii.  Even the kids did some of the poses.  It was hysterical and so much fun.  Down dog is so much more enjoyable with a 19 month-old giggling as she crawls under and her brother following suit.
• An early Halloween play date with "mummy wrap hot dogs" (of which Everly ate two and a half), mac and cheese, and delicious spaghetti squash (well, at least I thought it was delicious), painted ghost hand puppets (with paint that actually went where it was supposed to, for the most part), an awesome storytelling friend (I enjoyed listening as much or more than the kids did), a counting and tally-marking activity with yummy ghost marshmallows, and Halloween cupcakes to top it off.  (Can I tell you how much I love my elementary school teacher friends??)
• And finally, I can't forget the moments in between - the hugs and kisses, the "I love you, Mommy"s, the bedtime stories, the family dinners, the singing and dancing, conversations with friends, even the breakthroughs with students and an entertaining play rehearsal - all of those things that too often get lost in the stress of the shuffle of the day - the moments that make life worth loving.

Looking forward

I walked up to the front of the school for play rehearsal Saturday to find a few of the girls already waiting.  The school was locked; I proceded to call someone to open it for us.  In the meantime, I realized that I had approached mid-conversation, and nearly mid-breakdown.  My mom has made me cry nearly every day this week.  I just can't imagine there is anyone a bigger bitch than she is.  (Followed by a quick apology to me, I am assuming for the curse word.)  My lighthearted response:  That's ok.  But maybe you can tell me what she did, so I can make sure that I don't do the same to my daughter.

Which got me thinking:  It is hard to be a teenage girl.  And it is going to be damn hard to be a mom to a teenage girl.

October Happiness

Today, happiness came in the form of:

• A beautiful fall day, with the sun shining and the sky a gorgeous blue
• Everly peeing on the potty at school for the first time
• Cortlan learning and talking about "Stop, Drop, and Roll"
• A trip to the park, complete with pushing the kids on the swings, cheering at a soccer game (for teams we didn't even know), conversations through the talk tubes, the three of us going down the slide, and a visit with Grandma
• Leftovers (yay for microwaves!)
• A battle-free dinner with two kids eating their peas
• Spin class (my first exercise since being banished from running) with lots of sweat and awesome loud music and some friends I haven't seen in a while

And finally, happiness came in the form of peaceful reflection of the day.  While eating kettle corn.

You?

And so it ends, for now

It is Reese's Peanut Butter Cup season and I just found out on Friday that I can't run for at least 6-8 weeks.  This just can't possibly be a good combination.

Since I previously mentioned the hip issues I have been having, I figure I will follow up on the topic.  I ran my race on September 26 and ran it well, by my standards.  With the caffeine, the adrenaline, the endorphins, and the ibuprofen coursing through my body, I could hardly tell that I was having issues with my hip as I ran.  Fast forward to 3:45 AM after the race, when I adjusted my sleeping position.  Just the minor shift in body weight sent a screaming signal of pain that woke me from a peaceful sleep.   It happened again a half-hour later.  And then again.  And again.  And come time to step out of the bed in the morning, an uncontrollable and quite audible yelp of pain leapt from my mouth.  Not good.  Not good at all.

So after that, I didn't run.  Or do anything.  And honestly, it started to feel a little bit better.  I had an orthopedic specialist appointment scheduled for Friday, nearly two weeks post-race.  I was feeling good enough that I wanted to see what would happen if I ran.  Maybe the appointment was unnecessary?  So Thursday night, I did run.  And it felt great!  Great to get moving, great to feel the rhythm of my cadence, great to get away for thirty minutes with MY music playing in my ear, great to get my blood flowing, great to break a sweat.  Great, that is, until the following morning.  So off to the doc's I hobbled.

After one of the most humiliating events in recent memory (it involved an x-ray and I will leave it at that), the doctor informed me that I have adductor and abductor issues.  He told me that I can cycle or do the elliptical (neither of which I have), but no running for 6-8 weeks.  He gave me a prescription for physical therapy, for which I have no time unless I can get appointments after 8 o'clock.  He gave me a prescription for a mild muscle relaxer, which I have yet to fill.

At this point, I am feeling pretty bummed about no running, especially since I had come to truly enjoy and look forward to it, and I had found my groove.  But I also realize that a change in pace might be good.  What worries me is that I am not entirely sure what went wrong to cause the issue and, therefore, I am not sure exactly how to prevent it from happening again.  I guess I am now just hoping to somehow be able to maintain the cardiovasular shape I have managed thus far and be ready to start the whole training process over again in early 2011, realistically. 

In the mean time, lock up the Reese's Cups.

She Says, No. 3

Everly:  Daddy!  Daddy! 
Me:  Daddy is downstairs.
Everly:  Oh. 
Seriously?  A not-quite-nineteen month old uses the term, "oh" correctly?  Well, I have been listening carefully to her use of it, and it seems as though she does! 

And though her vocabulary seems to increase exponentially on a daily basis, here are some of her (and my) faves:

• Bumblebee (as in her Halloween costume that she loves to wear at any random moment, which was given to her by her Uncle Jimmy, aka "POPPY!"  Interestingly, that is also what she calls my dad, and she adores them both.)
• Baby (she loves pointing out babies, even ones that are her age.  She doesn't seem to get that she falls into the same category.)
• Elly (our dog, who she calls to on a regular basis.  I think that she just likes to see if Elly will come to her.)
• yes (sounds like desssssss)
• silly (sounds like siwwy)
• my! (means my or mine, and is said very emphatically when she wants something)
• bus (she correctly calls out the name when she sees one on the road, which kind of caught me off guard the first time she did it)
• book (of which she wants many, many read)
• Max and Abby (her friends at school)
• Momo (aka Elmo)
• belly (sounds like belwy, generally said while pulling up her - or someone else's - shirt and pointing)
• beep (said with a giggle when touching someone's nose)
• and of course, baaaaaa!  (her beloved purse/bag, for which she has hollored in the middle of the night, and which she carries around at school all.day.long)

He Says, No. 3

I am acting like this because I am so punched up!! 
(He meant "pumped up."  And he was acting like a maniac.)

A contribution from my mom from a recent Monday, a Grandma Day:  "After watching Sesame and getting dressed, we went to Costco. Cort was a huge help getting ready for the trip..."
Cortlan: I got us a snack. (raisins) And I need to bring some toys. Here, carry these. Do you have drinks? You should probably bring drinks for us.
My mom:  Goodness Cort, we’re going to Costco, not driving to Erie.
Cortlan:  Where is Erie?
My mom:  Far. Long drive.
Cortlan:  Well then we’d probably fly there. Maybe Costco will have samples.

And one from my mother-in-law:
Cortlan:  Grandma, can you set up my tent?
My MIL:  I don't think so, Cortlan.  I don't know if I can do that.
Cortlan:  It's not complicated, Grandma.

Me, after Everly knocked all of the Cooties pieces off of the board while we were trying to play: I am sorry, Cortlan.
Cortlan: You don't have to apologize, Mommy.

They told me I was happy

I know.  I know.  This is supposed to be my happy place...a place where I record all the good stuff.  But you know what?  It has been another rough few days.  I think that the hectic pace of life kind of starts to get to me after a while.  The novelty of a new schedule and a new routine has worn off.  My family members are too seldom all in the same place at the same time for my tastes.  And the to-do list keeps getting bigger while the time available keeps getting smaller.  So, this morning I was really not feeling very happy. 

Then I checked my e-mail and came across this on the yahoo site.  And what do you know?  I am happier than I think I am!

Just in case you don't feel like actually looking at the article, the title is "9 signs you are happier than you think."  Let's take a look:

You were a smiley student.  Well, I didn't get a college yearbook picture taken that I remember.  Maybe I did.  Did I?  Hmmm.  I don't know.  But I bet if I did, I was pretty darn smiley.  I know I was in my high school yearbook.

You have a sister.  I do!  I do!!

You are not glued to the TV.  I am not.  Unfortunately, it generally isn't because I am socializing, reading, or attending religious functions, so I am not sure that this one works for me.  BUT, I am generally playing with my kids, exercising, cleaning, or sleeping instead of watching TV.  That has got to count for something, right?

You keep souvenirs on display.  Hmm.  Do photos count?  Some of my favorite pictures on display are the ones that my husband and I got professionally taken on our honeymoon and the pictures of my kids at the beach.  Souvenirs?  You mean like mugs and bells and stuff?  Nope.  Though, we do get Christmas ornaments from our vacation spots that get displayed on our tree.  So, yeah.  I am giving myself credit for this one, too.

You make exercise a priority.  Um.  Yeah.  If you have read this blog before (even just the most recent post) you know this one is a big fat yes.

You have a healthy love life.  Blush.  No comment.  (My mother-in-law and sister-in-law read this!!)

You hang out with happy people.  My kids are darn happy, if I do say so myself.  But, yes, I do have a few other happies in my life.  And I love the time I get to spend with them.

You stay warm with hot cocoa.  Yay!  I love hot cocoa!!  I just had some tonight!  And this makes me think I should drink more of it.  Nice.

You have two best friends.  In high school, there was always an officially designated person recorded as my "best friend."  I even had the be-fri and st-ends necklaces at one point.  (Remember those?)  Those "best"  friend lines got a little more blurry as I have gotten older, but I can think of at least two people I know I can call in any situation and they will be there for me 100%.  That is a pretty great feeling.

So, there you have it:  a self-scored, perfect 9 out of 9.  Who cares how I felt this morning?!  I am happier than I think I am!