A Perfect Weekend

As I keep saying I have so many things in my life to be thankful for.  This weekend gave me lots of reminders of how fortunate I am.

It started on Friday after noon.  Bear had a gymnastics meet in the city.  John was supposed to meet us there, and I was dreading the drive into (and back out of) the city.  Well, he called me shortly before Bear and I were planning to leave and told me he was coming home early to get us.  I was so relieved!

Bear's meet was the biggest women's artistic gymnastic meet in the world.  Gymnasts came from all around the world, and six gyms had to be set up to accommodate all of them.  It is easy to feel lost in such a large crowd, but we didn't because she has such a great team.  The girls are all great, and all the families get along too.  So as we sat down to watch our girls compete in this huge meet I felt as comfortable as if we were at our own gym.

Things began ok.  Bear had been nursing a sprained toe, and they started on floor.  The flip flop that ends the floor routine had been terribly painful, but she managed to make it through the routine, and scored 8.95.  That is not her personal best, but it is a decent score for her.  Next the girls moved to vault.   I was especially worried about her vault because in practice her run had looked awkward with her foot taped.  I couldn't really see the vault from where we were sitting, but the scoreboard showed a 9.175 which was slightly better than her personal best on vault.  The bars came next, and during warm-ups she struggled.  When her turn came I couldn't breathe through the whole routine.  When it was over I was so relieved, but anxious to see her score.  She has struggled with bars every meet, and her personal best was barely over an 8.  So I was shocked when I saw the 8.7 flash on the scoreboard.  At this point I started doing math in my head.  At Bear's gym the girls get special charms for getting a 36 all around score.  Bear REALLY wanted to get a charm, but I didn't think it would happen this year.  As I worked the numbers I realized that she needed a 9.175 on beam to make it to 36.  The beam scores had been high that day, but she had never scored anywhere near that.  Still as I watched her warm-up I saw a look of determination.  She mounted the beam, and from beginning to end she was more focused than any 7 year old should be.  Her dismount was darn near perfect.  When the score popped up 9.325 we could hardly believe it.  She had made her 36 all around.  Her teammates did equally as well, and the team took first place out of 30 teams!!!

The next day John and I went car shopping.  I need a new car, but car shopping makes me crazy.  My family never had a car payment when I was growing up, and I HATE having one now.  Still, John had done so much of the work before hand that we basically went to the dealer told them what we could afford to pay monthly, and they found us a new minivan.  Our salesman was knowledgeable, but didn't make me feel taken advantage of.  The bottom line is we are picking up our new Dodge van on Thursday.

Sunday was a lazy day at home.  Sometimes days like that make the kids crazy because John and I aren't entertaining them.  This time they took the initiative.  While we were watching tv in the bedroom  the girls decorated the living room and planned a valentine's surprise for us.

It was so sweet (and unexpected).  So last night we dined on pizza in our decorated living room as the girls provided entertainment that was hysterical. 

A weekend like this makes me remember just how good I have it!!!

Who knew exercise could be so much fun??

It's funny how my goals for the year are all building on each other.  Last month finding an outlet for my thankfulness led to me writing more.  In fact I can almost count that goal as met.  This month as I try to fit exercise into my life I find that it is leading to me spending more time with Kali, and it may even lead to me scheduling more field trips.  For example, yesterday we went sledding.

Now before someone rolls their eyes and says that isn't exercise. Think about how much work it is to climb up the hill over and over and over again.  I was sweating and my heart was beating hard.  So in my mind it definitely counts.  Here are some pictures from our fun active trip.

Who knew exercise could be so much fun!!!

What could be better???

So here's the thing.... I have no intention of even attempting to exercise today.  Last night I went out with friends, drank too much and had almost too much fun.  So today I am paying for it.  Add to that the fact that these same friends are coming over this afternoon for the Superbowl and I think I have a perfect excuse to skip exercise today. 

What I am doing today is cooking.  So today is bound to be a great day.  Cooking is one of my favorite things to do, and days when I have a reason to cook for make me very happy.  So today I am making chili which I find especially fun since I make it slightly different every time.  It is almost like a work of art.  I start with the regular stuff, and then John and I spend the day fiddling with it.  Adding a bit of this and a bunch of that.  It is as close to being an artist I ever feel.  I am also making cheese dip and guacamole.  For those I stick pretty close to my perfected recipes although I never measure anything.   The girls also wanted to serve cupcakes,  and so I baked those this morning, and the girls will be decorating them this afternoon.

So I know today will be a good day.  We have hosted people for Superbowl Sunday often enough that it doesn't stress me out the way the entertaining sometimes can.  I am thankful that I don't feel the need to impress the friends who are coming over.  It is nice to have people who just accept who you are around you.   As for the game, none of us really care who wins.  For us today is about enjoying good friends and good food.  What could be better???

More Thanks

Just because I have moved on to another goal doesn't mean that I should forget about the previous one.  And in fact the past week has been full of things that may at first glance seem to be problems, but could have been so much worse. 

For example, last night as I was driving from Curly Q's dance to Bear's gymnastics class I got a flat tire.  When I recognized it I was not in a safe place to stop so I had to turn into an unfamiliar residential area.  I parked under a street light and assessed the situation.  It was clear that the tire was shot.  I had a spare tire in the trunk, under piles of stuff meant to be taken to the donation place. I also had one of those portable jacks and a bent tire wrench.  I decided to call AAA because it was so cold out (and because I am a woosie).  They tell me it will be an hour which is much longer than I expected.  I debate changing the tire myself, but I know it is difficult to find a place for the jack on this car.  So first I call my husband to pick up Bear, then I clean out the trunk, and finally Curly Q. and I wait.  When the hour is almost up the driver calls to say he is running late.  So we wait another half of an hour.  Finally he shows up.  he hasn't brought his own tire iron so he has to use the crummy bent one we have.  It takes him 10 minutes to figure out where the jack should go, and one time I fear that the car has fallen on him.  Once the car is in the air it becomes clear that he didn't loosen the bolts on the old tire before he lifted the car.  So it is very difficult for him to get the tire off.  Finally he is able to get the tire changed, and we go on our merry way home.

So what is there to be thankful for in that situation?  Well, first I am so thankful that this didn't happen during the blizzard.  Second, I am thankful that I had filled my tank up with gas so we were able to run the car some of the time while we were waiting.  Third I was thankful it happened after John got home from his business trip.  I am not sure what I would have done if he wasn't around.  So there are three really lucky parts of the situation.  This looking at the bright side of life stuff is working pretty well!

On the exercise front I am doing ok.  After the day of shoveling Curly Q. and I did exercise by playing a dancing game on the kinect.  It got my heart rate up, and I did get a bit sweaty.  Still I don't think that I should count on it for every day exercising.  It was a lot of fun and a great bonding experience with Curly Q.  As for yesterday, I did not exercise.  I know it was only the third day, and as such I should feel really ashamed, but I don't.  Part of the reason I am trying to exercise every day is so if I miss a day I don't have to feel too bad.  I will get back on the horse today.

Day One Success

Well mother nature decided to help with my exercise goal for today.  We had a blizzard and with frigid temperatures on the way I felt the need to clear my driveway today.  What that meant was 4 hours of shoveling. 

Bear in mind that I HATE to be cold.  Still it was a matter of pride that I was able to do it.  It also led to an epiphany of sorts.  Things like shoveling snow and mowing the lawn are exercise, but I do not mind them.  It is exercise for its own sake that I have trouble prioritizing.  I know that is not right, but it is true. 

One way I am trying to combat this time is to include Curly Q. in my exercise program.  She does not gravitate towards physical activity any more than I do.  Other than dancing, which she is doing far less now than in past years, she has no other hobbies that involve sweating.  I have no problem prioritizing her health even if I don't make my own important.  Also,  I am hoping that it can be an adventure we go on together.   So in that way I am working on another goal of spending one on one time with each of my family members.

So tomorrow, barring another blizzard, Curly Q. and I will start our adventure.  I want to keep it fun so we will use either the wii or the kinect.  We have several games for each that qualify as exercise.  Also, we will begin tracking progress using wii fit.  Wish us luck!!!

February Goals

Even though January was such a success I still have lots of work to do.  Here is a refresher of the goals I have set for myself for 2011.

1. Nurture my family relationships
* More field trips
* Delegate more
* More one on one time with each of my family members

2. Nurture my soul
* Slow down
* Practice thankfulness
* Meditation

3.Nurture my relationship with the world
* Write more
* Volunteer regularly
* Reduce clutter

4. Nurture my body
* Serve at least one vegetarian meal per week
* Start a maintainable exercise program
* Spend at least 10 minutes outside each day

Now I need to narrow down the list.  Since I just finished a goal that nurtures my own soul I think I should pick from another category.  Also,  February is going to be one of the busier months so anything that will require extra time is out.  That leaves:

• Delegate More --  this sounds stressful, I better save it for after I learn to meditate
• Write More -- this one seems to be taking care of itself via this blog
• One Vegetarian Meal per week -- better when fresh veggies are easier to come by
• 10 Minutes Outside -- should start this one when going outside won't result in frostbite
• Start an Exercise Program -- I wan to figure out a reason that I can't do this now, but I can't

So I guess that is the new goal.  I will begin an new exercise program that I can and will continue as part of my routine.  Just as I have added blogging and being thankful to my life I will make exercise a priority.  I think that I need to begin by doing it every day.  I am less likely to shirk a responsibility that is an every day occurrence.   So beginning tomorrow morning I will exercise every day.  It has been long enough since I exercised regularly that I do not know what a reasonable amount of time is for me to start with.  I will say that by the end of the month I will be able to exercise for 30 minutes without feeling the need to call paramedics. 

Wish me luck!!!

Thankful for Thankfulness

It's been longer than expected since I last posted. Late January always puts me in a funk. Winter seems to be dragging on with no end in sight. Sunshine is hard to come by. I am sick of my winter clothes. My skin and hair are dry and brittle. The kids NEED to get outside. Add to that the fact that, even though it is my decision not to go to Disney any more, I feel like I am missing out on the fun there. The good news is that when February comes I start to feel better. I feel like there are only 28 short days until the beginning of spring. So one of the things I am thankful for is that February is here.

It doesn't feel right to be thankful that time is moving so fast. I have had that problem my whole life. I remember not being able to wait for the next thing to happen even when something great was happening. Maybe all kids feel that way. I see Curly Q doing the same thing. Even when we are in the middle of a party I will hear her say, "I can't wait for tomorrow!". It worries me to see her wish away time as it worried my mother to see me do it. Unlike my mother, however, I understand where she is coming from. I also believe that she can look forward to tomorrow and enjoy today at the same time.

So I guess this thankful month has come full circle. The thing I am most thankful for is the wisdom to realize that I need to be thankful for everything. This month has been full of ups and downs. In some ways it was one of the most challenging months of my life emotionally. I feel good that I made it through fairly unscathed. As I continue on this year's journey I will continue to recognize the little things I should be thankful for. I won't be posting about them every day, but I think I have made being thankful a part of my daily life, and so I feel that I have succeeded in my first resolution. I will start another post with my resolution for February.

I'll end with a few great quotes about thankfulness...

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. Woody Allen

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Oprah Winfrey

I'm thankful for every moment. Al Green