thrive

Wow, that feels good. I was all set to write “Bummer” for my blog and detail all the bummers, but, then, I made one quick call and the main bummer is now a YAY!

What the heck am i talking about, right?

Well, for the past 2 weeks I have had a babysitter come on Wed afternoon so I can go to prenatal yoga. It is pretty amazing - I love yoga and it’s one of the very few moments where I get to have time alone with this pregnancy. It’s been really wonderful to have these 2 classes a week I do - Wed and Sat. But then i get a call a little while ago and boom - no babysitter cuz she has allergies (lame reason in my book…even tho i have them, too, but come on this is a job!) Okay, eanough of that

Anyway, I was struck with the Bummeritis and was thinking about which friend i could call to trouble them with the 1.5 hour babysitting gig. I always feel like I’m bothering people, so I just HATE to ask. But, I summoned the gumption and called a friend - she actually answered and was actually free - 2 amazing things in and of itself and - drumroll, she said SURE - love to! YAY YAY YAY!!! So i get to go to yoga and I don’t even have to pay the sitter (usually i have to pay for 4 hours and find something to do the whole time)! The bonus is that this friend owed me a swap, so that’s even better - free childcare - WOOHOO!!!

I’m super excited to go to yoga but even moreso that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone of not wanting to bother people and out of my bummeritis to make what i wanted happen. YAY YAY  YAY! Ooops, almost forgot, that this was all about prioritizing exercise!!!!! OMG - look at that!!!!

Now, if only these darn jobs would give my hubby an answer so we could get on with our lives - but that’s a whole other story

this question keep scoming to me these days - am i taking myself seriously? am i doing in this life i have what i really want to do? am i living my life as fully as i can given my realities? and, if not, why not? although, if i spend too much time in the why i’ll jest get stuck. i remember the beginning of this journey and it did start with this question. someone asked me - are you taking yourself seriously? maybe it’s the way i laughed at the end of everything i felt was a fault of mine or in my failed attempts at life change. it all is and was - i am trying to take life seriously without being serious all the time and over thinking things.

Some ways i can take my life seriously are to eat well and move around alot.  Also, to listen to what I truly want and see if i can make that happen. TO TRY TRY TRY to create what I want and feel is good in the world…there is more, certainly.

How about you? Are you taking yourself seriously today?

Yep, I’m back on carrots again. I gotta do it. My snacking is getting over-zealous to say the least. I am supposed to gain weight but I have no reason to snack carelessly. Carrots are the stuff, man, and I’m back on the wagon. Yesterday my Buddy Betsy talked about how she actually loves grapes now and wants them for snacks. That reminded me how i once felt about carrots. They really were what got me through some rough days and snacking nights. I kept them close by and they responded by offering me their cool crunch and just the perfect amount of sweetness. I was buying bushels for awhile there and then - what happened? I get knocked up and just started to go hog wild!! Well, now I’m fit to be tied. (Thanks, Dad, for the colorful expressions )

So, I’m packing carrots again. And, thanks to Betsy, I may even pack grapes.

During the weight loss days I would snack on cooked broccoli or cauliflower - yes I actually like those things, but I haven’t done that in awhile. I really noticed it when I challenged my Diamond team mates to eat 5-7 fruits and veggies yesterday and I barely made it - It was a good wake up call that even though I am on a gaining weight trajectory it doesn’t mean I need to get all lax. I do that and come October when I’m ready to start losing I’ll be in a world of hurt.

So, there ya go! It’s all about the carrots again

Just came back from a lovely walk with my big and now very tired dog. Next, I’m going to walk to the gym for pre-natal yoga and a walk home. I love Daddy day and it’s turning out to be No Car day which is good for my hiney, too!!!

You all have a good one, k??

So here’s a funny, bitter one for today - kind of my mood, if i really think about it. And while this is full of huge generalizations about women and Aunt Flo that may or may not be true for you, I do think it is hilarious and incredibly well written!

This is an actual letter from an Austin woman sent to American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It’s PC Magazine’s 2007 editors’ choice for best webmail-award-winning letter

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your ‘Always’ maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I’d probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I’d certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can’t tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there’s a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I’m guessing you haven’t. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I’ll be transformed into what my husband likes to call ‘an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.’ Isn’t the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you’ve no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer’s monthly visits from ‘Aunt Flo’. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it’s a tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants… Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: ‘Have a Happy Period.’

Are you f—— kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you’re some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything ‘happy’ about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don’t march down to the local Walgreen’s armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn’t it make more sense to say something that’s actually pertinent, like ‘Put down the Hammer’ or ‘Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong’,

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that’s a promise I will keep. Always. . .

Best,

Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

i’ve been thinking alot more lately about money and our budget and how much freaking money i spend at the grocery store and at the neighborhood coffee/tea houses. well, it’s all alot. it’s especially spendy when i buy loads of process, pre-packaged food, when i shop only at Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck), when we eat out often, and when i overeat and /or binge. There are of course the costs to my health, sanity, productivity, sleep, self esteem, etc. Oh, yes, and the wardrobe costs of being in and out of different sizes…

IT JUST ALL REALLY ADDS UP!

Now, you know me and that I’m not much into BIG plans or proclamations about a sweeping change I’m going to make in my habits. See, I know me, too, and I just don’t work that way. I fail really well that way but I don’t succeed that way. So, in trying to work with my own abilities I’ve started to pay more attention to how I am spending and eating my money or as it were our money.

Sunday morning both hubby (Snotty Chuckle Brains) and I (Dorky Gorilla Pants) wanted to eat out at this newly found diner. Well, we resisted the urge and you know what happened? We saved! MONEY and CALORIES!! It was fantastic and simple. Now, am I swearing this diner off - HELL NO!!! Just trying to exercise the discipline muscle, choose well, etc. I had been really over eating this last week and the restaurant would just be more of that, so we stayed in. Also, we are trying to be a little better about spending the bucks so freely. My hubby told me last night that me noticing things like that are helping him notice that as well.

I thought, too, about my binge this week - there went 4 dollars worth of food - gone and now i have to buy more. Or when i keep going back for seconds - that’s tomorrows lunch or dinner. Kind of fascinating, really, and another incentive to keep myself in check rather than always saying, “Check, please.” LOL

I think the wallet may get fatter as the waist gets slimmer…(well, i guess there’s nothing slimming about being pregnant, but you know what i mean )