Wow, November came and went and I realize now that I only posted once that whole month. Being short on words is so uncharacteristic, I have no idea what excuse to make. A quick run-down includes that Jojo's cheer team made it to the regional finals, but then came in third which meant no trip to Disney this year. Bo has started winter lacrosse, which consists of intense, specialized practices in small groups followed by high-energy indoor scrimmages. It's a no-game league, but he enjoys it. Lilo and Koko's karate schedule has smoothed out considerably now that the tournaments are over. They did very well, and still get a kick out of it all (couldn't resist!), thank goodness!
So, I enumerate all of those turns of events and realize where my time has gone. The good news is that I did start back with deep water aerobics (DWA) now that I have some time for self-improvement for the next couple of months. It's just as hysterical as when I started all those moons ago. This time, however, I know that I'll catch up in a couple weeks. No fear of drowning -- but I'm still prone to water-logged giggles.
Because I have a severe discomfort with malls, I tend to do my Christmas shopping all year long when I see items on sale that I know the kids or Chuck will enjoy. There are good things about this plan and bad things. For example, I'm usually finished by the first week in December, which is a good thing. On the other hand, I tend to forget some of my hiding places, so there are gifts lurking on dark places in my house that are yet to be discovered. Those, once found, will turn into birthday gifts...either for my kids, my nephews/niece, or kid-pals who are still having birthday parties. There have only been two times that I "found" a lost toy and couldn't come up with a recipient, and those went into the Toys for Tots barrel at the local library!
Bo is getting older, which means that his requests are getting more expensive. I have warned him that this will lead to a smaller pile than his sisters will get from Santa. So far, he says that there will be no problem, he's a reformed "gift counter." We'll see. I'll put it this way...where I usually wrap the annual undies/socks gift all together in one big box, this year I plan to split them up into two smaller boxes to increase the numbers in Bo's corner of the room. :)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
A misty mountain hop...
It's Wednesday and I'm just starting to come down from the good, good high of last weekend. Slight work-related drama aside, I finally had the chance to get together with a couple of girlfriends and let my hair down. All of this accompanied by a spectacular soundtrack from my new favorite cover band, Get the Led Out!
In my usual fashion, I got an attack of nerves on Saturday morning and almost cancelled out on my "Girls Getaway with GTLO" plans. Luckily, I texted my doubts to my pal CeeCee who immediately put my mind at ease with kind words to the effect of : "Newflash, Bozo! We're all the same age and...we're the right age to really appreciate a Led Zepplin cover band, so get your ass up here!"
At this point, you guys know me -- I was embarrassed by my appearance, and that's what was holding me back from making a dash toward the Poconos. The days when I was young, thin and pretty are starting to be a WAY TOO DISTANT memory. Couple that with the fact that both of my friends, whom I have know since high school, by the way, look fabulous! and I always find myself looking for the nearest corner in which to hide. I'm so glad that CeeCee loves me enough to see give me a good kick to the posterior!
When I finally got to her mountain house (yeah, I got lost), CeeCee and Q had beverages and hot beef sandwiches at the ready. Yum! The giggling started immediately and did not let up all night. We had front row seats for the show (can't begin to explain just how AWESOME it was!) and stayed for the Meet and Greet because Q knew a few members of the band. I did have a momentary scare when I realized that I am acquaited with the bass player, who used to be in a band with a guy I dated back in my days of youth, thinness and beauty. But the folks in this band were so sweet that I put aside those butterflies and reminded Bill that we had met before. Guess what? He didn't burst into guffaws and begin rolling on the floor, he smiled and seemed to recognize me despite the added padding.
All in all, it was just the misty mountain hop that I needed.
In my usual fashion, I got an attack of nerves on Saturday morning and almost cancelled out on my "Girls Getaway with GTLO" plans. Luckily, I texted my doubts to my pal CeeCee who immediately put my mind at ease with kind words to the effect of : "Newflash, Bozo! We're all the same age and...we're the right age to really appreciate a Led Zepplin cover band, so get your ass up here!"
At this point, you guys know me -- I was embarrassed by my appearance, and that's what was holding me back from making a dash toward the Poconos. The days when I was young, thin and pretty are starting to be a WAY TOO DISTANT memory. Couple that with the fact that both of my friends, whom I have know since high school, by the way, look fabulous! and I always find myself looking for the nearest corner in which to hide. I'm so glad that CeeCee loves me enough to see give me a good kick to the posterior!
When I finally got to her mountain house (yeah, I got lost), CeeCee and Q had beverages and hot beef sandwiches at the ready. Yum! The giggling started immediately and did not let up all night. We had front row seats for the show (can't begin to explain just how AWESOME it was!) and stayed for the Meet and Greet because Q knew a few members of the band. I did have a momentary scare when I realized that I am acquaited with the bass player, who used to be in a band with a guy I dated back in my days of youth, thinness and beauty. But the folks in this band were so sweet that I put aside those butterflies and reminded Bill that we had met before. Guess what? He didn't burst into guffaws and begin rolling on the floor, he smiled and seemed to recognize me despite the added padding.
All in all, it was just the misty mountain hop that I needed.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
When there's nobody home...
I have avoided posting to this blog because my mood has been very sour lately. This is your fair warning that tonight's edition is not going to be a light-hearted romp through the day-to-day life of Mama Jumbo.
Let me begin with my complete disgust with all things political. That's not to say that I don't appreciate the form of government that was put in place by our Founding Fathers, because I absolutely do! In fact, I would love if some of our present leaders would go back and do their homework about what they're supposed to be doing in Washington D.C. and, more importantly, what they're NOT supposed to be doing.
Quite frankly, Congress and the Obama Administration seem in desperate need of an enema because they are all full of crap. There is absolutely no provision for a SUPER COMMITTEE charged with finding money fixes for the economy while the House of Reps panders to their Right-wing interest groups, the Senate bows at the alter of their Liberal interest groups and the President campaigns and fundraises for his re-election for the last 18 months of his present term. Instead of actually doing the job that these folks are elected to do -- for the entire 2, 4 or 6 years -- at the half-way point, the focus turns toward keeping those jobs and away from any actual duties of the position. If the provisions of the Constitution are so loosely followed that we can have a Super Committee of numbers crunchers put in charge and locked away in a smokey room, maybe the practice can also be put in place where members of Congress will have to take a year off between terms when they can focus solely on getting elected rather than prefunctorily on legislating. Similarly, most recently, the President (who is rarely in Washington, D.C. anymore) made a fundraising sweep through California, topped off by a late-night talkshow appearance. Mr. President, unemployment is over 9%, people are losing their homes and their hope and faith in the change you promised -- get off Leno's couch and get behind your desk in the Oval Office!
In the words of two great Americans, please let's go back to the days when this was the shining city on a hill where we asked not what our country could do for us, but rather, what we could do for our country!
Let me begin with my complete disgust with all things political. That's not to say that I don't appreciate the form of government that was put in place by our Founding Fathers, because I absolutely do! In fact, I would love if some of our present leaders would go back and do their homework about what they're supposed to be doing in Washington D.C. and, more importantly, what they're NOT supposed to be doing.
Quite frankly, Congress and the Obama Administration seem in desperate need of an enema because they are all full of crap. There is absolutely no provision for a SUPER COMMITTEE charged with finding money fixes for the economy while the House of Reps panders to their Right-wing interest groups, the Senate bows at the alter of their Liberal interest groups and the President campaigns and fundraises for his re-election for the last 18 months of his present term. Instead of actually doing the job that these folks are elected to do -- for the entire 2, 4 or 6 years -- at the half-way point, the focus turns toward keeping those jobs and away from any actual duties of the position. If the provisions of the Constitution are so loosely followed that we can have a Super Committee of numbers crunchers put in charge and locked away in a smokey room, maybe the practice can also be put in place where members of Congress will have to take a year off between terms when they can focus solely on getting elected rather than prefunctorily on legislating. Similarly, most recently, the President (who is rarely in Washington, D.C. anymore) made a fundraising sweep through California, topped off by a late-night talkshow appearance. Mr. President, unemployment is over 9%, people are losing their homes and their hope and faith in the change you promised -- get off Leno's couch and get behind your desk in the Oval Office!
In the words of two great Americans, please let's go back to the days when this was the shining city on a hill where we asked not what our country could do for us, but rather, what we could do for our country!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Strangers among us.
Here's our weekend:
Lastnight, I had a union function to attend. Jojo was invited for a slumber party and Bo was having some friends over to break in the new basement "man cave." Chuck was in charge of the homefront while I was pressing the flesh and hearing the union's take on all things political. When I got on the road, I called to say that I was coming home. I meant to ask if anyone wanted me to pick up sandwiches or anything, but before I could get the words out, Chuck hung up on me. Strange, but okay, I guess. By the time I got home, the little girls were asleep and the males in the house were playing poker in the "man cave." Poker is a favorite activity of my husband, but I have never seen him play with teenagers. Uh...strange, but okay, I guess.
Today, I was scheduled to sell "spirit wear" at the field before Jojo's game. I got to the field on time, but couldn't find a spirit wear table. I wandered around for a few minutes, before I ran into anyone who looked like they may know what was going on. We found the spirit wear, and wheeled the rolling racks out for sale. The other mom who was scheduled to help, got the money box and helped with the first couple of sales. But then she started talking to another cheer mom from a different squad, and the talk became intense. The other mom was really agitated and they moved aside, I guess, to get some privacy. I tried to respect their privacy and moved to the other side of the rolling racks and started to straighten the shirts, visors, car magnets, etc. Apparently, three was still a crowd, and they moved even further away. At first, I felt bad for the mom who was having apparent issues, and for the mom who was getting an earfull! But then, she never came back to the spirt wear sale.
Off in the distance, I could see the spirt wear mom was sitting at a picnic table eating something and laughing with some other folks. About 45 minutes later, she came by to tell me that I could put everything away and turn the money box in at the snack shack because there "...wasn't enough left to sell to anyone else." Huh? I had two rolling racks full of shirts, visors, car magnets, etc. What kind of rush was she expecting? And, frankly, how would she know what we had left since she had spent the vast majority of the spirit wear sale time privately talking, eating and laughing. Strange, but okay, I guess.
Tonight, we had the kids covered, and Chuck and I had a dinner date. We did this a couple months ago, and found that we really benefitted from taking some time to get reaquainted as a couple, rather than as simply partners in this gig called parenting. We decided on a local Italian restaurant and headed out.
When the waiter came over, he and Chuck struck up an instant rapport. It was kind of funny...at first. The waiter told Chuck about the dinner specials, made recommendations to Chuck, took Chuck's order first and asked Chuck how everything was after we had taken a couple of bites. When we were finished, the waiter asked Chuck if he had room for dessert, took Chuck to the pastry case in the front of the restaurant, made recommendations to Chuck, brought Chuck his dessert and espresso. I guess it was a good thing that I was chewing when he asked how everything was, and didn't save room for dessert. When I asked Chuck if he thought the waiter was acting weird, he was completely perplexed by my question. Now, I'm positive that this was strange...and not okay with me.
Consequently, Chuck headed to the "man cave" when we got home, and I took the opportunity to catch up on some reading. Eventually, he came up and said he was going to bed early. Also strange, and not okay.
Tomorrow, Chuck is driving to Baltimore for the little girls' karate tournament. It's an all-day event. I'm staying on the homefront to attend Family Fun Day with Jojo and Bo at the football field. Sigh!
Lastnight, I had a union function to attend. Jojo was invited for a slumber party and Bo was having some friends over to break in the new basement "man cave." Chuck was in charge of the homefront while I was pressing the flesh and hearing the union's take on all things political. When I got on the road, I called to say that I was coming home. I meant to ask if anyone wanted me to pick up sandwiches or anything, but before I could get the words out, Chuck hung up on me. Strange, but okay, I guess. By the time I got home, the little girls were asleep and the males in the house were playing poker in the "man cave." Poker is a favorite activity of my husband, but I have never seen him play with teenagers. Uh...strange, but okay, I guess.
Today, I was scheduled to sell "spirit wear" at the field before Jojo's game. I got to the field on time, but couldn't find a spirit wear table. I wandered around for a few minutes, before I ran into anyone who looked like they may know what was going on. We found the spirit wear, and wheeled the rolling racks out for sale. The other mom who was scheduled to help, got the money box and helped with the first couple of sales. But then she started talking to another cheer mom from a different squad, and the talk became intense. The other mom was really agitated and they moved aside, I guess, to get some privacy. I tried to respect their privacy and moved to the other side of the rolling racks and started to straighten the shirts, visors, car magnets, etc. Apparently, three was still a crowd, and they moved even further away. At first, I felt bad for the mom who was having apparent issues, and for the mom who was getting an earfull! But then, she never came back to the spirt wear sale.
Off in the distance, I could see the spirt wear mom was sitting at a picnic table eating something and laughing with some other folks. About 45 minutes later, she came by to tell me that I could put everything away and turn the money box in at the snack shack because there "...wasn't enough left to sell to anyone else." Huh? I had two rolling racks full of shirts, visors, car magnets, etc. What kind of rush was she expecting? And, frankly, how would she know what we had left since she had spent the vast majority of the spirit wear sale time privately talking, eating and laughing. Strange, but okay, I guess.
Tonight, we had the kids covered, and Chuck and I had a dinner date. We did this a couple months ago, and found that we really benefitted from taking some time to get reaquainted as a couple, rather than as simply partners in this gig called parenting. We decided on a local Italian restaurant and headed out.
When the waiter came over, he and Chuck struck up an instant rapport. It was kind of funny...at first. The waiter told Chuck about the dinner specials, made recommendations to Chuck, took Chuck's order first and asked Chuck how everything was after we had taken a couple of bites. When we were finished, the waiter asked Chuck if he had room for dessert, took Chuck to the pastry case in the front of the restaurant, made recommendations to Chuck, brought Chuck his dessert and espresso. I guess it was a good thing that I was chewing when he asked how everything was, and didn't save room for dessert. When I asked Chuck if he thought the waiter was acting weird, he was completely perplexed by my question. Now, I'm positive that this was strange...and not okay with me.
Consequently, Chuck headed to the "man cave" when we got home, and I took the opportunity to catch up on some reading. Eventually, he came up and said he was going to bed early. Also strange, and not okay.
Tomorrow, Chuck is driving to Baltimore for the little girls' karate tournament. It's an all-day event. I'm staying on the homefront to attend Family Fun Day with Jojo and Bo at the football field. Sigh!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Uh...thanks!
Now that SE Pennsylvania has become a sub-tropical rain forrest, my hair has been UNBELIEVABLE! We are talking, full on pyramid-shaped afro. Now, I freely admit that I am extremely deficient in hair styling ability. So, when I have to use multiple products to be able to fit through the bathroom doorway without having to duck or turn sidways, it's definitely time for a change.
So, I decided that tonight was the night. Jojo had yet another (!) cheerleading practice (pause), which meant that I had two hours to kill. I looked online to find the closest Hair Cuttery (no appointment required) and set out. When I walked in, I had no idea what I wanted other than a change. So, figuring that I would have time to browse magazines, I was feeling pretty confident. Within five minutes, they call my name. Uh...okay, here we go. The stylist brings me back to her chair and asks what I'm looking to do.
"Uh...I'm not sure...how about that!" I said, pointing at one of the wall posters of a beautiful young blond woman with a cute, funky short hairstyle.
"Great, come on back and we'll get you shampooed!" Her confidence was comforting and I felt great with my decision.
When it was all said and done, the cut looked great. Even the stylist said, "You're walking out of here a whole new person!" Uh...okay...really? On the way to the car, I regain the bounce in my step, however. I can't wait to surprise Jojo with my new look!
After parking back at the gym, I head toward the back area where the girls are practicing. One of the Cheer Moms who is standing outside on her cellphone does an obvious double-take and shouts across the parking lot, "Oh my God! You look great!" I, literally, looked behind me to see who she was talking about. I think we have exchanged all of 20 words since the beginning cheer on August 1. Nope, nobody is behind me. How sweet! I smiled and waved my thanks. Then I walked into the gym. Literally every Cheer Parent who was there gave me a compliment about my haircut. One woman even winked and gave a thumbs up. To tell the truth, I began to feel self-conscious and embarrassed that I must have looked like a complete mess for the entirety of the preceding 6 weeks.
Then my daughter came over, during a water break and said "What did you do to your hair?!" with a dubious expression on her little face. Ah, that's my girl! A much-needed, cold-water in the face, shot of reality from Jojo -- and down to Earth I came. Twenty minutes in that rarified air was about all I could take anyway. Thanks, baby!
So, I decided that tonight was the night. Jojo had yet another (!) cheerleading practice (pause), which meant that I had two hours to kill. I looked online to find the closest Hair Cuttery (no appointment required) and set out. When I walked in, I had no idea what I wanted other than a change. So, figuring that I would have time to browse magazines, I was feeling pretty confident. Within five minutes, they call my name. Uh...okay, here we go. The stylist brings me back to her chair and asks what I'm looking to do.
"Uh...I'm not sure...how about that!" I said, pointing at one of the wall posters of a beautiful young blond woman with a cute, funky short hairstyle.
"Great, come on back and we'll get you shampooed!" Her confidence was comforting and I felt great with my decision.
When it was all said and done, the cut looked great. Even the stylist said, "You're walking out of here a whole new person!" Uh...okay...really? On the way to the car, I regain the bounce in my step, however. I can't wait to surprise Jojo with my new look!
After parking back at the gym, I head toward the back area where the girls are practicing. One of the Cheer Moms who is standing outside on her cellphone does an obvious double-take and shouts across the parking lot, "Oh my God! You look great!" I, literally, looked behind me to see who she was talking about. I think we have exchanged all of 20 words since the beginning cheer on August 1. Nope, nobody is behind me. How sweet! I smiled and waved my thanks. Then I walked into the gym. Literally every Cheer Parent who was there gave me a compliment about my haircut. One woman even winked and gave a thumbs up. To tell the truth, I began to feel self-conscious and embarrassed that I must have looked like a complete mess for the entirety of the preceding 6 weeks.
Then my daughter came over, during a water break and said "What did you do to your hair?!" with a dubious expression on her little face. Ah, that's my girl! A much-needed, cold-water in the face, shot of reality from Jojo -- and down to Earth I came. Twenty minutes in that rarified air was about all I could take anyway. Thanks, baby!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Hung over from too much whine!
I have tried and tried to excuse away the selfishness of humanity for the vast majority of my adult life. Unfortunately, at this point I cannot escape the one question that has been burning in the back of my mind for all of that time: Why do some folks seem so incapable of getting out of their own skulls long enough to realize that they actually live on a planet with other people? Since I don't want to bore anyone to death -- although I know many, many people who wouldn't mind boring me to death with the totality of what is one their mind (usually themselves!) at any given time -- I will stick with this week for my examples.
Monday: My darling boy, Bo, has lost the cellphone that he harangued me to get him for a year, and which I told him that he would have to wait until he's a teenager, and then bought for him for his 13th birthday a mere 6 months ago! I immediately go into Sherlock Holmes mode, trying to take Bo, kicking and screaming, step-by-step through the days between the last time he knows he had the phone and when he finally admitted to losing it. He doesn't want to go through this exercise and I am met with the patented teenaged eye rolls/sloutchy pouts/repeated heavy sighs routine. (At one point, I asked Bo if he was in need of an inhaler since he seemed to be having trouble breathing normally...which garnered another heavy sigh. I couldn't resist!) Finally, we get around to calling friends with whom he had spent time between last having his phone and Admission Monday. Are the friends helpful? Not immediately, but they "will look around" and let him know. Uh, cool, can you do that right now? Apparently, not.
Tuesday: I have been in intestinal distress every time I eat for three days. By Day 3 of the Great Potty Race, I'm living on water and icecubes because I a) can't tolerate anything else, b) am afraid of dehydrating, especially since I've also been sweating like a racehorse. (Vogue material, I am not!), and c) have resorted to buying and using A&D ointment, despite my ban on the stuff in my home once Koko was out of diapers. Is my loving husband concerned for my well-being? Well, you tell me. Before going upstairs to bed at 8:45, because he's exhausted!, he asks me to sleep on the couch because it's impossible for him to get any sleep when I am constantly getting out of bed all night. After my head exploded, I fell sideways onto the couch for the remainder of the night. I assume his sleep went undisturbed.
Wednesday: My father has been experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath. He's not very old, in his late 60's, but there is a hideous family history of heart disease on the paternal side of my family. My poor dad has been dealing with this for months, had a cardiac catherization and stent placement a few months back with initial relief, but recently started having problems again and worse than ever. So, he had a nuclear stress test, which came back as okay, and the doctor ordered more tests. The "big day" was scheduled for Wednesday (yesterday). So, it's 8:15 PM and I'm not feeling well, exhausted from getting little, to no, sleep on the couch the night before, annoyed at my husband, and overwhelmed by the information I had just received at Back to School Night for multiple children. I place a call to cry on my mom's shoulder and my dad answers. Do I ask my dad how he is feeling or how the appointment went? No, I just ask for my mom in order to get my complaint-fest rolling.
So...am I immune to Inward Focus Syndrome? Apparently not.
Monday: My darling boy, Bo, has lost the cellphone that he harangued me to get him for a year, and which I told him that he would have to wait until he's a teenager, and then bought for him for his 13th birthday a mere 6 months ago! I immediately go into Sherlock Holmes mode, trying to take Bo, kicking and screaming, step-by-step through the days between the last time he knows he had the phone and when he finally admitted to losing it. He doesn't want to go through this exercise and I am met with the patented teenaged eye rolls/sloutchy pouts/repeated heavy sighs routine. (At one point, I asked Bo if he was in need of an inhaler since he seemed to be having trouble breathing normally...which garnered another heavy sigh. I couldn't resist!) Finally, we get around to calling friends with whom he had spent time between last having his phone and Admission Monday. Are the friends helpful? Not immediately, but they "will look around" and let him know. Uh, cool, can you do that right now? Apparently, not.
Tuesday: I have been in intestinal distress every time I eat for three days. By Day 3 of the Great Potty Race, I'm living on water and icecubes because I a) can't tolerate anything else, b) am afraid of dehydrating, especially since I've also been sweating like a racehorse. (Vogue material, I am not!), and c) have resorted to buying and using A&D ointment, despite my ban on the stuff in my home once Koko was out of diapers. Is my loving husband concerned for my well-being? Well, you tell me. Before going upstairs to bed at 8:45, because he's exhausted!, he asks me to sleep on the couch because it's impossible for him to get any sleep when I am constantly getting out of bed all night. After my head exploded, I fell sideways onto the couch for the remainder of the night. I assume his sleep went undisturbed.
Wednesday: My father has been experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath. He's not very old, in his late 60's, but there is a hideous family history of heart disease on the paternal side of my family. My poor dad has been dealing with this for months, had a cardiac catherization and stent placement a few months back with initial relief, but recently started having problems again and worse than ever. So, he had a nuclear stress test, which came back as okay, and the doctor ordered more tests. The "big day" was scheduled for Wednesday (yesterday). So, it's 8:15 PM and I'm not feeling well, exhausted from getting little, to no, sleep on the couch the night before, annoyed at my husband, and overwhelmed by the information I had just received at Back to School Night for multiple children. I place a call to cry on my mom's shoulder and my dad answers. Do I ask my dad how he is feeling or how the appointment went? No, I just ask for my mom in order to get my complaint-fest rolling.
So...am I immune to Inward Focus Syndrome? Apparently not.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Just Trying to Get Healthy...
I know I said I was ready for some football, but cheerleading craziness is truly something to behold. In desperation, I'm trying to keep up with some sort of fitness routine, but it has been a real pain in the neck (in every respect since I have not been able to turn my head to the left for two days now!). Take last week, for example. Monday, there was no cheerleading and, while we debated taking Jojo to taekwon do (something we're trying to keep up with since it has self-protective qualities -- always a good thing for a petite flower to know), but decided to let her chill out for a night. This gave me a chance to go back to the Y! I was thrilled by the idea of getting back in with the DWA Old Guard and trying to get back in the swim (couldn't resist!) while not drowning. Ugh! The classes don't start until 9/12 and I have a commitment that I can't miss. Grrrrr.... So, it was to the treadmill (making a large arch away from the eliptical trainer that nearly took my life back in July) and marching out a few miles. Boring, but enough to work up a froth. I felt good enough about myself after this bit of "me time" that I re-committed to sticking with a fitness routine.
The rest of the week was CONSUMED by cheerleading. I'm not kidding! But I wasn't going to let it interfere with my new commitment to myself. On Tuesday night, the girls are now "training" for two hours at a cheerleading/gymnastics gym located about a 1/2 hour away from home. Since it was like a sauna in the waiting area, I could have sweat off a few inches, but I chose to spare those around me and headed out for a mall walk, since it was raining pretty hard and I wanted to do something to raise my puserate. I remember the Old Guard had recommened mall walking, so I decided to check it out. Well, the mall was pretty deserted on a Tueday evening, so the walking was okay but I don't think I was wearing the right shoes (are there mall walking shoes?) since I wound up with pains in my shins pretty early on. I returned to the gym for the final 45 mintes of practice. Needless to say, when Jojo walked out and saw me sitting there sweating like a fiend and then limping over to help her with her cheer bag, she was a little concerned and a lot embarrassed. "Mom, what's going on? Why are you sweaty and limping? Did you go running?"
It's okay, honey, I'm just trying to get healthy.
Wednesday was another 2 hr. practice in the gym at one of the elementary schools. There was no room for parents to hang out, but I spied a track behind the school and decided to make the most of it. Since it has been raining for about 38 days and 38 nights, I walked the track while imagining the animals walking 2-by-2 along with me. Actually, the light rain made the walking seem almost too easy, so I decided to start the "speedwalking" routine that I saw demonstrated on Veria (a cable station geared toward masochistic, perimenopausal women who are desperate enough to turn to supplements and silly fitness trends like speedwalking, also known as "doing the duck.") With my keister, the duck walk was pretty easy, until the shin pains started again (are there speedwalking shoes?). I must have been a real sight! Anyway, after about 45 minutes, I headed out to run some errands, feeling good enough about my efforts on the track that I must not have noticed the strange looks that I'm sure I was receiving. When I went back to pick Jojo up from practice, she, again, looked at me with distress and said "What happened? You look like a racoon with an afro! Were you crying? Why are you limping?"
It's okay, honey, I'm just trying to get healthy.
At this point, I believe I have ruined her for "healthy living" for the rest of her life!
The rest of the week was CONSUMED by cheerleading. I'm not kidding! But I wasn't going to let it interfere with my new commitment to myself. On Tuesday night, the girls are now "training" for two hours at a cheerleading/gymnastics gym located about a 1/2 hour away from home. Since it was like a sauna in the waiting area, I could have sweat off a few inches, but I chose to spare those around me and headed out for a mall walk, since it was raining pretty hard and I wanted to do something to raise my puserate. I remember the Old Guard had recommened mall walking, so I decided to check it out. Well, the mall was pretty deserted on a Tueday evening, so the walking was okay but I don't think I was wearing the right shoes (are there mall walking shoes?) since I wound up with pains in my shins pretty early on. I returned to the gym for the final 45 mintes of practice. Needless to say, when Jojo walked out and saw me sitting there sweating like a fiend and then limping over to help her with her cheer bag, she was a little concerned and a lot embarrassed. "Mom, what's going on? Why are you sweaty and limping? Did you go running?"
It's okay, honey, I'm just trying to get healthy.
Wednesday was another 2 hr. practice in the gym at one of the elementary schools. There was no room for parents to hang out, but I spied a track behind the school and decided to make the most of it. Since it has been raining for about 38 days and 38 nights, I walked the track while imagining the animals walking 2-by-2 along with me. Actually, the light rain made the walking seem almost too easy, so I decided to start the "speedwalking" routine that I saw demonstrated on Veria (a cable station geared toward masochistic, perimenopausal women who are desperate enough to turn to supplements and silly fitness trends like speedwalking, also known as "doing the duck.") With my keister, the duck walk was pretty easy, until the shin pains started again (are there speedwalking shoes?). I must have been a real sight! Anyway, after about 45 minutes, I headed out to run some errands, feeling good enough about my efforts on the track that I must not have noticed the strange looks that I'm sure I was receiving. When I went back to pick Jojo up from practice, she, again, looked at me with distress and said "What happened? You look like a racoon with an afro! Were you crying? Why are you limping?"
It's okay, honey, I'm just trying to get healthy.
At this point, I believe I have ruined her for "healthy living" for the rest of her life!
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