Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Just in case I Forgot...

My body is reminding me that I am no longer in my 20's.  Or my 30's.
I have not done a workout since Saturday.  Granted, Saturday was an hour of Pilates and 2+ hours of walking uphill, but still...
This week I've been driving to and from San Jose every day and taking on the teaching/directing duties for one of the other teachers, who's having car trouble (AND she lives in Oakland, so public transportation would take about 2-3 hours each way.  Zoiks!) That plus, of course, taking care of the kids is letting me know, in  no uncertain terms, that I'm not a kid myself anymore. My mornings have been filled with errands and appointments, and Hubby and I have overslept 2 days in a row. Add PMS to the mix and, well, I'm one tired, grumpy so-and-so.
Today it's raining.  Not a big deal, but Californians don't know how to drive in the rain, which makes me nervous.  And the "Maintenance Required" light in my car just came on.  Is it too far out in Fantasyland to hope that it's simply referring to the oil change I need to get?

Honestly, aside from the guilt, I think it's OK to skip a few workouts now and again.  Especially when one is truly physically exhausted.  I mean, even the thought of walking downstairs and getting on the bike right now makes me wanna start crying.
Sad but true.
So, I'll give myself a break.  Tomorrow is my first Dailey Method class, and I have a feeling it's gonna kick my tuchas.  Then I have yoga on Friday, and Pilates again on Saturday.  Maybe on Sunday I'll climb back onto the bike.  It really is fun...

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Climbing Out of the Primordial Ooze

Otherwise known as Getting Out Of The House.  Not always easy with 2 young, active, curious offspring.  But I did it today. I had to, otherwise said offspring, plus their male parental unit, would have witnessed the Ultimate Mommy Meltdown.
Hubby worked on Friday, then went to his rock climbing gym.  The kids were off, and WG decided to channel LG when he was 4.  Suffice to say I spent the entire day chasing after her and getting there just a little too late, followed by my cleaning Stuff up off the floor.  (Water, dog kibble, shards of various broken things, and, in the highlight of my day, poo.)
They have a 2-week vacation coming up.  I honestly don't know how I'm going to survive it.

Yesterday, after teaching my class, we took the train into the City and hiked around for 2 hours.  Mostly uphill.
We all slept REALLY well last night!

Today I took the day off.  I left the house at about 9:45 AM, sat in Starbucks and read, then did things I wanted to do.  All at a very slow pace. Including signing up for a series of 3 classes at The Dailey Method.  Which is similar to Bar Method, which is similar to Callanetics, which is similar to Lotte Berke.  I have some DVDs by all of the above, but there are some exercises that are done in class not done on the DVDs.  Plus, I REALLY want to get out and see other grown-ups!
The next 2 weeks will be quite busy: Dec. 6th is the performance for Midnight Shakespeare, so we have quite a bit of rehearsing to do.  Much time will be spent in San Jose. I'm also in the final stretch of my Pilates classes.  So getting out and doing some barre/yoga classes with other people will be a good thing.
In 3 weeks, the kids begin their above-mentioned vacation AND my mom is coming out to visit.  I'm going to need all the calming, deep-breathing, stress-reducing stuff I can find.

On a completely different subject, last night was my (gulp!) 25th high school reunion!  I didn't go, as I'm on the other side of the country, and traveling 5,000 miles on Thanksgiving weekend less than 2 weeks before a performance AND leaving the kids with Hubby was just not feasible.  I'm sure a good time was had, and I look forward to hearing stories/seeing pictures.
I also realized yesterday that as of Jan 2nd hubby and I will not only have been married for 12 years, we'll have been together for 18!
18 years!!!!!
Where the hell did my 30's go?
Oh, right.
Spent in a sleepwalking haze of diaper changes, 3 AM feedings, baths, preschool, therapies...
All TOTALLY worth it, it's just that I kinda feel like I lost a decade of my life.
Literally.  Because I can barely remember it.
And it seems like time is speeding up.  There's no way top stop it or even slow it down.
Well, I suppose I could crash a faculty meeting at a university somewhere.  That'd make time go slowly.  But I'd just end up gnawing my own limbs off from boredom (thank you, again, Douglas Adams, for that visual).
So I'll take the usual path.  Just living every day as it comes, and trying to be a decent homo sapien.  Time, after all, waits for no one.

And on THAT cheery note, I'm gonna go rassle up some grub for the fruits of my loins.
G'night all!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving?!?!?!

Wasn't it August, like 2 weeks ago?  And if Thanksgiving (the U.S. version) is on Thursday, doesn't that mean that Christmas (yay!) and the winter break (boo!) are right around the corner?!?!?!

So far it looks as if the weather will hold, which means we can go to Stinson Beach and play.  Then we'll come home and barbecue.  Because we live in California, and we can. Plus, that's what the Pilgrims and Native Americans did, right?  Rolled out the Kingsford and fired up the grill?
My New England family members and friends are appalled.  But I think they're secretly jealous.  'Cause I don't have to spend the entire day by the oven, looking out at the November gloom. No field trips to Plymouth rock for our kids (although, to be fair, those were FUN!), and no dressing up as Puritans.  In fact, LG drew a Pilgrim hat in school, but it was pink and purple.  No brown and gray and black for this California kid!

I also like that Thanksgiving will be about spending time with my family, and not about shoveling boatloads of food into my (pumpkin) pie hole.  We'll be outside, playing at the park and chasing waves, instead of inside waiting for food, watching football, and washing loads of dishes. Because what I am truly most thankful for in my life is my family; my amazing husband and incredible, sweet, smart, fun kids.  I have hit the familial jackpot, I tell ya!

The only sad part will be the absence of Luna.  She came with us last year, and had such a great time!  There are tons of dogs on that beach and, because it's a mellow, close-knit community, they're all off-leash. She spent her time running (sort of) with the kids, walking in the waves, and generally letting her hair-um-fur down.
This year we'll have to have a toast to her memory.  And know that she has an unending beach on which to frolick, along with all her canine compatriots, and none of the hip pain or age to slow her down.

Finally, on a completely different (and fairly self-indulgent, but, hey, it's my blog!) subject, I've come to realize that, while I can commit to working out, I cannot commit to one particular workout long-term.  I need to mix it up.  Walking one day, Spinning & weights the next, followed by yoga, with a barre-based workout after that.  I can't even do the same workout 3 days a week, apparently.  Every time I say I AM going to commit to something, it falls apart.  I find myself craving variety in my exercise, and I don't necessarily think that's such a bad thing.
For a long time, I DID do the same workouts.  Day after day, month after month.  I not only got bored & stopped seeing results, I started hurting.  Repetitive stress, apparently.  From being stupid and never changing it up. I don't know of it's exercise ADD or simple rebellion, but just the the idea of doing one single exercise program for a month (or 6 weeks, or 90 days) makes me wanna run screaming out of the room.  Even a program (like P90X) that has different workouts nearly every day. (I tried it.  I like Tony Horton, but the workouts just weren't all that interesting, and I kept hurting myself.)
So I'm going to practice Intuitive Exercising.  I'll do what my body feels like doing.  I won't weight train the same way 2 days in a row, but I'll listen, pay attention, and give my body what it needs.  Today, for example, I was planning on going to a Vinyasa class, but I ended up taking a walk, instead.  I needed the fresh air and time alone with my thoughts. I ended up walking through the hills for an hour and 15 minutes, and it was perfect.
I probably won't end up doing the world's most difficult or punishing workouts, but that's not really my thing. Not anymore, anyway.  I value my knees too much to continue doing that. I'm not all that interested in looking like a fitness model.  I want to be healthy, energetic, and, yes, in better shape.  But let's face it: My days of being a leading lady are behind me, and I've NEVER been model material.  It's time to stop focusing so much on the results, on the outside, and shift that focus inward.
It's time to be a little less vain and a bit more selfish.
Time to take care of ME, as well as everyone else.

And on that note, I'm heading to bed,  Because WG will probably be up in couple of hours.

Wish me luck.
I just might need it.  :)

Friday, November 16, 2012

This Too Shall Pass

At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
It's a growth spurt, maybe.  Or a phase.  Maybe it's the time change.
WG is not sleeping.
And she's hungry.
All. The. Time.
Last night she fell asleep at 7:30, having awoken at 5 AM that morning and raided the fridge, which Hubby forgot to lock.  (We don't want a repeat of the Chicken Incident.)
She then woke up 3 hours later, and stayed that way.
All night.
Hubby stayed in her room, but he's a deep sleeper.  At 3:30 I heard her go downstairs.  I followed, and she was sitting in front of the fridge, looking at it.  I unlocked it and gave her, what else, some chicken.  Which she gobbled (sorry) up, and then went back to her room.  I then put the gate up, knowing it probably wouldn't stop her, but hoping I'd at least hear it crash if she decided to escape again.  Luckily, she decided to stay in her room and play.
We figured she'd be exhausted by noon.  That her poor teachers would have to deal with her cranky tiredness.  But no!  She had a very good day, came home happy as a clam, and stayed that way until 7:00 PM, when her little eyelids started drooping.  Not wanting a repeat of last night, I drew a bath for her, which woke her up for a bit.
It is now 9 PM, and she fell asleep about 15 minutes ago.  Hopefully she will sleep through the night, and we'll be back on track.

Luckily I had the day off.  After dropping LG off at school and running a couple of errands, I came home and slept.
Until 1:00.
And I am already thinking about going back to bed.
Because, hey, all the cool kids go to bed at 9:00 on a Friday, right?
And I wonder why I no longer have a career on stage...

On a better note, I used our Spin bike again yesterday.  I found a Johhny G workout on YouTube (he invented Spinning), and off I went.  I then did 30 minutes of Ballet Beautiful workouts.
I think next time I'll reverse the order.  My legs were so wobbly from Spinning I could barely stand, let alone actually LIFT them.
And Swan Arms for 15 minutes?  Holy cow!!!!!!!  No wonder ballerinas are so strong!

Tomorrow morning I teach Pilates, but then I'm off for a week(!)  I'll do my yoga, Spinning, and Ballet Beautiful.  But I also think I want to nap while the kids are in school. Today felt so indulgent, like I was Getting Away With Something.
I LIKE it!
Naps are highly underrated, if you ask me.

And with that, I will bid you good night.
Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Spin, Spin Away!

The Spin bike is here!!!!!!
It arrived yesterday.  While I bathed the offspring Hubby set up the bike. I immediately hopped on, logged onto YouTube on my iPhone, and away I went.
It was awesome!
I then picked up my weights and did some lifting, along with a few Pilates exercises.  This was after a 2-hour walk along the beach with Hubby & the kids.
(On a side note, I think we saw every breed/combination of dog known to humankind.  SF is a GREAT city to be a dog in!)
It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we all had it off.  So we went to Crissy Field, hiked over to the beach, and made our way to the pier.  It's so beautiful there, right by the GG Bridge.  I also took a picture of a pelican, who I swear was posing!  He was gorgeous, and if I can figure out how to do it, I'll post the photo.

Today it was back to school/work.  A VERY busy day, ending in a near-coronary for me when I went to check in on WG and couldn't find her.  She'd been in her room, but when I went back in I didn't see her.  After searching the house & yard, my S-I-L found her curled up in the corner of her bed, under all the blankets.  Which was odd, because I re-made the bed and swear she wasn't in it!  Of course, she can't answer when we call, and it's a big house, which makes it all the more difficult.
We have one of these scares every few months, it seems (see earlier posts about LG getting out of the townhouse.  Repeatedly.), and I'm not sure how many more my heart can take.  It's been over an hour and I'm still shaking a little bit.

So, yeah.  That bell idea is seeming better every day.


It's now nearly 11:00 PM and time for me to go to bed.  I will post further on my indoor cycling adventures. The way I see it, if I hop on that puppy 3-4 times a week, the remaining extra fat on me doesn't stand a chance!

G'night, all.

Monday, November 12, 2012

I'm Grumpy!

What's the point of a 3-day weekend when
A)You have to work on the weekend
B) You have to wake up at 6:30 AM all 3 days
C) Your child does things like sneak into the kitchen at 4 AM, take a rotisserie chicken out of the fridge & give it to the dog, who eats the entire thing & SPENDS THE NEXT 2 DAYS VOMITING IT BACK UP.  Or sneaks into the kitchen & dumps water all over the floor & herself, leaving the dog with an empty water bowl?!?!?!?!

I need a vacation.
By myself.
Where I can sleep & not worry about the nocturnal kitchen happenings.
And I'm gonna put a bell on WG.
Or an invisible fence in front of the kitchen.
Definitely a refrigerator lock.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Happy Birthday to my Wee Girl!

Who, at 9 years old, is not quite so wee.  Especially since she'll probably be almost as tall as me by the time she's 12, and I'm 5'9"!
But she'll ALWAYS be my li'l princess.

In other news, I voted this morning.  Hurray!  I hate campaigns, but I LOVE voting!  The best part is that little sticker they give you that says "I Voted."  This year we the get fancy-schmancy Presidential Election version.  I always wait until my ballot is confirmed, and THEN I put the sticker on.  And wear it proudly.
And I'm not the only one: There was a discussion at the coffee shop this afternoon about this very subject.  One man said "Why vote by mail when you can go in person and get a sticker?!"
There's just something about stickers.
And balloons. Who doesn't love balloons?  Sadly, balloons are NOT given out at polling stations.
 But it'd be REALLY cool if they were!

I'm trying not top get too anxious about the results.  I keep telling myself that, regardless of the outcome, my family and I will be OK.  It feels a little selfish, but it's about not giving in to panic and possible despair at this point.
So I went for a walk.  I've been meaning to tackle this particularly long street in our neighborhood. It's all uphill one way, then, of course, downhill back, running right into the above-mentioned coffee shop, where having, if not tackled the hill, then at least made it, gasping and panting, to the top and back down, I practically crawled in, guzzled a bottle of water, then sat to enjoy my  iced soy latte.  Then it was a 12 minute walk home.  On legs that felt like lead pipes. A bit of yoga/stretching, a bath, and now I'm nearly good as new.
As I was walking all I could hear in my head was Hugh Grant's voice saying "My god, it's the longest street in the world!"  You probably know that "Love, Actually" is one of my favorite movies.  It's been playing on cable quite a bit lately, which makes me very happy. But that description fit this street to a T.  Except I wasn't searching for My Natalie, I was looking for signs of the Chevron station at the top of the hill.  When I finally caught sight of the blue and white stripes, I thought "The end is near!"  But in this case, that was a good thing.

My walks with Hubby have been on the back-burner, at least until his show closes.  He now uses his lunch break to nap in the car.  :) So I'm doing my yoga and my workout DVDs, along with my walks.  Still teaching one Pilates class a week, and expending LOTS of energy with the Shakespeare kids.
As well as my own.

So now it's getting close to the time when the Birthday Pizza will arrive & we can do some celebrating.  Because regardless of the election outcome, my girl's birthday is DEFINITELY something to celebrate!

P.S., I'll just say that tonight, with the election results in, I am breathing a HUGE sigh of relief.
Feel free to disagree.

P.P.S., Hubby just ordered us a low-priced but well-reviewed Spin bike!!!!!!!!  WAAA-HOOOOO!!!!!!!!