Is this what "Zen" feels like?

Okay.

Last night - YOGA.

My dear friend Sally talked me into going..ummm, I mean asked me if I would like to go with her.

I really liked it...However, I kinda sweated during certain parts I didn't expect too. My butt hurts today and there's a strange, uncomfortable feeling in my abdomen and upper torso. Huh, who knew? Maybe there's some muscle in there somewhere? I think I'll keep going to these classes. I feel better and more alert today. That could be the ibuprofen though.

I think I'll take tonight off. I need to get ready for my 12-hour crop this weekend!! WHOO HOO!!!

Wish me luck (with the exercise!).

Let's Get Physical...physical.

Thank you Olivia Newton John. No sweatband was harmed in the making of this post.

Okay. I have made a commitment to myself to take better care of myself (again). My body is going downhill at a faster rate than I ever imagined. The stress level of my work and life are going uphill at a rate faster than I ever planned. You do the math.

I pay for a family gym membership on the 15th of every month. Let’s see, Braden went swimming this summer once and Brady has yet to step inside the gym. Where’s the “family” membership again? I was going faithfully earlier this summer, but got bored. This gym has many, many great classes that I could take. From kickboxing and pilates to yoga and fit ball. It’s that last one that has recently peaked my interest. I have a yoga ball at home. I like to use it when my back is out. It’s comfy and it works my lower back muscles– and it has been in my basement for about 6 months. I blame my son for that. I have to blame someone other than myself, right? I swear he thinks it’s a $30 playground ball. I don’t think so. It's safer in the basement. The basement I do not visit. Ever.

So picture it (if you dare). I went to the class last night. I didn't know one person in the room. Not ONE! This is very brave of me. I’m actually proud of myself. I even have on my pink and black cropped yoga pants with matching pink t-shirt. I think I was about 25 minutes into the 60 minute class, sitting on the big round playground ball when it hits me... “Oh. My. GAWD. Has anyone ever popped one of these in a class?” YIKES, what is the weight limit of one of these things anyways? Surely the instructor wouldn't let me sit on one if she thought I would pop it, right? (It's pretty obvious I’m no lightweight – you don’t get this body by eating salads all the time.) In my mind I’m pushing this ball to it’s limits. I'm sure it's practically flat when I'm using it. Thank goodness there are no mirrors in this room.

How embarrassing. I’m picturing the whole scene. The ball bursting and me running out of the room and out the front door. Would they give me a refund on the rest of my membership for the year? Would they take pity on a fat girl? I’m sure there was a clause in my membership contract – something about not being able to perform the workouts because you’re fat does not constitute a reason for a refund. I’m screwed!

You’ll be glad to hear that I made it through the entire 60 minutes and actually enjoyed the class - except for that 15 or 20 minute anxiety attack in the middle of class. In addition, on the advice of my friend Barb, I have since Googled© these yoga balls and have found out, to my relief, the balls test out between 300-400 pounds. I think I’m safe as long as I don’t have that extra pickle at lunch tomorrow.

It's Clean Up Time - Not for the faint of heart

"It's Time to Clean Up"

performed by Cathy Bollinger

http://www.songsforteaching.com/cathybollinger/itstimetocleanup.htm

It’s time to clean up clean up

Everybody do your share

Clean up clean up

Soon the mess will not be there.

Clean up clean up

Look at this we’re almost done

Toys away -- hey hey hey

Clean-up can be fun.

Be Bop

I think I’ll put my ball in the toy chest

Be bop...

And this book goes in my bookshelf

Bee bop...

Oh no, Don’t push all your toys under the bed

Bee bop...

Toys away -- hey hey hey

Clean-up can be fun

So, what's all this singing and celebration about? I spent my Saturday afternoon cleaning my scrapbook room!! WHOO HOO!!! So long overdue it's not even funny. Like most people (I hope), our "spare room" (a.k.a. my crafty room) has become the catch all.

You know...

• Company's coming over - throw it in there.
• Can't find a place for it - throw it in there.
• Maybe we'll sell that in the next garage sale - throw it in there.

Well, I suppose I had had enough, or hypothetically, I may have needed something in the back corner and couldn't squeeze my fat butt through the door! Hypothetically speaking, of course.

I thought I would share the before and after pics with you guys. Mostly for therapeutic reasons. Maybe this will hold me accountable. It's not perfect. But, I can certainly get in there to create - and no one will be injured trying to find me. I need my own time - and space (see last night's post).

BEFORE:

Barb, are you closing your eyes?? FYI - She has already helped me clean this room twice. My darling husband thought it might be too much to ask her to come over again to help.


Special note - check out how things have not been balancing very well on my work station lately...should have been my first sign that I should have done this sooner. It is such a pit! Embarassing.

AFTER:

Note - you can see the television - and the TOP OF MY DESK! WHOOO HOOOO!!

Look at my shelf - it's almost pretty!! You didn't see the before of this pic. It was really bad because sometimes it was all we could reach from the door. There were a lot of things piled/balanced on this shelf.

Okay, so the up-side to cleaning my room:

I found this pile of stamps that either, (a) haven't been opened, or (b) I forgot I ever had. Imagine the possibilities.


But that's not the only thing I found...

LOOK at this pile of ribbon!!! Seriously, everytime I opened a bag, or moved something, I found ribbon. This doesn't count the pile of ribbon that was nice and neat on the shelf. This truly is just the stuff I found. It's a sickness.

Doesn't it look all pretty in this little crate?

And, the downside?
Other than the obvious - now I have to cut out all those stamps...Brady finally saw everything nice and neat in my room and was a bit flabbergasted at the small scrapbook store that resides in our home. I don't think he truly understood my sickness until he saw it all picked up off the floor and out of the many, many bags.

I suppose tomorrow will be spent cutting out stamps in front of the television and getting ready for next weekend's 12-hour crop!! I can't wait.

Can you speak English, please?

Okay. I get it.

I’m a girl.

I am the only girl in my house. Not even a girl dog, cat, or goldfish.

But, for the love of Pete, can we talk about something other than if (insert name of team here) is in the “one-double-a” or the “one-a” or the “two-double-a” league, level or whatever you call it? If (insert name of player here) was traded, or did they retire? What was the score of that Monday night football game three years ago? Offsides, Roughing the Passer, Hacking, Three-point shot, First Down?

And, how exactly does my 7-year old know these terms and stats?? Is it normal? Seriously, he holds his own in the conversations with his father. He even knows that Duke doesn’t have a football team this year, or do they? Or did they say basketball team? Is that what they said? Maybe it wasn't even Duke - I can’t remember. We went to Kansas City last weekend (for what else? Shopping for Braden’s hockey equipment) and the whole way there all I heard was sports, sports, sports.

Don’t get me wrong – I like a good hockey or football, and even baseball, game. After all, how many moms and wives would VOLUNTARILY schedule their summer vacation around the schedule of a major league baseball game? But HOW ON EARTH can you talk about it for an hour and 15 minutes solid???

I guess they would probably say the same thing about my 12 hour scrap-a-thons. I guess I understand.

The boys are gone for the evening (at a hockey game!). I’m enjoying a girls-night-in. Dove chocolates, pink fuzzy slippers, diet coke, surfing crafty blogs and catching up on my soaps via my TIVO. It’s good to be a girl.

Even if I don't always understand what the heck they are talking about, I wouldn't trade these guys for anything!